Eldritch Horror Theatre

Nothing seemed more persuasive than this.

The answer that The Thinker had exhausted every ounce of strength and pushed past all limits to seek—the one they had barely approached even while standing on the shoulders of countless past sages—was now casually trampled underfoot.

If the Lord of Intellect’s earlier words had seemed slightly arrogant, this action served as the perfect footnote.

No one would believe this was pure coincidence. So, in the Fallacy Spacetime before their eyes, had he truly achieved the accomplishment the entire organization dreamed of?

It even formed a logical progression with the notes from the Laboratory earlier—first confirming that the starting point and the ending point were the same, and then actually finding that singular point.

So the ”falling point” was the starting point, which was also the Transcendent Terminus?

It was a truly beautiful answer. The numerous questions they had encountered along the way all seemed to converge right here.

Although it hadn’t been written in the notes, it was laid bare right here.

”Absolute Truth can only be approached, never reached—a statement that seems wise, but is actually weak.”

Even the original author was helping to provide the answers.Before Fu Qian and his companion could comment, the Lord of Intellect spoke again, lowering his raised arm.

”The facts prove we have always been on the right path, and that it has always had an ending point... I knew it all along, and now everyone knows!”

However, he still couldn’t avoid coming off as basking in success as horse hooves fly swift. Before he knew it, his voice had grown loud and high-pitched again.

”You, and you—”

Unwilling to tolerate any doubts, he pointed at them one by one the next moment, singling them out in succession.

”I know what you have done, and I have seen what you have seen. This is why I am so satisfied you could come directly here... But do you know what satisfies me most?”

Casually revealing that they had been monitored this entire time, the Lord of Intellect reached out a hand and grasped at the empty air.

Astonishingly, an object actually appeared in his hand the next moment.

Exquisitely shaped, it looked like both a sword and a staff. Furthermore, a drop of clear, translucent liquid surged within its hollow center.

”It is the fact that you clearly harbor ill intentions.”

Just as Fu Qian was closely admiring the weapon, the Lord of Intellect proactively revealed the answer.

Obviously, this answer itself harbored ill intentions as well.

...

Truly excellent.

Fu Qian was quite confident in his own reading comprehension, not to mention the fact that the other party had already brandished a weapon.

Of course, what the Lord of Intellect didn’t know was that he wasn’t the only one satisfied with this.

This kind of plot—slashing through everything in their path and steamrolling ahead—wasn’t this the exact strategic policy they had established at the very beginning of the operation?

If the dialogue became too complicated, Brother A Fei’s current condition probably wouldn’t be able to handle it, which would subsequently ruin the mastermind’s low profile.

So, this was what you would call a mutual convergence.

Swish—

A Fei, who was the first to be pointed at, didn’t lose face either. His twisted body made a slight adjustment, directly hoisting the incredibly heavy Greatsword onto his shoulder.

”Yes. You need to be eliminated.”

Along with this, he delivered a plain, unpretentious line.

”You... know nothing.”

The principle that sincerity is the ultimate killer move was demonstrated once again. For the first time since his appearance, the Lord of Intellect’s imposing aura diminished slightly.

A dilapidated body, a weapon so exaggerated it bordered on comical, and a voice that sounded as if he hadn’t completely woken up yet... all of these combined to create a wondrous chemical reaction, allowing one to profoundly feel his pure, unwavering resolve.

”No, I do know.”

Even now, in the face of doubt, he had no intention of explaining further. A Fei simply leaped straight down.

...

It was said that a higher entity had once descended from the sky, falling into the Sea of Ashes.

Whether this was true or false, and whatever the reason might have been, was uncertain. But even if it were true, that entity’s resolve couldn’t possibly have surpassed the determination held within this ruined body.

In no rush to jump down after him, Fu Qian even found a Chair that wasn’t broken, sat down, and quietly watched from the sidelines.

A tool versus the Lord of Intellect. From the titles alone, one could already feel the staggering gap between them.

Coupled with movements during the fall that barely retained any human characteristics, the scene could only be described as profoundly tragic and heroic.

Clang—

Unfortunately, before he even hit the ground, his effort proved to be in vain.

Likely considering the lack of flexibility in his weapon, Brother A Fei didn’t opt for any flashy maneuvers. He locked directly onto the Lord of Intellect standing at the falling point.

As a result, while still a short distance away, the edge of the seemingly indestructible heavy sword was forcefully halted by an invisible barrier.

There wasn’t even a ripple to be seen; both man and sword slammed to a dead halt right there in midair.

Logically speaking, a direct frontal confrontation was the absolute ideal scenario for this third weapon, which embodied the principle that great skill requires no artifice.

However, it was precisely this fact that induced a deeper level of despair—even in the most ideal scenario, it couldn’t break through the defense.

As for breaking past his limits once more like he did before?

Regrettably, it was already a Demigod Realm strike.

Indeed, Brother A Fei’s performance was nothing short of stunning.

Even though the weapons possessed completely different affinities, every time he swapped them out, his power seemed to rise to another level.

In Fu Qian’s eyes, the first strike with this new weapon already possessed the level of power needed to crush the Sun Apostle.

Bang!

However, despite such an opportunity and such a performance, when the barrier was finally withdrawn, he merely ended up crashing to the ground like a piece of trash.

”How repulsive...”

The Lord of Intellect didn’t look very happy either. He let A Fei fall there without pursuing, merely lowering his head to inspect his Sword-Staff.

Its originally magnificent form now looked as though a layer of it had instantly weathered away.

Even the drop of liquid inside no longer seemed so clear and translucent.

”Free from illness and Calamity.”

As he uttered a phrase like an auspicious blessing, a trickle of water materialized out of thin air, rapidly washing away the murkiness and coiling around the Sword-Staff.

...

He could actually detect even this? It sounded somewhat fitting for that resounding honorific name.

Watching the wondrous changes in the Lord of Intellect’s hand, Fu Qian remarked inwardly with admiration.

Of course, it was no coincidence; this individual had clearly discovered the Calamity Blessing on the attacker’s weapon.

After all, the damage to the Sword-Staff just now was due to that power from the Tyrant.

One could only say that this level of reaction speed carried a hint of a weaver of wisdom.

And it wasn’t even over yet. As the Sword-Staff was repaired, specks of faint light lit up throughout the entire space, rapidly connecting into a—net?

Looking around in all directions, Fu Qian saw a seemingly familiar miraculous spectacle.

Tautly stretched tentacles, central nodes shaped like brains, and the wondrous patterns formed by their interconnections...

The very scene that The Thinker had summoned by burning away their own personal will, the Lord of Intellect actually accomplished with a casual wave of his hand.

The wills of the numerous past sages who had burned out here were summoned once again.

And this time, they clearly hadn’t come to solve a puzzle.