Chapter 178: Extraordinary Charm

"This is the Olivia I like———"

At this moment, watching the slender figure standing in the midst of a raging storm on the stage, an increasingly vivid image abruptly formed in Vivian’s mind.

Stripped of her magic and trapped in Tutu, beneath the seemingly fragile exterior was a heart deeply devoted to her kin.

After an hour and a half of plot buildup, not only seasoned viewers like Vivian who had seen the original version, but even first-time audiences like Richard Eva watching "Song of the Ocean" for the first time, all vaguely sensed the direction of the story.

Alongside the anticipation came a helplessness toward the inevitable fate of 【Olivia】.

These conflicting emotions intertwined, rendering the grand opera house so silent that only the voices of the opera actors could be heard——

"Rumble——"

Thunder roared, wind howled.

As the war between the Sea Tribe and humans reached a fever pitch, finally, under the siege of mages from the Rose Kingdom, Olina, whose forces were nearly annihilated, directly used a portion of the Sea Tribe’s collective life force as a sacrificial medium to begin casting the “Ocean Forbidden Spell,” a ritual powerful enough to overturn the tide of battle.

"Olivia, your wounds haven’t healed! If you go out now, you’ll just be torn apart by the magical storm!"

"I know, Lilia."

Due to the backlash from magic, Olivia, who had been rescued by Watson, had been hiding and recuperating within the Rose Kingdom.

Even though Lilia wanted to escort her out, the anti-magic barrier surrounding the Rose Kingdom prevented Olivia, who was disguising her identity as a human girl, from leaving Lilia’s palace. She was forced into seclusion.

Otherwise, if the rulers of the Rose Kingdom discovered her, she would inevitably become a pawn to restrain the Sea Tribe, posing a great threat to them—

"But now, only I can stop the Ocean Forbidden Spell. Only I can save the lives of all Sea Tribe members!"

"Olivia—"

Boom!

Wind and rain could not hinder Olivia’s steps. Amidst the torrential downpour, Olivia, who had reverted to her mermaid form, flew into the sky under everyone’s gaze and vanished into the endless gloomy rain curtain.

"Olivia, what are you doing!? You’ll die like this!"

At that moment, Watson, who was leading all the kingdom’s mages in sustaining the anti-magic barrier, saw the slender figure slicing through the rain. His previously composed face turned pale in an instant.

"Whoosh——"

The figure gradually disappeared, and the only response Watson received was the overwhelming downpour.

"Whoosh——"

Behind the curtain of rain, as the main caster of the “Ocean Forbidden Spell,” Olina watched the widespread destruction and death caused by the tsunami within the Rose Kingdom, along with the Sea Tribe members whose life forces were being continuously drained.

A deep sense of regret surged within her.

But to find her sister Olivia, and to salvage the dire state of the war, Olina, as the queen of the Sea Tribe, had no path of return.

"Sister."

Just as despair filled Olina’s heart, a voice she had longed to hear day and night suddenly echoed in her ears, as if in a dream.

Looking at the increasingly clear and familiar figure before her, for a moment, Olina thought she was hallucinating.

"Olivia—?"

"Sister, I’ve come back."

Rumble——another bolt of lightning struck. Seeing her beloved younger sister up close, Olina felt a mix of joy and an overwhelming sense of helplessness toward fate that left her breathless with despair.

"Olivia, don’t come over! Stay behind me! Go back to Orlissa! Never appear here again..."

The Ocean Forbidden Spell not only drained the Sea Tribe’s life force, but also required the caster to sacrifice their own life to succeed. Moreover, once the “Ocean Forbidden Spell” was activated, it was like an arrow released—it could not be recalled.

Fortunately, before her death, Olina was able to see Olivia once more. For Olina, who had fought desperately to protect the Sea Tribe, this was her greatest comfort.

"Sister, I’m not leaving. I will stay with you, and with the sea."

"What do you mean——Olivia, stop now!"

Holding their breath, at that moment, every audience member below the stage, and even the actors backstage who no longer had roles and had seen the rehearsals multiple times, were all fixated on 【Olivia】, waiting for the emotional climax to erupt.

"La la——la la la——"

"Fierce wind, heed my call—"

"Storm, hear my plea——"

"All living things follow their course~~ bleeding as sacrifice~~ oh ocean, oh storm, please answer my prayer, and protect your most faithful children beneath the deep sea—"

Her soaring song nearly drowned out the roaring wind and rain.

Not far away, besides Olina who was trapped in the Forbidden Spell, Watson and Lilia, who clearly understood what Olivia was about to do, were both filled with anguish.

All sounds seemed stuck in their throats—they couldn’t even cry out.

"No. No no no no no! Olivia, I order you, stop immediately!

Olivia, I beg you——stop——"

Hearing the prayer nearly torn apart by the wind, Olina naturally knew what the other was doing.

Using her soul as a medium, her life as a sacrifice, to reverse time and return all things.

At that moment, Olina finally understood why Olivia’s magic had suddenly suffered backlash.

She had clearly planned this all along. She had clearly made up her mind to die...

"Olivia——"

Rumble!

Under the torrential rain, Olina wept bitterly.

As a brilliant blue light flashed, in an instant, the surging seawater seemed to have been cast with a time-reversal spell.

Under the pinnacle of stage lighting, what was once a gloomy and cloudy scene was instantly transformed into something brand new—

"In the name of Olivia, I cast the protective curse upon the sea——any malice toward the sea shall be drowned. Any plot against the Sea Tribe shall be devoured by the waves—"

"Farewell, ocean."

"Farewell, my dear sister——"

As the final line of the final scene ended, under the audience’s gaze, Olivia’s figure gradually turned into iridescent bubbles, blending into the endlessly blue sky as the rain gently ceased.

"Ding—【Today’s Quest: Perform a Perfect Show (Completed);

Quest Reward: Talent EXP +100, Skill EXP +500, Charisma +0.1.】"

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