The girl’s silhouette overlapped with *The Saintess’s Sacrifice*.
This scene was so beautiful, so shocking, and so… hair-raising!
At this moment, almost everyone’s attention was concentrated on Lu Mo and Cecilia. Consequently, they completely ignored the heroes walking out of the hall of divine artifacts one by one.
“Eh?”
As the boys and girls of the Hero class emerged from the hall doors clutching their divine artifacts, the expected gasps of admiration and shouts of surprise did not ring out. There wasn’t even a single person to be seen in the immediate vicinity of the hall.
This could not help but leave them confused.
“They… seem to be up ahead — ” another female hero spoke up.
Looking in the direction she pointed, they saw rows of figures standing before the massive painting in the corridor.
“I remember — that painting is the pride of the Holy Sanctuary, *The Saintess’s Sacrifice*,” someone recognized the work and immediately spoke up.
“Wait, there are people… beneath *The Saintess’s Sacrifice*…”
At that moment, they finally saw Lu Mo and Cecilia standing under the artwork.
The crowd stood there, looking back and forth between the massive painting and the two girls. After seeing the pair’s posture clearly, the heroes’ eyes also narrowed, and their breathing hitched.
Their reactions were identical to everyone else’s!
They were drawn in, then shocked, and finally… their scalps tingled with a numbing sensation!
“…”
Seeing this, Solaris’s heart also throbbed, and her eyes flickered. Once she snapped out of it, her expression gradually became cold and complex.
It was only then that Cecilia opened her eyes and prepared to get up from Lu Mo’s embrace.
“I’m… I’m sorry… Miss Lu Mo,” she whispered, her face blushing slightly.
But just as she was about to stand up, her gaze swept across the area. When she realized that a whole crowd of people was blocking the path, staring at her and Lu Mo…
“Eeeeeeeeeek?!”
She suddenly let out a sharp, high-pitched scream.
In the next second, she practically leaped into the air. With her face flushed deep red and her fair neck wobbling restlessly, she looked like a frightened ostrich trying to find a sandpit to bury its head in.
Finally, she found her sandpit.
— She chose to hide behind Lu Mo.
“…”
Even as she pressed tightly against Lu Mo’s back and curled her body, that restless golden cowlick still stood up from behind Lu Mo’s shoulder, trembling.
Seeing this, Lu Mo could only manage a helpless smile.
She had only caught Cecilia, hadn’t she?
Was it really necessary for these people to act like this?
She reached up and gently touched the trembling golden cowlick, then looked toward the crowd and said, “It’s fine now. Everyone, please disperse.”
Only then did the people gradually recover from the shock the two girls had provided.
“That scene just now…”
“What was that hair-raising feeling all about…?”
“Was it just a coincidence?”
The boys and girls discussed it in low voices.
“Look! The Great Heroes have come out!”
Soon, someone noticed the heroes walking out with their divine artifacts and shouted.
In an instant, everyone’s attention was diverted once more. The dense crowd immediately left the area and ran toward the Hero-tier individuals.
Seeing all eyes focused on him, one of the hero boys lifted his head proudly and brandished the holy spear in his hand, which flowed with golden patterns.
“The spear in Master Cass’s hand is… the divine spear, ‘Shadow-Piercing Void-Shatterer’!”
“In the history of the Holy Sanctuary, a great powerhouse once held Void-Shatterer and pierced through an entire demon city with a single thrust!” a Holy Dragon Knight exclaimed.
“The divine artifact in Miss Abby’s hand is no less impressive. That is the legendary staff, ‘Breath of the World Tree’… 500 years ago, a great master of the Holy Sanctuary awakened the source of the Breath of the World Tree. In an instant, every inch of demon-corrupted land within 10,000 meters was enveloped in the power of holy life and restored! The demon army lost the protection of the corrupted land, and their strength was instantly halved!”
“The moonlight blade, ‘Snowy Waning Moon’!”
“The divine tome, ‘Secret Codex of the White Night’!”
“…”
Many of the divine artifacts were famous, having been recorded in the books of the Holy Sanctuary. People continued to speak, admiring and envying them with fanatical eyes.
At last, the heroes’ brows relaxed, and smiles gradually appeared on their faces. Their hearts were clearly filled with immense satisfaction at this moment.
Although…
They always had a faint feeling that the shock the crowd displayed toward the divine artifacts was somehow less than what they had shown under *The Saintess’s Sacrifice*.
“If only the hall of divine artifacts didn’t have such a powerful isolation barrier…” someone muttered.
If it hadn’t, the powerful momentum that erupted when the divine artifacts awakened inside the hall would have definitely suppressed those two girls.
Solaris stood among the heroes, remaining silent.
“The sword in Lady Solaris’s hand is — “
When someone noticed the weapon Solaris was holding, they suddenly lost their voice, their expression turning into one of extreme shock.
“That sword…”
Many people’s gazes fell upon Solaris’s blade.
They all recognized it. It was one of the top five divine artifacts among all those held by the Holy Sanctuary.
It was a divine weapon that had slain a Demon King-tier existence 300 years ago…
“The Beheading Sword… Heavenly Crown: Dust-Stain!”
