Destroying the Forbidden Artifact

The pitch-black statue gallery.

A giant statue brought to life.

A black, pulsating seed covered in fleshy buds.

And a young girl holding a sword-like cross.

Together, these elements formed the most striking scene in the exhibition hall, becoming an image that Vanessa and the recently awakened Ronan would find difficult to forget for a long time.

Olivia gripped the Cross Grace tightly and forcefully plunged the spiritual weapon into the Seed of Awakening, tearing the forbidden artifact apart.

In that instant, everything around them seemed to freeze.

The statue carrying the Seed of Awakening stopped trembling. Beside it, the statue that had been raising its spear, poised to strike, also halted its movement.

Olivia even felt the floor finally lose that unsettling sense of being alive; indeed, everything in the vicinity felt the same.

Crack!

A crisp sound of shattering filled the exhibition hall, breaking the heavy silence.

Olivia withdrew the Cross Grace and took a few steps back. She watched as the Seed of Awakening in front of her shattered into countless pieces, which then gradually dissolved into black powder amidst a series of tremors.

Is it over?

Olivia stood dazed for a moment.

The danger she had just faced was easily the greatest crisis she had encountered since her transmigration. She had even wondered if she would meet a terrible end, imagining herself lying in a pool of blood.

But in the end, the forbidden artifact that had caused such a terrifying crisis was destroyed by her desperate struggle.

The final victor was her!

After letting out a sigh of relief, Olivia felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Her hands throbbed with intense pain, and she couldn't help but collapse onto the floor, breathing heavily.

Then, a glimmer of light appeared.

Once the floor's abnormalities vanished, Vanessa finally raised her hands and began casting a Healing Spell, letting the light of restoration fall upon Ronan.

Ronan immediately felt much better. He propped himself up into a sitting position, looking at Olivia with a strange expression in his eyes.

Although he had only woken up at the very end, Olivia's performance still shocked him. After all, she had defeated a statue that even he couldn't handle.

And that final poem... what was that?

Olivia noticed Vanessa was about to cast her next Healing Spell on her and quickly said, "Vanessa, heal yourself and Deacon Ronan first. I'm fine. I'm just... just exhausted. I'll be okay after some rest."

She also noticed Ronan's gaze and knew he must be surprised by her performance. Yet, he didn't ask a single question, showing a fair amount of composure.

Since Ronan didn't ask, she wasn't in a hurry to explain. She was truly exhausted, so she simply lay back on the floor, taking every moment to recover her strength.

Before long, the doors of the statue gallery were pushed open. Moonlight spilled in from outside, instantly improving the visibility in the exhibition hall.

"What happened? Is it all over?" Gray walked in, his face full of surprise. "Ronan, since when did you become so fierce?"

He looked at the two statues—one shattered and one frozen in place—indicating that the battle had ended.

Behind Gray, Raymond and Rocas also returned, their faces equally filled with shock and confusion.

Ronan let out a breath and said, "I didn't have the skill to win this fight. I can only say that Olivia has provided us with a massive surprise."

Olivia?

Gray's gaze swept over the two nuns. He quickly bypassed Vanessa, who was still performing treatment, and landed on Olivia.

"You're Olivia? Are you a Sensate too?"

"No, I'm just a Pilgrim," Olivia replied while remaining lying down. "Also, don't let your guard down. I suspect the Seed of Awakening was placed here intentionally. The mastermind might be watching us from the shadows. We'd better watch our surroundings."

Hearing Olivia's words, everyone's relaxed hearts immediately tightened again.

Gray instinctively gripped his cards, then asked with a confused expression, "Seed of Awakening? What's that?"

The others also looked at Olivia in confusion.

As a forbidden artifact that hadn't appeared for a hundred years, they had clearly never heard of the Seed of Awakening. Their bewilderment was perfectly understandable.

In the short time she had been lying there, Olivia had already thought of how to explain this. She spoke in a measured pace.

"The Seed of Awakening is an uncontrolled-grade forbidden artifact. It last appeared a hundred years ago and was thought to be destroyed, but it seems to have resurfaced... Well, I deduced it was the Seed of Awakening based on the behavior of those statues. In my knowledge, only this forbidden artifact can achieve such an effect."

Olivia briefly explained the effects of the Seed of Awakening, causing everyone's expressions to shift uneasily.

The reappearance of an uncontrolled-grade forbidden artifact that had been missing for a century felt like a very bad omen, no matter how one looked at it.

Olivia continued, "I must say it was extremely lucky that I could deal with this artifact. While studying at the monastery, I happened to read a research paper by Sister Julia Elliott. You all should know of her, right?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

Within the church, Julia Elliott's reputation was undoubtedly massive. She focused her life on the study of forbidden artifacts and achieved many outstanding results. Many people inevitably learned from her research during their training.

Hearing Olivia mention Julia, everyone began to understand what had happened.

Olivia said, "In the book I read, it detailed Sister Julia's research on the Seed of Awakening. Even though she had never seen it herself, she researched a poem that could suppress it based on historical records. Of course, it was all theoretical; Lady Julia had no way to practice it, so the research remained purely academic. However, starting today, I can prove for Sister Julia that it wasn't just a theory—it is a truly effective piece of research!"

"So that's how it is!"

Everyone realized how Olivia had secured the victory and felt a sense of relief. If Olivia hadn't happened to see Julia's research, none of them would have likely met a good end today.

Thinking of this, Gray couldn't help but draw a pentagram over his chest, silently thanking the Goddess for her favor.

Ronan propped himself up and said, "Let's head back first. This matter must be reported... Also, we need to hurry and report our investigation into Paradise... Dammit, because of this incident, I've forgotten quite a few of the faces I saw."

"I hope we don't run into any accidents on the way back," Olivia added warily.

Everyone's hearts tightened instantly.

No one had forgotten Olivia's earlier warning. The sudden appearance of the Seed of Awakening was highly unusual, suggesting a hidden conspiracy or a mastermind. They had to be on guard against any further dangers that might erupt.