Eldritch Horror Theatre

Was that it?

Fu Qian was fairly certain his opponent hadn't faked entering stealth this way just to wait for a chance to ambush him.

The White-Faced Man's aura had vanished completely, leaving not a single trace behind, as if he had never appeared at all.

Just a moment ago, he had clearly looked ready to unleash his power and trigger a major transformation. The sheer contrast was like a fully buffed hero accidentally falling off a cliff before even reaching the Demon King.

Sigh—

For a moment, even Fu Qian sighed on his behalf over this unfulfilled ambition.

Of course, he had every reason to believe Doctor Dorian's melancholy in this moment wouldn't be the slightest bit weaker.

Dual Xi Harmony had been broken. To trap him here, or even complete his treatment like the other outsiders, the White-Faced Man seemed to be the last character capable of shouldering the burden. But in the end, it resulted in such a regrettable outcome.

Had he put too much pressure on the guy after all?

A pure, Tier 2 combat-oriented character was theoretically more than enough. It was hard to imagine many outsiders being able to handle it.

Though for Fu Qian, right up until his opponent overloaded and died, he hadn't seen anything that could be called stunning.

Regardless, reality was cruel.

Standing alone in the cold night, Fu Qian had not the slightest intention of returning to the Church to chat.

Since he had already seen all the spectacle, there was no reason to stick around. It was time to return to reality and have a good talk with Doctor Dorian, who was completely out of tricks.

...

As expected, despite the high specifications, Doctor Dorian's dreamscape really wasn't very flexible.

After another quiet wait in the darkness, the light in front of Fu Qian suddenly brightened, revealing the watery eyes unique to a Doll.

And compared to last time, there was an extra pair of eyes—no, two extra pairs.

He rolled his somewhat stiff neck and glanced around. Aside from an extra Hilaria Doll, right next to the equally pale-faced Dorian was something that hadn't been there before.

A man with long hair and high cheekbones—it was the exact same fourth person he had just seen in the Church.

However, compared to the other dolls, this one had a glaring difference.

Leaving aside its slightly inferior level of detail, from head to toe, its body and clothes both gave off a faint sense of decay, like a millennia-old burial object seeing the light of day for the first time.

It was so fragile that Fu Qian suspected if he breathed just a bit harder, the doll would end up just like the White-Faced Man, crumbling into a pile of dust.

"Your Excellency..."

In the very next moment, his suspicion was confirmed.

Fu Qian's sweeping gaze obviously brought Dorian immense psychological pressure, causing his stiff body to unconsciously adjust its sitting posture.

Yet, from just this slight vibration, the fourth doll collapsed on the spot, turning into dust.

So this was the price?

Watching this without much surprise, what surfaced in Fu Qian's mind was the exact question he had pondered earlier.

Without needing his cooperation, what exact miraculous trait had allowed the fourth person to turn the Dark Night Butcher into reality?

Now, at least, the price was laid out before him. The process had clearly turned it into a one-time consumable.

No wonder Dorian hadn't hit him with this level of intensity the first time around.

"I originally thought you could do better."

While rapidly drawing this conclusion, Fu Qian didn't completely ignore Dorian—who had at least put in the hard work, even if he hadn't earned any merit. He gave a slight nod of encouragement.

...

"I have a few questions. First, was he an outsider?"

According to his previous discoveries, no matter how miserably the Dorian inside here died, it wouldn't have the slightest impact on the one in "reality."

But Fu Qian still didn't mind taking advantage of this undiminished will to survive.

With his first question, he gestured toward the pile of ash.

"...Yes."

His opponent had actively allowed him to fight on his home turf, yet after exhausting all his tricks, Dorian had reaped nothing but total defeat. He looked as though he couldn't even muster the will to flee anymore.

His grip on the Holy Sword tightened and loosened, but after a psychological struggle lasting no more than a few seconds, he nodded in admission.

"After their treatment was completed, they were left here in this manner?"

Instantly confirming another guess regarding the fourth person, Fu Qian nodded in satisfaction and continued.

This was also something he had been curious about.

"Uh..."

However, it seemed this question dug a bit too deep, and Dorian hesitated.

"Sorry, give me a second."

Fu Qian not only didn't rush him, but even looked like he had just remembered something.

The next moment, under Dorian's bewildered gaze, he grabbed his own head with one hand and gently pulled it off. Blood clots as thick as pitch spewed from his severed neck.

There was a reason his neck felt stiff. Having stayed inside for so long, the accumulated effect of Heart Strike was no small matter.

...

"Yes. If an outsider cannot wake up from the treatment, they will turn into that."

Just as the task of invigorating his blood circulation and removing the stasis was completed, and Fu Qian casually popped his head back on, Dorian seemed to finally recall the answer.

Fu Qian had demonstrated this severe symptom right from the start, so naturally, Dorian couldn't have forgotten it.

And the scene just now had completely shattered a certain hope hidden at the bottom of Dorian's heart, leaving him with the open-mindedness of knowing the mandate of heaven.

As expected.

Fu Qian was satisfied with this attitude.

"Since when did you discover you had this ability?"

"A long time ago... even earlier than the day this place was abandoned."

Taking a deep breath, Dorian clearly fell into a hazy recollection.

"I'm not sure how it happened. I only know that I was becoming different, and in a good way... because I had long grown tired of that so-called faith."

"Dedicating one's body and mind, pinning all hopes on some pity born of amusement, a completely unpredictable boon? Utterly boring, and utterly stupid!"

"But this was different. I could clearly feel myself transforming into a different form, growing, achieving Transcendence... by controlling dreams."

"At first, I just thought of it as a special dream. However, I soon discovered it wasn't that simple. While it allowed me to observe the Akons from another perspective, it also let me bring other people inside..."

"And if someone completely intoxicated themselves in it, not only would the dreamscape grow stronger, but I would also reap a special harvest."

Dorian said this while looking at the dusty remains of the fourth person.

"Did these also come about like this?"

He didn't question it, nor did he express any opinion on Dorian's attitude toward faith. Fu Qian merely gestured toward the dolls of Hilaria and the others.

"No... I just needed some helpers. And after the dreamscape grew stronger, my connection with the Akons also became tighter, allowing me to do some special things."

Dorian instantly shook his head.

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