Rising from the Ashes BY Only For You Novel

---- Chapter 1988 The remaining operatives quickly regrouped and rushed up to the second floor to help their comrades. This distraction gave Aspen on the third floor the perfect opportunity to make her move. Her fighting style was pure assassin. She specialized in stealth, striking fast and precisely with the goal of killing in one blow. Her dagger flashed through the darkness and instantly claimed a life.

The dozen or so Shadow Division members who were heading down to the second floor were all shocked by the sudden attack. Some rushed to help their fallen comrade while others roared in anger and launched a furious assault on Aspen. However, Aspen was incredibly fast and knew every inch of Serenity Villa like the back of her hand. Within moments, she had slipped away from her pursuers and vanished into the shadows.

In just a few moves, she shook off her pursuers and struck again, taking down several more. Unlike Francesca and Lauren, Aspen was no newcomer with a soft heart. Killing didn't bother her in the slightest. Before meeting Andrew, she had already been the star protégé ---- of the Bridgefields' Stevens family. After meeting him, both her body and martial abilities had been pushed to new heights.

Now, she was trained in his refined assassination techniques, Given Andrew's background and skills, nothing he taught the three women was ordinary. On the contrary, everything he shared with them represented the most elite and powerful martial arts techniques in the world. While Aspen was creating chaos on the upper floors, Lauren finally made her move from the first floor. She struck out with her palm, and her internal energy surged wildly through the attack.

A fully armed Shadow Division operative took the blow directly to his chest, which caved in completely as he was sent flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth as he hit the ground, his life or death uncertain. Lauren let out a startled gasp, surprised by how brutally powerful her strike had become. Her instinctive kindness made her blurt out, "Are you okay?" The other Shadow Division members on the first floor seethed with fury.

She had just killed one of their own and had the nerve to ask if he was alright. It was pure humiliation. ---- With Walter dead, command of the Shadow Division had fallen to Dixon, one of the Driscoll family's top enforcers. He roared, leaping high and sweeping a kick straight for Lauren's head. Lauren's inner energy was unusually strong, so much so that even Andrew had not fully figured out why. However, her techniques were still raw, far from polished.

She had only recently stepped into the martial path and was even less experienced than Francesca. Caught off guard, she barely managed to raise her arm to block the violent kick. A sharp crack rang out, and she felt that her bone was on the verge of breaking. Pain shot through her, sweat beading instantly across her forehead. For a moment, she almost burst into tears. Dixon gave her no time to recover. His face cold, he lunged, clawing straight for her pale neck.

In that life-or-death moment, Lauren forced herself to calm down. She pushed the pain in her arm and recalled everything Andrew had taught her. "Inner energy is the endless root of a martial artist's strength. As long as the breath within your energy core remains unbroken, you cannot be defeated. Guide the energy, circulate it through your limbs and bones, complete the cycle, and return it to your ---- core." Various martial arts principles flashed through her mind as she continued moving.

She retreated while dodging her opponent's grappling attempts, simultaneously directing her internal energy to flow over her injured area. immediately, the pain lessened significantly and was replaced by a warm, soothing sensation. Bit by bit, the flow opened. Energy filled both her arms, and she began meeting his attacks with her own. Dixon became increasingly alarmed as the battle continued. He wondered if Lauren had just unlocked some kind of hidden power.

She looked so delicate and fragile on the surface, but her palm strikes were genuinely painful. It was like she had suddenly taken some kind of super-strength pill. Even though he was a martial king, he was starting to feel like he could not handle her attacks.