Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Morning."

It was clear the research assistant was growing increasingly accustomed to staying here.

For Fu Qian, it hadn't been hard to notice the sounds of Ji Liushuang getting out of bed moments ago, so the greeting naturally came as no surprise.

"Isn't it a bit too early, though?"

A moment later, however, he gestured out the window, indicating that the Academy might not even be open at this hour.

With his perception, Fu Qian knew perfectly well that the night sky outside—though somewhat similar to when the experiment began—was no longer the illusion created by the clock at the top of the Tower.

It was genuinely still dark outside.

"I was out all day yesterday, so I came back and rested early."

Ji Liushuang explained with a smile. Though she seemed somewhat ashamed for not studying through the night, she was also paying close attention to her supervisor's condition.

Out all day?

However, her words made Fu Qian frown slightly.

"When was the last time I came back?"

Although the Laboratory's team-building event had taken place during the day, it had already been noon by the time they left the Academy.

"The day before yesterday."

She froze for a second before answering quickly. Though she didn't elaborate, her expression involuntarily turned serious.

Her earlier relief had stemmed from seeing Professor Fu apparently safe and sound, but for someone as sharp as him to make a mistake about the time?

The implications behind that were a bit terrifying.

...

Had he actually spent more than a day on the Half-Step Moon?

Though he had practically guessed the answer before asking, Ji Liushuang's confirmation still left Fu Qian marveling inwardly.

It made sense. Enduring it by force rather than using Mythical Form meant his injuries had genuinely exceeded his normal limits this time.

Plus, the passage of time wasn't obvious on the Half-Step Moon, and all his attention had been focused on himself and the changes in the Red Moon.

"Did anyone come looking for me while I was away?"

Naturally keeping these thoughts to himself, Fu Qian gave a slight nod and asked.

"The only ones I know of were Veil and her sister, but there were probably more. Should I let Professor Lisa and the others know?"

Ji Liushuang didn't ask any further questions, simply giving an earnest reply.

Clearly, the two sisters who had come to express their gratitude had missed him once again.

"Forget it. If it's urgent, they'll come back."

Waving his hand, Fu Qian looked entirely unhurried to find more work for himself, though his thoughts drifted to Shangjing.

Being closed for business for almost two days straight was one thing, but calculating the time—

"Have you heard of any special celestial phenomena appearing anywhere?"

Celestial phenomena?

For a moment, even Ji Liushuang looked stunned. After thinking it over for a long while, she finally shook her head.

"Should I find someone to verify?"

She carefully offered.

"No need."

The celestial phenomenon naturally referred to the potential appearance of the Meteor of Fate.

Considering it hadn't actually been activated yet, it was hard to say how much of a commotion it would cause, so Fu Qian was merely asking in passing.

Besides, when it came to confirming something like this, who would be more suitable than Chief Yuan?

Not to mention, judging by the time, it was just about due. Yuan Shan would likely be knocking on his door very soon—

The next second, just as Fu Qian was wondering if he should head back and open up shop, he blinked, staring out the window at the suddenly illuminated night sky.

A grand, dazzling, yet inexplicably illusory streak of light swept across the heavens, tracing an overwhelmingly oppressive arc as it descended from the sky like a judgment of fate.

Uh—

Ji Liushuang noticed the scene as well, practically dumbfounded for a moment. The very first thing she did upon recovering her mobility was instinctively look at Professor Fu, who had just asked about unusual celestial phenomena.

This was too... how was that possible!

Shock and confusion clearly echoed in her heart, but before Classmate Liushuang could voice a single question, she forcefully whipped her head back toward the window.

There were more?

The reason was simple.

The breathtaking streak of light from earlier was only the beginning. As if the firmament itself were collapsing, one brilliant arc after another wove together into a rainstorm of endless destructive intent, completely lighting up the entire night sky.

Furthermore, the endpoints of all these various arcs of destruction eventually converged on a single location.

That was...

Ji Liushuang rushed to the window, arriving just in time to witness the first meteor strike the ground.

It was as if a volcano had shattered upon the ground. Raging flames shot into the sky, and scorching magma splattered in all directions, looking as though it would smash through the window and surge inside at any moment.

This was no exaggeration, because the meteor's destination was incredibly close to the Laboratory.

"That's the direction of the Benevolent Curse Institute!"

Classmate Liushuang, who was much more familiar with the Academy, cried out in alarm.

A split second later, however, she halted her subconscious evasive movements.

"An illusion—"

Her voice laced with disbelief, she turned back to look at Fu Qian once again.

...

"For us, it is."

Casually answering her questioning gaze, Fu Qian stood up and walked over to the window, his eyes narrowing as he watched another heavenly rock—or perhaps it should be called Heavenly Ice?—smash into the ground.

It easily brought to mind the attack that had descended from the sky during his moonwalk with Yasui Tokiyuki.

This second meteor appeared to be a sphere of pure ice. Its impact kicked up countless shards of various sizes, along with a sweeping frost storm that obliterated everything in its path.

Except, nothing within their line of sight was actually obliterated.

This window faced the Academy to begin with, and with its excellent vantage point from on high, it took in the complete scene of this descending divine punishment.

Just like the shattered volcano from earlier, this magnificent divine punishment only seemed to manifest on their retinas.

The faint chill of the early morning frost still lingered at the tips of their noses; neither the scorching heat nor the bitter cold transmitted here in the slightest. The shockwaves were completely nonexistent, failing to even flutter the few remaining dead leaves on the trees outside.

Meanwhile, arcs of lightning, black water... all kinds of objects from the heavens continued to rain down and splatter.

"So what in the world is this... The instructors at the Benevolent Curse Institute will be alright, won't they?"

Was she assuming there were no students left over there?

"Probably not."

Ji Liushuang's phrasing drew a mental sigh from Fu Qian as he shook his head.

Even with her Lucent Sword Heart, Classmate Liushuang was only at the Mid Tier after all.

The instant the meteor appeared, Fu Qian could determine its uniqueness.

It was far more abstract than a mere illusion, giving off a sensation that seemed to transcend into another dimension.

That was exactly why he hadn't reacted, choosing instead to quietly observe from here.

So the question was: if it transcended into another dimension, how could it explode upon hitting the ground?

Was it possible that it didn't detonate because it hit the ground, but rather because it struck its 'target'?

Unlike Classmate Liushuang, aside from observing the impact points and effects, Fu Qian was doing one more thing: counting. Fifty-seven strikes.

A multiple of three.

The Prison Archangel really had been doomed to die; the Typhoid Terror he had delivered at the very end seemed to have actually triggered a triple attack.

However, the place where it hid—aside from being entirely unexpected—held an amount of information that was a bit overwhelming.

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