The Killer Queen

The motorcycle sputtered to a stop near South Flora Storage.

With a flick of her wrist, Noella tossed the keys to Alioth and strode purposefully through the reeds toward the old air–raid shelter now serving as their hideout.

“Boss, there’s still a bunch of those Shadow Dragon Soolety goons left, but they’re giving Ms. Gruber the cold shoulder. They say she’s gotta win a boxing match before they’ll take orders from her. Isn’t that nuts? I checked the lineup at our fight club there are several champs scheduled to fight. It’s no place for someone like Ms. Grubert”

Malvina, with her skinny arms and legs she was clearly not cut out for the ring. Alloth figured if she stepped into that ring, the Gruber family might as well fly the white flag.

But the underworld has its own logic when it comes to loyalty and leadership.

Noella’s steps were firm in the boots Sienna had bought her.

“If the Shadow Dragon Society has rigged the fights with their own people, Ms. Gruber doesn’t stand a chance!”

“Why not just let her fight me?”

Alioth’s brain momentarily short–circuited. “What?”

Noella turned, giving him a quizzical look with an arched eyebrow. “Any problem?”

No problem at all.

Their boss was a legend in the fighting circuit, a champion who had held her own for years. If she decided to step into the ring, whatever setup the Shadow Dragon Society had in mind wouldn’t stand a chance!

Alioth hustled to keep up with Noella, taking his place beside Malvína.

“Malvina, come on, I’ll show you.”

“To the fight club?”

“Yeah.”

Malvina’s eyes sparkled with a mix of anticipation and fear – she had never been to an underground fight

club before!

Alioth drove in the direction of the fight club with Noella and Malvina. Hidden within a vast expanse of reeds towering taller than a person, lay the underground fight club, concealed from daylight

Noella glanced at Malvina, whose excitement was tinged with nervousness, and spoke with a cool detachment. “I forgot to tell you, we couldn’t save Yates. Walden and Arthur are hanging by a thread, and even if they recover, they’ll face a firing squad. The fire has been ruled an accident, so you won’t be troubled any further. You did well, but don’t risk yourself for people who aren’t worth it again.”

Malvina blinked back tears, vowing to herself to overcome her tearful tendencies. “Got it!”

Upon entering the fight club’s domain, Noella handed Malvina a mask. “Wear this. Don’t let anyone inside memorize your face.”

Those who fought for money were ruthless, and remembering a face could lead to trouble, or worse,

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revenge. Even Noella, to avoid complications, never showed her face in the club, let alone Malvina, whose situation was precarious.

Malvina quickly donned the mask, somewhat surprised. She couldn’t help but feel that this wasn’t Noella’s

first time here.

Noella’s face, covered by a fearsome demon mask, seemed oddly fitting despite the mismatch with her

persona.

Inside the fight club, the air was thick with the shouts of gamblers urging fighters to kill their opponents and win them more money.

“Boss, this way.”

They entered a VIP room with a large screen providing a clear view of every move on the fight floor.

Noella turned to the visibly tense Malvina. “You sure you want to go down there?”

“Well, even if I’m not sure, it doesn’t seem like I have a choice, right? What are my chances of making it out alive?”

Noella’s reply was merciless. “Zero. There’s no chance. You’ll die for sure.”

Malvina swallowed hard. “What if… what if it’s not a fight to the death? Just until one yields?”

“You’re too frail, still injured. Even if the fighters hold back, you’d die.”

The underground fights were about money and life itself, where one gambled with their very existence.

Noella secured her mask and handed Malvina a hairpin. “Hold this for me.”

It was a gift from Ulrich, and she didn’t want it dirtied in the fight.

Tying her hair back with a simple band, Noella flexed her wrists, her gaze calm behind the mask.

“Wait for me. I’ll show you what real fighting is.”

Malvina gripped the hairpin in her hand, looking at the radiant Noella before her. “Noella, my dear, are you going down there?”

The scene seemed incredibly perilous! Noella seemed to be the same size as her. Could it truly be safe for

her to enter like this?

“Yes, give me half an hour.”

Alioth exclaimed in disbelief, “Boss? Half an hour? Are you planning for a tag–team match?”

Considering their boss’s prowess, it wouldn’t take her half an hour to fight a match at all!

Noella nodded nonchalantly. “I need to take down all those people to ensure that only I face Malvina.”

“Understood, I’ll arrange it immediately.”

Within the octagonal cage, the flag for the tag–team match was swiftly raised, and excitement buzzed outside the arena!

Watching the girl appearing in the video before her, Malvina noted the sudden transformation of Noella, who had been so gentle just moments before. Once she donned the mask and stepped onto the stage, it was as if she had become a different person!

Every one of Noella’s punches was a precise strike to a vital point, relentless and powerful. The gamblers‘

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eyes turned bloodshot as they roared.

“Monkey, take her down!”

“Demon King, finish off that Northstone Monkey!”

Within five minutes, the fighter known as Monkey was face down on the mat, dragged away.

The next opponent stepped up without giving Noella a chance to catch her breath. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Malvina, clutching her chest, turned to Alioth. “Is Noella going to be okay?”

“This is just the start. Our boss’s record is taking down fifteen fighters in a row. Tonight’s still young!”

The crowd had forgotten the name of the Demon King, but as new fighters entered and fell before Malvina’s eyes, Noella’s legend was reborn in the ring.

On stage, Noella stood unfazed, her eyes scanning the fighters below as she made a taunting gesture.

“Come at me, you chicken–legged wimps.”

The fighters below were seething with anger, yet not one dared to take her on!

She was the undisputed queen of the ring, her gaze sharp as icicles, the fight club her kingdom where no one could steal her spotlight!

Malvina was gobsmacked!

“Is she even real?”

It was her first time witnessing such a dazzling spectacle.

Noella met Nolan’s gaze below and nodded at him.

Alioth turned with a grin. “Ms. Gruber, you’re up.”

“Wha… Me? Can I really do this?”

“Of course, our boss is waiting for you. Go on!”

Inside the octagon, it was just Malvina and Noella.

The roaring crowd could have drowned them out, and Malvina’s lips trembled slightly, thankfully hidden behind the mask or she’d be mortified.

“I don’t know how to throw a punch. What do I do?”

Noella’s voice was void of emotion, icy as she instructed, “Malvina, imagine I’m Yates, Arthur, and your dad, all the executioners who killed your mom. Right now, they’re all me.”

—Line with intensity. “Now, tell me, are you ready to throw a punch?”