Leticia's voice fell, like a drop of ice water landing in a boiling pot of oil.
The clamor of the entire underground cavity instantly solidified.
That mass of rotting flesh and steel, left behind after the demonic host self-destructed, was still pulsating ominously like a heart under the infusion of the altar's evil energy.
Twisted tentacles stretched out from the flesh, greedily clawing at the ground, attempting to reform.
The remaining Cultist elites looked at that black, god-like figure, the final madness in their eyes replaced by a more profound fear.
Fogremia stepped forward, her silver hair flowing like moonlight.
Her pink-purple crystal battle armor was the only source of light in this filthy cave.
She performed an impeccable, extremely elegant curtsy to Leticia, her purple eyes filled with reverence for her master and a desire to seek battle.
"Big Sister, please allow me to clear away these last remnants of filth for you."
Without waiting for Leticia's answer, her figure disappeared from where she stood.
There was no sonic boom, no shockwave.
Only a streak of silver lightning tore through the dim space between the crowd and the altar.
The writhing flesh core seemed to sense the arrival of its natural enemy.
It let out a shrill roar mixed with the wails of countless souls; all its tentacles and severed limbs instantly retracted inward, converging into a ten-meter-tall, bloated, and ugly flesh monster composed of foul blood, broken bones, and shattered machinery.
It brandished several giant claws made of spinal bones and metal cables, swinging at the silver lightning with a malevolent wind capable of tearing through alloy armor.
However, Fogremia did not even pause or dodge in the slightest.
The ornate longsword in her hand erupted with a silver brilliance as dazzling as the sun at that moment.
That was not a battle that mortals could comprehend.
That was an art... of execution.
Fogremia's figure traced perfect, geometrically beautiful arcs in the air that were impossible for the naked human eye to capture.
Every one of her spins and lunges precisely avoided all attacks, while the longsword in her hand left deep, smooth incisions on the flesh monster with a fluid, effortless grace.
There was no crude chopping, no wild flailing.
Her sword dance was more like a top-tier sculptor using a chisel to quickly decompose an ugly, stubborn stone into its most primitive fragments.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
The dense, crisp sounds of cutting composed a waltz of death.
The flesh monster's massive body was dismembered into thousands of identical, neat cubes within a mere three seconds.
It didn't even have time to let out a complete cry of agony before its ugly form collapsed in mid-air, like disassembled building blocks.
A silver flash passed by.
Fogremia's figure appeared silently before the altar, her back to the falling fragments of flesh, her longsword returning to its sheath.
Behind her, holy silver flames ignited upon every piece of flesh.
In the flames, the imprisoned souls sighed in relief, while the essence of Chaos was completely burned and annihilated, leaving not a trace behind.
The entire process took no more than five breaths.
All the surviving Astra Militarum Soldiers stared blankly at this scene, their lasguns drooping powerlessly.
They could not even comprehend what they had just seen; that sword technique, which transcended the laws of physics, completely shattered their understanding of "battle."
Having cleared all obstacles, Leticia stepped forward slowly.
She walked barefoot across the purified ground, her black robes spreading out like the night sky, unsullied by a speck of dust.
She walked to the ancient altar that was still exuding an ominous aura.
This altar was twistedly welded together from countless bones and unknown black metal; its surface was inscribed with blasphemous runes, and sticky, foul-smelling, filthy liquid constantly seeped out from the cracks.
At the top of the altar was embedded a huge black crystal, resembling the compound eye of a spider; that was the core of its evil energy.
Leticia stopped.
She extended her hands, palms as fair and graceful as a god's creation, hovering above the altar.
The majestic power of Vitality and the power of Intellect were activated simultaneously.
Emerald light, like the first ray of life in early spring, surged from the palm of her left hand.
Deep blue light, like the deepest nebula, lit up from the palm of her right hand.
Two distinct yet perfectly harmonious forces intertwined and circled in the air, forming a huge, slowly rotating energy vortex.
The vortex completely enveloped the entire altar.
A miracle began to unfold in a posture that was almost violent.
"Sizzle—"
The Chaos runes on the surface of the altar, drawn with blood and filth, were forcibly erased while emitting black smoke the moment they touched the light, like waste paper splashed with strong acid.
