Eldritch Horror Theatre

The blood-colored crystalline trails summoned by Excellency Rom were perhaps more visually stunning.

But in terms of power—such as the direct effect of draining SAN Value—it was essentially still a clumsy imitation.

The completely bloodless storm at the falling point would instantly strip away ten points of SAN Value from just a single touch.

Even now, looking over, it still stood out conspicuously amid the cluster of ”blooming flowers.”

Was Excellency Rom not the master of the Inverted Lake after all? A certain lingering doubt from earlier had just been answered.

And that storm with no visible source—could it have blown directly out of the Burial Ground of the Gods?

From this perspective, calling it the ”falling point” of a higher entity within the sea actually made perfect sense.

A barrier like Akons had protected the sea of mind, but in the end, had it failed to protect the true sea?

Excellency Rom was still unwilling to show themselves and clear up his confusion, and Fu Qian completely ignored his plummeting SAN Value, merely recalling the various locations he had once explored.

Everything seemed to be turning abstract, to the point that the entire world was distorted beyond recognition.Yet at this moment, because of a single storm, it was all faintly being connected together again.

The only problem was that in the Bone Burial Ground, he didn’t seem to have ever seen any crystals—aside from that expanse of what looked like congealed soap bubbles.

Having once reached the boundary of the Burial Ground of the Gods, Fu Qian felt that the visual impression of that scene was actually somewhat similar to what lay before him now.

It was like a calm lake surface freezing and shattering, sealing the corpses of fish inside.

Could it just be a simple coincidence?

Although, even if it wasn’t a coincidence, it still wasn’t enough to clearly explain where the storm in the Bone Burial Ground came from.

”Does Your Excellency have nothing left to say?”

Fully aware that Excellency Rom might not know the answers—and even if they did, might not share them—Fu Qian still suddenly broke the silence, offering a friendly invitation to talk.

......

To his regret, aside from the increasingly loud Doomsday Ditty, there wasn’t even the response of an extra slash.

Excellency Rom once again demonstrated their rationality, absolutely refusing to do anything where the drawbacks outweighed the benefits, maintaining extreme silence.

This truly appeared to be the optimal choice, because the blooming efficiency of the Crystal Flower was evidently increasing exponentially.

In just the time it took to say a few words, the entire area was left without a single intact space large enough for a person to stand.

And Fu Qian, who had remained motionless the entire time, suddenly bore numerous new wounds, every cut shimmering in a multicolored brilliance.

He could only conclude that the previously mentioned strategy—compressing the evasion space against a target like him—had actually been realized in this manner.

As for the price, whether it was the whale beneath his feet or the Inverted Lake that was practically one entity with it, the sense of fragmentation was also increasing exponentially.

Was the seal of the Transcendent Terminus on the verge of collapse?

Fu Qian did not doubt that Rom was capable of such ruthlessness. Even if they leaned toward the faction believing the apocalypse hadn’t arrived yet, once they decided to achieve something at all costs, their own safety was surely placed dead last.

”It seems there’s nothing you want to say.”

This reaction wasn’t surprising, and Fu Qian let out a brief sigh.

They had already done very well; within the limits of their capabilities, Excellency Rom had fully demonstrated their understanding of this place.

Their failure to answer certain questions was merely a limitation of their perspective. This had been clear from the very beginning when he quoted Excellency Serpent of Destiny.

Since that was the case—

Without needing any interference from Excellency Rom, Fu Qian actually picked up the Fool’s Idol all on his own in the next moment.

At the same time, he leaped forward, completely ignoring the obstacles in his path.

Slash—

He was undoubtedly left riddled with scars in an instant, but in the next second, the multicolored Body of the Tyrant still stood before the other Tyrant.

That’s right—that mummy cast from crystal, looking as if its contents had already struggled free.

The advantage of the architecture being shattered was that looking back at the path he took was much easier; an old acquaintance could be spotted at a glance.

Not to mention that, just like A Fei, its position had barely changed.

It was just that as the buildings vanished, it had fallen onto the whale.

Furthermore, his previous judgment had not been wrong. Perhaps because its Rank was too high, the Crystal Tyrant had not lost its vitality upon manifesting.

In fact, due to Fu Qian’s continuous active behavior, the entity as a whole seemed a bit more spirited.

For instance, when Fu Qian stood before it, one of its arms raised, actually pointing at him from afar in a bizarre display—Crack!

Unfortunately, it fundamentally did not understand what true activity meant.

Fu Qian likewise extended a hand, directly piercing through the Crystal Tyrant’s already hollow chest.

At the exact same time, his own chest violently expanded, transforming into a ferocious giant maw that bit down directly on that crystalline body—only to bite on empty air.

The value of his earlier strategy—using A Fei as a tool while not moving recklessly himself—was still proving its worth.

The Crystal Tyrant, damaged in a single blow, surprisingly showed no sluggishness in the split second after the ambush.

It didn’t retreat either, but instead launched a direct counterattack.

The method of counterattack was also extremely tit-for-tat; its hollow body exaggeratedly unfurled in that instant, swallowing him down at a speed even faster than Fu Qian’s own.

......

Not bad at all.

Even though the absolutely correct King of the Abandoned Prison shouldn’t possess the Original Sin Sage’s ”Insight” ability, Fu Qian’s sensation at that moment was still far more than just being swallowed and chewed a couple of times.

In almost an instant, Fu Qian felt that his ”self” was no longer so secure.

The Crystal Tyrant’s posture was indeed not struck for nothing; the hollow in its body seemed as if it had been prepared specifically for him.

And now that the true and false Tyrants were successfully spliced together, the greatest impact was that they seemed to merge into one across multiple levels.

Of course, the Crystal Tyrant was the main body in this process. As for the feelings he was currently experiencing, it was roughly akin to suddenly realizing that one’s original form was nothing but a stinking shell of flesh, finally casting off worldly filth to attain a true dharma body.

Moreover, this process was extremely swift. If it dragged on even a little longer, there would likely be no turning back.

However, not only did Fu Qian make no attempt to resist, he even sighed in admiration internally, completely welcoming this change.

How could he have enough free time to aggro a boss at a moment like this? His earlier strike was aimed precisely at achieving this result.

Otherwise, why would he have deliberately struck a pose for the Crystal Tyrant to copy?

As for the purpose... Carefully feeling the ever-louder Doomsday Ditty, and even his shifting ”self,” Fu Qian eventually lowered his head to look into the lake beneath his feet.

Surrounded by numerous blood-colored crystalline trails, a massive spider body lay resting there, its blood-red eyes staring dead in his direction.

We meet again, Excellency Rom.

Besides, since there is nothing you want to say, then there is no need to speak ever again.

Anyone making a slide deck can easily be seen strategizing within the command tent, but in the end, one must still return to cold, hard reality.

No matter how one hypnotized oneself, the summary of this situation would forever be a single phrase: ”Just bad luck, running into a ghost.”

Golden flames erupted into the sky.

Amidst the brilliant glow, the ferocious ”Dual Tyrant” completely ignored all obstacles in its path and threw a punch.