It was as if a god wearing a crown stood above the high heavens, bringing down a sword that annihilated everything in the world. That single strike would cleanse all the darkness and sin of the mortal world. That sword was invincible.
Heavenly Crown: Dust-Stain gained its name from this.
Some unofficial histories even recorded that the Heavenly Crown: Dust-Stain was once a weapon used by a Primary God.
“I was merely lucky enough to gain the Beheading Sword’s recognition,” Solaris said with a faint smile.
“What do you mean lucky? The momentum Lady Solaris stirred up just now truly terrified us…”
“With the dual stacking of your Holy Power talent and your God-blood, more than half of the divine artifacts in the hall emitted terrifying fluctuations, sending invitations to Lady Solaris!”
“If it weren’t for the seals on the hall of divine artifacts, that kind of momentum would have probably scared you all half to death.”
“What a pity… you didn’t experience it personally. You could only stare at a painting like dazes.”
Some of the heroes began to praise Solaris while glancing unpleasantly at Lu Mo, subtly belittling her in their speech.
Solaris said nothing, only smiling. However, her vanity was greatly satisfied at this moment.
‘Now that you have seen the Beheading Sword, how do you feel, Lu Mo?’
Solaris glanced at Lu Mo through the distant crowd.
Unfortunately, she was unable to see any jealousy or resentment in the girl’s eyes. The girl’s expression remained calm and aloof.
She and Lu Mo locked eyes from a distance for a moment. Then, their gazes quickly went their separate ways.
***
Time passed gradually.
When the last hero emerged with a divine artifact, the hall of divine artifacts finally closed its doors.
“You all now possess divine artifacts. This is not only you choosing the artifact, but the artifact choosing you,” a high-ranking official of the Holy Sanctuary spoke. “I hope you will not fail the artifacts or the expectations the Holy Sanctuary has for you… Nurture your artifacts well, understand them, and ultimately, you will be able to fully awaken their power.”
“We shall follow your teachings!”
Afterward, the various figures left the front of the hall and walked out of the corridor. Cecilia was about to leave with Lu Mo.
“Miss Cecilia.”
At that moment, someone called out to her. Cecilia turned around and saw Solaris walking toward them, followed by several other members of the Sequence Team.
“Lady Solaris?”
Cecilia responded politely but instinctively took two steps back. Because Solaris had been mean to Lu Mo, she felt that Solaris was not a good person.
Feeling Cecilia’s wariness, Solaris couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. “Please do not be so cautious, Miss Cecilia. I have no ill intentions this time; I only wish to clear up a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes… Previously, I acted because I doubted Miss Lu Mo’s ability to protect you, Miss Cecilia, and I also wanted to maintain order.”
“At the time, my words may have been too harsh, making Miss Lu Mo uncomfortable and making you unhappy, Miss Cecilia.”
“Really?” Cecilia went silent, somewhat doubting the truth of Solaris’s words.
“Now, we are all members of the Sequence Team. We have the same goal and should be united, shouldn’t we?” Solaris continued. “Why don’t we set aside what happened before, shake hands and make peace, and face the demons together?”
“I believe the misunderstanding between us… will soon disappear.”
She reached out her hand.
“Even if you say that…” Cecilia was suddenly at a loss.
She never expected Solaris to say these things. Nor did she expect Solaris to reach out her hand, wanting to make peace.
What should she do? Should she take it?
Just as her heart was in a flurry and her face was about to turn red, Lu Mo appeared behind her at some unknown point.
“Sure.”
Lu Mo smiled. “Then I look forward to your guidance in the future… Lady Solaris.”
She grasped Solaris’s hand.
“Yes, I look forward to working with you,” Solaris nodded, responding with a smile.
The other members of the Sequence Team also smiled, nodded, and introduced themselves. The air, which had been somewhat frozen, suddenly became cheerful.
On the surface, at least.
However, Solaris had not actually apologized to Lu Mo or Cecilia for her previous actions. And deep in the gaze she directed at Lu Mo, there was always a trace of arrogance. She always stood before everyone as a superior.
“Then we shall take our leave, Lady Solaris.”
Lu Mo bid farewell to Solaris, and Cecilia, hiding behind Lu Mo, waved to the group. Solaris smiled and watched the two of them walk away. It wasn’t until their figures disappeared that her smile gradually faded and finally vanished.
“Lady Solaris, they…” Her followers behind her seemed to want to say something.
“It doesn’t matter.” Solaris shook her head, signaling for them to leave first.
The followers obediently left the corridor. At this moment, only Solaris remained. The entire corridor went silent.
Solaris looked up at the massive painting of *The Saintess’s Sacrifice*. Her gaze fell upon the Saintess, then the fully awakened divine sword, and finally upon the beautiful and magnificent silhouette of the hero.
“She caught the Saintess who was about to fall, but who would have thought it would recreate the scene of the Saintess’s sacrifice?”
“Cecilia is the Saintess; there is no doubt about that.”
“But the Hero…”
‘If you are the Hero, then what am I?’
She spoke coldly. A faint, cold gleam flickered across the Beheading Sword.