Eldritch Horror Theatre

So this was what it was for? Wasn't that a bit too targeted!

In that instant, Fu Qian realized the answer to his earlier question.

He understood why his Golden Left Hand was here, and why he had been asked to strike first just a moment ago.

These Natives actually replicated the abilities used by the intruders, and their versions weren't the least bit inferior in terms of momentum.

But that was exactly the problem. For entities sensitive to Mental Shock, using a double-edged skill like this was practically suicide.

While he marveled at this, the living corpse threw the Resonance Spike in its hand, viciously blasting it against the Golden Shield held by Brother Round Shield.

Hum!

Amid the bizarre hum, concentric illusory ripples surged across the surface of the Golden Shield.

And despite his ferocious expression, Brother Round Shield hiding behind it clearly hadn't suffered an unbearable Mental Shock.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fu Qian observed the Old Man Sage's reaction.

The older man showed no intention of stepping in to help, simply standing back to hold the line.

A moment later, the familiar sound of a breaking egg rang out. The one who had thrown the Resonance Spike followed in its predecessor's footsteps, its entire body shattering into countless fragments that fluttered away like butterflies.

...

The only less-than-ideal aspect was that, due to the distance, the three Natives hadn't chosen identical methods of attack.

The two who had attacked with their claws right from the start had each condensed a golden Resonance Spike in their hands after their strikes proved fruitless.

But after the first one turned to ash and vanished, the golden light in both of their hands suddenly extinguished.

They truly lived up to the charge of academic plagiarism. Even though they seemed to only have a sliver of combat instinct left, they still knew how to learn from their mistakes.

Fu Qian mentally praised them at the sight.

Of course, in all fairness, the charge of academic plagiarism probably couldn't be pinned on these few.

They hadn't seen him strike earlier. Judging by the previous puzzle illusions, it was far more likely that the team's objective—the Holy Grail—had replicated this ability and instilled it into them.

Furthermore, between the puzzles and the mimicry, the Holy Grail seemed to share a similar principle with this team: only knowledge was true power.

Clang! Clang!

While he silently puzzled this out, the two Natives who had abandoned the Resonance Spikes resorted to physical clawing twice more. However, facing Brother Round Shield on the absolute defensive, they still found it difficult to shake him.

In the next moment, the two living corpses performed another astonishing move. Giving up on their attacks, concentric illusory ripples appeared on both of their hands at the same time.

This copy speed was way too fast.

Fu Qian saw it clearly. It was obvious they had learned Brother Round Shield's ability, and they didn't even need a real shield to cast it.

With three shields facing off, the situation seemingly reached a stalemate.

"How are you holding up, Left Hand? Looks like we need your help."

Faced with this development, the Old Man Sage finally reacted, turning his head to glance at Fu Qian.

"No problem."

Fu Qian didn't hesitate to do his part, gladly agreeing.

By this time, the path beneath their feet was almost indistinguishable. He took a few steps forward along the route he remembered Brother Round Shield taking, coming to a halt midair.

The next moment, a golden Resonance Spike condensed in his hand once again, aimed right at the two living corpses.

The two were provoked into a reaction almost instantly. The round, shield-like ripples on their hands shone even brighter, protecting their bodies.

Judging from the results just now, this shield was undoubtedly excellent at defending against a Mind Calamity. Throwing the spike now probably wouldn't have any effect.

Fortunately, Fu Qian didn't throw it.

He kept a firm grip on the fully charged Resonance Spike, adding a new member to the stalemate.

...

Of course, this stalemate didn't last long.

First, after noticing Fu Qian's actions, Brother Round Shield looked back and briefly exchanged a glance with the Sage. Then he retreated to Fu Qian's side as the ripples on his Golden Shield receded.

Following this, Brother Round Shield's ferocious expression instantly eased, as if the pressure on him had sharply decreased.

And not long after, the familiar sound of shattering came from the two Natives holding their shields up in defense.

Even though they hadn't been hit, shattering traces still appeared across their bodies piece by piece, rapidly spiraling out of control.

...

This must have been a pre-established tactic, and he clearly hadn't misunderstood it.

Right up until the two Natives also turned to ash, Fu Qian never threw the spike in his hand, simply letting it dissipate on the spot.

When the Old Man Sage asked for his help earlier, it naturally didn't mean he was supposed to throw the spike and kill those two.

Leaving aside the fact that no one would believe he could throw a few more spikes, their copied defense was no worse than the original. A few casual strikes probably wouldn't even break through.

The reason they had suddenly collapsed was very simple: Brother Round Shield's defensive ability clearly consumed sanity as well, just at a slightly gentler pace.

Faced with a threat, the absolute defense they had learned was clearly also a suicidal act.

...

He had to admit, even though this team had no transcendents, their planning was remarkably meticulous. No wonder they dared to court death in a place like this.

Along the way, other than the puzzle illusions where everyone relied on their own abilities, the group's actions gave off the distinct feeling of clearing a game with a walkthrough.

To be honest, from what he had seen so far, this place would be no easy task even for a transcendent.

Just the few mob enemies they'd encountered right off the bat had demonstrated the ability to plagiarize a skill a second after seeing it—even abilities originating from transcendent items.

And yet, facing such difficulties, the group had already thought out countermeasures, almost as if viewing things with a cheat code.

Not only was his Mind Calamity a form of mental self-mutilation, but even the team's tank fell into the exact same category.

Fu Qian believed this was absolutely the result of careful selection.

Even accounting for potential personnel losses, the methods of the others were highly likely to be similar.

"Well done. We can continue."

As the absolute leader of the team, the Old Man Sage was undoubtedly quite satisfied with Fu Qian's performance. After signaling for him to return to the group and rest, he nodded directly at Brother Round Shield.

The latter looked ready to bear the burden without complaint, stepping forward again and walking right through the opened hidden door.

And this time, the team didn't stay behind to wait.

...

Beyond the hidden door was clearly another passage, but its style was distinctly different from the outside.

The most obvious difference was the noticeable increase in eye-shaped patterns.

Not only were they plastered everywhere across the ceiling, but each one even emitted a green fluorescence.

This green light was extremely unusual, seemingly possessing the effect of driving away other light sources.

Their Lighting Equipment, which had been fairly bright outside, unexpectedly had its visibility suppressed to an extremely low level in here.

What kind of organization built this place? It felt quite special.

Although it was eerie, Fu Qian undoubtedly faced the least amount of pressure walking in the middle of the team.

Under the glow of the eyes overhead, he casually surveyed the surroundings, only to frown slightly a moment later.

There were only six people left?

The person responsible for bringing up the rear had vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

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