Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 286: Trouble at Ironspire City (Part-4)

The moment they stepped outside the restaurant, the tension snapped like a drawn bowstring.

Spirit Warriors from both academies surged forward at once, no one bothering with another word. In this world, fists and blades spoke far louder than arguments. If someone dared to offend them, they would make sure the price was paid in blood and pain.

Drusilla locked onto Zora the instant the fighting broke out. Her eyes burned with vicious intent, but before she could even take two steps, Reesa slid in front of her, blocking her path.

"Your opponent is me."

Drusilla looked at her with naked disgust. Seeing Reesa dressed in the same style as herself made her feel as if her territory had been violated. "I’m going to throw you into the dirt and make you crawl," she hissed.

"If you’ve got the ability, then do it," Reesa shot back with a cold laugh. "Stop flapping your mouth like it means something."

Drusilla’s temper was fierce but shallow, and Reesa could see through it at a glance. All bark, not nearly enough bite. She had been waiting to teach this woman a lesson from the moment she opened her mouth.

At the same time, Ophelia strode straight toward Zora, her eyes sharp and poisonous.

"You’ll regret everything you just said."

This was the woman who had drawn Ignar Dragovic’s attention, and that alone made her unforgivable in Ophelia’s eyes. Pride and jealousy twisted together inside her chest, turning into a single burning urge to crush this rival.

Zora had originally intended to face Ignar Dragovic, the strongest of the group, but since Ophelia had come knocking on her door, she saw no reason to refuse. An opponent was an opponent, no matter who it was.

In the blink of an eye, the entire street erupted into chaos. Figures clashed and separated, weapons flashing as streams of energy collided in midair. Waves of mana rolled outward, making the very air feel heavy and oppressive.

Vendors and pedestrians scattered in panic, fleeing as fast as they could. No one wanted to be caught in the crossfire between cultivators.

Zora moved first. The Glaze Sword gleamed as it appeared in her hand, and her figure blurred like a phantom as she slipped behind Ophelia in an instant.

Ophelia reacted quickly, barely managing to turn in time. As a special enrollee of Lunar Academy, she was no weakling.

Clang!

Their swords collided, sparks spraying into the air. The impact sent a tremor through Ophelia’s arms, while Zora barely even shifted her stance.

Zora did not hold back. After weeks without a worthy opponent, her blood finally began to stir, and a faint thrill flashed through her eyes as she pressed the attack. Her movements were sharp and fluid, every strike clean and precise.

Ophelia, however, was already struggling.

Each exchange forced her to pour more and more yuan power into her arms just to keep up. Compared to Zora’s relaxed, effortless flow, she looked like someone fighting in a storm while standing on shaking ground.

Then, with a sudden burst of force, Zora struck out with her palm.

Boom!

Ophelia was sent flying, her body slamming into the ground several paces away. Even though she twisted in midair to soften the fall, she could not avoid the impact.

*Cough*

She coughed violently, blood spraying from her lips as her face turned paper pale.

The Lunar Academy students froze in shock. It had barely been a short exchange, yet Ophelia was already heavily injured.

Their gazes shifted toward Zora, eyes filled with disbelief. This woman looked gentle and elegant, yet her strength was terrifying.

"Sister!"

Drusilla screamed and abandoned her fight with Reesa, rushing toward Ophelia without another thought.

But Reesa’s eyes gleamed with a sharp, dangerous light.

She was not someone who liked to kick people while they were down, but for Drusilla, she was more than happy to make an exception.

And she did not miss her chance.

The moment Drusilla turned her back to rush toward her injured sister, Reesa’s sword flashed like a streak of cold light. A sharp slice cut cleanly through the air, and she withdrew just as quickly, folding her arms over her chest with a crooked, mocking smile.

"Running off like that?" she said lazily. "Looks like someone still needs a few more lessons."

Drusilla was too frantic to notice what had happened. She hurried to Ophelia’s side and knelt down beside her. "Sister, are you all right?"

Ophelia’s face was pale, her chest heaving as pain burned through her insides. That palm strike had shaken her organs, leaving her breath ragged and her vision blurred. Still, when she saw Drusilla crouched beside her, her eyes widened.

"Sister, you... cough..."

Another mouthful of blood escaped her lips before she could finish her sentence.

Everyone’s attention shifted to Drusilla. At first glance, she looked fine, but something about her appearance felt... off.

Drusilla was busy supporting her sister, gently patting her back, not yet realizing anything was wrong. She had always been sharp-tongued and spoiled, but toward her sister, she was sincerely worried.

