Katerina's stride faltered at those words. She lifted her other hand, hooked a finger under the bridge of her sunglasses, and slid them down just enough to reveal eyes the color of burning flame.
"Right now?"
A breathtaking, lethally dangerous curve touched Katerina's lips, and her voice turned cold as a polar wind. She flicked the sunglasses back into place, hiding her eyes, but her colossal fighting spirit and pressure erupted like a volcano.
"You must be... joking!"
The instant the last word fell, Katerina moved. Her body shot forward like a crimson meteor, so fast only a faint after-image and cracked ground remained. The greatsword rose over her shoulder in a perfect crescent, tearing through the air toward the altar and the despairing Silver-Edged Priest.
"Hear the roar of the sun!"
"No—!"
The Silver-Edged Priest managed a short, shrill scream and raised his staff in desperation. It was useless. The greatsword struck with a deafening boom, the altar shattering into scorched shards. The priest vanished without a trace, evaporated by the blast.
Dust and grit were swept away by the aftershock. When the smoke cleared, only a glassy crater remained. Katerina rested her sword casually on her shoulder and snapped her fingers.
"Done. Who wants the leftovers?" She glanced at the black-robed survivors, who were already paralyzed with fear.
Ellen yawned, hoisted the Shark Pruning Shears back over her shoulder, and padded over to Luna Belle. "...tired."
Alice flicked her rapier shut and straightened her collar. "For the people of Clear Water Lake—may you sink into absolute, asymmetrical darkness."
Sayu stood silent, arms folded, her violet eyes calm. Luna Belle smiled at Katerina.
"Thank you, President Katerina," Belle said.
Katerina waved and slung the greatsword behind her. "If you hadn't held the line, I couldn't have delivered justice." She eyed Alice's ears. "Alice Timefield. Pleased to meet you."
"Timefield..." Katerina shrugged. "Anyway, Cecilia's waiting. Let's head back to White Thorn City—the feast is ready!"
Alice's Thiren ears twitched at the mention of food. Tineva bowed, hugging Little Slime. "Thank you... for saving Clear Water Lake."
Together, the girls turned toward the fading light and set off for White Thorn City. Behind them, the lake lay quiet once more.
A girl in a silver-blue knight's dress stood at the shore, surveying the crater. "Someone eliminated the Corrupt Abyss Cult..." she murmured, her eyes fixed on the distant city. "In this backwater place, who could be so... decisive?"