Eldritch Horror Theatre

'Why is it so loud...'

In that instant, along with an instinctual spike of vigilance came an inevitable wave of confusion—a whole slew of questions, really.

'Why does it smell so hot...'

'Why does it look so sweet...'

...

That sudden burst of light was like a bomb dropped directly into the five senses, tearing everything into a chaotic mess.

An intense sense of danger washed over her. Aike knew she had fallen victim to some form of powerful mental interference.

The anomaly they had been searching for so fruitlessly had appeared without warning.

But this was far from enough to take down a Demigod.

In the blink of an eye, her body transformed into a spectral state radiating a frigid aura.

With that transformation, the sensory bomb's aftershocks lost their medium and rapidly dissipated.

At this point, she was no longer relying on conventional senses at all.

"Thunder!"

Right then, however, she noticed a resounding shout echo from not far behind her.

...

That deafening shout naturally came from Fu Qian.

As a member of the team, even though he hadn't charged quite as far ahead, he had undoubtedly still taken that sudden burst of light straight into his eyes, nose, and throat. The sensory shockwave he endured was no less severe.

Yet compared to the Demigod Aike, even though his Rank within this current mission had been forcibly suppressed, his wealth of life experience allowed Fu Qian to handle it far more calmly.

To be precise, he had encountered a similar trick before, back when he had a friendly chat with Senior Goto Hi in the Ash Sea.

So upon realizing exactly what kind of attack this was, Fu Qian's first reaction wasn't even to break free from the interference, but to draw breath deep into his belly and let out a massive roar.

Of course, it would have been much more domineering if golden lightning had surged around him with that shout, sweeping out to shred everything in the vicinity.

Unfortunately, he was currently playing the role of a reckless meathead.

At best, this shout counted as an intimidating war cry to boost their morale—and to notify the enemy that someone had arrived.

In fact, after that single roar, Fu Qian had no intention of moving, continuing to leave the spotlight to Aike.

"Please wait a moment!"

However, diligent effort pays off. While his thundering shout was still echoing through the space, a voice suddenly rang out.

...

Unfamiliar, female, and older.

The intimidating shout had actually worked. Even with his senses turned to absolute mush, Fu Qian still managed to glean a bit of information from that response.

He even demonstrated an astonishing willingness to listen to advice, remaining perfectly still in his spot.

"Aike?"

But the firm will of a Demigod was not to be underestimated. At the exact same time, an endless torrent of frigid currents erupted from Aike up ahead, sweeping wildly in all directions.

Fu Qian didn't think Aike actually wanted to kill him too, but with her perception compromised, she had to choose between holding back to avoid friendly fire, or blanketing both friend and foe in indiscriminate firepower. She clearly chose the latter.

And that action successfully provoked another cry of alarm, one that even called out her name.

"Who is it..."

The biting wind abruptly stopped. Still hovering vigilantly in place, Aike's spectral body rippled with a voice full of doubt.

"Friendly, don't be nervous."

As she calmed down, the other party also sounded deeply relieved.

With the turbulence completely settled, they could clearly hear the voice coming from behind that half-open door.

The next moment, without a sound, a rather tall figure for a woman slipped out from inside.

It was indeed an older woman. Her hair was slightly gray, yet no wrinkles could be seen on her gentle face. Her dress, both in color and style, was exceedingly elegant and plain. No matter how you looked at her, she seemed like a kindly elder.

But a closer look at her face revealed eyes as dark as pitch, their gaze so profound it seemed to hold endless mysteries.

At least a Demigod, and very likely a mental-type.

The instant this lady appeared, Fu Qian made the aforementioned judgment.

...

"Excellency Ji Ning? Then just now..."

Aike reacted at almost the same time, actually recognizing the newcomer.

"It's me. I apologize for the offense just now."

Giving a slight nod, the woman looked quite relieved.

"I just wanted to make sure nothing was following behind. I didn't expect to accidentally catch you in the crossfire."

Quickly explaining the reason for the sensory bomb, the lady named Ji Ning looked Fu Qian up and down.

"And this is?"

"He calls himself Anke. He isn't one of the security personnel here."

Aike finally seemed to relax. As she casually explained, her previously ghostly form rapidly solidified back into reality.

"I am indeed not."

He didn't bother making the Demigod recite his resume for him, especially since she didn't quite believe it herself.

Even though he wasn't a High Tier combatant, and the lingering aftershocks of the sensory bomb were still rippling through him, Fu Qian's posture remained completely unaffected as he earnestly took over the conversation.

"I'm not exactly sure why I appeared here. The clothes on my body, and even this face, are not my own."

"That is truly strange, and very dangerous..."

Without showing any contempt for Fu Qian's Rank, Ji Ning listened to his explanation very seriously before letting out a sigh.

Hm?

That last word clearly left Aike a little confused.

"When I noticed the trap had been triggered, I rushed over immediately. In my perception, both of your states were a bit peculiar."

Ji Ning explained softly.

"You had clearly transformed into some non-human state, and while I have seen this man's face before—he is indeed one of the security guards here—he possessed nowhere near such a high Rank."

"...So we were treated as special constructs belonging to this place? The kind that poses a threat?"

At this point, Aike finally understood, gaining a much deeper appreciation for just how critical the situation had been a moment ago.

"Almost. But then this Mr. Anke shouted."

Ji Ning shook her head with a smile.

"While I didn't understand what it meant, it at least confirmed to me that you were not mindless entities."

"So what did 'Thunder' actually mean? Is it some sort of special ability?"

Having reached this topic, Ji Ning seemed to remember that detail and turned to look at Fu Qian with some curiosity.

"A secret signal."

Praising her internally for maintaining such curiosity at her age, Fu Qian also shared the answer without any hesitation.

"In unfamiliar and dangerous territory, it's a convenient way to distinguish friend from foe as quickly as possible. For instance, if I say 'Thunder,' you should answer 'Lightning.'"

...

For a moment, not just Aike, but even the newly arrived Ji Ning fell into a brief silence.

"It's very simple, but it actually seems quite fitting for our current situation."

But as an older veteran of the jianghu, Ji Ning quickly snapped out of it, her first reaction being one of agreement.

"Thunder."

And in the very next moment, she even turned her head and shouted earnestly toward the half-open door.

"Lightning."

No sooner had her voice fallen than a response truly echoed out from within.

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