Ekaterina

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ekaterina (叶卡捷琳娜)
Alias(es)	Scarlet Valkyrie; Goddess of War; “mad beauty” 23
Gender	Female
Age	36 25
Affiliation	Hero's Party (former); allied with Qin Chu 23 108 505
Occupation/Role	Warrior; Battle Qi instructor; Qin Chu's confidante and agent within the former Hero's Party 26 108 126
Status	Alive; recovered her consciousness, memories, and emotions after the effects of Love That Topples Cities were broken 505
First Appearance	23

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Starflame Battle Aura, tenth level	72	Her Battle Aura had been stalled at this level for many years.
Approaching Starflame Battle Aura, eleventh level	72	After a slight increase in her Battle Qi, she sensed the threshold of a breakthrough.

Background / History

Before joining the Hero's Party, Ekaterina traveled alone as a powerful and notorious warrior. After a great noble's son harassed her, she killed him; when the noble family pursued her, she slaughtered the entire household. The resulting pursuit by the Empire and Holy See contributed to her reputation as a dangerous wanted criminal. 87 504

The First-Generation Hero, Jello, recruited her despite her violent past. Ekaterina later realized that her immediate loyalty and love for him had not been natural: Jello had exerted a charm-related influence over members of the Hero's Party. Under that influence, she had followed his orders and was prepared to sacrifice an innocent Hero, Qin Chu, to resurrect him. 87 504 505

Appearance

Ekaterina is a tall, athletic woman at least 1.8 meters in height, with fair skin, long crimson hair, and crimson eyes. Her years of martial training gave her a powerful yet shapely build. 25 36 259

• Usually wears crimson battle armor and carries the Flamebreaker Greatsword. 36 41
• Often ties her red hair into a high or single ponytail for combat. 36 480
• Her battle aura manifests as intense scarlet flames, capable of melting stone beneath her feet. 41
• Has also worn fitted crimson gowns, a red maid outfit, and seductive sleepwear when attempting to please or mislead Qin Chu. 25 72 80

Personality

Ekaterina is blunt, boisterous, and battle-hungry. She prefers direct action to schemes, often leaving complex planning to others, and has a reputation for extreme savagery in combat. Her willingness to kill is not indiscriminate, however: she later recognizes that killing an unrelated innocent to revive Jello would have been contrary to her original nature. 23 67 489 505

She is also a heavy drinker, favoring commoner-district bars where alcohol is served by the bowl or barrel rather than in small cups. Although her drunkenness triggered a major crisis with Qin Chu, Athena notes that Ekaterina normally became quiet and slept when intoxicated rather than becoming violent. 35 36 71

For much of the story, Love That Topples Cities twists her devotion to Jello into obsessive attachment to Qin Chu. During this period, praise from Qin Chu strongly reinforces her obedience, jealousy, and fear of abandonment. 53 76 Once freed from the potion and Jello's lingering influence, she consciously chooses Qin Chu over Jello. 505

Abilities & Skills

Scarlet Valkyrie Combat Ability

Ekaterina is a top-tier combatant whose strength rivals Grand Sages and Title Knights. She is above level 80, though still vastly weaker than Pope Augustus, whose early-nineties level places him beyond even several Ekaterinas fighting together. 23 42

• Fought the level-86 Rampaging Giant Ape alone for a full day and night; after her weapon broke, she killed it with her fists. 23
• Her combat instincts allow her to move, retrieve her weapon, and cut through more than a hundred minotaurs in one continuous attack. 61
• Killed a group of mercenaries without hesitation, decapitating their leader in a single strike. 489
• Can fight for an entire day using Battle Qi at high speed without showing significant exhaustion. 59 60

Starflame Battle Aura

Ekaterina uses Starflame Battle Aura, a blazing Battle Qi that strengthens her physical abilities, endurance, and sword techniques. 59 72

• Channels the aura into her legs to sprint at meteor-like speed while carrying Qin Chu. 59
• Restores her stamina quickly even after severe exertion. 72
• Can dry her hair with the aura after bathing. 392
• Her long-standing tenth-level Aura begins showing signs of reaching the eleventh level. 72

Flamebreaker Greatsword

Her signature two-handed greatsword is wielded with exceptional speed and destructive force. 41 489

• Uses the sword to carve open paths through enemy formations and slaughter minotaurs. 61
• Can launch it as a devastating ranged attack. 41
• Its Battle Qi-empowered swings can cleave deep trenches through the ground and split streetlamps cleanly in half. 42
• Despite being a greatsword, it moves in her hands with a speed compared to a dagger. 489

Star Shatter

Ekaterina's powerful named strike, unleashed while attacking the Holy Church. 41

• Wraps her body and weapon in scarlet flames while driving her Battle Qi to its limit. 41
• Forms a colossal sword phantom extending dozens of meters from the Flamebreaker Greatsword. 41
• Cracked the Holy Church's walls even through its protective barrier. 41
• Was blocked by Augustus, demonstrating the enormous gap between their power levels. 42

