The Price on Her Head

(VRRRRRR—ZZZZT!!)

When the stolen magic condensed and refined into a volatile, shimmering liquid on the verge of total release, the last thing the phallic monster saw was a subtle, cold smile beneath the shadow of the black hood, standing entirely motionless before the looming destruction.

"Not bad..."

In response, the hooded figure casually raised her arm, making a light, indifferent gesture with her fingers as she extended her hand outward.

"Come here."

With those two simple, quiet words, a sharp, violent pain pierced straight through the monster's core, instantly throwing its balance into disarray.

(ROAR!!)

As a result, the creature shrieked in agony as the sharp weapon the Speaker Witch, Scarlet Astrea, had previously plunged into its flesh tore itself free, ripping through skin and muscle in a clean, instantaneous burst.

(SHWING!)

Spinning through the air at blinding speed, the blade whistled toward its target.

"Pleasure to meet you..."

At that moment, as the monster desperately regenerated its torn flesh to realign its trajectory and release the condensed magic, it watched in utter shock as the hooded figure caught the hilt of the katana with astonishing, effortless ease.

"...Here we go."

The hooded figure spun the hilt twice between her fingers, subtly testing the weight and balance of the blade with small, fluid motions, as if instantly adapting to the unfamiliar steel.

"Royal Style..."

Yet, even as the cold edge of the blade pointed directly at its face, the phallic monster failed to perceive the slightest trace of danger.

(ZZZZZZT—BOOOOOOM!)

Until finally, the condensed liquid magic violently erupted into a massive beam of light, scorching and melting everything in its path as it surged forward.

"Cut it down."

The reason the creature remained completely oblivious to the threat was simple: the "prey" standing before it possessed no detectable magic, emitted not a single drop of bloodlust, and exerted no intimidating pressure whatsoever...

"...Cutting Wind."

...And because of that deceptive silence, the monster committed its final, fatal mistake.

(SLASH~!)

All that echoed through the ruined granary was the faint, soft whistle of a blade slicing air.

"What a pity."

Guided by a single hand, the katana executed a triple-directional arc in a fraction of a second, delivering a swift, unavoidable stroke that crossed the same point from three angles simultaneously.

(SCHKKK!)

In an imperceptible instant, the compressed beam of destructive magic was split cleanly down the middle, diverging harmlessly around her.

"I'm still not used to it."

However, the clean line of the strike did not stop there; instead, it sheared straight through the colossal monster and tore through every structure aligned behind it across the entire expanse of the underground market, slicing everything in half with razor precision.

"I'm still not used to it."

As the life drained rapidly from its body, the monster found itself entirely incapable of processing what had just occurred.

"I still haven't managed to master you."

In its final moments, as death claimed its fading consciousness, the last thing it witnessed was the look of profound disappointment and sheer boredom reflected in the electric-blue eyes beneath the dark cowl...

"...Haaah... It's over..."

Until, with those final, quiet words uttered by the hooded figure, the monster's consciousness shattered, and its massive body collapsed to the ground as it sloughed apart into two perfectly symmetrical halves.

(SWISH—CLINK!)

Silvia flicked the blade with a practiced motion, casually checking the edge of the katana as the blood slid off its gleaming surface.

"It's a good weapon."

To deliver that strike, she had refused to use her own power, deliberately limiting herself to the raw, unenhanced edge of the blade alone.

"..."

The reason she had done so was for a singular purpose...

"...I've already decided."

...She was seeking to prolong the clash, desperate to stretch out the violence just enough to relieve the mounting pressure of the void that threatened to consume her from within.

"I'll keep this."

Yet, unfortunately, due to her unfamiliarity with that specific type of weapon, compounded by her unstable mental state, she miscalculated, unwittingly channeling a devastating 120% of the weapon's total capacity into a single stroke, bringing an abrupt, anti-climactic end to what she had hoped would be a proper battle.

"Aaaah~"

Even so, the fight concluded, Silvia instantly lost all lingering interest in the creature, erasing its existence from her mind as completely as if it had never been. Instead, her entire focus locked onto the katana resting in her hand.

(Chuk... gulp!)

Lifting the blade high above her head, Silvia opened her mouth, swallowing the weapon whole and absorbing its essence entirely into her body.

"Phew... That was delicious... Now..."

Having fully integrated the weapon into her very being, Silvia turned around, shifting her cold attention to the limp, unconscious body of the Great Speaker Witch, Scarlet Astrea, lying sprawled amidst the foul filth on the ground.

"My... "

Observing the broken witch for a fleeting moment, Silvia pulled back her dark hood, unwrapping her cloak to cover the woman's exposed, degraded body...

"This is mine too."

Without a second thought, Silvia gathered her up in her arms, making her final decision, taking the ruler of the subterranean market with her as she prepared to leave the ruined realm once and for all.

Since then, it is said that on that fateful day, the Council of Witches that governed the underground market saw its ranks drastically decimated and its supreme ruler abducted, leaving behind a massive swath of the market's subterranean infrastructure completely destroyed.

As a result, every catastrophe that unfolded during those chaotic hours was ultimately attributed to the mysterious hooded silhouette, upon whose head an unprecedented bounty was promptly placed.