Eldritch Horror Theatre

His blood was burning.

Fu Qian realized this was the first time he had felt such a sensation since undergoing complete Mechanical Ascension.

Strangely, the skin on his palm showed no abnormalities whatsoever.

As a flesh-and-blood expert, Fu Qian was absolutely certain the burning was real, and that the Rank of the power affecting him was quite high.

However, due to a certain chaotic attribute contained within it, while both the sensation and the destruction were present, the specific form of ”fire” never manifested.

His flesh didn’t turn to charcoal. Instead, it wasn’t just being utterly destroyed; it was transforming into a peculiar ”venom”—or perhaps an ”aphrodisiac.”

Even with his Transcendent Perception at zero, the mere surging of his flesh allowed Fu Qian to experience the legendary concept of fission reproduction.

Beyond simply fracturing, every affected cell seemed to struggle to drill out of his body. They stretched into root-like branches before finally dropping like ripe fruit to become independent entities.

Higher-tier entities.

This urge wasn’t even limited to the physical level of his flesh. Fu Qian glanced at Clara beside him.Although her clothing was practically conservative, her gender and reproductive attributes were now drastically magnified to his eyes compared to his previous impression.

...

This was truly different from Excellency Stomach; the focus here was on reproduction.

Having once tested poison on himself in the Realm of Bliss—infecting himself with the Seed of Ecstasy and carefully savoring it—Fu Qian now had ample basis to judge that his old friend wasn’t the one behind this.

At the same time, because he had already used Eldest Miss Wen for testing, his current self was almost completely immune to mental influence.

So, rather than having suffered a mental attack capable of piercing his defenses, Fu Qian leaned toward another explanation: this perception was caused by the fission reproduction currently occurring within his body.

The peculiar changes in his flesh had spurred this psychological sensation; it wasn’t forcibly imposed on his mind.

What was the point of proving this? It served as reverse confirmation that the sensation of fission reproduction wasn’t an illusion.

Coupled with the earlier behavior of the man and woman in couples’ shirts, along with the sensation of ”transforming into a superior organism,” Fu Qian successfully recalled a certain authority he had encountered before, even without his Transcendent Perception to pry: the Order of Blood.

Reproduction, life, bloodline... and now, evolution.

As for the higher entity that had profaned the Third Cause, the potential powers he had summarized earlier already faintly reminded Fu Qian of his experience at Ehm Palace.

This further verification across both body and mind undoubtedly solidified certain conclusions: the higher entity pointed to by the Ancient Divine Dance most likely wielded the authority of the Order of Blood as well.

Moreover, the other party wasn’t as low-profile as they had previously seemed, silently biding their time.

Now, they had finally unleashed their power and bared their malice toward him.

As for why now?

Simple. Clara had just danced a routine that hewed much closer to the ancient original.

That was where the real kick lay.

It was also why he absolutely wouldn’t interrupt Clara after she delivered such a pleasant surprise.

...

Turning the dancers into the discarded, executing them outright, or guiding the Night Watchers to ban the industry entirely might all fail to root out the problem due to a lack of intensity. They treated the symptoms, not the cause—so why not cure the cause directly?

For example: find the source of the pollution and kill it, no matter what it was.

The ability to turn any mission into an assassination mission was actually quite important for a task runner.

Therefore, such an absolute, root-curing method had always been a backup option. All that needed evaluating was the difficulty of pulling it off.

The facts proved that this team was truly a case of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Clara—or rather, Filae Vinland—and her professional performance clearly connected with the entity behind the scenes far better than the others, coaxing it into making a move.

It could only be said that her overly ambitious father had at least done one useful thing.

The final result was also excellent. The attack arrived almost the exact moment the dance concluded.

Of course, this was merely the first step. Next, he needed to forge an even deeper connection.

He didn’t rush to answer Clara. The next moment, three concentric circles governed by specific proportions appeared one after another on Fu Qian’s palm.

The Inviolable Imprint, exactly like what he had done when coming upstairs.

This time, an abnormality finally revealed itself. In the blink of an eye, the three rings manifested entirely different traits from the inside out: fire, electrical arcs, and a chaotic blood-red.

What was this? A branded warrior?

Faced with this bizarre sight, the burning power finally manifested, proving his earlier judgment. On the other hand, it surprisingly reminded him of the chromatography experiments he used to do in school.

Referencing the principles of those experiments actually seemed to explain why the previous situation had occurred.

...

First, the reason for this abnormal display was simple: his opponent’s malice was being transmitted through this shared authority.

The Third Cause had become a bridge, and it was one he absolutely could not dismantle.

As for why he had clearly felt the burning earlier despite the lack of a visual manifestation?

One only needed to look at these three rings to know: fire, lightning, and the outermost ring was the very thing he had been guessing—the Order of Blood.

Trinity Force? Tri-Element Orb? Dragon Blood Greatsword?

He wasn’t sure what that entity’s honorific name was, but this power was certainly chaotic enough.

Ultimately, this chaos caused the combined manifestation of the power to be incredibly bizarre.

Regardless, the malice was crystal clear.

”What is that?”

See, even the dancer next to him had noticed it.

Looking over as Fu Qian moved, Clara quickly let out a cry of disbelief.

”How is it? Isn’t it cool?”

Without even shifting from his slouched posture, Fu Qian raised his hand to show it off.

Was this really a matter of being cool...

Although her psychological fortitude was extraordinary due to the environment she grew up in, Clara ultimately couldn’t keep up with such a bizarre thought process. She stared blankly at the pattern.

”The dance just now... it actually worked? It angered a Deity enough to bring down Chastisement?”

As her own palms throbbed faintly at the sight, she seemed to realize something, muttering an answer to her own previous question.

”Sounds reasonable. Why don’t you verify it?”

Fu Qian seemed to somewhat agree with the idea, gesturing toward the spot where she had just been dancing.

Again...

Although she was no longer leaning against the chair, Clara’s expression was somewhat resistant.

”Such a great opportunity. Didn’t you come here to experience more?”

Leading young people astray, however, was something Fu Qian had always done effortlessly.

Hmm...

”Anyway, regardless of whether it’s a blessing or a Chastisement, it all lands on me.”

Clara was still hesitating, so Fu Qian continued to raise the stakes.

”Oh... I understand. You’ve run out of incense, right?”

The next moment, as if suddenly remembering something, he casually opened his own bundle, lit it using the tool A Lian had provided, and handed it over.