Scarlet Valkyrie Field

Ekaterina can manifest a field of crimson longswords through her Scarlet Valkyrie ability. 272

• Used the field to kill large numbers of attackers during the defense of Qin Chu's palace. 272

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Flamebreaker Greatsword — Ekaterina's signature two-handed weapon and focus for her strongest Battle Qi attacks. 41 61
• Crimson battle armor — Her usual combat attire; she also wears newly prepared armor when trying to appeal to Qin Chu. 36 392
• Red crystal necklace — Worn with her custom crimson maid outfit. 72

Relationships

• Qin Chu — Initially assigned to teach, monitor, seduce, and eventually help assassinate him for Jello's resurrection. After being affected by Love That Topples Cities, she becomes intensely devoted to him; after recovering her mind, she publicly chooses him over Jello. 24 26 53 505
• Jello — First-Generation Hero and former teammate. Ekaterina once believed she loved him deeply, but later discovers that his charm-related influence had shaped those feelings and her loyalty. 23 504 505
• Rosweisse — Treated as a younger sister at first and worked with her on Jello's resurrection plan. Rosweisse manipulated Ekaterina through spiritual guidance; Ekaterina later becomes disgusted by Rosweisse's jealousy and plotting. 23 24 55 483
• Athena — Former Hero's Party teammate. Ekaterina protects and travels with the seriously weakened Athena, though Athena remains suspicious that Ekaterina had been controlled by Qin Chu. 71 487 489
• Angelica — Qin Chu's maid and Ekaterina's main romantic rival. Even while obsessively jealous, Ekaterina refuses to harm Angelica because she knows Qin Chu cares for her. 53 55
• Sylph — Former teammate and participant in the Hero's Party's plans. Ekaterina mediates disputes involving Sylph during meetings concerning Karthus and Jello's resurrection. 127

Story Role / Major Arcs

Plot to Resurrect Jello

After returning to the Imperial City, Ekaterina joins Rosweisse's plan to use Qin Chu against Demonic Beasts, then kill him and use his blood and life force in a Resurrection Magic Array for Jello. She argues that Qin Chu can still be murdered by betrayal no matter how strong he becomes. 23 24

Instructor, Seductress, and Would-Be Assassin

Ekaterina begins living at Qin Chu's residence as his Battle Qi and martial-skills instructor, ostensibly for protection but actually to monitor him. Rosweisse pressures her into dressing seductively and approaching him despite Ekaterina's disgust and discomfort. 25 26

After becoming intoxicated and consuming Love That Topples Cities, Ekaterina mistakes Qin Chu for Jello and initiates an encounter with him. Upon waking with incomplete memories, she believes Qin Chu violated her and attacks the Holy Church with Star Shatter and the Flamebreaker Greatsword. 36 37 39 41

The confrontation reveals that Ekaterina had initiated the encounter while drunk. Her position in the Hero's Party is revoked over the incident, though Qin Chu asks Augustus to give her another chance. 43 44

Manipulated Loyalty to Qin Chu

The potion redirects Ekaterina's attachment to Jello into obsessive devotion to Qin Chu. She reveals the Hero's Party's true plan when Qin Chu tests her loyalty and follows his instructions even when they conflict with Rosweisse's objectives. 53 55

Qin Chu uses her as an agent inside the Hero's Party, where she conceals her allegiance while attending meetings on poisoning and assassinating him. She becomes more composed in these meetings, mediating disputes and seeking information on Jello's Soul Fragments. 126 127

Later Operations

Ekaterina exposes Eileen's hidden Demonic Beast heritage, helping Rosweisse, Athena, and Sylph drive Eileen away. She also urges Rosweisse to consider seizing the position of Pope. 259 260

During the merger of the Holy Church and Earth Mother Church, Ekaterina helps Veronica manage internal disputes and later reports Imperial City developments to Qin Chu. 480 481 She contacts Rosweisse on Qin Chu's behalf regarding the final Soul Fragment, then cuts off communication as Rosweisse's hostility becomes unmistakable. 482 483

While traveling with the badly weakened Athena, Ekaterina massacres mercenaries who harass them and protects Athena from immediate danger. 487 489

Recovery of Free Will

Jello's direct presence destabilizes both the potion's influence and the suppressed memories of his prior control. Ekaterina recalls her past actions, questions why she ever loved Jello, and recognizes that he had charmed her. 504 505

After Love That Topples Cities is broken and her consciousness returns, Ekaterina chooses Qin Chu over Jello by kissing Qin Chu in front of everyone. 505

Notable Quotes

“No matter how powerful someone is, they cannot evade a knife thrust from behind!” 24

Trivia

• Ekaterina earned the epithet “mad beauty” after killing the Rampaging Giant Ape bare-handed and then sleeping unconscious for an entire month. 23
• She was already in her thirties without having married or had a boyfriend, largely because men feared her violent reputation. 23
• Her “scarlet” title refers not only to her red hair and armor, but also to the bloodshed associated with her campaigns and killings. 489