Eldritch Horror Theatre

No wonder their appearance differed from what he'd been told.

Fu Qian considered Gerald's words for a moment.

Mermaids and fishmen—it sounded like there was a fascinating distinction between the two.

Unfortunately, Gerald clearly had no intention of elaborating.

"My apologies, everyone. Thorough preparation is always the first priority in a hunt."

He swept his gaze around the room, looking quite pleased with himself.

But neither Elena nor the Ji Clan group could offer a rebuttal.

Outside, the battle had already reached a fever pitch.

The Ancient Giant Dragon's frantic struggles had only succeeded in getting its body dragged to the ground by more and more tentacles. It looked like it had no chance of breaking free.

"How are you feeling, Mister Lu? Even though I was forced to use the Sunken Anchor on Your Excellency, I still must thank you for your help earlier. Things wouldn't have gone nearly as smoothly without it."

Having successfully silenced his competitors, his gaze fell back to the Iron Anchor locking down Fu Qian.

"Of course. Trash like that only dares to launch sneak attacks. It could never harm a single thread of this seat's clothes."

Fu Qian's composure naturally far surpassed that of Elena and her group. Faced with this insincere concern, he simply gave a cold snort.

...Please look at yourself before you speak, alright? Though, to be fair, his clothes really are unharmed.

Elena, who had been contemplating leaving, wore an indescribable expression upon hearing his reply.

It proved her earlier instincts right: that surging torrent hadn't just been a visual effect.

Although the torrent hadn't left a single scratch on the stained glass and—just as the madman claimed—hadn't damaged a thread of his clothing, an unnatural, ashen gray hue was now spreading across his skin.

It looked as though the very concept of life had been washed out of his flesh and blood.

And this change was still spreading.

For a moment, Elena couldn't help but doubt if her former ally even had the strength to stand.

Especially with the added restraint of the Sunken Anchor.

"Glad to hear it. I have some trivial matters to attend to first, but I will pay you a visit later."

Gerald clearly thought the same. With a cold sneer, he signaled the rest of his group to move out. He didn't even bother leaving anyone behind to keep watch, completely unconcerned that the transcendent items might be stolen.

Their departure was unhurried, even opting to walk out through the front doors instead of crashing through the windows like they had when they arrived.

Even after the entire Siren team had vanished from sight, the singing from the severed head in the cage remained as clear as if it were right next to their ears.

"They finally learned some manners."

Watching them leave, Fu Qian gave a somewhat satisfied nod.

...

Amir and his group truly seemed to have nothing left to say. However, they acted decisively; without uttering another word, they turned and left.

Obviously, they weren't going out there to help execute the trapped prey. The only silver lining was that they, too, opted for the front doors.

"What about you all?"

The once-bustling Great Hall had emptied out in the blink of an eye. Fu Qian turned his head to look at the only ones remaining: Elena and her companions.

"It seems we don't have anything left to do either... Are you sure you don't need any help, Mister Lu?"

It clearly took a great deal of resolve for Elena to ask that last question.

The man sitting before them was effectively a prisoner now. If they actually helped him, it would undoubtedly offend Siren.

For her team, that would definitely not be a good thing.

Of course, she didn't think she could be of much help anyway—at most, she could pass along a message for him. Unfortunately...

"What? Are you trying to trick this seat into getting up, too?"

The man on the Golden Seat frowned, his gaze turning sharp.

I shouldn't have opened my mouth...

Elena let out a long sigh. She had done all she could, regardless. Let him do whatever he wanted!

In just the time it took to exchange those few words, the man's body already looked as though it were covered in a layer of stony crust. Elena paid it no further heed and stood up. Cross and Lorraine followed her in near-perfect synchronization.

But right at that moment, the light pouring in through the broken windows suddenly shifted to a blinding, scorching blue-white. A deafening roar followed.

Before she could even process what was happening, an instinctual sense of extreme danger washed over her. Terrified, Elena released ripples of light from her body and instinctively huddled toward Lorraine.

Fortunately, an even more massive aura of light swept out from Lorraine in return, enveloping both Elena and Cross.

Lorraine's reaction time was clearly a split-second faster, and that was what kept them alive.

A moment later, every stained-glass window in the Great Hall shattered simultaneously, sending countless fragments flying through the air.

Looking out in any direction revealed a dense forest of lightning that thrashed about like countless silver snakes.

The bolts connected heaven and earth, entirely blanketing the surrounding area.

Under the might of this terrifying cataclysm, even the Great Hall provided no real protection. Arcs of electricity leaped through the gaps, violently ravaging everything inside.

Fortunately, the ocean of radiant light pooling around Lorraine offered astonishing defense. Though every lightning strike caused the barrier to tremble, it held firm against the onslaught.

"What's going on?"

After what felt like an eternity, the forest of lightning finally receded and dissipated.

Still reeling from the shock, Elena stared at the devastated surroundings and muttered to herself.

"Hmm... looks like they fired a bit off-target."

To her surprise, someone actually answered her.

She whipped her head around and saw Mister Lu thoughtfully gazing into the distance. He hadn't even changed his sitting posture.

"Are you... okay?"

Although she didn't quite understand what he meant by 'off-target,' the man's overly unwavering posture genuinely unsettled her.

"Who says I am? Gold is an excellent conductor, you know."

The man snorted, clearly disagreeing with her assessment.

"...So, what exactly did you mean when you said they fired off-target?"

The guy was incredibly powerful to begin with, so it wasn't too surprising that he had managed to withstand the barrage.

With the situation changing so suddenly, Elena naturally wasn't going to waste time tangling over such trivial details. She quickly focused on the main point.

"Actually, I thought you'd ask who fired the attack first."

Fu Qian looked at her in slight surprise.

...

But he decided to show a little mercy this time. Facing a speechless Elena, he finished his teasing and tipped his chin toward the distance.

"That move just now would've been a great way to execute the prey, but from the looks of it, your target didn't take much of the firepower. Instead, it plowed through the surrounding area."

Executing the prey, but fired off-target?

This bizarre concept left Elena completely dumbfounded. But a moment later, a terrifying realization struck her like a bolt of lightning, making her scalp prickle.

"It's Siren's people. Is Kelsen here?"

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