The beginning of the nightmare: rampage

No one realized what had happened.

They never imagined that their sacred and revered saintess would betray them at this critical juncture and become their enemy! Why? Why? Why? Why did this happen? Why would she abandon her people, whom she was supposed to protect, and side with the evil Magic Empire?! What on earth happened?! What on earth is going on?!

The chaotic situation rendered everyone incapable of thinking. They stared blankly at the sky, their minds utterly empty. Only when a deep roar resounded, and the steel monsters and the undead army surged forward like a tidal wave, did the crowd scatter in all directions, as if driven mad. Even the soldiers guarding the city walls could no longer hold their posts. Catherine's betrayal dealt the United Kingdom a devastating blow. A sense of despair enveloped the entire royal city. People began to cry out and flee for their lives, but this was all within Catherine's expectations. At this moment, the group of loyal soldiers she had trained began to frantically slaughter those residents trying to escape the city. As they closed the city gates, they destroyed the mechanisms, rendering them inoperable. Those who hadn't managed to get into the city scattered in droves. They had no hope of tomorrow and relied solely on instinct and prayers to the gods, hoping to survive.

"Angela, you're in charge of those guys who're running around. Make sure they don't escape the encirclement. Catherine..."

At this point, Li Lin paused for a moment, then looked at Catherine face was resolute and serious.

"Slaughtering a city shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

"Although I have never done such a thing before, I promise to fulfill the task you have given me, my master. I will use the blood and corpses of the people of the Five-Nation Alliance to lay the foundation for your victory!"

Catherine bowed slightly to Li Lin, then spread her Magic Power wings and flew back towards the royal city—this time, as an invader.

"Flames of destruction, heed my prayer!"

Returning to the skies above the royal city, Catherine unleashed her highest-level spell without hesitation. At her hands, billowing, burning clouds of fire erupted, engulfing the city and engulfing the screaming, screaming, and fleeing masses, melting their flesh and tormenting their souls. The formidable city walls were utterly useless against the invaders—the energy torrents from the steel fortress instantly shattered everything in their path, reducing the solid walls to dust. Leaving horrifying trails across the city, they vanished on the distant horizon. The Scourge soldiers roared as they poured into the city through the breaches, beginning wave after wave of brutal slaughter.

But among them, the most dazzling light still belongs to Catherine.

Having shed her disguise, Catherine's magical power had reached its peak. The radiance of her Magic Power scattered with her movements, forming protective shields around her. Even without casting any special protective spells, this pure energy was enough to withstand attacks from swords, arrows, and divine magic. Not to mention, almost no one dared to attack Catherine. Even when she was present, her carefully cultivated reputation was enough to intimidate everyone. Now, as the enemy Catherine even more feared. Although she wasn't traveling with the undead, this very fact made people even more terrified of this holy maiden.

"It's truly ugly."

After unleashing the Cloudkill once more and clearing out a section of the city wall where people were desperately resisting, Catherine looked disdainfully at the screaming and scattering crowd, her eyes revealing a clear contempt.

"Even their escape is so ugly. Just as the master said, even a thousand years from now, they will still be nothing more than uncivilized barbarians."

The power of the flames condensed in Catherine's hands. She paused for a moment, then looked with a determined gaze toward the center of the royal city.

"Then, I should also go and complete my final mission."

With those words, Catherine transformed into a beam of white light and vanished into the chaos of the city.

The interior of the royal city was now in complete disarray.

When Catherine appeared in the palace, all she saw was ruin, coldness, and desolation. Guards and maids alike had fled for their lives. But Catherine made no attempt to search. She simply lifted her skirt and walked slowly forward, following the route she knew countless times, traversing the corridors, climbing the steps, and arriving at the empty hall. There, on the throne, sat two frail old men, staring blankly at the saint before them.

"Father, Mother, I'm back."

Catherine's face showed her usual warm and gentle smile, but the blazing sword she held tightly in her hand diluted this feeling.

"Catherine..."

After a moment, the old man slowly spoke, his voice trembling and even a little off-key.

"Why, why did you...?"

"What's wrong with me, Father?"

Catherine walked up to the two elderly people, stood there quietly, and stared coldly at her parents.

"What are you trying to say? Are you rebuking me? Rebuking me for betraying our ancestors? Our kingdom? Our beliefs?"

"..."

"Speak up, Father!"

Catherine suddenly swung the longsword in her hand, pointing it at her father.

"Isn't this what you always like to say to me? Catherine, Catherine, I hate this name! Why, why do I have to look exactly like that sow who destroyed my master's country a thousand years ago?! I remember it clearly, when I was little, you told me that it was because I looked exactly like that founding heroine, that's why you gave me this name. You hoped I could be like her, bringing new hope to the country, just like her, just like her! In your eyes, there is no me at all. In your eyes, there is only Catherine, only that sow! Not me. I am your daughter. And that woman? She has been dead for a thousand years! If you like her so much, why don't you dig up her grave and enjoy her corpse?!"

Catherine's screams echoed throughout the hall, while the two elderly people stared at her with expressions of panic. They had never imagined that their obedient daughter, who had always been well-behaved, would have such thoughts.

