Eldritch Horror Theatre

Jian Jingzheng never expected Fu Qian to be audacious enough to actually attack him.

His subconscious attempt to dodge failed completely. Jian Jingzheng felt a colossal force slam into him, sending him flying backward to crash headfirst into the wall.

”Instructor Jian!”

Ruan Shuo cried out in alarm from the sidelines, stumbling backward as he stared at Fu Qian.

”Are you crazy?”

Crazy?

Fu Qian took a step forward, a flash of scarlet vanishing into his hand.

You’ll soon find out who’s crazy.

Crack!

Facing the strike from the Tyrant’s Fist, Ruan Shuo tried his hardest to dodge but still couldn’t escape it. The whip swept across the back of his hand.Fu Qian lashed out again without a moment’s hesitation.

”Are you... that eager to die?”

The next second, Ruan Shuo’s body abruptly accelerated. Dodging the strike, he slowly raised his head, his tone completely shifting.

The panic was entirely gone from his face. In its place was a monstrous, crazed killing intent.

”You see, it really is better for people to be honest.”

Fu Qian didn’t press the attack this time.

”You sickened yourself speaking like that just now, didn’t you?”

”Yeah, honesty is best.”

Ruan Shuo let out a low, cold laugh, a Longsword suddenly appearing in his hand.

”For example... you’re both going to die today!”

Not only that, but a series of crisp snaps echoed from his body as his limbs began to elongate bizarrely.

When the transformation finished, every part of his body seemed to have turned into a sharp blade. At a glance, he looked like a bloodthirsty mantis.

”Interesting. Feels like an incarnation of pure slaughter.”

Fu Qian stood his ground, letting the guy stretch out while observing and critiquing him.

”So it seems you threw away all those materials in the warehouse?”

”Your true goal all along was to kill people. You only took those materials to divert attention, right?”

”Exactly! I only need to serve the Sword of Slaughter. Why would I need that garbage?”

Ruan Shuo stared at the sword in his hand with obsessive eyes.

”This is the true sword path. Every kill makes me grow.”

”And you two—”

”Is that so!”

Fu Qian pondered for a few seconds before pointing at Jian Jingzheng by the wall.

The instructor was staring blankly at them, his eyes full of absolute disbelief.

”Be my guest. I won’t stop you.”

He wasn’t joking. Fu Qian genuinely wanted to observe the process of this sword intent growing.

Unfortunately, Ruan Shuo clearly didn’t appreciate the gesture.

”Don’t worry, neither of you are getting away!”

After a burst of manic laughter, he swung his sword and charged at Fu Qian anyway.

Compared to the video footage, Ruan Shuo’s attacks were far more ruthless. Every strike was as fast as lightning, reeking of destruction and slaughter.

Just as he had said, the slaughter was constantly making him grow.

What a pity. It was still far from enough.

Fu Qian easily sidestepped a slash aimed at disemboweling him.

To him, an attack like this could only be considered capable of dealing damage.

And with his current vitality, even taking two sword strikes to a vital organ wouldn’t be a big deal.

Missing his mark, Ruan Shuo showed no sign of retreating. His movements only grew more frantic.

Unlike Yuan Xin’s, his sword intent wasn’t imbued with any strange power. It had simply gained pure speed and might.

His mutated limbs allowed him to easily execute all sorts of inconceivable movements, launching attacks from practically any angle.

Fu Qian was in no rush to finish him off. Instead, he opted for close-quarters combat.

Amidst flashes of scarlet, he continuously activated the Tyrant’s Fist, lashing Ruan Shuo over and over again like a whip.

”Die, die, die, die!”

As he was repeatedly struck, the effects of the Tyrant’s Fist stacked up, and the sounds tearing from Ruan Shuo’s throat turned almost bestial.

Yet even so, his attacks remained swift and orderly, adhering to the most efficient pattern of lethal damage.

It was as if he was no longer the one guiding his body; the slaughter itself was in control.

Rip!

Fu Qian dodged another frenzied slash. The instant they brushed past each other, Ruan Shuo’s left ribs suddenly split open.

A long, gaunt claw shot out like lightning, gripping a Pitch-Black Dagger, and thrust straight at Fu Qian’s waist.

A third hand?

This sudden ambush made even Jian Jingzheng cry out in shock from the sidelines.

He lacked the strength and was already injured. No matter how much he despised the man, if Fu Qian really went down, he himself would never survive.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian had never treated Ruan Shuo as a normal human from the start. As stealthy as the strike was, it was still far from a fatal blow.

But instead of dodging this vicious attack, Fu Qian simply let the dagger plunge into him.

Blood splattered.

Fu Qian grunted, grabbed the gaunt claw, and gave it a vicious yank.

Ruan Shuo let out a miserable shriek as the long arm was torn off at the root.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Fu Qian exploited the gaping wound left behind and directly unleashed Visceral Attack.

His mission was to [Destroy the Legacy of the Sword Heart].

If Ruan Shuo really was the target, then destroying him outright was the correct move. Trying to capture him alive would be wrong.

Taking a little damage while killing someone on the Sword Comprehension Institute’s turf would also make the act look more natural.

Bang!

Amidst an explosion of gore, Ruan Shuo’s chest cavity was practically hollowed out by the strike.

Yet even with such a devastating wound, he still didn’t fall.

He even brought his Longsword back around in an attempt to decapitate Fu Qian on the spot.

But in the next second, a hand clamped down on his head.

With a crisp crunch of bone, yellowish-white matter burst through the air.

Ruan Shuo shuddered. His body finally ceased its movements, collapsing into a limp heap.

Looks like it isn’t necessarily ”you” who’s growing.

Fu Qian shook his head and sighed.

He was now doubly sure there was something wrong with the sword intent.

On one hand, being able to move while bearing a fatal wound was truly a bit inhuman.

On the other, the guy had been lashed by the Tyrant’s Fist no less than twenty times. For his attacks to remain perfectly orderly when his sanity had long since shattered—and to even execute a sneak attack with a third arm—this was absolutely not normal either.

Ruan Shuo was already dead. What he had faced at the end was likely something else entirely.

Still, this actually fit the requirements of his mission rather nicely.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian waited for half a minute, but the notification for completed Containment never appeared.

The facts proved that this was not his target.

Sigh, just as I expected!

Fu Qian shook his head and glanced at Jian Jingzheng, who was staring blankly at the gore covering the ground.

”The target has been eliminated. You can start writing your report.”

”...I admit it.”

After a long time, Jian Jingzheng swallowed hard, his voice bone-dry.

”I misjudged the situation this time. I never imagined Ruan Shuo had already suffered qi deviation.”

”But even though you saw the problem, you still should have communicated with me instead of acting so rashly.”

”You should be glad your judgment was correct. Otherwise, you’d be in huge trouble today.”

”Who said I saw the problem?”

Fu Qian looked at him in confusion.

”This guy disguised himself very well. I was just bluffing a moment ago.”

”You didn’t know?”

Jian Jingzheng was completely dumbfounded, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

”You didn’t see anything at all! Just to strike the grass to startle the snake, you directly attacked an Academy instructor?!”

”Yep.”

Fu Qian didn’t even look at him.

”If you feel wronged, you can go cry to Li Weixuan and have him seek justice for you.”