CHAPTER 163: CHAPTER 163: IVY’S RESCUE

The second swung a metal pipe at her, but Ivy caught the weapon with both hands, ripped it away, and smashed it against his shoulder.

A sickening crack filled the room, and he collapsed, howling.

The last tried to stab her with a knife. Ivy sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, twisted sharply, and the knife clattered to the floor.

Her other fist punched his stomach so hard he vomited on the ground before passing out.

Talia’s eyes were wide. Her heart pounded as she watched Ivy fight like a storm. ’She... she’s not just smart. She’s strong. So strong. How is she like this?’

The remaining men hesitated, their confidence breaking. One of them stammered, "She’s not normal... She’s a monster."

Ivy’s eyes turned colder. "I warned you. I said I would kill every single one of you."

Her foot smashed into the chest of the man who had spoken. He flew back and hit the wall, sliding down lifelessly.

Another man tried to run, but Ivy threw the metal pipe like a spear. It struck his back, and he dropped with a scream.

One by one, she beat them down, each strike precise and merciless. Their cries filled the garage, their bodies breaking under her fists and kicks. Some begged for mercy, but Ivy did not stop.

Her face stayed calm, her movements sharp, until all of them were on the ground, groaning, barely alive.

The garage became silent except for the sound of their weak breaths.

Ivy stood in the center, her chest rising slowly, her eyes scanning the fallen men. She walked calmly to a pile of rope on the side and tied each of them tightly. None of them had the strength to resist.

Finally, she walked over to Talia and untied her ropes.

The moment Talia was free, she threw herself forward and hugged Ivy tightly.

"Ivy!" Talia’s voice broke. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Thank you... thank you... thank you..."

Ivy froze, her arms stiff at her sides. She wasn’t used to this. After a moment, she slowly patted Talia’s back, awkward and unsure.

’This... this is strange. Talia hated me so much before. She insulted me, mocked me. Now she’s hugging me?’

But Talia only clung tighter, muttering again and again, "I was stupid. So stupid. I dragged you into this. I nearly killed you. I’m sorry... I’m so sorry..."

Ivy sighed softly. "You don’t need to say that. I stayed because I wanted to. To protect you."

Talia pulled back slightly, her red eyes staring into Ivy’s. "Why? After everything... after the way I treated you... Why didn’t you leave me? Why didn’t you run?"

Ivy looked at her quietly for a moment before saying, "Because this is what I owe to you."

Talia’s heart twisted. She shook her head quickly. "No. You don’t owe me anything. You don’t owe us anything. Ivy, I... I was wrong. I insulted you to defend my brother. I always knew that he was at fault, too, but I selfishly ignored it. And you... You have changed."

She grabbed Ivy’s hands tightly. "From now on, I will protect you. I promise. I won’t let anyone hurt you again."

Ivy shook her head slightly. "You don’t need to. I can protect myself. And this... this is something I must do. For the Blackthorn family."

Talia stared at her, her chest aching. ’She really believes she owes us. But why? Why does she carry this weight?’

She hugged Ivy again, whispering, "You don’t owe us. Not anymore. Everything you’ve done now... It’s a favor. You could have left me. You could have let me fall into this trap. But you didn’t."

Her words came fast, filled with guilt and emotion. "Even though I treated you badly, you saved me. Even though your powers aren’t like mine, you stood in front of me. Even though the poison got you, too, you still fought. Why, Ivy? Why do you always bear everything alone?"

Ivy stayed silent, only patting Talia’s back again. Her thoughts whispered, ’Because in my last life, I could not save you. This time... I won’t make the same mistake.’

Talia pulled away again, wiping her tears.

’Strange... Ivy... how did Ivy recover from the poison so fast? I only started moving again after hours, but she fought like nothing happened.’

If Ivy could have heard Talia’s innder thoughts she would have laughed explained that her body was a bit different. In her previous life, even when she was tortured by Patrick, she survived.

Even when the Ravencroft family tortured her and took away her superpower cyrstal, she survived. And even when she was experimented on by researchers and was imprisoned by the Talon Base people, she still survived.

It was strange. And Ivy came to accept that the fact her body healed much faster than others, not to mention her body had also gained a bit immune against the posion.

"What about those men? What do you want to do with them?" Ivy asked.

Talia looked at the tied-up men with a dark expression.

"I’ll deal with them. They’ll regret everything they tried tonight. As for my fiancé... don’t worry. He’s already captured. He’s probably being interrogated right now."

Ivy’s brows lifted slightly. "So you planned this? You knew he was involved?"

Talia gave a bitter smile.

"Yes. I wanted to expose him completely. But I didn’t expect the poison to be so strong. I thought I could resist, but it knocked me out too. If you hadn’t been here..." She shivered. "I don’t even want to think of it."

Ivy tilted her head. "But you woke up faster than I thought. How?"

Talia chuckled weakly. "I prepared. I took different antidotes before, just in case. But even then, the poison was too strong. That’s why I was out for hours. I only regained some strength now."

Ivy nodded slowly. Her eyes flickered with thought. ’Oh, so she had ate antidote in advance causing her to regain her strength much faster as compared to my previous life.’