Eldritch Horror Theatre

”...I’ll go back and hold the responsible parties accountable. And then what?”

Knowing she wouldn’t get anywhere trading nonsense with him, Yuan Shan gritted her teeth at Fu Qian’s quality complaint.

”And then...”

Clearly unsatisfied with Yuan Shan’s standard response, Fu Qian furrowed his brow. A moment later, something seemed to occur to him.

He stowed Mercy away and drew out a sphere the size of an orange.

As Yuan Shan watched with wide eyes, Fu Qian tipped his head back and tossed his Ash Sea harvest into his mouth.

...

Time seemed to lose its meaning.

In that profound silence, Fu Qian felt his body transforming for the second time.

The icy Crystal Sun released a trace of warmth the moment it slid down his throat, gently soothing every inch of flesh it passed.By the time it slipped unhindered into his stomach, that warmth had flared into intense heat.

His surrounding flesh melted like snow beneath a warm sun, the dissolution rapidly spreading outward.

In an instant, a massive hollow opened in his body cavity around the suspended Crystal Sun.

A moment later, the flesh lining this hollow stretched into straight, taut threads. They all converged on the Crystal Sun in the center, even slowly spiraling in tandem with its rotation.

It really did look like the inside of a whale. Compared to Eternity, didn’t this thing seem even more bizarre?

Through the agonizing pain, Fu Qian kept a close eye on his internal changes, not rushing to intervene despite the eerie spectacle.

Only when his body was reduced to little more than a hollow shell did the mysterious pulling force finally reach an equilibrium. The Crystal Sun came to a halt.

Almost instantly, the exceptionally solid sphere silently dissolved.

Countless indescribable, even impossible, bizarre shapes scattered from within it. They were pulled backward into the threads of flesh, rapidly altering the latter’s very essence.

This process unleashed a staggering wave of chaos. Specks of starlight flared within his flesh, casting the surrounding space into a pitch-black domain.

Stimulated by the impact, his Mythical Form activated on its own.

Compared to its usual state, the network of starlit lines was undeniably far denser. As his internal organs repaired themselves, the threads wove back together into a unified whole.

But only on the surface.

Fu Qian could feel it: though he looked restored, he was entirely shattered in a literal, physical sense.

Every part of his body now mirrored the structure of the Crystal Sun, formed from countless interlocking, bizarre fragments.

He needed something to bind them together.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Fu Qian sensed a sublime aura.

Or more accurately, a tangled mass of them.

Faced with that intimidating pressure, Fu Qian’s first reaction was to think Blazing Rainbow had arrived at the speed of light, but he quickly realized the anomaly.

These were multitudes of distinct auras, radiating from faint silhouettes that had materialized around him. A single glance revealed them as ancient and sublime.

They felt impossibly distant, as if separated by endless time and space.

Yet they were intimately close—focus on any single one, and specific physical details would spring into view.

The vast majority of them did not look human, or even biological.

Without exception, they projected a crushing sense of oppression, alongside a deathly stillness.

Rather than projections, didn’t they feel more like corpses?

Ancient Divine Entities?

Sensing the ultimate manifestation of various powers and authorities radiating from these different forms, Fu Qian marveled inwardly.

At the same time, a sudden clarity dawned on him: he needed to choose one among them.

Filtering through them like picking out clothes.

Wasn’t this a bit too arrogant?

For a standard Tier 2, just as the name implied, shouldn’t a Divine Emissary find a corresponding Divine Entity and offer them devout worship?

That formed a stark contrast to what he was doing right now.

But Fu Qian didn’t hesitate for a second. He quickly locked onto an aura that was faint yet inexplicably familiar, and reached out his hand.

Though the flow of time here might not obey standard laws, his adversary was obviously far from standard. He needed to minimize his exposure time.

The moment he made his choice, an instinctual wail seemed to ring in his ears.

In the blink of an eye, that bizarre, sublime silhouette began to twist and tear. It crept up his fingertips like flowing water, enveloping Fu Qian like a heavy robe.

...

He seemed to understand what a False God was now.

Fu Qian marveled to himself.

This transformation felt exactly like dismembering these ancient Deity Remains and draping Their flesh and Skin over himself like a heavy coat.

The ensuing change was that his previously scattered form now had an outer shell to contain it.

From now on, to anyone else, he would be ”Him.”

A certain clarity deep in his consciousness made Fu Qian absolutely sure of this.

He could even feel various domains of Imprints being transferred onto his body along with it.

He would be able to accept prayers in His name, and project power through His Emblem...

Aside from not actually being ”Him,” he was Him.

Under Insight, he realized he had even mastered a certain authority exclusive to this Divine Station.

Now, Fu Qian was even more convinced this was the right choice.

...

”Are you crazy? Someone could come over here at any moment!”

Unfortunately, before Fu Qian could further experience the details of his harvest, Chief Yuan’s suppressed roar finally broke through, unable to hold back any longer.

Fu Qian took a breath and looked up, studying this demigod who had so strongly urged him to come.

With his earlier groundwork, Yuan Shan certainly hadn’t disappointed his expectations.

Even though he had done something so bizarre, she had still earnestly stood guard beside him, even waiting until his condition stabilized before speaking up to warn him.

”That was a Mythical Form just now, wasn’t it? I’m not even surprised you can pull that off... The question is, did you ever consider what kind of chaos it would cause if an ordinary person stumbled into this?”

Fu Qian was in no hurry to speak, but Chief Yuan refused to let him off the hook, continuing her relentless complaints with a look of deep-seated misery.

”Do you think it was easy for me to make this trip back? I was still counting on getting a few days of vacation!”

”I trusted you. I knew you wouldn’t let any ordinary people come over.”

Fu Qian hadn’t interrupted her once, politely letting her vent her emotions before finally offering that smiling validation.

”...So I’ve ended up as your bodyguard again, is that it? You really don’t hold back!”

You never strike a smiling face. Especially since he had taken the initiative to validate her efforts without needing a reminder, Yuan Shan’s expression briefly softened.

”So tell me, what exactly was that second magic trick about? The thing you ate obviously wasn’t normal, and I can sense that something about you has definitely changed.”

”A magic trick is a magic trick. What else could it be?”

Chief Yuan was as sharp as ever, but faced with her questioning, Fu Qian put on an exaggerated expression and even snapped his fingers again.

”And now, it’s time to witness a Miracle.”

Hmm...

Following his gaze with some suspicion, Yuan Shan was left dumbfounded the next moment.

”Teacher?”