Eldritch Horror Theatre

In truth, the Dark Moon only existed for the space of a single breath.

By the time the icy curtain completely withered and shattered along with everything inside it, it had already quietly slipped away.

This limit-pushing burst under the Burning Frost Special Effect was undeniably far more dazzling and surreal than the original version, yet its underlying brutality had not diminished in the slightest.

Beneath the surging fog tide, the discarded pieces had already densely encircled the Plaza, taking on the vague aspect of a wall of flesh and blood.

Roars, wails, sobs, and even the crying of infants—a cacophony of bizarre sounds tore at the soul.

However, whether it was Armor, chunks of gore, or even Harriet lunging from behind, none could offer the slightest resistance against that terrifying carving force.

A perfectly smooth, spherical inner wall was forcefully etched out of that ring of flesh and blood.

Amidst the mixed, flowing remains, not a single fragment larger than a fingernail could be found.

And Fu Qian, the architect of this masterpiece, did not spare a single glance at his surroundings from start to finish. He looked up at the Dark Moon the entire time, right until it completely vanished.

...

The cooperative project, pushed to its absolute limits, had finally yielded a result, even if it looked like the worst possible outcome from every angle.

The Stars revered by The Order were real, and the Dark Moon was similarly hidden within this reality.

He hadn't mistakenly stumbled into a Nightmare; rather, the very thing he sought had already completely withered away from this world.

Of course, a few key details still required corroboration from his cooperative partners.

This wouldn't waste time, because shattering alongside the curtain was the space it covered.

Even though the area was already completely empty, grayish-white frost fissures grew wildly through it, ultimately tearing out patches of nothingness that swallowed up the mangled discarded pieces and even the audience over by the steps.

Under Fu Qian's ruthless exploitation, the maintenance of the dream finally reached its limit and shattered with a resounding crash.

The surging fog tide never had another chance to swallow the Small Chapel. Of course, in the very next moment, his vision was still filled with a grayish-white expanse.

...

That really was a forced one minute.

His consciousness returned, and the outside world resumed its flow.

Fu Qian cast a glance at the faintly visible ruins. With a sigh of admiration, he checked himself over, confirming that his expensive outfit remained completely intact.

Unsurprisingly, Amira and the other two were standing off to the side as well.

Almost every one of them was panting heavily, even after they opened their eyes and saw him.

"It looks like our lesson has come to an end. Did you learn anything?"

To suit the mood, Fu Qian immediately hit them with a pop quiz.

"What was that just now?"

Unfortunately, his students weren't quite so cooperative.

No one answered. While Reginald checked on his own leg, Amira couldn't help but be the first to ask.

"Are you sure? We've been talking about this the entire way."

Fu Qian frowned at this.

"...The Dark Moon?"

Prompted by this, Amira instantly understood, though she subconsciously resisted the answer.

"Impossible! It actually exists... and it's corroding the dream in this manner?"

"Are you sure you want to use the word 'corroding'?"

Fu Qian pointed to their surroundings with a faint smile.

"I don't believe you haven't noticed. The lighting right now is far worse than it was a moment ago."

He wasn't talking nonsense. Although Fu Qian was absolutely certain that only a single minute had passed in the outside world, the visibility within the dense fog was far worse than before.

It was as if day had abruptly turned to night.

Although the Dark Moon had vanished in a flash, that final scene from the Nightmare seemed to have been brought into reality in some incomprehensible way.

In other words, under the influence of its power, time had instantly shifted from dawn to night.

In fact, as far as Fu Qian was concerned, the team members' heavy panting from a moment ago was very likely because they had noticed exactly this.

...

Sure enough, faced with his question, Amira instantly fell silent.

She clearly wasn't thick-skinned enough to lie through her teeth.

Because of her special connection with the Stars, she was naturally aware that this wasn't a simple dimming of the light.

But if she actually admitted that day had turned to night in a single second, such an exaggerated impact would be very difficult to explain away as simply the Dark Moon corroding the Nightmare.

"It seems this question was still a bit too difficult for you all."

Seeing this, Fu Qian shook his head and sighed, not pressing the issue any further.

"Let's hear what the others have to say instead."

"You still don't seem to understand your own situation."

Having finally confirmed that his legs were completely intact, Reginald could no longer stand Fu Qian's unhinged rambling and coldly issued a reminder.

"You don't actually think this is over and you can just go home, do you?"

However, alongside his warning, the man was visibly on full alert.

Although his words and actions were unhinged, the display this guy had put on along the way had been genuinely terrifying.

Especially that final scene just now—that ruthless strangulation that ignored everything and brutally carved out a Flesh and Blood Cavitation—was simply too visually impactful.

Unfortunately, neither his warning nor his heightened guard seemed to stir the slightest emotional ripple in the other man.

The next moment, Fu Qian's gaze swept past Simon. Seeming to have lost all interest in questioning this dense team, he turned his attention back to the nearby ruins.

There really is someone else...

Subconsciously following Fu Qian's gaze, Amira watched in surprise as a figure walked out of the ruins, her eyes drawn immediately to the striking gold-ornamented cape.

...

"Mr. Anke, I believe we have much to discuss."

The newcomer was a stern-faced middle-aged woman. Without even sparing a glance for Amira and the others, she marched straight up to him.

There was no doubt about it—this was the person who had been staring at him a moment ago.

"Alright."

Smiling and nodding, Fu Qian sized the woman up and gladly accepted the proposal.

Compared to Amira's group, the patterns on this woman's cape were undoubtedly far more intricate and refined. Even her robes were the color of the night sky, radiating an aura of mystery and lofty reverence.

With a presence like that, this was likely someone from the legendary Harmonic Sanctuary.

"So, will Excellency Prout also be joining our discussion?"

"...I will take you to him right now."

The Sanctuary Madam didn't seem too surprised by Fu Qian's question.

As she spoke, she finally glanced at Amira and the rest, her gaze ultimately settling on Simon.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Offering a slight nod, she immediately took the lead, heading in the direction of the Small Town.

Only this time, the view didn't suddenly clear up.

Following the ruined path until they reached a completely rotted set of gates, the surroundings remained blanketed in dense fog.

And as they truly stepped into the former Small Town, ruined walls and debris could be seen everywhere. In the gloom, it looked just like a ghost town—exactly the scene Amira had described.

The atmosphere was intensely oppressive, but the Sanctuary Madam had no interest in offering any explanations. She maintained a brisk pace at the front, leading the way until they arrived at a familiar Plaza.

Across the Plaza, the Small Chapel that had once served as their final refuge was now so thoroughly ruined that its original outline was entirely lost.

The most striking sight amidst the ruins were several figures dressed in the exact same attire as the Sanctuary Madam.

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