Inside Milda’s workshop, flickering flames licked the edges of the furnace, casting a crimson glow over the focused profile of the Dark Elf blacksmith.
The installation process was far more complicated than Helos had imagined.
Milda had disassembled almost the entire forearm armor of Gavi’s frame.
Helos and Julius stood to the side, holding their breath, not daring to make a sound.
They watched as Milda painstakingly embedded the silver armor-piercing spike into Gavi’s forearm structure, eventually merging it seamlessly with the limb itself.
“Done.”
After an unknown amount of time, Milda finally straightened her back and let out a long sigh of relief.
She wiped the beads of sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, a satisfied glint shimmering in her green eyes.
Gavi’s arm had been reassembled. From the outside, it didn’t look much different than before, except for an inconspicuous metal ring around her wrist.
The ring’s surface was smooth, devoid of any unnecessary decoration. If one didn’t look closely, it could easily be overlooked.
“Come, try it out.” Milda stepped back, gesturing for Helos to give the command.
Helos’s heart was in her throat. She swallowed hard and tentatively whispered her command, “Gavi, activate weapon.”
The moment the order was given, there was a soft *click*, and the metal ring around Gavi’s wrist rotated half a turn silently.
Immediately after, a silver spike slid out quietly from above her forearm armor. The entire process was smooth and rapid, without a single hint of lag.
The spike glinted with a cold, ghostly light under the dim firelight of the workshop. Its sharp tip seemed to concentrate all the killing intent in the room, making one shiver.
“Retract.”
Helos commanded again.
*Whir—*
The spike instantly retracted into the armor as if it had never existed, leaving only that plain metal ring.
“Perfect,” Milda said with a proud smile. “Next, you should go see its effectiveness in actual combat.”
***
On the Duke’s mansion’s private training ground, the winter sun appeared somewhat pale and weak.
Helos, Julius, and Gavi stood in the open field. Not far away, near the weapon rack, stood a heavy training dummy specifically prepared for practice.
The dummy was made of hardened ironwood, and its chest was covered with a thick layer of refined steel breastplate, riddled with scars left by swords and sabers.
“Use that for the test.”
Julius pointed at the dummy, his expression solemn. “The defensive power of that thing is such that even I would have to expend considerable effort just to leave a mark on it.”
“Alright!”
Excitement sparkled in Helos’s eyes. She turned to Gavi, took a deep breath, and issued the first command.
“Gavi, target the training dummy directly in front of you. Maximum destruction.”
the point of light in Gavi’s eyes flickered. She didn’t charge immediately. Instead, she lowered her center of gravity slightly, crouching like a cheetah ready to pounce.
“Activate weapon.”
*Click.*
The deadly spikes slid out from her arms once more. In the winter sun, that piercing silver looked even colder.
In the next second, Gavi moved.
Her figure was like an arrow leaving a bowstring, disappearing from her spot instantly.
Her speed was staggering. Before the snow beneath her feet could even splash, she had already reached the training dummy.
There were no flashy moves or unnecessary motions.
Gavi simply concentrated all her body’s power into a single point and thrust her right arm forward violently.
The spike, carrying a whistle that tore through the air, slammed into the thick refined steel breastplate on the dummy’s chest.
*Thunk—!*
The deafening metallic impact they expected did not happen.
Instead, there was a dull sound of penetration.
Helos and Julius both widened their eyes, staring at the scene before them in disbelief.
The armor-piercing spike, which didn’t look particularly thick, had actually pierced through the refined steel breastplate without any resistance, sinking deep into the ironwood inside the dummy!
A smooth, clean circular hole was left on the sturdy breastplate. The edges weren’t even curled or deformed, as if it weren’t hard steel but a block of soft cheese.
“This… this is incredible.”
Julius’s voice trembled slightly with shock.
He knew the hardness of that breastplate better than anyone. Even with his full-strength strike, he could only leave a shallow white mark at most.
But Gavi had done it in just one strike.
Gavi ignored their shock.
She jerked her arm, pulling the armor-piercing spike out of the dummy.
Following her movement, a large amount of wood chips and metal shards sprayed out from the hole.
She didn’t stop. Lowering her body, the spike on her left arm acted like a scorpion’s stinger. From the bottom up, she delivered another rapid thrust.
*Thunk!*
Another dull sound of penetration.
An identical hole appeared in the dummy’s abdomen.
Immediately following that, Gavi’s figure began to move around the dummy at high speed.
Every turn and every thrust she made was so fast it was dazzling.
*Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!*
The dull sounds of penetration echoed continuously across the training ground.
Under Gavi’s assault, the incredibly sturdy training dummy was like a fragile toy.
In just roughly ten seconds, the dummy was covered in holes of various sizes. Its entire torso was riddled with wounds, looking as if it would fall apart at any moment.
Finally, Gavi stopped.
She stood quietly before the now-unrecognizable dummy. The armor-piercing spikes on her arms slowly retracted.
*Clack.*
With a final soft sound, she returned to her role as the silent and harmless maid.
A dead silence fell over the training ground.
Helos stood with her mouth open, unable to speak for a long time.
She had originally thought this weapon would be strong, but she never imagined it would be strong to such an absurd degree.
This wasn’t just simple sharpness; it was a pure, irrational piercing power.
“Gavi feels like an assassin,” Julius muttered to himself. He looked at the completely destroyed training dummy and then at the motionless Gavi, a surge of inexplicable surprise rising in his heart.
He had no doubt that if it had been him standing there instead of the dummy, his Holy Protection would have been easily pierced just like that steel breastplate.
“Hahahaha!”
After the brief silence, Helos suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.
She rushed forward, grabbed Gavi’s arm, and started jumping up and down with excitement.
“Amazing! Gavi! You’re simply amazing!”
She praised incoherently, her pale purple eyes filled with ecstasy and pride. “Sister Milda is a genius!”
Gavi swayed slightly from being shaken, the light in her eyes flickering as if she, too, could feel her master’s joy.
Watching this scene, the chill in Julius’s heart was gradually replaced by a feeling between laughter and tears.
He let out a long sigh of relief, a helpless smile appearing on his face as he whispered, “Now, there might actually be hope in challenging Master Werner.”
Hearing his words, Helos immediately let go of Gavi and turned around. She stood with her hands on her hips, looking at him triumphantly.
“What do you mean ‘there’s hope’?”
She arched an eyebrow, her silver hair shimmering in the sunlight. “I’d say we’re guaranteed to win!”
She walked to the ruined training dummy, poked one of the holes with her finger, and looked back at Julius with a wink. Her smile was both mischievous and confident.
“Now, do you still think it was a mistake to let Gavi choose this weapon?”
Looking at her high-spirited appearance, Julius finally just shook his head with a smile.
Perhaps, from the very beginning, Helos was the only one who truly understood Gavi.
She hadn’t chosen a weapon, but the combat style that suited her best.
“Alright, don’t get too ahead of yourself.”
Julius stepped forward and patted her head. “Since the weapon test is complete, our ‘holiday’ should officially come to an end.”
“Huh?”
Helos blinked, looking at the boy in front of her. She couldn’t help but complain, “When did our holiday even begin?”