Ella gracefully maneuvered through the half-ruined concrete field while not trying to step on any cracks and losing her footing.
She skillfully thrust her slender rapier at any opening she could spot in defense of the vampires they were fighting.
With Grace backing her up using her halberd, they formed a deadly duo.
Yes, they weren't managing to kill many vampires or any for that matter, but they were successfully holding their ground.
Despite being in dire straits when the crimson fog was active, they now managed to move more swiftly and fight with greater finesse.
Although the lingering corrosive and poisonous effects of Bloodpolis on their bodies were still enough to elicit a wince or two on their faces from time to time.
They were still not in their best shape, but at least they weren't being butchered. They were inwardly thanking the person who destroyed the crimson mist.
And now that they could fight, everything was going to be alright. Nothing, not even the elite vampires, could easily kill them if the both of them worked together.
Their synchronized combat style was almost eerie to witness.
They were covering and defending each other's backs while often launching attacks of their own.
But the scariest part of all that was… they weren't speaking a word to each other.
Even after all the tumultuous events of the past few months, their battle synergy remained unaffected by their rocky relationship.
After all, they had been inseparable friends since childhood. They were almost like sisters… almost.
This was what made it hurt so much for Ella when she discovered that Grace had shared the information about her sister with Kai. It felt like a betrayal that broke her heart.
Did she really betray me like that, after everything I've done for her?! Ella remembered herself thinking.
Even now, coordinating with Grace left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Ironically, they hardly ever needed to exchange words to comprehend each other's thoughts during the heat of battle.
Yet, this only amplified Ella's bitterness as she grappled with the fact that someone who understood her so profoundly had betrayed her so easily.
But shaking her head and clearing her thoughts, Ella refocused on the battle ahead.
This was no place to whine about the past.
Grace moved forward and unleashed a devastating slash with the hook of her halberd.
Following Grace's powerful strike, Ella seized the opportunity to deftly impale a vampire through the heart with her rapier.
They had achieved it—their first kill. A noble vampire had fallen by their hands.
However, their joy was short-lived, as two more of these vile creatures quickly took the fallen vampire's place.
While Ella grimaced at this situation, in the next moment, her expression turned even paler as she glimpsed something past a vampire's shoulder.
Her father! She saw her father in the distance!
He was on one knee with a gaping wound on his chest. Blood was gushing out like a waterfall and a deep scowl etched across his face.
"Ella! Hey!"
In front of Damian stood a high-ranking vampire of noble lineage.
This abomination was covered in obsidian black armor adorned with intricate red patterns, concealing its grotesque figure.
In one of its hands, it clutched a black sword, while the other exposed its obsidian claws.
"Ella, lend me a hand! Hey!"
In mere moments, the vampire would deliver a fatal blow to the defenseless human before him.
Ella's face drained of color further as this realization hit her. She couldn't allow that to happen.
First her sister, and now her father! What kind of sick joke was this? She couldn't lose another family member!
A dark grimace settled on her face as Ella infused mana into her legs.
She slightly bent her knees and poised to launch herself toward her father like an arrow.
However, before she could act, a desperate cry reached her ears.
"Ella! Help me here! Hey!"
Ella's expression soured as she spun around to look at the source of the desperate plea.
It was Grace. She was surrounded by two grotesque creatures of the night, who were about to attack her with their fangs and sword.
At that moment, one of the creatures succeeded in tearing into Grace's side with its claw, inflicting a deep wound.
Grace staggered, pain contorting her features as she swayed slightly. Fear and hope mingled in her eyes as she gazed back at Ella.
Ella lingered for a split second, feeling conflicted. It was her father against her friend who betrayed her. But still, could she really leave her childhood friend like that?
However, Ella's reaction was swift and decisive.
Gritting her teeth in frustration, she came to a quick decision and without a second thought, Ella turned away, ignoring Grace completely, and rushed toward her father.
Grace's eyes widened in shock, but before she could comprehend the fact that her friend had deserted her, something moved toward her.
One of the vampires had used this chance to lunge forward, intent on ripping into her throat with its fangs and savoring the taste of her blood.
As the vampire's gaping maw drew closer with each drawn-out second, the world seemed to slow down for Grace.
She shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the incoming, inevitable pain.
She was no stranger to pain. Her father's abuse had been a daily ordeal during her childhood.
According to her father, she wasn't worthy of becoming his successor. Yet, she knew that if she didn't try, her father would turn to her little brother next.
That was something she couldn't allow.
So, she fought tooth and nail to prove her worth. She tried everything she could to become a good successor. But her best efforts were in vain.
In the end, she just wasn't as good enough as her father wanted her to be. Despite her efforts, her little brother was chosen to become the heir of the Goodwill family.
Even her plea to avoid the military academy fell on deaf ears. Elites had ways to evade necessary military academy time for their heirs.
But Grace's father did not try to defend her from being enlisted even though she cried and begged him for it.
Her pleas went unanswered.
Enrolling at Global Academy, she hoped to secure a backseat and a relatively safe military position.
Building connections was the first step, some connections in this world meant power.
Thus, she aligned herself with Kai. Despite his assigning her strange tasks like being a traitor in her own class or framing Lucas, she went with it all.
Escaping pain was impossible for her. She had suffered enough in her lifetime.
Yet, destiny seemed determined to thwart her. Not only was she tormented by Kai, but after Lucas defeated him, the scion of the Wiseman clan did not contact her even once.
Adding insult to injury, her best friend distanced herself following a rift in their relationship.
Life had never favored her. Had it ever?
Grace had always been on the receiving end of life's cruelties, and perhaps this was her destiny.
Even if she met her end here, nobody would remember her. She was expendable, insignificant. Her death would mean nothing.
With a resigned sigh, Grace relaxed her muscles. The pain from her wound seared, but she steeled herself for the inevitable.
In just a matter of seconds, it would all be over soon. She would die and then there would be no pain.
It was soon going to be over, yes.
…However, it wasn't. Time continued to pass, seconds after seconds, and Grace remained very much alive.
Yes, the wound on her rib area was painful, but the pain was a reminder that she was alive, right?
With cautious curiosity, Grace slowly opened her eyes, half-expecting to witness the vampires waiting for her to open her eyes before killing her.
But what she saw instead was a young man with silver hair standing in front of her, his lean yet broad back facing her.
He held a gleaming red spear, impaling a vampire at its tip. Another vampire lunged at him from the side, but the silver-haired boy swiftly retracted his spear and deftly countered the attack.
After adeptly blocking the blow, Lucas channeled arcs of lightning from his spear.
The lightning traveled from Lucas' spear to the sword that the vampire held in its hand, electrocuting the bloodsucker and leaving it momentarily incapacitated.
Capitalizing on the moment and the stunned state of the vampire, Lucas pushed the abomination back and expertly impaled it on his spear in a seamless motion.
Only then did her silver-haired savior turn to face her and ask, "Need a hand?"
