Eldritch Horror Theatre

Praise the Pope. This was true lightlessness.

It was no longer as simple as devouring the light; it appeared to have completely banished the very concept of "light."

After all, what Blazing Rainbow had altered was tantamount to the world's underlying rules of color. A simple shroud of darkness could not have resolved it.

In the quiet of the night, amid the chill of the fading light, the ring's soothing touch wrapped around his body, bringing a peaceful urge to sleep.

Marveling at this ideal outcome, Fu Qian pictured a figure leaning back in luxurious robes.

What had just happened was simple. A split second before activating his fully prepared Eye Within the Eye, he had first triggered the secondary effect attached to the Dark Moon Ring.

The reason, naturally, was the "absolute lightlessness" promised by the Time-Moon Slumber effect.

The situation amounted to Blazing Rainbow causing the entire historical fragment to glitch through a Dislocation of light and color.

If he could counter this to some extent, it might just reactivate the deadlocked task.

So he couldn't rule out the possibility that the task was actually finished, just blocked from being judged as such.

Of course, this was only a tentative attempt; Fu Qian hadn't been entirely certain of the exact effect.

That was why he hadn't triggered it at the very last second, leaving a few seconds as a margin of error.

If it failed to work, the Eye Within the Eye would simply shatter as planned.

...

As it turned out, he was rather lacking in piety as a Templar Knight to actually doubt the Pope's mighty power.

The task completion notification appeared almost the instant the ring's effect activated.

This undoubtedly confirmed two things—

The finger bone was truly the key to Midas becoming real.

And the Dislocation created by Blazing Rainbow had actually been purged.

Not corrected, but purged. It was like chopping off a person's arm that had mutated into a tentacle, changing their nature into an amputee rather than a monster.

The erroneous part that interfered with recognition simply ceased to exist. It was a truly simple and beautiful solution.

Of course, Fu Qian didn't really think this was targeted assistance provided by the Pope.

The ring had appeared in his hand without any delay, practically right after he shot the arrow.

If it were truly a spontaneous response, it would mean connecting two worlds, seeing through a Deity's methods, formulating a targeted solution, crafting a transcendent item, and delivering it into his hands—every single one of these astonishing steps completed in an instant.

She had even found the time to record an audio message for him.

That was a bit too much of a stretch for the imagination.

Judged rationally, the ring seemed more akin to a relic.

Placed there long ago, it would automatically be delivered into his hands the moment he tried to establish a connection.

One piece of evidence for this was the description of the ring.

"Farewell" and "final sanctuary"—these words undoubtedly contrasted with the Witch's usual tone.

She had even left him a name—Nelgria.

The true name of the Pope?

This was something she had been absolutely unwilling to reveal before.

While he pondered, wisps of light began to brighten before his eyes again, but Blazing Rainbow's reaction failed to appear.

The reason was simple: it wasn't because the night had lifted, but because with the task concluded, he had already returned to the Warehouse.

...

[Task Evaluation: Light Banished, Dimensions Rectified]

The task summary also appeared right on time.

[Mortals all fear the dark, a fact you can especially realize in the nights of Casino City.

However, what most people ignore is that light not only illuminates the path forward, but can also illuminate the wrong path.

The only comfort is that those lost in this brilliance are often completely unaware of it.

On this day, true darkness enveloped this city, and all returned to tranquility.

For when the concept of light fades, the fear of darkness also ceases to exist.

In this much more normal night, a nearly impossible heist succeeded flawlessly, adding yet another legend to this city.

Among the lost items was a special bone. It was supposed to be implanted into a certain gambler's hand, granting him luck and awakening his true name.

But a legend is a legend precisely because no one can reach it.

You corrected this in time, just as you corrected the world.]

[Kills: None]

[Reward: SAN Value +20]

[Special Reward: Ascension]

[Special Reward: Gambler's Hand Bone]

[Special Reward: Eternal Lock]

[Current SAN Value: 96, Current Inspiration: 99]

[Play event recap?]

Quite a few rewards. Moreover, it seemed to have worked.

Listening silently to the end, Fu Qian located his special rewards.

In truth, the moment he returned to the Warehouse, he was almost certain his plan had succeeded.

Because of one very obvious point: after the Pseudo-God Incarnation ended, his Rank hadn't gone into a freefall; he currently remained at Tier 2.

The gains he had acquired after consuming the Crystal Sun during the task were also completely preserved.

Of course, having a certificate was even better; at the very least, it might have a name on it.

[Ascension: You have consumed the trait matching the ritual and perfectly fused with it, officially ascending as a False God.

A False God is a fabricated Deity, and the Corrupt Raiment you selected dictates the nature of this fabrication.

The Corrupt Raiment is the Skin of a true Deity; therefore, other than yourself, no one can distinguish the true from the false.

His name is your name, His body is your body, His symbol is your symbol.]

[Honorific Name: King of the Abandoned Prison]

[Absolute power over life and death, ruler of Calamity; souls wither because of you, and bodies are bestowed with the peace of Eternity.]

So "Tyrant" really was just a nickname, then?

Mechanical King of the Abandoned Prison—this actually sounded rather domineering.

As he marveled, a pattern flashed before Fu Qian's eyes.

It seemed to be the shape of a hand sketched with rough strokes, the lines symbolizing fingers stretching outward at peculiar angles.

One of them bulged in the middle, forming a distinct oval nodule.

An eye?

This shape quickly reminded Fu Qian of the omnipresent, overlapping orange eyes from when he had incarnated as the King of the Abandoned Prison.

So he really was the ruler of Calamity?

The description suddenly became very fitting.

This was clearly his symbol from now on. Fu Qian was quite certain of this.

The instant he saw that pattern, he could feel a special connection to it.

To some extent, it was like an abstract painting of himself—crude yet precise, containing the most essential manifestation of his power.

Realizing this, the first thing Fu Qian thought of was the numerous similar patterns he had encountered along the way.

Especially those carved onto the Golden Chalice.

If they were all symbols of a Deity's power, wouldn't that mean the Holy Grail Cult had used "eyes" to pry upon Deities, and then carved their portraits onto chalices for their own use?

Given that, it truly wasn't unjust for the Blind Eye Society to have ended up in such a miserable state.

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