Chapter 24: Bane’s Cooperation

Rivina slowly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp as a blade, piercing straight toward the lingering source of deathly aura ahead.

“The leader of the Skeleton Clan—”

Her voice carried an inescapable pressure as she smiled.

“You should come out now, shouldn’t you?”

She paused, the corner of her lips lifting, then looked toward the shadows on the other side, her tone tinged with mockery.

“And also… Viretta, who’s been watching the show from behind.”

She laughed lightly, speaking as if enjoying the spectacle.

“I know you’re there. He—”

She pointed in Bane’s direction, smiling.

“He should be here to talk business with you, right?”

As her words fell—

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Three figures silently emerged, standing at the edge of the scorched earth, their auras cold as frost.

On the left, Bane, his skeletal frame gleaming with a dark luster, deathly energy still swirling around him—clearly the summoning just now had been his doing.

In the center, Viretta, dressed in a dark-brown long robe, black hair tied up, her face stern as iron. Her deep blue eyes held neither sorrow nor joy.

On the right, Kayla—the Empire’s strongest Sword Saint, responsible for Viretta’s protection. Her short hair was neat, one hand resting on her sword hilt, brown eyes sharp with killing intent, every muscle in her body taut, ready to strike at any moment.

Rivina looked at the three of them, her smile growing brighter, as if she had just found the most interesting toys.

“Hahahaha!”

She threw her head back and laughed, her voice shrill and delighted.

“Viretta—how far you’ve fallen. A dignified adjudicator of the Human Empire, and you actually chose to ally with the demon race?”

She tilted her head, her tone filled with ridicule and pity as she looked at Viretta.

“If the fallen Hero saw this…”

She deliberately dragged out her words, her playful gaze sweeping across Viretta’s face.

“I believe… he’d be very sad, wouldn’t he?”

Viretta remained expressionless, not even blinking.

Rivina continued smiling at her.

“Ah… what a pity, though.”

She sighed, her voice carrying a trace of feigned regret, as if she herself were saddened.

“He’s already dead now… together with his Saintess, under the Demon King’s hands. Their bones might’ve even been refined into decorations by now~ Tell me, if they knew you were colluding with demons today, would they cry out loud in hell?”

Viretta stayed silent, but beside her, Kayla’s gaze trembled slightly, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the sword hilt.

At that moment—

“Viretta.”

Rivina suddenly changed the way she addressed her, her tone dripping with undisguised contempt.

“It seems you still haven’t learned your lesson.”

Before her words even finished, her figure vanished!

In the next instant, she lunged at Viretta like a ghost, so fast that the air didn’t even have time to tear apart!

“Do you think I’m still afraid of you now?”

She laughed wildly, her hand forming a claw as it shot straight for Viretta’s throat, intent on killing her outright!

“Clang—!”

A flash of sword light!

Kayla drew her blade instantly. The sword cut through the air as magic condensed into several crescent-shaped slashes, precisely sealing off every path Rivina could advance through!

“Shk! Shk! Shk!”

The sword energy cut into Rivina’s body, instantly carving several bone-deep wounds into her shoulder, abdomen, and leg!

Yet Rivina didn’t care at all. The wounds didn’t even bleed, healing at a visible speed in the blink of an eye, as if she had never been injured.

She simply smiled and kept advancing.

“Kayla…”

She spoke while dodging the sword strikes, her voice seductive.

“Being with someone like Viretta every day—someone so ‘just’ and ‘loyal’ as you—doesn’t it disgust you?”

She deliberately leaned closer, whispering again.

“You clearly know what she’s done… yet you still choose to obey. Are you her sword, or her dog? So obedient?”

Kayla’s pupils shrank, her sword momentum faltering for an instant.

In that moment, a deep wavering flashed through her eyes—not anger, but pain.

Seeing this, Rivina burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha! See that? Did you see that? She wavered! Viretta, your loyal dog… has started doubting you too!”

“Enough.”

Viretta spoke coldly, her voice cutting down like an icy blade.

She raised her hand, her finger flicking lightly within her sleeve.

In an instant—

“Woom—!!!”

An invisible wave of magic pierced straight through Rivina’s entire body!

The rune etched deep within her soul was activated!

Rivina’s body stiffened violently. Her knees slammed uncontrollably into the ground, her whole body convulsing as if tens of thousands of red-hot steel needles were piercing every nerve from the inside out!

Her laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by broken whimpers intertwined with sweet, syrupy moans—

Not pain, but extreme pleasure.

“Ah… ahh…”

She arched her body backward like a shrimp, her consciousness completely drowning in a flood of ecstasy.

“It’s here again… this feeling… it’s back again…”

She collapsed limply onto the ground like a doll with its soul torn out, yet a satisfied smile hung on her lips as she muttered softly.

“So comfortable… so happy… Viretta… you really are… the one who understands me best…”

Bane stood at the edge of the scorched earth, arms crossed, looking down at Rivina kneeling on the ground, twitching from stimulation. He let out a low, mocking laugh.

“Hahahaha…”

He slowly shook his head, turning his gaze toward Viretta, his tone filled with amusement.

“Human adjudicator, it seems your dog… isn’t very obedient after all.”

He deliberately emphasized the word “dog,” his eyes shifting to the dazed Rivina.

“She even bites her owner.”

Viretta stood still, her expression like an ancient well—utterly unmoved, showing neither anger nor hesitation.

She spoke calmly, as if stating a simple fact.

“Bites her owner?”

She slightly tilted her head, glanced at Rivina, then looked back at Bane.

“For a pet like this, it’s enough to have methods to restrain her.”

She paused, her tone completely indifferent.

“I don’t care whether she’s willing or not.”

Hearing this, the blue flames in Bane’s eyes flickered gently, as if he were evaluating—or perhaps admiring.

After a moment, he laughed as well.

“Interesting.”

He stepped forward slowly, his bones making faint clack sounds.

“I came this time to talk cooperation with you.”

Viretta raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone still cold.

“Cooperation?”

“Why should we cooperate?”

Bane lifted a skeletal hand, his voice deep and confident.

“Because—

we can kill the Demon King.”

The air seemed to freeze instantly.

Even Rivina, still twitching in the distance, slightly opened her unfocused eyes, drool at the corner of her mouth, and let out a vague, amused chuckle.

Viretta fell silent for a moment, then let out a cold laugh.

“So you’re saying you’ll help us kill the Demon King?”

Her tone carried undisguised skepticism.

“But… even with you added, there’s no guarantee.”

Bane wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he smiled, his laughter echoing across the deathly battlefield with an almost relaxed delight.

“If…”

He said slowly,

“we add the Hero as well?”

The moment the word “Hero” was spoken, Viretta’s pupils contracted sharply.

It was a fleeting shock—so fast it was almost imperceptible, yet undeniably real.

In the next second, her expression returned to icy calm.

“The Hero is already dead.”