"Because that's what you wanted, Father, so I did it for you... I did all this, I diligently studied knowledge, divine arts, I diligently collected stories about that heroine, imitated her, tried to learn from her, to learn her temperament, her spirit, her character, and this is what you wanted? What exactly did you expect? Let me guess, Father—you hoped to cultivate a descendant who truly embodied the legend of the Five Heroes, and thus rekindle the glory of Dideyasi. Don't you always say that when I do something wrong? If it were that heroine, she would never have made a mistake; if it were that heroine, she would never have done such a foolish thing. But so what? I am not her, am I? You are to me..." So much love, so much kindness, but I know very well that you don't love me, not me as your daughter, but Catherine, the reincarnation of the Five Heroes, right, Father? Look how moved I am by your trust in me. When I was dealing with the Temple for the sake of the nation, you didn't even worry about me, because I am the reincarnation of the Five Heroes, it's only natural for me to handle such a small matter. Yes, even if I fail, I won't be forced into prostitution by the Temple. Even if something goes wrong, I will definitely handle it perfectly. Yes, because I have to do it. If I don't, in your heart, I am not Catherine, I am not the Catherine you want... Is this what you want? Then, now I will give it to you!

As she spoke, Catherine angrily waved her hand, and a crystal coffin appeared from a crack in the space, crashing heavily to the ground. Inside, a woman who resembled Catherine but was much older lay quietly, her hands clasped together, sleeping silently and peacefully.

"You, you actually!"

Upon seeing the coffin, the old king suddenly jumped up, his eyes blazing with uncontrollable fury.

"What a mess you've made!"

"Don't you like this sow?"

Catherine curled her lip and looked at her father coldly.

"So I did her a favor and dug her out of the royal tomb. Look, she's still exactly as she was when she died, isn't she? How about it? Want to go for a quickie? My father? Anyway, she's dead, so even if you have your way hundreds of times, there won't be any problem, right?"

"Blasphemy!! This is blasphemy!!!"

"Blasphemy?"

Catherine gave a cold laugh.

"How dare you call me blasphemy? Let me think... since I was a child, I've seen you masturbating in front of this heroine's portrait several times, Father? Hmm? Why did you marry Mother? And those women in your harem... Well, I've never thought about it that way, because I am, after all, your daughter, and even if I were to sacrifice myself for you, it would be what I should do. But what about now? Even if I sacrifice myself! In your eyes, it's not me who sacrificed myself, but Catherine!!"

At this point, Catherine sheathed her flaming sword and went to the crystal coffin. She took out a soul stone from her bosom—the very soul of Five Heroes that Li Lin had forcibly extracted from her body when he was training Catherine. Before the war began, Li Lin had returned the soul stone to Catherine, and Catherine naturally understood his intentions.

"Since that's the case, I'll let you see it clearly."

Then, Catherine gripped the Soul Stone and slammed it heavily onto the crystal coffin.

A dazzling white light filled the entire hall, and powerful energy and the cries of souls echoed throughout the space. When the light faded, the crystal coffin was shattered into pieces, and standing there was a young girl whose appearance was exactly like Catherine's, the only difference being her eyes, which were filled with courage and power. A faint white light wrapped around the woman's body, forming a majestic white armor. Soon, the heroine who once led armies across the battlefield returned to this world.

Why did you do that?

Staring intently at Catherine, the woman asked.

"This is your country, your people! Why would you willingly submit to evil and darkness, and succumb to depravity?!"

"No."

Catherine shook her head firmly.

"This is your country, your people, Lady Catherine. They don't worship me, they don't love me, they don't believe in me. They are your people, your believers, and I am merely your shell—once, but not anymore. My master saved my fate. I can feel that when he looks at me, he doesn't see me as Catherine, but as you, the evil one who once ravaged and invaded my master's country. He sees me, not 'Catherine.' I think, as one of the Five Heroes, you certainly won't understand my thoughts, and I don't want you to understand. In fact, my master's request for me was to let you witness firsthand how the country you cherished and protected perished! How your beloved people died. It's truly a pity that those undead creatures lack sexual ability, so you won't see the sight of those young girls being raped and murdered by undead creatures—but I believe you've seen the same scene many times when you invaded the Magic Empire, haven't you?"

"... Is that why you did this?"

Not entirely.

Catherine shook her head and casually swung her flaming sword.

"Actually, I only wish for one thing: to personally knock you to the ground, to hear your painful cries and wails. That is my goal, my esteemed Five Heroes. You are an enemy I must eliminate in my life. For myself, for my master, I will utterly defeat you here, before my father, trample your soul and body, and plunge you into eternal pain and despair. Are you ready?"

"How utterly foolish! You really think you can beat me?"

The woman shouted sharply, and then light condensed, transforming into a shield and a sword in her hands.

"Of course I can."

Catherine's expression remained unchanged, revealing a sinister smile.

"After all, you no longer have the power to manipulate magic. So, what do you have left? Let me see your power, former hero... Die!"

The radiant light of magic signaled the start of the battle.