Eldritch Horror Theatre

Not entirely dense, at least.

Olinter, the arrival from The Order, was far from being perceptive down to the smallest detail, but at least he was somewhat cooperative when guided.

Looking up at Jane lying on the ceiling, Fu Qian let out a sigh of admiration, deeply gratified by this development.

Granted, today had been a bit fraught with misfortune for the young noblewoman.

But looking on the bright side, at least her delicate silk nightgown had clearly been affected as part of her being, "falling" onto the ceiling alongside her.

Otherwise, with everyone looking up from below, the sight would have been rather indecent.

To a certain extent, this confirmed his earlier impression: a commandment applied its effects to a conceptual target rather than a conventional definition of flesh and blood.

Fu Qian was quite confident that even in this miraculous situation, taking another blood sample from Jane for Insight would yield perfectly normal results.

Meanwhile, faint patterns similar to the ones Olinter had just displayed were appearing on Jane's exposed feet, crisscrossing and linking together.

They were dark red with a hint of metallic color, looking as if whirlpools of flesh and blood had surfaced on her skin—wicked yet elegant.

Of course, that assessment was strictly based on his personal aesthetics.

For the majority of the people in the bedroom, the sight clearly inspired mostly terror.

Olinter was among them.

"How could it be like this... It's clearly akin to a commandment..."

His worldview had visibly taken a hit.

"Excellency!"

Jane clearly couldn't maintain her composure on the ceiling. She struggled to crane her neck down and cried out to him.

One really couldn't blame her. Gravity was an innate experience; having it suddenly undergo a great shift of heaven and earth brought about a loss of security akin to being abandoned by the entire world.

"Empty your mind. Try to sever that connection."

Her cry jolted the muttering Olinter awake, prompting him to shout the instruction on instinct.

"Okay!"

Jane immediately took the advice. Mustering her willpower, she forced her gaze away from her feet and simply squeezed her eyes shut.

"It's not working..."

About ten seconds later, still firmly pinned to the ceiling, her willpower finally gave out. She looked at Olinter again with pleading eyes.

Before he could offer any further instructions, she seemed to feel something and abruptly shoved back her sleeve.

A dark red stripe was meandering up her arm, almost reaching her wrist.

If the marks had already reached this area, the state of things beneath her nightgown was easy to imagine.

Olinter's advice had clearly failed to control the situation.

...

"Excellency Olinter?"

This sight left Mrs. Winslow frightened out of her wits. Finally unable to hold back, she rushed forward, trying to pull her daughter down directly.

"Don't pull her! Be ready to catch her."

Olinter's expression was quite grim, but he managed a cold warning.

The next moment, blinding patterns reappeared on his hand. They rapidly coalesced into a different design, exploding into a halo of light the instant they took shape.

The entire bedroom seemed to tremble. Soothed by the halo, all darkness and filth were washed away, and every anomaly dissolved.

'It's very much like Amira's move, just with a difference in range and intensity—akin to the difference between the Pure and Fresh Universal Benevolence Mantra and the Skill Dissolution Great Method.'

Fu Qian, keeping a low profile as a bystander, offered a silent evaluation.

Meanwhile, Mister and Mrs. Winslow—having heeded Olinter's warning and moved into position to catch their falling daughter—stood there, staring upward in a daze.

As the majestic halo swept past, Jane remained exactly as she was on the ceiling above. Let alone falling freely, not even the corner of her clothes had budged.

"How could this be..."

The room fell into a brief silence. Under the complicated gazes of the patient's family, Olinter's sanity was clearly being challenged once again.

"This isn't Star Law!"

He was a decisive man, however, immediately gritting his teeth and reaching a conclusion.

"How could that be?"

Mrs. Winslow looked like she was about to faint. This emotional roller coaster was simply too agonizing for her nerves.

"Could there be some mistake? Shall we try again?"

"I can make a mistake, but Star Law cannot."

Olinter shook his head, his tone firm.

"Under that previous effect, all anomalies—including a commandment—should have been dispelled—"

"She ignores the influence of a commandment?"

Nathalie, standing to the side, couldn't help but gasp in shock, seemingly thinking of something terrifying.

Fu Qian naturally knew exactly what she was implying—a discarded piece in the Mist could, to some extent, ignore a commandment.

For her, the situation was truly a case of dark willows and bright flowers, suddenly turning entirely in her favor.

"That's right..."

Sure enough, prompted by her interjection, Olinter's expression shifted rapidly before he whipped his head toward the Winslows.

"Get away from there!"

"Excellency Olinter?"

Not only did Mister Winslow not step aside, but he also took a step forward.

He had reacted quickly, clearly realizing what Olinter was preparing to do.

Unfortunately, his quick-wittedness was meaningless in this moment. A mass of flowing, metallic-colored flame had already ignited in Olinter's hand.

Fu Qian, of course, was no stranger to this. It was precisely the Lead Flame dedicated to subdue demons and eradicate evil, which both the Order Hunters and Reginald had used before.

His previous shout had merely been a command; the patient's family's opinions held no weight whatsoever.

In an instant, the Lead Flame was drawn out into the shape of a serpent, locking onto the dazed Jane from afar.

"Run!"

Jane snapped awake the next moment. Finally casting aside any consideration for the consequences, Mister Winslow roared at the top of his lungs.

Clearly placing immense trust in her father, the terrified Jane looked at the coiled Serpent of Lead Flame, scrambled up, and actually took two steps across the ceiling.

The horrifying changes to her appearance didn't seem to impact her mobility much. After a brief moment of adaptation, Jane swept her gaze around and bypassed the only door, sprinting straight toward a window further away.

Her reaction was actually quite impressive, but she had no chance of shattering that rather cloudy pane of glass.

Amidst Mrs. Winslow's screams, the Lead Flame Long Serpent spiraled like a homing missile and struck her.

An unusually muffled explosion rang out, immediately followed by shrieks and cries of pain.

Jane wasn't blown to pieces. Olinter's serpent seemed highly controlled, accurately striking her legs.

When the explosion cleared, everything below her knees was gone.

Wicked, transparent flesh and blood peeled from her body in the most primal manner, turning to ash and scattering all around.

Now significantly shorter, Jane slammed hard onto the ceiling, though she still struggled to get up.

"It seems even the most level-headed of people have their moments of irrationality."

In no rush to strike the killing blow, Olinter glanced at Winslow, who was supporting his wife with one hand and clenching his other into a tight fist.

"Did you never consider that letting me try to purify the entity on Jane was her only path to survival?"

"Even if she escapes this place, what about after sunrise? Do you think she stands the slightest chance of evading the Order Hunters' scent?"

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