Eldritch Horror Theatre

Truly decisive.

A moment later, Fu Qian stood before the gates of the Ruins once again.

Compared to when he first arrived, the area was now completely empty.

As if considering the possibility that someone might actually harbor malicious intent, the Kamakura Family hadn’t even left a few ordinary people behind to keep watch, avoiding any pointless loss of life.

Right now, there wasn’t even a bird in sight.

In short, it was bleak, miserable, and desolate—a perfect picture of the crowd dispersing after the curtain fell!

Given his busy schedule, Fu Qian didn’t linger to admire the view. He simply entered the Old Days Ruins for the third time.

...

”They’re actually completely fine now!”

At the foot of the mountain, the group from the Academy let out gasps of amazement as they faced the Kamakura Family, who had been completely reset to Level 0.That irresistible curse from earlier seemed to no longer have any effect at all.

And the Imprint, which had clearly appeared on their bodies due to a higher power, had also been erased with incredible efficiency.

”It looks like our condition is fairly stable for now. There are no signs of another flare-up.”

With his hands dripping blood, Kamakura Keiji actively described how he felt while getting his wounds bandaged.

”Of course, the price was exactly as Mister Yun said. We are entirely ordinary people now.”

As he spoke, a wistful sigh escaped his lips.

”At least you kept your lives.”

Seeing the others also looking lost and hollow, Chang Mo gave a cold snort.

”Or would you rather turn into a pile of rotting meat?”

That vivid description unsettled more than just the Kamakura Family. Even the members of the Academy shuddered as they recalled that pool of crystal-clear liquid. The air fell completely silent for several seconds.

”Just how did that Mister Yun manage to pull this off?”

Finally, Guan Jingzheng broke the silence, drawing sideways glances from his peers, though ultimately no one said a word.

They had already retreated far away in compliance with that Demigod Realm expert’s demand for secrecy. Since he hadn’t forbidden the Kamakura Family from speaking, asking out of curiosity shouldn’t be a problem, right?

”Mister Yun... he didn’t do anything.”

Huh?

Yet Kamakura Keiji’s answer in the very next breath left the entire group shocked once more.

”I found it strange too, but he really just sat there for a short while, and then the curse stopped. The Imprints on our bodies vanished soon after.”

Kamakura Keiji looked just as baffled, only able to recount exactly what had happened.

He just sat there without moving?

The Academy group exchanged blank looks again, feeling their brains failing to process the information.

”It seems that Mister Yun knows far more than we imagined.”

Even Kasi, the head of the investigation team, nodded and sighed meaningfully.

”However, bringing Liushuang along this time was definitely the right choice.”

Immediately after, he looked over at Ji Liushuang, changing the subject at lightspeed.

”Indeed...”

Chang Mo was the first to realize what Kasi meant and softly agreed.

”Having the Imprint dispersed and immediately becoming ordinary people—no matter how you look at it, that isn’t the sword path. Liushuang is far sharper than us teachers.”

”I was merely guessing.”

Receiving back-to-back praise from Kasi and Chang Mo left Ji Liushuang looking rather embarrassed.

”There’s no need to be modest. This is exactly what makes geniuses so frustrating to the rest of us.”

Kasi laughed heartily, completely oblivious to how badly this conversation was provoking the Kamakura Family.

”The situation here has stabilized for now, but just as Mister Yun suggested, we will still stay and observe for a few days before leaving.”

”For now, a few people will stay behind to keep watch. The rest of you can go get some rest.”

Noticing Ji Liushuang looking slightly fatigued while speaking, Kasi directly signaled that she could head back and rest.

”I’m fine.”

Most of the Academy members were still curious about the changes in the Kamakura Family, and they hadn’t exerted themselves much today anyway. Despite Kasi’s offer, only a few people took him up on it.

Ji Liushuang didn’t try to push herself. After offering a quick apology, she left with a few instructors and headed to the accommodations arranged by the Kamakura Family to rest.

...

If only life could always be like that first meeting.

Passing through the familiar stone doors, Fu Qian studied the pool of clarity, deeply moved.

Although the Ruins were as complex as a maze, they posed no real problem to him. It didn’t take long for him to find his way back following the route in his head.

At this moment, the reservoir had already reverted to the state it was in when he first saw it.

Unfortunately, given everything he had just experienced, there was no way he could view it as some pure entity anymore.

His reason for returning wasn’t an excess of curiosity, but rather to complete the final step of his task.

The task required him to establish a connection with the Nameless Deity. Since he had already reset the Kamakura Family into ordinary people, the only things nearby that still held an unusual connection to the Nameless Deity were these Ruins and the lump of stuff inside the pool.

His next plan required combining various conditions to maximize his chances of success.

Stepping forward, Fu Qian let a dark red tentacle snake out, slowly probing into the bottom of the pool.

An incredibly heavy sensation fed back to him, like plunging his hand into liquid metal.

Still, he could tell that this crystalline pool was indeed severely injured.

It wasn’t until Fu Qian retracted the tentacle that ripples began to form in the pool, the crystal sands glinting.

And now, Fu Qian held a gleaming Longsword in his hand.

It was Classmate Ji Liushuang’s sword, the one he had thrown in earlier.

Casually swinging it a few times, Fu Qian watched a glittering clump slap toward him from the pool and nodded in satisfaction.

Not bad. He had worried that it would take a long time to regain any activity.

Although this clump of an arm was bizarrely shaped and barely managed to hold a form, it was enough.

The next moment, Fu Qian raised the Longsword level and looked upward.

What was it that Brother Ah Kai said again?

If one could perfectly copy all of his incantations, materials, and movements without a single error, they could replicate the effects of a Miracle.

Although what he was about to do was slightly different, it was entirely worth trying as a reference.

For example, replicating the Kamakura Family’s Cursed Swordsmanship.

...

Focusing his mind and clearing away stray thoughts, Fu Qian tried silently chanting the title of the Nameless Deity in his heart, making himself as dead silent as the Tombkeepers.

The next moment, facing the crystalline arm whipping toward him, he struck out with his sword.

The strike was bizarre and twisted, much like a meat-cleaving Butcher, impatient to skin and dismantle its opponent.

That’s right, this was precisely the Cursed Swordsmanship the Kamakura Family had refined over hundreds of years, the very one Kamakura Keiji and Kamakura Ki had successively demonstrated.

Although the posture was twisted and entirely lacked aesthetic appeal, Fu Qian actually found it effortless to replicate.

Clang!

Amidst the crisp sound, the crystalline arm was struck without fail. It shuddered as a solid chunk was cleanly sliced off.

Unfortunately, the remaining stump shook itself and quickly surged back out.

This strike clearly hadn’t received any power infusion from the Nameless Deity, though the Chastisement from the sage was no joke either.

Completely unsurprised by this, Fu Qian instantly retaliated with a backhand slash, cutting off another chunk.

Following that, relying on his memory of the movements, he slashed out sword after sword. Every single action was a perfect reproduction as he wholeheartedly embodied the Tombkeepers.

Now was the time to enact divine will on behalf of God; all heretics who disturbed the peace must die.