The Flower of Pain

Olivia instinctively tightened her grip on Cross Grace.

A transcendent turning into a corpse monster was far more terrifying than an ordinary person doing so.

The other clergymen were Pilgrims; they hadn't fully transformed into corpse monsters yet, but the pressure they exerted while temporarily losing their sanity was far greater than that of common monsters. Once the transformation was complete, their combat strength would be even more horrifying.

As for the Sensates, they were undoubtedly more frightening. Even if they hadn't completely mutated into corpse monsters, their combat power was impossible to ignore.

No one answered Olivia's question.

At this moment, both Ronan and Gray had temporarily lost their consciousness.

"Roar!"

With a low growl, Ronan charged forward. His fists, clad in red gloves, slammed down with such force that Olivia felt a momentary wave of dizziness.

Was this a strange effect of those red gloves?

Olivia instinctively activated a Refresher Talisman to ensure her mental state remained stable, then swung her cross forward.

Thud!

The two collided heavily, and both Olivia and Ronan were forced back.

However, Ronan did not regain his senses. Because he had completely blocked Olivia's attack, he hadn't felt the pain necessary to snap him out of it.

He let out another low growl and charged again.

'Sensates are such a hassle!' Olivia cursed inwardly. She could only grit her teeth and continue the exchange, clashing with Ronan over a dozen times in a short span.

This left Olivia's hands increasingly numb. Had she not possessed the Body Control ability to quickly alleviate the sensation, the situation would have been even more troublesome.

Furthermore, because Ronan's combat strength was so high, she couldn't inflict enough pain on him to bring him back to his senses. Seeing Gray also approaching, Olivia gritted her teeth, cast a Lightness Talisman on herself, and quickly retreated.

She couldn't waste time on the two Sensates.

She dashed toward the other clergymen instead, nimbly swinging Cross Grace to knock them to the ground one by one, harvesting their pain energy.

In the brief moments they regained clarity, she shouted, "Help me hold back Deacon Ronan and Deacon Gray! I have a way to save everyone, but I can't be interrupted!"

Though they didn't know what Olivia's plan was, the other clergymen who had briefly regained their senses had no choice but to comply. Since everyone else was mutating while Olivia remained perfectly fine, her words naturally carried an air of authority.

Under these circumstances, Olivia's situation improved. She gathered more and more pain energy, and the pain seed within her body rapidly approached fullness.

Finally, she sensed a change within her. She felt the seed bloom.

The pain flower was born!

The moment the pain flower bloomed, Olivia understood how to cast the pain spell almost by instinct.

She turned around and looked at Ronan and Gray.

Because they were in the middle of a mutation, they were constantly in pain. However, since that pain wasn't directly caused by Olivia, it hadn't provided her with any pain energy.

But as long as they could feel pain, it was enough.

Olivia spoke softly, chanting the word in Sylvan Runes: "Pain!"

The pain spell was cast, affecting both men simultaneously.

Under the stimulus of the pain, both Ronan and Gray shuddered. The madness in their eyes gradually cleared.

"I... what was I just doing?"

"I couldn't control myself."

The two murmured, fully aware of what had just happened. Despair inevitably flickered in their eyes.

The trap left by Dalia Sullivan was truly terrifying; it was enough to leave everyone here to rot as monsters.

If there were no accidents, that is.

But Olivia was that accident!

With the pain spell mastered, she struck from a distance, quickly plunging everyone into pain. This pain—not caused by the mutation—was enough to let everyone's reason regain the upper hand, preventing them from losing themselves again.

'On the surface, I am an Arbiter, yet I've shown abilities that don't belong to one... It's fine. Melanie said if I'm in danger, I should use my Ascetic abilities without worry. As for how to keep the Ascetic path a secret afterward, the Church will handle that.'

After the thought flashed through her mind, Olivia got down to business.

"I need a sharp weapon, something no worse than my Cross Grace. I need to climb out. Who has one?"

"I do."

Gray immediately threw a card over.

As a Card Master, cards were the one thing he didn't lack. In fact, none of his cards were ordinary; they were all spiritual weapons imbued with transcendent properties. Different cards had different effects, and some were specifically designed for sharpness.

Olivia glanced at the card in her hand. It bore the image of a sharp sword, and the sensation of its keen edge almost seemed to radiate from the illustration.

While a card wasn't the most convenient tool to use, she was an Ascetic with the Body Control ability.

Olivia quickly moved to the smooth wall. With Cross Grace in one hand and the card in the other, she began her ascent.

First, she plunged Cross Grace—shrunk to the size of a dagger—into the wall and pulled herself up. Then, she drove the card in her other hand into a higher spot and pulled herself further. She repeated this cycle, climbing higher and higher.

Step by step, Olivia climbed rapidly. During the process, she didn't forget to look back and cast the pain spell occasionally, ensuring everyone remained in enough pain to keep their reason in control.

After a short while, Olivia finally climbed out of the tavern.

Outside, a barrier had long been established, so the commotion inside hadn't attracted any attention.

Olivia scanned the surroundings. After confirming there was no immediate danger, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

'Dalia Sullivan didn't stay here herself? Was she worried that if someone too strong came, the trap wouldn't be enough? Thank goodness. If she were still here, we might have been wiped out. Heretical transcendents are always so cautious. Yet, we still don't know which heretical organization Dalia belongs to.'

Olivia gave a bitter smile.

Now wasn't the time for idle thoughts. She quickly found a rope and lowered it down, slowly pulling the people below out one by one.