Chapter 86: Spear and Lance

“Hi~ how are you feeling, Miss Perletti?”

Vinika greeted her warmly.

The white dress she wore had long since been torn into ragged strips. Though she looked slightly better off than Perletti, the fabric had been soaked through with thick blood, turning it into a sinister crimson. With every step she took, droplets of blood fell from her fingertips and the hem of her skirt, splattering onto the grass like fragments of some ominous curse.

Blood streamed endlessly from the corner of her mouth, trailing down her jaw like a winding river—

Yet her face still carried a casual smile.

There was not the slightest trace of pain.

As if what flowed from her body wasn’t blood at all, but merely some insignificant red dye.

“Not good. Very not good.” Perletti frowned, watching her warily.

Did Josuna lose?

She didn’t dare believe it.

With that much blood loss, anyone else would have died countless times over.

And yet—

Vinika could still smile.

A demon from hell…
Now it truly felt like the name fit.

“Really? I think you’re doing wonderfully,” Vinika said with a grin. “You saved your little sister, and you saved that duke’s daughter too. Amazing! The two targets the Lord assigned me—you rescued them both.”

Both…?

Did that mean Josuna was fine?

Had she escaped?

Clearly, Perletti had completely ruined Vinika’s plan.

But instead of anger—

Vinika looked… excited.

Perletti could only assume her mental state was questionable.

Suddenly, Vinika covered her face. Her shoulders trembled violently—

Then she burst into unrestrained laughter, her voice echoing through the silent night, eerie and unsettling.

“Hehe… hahahaha! You’ve truly exceeded my expectations! You’re even more perfect than I imagined! You managed something that should have been impossible for you! Incredible, Perletti!”

“And that crazy girl who calls you ‘sister’—you two really suit each other! Both terrifyingly strong!”

“But…”

Her tone abruptly shifted.

The wide grin on her face slowly sank, the excitement vanishing in an instant, replaced by a heavy, suffocating gloom.

Her dark eyes lowered, locking onto Perletti like poisoned ice.

“All that effort… and you let both of them go.”

“I’m… a little angry now.”

Thunk—!

A sharp metallic shriek tore through the night!

Vinika gripped the end of her lance with one hand and leapt high into the air. The cold gleam of its tip carved a chilling arc through the darkness before crashing down with overwhelming force onto Perletti’s hastily raised spear.

CLANG—!

The deafening collision rang out.

A terrifying force surged through the spear into Perletti’s body, as if she had been struck by a ten-thousand-ton boulder. Her bones groaned under the strain.

There was no magic in it—

Just raw, brutal strength.

And in that instant, she realized—

She couldn’t match it.

Her teeth ground together, her arms trembling violently, her palms tearing with pain.

BOOM!

Unable to hold on any longer, her grip faltered.

The lance slammed into the ground, dirt exploding outward as a deep crater formed instantly.

In that split second—

Resolve flashed in Perletti’s eyes.

Her spear, infused with pale golden light, shot forward.

Wind roared in her ears as she thrust with everything she had.

The spear, wrapped in swirling currents, rushed toward Vinika—

But Vinika merely smirked.

With mocking ease, she twisted her body—

And took the attack head-on.

Thud—

Blood splattered wildly.

Across dirt.

Across burnt fabric.

Across Perletti’s face.

The spear pierced Vinika’s left shoulder, forcing her body slightly backward.

Good.

That arm should be useless now.

The fight would be easier—

Or so she thought.

The next moment—

Perletti’s expression froze.

Vinika stabilized instantly.

As if she felt no pain at all.

Without even frowning, she let go of her lance, stepped forward against the pressure of the spear—

And threw a simple, direct punch at Perletti’s face.

Perletti’s pupils shrank.

At this distance—

She couldn’t dodge.

No hesitation.

Light elements surged wildly through her body, gathering in her palm. With everything she had, she struck back, meeting Vinika’s overwhelming punch head-on.

BOOM—!

Like thunder splitting the sky—

The two forces collided.

Dust exploded into the air.

Perletti felt an irresistible force surge through her arm.

Her body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into the grass several meters away. Blood burst from her mouth.

Only then did she truly understand the gap between them—

Her full-powered strike, enhanced with light elements—

Had lost to Vinika’s bare, unassisted punch.

Pain exploded through her arm, nearly crippling it.

Her internal organs felt like they were tearing apart.

Holy healing magic continued restoring her body—

But it couldn’t erase the pain.

Perletti struggled to her feet, watching as Vinika pulled the spear from her shoulder.

With a flick of her hand—

The spear dropped to the ground in front of her.

“Seems your strength doesn’t quite match your intelligence,” Vinika said casually, loosening her shoulder as if nothing had happened. She crouched down, cupping her face as she looked at Perletti with playful mockery.

“Tell me—what’s the point of having that brain of yours if you’re just going to throw your life away? Saving someone who has nothing to do with you… and ending up like this. Was it worth it?”

“She’s not someone unrelated to me…”

“Oh right, right—I almost forgot. She’s your enemy. That makes it even worse, doesn’t it?”

“She’s my enemy… but in my heart, she’s also my friend.” Perletti’s breathing gradually steadied as the pain eased slightly.

“Friend?” Vinika burst out laughing. “You’re joking, right?”

“Do you think a cat and a mouse can be friends? Don’t make me laugh!”

Her expression suddenly twisted into something feral.

Before Perletti could react—

A hand clamped around her throat.

“Cough—!”

Vinika lifted her effortlessly, despite being half a head shorter.

“She’s a noble. A parasite on humanity’s path forward. And you—bearing the divine bloodline of humanity—are helping them? Disgusting.”

Her grip tightened.

Perletti clawed at her hands, striking desperately—

But Vinika didn’t budge.

She simply watched—

As Perletti’s struggles grew weaker…

Until her arms fell limply at her sides.