Eldritch Horror Theatre

The awakened ones had been quite cooperative. By pushing the boat along with the current, meeting a core figure like Lady Raven shouldn't be much of an issue.

But for Fu Qian, this scenario remained far too dull.

He had no interest in humoring this Resistance Army, undergoing their scrutiny, passing their tests, and finally earning their approval.

This exchange needed a much livelier backdrop, something that would strip away all the tedious formalities.

At the same time, this was only one of the exchanges Fu Qian found interesting.

According to Mariana, the Nightmare naturally prevented people from waking up. If so, his current actions should be pushing that boundary even further.

'Let me see what makes you so special.'

...

"What did you do?"

Neither she nor her companions possessed much resistance against the Lucid Dream.

They sank into it instantly, completely unaware of the transition itself.

Her reaction was entirely understandable. Fu Qian's earlier behavior had been unfathomable, but more importantly, he was clearly bordering on mental instability.

Everyone knew lunatics were the most terrifying, especially in such a bizarre environment at such a critical moment.

Coupled with his earlier speech that sounded like a prelude to a transformation, it truly felt as though he was capable of anything.

Fortunately, despite her pounding heart, nothing particularly unusual seemed to have happened.

...

"Have you had enough of your jokes, Mister Grimshaw?"

Mariana breathed a silent sigh of relief. Her expression was ice-cold, making no effort to hide her displeasure.

"I must remind you again that we are short on time. We are currently at the highest point of this building, and getting out will take some effort."

"No, no, Mariana. Do not succumb to such superficial, crude logic. That will only make you lose what makes you special."

Unfortunately, the target of her condemnation showed not a shred of guilt. Instead, he smiled and offered a critique.

"When you finally open your eyes, you will realize that there is no direct correlation between the two."

"...What do you mean?"

Despite Mariana's uncontrollable confusion, the other man simply ignored her, raising his head to look at the sky once again.

...

'No reaction, huh.'

Fu Qian naturally knew they were at the top of a building, and Mariana's observation was correct: there had been no sudden reactionary changes to their surroundings.

Even with the large-scale Lucid Dream unfolding and enveloping the Villains' Corridor, the Nightmare seemed perfectly capable of holding its composure.

But that was fine. This was just the prelude. The real show hadn't even begun.

"What exactly are you trying to—"

Mariana's words were cut off halfway, stopping as abruptly as if she had bitten her tongue.

Amidst a screeching scrape of metal, the Metal Cover Plate she had just slid shut over the small window began to slowly pry itself open, drawn back by some invisible force.

But that was only the beginning.

Before anyone could even express their shock, the Metal Cover Plate, having been pulled to its limit, continued to be drawn upward.

The small window, the stone walls, and even the ceiling began to tear apart. Bricks and masonry rained down as the destruction ripped straight down the corridor into the distance.

...

It was no longer a claustrophobic sliver of a view. The newly fallen night sky suddenly spread wide open right above their heads.

The contrast was so extreme it almost induced a sense of Suffocation.

Of course, what was even more suffocating was wondering how on earth this had been accomplished... and what exactly this guy was trying to do.

"You're insane... This is going to attract everyone!"

Hardly able to tell whether fear or anger was the greater emotion, Mariana dodged the falling debris overhead, her voice clearly trembling.

She clearly wasn't the only one feeling this way. As she spoke, her arm was even grabbed by Esther beside her.

This didn't stem from trust; in fact, the young girl's expression was even more distant than before, but she had simply been overwhelmed by sheer terror.

Esther was clearly different from most people, however. After the initial shock faded, the other cells down the corridor instantly descended into a morbid frenzy.

Amidst the deafening clamor, some inmates were already attempting to scramble out.

"Shh. Do not miss this moment."

Yet, in the midst of this chaotic unraveling, the culprit simply raised a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.

"Remember what I said. Do not let mortal perceptions hold you back."

'Miss what...'

After losing her composure time and again, Mariana finally managed to stop herself from asking that question out loud. Of course, that didn't stop her from glancing at the night sky.

That single glance froze her in place.

Against the deep canopy of the sky, a dark moon had quietly manifested at some unknown point.

Compared even to the Stars, it could not be considered bright. Yet, the moment it appeared, it seemed to transcend everything, and nothing could obscure its radiance.

"This is..."

"So elegant and beautiful, isn't it? It's hard to believe it took the Blood Clan so many years to find Him!"

Fu Qian spoke with admiration, staring at the scene in intoxication.

As the Dream Dominator, whipping up a few visual effects was far too easy.

"But you need not blame yourself. After all, apart from the Stars, there are other things bewitching your minds, preventing you from seeing the truth."

"Urgh—"

A startled cry mixed with a grunt of pain rang out. Mid-sentence, Fu Qian had suddenly reached behind his back and snatched a figure attempting to creep up on him, without even turning his head.

"You just missed a great moment in your life, Ben."

Clamping down on his throat, Fu Qian hoisted his captive up in front of him. It was none other than Mariana's teammate.

Using the falling debris as cover, he had quietly slipped into Fu Qian's blind spot and decisively launched a sneak attack at what he thought was the perfect moment.

"I must admit, everyone's capacity for comprehension differs. It seems that even compared to this nine-year-old girl, you still fall short."

The things Ben spat out were certainly marvelous, but the price was that once grabbed by the throat, he was almost no different from an ordinary person.

Now, dangling helplessly from Fu Qian's iron grip, he couldn't put up the slightest resistance.

"Let him go!"

However, two Flesh Vines did close in right before his eyes.

Mariana recovered quite quickly. After realizing what had happened, she reacted immediately, her voice ice-cold.

"I admit all of this is very miraculous, but it is still not enough to support your story, or your reckless behavior."

"You're using these to threaten me? Are you sure?"

Fu Qian looked at the lethal weapons that had just injured someone, his tone laced with exaggerated surprise.

"...I know I'm probably no match for you. I simply want to suggest that you reconsider our proposed meeting. I am certain that more than one person will be interested in your story—provided you can show us more evidence."

"All right."

Faced with Mariana's less-than-forceful response, Fu Qian really did give it some thought, and casually tossed Ben back.

Not only that, but following his gesture, the torn ceiling actually began to knit itself back together as if time was flowing in reverse. It completely sealed off the night sky, and the oppressive gloom returned once more.

"What is going on...?"

For a moment, not just from Mariana, dream-like sighs echoed down the entire corridor.

"Here, the evidence you wanted."

Fu Qian ignored her completely, simply reaching his hand out into the empty air. When he pulled it back, he was gripping an arrow radiating a dark aura.

The only reason he had dispelled the Lucid Dream was because he sensed that, after all his provocations, the Nightmare had finally lost its composure.

[Containment Fulfillment Conditions: Eliminate the Nightmare Proxy to force the Nightmare to descend into reality.]

At the exact same time, the long-awaited voice rang out in his consciousness.

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