Eldritch Horror Theatre

"What are you doing!"

Crimson spattered and black silk fluttered as a shout of shock and anger rang out.

A head splattered across the ground obviously lacked that ability. Right now, Hilaria, who was scrambling away, was perfectly intact from head to toe.

Fu Qian neither answered nor pursued her. He simply put away the Lucid Dream.

That's right, the scene of the shattered head had only happened within a dream, one that he had already ended.

Building atmosphere was always a systematic endeavor.

Questioning her faith and substituting Death—after those two consecutive moves, he naturally had to observe Hilaria's reaction closely.

But if the results fell short of expectations, he could seamlessly dial up the intensity at a moment's notice.

For instance, he could leverage his status as an "unfamiliar face" who "came from the dark of night" to plant the psychological suggestion that he was "it."

Especially the woman before him. Since she served as a staunch defender of a decaying faith, she had to possess extraordinary traits, regardless of how fragile she appeared.

Therefore, Fu Qian ultimately activated the now-available Lucid Dream, using a beautiful headshot to push the atmosphere to its absolute peak.

Speaking of which, he could have used this trick on Dorian over at the Clinic.

However, considering Dorian obviously dabbled in dreams, the effect might have been diminished. Fu Qian had been in no rush to show his hand.

And right now, he believed that under his continuous "assistance," Lady Hilaria would maximize her potential to help him search for his mission.

"What were you doing just now?"

The neatly arranged tables, chairs, and tools had been knocked over in her panicked scramble for survival.

Fortunately, in contrast to the mess, Hilaria recovered her composure quite quickly.

"An illusion? You were misleading me!"

Discovering that Fu Qian wasn't pursuing her, she touched her head to ensure it was still there, quickly found her footing, and answered her own question before he could speak.

"You deliberately made me think you were the thing in the dark?"

His earlier assessment had been spot on. She wasn't just a simple-minded fanatic; her mind actually worked quite fast.

"But why would you do that? Even if the matter with the Doll is real, wouldn't it be enough to just kill me?"

"If this is purely some twisted prank, I have to say you're the worst outsider I've ever met."

Now that she had come to her senses, Hilaria's ethereal clerical aura was clearly depleted, which ironically made her seem a bit more like a living person.

"Going to such great lengths, just for something so meaningless?"

"Who said it was meaningless?"

Facing her interrogation, Fu Qian naturally felt not a shred of shame. He even shook his head in all seriousness.

"You're speaking faster now, aren't you?"

...

"Of course, I also noticed a minor issue."

While Hilaria was left speechless, Fu Qian still wasn't finished. He raised a finger and pointed to the side.

"I've met quite a few people with faith. Some are devout, some think they're devout, and some are considered devout by others... I've heard of your feat of steadfastness, so you should undoubtedly be classified as the first type. However—"

Fu Qian first acknowledged the value of her faith, but a turning point was bound to come.

"Facing that same threat in the dark, the four people I mentioned earlier—who didn't even seem qualified to fit into any of those three categories—still knew to hide at the feet of a Divine Entity in their dreams to seek shelter."

"But as for you, I haven't missed a single one of your movements from start to finish. Even after narrowly escaping death, you didn't so much as glance in that direction... In my opinion, this behavior really doesn't fit your persona. Could you help clear up my confusion?"

Having finished his statement, Fu Qian even sat back down, taking the opportunity to pick up the Doll that had been knocked to the floor and set it properly in place.

These words were no baseless assumption. Hilaria's most prominent label was undoubtedly her status as Akons's most devout follower.

And from the very beginning, Fu Qian had been thinking about how to exploit that exact point.

...

All the atmospheric buildup along the way—if it could scare out a mission with that final shock, it would be ideal. But its other important purpose was to test the true quality of Hilaria's faith.

Judging from what he had gathered along the way, the situation in this place was indeed simple.

A ruined faith, oath-breaking congregants, and steadfast Saints.

The "it" in the dark was undeniably a stark anomaly. For someone like him who had no clue about his mission, it seemed like the perfect target to attempt to contact next.

It was very straightforward. However, as someone who had just used conspiracy theories to extricate himself, Fu Qian engaged in reverse thinking once again after sorting out this train of thought—

What if this place wasn't actually that simple?

Then where, and in whom, was that most likely to manifest?

The answer appeared to be Hilaria once more.

She was situated at the core of the faith and had the most distinct image. Extreme cases were always relatively easy to examine.

And this lady seemingly truly hadn't disappointed his efforts.

"Heh... hehe..."

Following his analysis, by her third breath, Hilaria let out a laugh that clearly contained something unprecedented.

At the same time, as if to refute Fu Qian's claim, she didn't just stare straight at the Statue of Excellency Akons. She walked directly toward it, not stopping until she was nearly pressed against its toes.

Just as she bowed her body, looking as though she was about to prostrate herself in worship the very next moment, she made an astonishing move.

She slowly pulled her veil upward. Instead of taking it off, she pulled it up backward to cover her eyes.

Her exposed, pale lips parted slightly. A soft tongue—which was much rosier by comparison—darted out and pressed directly against the tip of the Statue's toe.

Then it traveled all the way up, licking along its exposed calf.

It was a truly ambiguous and suggestive scene. But if it was a Saint doing such a thing to the object of her faith, it was... even more provocative.

The aura of blasphemy it carried truly invited endless imagination.

"The Statue, the Emblem, the honorific name... These could never represent Him. They could even be called a clumsy blasphemy born of our stupidity..."

As she pulled her tongue back at last, Hilaria's voice carried an eerie smile.

"He forgave all of this with enduring tolerance, yet we remained unrepentant. Being abandoned is perfectly natural..."

"These things were never capable of representing anything to begin with. Don't you agree?"

[Containment Fulfillment Conditions: Prevent the growth of the Bitter Fruit while ensuring the Natives of Akons survive.]

So this place wasn't actually sheltering a steadfast Saint, but rather a depraved, crazed fanatic far worse than those oath-breaking congregants outside?

Hilaria's cards-on-the-table posture and speech were undeniably quite easy to understand. However, even as Fu Qian marveled at the revelation, his attention remained focused on the notification ringing in his ears.

It was finally here.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!