Then she noticed a strip of purple cloth lying on the ground. It looked strangely familiar.

Her eyes followed it, and in the next instant her pupils shrank.

She slowly looked down at herself and realized, with horror, that the outer layer of her purple robe was gone, torn clean away. Only the inner garment remained.

At that moment, Ophelia forced out a hoarse warning, "Qi Qi, your clothes..."

"What?"

A shrill scream ripped through the street as Drusilla leapt to her feet. People were everywhere, drawn by the earlier battle, and now every pair of eyes was fixed on her. Her face went white, then red, then white again in rapid succession.

In a panic, she grabbed a robe from her storage pouch and wrapped it around herself, hands shaking with fury and humiliation. When she looked up, her eyes were blazing as they locked onto Reesa.

"You’re despicable!"

Reesa only shrugged, her expression innocent to the point of being infuriating.

"Anything can happen in a fight. You should know that."

Drusilla knew it was an excuse, but there was nothing she could do. Her face twisted with rage.

"Just you wait. I will get this back, one way or another!"

With that, she grabbed Ophelia and fled, no longer daring to stay even a second longer.

Watching them leave, Caius and the others exchanged uneasy glances. With Ophelia injured and Drusilla in disgrace, there was no way to continue the fight.

Caius quickly helped Ophelia up, then turned toward Zora and the others, his eyes burning with restrained fury.

"We’ll settle this properly at the student exchange!"

"Anytime," Zora replied calmly, a faint, dangerous smile curving her lips.

The Lunar Academy withdrew, their faces dark and ugly, while the street slowly began to quiet again. But everyone knew that this clash was far from over.

"Why are they leaving? We were just getting warmed up!" Reesa puffed out her cheeks, looking far too pleased with herself. The smug grin on her face could have blinded a passerby. "Those people talk big, but in the end they’re just a bunch of shiny cowards."

Ignar paused for a brief moment as he walked away, his gaze lingering on Zora like a sharp blade testing its edge. He said nothing, but whatever flickered in his eyes was not friendly. Then he turned and followed the rest of the team out of sight.

"Pfft. I thought they were so amazing," Reesa snorted, twisting her shoulders dramatically. "Did you see Drusilla’s face? I swear, that expression alone was worth the whole trip. I’m still laughing."

Tiffany couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. "Reesa, you’re evil in the best way. How did you even think of that?"

"A flash of inspiration from the heavens," Reesa said proudly, striking a ridiculous pose. "The pen of justice, right in my hand." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Sylvandria shook her head, half amused, half helpless. "After today, Drusilla is definitely going to hate you to death."

"Let her," Reesa replied with a carefree shrug. "We were never going to get along anyway."

The others nodded. Between Lunar Academy and their own academy, hostility was already written into the air. Whether or not they offended them today made very little difference.

Alaric Von Seraph’s expression turned more thoughtful. "Still, that Ignar isn’t simple. When I crossed hands with him just now, I could tell he was holding back."

Those words made everyone’s mood shift a little. Lunar Academy was one of the three great academies for a reason. None of their special enrollees was ordinary.

Zora’s dark eyes glinted faintly as she spoke. "Even if we tested them today, we couldn’t force out their true strength. They’re hiding their cards, just like we are. With tutors nearby, no one would risk exposing everything."

Everyone agreed. What they had seen was only the surface. Still, it was better than nothing.

"At least we got a feel for them," Tiffany said. Then he looked at Reesa again and gave her a thumbs-up. "And your little trick was priceless."

Reesa beamed. "Next time Drusilla sees me, she’ll probably want to crawl into a hole."

"Alright," Raphael said, breaking the cheerful chaos, "we’re all tired. Let’s find a place to rest."

No one objected. They walked a short distance and soon found a decent-looking inn, its lanterns glowing warmly in the dusk.

"Guests, are you looking for rooms?" the innkeeper asked with a wide, practiced smile. Business was clearly booming today.

Raphael nodded. "Eight rooms. Do you have them?"

"We do, we do!" the innkeeper replied eagerly. "Just eight left. Please, come with me."

Smiles finally bloomed across everyone’s faces. After all the chaos on the road and that ridiculous clash in the restaurant, they could at last enjoy a proper rest.

Yet just as Zora and the others were about to go upstairs, a figure appeared at the top of the staircase.

When that person saw them, it was as if he had run into a ghost.

"You? Why are you here?"