Those malicious evil sculptures made of bones let out unbearable wails in the holy light, their structures collapsing inch by inch, turning into the purest white fly ash.
The filthy liquid flowing from the cracks in the altar was reversed by the emerald power of Vitality; it flowed back into the altar, all stench and evil were purified, and finally dissipated into wisps of green smoke.
The Chaos energy entrenched in the altar's core, which had accumulated for hundreds of years and was capable of dragging the entire planet into the Subspace, was forcibly captured, torn apart, analyzed, and absorbed by the deep blue vortex of Intellect.
The entire process was quiet and efficient.
There were no earth-shattering explosions, only a holy light performing a thorough and unreasonable overlay and clearance of boundless evil.
In Leticia's mind, the long-absent system notification sound rang out like celebratory fireworks, flooding her screen crazily.
[Detected: Purifying high-concentration Chaos pollution source...]
[Warband Points + 300!]
[Warband Points + 500!]
[...]
[Purification complete: The blasphemous The Spider Mother altar has been completely cleared.]
[Final settlement: Purified high-concentration Chaos pollution source, obtained Warband Points: 3000!]
[Analyzed alien blasphemous altar structure, obtained ancient data, Warband Points + 1500!]
[Absorbed and converted Chaos essence "Lesser The Spider Mother Projection", Warband Points + 1000!]
[Stabilized the reality structure of the area, smoothed out spatial wrinkles, Warband Points + 500!]
[Current total Warband Points: 6250!]
"Enough."
Leticia thought calmly in her mind.
"The ticket to Nukeria has been obtained."
When the light dissipated, the originally hideous and terrifying altar had disappeared.
In its place was a beautiful platform made of pure white jade, emitting a soft, faint light.
From the rock crevices in the cave ceiling, clear spring water even dripped down, pooling into a small pond on the ground.
The air was filled with the fragrance of grass after the rain.
This filthy underground lair had, in just a few short minutes, turned into a place that was nearly a holy land.
"A miracle! A true miracle!"
"Goddess—!!"
The surviving Astra Militarum Soldiers could no longer suppress the fanaticism in their hearts.
They threw away their weapons, knelt on the ground desperately, and offered their humblest and most sincere faith toward Leticia.
They wept bitterly, repeatedly shouting the name "Goddess," and the whole scene fell into a state of fanatical loss of control.
Just at this moment, a clear and majestic voice drowned out all the noise.
"Silence!"
Everyone was stunned, subconsciously looking toward the source of the sound.
They saw that heroic female Commissar, Valeria, who had just been personally reshaped by the Goddess, standing before them.
Her black uniform was unsullied, the scarlet belt outlining her stunning waist and hip curves, her full chest rising and falling steadily with her breathing.
A head of jet-black short hair made her face look even more heroic and imposing.
Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority that seemed to act directly upon the soul.
This was the first time the [Call of the Iron Rose] had revealed its edge.
"Everyone, line up immediately, by squad!"
Valeria's clear gray eyes swept across the room; wherever her gaze fell, all the soldiers felt a chill rise up their spines, instantly dispelling the fanaticism in their minds and replacing it with the soldier's instinct for absolute obedience.
"Count the wounded! Collect the belongings of the fallen! Establish a circular defensive line, guard the Goddess's altar!"
Her orders were clear, concise, and forceful.
The soldiers, who had been in chaos, acted swiftly and efficiently, as if controlled by an invisible hand.
In just one minute, they transformed from a group of fanatical believers back into a disciplined army.
They formed neat phalanxes, knelt on the ground, and faced Leticia with a standard military salute, forming a silent and solid barrier forged from mortal flesh.
Fogremia watched this scene, a trace of approval flashing in her purple pupils.
This mortal Sister did not seem entirely useless after all.
Valeria looked at this army, whose order she had reshaped with a single word, and an unprecedented sense of satisfaction welled up in her heart.
She knew who this power came from.
She turned around, strode with her long, straight legs, and walked to Leticia.
She stopped, her posture as straight as a pine.
She raised her fair right hand and performed an incredibly standard, highest-spec military salute of the Imperial military, her fingertips lightly touching her smooth forehead.
"Goddess."
Her voice carried a hint of respectful gentleness that she only revealed in front of Leticia.
"How should... they be dealt with?"
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