Eldritch Horror Theatre

”...Impressive.”

This time, Master Grimshaw finally paused his leisurely stroll, turning around in admiration.

”And surprisingly honest. You already told me... you’re an arsonist who can ignite anything.”

As he spoke, Fu Qian looked down at his chest. Where he had been marked earlier, his clothes had finally given way, torn open into a massive hole.

What lay exposed beneath was no longer the crystallized skin that had formed when he was shot.

Bright, translucent spikes, cold as reflected moonlight, were generating from that epicenter. They radiated violently outward, surging with terrifying power as the ice shattered.

”How is this possible...”

Yet, even facing such a dramatic display, Madam Thirteen still looked dissatisfied, unable to believe her opponent could still move so freely.

”A premeditated strategy, I assume? Explosive bullets only work if they hit the target, so why not just detonate the target directly? The gunshot was just a distraction.”

Unfortunately, he paid no mind to her shock. He simply strolled forward, ice crystals continually detonating across his body as he casually analyzed her attack.”I’m guessing a direct detonation on a target takes some preparation, and securing a lock isn’t easy. Luckily, I already had a ’wound’—the one my good pal Raylan went all out to leave behind.”

Shaking his head slightly, Fu Qian made no effort to hide his appreciation for her professionalism.

At the same time, the memory of using his own Calamity Authority surfaced in his mind.

The scale of power might be vastly different, but the activation method felt remarkably similar.

Meticulous planning and unflinching execution—regardless of their public reputation, the Night Watchers of Loss certainly weren’t just slacking off.

”My only question now is, what made you suddenly decide to launch a real attack? I thought we were having a rather pleasant chat.”

As he offered his praise, Fu Qian pressed a hand against his chest, forcefully halting the violent eruption of ice crystals.

...

”How exactly did you do that? Even a demigod specializing in flesh-based powers couldn’t manage this.”

Watching her long-premeditated strike neutralized in an instant—and seeing him casually poke holes into his crystallized flesh with his fingers—a profound sense of absurdity washed over Madam Thirteen.

Still, as a chief, she wasn’t about to shrink from reality.

”I told you, I cannot be compared to Him. And before His boon, neither can you.”

Wearing the smile of a practiced charlatan, Fu Qian finally lowered his hand.

Yet in the span of those few steps, he had already poked a full seven holes into his shocking, crystal-covered chest.

Madam Thirteen was so certain he was a demigod partly because rogue Tier 2 individuals were exceptionally rare, but largely because he had intentionally played along.

Like taking that shot from Raylan earlier, and letting his chest be detonated just now.

After all, for an alternate persona, being a demigod was just right; Tier 2 would be a bit too earth-shattering.

Just as he had reminded Su Gao earlier, Fu Qian had kept the Burning Frost effect active from the very beginning of this mission, deliberately holding back his more iconic abilities.

Given that he might need to operate more openly in the future, Fu Qian planned to use this papal bestowal to officially establish his new alternate persona.

Even the Warehouse was incredibly cooperative.

Appearance, persona, disguise—it had the complete package ready to go from the very first moment.

Shortly after that, Fu Qian had faintly realized the Warehouse’s intent—was it to provide a bit of extra resistance against pollution?

The entity inside Rick was undeniably bizarre. Exposing abstract concepts like his true name might not be entirely safe.

The fact that the Warehouse hadn’t just assigned him a random identity, but had instead copied his persona from the previous mission, was very likely a hint to stay as hidden as possible to meet the mission’s requirements.

Though it would have been much nicer if it had just spelled that out in the mission briefing.

...

”Him?”

Ignoring the slight, Thirteen miraculously calmed down.

Or perhaps her earlier agitation had mostly been a necessary disguise, and she was now weighing whether it was necessary to continue.

”It’s a pity we’re pressed for time. Rather than asking who ’He’ is, I’m much more curious about what you plan to do next. It’s quite obvious that my ambush didn’t cause you much harm.”

Her question cut straight to the point, her logic perfectly clear.

”But it looks like it took quite a toll on you,” he pointed out. ”You won’t be able to pull off an attack like that again anytime soon, will you?”

Nodding slightly, Fu Qian didn’t deny her assessment of his injuries, offering that counter-critique instead.

”Yes.”

His remark was filled with blatant mockery, yet Madam Thirteen didn’t even blink before readily admitting it.

”If you want to make a move, every second from here on out is your best opportunity.”

”And you must realize that whether you make a move or not, after today, you will become a target for the Night Watchers.”

”Looks like I’ve been marked as extremely dangerous.”

Looking down at her, the smile on Fu Qian’s face finally faded a bit.

”Yet you still aren’t going to make a move.”

Chief Thirteen’s presence, however, remained as vast as an abyss.

”You aren’t even preparing to run... What are you waiting for?”

”...Haven’t I told you? I’m waiting for destiny.”

Fu Qian’s reply finally carried a split-second of hesitation.

”Destiny isn’t coming.”

At that moment, the law of conservation of smiles seemed perfectly demonstrated; a trace of genuine amusement actually appeared on Madam Thirteen’s face.

”From the very beginning, I’ve been wondering something. With your level of strength, why would you go around in circles and make things so convoluted?”

”With a clear target like Rick, you could have easily manipulated his family in any way you pleased without us ever noticing.”

”And yet, you somehow let his alert wife discover your little tricks.”

”Could it be that she genuinely is just a very sharp woman?”

Fu Qian’s expression had gone completely cold.

”Or could it be that you wanted to be discovered?”

In stark contrast, Madam Thirteen let out a low laugh.

”Then came the police, and the Night Watchers... And throughout it all, not only did you display overwhelming strength, but you also never stopped moving.”

”You forced us to mobilize more and more manpower just to reach your target before you did.”

”Did you think we wouldn’t realize that Rick was exerting a peculiar influence on his surroundings? That female doctor from the hospital is still in our custody.”

”But there is one thing you probably didn’t anticipate, otherwise you wouldn’t have spoken of destiny so arrogantly... Not long ago, Rick began undergoing a peculiar mutation, especially after coming into contact with new Night Watchers.”

”Destiny will arrive in the end... What you truly wanted was the change in Rick’s body, wasn’t it? You kept using various maneuvers to herd him into contact with the Night Watchers, all to cultivate that material.”

”You even deliberately left and returned at the end, forcing us to actively bring that material straight to you to test your reaction and clear our own suspicions.”

”Compared to your strength, this scheming is clearly more admirable... It’s just a pity that Rick won’t be coming.”

...

”Oh? Are you finally thinking of leaving? I’m sorry, but even if you slaughtered your way right into our reception room, you still wouldn’t find him.”

”Because the order I just gave wasn’t to capture him and bring him back. It was to execute him on the spot.”