Of course, Alivia never intended to truly cripple Nolan.
But with Grover House’s people watching, she had no choice today—she had to bring him down.
With a flick of her arm, she channeled real force into her next move, determined to end this quickly.
The longer they dragged it out, the more injuries Nolan would suffer. He was simply no match for her.
After fending off two strikes, Nolan was still struggling to catch his breath when Alivia’s spear came crashing down once again.
This time, it carried the full weight of her internal strength, descending like a mountain to crush him into submission.
Nolan wasn’t weak by any means–he was a skilled fighter–but against Alivia, it was like trying to block a tidal wave with a twig
He raised his sword in defense, but under the sheer force of her blow, his knee buckled. He sank heavily to the ground, unable to rise.
“Nolan!” Monica and two guards rushed forward to help.
But with a simple sweep of her free arm, Alivia sent the two guards flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Monica too was forced to retreat, stumbling so violently that she lost her balance and was about to fall hard onto the stone path when a hand caught her, steady and gentle.
Monica gasped, turned around–and froze. “Miss Yates!”
No one had seen when Jessica had arrived.
Monica scrambled upright, speaking quickly. “Alivia’s here!”
Alivia’s fame might not have spread as widely as Jessica’s mother’s had, but those who knew the true strength of the battlefield understood–Alivia was
a master.
Jessica’s mother had often spoken of her, back when she was still alive, praising Alivia’s martial prowess as even surpassing her own husband, Rashad.
Every time Rashad marched to war, it had been as husband and wife. How many of Rashad’s battle honors had actually been earned by Alivia’s unseen hand–no one could say.
But Alivia had never sought fame. She was content to stand silently behind her husband, and because of that, few outside the army ever knew her true
worth.
Yet within the military, everyone knew: Alivia was a force to be reckoned with.
“Alivia, that’s enough,” Jessica said, stepping calmly forward.
At her words, Alivia immediately withdrew her spear and took a respectful step back.
Nolan staggered, nearly collapsing, and Jessica reached out to steady him.
It was strange–her hand was soft, seemingly without strength–yet the moment she touched him, Nolan felt as if a crushing weight had been lifted from
his chest.
He had been on the verge of coughing up blood from the internal pressure Alivia had inflicted.
“Miss Yates,” Nolan straightened up at once, trying to shield her again, terrified Alivia might attack her by mistake.
Jessica gave a faint, untroubled smile. “Nolan, you’re no match for Alivia. Stand down.”
1/2
Chapter 139
Nolan flushed with shame, but Jessica wasn’t wrong he had been utterly outclassed.
He reluctantly retreated hall a step, though he didn’t dare move too far away, ready to defend her at any cost,
Tuming back to Alivia, Jessica smiled gently. “It’s been a few years. How have you been?”
Rashad had once been one of her father, General Caesar’s, fiercest warriors. In that fateful battle where both her parents fell, Rashad had died two with two of her uncles.
It had been a complete massacre. A bloodbath no one had survived.
Since then, Jessica had never seen Alivia again.
Alivia had retreated into a church to mourn and heal, spending years in seclusion. When she finally returned to Grover House, she lived quietly, isolated in a small courtyard, cut off from the world.
Not just Jessica–even Grover House’s own people rarely caught a glimpse of her.
Alivia now stepped forward, bowed deeply with a solemn grace, and said, “Jessica… it’s been a long time. Thank you for your concern.”
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