Eldritch Horror Theatre

It actually hadn't left!

Faced with this sudden turn of events and the blinding torrent that filled her vision, Elena froze for a moment before reacting.

Although she had indeed thought about using Mister Lu to see if she could lure out the Ancient Giant Dragon again, wasn't this second wave of attacks a bit too fast?

Even the chosen angle was exceptionally cunning.

Just moments ago, the Ji Clan group had been caught hiding outside that very window. After they were invited in through the front door, it was human nature to fall into a psychological blind spot—assuming that specific area had already been cleared, and dropping their guard ever so slightly.

Yet this sudden ambush had shot in from that exact direction.

While it might have just been a coincidence, Elena preferred to interpret it as a display of resolute killing intent. It exploited even that tiny potential lapse in attention to maximize the chances of a hit.

And at this very moment, the Ancient Giant Dragon had clearly gotten its wish.

That massive, radiant figure appeared in everyone's line of sight once more, completely unobstructed. The destructive torrent was spewing directly from its jaws.

Judging by its sheer momentum, it was entirely worth the preparation.

The straight, surging torrent was nearly as wide as the Golden Seat itself. By now, it had completely swallowed the figure sitting upon it, and the blast showed no signs of stopping.

Just as Elena marveled at the incredible amount of aggro drawn by the bait, the blinding light finally retracted. The torrent vanished without warning.

Along with this change, an ethereal voice rose from a low hum to a high pitch, quickly echoing through every corner.

The voice was incredibly unique. Listening to it for even a moment made one want to lose themselves in it, much like the legendary song of a mermaid.

As for the source of the song...

Elena narrowed her eyes, staring at a round cage in Gerald's hand that was slightly larger than a human head.

In fact, there really was a head inside it.

Within the seemingly gold-cast cage rested a head that had been cleanly severed at the neck.

The face was quite young with beautiful features, but the green scale patterns on the skin made it glaringly obvious that it wasn't human.

It had no hair on top either; instead, tentacle-like tendrils curled downward.

That extraordinary voice was being softly hummed by this very head.

...

Siren's stance this time was far more serious than they had let on!

Although no one of an exceedingly high Rank was participating, their preparations were nothing short of thorough.

Catching the warning of danger transmitted by Lorraine beside her, Elena confirmed it again: though she didn't recognize this bizarrely shaped transcendent item, its Rank was absurdly high.

Coupled with the Sunken Anchor used on the man beside her from the very start, it felt like they were placing an unusual amount of importance on this operation.

However, for a moment, it was hard to imagine what exactly this thing did.

The voice was certainly miraculous, but from this distance, no matter how enchanting it was, its influence should be limited, right?

Could it be a specialized attack against the giant dragon?

It didn't look like it from the results; the target seemed ready to flee.

That wasn't just a blind guess. In her line of sight, the Ancient Giant Dragon was not only retreating rapidly, but its body was once again blending into the surroundings.

It seemed to know it was the target of many covetous eyes. After landing a successful strike, it refused to drag out the fight.

Amid her swelling confusion, Elena restrained her impulse and held Lorraine back from making a move.

Given the current situation, even if they successfully pinned the target down, it would be meaningless. Siren would never surrender the spoils.

For the three of them, it was better to hope it could escape smoothly. That way, they would at least have a chance to try again—

Her beautiful hopes came to an abrupt halt. The next second, Elena's heart jolted. In her vision, the Ancient Giant Dragon's half-faded body suddenly lost its balance.

Looking closely, she saw that its left wing had actually been snagged by a massive tentacle that looked as if it had reached out from the depths of the earth.

The thing was clearly not physical. It possessed a phantom-like purple hue, its surface covered in massive, octopus-like suckers. It looked exactly like some abyssal leviathan swimming beneath the ruins.

Even as the giant dragon tore and struggled, more tentacles had already slithered up to wrap around it.

Was the true effect of the voice coming from the cage to summon the projection of such a Divine Being?

Elena finally understood Siren's hunting plan.

She had to admit, when dealing with a massive flying target, finding an opportunity to trap it like this was far more practical than chasing it down and shooting it out of the sky.

The only drawback was that this kind of non-physical projection might not last very long.

But it didn't need to last long to begin with.

As long as it couldn't flee, once Gerald and his men caught up, the target would be nothing more than a sitting duck.

The hunt was already over...

A tremendous sense of defeat welled up in Elena's heart, but she still had to admit the truth—Siren had completely taken control of the situation. This hunt had ended with unbelievable speed.

They had even used the exact same strategy as her: draw it in with bait, then seize the opportunity to strike.

At that thought, Elena suddenly realized something and turned to look at the Golden Seat.

The series of changes had happened so fast that she hadn't even paid attention to the bait's condition after the attack.

...

"A deformed power from the deep sea? Although its appearance is rather bizarre, using it for the Chastisement of behavior that offends this seat is quite fitting."

Upon looking over, Elena was visibly startled.

Despite being hit by that downright berserk power, Mister Bait on the Golden Seat looked completely unscathed from head to toe. He hadn't even shifted his posture.

Right now, just like everyone else, he was intently studying the distant tangle. He even let out a cold snort and delivered an aggressively arrogant critique.

"Nothing but a flashy exterior, masking a crooked heart. Lacking even the courage for a head-on battle, yet it dares to covet the throne of this seat? Pure daydreaming."

I saw it earlier, but regardless of his strength, this guy definitely has a few screws loose!

Her sanity tottering from Fu Qian's lines, Elena's lingering disappointment over her shattered hopes was temporarily suppressed.

I deeply admire Your Excellency's ability to remain utterly unbothered no matter what attacks you face. The problem is, how on earth did you conclude that the thing outside was coveting your Golden Throne?

Even just looking at its sheer size, the seat is large, but there's no way it could actually sit on it, right?

At the same time, similar silent complaints echoed in the minds of more than one person. Even Gerald, flush with the success of his ambush, couldn't help but look over.

"The head of a Demigod Realm mermaid?"

Meeting this scrutiny, Fu Qian studied the cage in Gerald's hand with a hint of curiosity.

"No, the head of a Demigod Realm fishman."

Although Fu Qian's focus was unexpectedly skewed yet again, Gerald was currently savoring the sweet taste of vindication. He was in such a good mood that he struck a thoroughly confident posture.

"You can't mix those two up. After all, the Night Watchers haven't recommended killing mermaids for many years."

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