Chapter 33: The Crimson Martial Goddess
The typical sensationalism in Heavenly Continent newspapers goes like this:
Some Earl was caught philandering with his mistress by his wife…
A certain Marquis’s son may not be his biological child…
A young master’s soon-to-be bride entered a hotel with a mysterious man, not emerging until noon the next day. Afterwards, the bride proclaimed he was merely her male companion, that nothing untoward occurred between them – they were merely playing blackjack at the hotel…they were innocent.
But ever since the hero’s arrival, everything changed.
Especially with the hero leading his guards to purge the demon beasts lurking within the imperial capital – that made headlines directly.
For a time, every newspaper focused on describing the hero’s affairs, full of saccharine fawning that made Loseweisse’s skin crawl.
Nauseating, nauseating!
What sort of shameless wretch could pen such syrupy lines, even dubbing him the “Messiah”?
If it were just praising the hero, that would be tolerable. But they even dared claim Qin Chu superior to Lord Jie Luo, far exceeding him…
These vile, shameless curs had similarly fawned over Lord Jie Luo when he lived. Now that he had perished, they trampled all over his memory.
Dishonorable.
What Loseweisse found utterly intolerable was that every photo of Qin Chu published featured that beautiful maid Angelica by his side.
While lavishing praises on Qin Chu, those thick-skinned rags simultaneously trumpeted Angelica’s virtues. In just three short days, her renown had become unprecedentedly resounding – none mentioned the vile curses she inflicted on rival holy maiden candidates.
All anyone knew was that Angelica was the ever-present maid constantly alongside the hero, his most vital companion against the demon beasts.
Glory that should have belonged to Loseweisse had been utterly usurped by that vile woman.
This is Infuriating, infuriating, infuriating…
Damn it, damn it, damn it…
Loseweisse lacked any holy maiden grace or nobility, raging like a fishwife succumbing to hysteria.
Ever since Qin Chu’s arrival, she had not had a single good day – each one utterly wretched.
She had been publicly humiliated, her glory stolen.
Some even speculated there may have been other factors behind Angelica’s curse incident, for the righteous hero surely could not fancy a woman who used curses.
Her status as Holy Maiden was under threat…
While the woman she had freely abused and shamed seemed to enjoy increasingly better fortunes with each passing day…
The contrast only made Loseweisse feel worse.
She had a premonition that if allowed to continue, everything she possessed would eventually be snatched away by that vile Angelica.
And it was all because of Qin Chu – the root of everything.
The murderous intent in her heart had become uncontrollable.
She no longer cared what the Heavenly Continent’s fate would be if she slew Qin Chu and lost the hero. She only wanted him dead.
Just as the homicidal rage in her chest verged on erupting, a crisp set of footsteps sounded outside her door.
The door then creaked open without announcement.
This displeased Loseweisse.
This was the Holy Maiden’s chambers – what sort of rude ingrate would barge in unannounced without even a knock?
“Who goes there? Out, have you no manners?” In her vexation, Loseweisse forgot her holy maiden decorum, not even looking up as she berated the intruder.
Yet the person did not obediently withdraw, even letting out a saucy chuckle.
“Well well, we haven’t seen each other in half a year and this is how you greet an old friend?”
That familiar voice made Loseweisse momentarily pause before abruptly raising her head, features instantly brightening with delight.
She saw a tall, crimson-clad figure framed in the doorway – as burning as the blazing sun itself.
Crimson hair, crimson eyes, crimson armor, crimson greaves and a crimson greatsword slung over her shoulder.
Her entire being seemed a roaring inferno, radiating scorching heat that dispelled the gloom in Loseweisse’s heart.
Her countenance lacked Loseweisse’s delicate beauty, instead possessing a dashing, untamed charm. Coupled with her fiery physique that made Loseweisse pale in comparison, it exuded pure, unrestrained wildness.
Her armor perfectly hugged every curve, greaves rising to her knees and leaving a glimpse of round, creamy thighs. Though the armor sheathed her taut rear, the crisply defined muscles of her slender waist were fully exposed.
