The moment the words left her lips, Barbara grabbed Eros by the collar without a second thought and bolted toward the Sin-Domain rift at breakneck speed.

  Simultaneously, several dark tendrils erupted from Eros’s shadow, dragging Irina back into the darkness before she could even react.

  And just like that, the question Eros was about to ask was forced back down his throat.

  His vision blurred for a split second, and then he was pulled through the rift by Barbara, reappearing in the real world. In the next instant, a thunderous roar echoed from within the rift. Under Eros's stunned gaze, the spatial tear slowly drew shut, eventually vanishing into nothingness with a final, heavy boom.

  Eros stared blankly at the spot where the rift had been. It took a long moment before he managed to whisper in a strained voice, "What... what exactly happened?"

  One second a Sin-Domain was perfectly fine, and the next, it was gone.

  Barbara glanced at the pitch-black cube in her hand, her voice calm and certain. "If I’ve guessed correctly, the reason those two overlapping Sin-Domains didn't collapse immediately was likely because my Master’s Divine Kingdom fragment acted as an Anchor. It fixed those two realms in the void, allowing them to overlap only where they touched."

  "Once I extracted the fragment, the realms lost their support. They crashed into each other and were obliterated simultaneously."

  So that’s it. A look of realization dawned on Eros’s face.

  Barbara’s explanation was clear enough. It was like a three-story house where someone suddenly yanked out the entire second floor; it would be strange if the remaining parts didn't collide.

  Still, one thing puzzled Eros. Could a cube the size of a fist really anchor two entire Sin-Domains? Even if it was a Divine Kingdom fragment, it seemed far too small.

  As if sensing his skepticism, Barbara rolled her eyes at him. "The reason it looks like this now is because I’ve used sorcery to spatially compress it. If it were fully unfolded, it would be roughly half the size of Indiles."

  Alright, never mind.

  Indiles was the capital of the Holy Chris Empire, one of the three great empires of the Croatia Continent. Its total area was... well, Eros actually didn't know the exact measurements, but he knew it was massive.

  If just a fragment of the Ancestor’s domain was half the size of the capital, how enormous must the entire Divine Kingdom have been?

  While Eros was busy marveling at the sheer scale of divine power once again, Barbara casually tossed the black cube toward him.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Eros instinctively reached out to catch it, but halfway through, he remembered her words—this thing was half the size of Indiles. Panicking that he wouldn't be able to hold the weight, he jerked his hand back and took a step away.

  "Are you serious with that half-step back?" Barbara’s mouth twitched, looking utterly speechless. "Relax. You can carry it."

  "Really?" Eros was still skeptical. This was half a capital city, after all.

  "REALLY!" Barbara gritted her teeth.

  Reassured, Eros tentatively reached out and caught the cube floating before him. It felt cool to the touch, with a weight roughly equivalent to a stone of the same size.

  Seeing him successfully take the fragment, a look of "as expected" flashed through Barbara’s eyes. She pursed her lips, her expression momentarily complex. However, she quickly masked her emotions before Eros could notice.

  She lifted her chin and gave a light huff. The next second, she vanished from the spot, leaving only her voice echoing in the air:

  "They’re about to wake up!"

  Hearing this, Eros didn't have time to study the fragment further. He stuffed it into his pocket and hurried over to Estelle’s side.

  Just as he reached her, the unconscious Estelle let out a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes.

  Eros reached out to support her as she sat up. Although Barbara had told him she was fine, seeing it for himself made him ask softly, "Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?"

  Estelle leaned half her weight against her child, barely able to stand with Eros’s help. Her gaze was dazed, as if she hadn't fully emerged from her stupor.

  Seeing this, Eros didn't hesitate. He immediately cast a Heal spell on her, not forgetting to apply it to the other five clan members as well.

  After the treatment, Estelle looked much better. She knitted her brows, her voice still a bit foggy. "What happened? I remember... we entered the Sin-Domain, didn't we?"

  "And then... then why can't I remember anything after that?"

  At this point, Estelle let out a pained grunt. Eros quickly followed up with a Soothe Spirit spell, comforting her as he spoke:

  "If you can't remember, don't force it! The mission is over. We’ve successfully reclaimed the Ancestor’s Divine Kingdom fragment!"

  "Huh?"

  Estelle suddenly wondered if she had misheard. She couldn't even remember what she had done, yet the mission was already over? Am I dreaming? Her expression was one of pure bewilderment.

  Looking down at Estelle’s upturned face—her expression vacant and dazed—Eros found it strangely amusing. My mother is unexpectedly adorable like this. It’s quite the 'Gap Moe' .

  After a long while, Estelle finally regained her senses, whispering in a tone of disbelief, "The fragment... has it really been reclaimed?"

  "Yes."

  "Let me... let me just process this," Estelle said, rubbing her temples. Everything that had happened felt profoundly surreal.

  The other five clan members listening in were equally dumbfounded. They hadn't even done anything yet—how was it over?

  After a long silence, Estelle finally couldn't help but ask, "How exactly did this happen?"

  Eros shrugged, selectively picking a few details he could safely share to explain the sequence of events. Naturally, he didn't mention a single word about being "pushed" by an Oddity.

  Upon hearing that they had encountered a Transcendent-level specter almost immediately upon entering, even Estelle broke into a cold sweat.

  Thank goodness the Artifact Spirit had stepped in and sent them out safely. Without Lady Barbara there, none of them would have survived a confrontation with a Transcendent-tier entity.

  Knowing that Barbara had intervened, they didn't doubt Eros’s word for a second. To them, it was only natural that a Divine Artifact wielded by their great Ancestor could achieve such a feat. A mere Transcendent horror, after all...

  Watching the looks of realization on their faces, Eros sighed inwardly. Only he knew the true price paid during this encounter.

  The virginity I’ve cherished for over a decade... it’s just... gone. Sob... how tragic.