Eldritch Horror Theatre

The Ring was gone? What exactly was this guy playing at?

In the dead silence, the same question suddenly surfaced in everyone's minds.

Because of their viewing angle, the rest of the group saw his bare middle finger a step later than Aike did.

The Ring, which had looked like a lustrous knot of twisted blood vessels, had vanished without a trace. Only the shocking, livid marks covering the flesh remained.

"There is nothing there. What are you trying to show me?"

Bearing the brunt of this sudden display, Aike was flooded with unease, but she refused to show weakness and pressed the question.

Of course, she wasn't arrogant enough to let her guard down. As she spoke, her body rapidly shifted toward that phantom state, raising her vigilance to its absolute peak.

"Isn't it simple? I want you to see that there is nothing there."

What did a little boiling brain matter?

A Crimson Long Whip flashed out of thin air, lashing directly at her just as she focused her gaze to look again.

Then, an astonishing scene unfolded in her vision.

If even those caught in the crossfire were reacting like this, then that guy...

Not only did she make no further sound after her initial scream, but she didn't even put up a pointless struggle. Instead, her gaze fell onto the other hand gripping her neck.

"You kept this face the entire time to hide this fact!"

"Excellency Ji Ning, continuing like this would be a little impolite."

"Stop—"

...

A somewhat interesting method, but did you think my nerves, tempered by extremes of hot and cold, were forged for nothing?

Actually, even without his reminder, Aike clearly hadn't stopped thinking.

"...This mask that can completely conceal a Transcendent Tier aura."

"You are not in the Demigod Realm—"

Under the Visceral Attack, that inherently fragile body completely collapsed, along with the will anchoring it.

The Ring was just a decoy?

The threat of death could always stimulate a person's potential.

It was just a pity that, as mentioned before, she would never understand the will of a true man.

"...What exactly do you want to do?"

Of course, even so, she did not lose her Demigod Realm aura.

In that instant, an unavoidable wave of confusion battered her rationality.

"Very good. Anything else?"

"That mind-obliterating whip actually has nothing to do with the Ring... That is an ability stemming from yourself..."

At the same time, light flickered across the surface of her phantom-like body. Layer upon layer of illusory faces rapidly condensed, converging into a bizarre shield.

Surrounded by them, Aike of the Demigod Realm clearly couldn't be exempt either. Her face had even broken out of that phantom state, now pale and brimming with incomprehension.

Amidst Ji Ning's scream, a mental lashing—also originating from her—once again shocked the mind.

The moment the sigh of praise was uttered, it was interrupted by a strange, miserable shriek. The scream obviously came from Aike herself.

"Answers gained through your own thinking will always leave the deepest impression."

Like a mixture of broken glass and flesh, that body, upon which even an expert of the Demigod Realm would struggle to leave a mark, was actually so fragile... Hidden!

At a certain moment, a thought that had seemingly been brewing deep within her heart, yet subconsciously ignored, irresistibly surfaced in her mind.

Perhaps because it had been shattered and deformed, the shield was now even more bizarre than before. Aside from the illusory faces, faces made of flesh and blood had also merged into it, giving it a blended flavor of spirit and flesh.

The realization prompted by Aike clearly provoked a strong reaction among the audience as well.

"You've worked hard. I'll send you out now, and I hope your eventual investigation yields some results."

Suddenly attacked, the victim Aike did not receive much help.

His voice was so casual, as if the current operation was merely a mentor's patient guidance.

Fu Qian's evaluation arrived right on time. A breathtaking smile appeared on that face, which looked like the very incarnation of charm.

Even an indestructible golden radiance bloomed from the Old Man's hands in that instant, tearing through space.

A certain Mental Shock that made one's brain boil instantly swept the surroundings. For a time, even the audience members who weren't facing it head-on felt their minds being madly torn apart.

Muttering to herself at this moment, she looked at Fu Qian's face, slightly distracted.

Moreover, Aike's fragility under the attack made them hesitate to strike the rat for fear of breaking the vase when it came to saving her.

From those wildly flickering eyes, one could seemingly tell that she was still pondering what had happened to the Ring originally worn there.

Just as mentioned before, in many situations, the Psychic Type was often more useful.

Seeing the shield still desperately squirming and converging to repair itself after he had torn it apart, Fu Qian gave a cold critique.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian ignored her. Instead, he continued looking at his hostage and asked:

But all of this failed to stop Fu Qian's hand from violently ripping out of Aike's body.

Facing almost no resistance, the giant claw tore open a shocking wound and sank deep into Aike's body.

Very good, truly worthy of being the person he had selected.

How was that possible!

"You're saying... that is the answer to why you are still wearing this face."

However, she was soon forced to lower her gaze once more, staring at the terrifying wound on her body.

"What do you mea—"

And from the flickering gazes around them, one could sense that this idea was rapidly gaining approval.

Amidst his praise, Fu Qian issued a reminder without even raising his head.

Obviously, the audience couldn't understand why Fu Qian was doing this, nor how he managed it.

Ah—

"How about it, do you understand now?"

But Excellency Ji Ning's highly potent Mental Shock arrived immediately after.

And the student hadn't wasted all his painstaking efforts. Finally withdrawing her gaze, Aike gritted her teeth and gave her answer.

Of course, doubts were just doubts. The survival instinct cultivated through countless battles still allowed her to evade this sneak attack to the greatest extent possible.

Because Aike was absolutely certain that the whip was still drawn from that hand, even though the Ring wasn't there.

To this, Fu Qian let out a low chuckle.

Facing the howling, mysterious expert of the Demigod Realm, he actually didn't seem affected in the slightest.

Crossing space at an inconceivable speed, the other hand originally hidden under the cloak swelled into a giant claw, striking Aike directly.

Even the instant their outlines appeared, the numerous faces rippling like water each let out a sharp shriek.

The livid marks across the flesh also seemed to link together and birth another will, joining in to hinder the body's movements.

...

What was even more terrifying was that the shield and the body, which should have had considerable resistance to physical attacks, were actually as brittle as glass in that instant.

"Very good."

But the relief of finally having her doubt answered couldn't even cover the tremor brought on by that truth.

With a smile turning up the corners of his lips, Fu Qian seemed extremely satisfied with this answer.

The next moment, Aike's question came to an abrupt halt.

After a brief hesitation, the most intense tearing sensation in the will dissipated without warning, replaced by Excellency Ji Ning's questioning.

What else could stimulate potential better than the threat of death, allowing Excellency Aike to bloom with her value as a resource contributor?

This made everyone realize that the Demigod Realm of the person they were facing was still just a disguise, and that he intrinsically possessed a higher Rank than that.

Just as mentioned before, the only meaning of laying his cards on the table to come to this place was to extend an invitation.

Fu Qian turned his head, his gaze locking onto the remaining guests.

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