Dashing, beautiful, sharp and resplendently fit!
An utter antithesis to Loseweisse’s loveliness.
“Ekaterina…” Loseweisse’s eyes shone with increasing joy. Seconds later, she could no longer contain herself, letting out an exclamation as she flung her arms wide and rushed into the woman’s embrace.
Ekaterina.
A member of the Hero Squad.
The Crimson Martial Goddess.
A top-tier expert rivaling Great Sages and Titled Knights.
Among the Hero Squad, her strength ranked in the uppermost tier.
Her utter ferocity in battle led some to suspect this woman’s true nature as a berserk beast. After all, even formidable demon beasts did not fight with the same unrestrained savagery as Ekaterina.
Ekaterina’s most legendary battle was her solo confrontation against an exceptionally powerful Level 86 Raging Gigantopithecus. They clashed for an entire day and night, both emerging utterly battered and wounded. Ekaterina’s weapons shattered during the fight, yet she resorted to pummeling the Raging Gigantopithecus’s brains to a pulp with her bare fists.
Only after slaying it did she finally succumb to fatigue, collapsing into a month-long coma. Upon awakening, she immediately regained her vigor.
Since then, Ekaterina gained the moniker “Crazed Beauty”.
This woman was already in her thirties yet remained unwed – not even a single boyfriend, let alone marriage.
In the Heavenly Continent where the average marriage age was seventeen, Ekaterina was undoubtedly an inveterate spinster.
As for the reason? Quite simple – men all feared that if they wed and marital conflicts arose, she might literally bash their heads in. After all, their skulls lacked a Raging Gigantopithecus’s durability.
Before Ekaterina, Loseweisse shed all airs of being a holy maiden, directly burying her face into Ekaterina’s bosom and nuzzling against it. Just a pity the unyielding breastplate prevented much comfort.
Yet Loseweisse remained overjoyed, raising her head from the embrace.
“Big Sis Ekaterina, you’ve finally returned…”
Ekaterina laughed heartily, seeming to genuinely view Loseweisse as a younger sister as she patted her head. “Am I the first to come back?”
“Mm, you were the closest so naturally the fastest. The others are quite far away – I reckon Benson should be the next to return.”
After briefly catching up, Ekaterina turned serious. “Loseweisse, was the information in your message genuine?”
Loseweisse knew what she referred to, giving a slight nod. “Of course, why would I deceive you?”
As she spoke, Loseweisse handed Ekaterina the scroll.
Ekaterina merely glanced at it before her brows furrowed tightly.
It described in detail the specific ritual arrangements for a resurrection spell, listing the various materials required. The two most crucial ingredients were a hero’s fresh blood and vitality, and Jie Luo’s intact, reconstituted soul fragments.
Aside from those, numerous other bizarre materials were listed that even Ekaterina had never heard the names of, giving her a headache. As a warrior, she could scarcely understand these arcane matters of mages, unable to even remember the names.
“Can this thing be trusted?” Ekaterina voiced some doubt.
This was understandable – resurrection spells had never appeared in the Heavenly Continent before, supposedly a power wielded only by gods.
“I can’t say for certain, but I showed Eldest Sister Anastasia the information in this scroll. She judged there to be at least an eighty percent chance of it being viable.”
Loseweisse suddenly sneered. “Even if it were only a ten percent chance, wouldn’t we still have to try?”
“I was originally worried about possibly failing alone. But with you here now, we can take action.”
“What did you have in mind?”
Loseweisse could no longer restrain herself, hatred overshadowing all else until she verged on irrationality. “We’ll abduct Qin Chu, kill him and take his blood. With us joining forces, failure is nearly impossible…we’ll make our move tonight!”
…
On the other side, Qin Chu sat in his chambers wearing a faint smile, lightly drumming his fingers on the table.
Calculating the timing, today should also be roughly when the Crimson Martial Goddess Ekaterina returned to the imperial capital to become one of his tutors in martial arts.
Which meant his next plan could proceed.
