Chapter 87: Destruction’s Banquet

Vineka released her grip, coldly staring at Peretti, who lay unconscious on the ground.

She had held back—only knocking her out, while using the Authority of Gluttony to devour all the magic power within Peretti’s body. Even if she woke up, she wouldn’t have any combat ability for quite some time.

She hadn’t forgotten Lirna’s order—
Peretti must not be harmed.

But the surge of anger deep within her heart had erupted. Even she herself found it difficult to control that outburst of power.

That was the power of the God of Wrath.

As the youngest cadre of the Gluttony Church, Vineka was blessed by both the gods of Gluttony and Wrath. Gluttony granted her the ability to devour all magic and turn it into her own, while Wrath allowed her to exchange part of her sanity for pure strength—and to ignore all negative effects of injuries, including poison.

It was precisely these two abilities that enabled her to stand against magic-wielding clergy and nobles—
even grow stronger as she fought, defeating opponents more powerful than herself.

That was the case even against elites—
let alone Peretti, a crippled witch.

She might as well leave her here and let others deal with the witch. As for Ailbana, she probably hadn’t run far yet—she could still catch up.

Suddenly—

A streak of multicolored light brushed past her cheek.

Vineka froze for a moment.

More and more motes of light appeared before her eyes, all flying toward her position—vast in number, like the first rays of dawn breaking across the horizon.

A bad premonition surged in her heart.

She snapped her head back—

Only to see that Peretti, who should have been lying unconscious, had somehow stood up again. The golden glow in her eyes had grown purer.

The light elements weren’t coming from just one direction—
they were gathering from all directions, converging upon Peretti, surrounding her entirely.

Even someone like Vineka, who knew nothing about light elements, could tell at a glance just how dense the concentration around Peretti was.

It was no longer just dense—

It was a torrent of light.

This was the feast of the Witch of Light—Peretti.

Vineka blinked, then muttered lightly:

“…Did I just trigger her second phase?”

Peretti slowly turned her head, looking toward Vineka.

In the next instant—

Countless motes of light, as if receiving a command, shot toward Vineka at terrifying speed.

Unsure of their power, Vineka immediately dodged.

But those motes didn’t disappear.

Instead, they expanded—rapidly swelling into enormous spheres, each as large as buildings. Anything they touched was annihilated instantly, before the spheres came to a halt in the distance.

Only then did Vineka realize the severity of the situation.

Normally, magic required the caster’s own mana as a foundation, drawing in corresponding elemental forces to release spells. The amount of mana determined the upper limit of a mage’s power.

But Peretti—

Had skipped that step entirely.

She was commanding the surrounding light elements directly, forcing them to cast spells themselves, rather than guiding them with her own mana.

Without the limitation of mana—

There was no longer any limit to her magic.

Her only constraint now was the amount of light elements in the environment.

And at this moment—

That amount was practically infinite.

The only “good” news was that her physical body hadn’t improved much.

But that hardly mattered.

Peretti’s casting speed had reached a terrifying level. Without the need to guide elements with mana, all her light-element spells were instant—and they didn’t dissipate after being cast.

Like a fireball that didn’t vanish after impact—
it could continue attacking.

Vineka looked at the countless light spheres surrounding her.

For the first time—

She felt a sense of helpless despair.

Those spheres were like moving volcanoes, pouring out overwhelming energy, indiscriminately destroying everything around them.

Peretti, meanwhile, had never felt so calm.

So peaceful.

It was as if the entire world had been draped in a hazy veil—
holy, distant, serene.

She could hear the grass growing, rustling softly.

The wind brushing past leaves, whispering by her ears.

Even the sound of breathing carried weight.

All these sounds blended together into a natural symphony.

“…So annoying.”

The surrounding buildings suddenly seemed… unpleasant to look at.

In the distance, thick smoke billowed into the sky.

Panicked screams pierced her ears.

Too noisy.

In an instant, the peace in her heart shattered.

She wanted—

To destroy everything.

Peretti lightly curled her finger.

A sphere of light shot toward the source of the smoke—

And in an instant, the buildings there were reduced to ashes.

The nearby cultists didn’t even have time to scream before being obliterated by the radiance.

The world fell silent.

Only the crackling of flames remained.

Boom—

Behind her, the burning mansion collapsed into flat ground. The fire died out.

The world sank into deathly silence.

“…Ah… much better.”

Peretti spread her arms, a smile on her face, bathing in the radiant golden torrent—
forgetting the entire world.

“What… happened to her?”

Vineka’s eyes were filled with shock and confusion.

The aura around Peretti was rising at a terrifying rate. In just a few minutes, her magical power had climbed an entire level—and showed no signs of stopping.

Vineka tried to stand—

But the moment she straightened up, several massive golden swords shot toward her.

She swung her spear, smashing them aside with brute force.

The swords fell to the ground—

Then transformed into even more swords, surrounding her completely.

“Haha! Incredible, Peretti! I knew it—how could a witch like you be this weak? So you’ve been hiding your strength all along!”

Vineka had seen large-scale light-element magic cast by multiple priests before—

But compared to this…

They weren’t even in the same realm.

“…Josuna… is she okay?”

Peretti tilted her head, staring blankly, suddenly asking.

“Tch. The Pope dragged her away mid-fight. What could possibly happen to her?”

“I see.”

Peretti lowered her hand.

A giant sword pierced through Vineka’s body from behind.

“Didn’t I just say she’s fine?!”

“But I want to hit you.”

“…And your reason?”

“I want to hit you.”