Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Seeing as it was holding back a little, I wanted to test the waters, but it clearly has zero intention of communicating.”

His sudden disappearance from the spot was naturally the effect of Blood Crusade.

Stacked with the Anti-Exposure Combat Armor gifted by Red Moon, the physical toll of this inherently blood-burning technique had grown so mild he could practically leave it on in his sleep. Naturally, Fu Qian activated it without a second thought.

When he reappeared, he stepped right behind Yuan Shan, just as unburdened by shame.

A person had to be flexible. If a big shot wouldn’t offer protection, why not just step into her shadow yourself?

As it turned out, that seemingly overwhelming volley didn’t track its targets. Not only did the attacks miss entirely, but they also quickly dissipated into the air.

Of course, what followed was an even more surging wave of slashes that bombarded Yuan Shan’s web-like barrier as if they cost nothing to cast.

”You don’t say!”

Under the instantly multiplied pressure, Yuan Shan—already bursting with negative emotions—roared in annoyance, deeply incensed by his utter lack of loyalty.

After all, she had a Tier 2 teacher herself. She knew exactly how terrifying the pressure radiating from the entity before them really was.It might not be Kelin, but this thing was absolutely Tier 2.

Where were all these monsters popping up from lately?

As for how she was still managing to hold the line, it really came down to what her aide had said moments earlier: the enemy hadn’t gotten serious yet.

But whether their opponent was holding back or not, it was obvious her side had to make a move.

A Tier 2 entity was no joke. Thanks to her subordinate’s jinx moments ago, the enemy had actually revealed itself to attack. Considering the bizarre abilities it had displayed so far, if they waited for it to unleash its full firepower, the situation would inevitably spiral out of control.

Under these circumstances, seizing the initiative was undoubtedly the right choice, especially since they had a Divine Emissary on their side. Yet, to her disbelief, that very Divine Emissary had just ducked behind her.

Hadn’t the guy sworn up and down he wouldn’t be recognized? Surely his plan wasn’t to never lift a finger for the entire fight? Not to mention, there was no way this guy was Kelin anyway, so the need to hide his identity was already moot.

...

”Help me out here, something feels very wrong!”

Roaring once more, Yuan Shan had clearly made up her mind. The soft whip in her hand snapped into motion again, actively unraveling the dense web of defenses in front of her.

”Forget it, let’s just attack together—damn your jinxing mouth!”

Mid-sentence, her voice pitched into a shriek.

In her field of vision, the wings behind the entity stretched wider, and clusters of brilliant vortices began condensing along them, aiming directly at their group.

Just from the visual alone, she could feel the terrifying power brewing within. This obvious charging motion looked entirely like the entity was preparing to rectify its earlier mistake of holding back.

No matter what, they couldn’t let it finish—

”What are you doing?”

Her racing thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Hit by an irresistible force, Yuan Shan was sent flying through the air before she finally realized that her side’s highest Combat Power had made a move—or rather, a kick.

The Bookstore Owner hiding behind her had just booted her away.

Almost simultaneously, a terrifying ray shot from the enemy’s wings, an obliterating beam that grazed straight past her arm.

In a sense, this had saved her from taking serious damage, but the evasion was terribly undignified. More importantly, by losing the initiative, they were likely to be continuously suppressed from here on out.

The only small consolation was that she wasn’t the only victim. Wen Li, who had been standing a bit farther away, hadn’t been spared either and had also been sent flying with a swift kick.

...

’Do you think you know this thing better than I do?’

As blindingly white light flooded his vision, Fu Qian activated Blood Crusade once more, sneering coldly in his mind.

Since the entity had reminded him of the Angel Dungeon, how could he possibly forget the tricks he’d witnessed down there?

A good chunk of his SAN Value had been utterly decimated by this exact attack.

It was a pity for the enemy, but just as one must view a person with new eyes after three days apart, he wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice.

The rays were hard to dodge, but they clearly lacked dimensional tracking capabilities. They were completely useless against Blood Crusade.

Though in contrast—

”Careful! Do not let it injure you!”

Having completely dodged the volley, Fu Qian deactivated Blood Crusade and reappeared, accompanied by Chief Yuan’s frantic warning.

Not only did her tone ring with the clarity of complete enlightenment, but Chief Yuan also unhesitatingly abandoned her offensive strategy. The web-like black barrier reappeared before her, rapidly weaving itself thicker and denser.

”Just like with Humanity Annihilation, the damage caused by its attacks can also accumulate in the Time Cage!”

Setting up this absolute defense, Yuan Shan didn’t stop to catch her breath as she hurriedly roared out her warning.

”The damage I took completely defies logic! That split second was repeated at least ten times!”

As she spoke, she forced herself to turn slightly so Fu Qian could see her other side. Her right arm, which had merely been grazed by the ray, was already half-gone.

Even on the remaining upper arm, the white bone was chillingly exposed; the vast majority of her flesh had been entirely vaporized.

In stark contrast, Wen Li, who was once again shielded behind her, remained completely intact.

She hadn’t been the entity’s target to begin with, and thanks to Fu Qian’s masterful control of his kicking force, she hadn’t needed to take a single step—she landed perfectly behind Yuan Shan.

...

’Hmph, why else do you think I kicked you away?’

How could the methods of a mighty Divine Emissary be as simple as making someone eat a few extra fish or just scaring them?

Ever since uttering the name Time Cage, this seat had already envisioned its possible true application.

Such as the legendary Instant Thousand Strikes.

What was the point of an unalterable time loop where every cycle played out exactly the same way?

In truth, His Excellency Archangel had already provided the answer when building that terrifying atmosphere and applying pressure—it allowed whatever occurred during that brief window to be multiplied exponentially once the time loop ended.

Just like Humanity Annihilation.

While Chief Yuan and the others had indeed been frightened at the start, Fu Qian had not only helped dispel their fear but had also remained focused on deducing the worst-case scenario—

What if Humanity Annihilation wasn’t the only thing that could accumulate in this inescapable loop?

What if the damage from His Excellency Archangel’s attacks could stack too?

After all, the very essence of Humanity Annihilation was separating out a person’s dark side, and the next natural step would be purification.

With such a seamless progression, assuming the two effects operated on the same fundamental logic was hardly a stretch.

And that undoubtedly pointed to a terrifying possibility: when facing His Excellency Archangel, even the slightest nick could be violently magnified within the Time Cage.

The situation was indeed getting trickier... Now that was a move worthy of a Divine Emissary!

Amid his internal praise, Fu Qian actually mimicked Yuan Shan’s movement and turned his body slightly.

And under her terrified gaze, a scene that sharply contrasted with her severed arm was revealed.

Fu Qian’s entire left arm was bulging exaggeratedly, looking like the massive limb of a giant beast.

Its surface was even lined with rows of barbed fangs.

At the same time, facing the threat locking onto him, Fu Qian reverse-locked onto his opponent and bestowed it with Calamity.