Eldritch Horror Theatre

The greatest advantage of Anjing Company’s unique Scarlet Designation system was that a person’s Rank was clear at a glance.

From the information he had already gathered, Fu Qian knew the title Doctor corresponded to a Tier 4 competitor.

Of course, even though the man before him felt somewhat hollow to his perception, Fu Qian didn’t need that sense to know there was still a qualitative gap between this person and the Demigod Realm.

So that verbal stab to the heart was nothing short of ruthless.

Takahashi Yae’s already pale face instantly turned a sickly, waxy yellow.

”Running your mouth is not a good habit.”

As a top-tier Combat Power just below the Demigod Realm, he obviously had a temper. His expression and tone instantly turned icy.

”Your past experiences might make you feel rather good about yourself, but there are some things a non-transcendent will never understand—flaunting borrowed power is the most unreliable strategy.”

”The reach of the rules is limited, and Siren can’t protect you forever.”

The next moment, Takahashi Yae pointed at Su Gao, bluntly exposing her background without hesitation.”I look forward to running into you alone. When that time comes, I’ll let you fully experience what it means to say life is full of surprises.”

”So your ability is making people lucky?”

Takahashi Yae’s tone was absolutely brimming with killing intent. To his disappointment, however, the reckless thug didn’t seem particularly shaken.

He even frowned in thought for a moment before actually expressing interest in Takahashi Yae’s ability.

”Curious? I can let you experience it right now.”

Although he had suffered constant setbacks just now—and Violetta staring at him radiated an icy killing intent that made his heart palpitate—

—his years of experience told Takahashi Yae that blindly enduring it would only put him in a more passive position.

So he quickly decided to teach the guy a little lesson.

Although Su Gao put him under immense pressure, the guy in front of him was ultimately just Siren’s pawn.

He believed that as long as he kept things within limits, the woman would weigh the pros and cons. The chances of her stepping in to stop him weren’t high.

The next moment, Takahashi Yae’s eyes darkened profoundly. Countless chaotic symbols seemed to swirl and blur within his pupils before converging into a single stream.

Under that intense gaze, Fu Qian felt something fluctuate within himself.

It was a bizarre sensation, as if his fate had suddenly dimmed and misfortune was being rapidly magnified.

It was like the probability of suffering a heart attack or getting hit by a car while crossing the street had suddenly spiked. And right at this very moment—Fu Qian glanced down. Water from the fountain had silently crept over to his feet, making the ground feel exceptionally slippery.

But most importantly, there was a feeling akin to inertia.

It was hard to describe, but it felt as if strokes of bad luck had grown sticky and fused together. If one occurred, it would naturally trigger the next—a conceptualization of the idea that misfortunes never come singly.

If he were an ordinary person, leaving this place in one piece would likely be impossible.

”My advice is that starting right now, you’d better stand perfectly still—”

Takahashi Yae’s sneering, somewhat smug monologue came to an abrupt halt before he could finish it, cut off by a sudden, freezing chill of death.

The next moment, his foot slipped. He nearly crashed to the ground just as the sound of rushing wind swept right over his head.

That was close!

Sensing the fierce, piercing aura carried in that strike, Takahashi Yae broke out in a cold sweat.

Was this woman crazy?!

He had only dealt out a minor Chastisement, yet she immediately went in for the kill?

Did she not think about how this would end?

Confusion aside, a survival instinct honed over hundreds of years compelled Takahashi Yae to instantly crush a Talisman hidden in his palm.

Almost instantly, his short figure shattered with a loud crack.

It split into six identical phantoms that scattered in all directions at once.

This was one of his life-saving techniques. Of the six figures, only one was his true body.

Aided by his own ability, any opponent trying to hunt him down was almost guaranteed to choose a fake.

Furthermore, these fission phantoms were incredibly stable; destroying them one by one would take a considerable amount of time.

Fortunately, his own luck still held true—this crazy woman didn’t have a weapon.

As he sprinted away, thoughts spun wildly through Takahashi Yae’s mind.

In a split second, he realized that Violetta’s attack was fundamentally a sword technique. Without a weapon, however, her attack range was severely hindered.

Otherwise, even if he had ”luckily” slipped, he likely still wouldn’t have dodged that fatal strike.

He had suffered a heavy loss today. He only wanted to issue a minor warning, yet it had cost him a precious Talisman—

Amid his regret, Takahashi Yae, who had kept a close watch on the movements behind him, suddenly froze.

In his line of sight, that outrageously young Peak Tier 4 expert actually picked up the Broom he had discarded and swung it like a sword.

In the next moment, layers of bright yellow ripples vibrated out from that mundane cleaning tool, which wasn’t even made of metal.

The dense ripples overlapped and surged before instantly exploding outward, engulfing every single phantom.

Splash!

The Broom shattered into dust almost instantly from the vibrations—and so did the tough phantoms.

Meanwhile, Takahashi Yae’s true body crashed heavily into the fountain pool.

Although he looked pathetic, the water actually helped shield him from the eerie shockwave that followed, generating nearly a hundred small whirlpools in the process.

”Wait.”

Rising from the water, Takahashi Yae stared intently at Su Gao, who was once again left empty-handed.

He didn’t even need to look to know that blood was likely seeping from every pore on his face.

This woman was far too bizarre!

He could sense that her Rank was close to his own.

But that strike just now felt tailor-made to target him; it gave off a feeling of absolute, insurmountable oppression.

If this were an old enemy who had schemed for years to achieve this, it would be understandable, but he obviously didn’t even know her.

In that moment, Takahashi Yae entirely abandoned the idea of fighting back.

Although he still had other methods up his sleeve, he couldn’t just waste them all here for nothing.

”There’s no need to take it this far. I’ll undo his curse right now.”

He quickly shouted out the offer.

Su Gao ignored him, simply turning her gaze toward Fu Qian.

”No need.”

Under Takahashi Yae’s expectant gaze, Fu Qian offered a profound smile. The words he spoke next made the old doctor’s heart sink.

”Just answer the questions first.”

...

”Luck is a rather wondrous concept.”

Takahashi Yae never expected this guy to have such a death wish, actually refusing to let the curse be lifted.

But it didn’t matter—as long as the man was willing to negotiate.

Takahashi Yae pondered for a moment, quickly recalling where their conversation had left off.

”More often than not, what you perceive as good luck isn’t necessarily a blessing.”

”True.”

Fu Qian agreed with that statement. For example, take the pitiful Takagi from earlier.

”My ability doesn’t simply make a person lucky or unlucky. Fundamentally, it can be described as a ’momentum’—a momentum that inevitably drives events toward a specific outcome.”

This explanation felt seemingly familiar.

Takahashi Yae’s words left Fu Qian deep in thought.

A certain Persuader with a human head and a giant flea-like body had once said something similar, claiming he would use it to help him.

Of course, reality ultimately proved that his momentum had been applied solely to himself.