Eldritch Horror Theatre

The sudden cataclysmic judgment stemmed from the Typhoid Terror he had given the Prison Archangel back in Shangjing—a trigger with a near one-hundred-percent probability.

It seemed his joke with Chief Yuan back then was a case where a casual remark proves prophetic; a literal meteor shower had actually arrived.

The Prison Archangel's Instant Thousand Strikes alone, of course, wouldn't have achieved such a spectacular effect.

When the entity shattered its twin swords and retreated, Fu Qian had counted clearly: it had only repeated the attack nineteen times in total.

Multiplying that number by the three from the Boon of Release came to exactly fifty-seven strikes.

Such a massive barrage of meteors falling from the sky certainly qualified as a visual feast, but the true spectacle unfolding behind the scenes was far richer than it appeared.

To think the Prison Archangel—a Tier 2 Transcendent and an incarnation of holiness—was actually hiding in the Academy's Benevolent Curse Institute?

It was perfectly normal for an established organization to have a few secrets.

However, the Prison Archangel's most sensitive identity right now wasn't its status as a Tier 2 being, but as Needle Witch Kelin's "accomplice."

Therefore, during their clash in Shangjing, even though the final outcome appeared to be a special equilibrium where nothing was truly proven...

...Fu Qian, who rarely second-guessed himself, still naturally treated it as an unspoken arrangement with the Night Watcher Kelin.

The Prison Archangel was thus firmly categorized into the Needle Witch's camp.

Given that context, it wouldn't have been strange if the Meteor of Fate had obliterated a Night Watchers' base or even their headquarters.

Yet, after fleeing, the attacker had actually hidden inside the Academy, only to end up putting on a performance of catching meteors with its chest right in front of him?

And of all places, it had to be the Benevolent Curse Institute, the division most severely lacking in talent?

The sheer absurdity of the world truly challenged human imagination.

...

So why was that?

Was the Prison Archangel actually a hidden expert of the Benevolent Curse Institute, meditating in seclusion away from worldly fame and wealth?

Or was it simply some taboo collection, much like Levin, whom he had encountered previously in the Sacred Night Capital?

Alternatively, was there something inside the Benevolent Curse Institute that made the entity believe it could survive the Meteor of Fate?

A flurry of guesses surfaced in Fu Qian's mind, though he was in no rush to verify them.

The reason was simple: he highly doubted that His Excellency the Prison Archangel would still be capable of answering his questions.

It wasn't because it had run away.

As he had just told Classmate Liushuang, "To us, it is an illusion."

The impacts might not affect the surroundings, but to the target, the meteors were a true judgment of fate.

In fact, the moment the third strike landed, a peculiar disturbance had already emerged—

Holy, radiant, and as sharp as needles.

At that moment, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of Spikes had erupted directly from within the Benevolent Curse Institute, piercing outward in all directions.

It looked as if a divine tree had shattered all obstacles to suddenly grow to full size.

Judging by their trajectory, one could tell that the source was located even deeper Underground.

It was easy to imagine this was a special reaction—or a form of resistance—triggered by the meteor bombardment.

Unfortunately, this blossoming defense was crushed in the blink of an eye.

One meteor after another relentlessly bombarded this final, stubborn display of resistance, snapping every single Spike and shattering them into a flurry of drifting feathers.

Although he was standing some distance away, he could faintly sense that a certain High-Tier Transcendent he had once crossed paths with was completely destroyed in that spectacle.

The remaining meteors were merely flogging a corpse.

...

Was it really gone just like that? Was this a case of "the more you fear death, the faster you die"?

He was at least seventy or eighty percent certain that His Excellency the Prison Archangel had fallen.

Faced with such a victory, the mastermind behind the scenes, Professor Fu, couldn't help but feel things had gone a bit too smoothly.

Instant Thousand Strikes stacked with the Boon of Release, resulting in dozens of Meteors of Fate raining down at once, was certainly overkill, but wasn't the entity's resistance a bit too weak?

It was understandable that its previous concealment abilities were rendered useless under the meteors' unique lock-on effect, but shouldn't Kelin—who specialized in spatial abilities—have tried to help it escape?

"Is it over?" While he pondered in silence, Ji Liushuang beside him finally found her voice.

True to her words, the final meteor had crashed down, and the night sky returned to its gloomy darkness.

In the blink of an eye, the spectacle perfectly demonstrated the fleeting nature of glory.

So much so that Ji Liushuang's subconscious question genuinely carried the lingering awe of watching fireworks fade.

"And what were those Spikes?"

However, she cast aside that brief sentimentality almost instantly, her mind returning to the terrifying scene they had just witnessed.

"Unlike the meteors, they actually seemed to affect the surroundings. I wonder if Professor Ah Kai and the others were hurt."

Her concern was not without merit.

Unlike the meteors, which had already proven to be an illusion to outsiders, the destructive power of those Spikes was very real. They had forcefully skewered the Benevolent Curse Institute.

If anyone had been inside, their fate would be hard to predict.

"We'll know once we take a look."

Answering Ji Liushuang's concerns, Fu Qian strode directly over to open the door, gesturing for her to follow.

Given such a massive commotion, going over to check on things was the most natural reaction.

The reason Classmate Liushuang hadn't immediately suggested it herself was obviously due to the earlier coincidence—

She had just asked about abnormal celestial phenomena, and right on cue, a meteor shower had crashed down right in front of them. The concept of words carrying absolute law couldn't have been more literal.

She was likely worried that she might somehow be implicated, and thus was hesitant to rush over and involve herself.

However, this line of thinking was a classic case of how excessive concern clouds judgment. As the dignified interim spokesperson of the Apocalypse, wouldn't it look far more suspicious if he ignored such a massive incident?

"Alright."

Seeing how Professor Fu embodied the phrase "an upright body is not afraid of a crooked shadow," Ji Liushuang immediately felt bolstered. She nodded and followed him.

...

"Professor Fu."

Fu Qian and Ji Liushuang were not the first to arrive.

It was impossible for such a disturbance to go unnoticed, especially not by a group of highly inquisitive researchers.

Although there was only a single-digit number of onlookers, it was already a rare crowd for the Benevolent Curse Institute.

And Professor Ah Kai was among them.

The man, who had only just achieved a joyous new breakthrough, was now staring despondently at the ruined building before him. It wasn't until he caught sight of Fu Qian out of the corner of his eye that he snapped out of his daze and offered a greeting.

"Is anyone still inside?"

Fu Qian gave a slight nod, cutting straight to the chase to check for casualties.

Considering that Professor Ah Kai always slept in his office, there was a high probability he had just fled from the inside.

And although Fu Qian didn't sense any more human activity inside, given the Benevolent Curse Institute's myriad and esoteric methods, perception wasn't always reliable.

"There shouldn't be. The other tutors prefer doing their research at home and only come by when necessary..."

Professor Ah Kai shook his head, waving off the concern.

This was undoubtedly good news, which prompted Ji Liushuang to point out, "But you still look incredibly worried."

"My data, my manuscripts... everything I have is in there..."

Her words clearly struck a nerve. Professor Ah Kai muttered to himself, his voice laced with profound grief.

"Completely understandable."

Offering a casual word of sympathy for the man's loss, Fu Qian reached out and plucked a long feather from the professor's sleeve.

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