Chapter 410: Polly

A collective gasp echoed through the crowd.

Darius’s laughter faded instantly. His eyes bulged in disbelief. Did some random nobody just challenge him?

Beside the blindfolded girl sat an older teenage girl with green eyes and short brown hair. She grabbed the blindfolded girl’s arm, whispering frantically,

"Polly, what are you doing?! That’s the captain of the Crimson Corsairs! We can’t challenge him!"

Polly didn’t even flinch. She turned her head slightly toward the older girl, her expression unreadable behind the blindfold.

"We came here for the lotus. We’re not leaving without it," she said flatly. Her voice was calm, cold, and completely devoid of hesitation.

She lifted her face toward the enormous holographic projection of the pirate captain.

"I don’t care who we have to challenge. The lotus will be ours."

For the first time since appearing on the screen, Darius’s arrogant expression cracked. Something about the girl’s voice had unsettled him.

She spoke as though his reputation meant absolutely nothing to her. As though the possibility of fighting his champion was a minor inconvenience in her schedule.

And by challenging him, she had openly humiliated and disregarded his powerful name.

He slammed his fist against the table, his face twisting into a furious scowl. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" he roared, his voice resounding across the hall. "Do you have any idea who am I?!"

Polly tilted her head mockingly.

"Should I?"

A few spectators exchanged startled looks. The sheer tenacity of the girl was baffling.

Darius rose from his seat.

"I am Darius Vane, captain of the Crimson Corsairs! I have watched fleets burn, and I’ve sent people far more older and powerful than you crawling to their deaths!"

He let out a dark chuckle.

"You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, girl. I will destroy you and every miserable person you’ve ever called family!"

Polly scoffed lightly. "Why don’t you come down here and say that to my face?"

The hall erupted in gasps.

Someone actually laughed in disbelief before immediately falling silent.

She had just challenged a feared interstellar warlord in front of hundreds of underworld figures.

And she had done it without raising her voice.

Beside her, the older girl was losing her mind.

"Dammit, Polly!" she whispered sharply. "Stop provoking the man!"

Polly shrugged. "He started it."

The girl groaned and buried her face in her hands. "We’re so screwed..."

Jayden’s lips slowly curved upward from where he sat. He couldn’t help it. The girl’s complete disregard for the captain’s reputation was fascinating.

Most people in the hall had been too frightened to challenge Darius’s fighter. This girl had not only volunteered to fight him, but had also invited the captain himself to step into the arena.

She was either spectacularly audacious, or impossibly stupid.

Kyle let out a low chuckle beside Jayden. "Damn. That girl’s got guts."

"No kidding," Jayden replied with an amused smile.

His eyes remained on Polly.

What exactly are you planning?

Up in the VIP booth, Darius’s face had turned red with rage. He clenched his jaw so tightly that the muscles along his cheeks stood out.

But he didn’t say anything to Polly.

Instead, he turned toward his fighter in the arena.

"Raze," he called out.

The fighter’s looked up. "Yes, Captain?"

"I want you to break that girl."

Darius’s voice dripped with contempt, his eyes locking onto Polly with murderous intent.

"I want you to make her scream and beg for mercy as you rip her apart. Make an example of her so that every fool in this hall remembers what happens when someone disrespects the Crimson Corsairs."

Raze licked his lips, a sickening grin spreading across his face. "With pleasure, Captain."

Darius’s glanced at Polly one last time before the holographic transmission abruptly disappeared.

Down on the podium, the host swallowed hard, his hands shaking slightly as he clutched his microphone. "A-Alright... It appears we have a challenger.

He glanced at the screen as Polly’s tag number was displayed.

"Participant 033 has declared a bid against Participant 026!"

He turned toward Polly.

"Participant 033, please present your fighter!"

Polly immediately handed her tag to the older girl.

The girl accepted it reluctantly. Then she looked up at her.

"Polly, you have to reconsider doing this," she said softly. "The lotus isn’t worth starting a war with the bad pirate guys. You could even get hurt!"

Polly was silent for a moment. Then she scoffed.

"You know, Astrid, I thought you’d have a little faith in me."

"I do have faith in you!" Astrid cried out quietly. "That’s why I know you’ll win. It’s just... I don’t want you losing your temper in the arena. We both know what happens when you do."

For the first time, Polly’s expression softened. She smiled and squeezed Astrid’s hand.

"Don’t worry, Astrid. I won’t," she said reassuringly. "I promise."

"Okay." Astrid nodded, letting out a long, shaky breath. "Good luck."

Polly let go of her hand and chuckled darkly. "I don’t need luck," she said, turning toward the arena. Her expression became cold and emotionless. "This won’t take long."

Then she strode forward without hesitation, navigating the steps and open space with ease despite the blindfold covering her eyes.

Moments later, Polly reached the arena entrance and stepped inside. She walked a few paces forward, then stopped.

Raze stood opposite her, towering at least two feet above her.

He looked down at the lean, blindfolded girl facing him and let out a booming, mocking laugh.

"Hahaha! What a pretty little doll," he sneered. "Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your skull joins my collection."

Polly said nothing. She stood with her arms loose at her sides, completely unfazed.

"Tsk! Arrogant brat!" Raze scowled. He lowered his centre of gravity as red lightning spread across his arms to his shoulders.

The host gestured toward the arena.

"Two fighters! One artifact! One victor! Fighters, prepare yourselves!"

A countdown appeared above the arena.

THREE.

TWO.

ONE.

"BEGIN!"

Boom.

Raze exploded forward, cracking the arena floor beneath his feet.

He closed the distance in an instant, driving his right fist straight toward Polly’s face.

But she didn’t move. She didn’t duck or raise her arms to block.

She simply stood there.

Then, at the last possible second, her left hand shot up and caught his fist in her palm.

CRACKLE!

Lightning crawled across her fingers and wrist, but she didn’t feel a thing.

Raze’s eyes widened in shock.

"What the—?"

He stared at the blindfold covering her eyes.

How?

His attack had been incredibly fast, yet she had intercepted it at precisely the right moment.

Without seeing it.

"Let go!" he snarled, swinging his left fist toward her head.

Polly caught that one, too.

Now she held both his fists in her hands.

Raze began to panic. He poured more voltage into his arms, trying to wrench himself free, but her grip was unbelievably strong. He couldn’t budge.

Polly sighed softly, looking unimpressed. Then she tightened her grip around his fists.

CRACK!

Both of Raze’s hands shattered at once, the bones and joints in his fingers crushed simultaneously.

Raze screamed in agony. He stumbled backward as she released him, clutching his broken hands.

"You... little bitch! I’ll kill you!" he roared.

Red lightning surged around his body, turning him into a live wire. His eyes glowed red and power crackled across his skin.

Polly stared at him for a heartbeat.

Then she moved.

Whoosh.

One moment, she was standing ten feet away. The next, she was behind him.

Raze’s eyes widened. It took him a split second to realize she was no longer in front of him. He tried to turn around...

But it was too late.

Polly thrust her hand into his back, piercing his armor and tearing through his flesh. She broke through his ribcage, grabbed his beating heart, and ripped it out.

Raze froze. The red electricity flickering across his body died instantly. He let out a wet, ragged gasp before dropping to his knees. For a brief moment, he remained upright, his expression frozen in disbelief.

Then he crumpled to the floor, blood pooling beneath his lifeless body.

Polly turned toward the box where Darius was. She raised Raze’s bloody heart high for the captain to see, then let it fall to the ground.

The entire amphitheater fell silent.

The fight was over.