Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 100

Aurora spat out a mouthful of blood. Carissa's kick seemed to have nearly dislocated her internal organs. It left her in such agony, she couldn't make a sound for a long time.

Her face was ashen as she instinctively touched her neck, feeling the blood on her fingers. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably-not from fear, but from the sheer inability to accept this outcome.

She looked at Carissa in disbelief. Such martial skills were beyond anything she had ever seen. How did Carissa, of all people, possess such formidable abilities?

Aurora recalled how Barrett had once mentioned that Carissa had hurt him by simply flicking leaves, a statement that had seemed laughable then. Now, after experiencing it firsthand, a surge of jealousy and hatred gnawed at her.

This swift defeat was a brutal slap in her face.

Earlier, she had accused Carissa of relying on connections to rise in rank, causing several officers to be punished. Even before the fight, she had loudly berated Carissa, inciting a furor among the troops.

Now, Carissa had used her prowess to refute those claims. Throughout the entire confrontation, Carissa spoke only one sentence without offering any defense.

Barrett hurriedly came to support her, asking anxiously, "Are you hurt? Is it serious?"

Grasping Barrett's wrist, Aurora slowly stood up, her chest still aching terribly. Despite trying to hold back, she couldn't suppress the tears welling in her eyes.

the realization that no matter how hard she fought in the Southern Frontier,

that wasn't even the

that she would have to relinquish her position as

seemed to fade, leaving only a buzzing in her head. All the sounds converged into a single, unyielding thought: she couldn't

accept

have the same prestigious background as Carissa. She didn't have a master as skilled as Carissa's. Carissa's exceptional martial arts were due to her influential family. Top martial artists were easily intimidated by her

hadn't lost

had lost to Carissa's

the same privileged

grasped Aurora's

"Barrett, I didn't lose! If I had a background like hers, I wouldn't

for a moment

amplified with inner force, he announced, "The Mystic Army will remain under the command of General Sinclair.

that single statement, the matter

a state of utter panic. Yet she stubbornly stood her ground, her eyes burning with defiance. She couldn't let Carissa see her falter. Even in defeat, she had to

didn't spare Aurora a glance. Instead, she locked eyes with