Annan hadn't yet seen the details in that fragment.
The images floating before his eyes began to swiftly rewind, as if time itself were flowing backwards—
He felt his consciousness suddenly "receding."
It was like standing on the street and suddenly being bumped into, taking a couple of steps back, and snapping awake in an instant.
When Annan opened his eyes again, he saw the "bloodstained knife" on the ground emitting a foul green smoke with a sizzling sound. The curse materials had been completely incinerated, and the blood-soaked heptagram was defaced with numerous shallow cuts.
The system alerts popped up belatedly, showing just three short lines:
[You have used the "Initial Influence: One Step Ahead" in the ritual]
[You have used the "Initial Influence: Endless Echo" in the ritual]
[Ritual: Fragment of the Prophet has failed due to "missing key materials"]
"...Huh?"
Annan was momentarily startled.
