Eldritch Horror Theatre

Worthy successors to the Blind Eye Society, indeed. Were even their workplace injuries this consistent?

Judging by the matted clump of hair, this was indeed a woman.

Neither the visual shock nor his own memories slowed Fu Qian's observations. Aside from confirming that this woman was barely alive, he soon made another discovery—

Her entire body was in the same horrific state as her face, and her mind was practically gone.

Aside from a robe identical to his own, one detail stood out: as her deformed body squirmed, a glittering Golden Belt flashed around her waist.

She really was a predecessor—and one who had acquired a Weapon, at that.

It was an easy conclusion to draw. The only problem was that this Weapon looked familiar.

Fu Qian was absolutely certain. Not only did her facial features match the team member they had lost earlier, but the belt she wore was the exact same model.

It shared the same design and texture. But Fu Qian clearly remembered that the fallen elite member was a man, and his belt had been confiscated immediately.

So if this was the same Golden Belt, brought back here to be recycled, then who was this woman in the water?

...

Even at a glance, it was obvious the belt was radiating a terrifying heat.

The deformed flesh touching it was covered in gruesome blisters and burn scars.

In fact, that was likely why her body was thrashing and squirming in the first place.

Unfortunately, she clearly couldn't break free of it.

"Well? Did I lie to you?"

As the water churned, Ais leaned in close, noting his intense focus. Her smile was deeply meaningful.

Her words clearly carried a double meaning. On the surface, she was referring to the fact that the woman in the pool was indeed wearing clothes. On a deeper level, it sounded like a rebuttal to Fu Qian's earlier claim that this was all a farce.

It was obvious she had been looking forward to his reaction for a long time.

"Truly miraculous. I knew it... the call of destiny is real."

Unfortunately for her, when faced with this mind-shattering sight, Excellency Lord of the Rings immediately displayed his usual top-tier optimism.

He instantly treated this scene—which clearly bore the marks of inhuman power—as ironclad proof of destiny's call.

"Yes. She came in response to the call of destiny as well, just like you."

Her disappointed expression only lasted for a fraction of a second, however. Ais simply blinked and nodded in agreement.

"So she became like this because she profaned the Vacuum Flower?"

Fu Qian gave a slight nod. Seemingly lacking any empathy for the horrific sight before him, he casually asked for confirmation.

"Heh... what do you think?"

His reaction made Ais's smile grow even sweeter.

"If you ask me, that logic doesn't hold up."

Continuing to play the role of someone answering the call, Fu Qian furrowed his brows and offered a deadpan analysis.

"If she's like me, and this belt is a Weapon, it implies she still managed to reap a reward after directly facing the Vacuum Flower. For someone who is supposedly a much worse blasphemer than I am, that shouldn't have happened."

...

"You might be right... So how do you think this impossible scenario ultimately happened?"

The silence lasted noticeably longer this time.

A moment later, Ais's voice drifted through the churning mist. Feigning earnestness, she posed a paradox.

"That's simple. If it's impossible, then it didn't happen. What if this isn't her personal Weapon at all, but one she stole from someone else?"

She received this logical guidance from the Lord of the Rings at the speed of light.

"...That sounds quite reasonable. So you think this act of thievery is what reduced her to this state?"

This time, she managed to process his reasoning rather quickly.

"Because bringing a Weapon that didn't belong to her before the Vacuum Flower constituted profanation?"

"No."

Unfortunately, her eager attempt to draw inferences from one instance was met with instant denial.

"Why—"

Her question came to an abrupt halt. Always sensitive to being watched, she naturally noticed his lowered gaze.

And there was no doubt his eyes were aimed dead at her chest.

Given his behavior throughout their journey, it was hard to believe he was using this as an excuse to peek at that expanse of snowy skin.

And right beneath that was the faint, exposed edge of the Golden Breastplate...

"Didn't Excellency Ais also bring more than one Weapon in there just now?"

Sure enough, he asked the question with a completely deadpan expression.

"So why aren't you worried about profanation? Or do all the Weapons on your body actually belong to you?"

...

"That's right. They all belong to me."

Unexpectedly used as a counterexample, Ais narrowed her eyes. She scrutinized Fu Qian with an even more playful gaze, deliberately tugging at her collar to expose more of her chest.

Of course, what she exposed the most was the arm tugging at her clothes.

As her wide sleeve slid down, it clearly revealed an Armguard shining with the same golden luster.

While boldly declaring her uniqueness, she had generously shown off her third Weapon.

"I'm not like the rest of you... and do you know what the best part is? The truth is nothing like what you think, either."

Ais gestured toward the deformed body beside them, her smile suddenly turning eerie.

"She didn't become like this because she suffered a Chastisement. She was born this way."

"I'm just kindly using the conditions here to treat her, while conveniently using her to put on a supernatural charade."

That was utter nonsense. So this scorching-hot belt was actually a physical therapy device, was it?

Faced with this sudden reversal, Fu Qian scoffed inwardly, yet he vaguely understood why she was spinning this tale.

"Didn't you want to reach the end of the story and finish this game of house? Now that a clumsy excuse has been handed to you, if you prove it's fake, won't you reach the end?"

Ais's next words directly confirmed his theory.

Her professionalism did not disappoint. She actually still remembered the persona he had laid out when he furiously berated the crowd earlier.

His persona was that of an invincible youth fueled by a chuuni spirit, firmly believing in the call of destiny.

Hers was the clown directing a farce to cover up the truth of that destiny.

If he couldn't prove that the woman in the pool possessed Transcendent Tier elements, then the story would truly turn into an unfalsifiable farce, forced to drag on forever.

This was exactly the possibility the two young people who had just left were worried about.

This was a test of his faith in destiny, and he obviously had no reason to refuse.

Under Ais's watchful gaze, Fu Qian took two steps forward, reached into the pool, and tested the water's temperature.

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