Eldritch Horror Theatre

"You really are different from the ones before."

Almost the instant it hit the ground, the head shattered into pieces.

In its original place, wisps and threads of blood tore outward, struggling to unfurl into the outline of a head.

Watching this scene unfold, Jill finally couldn't resist commenting on the overly honest Ann.

No one contradicted her.

Honest or not, even the most oblivious person could see that Ann's condition was, by comparison, vastly better than the previous one's.

Her mental state was absurdly stable. Not only was her mind clear enough to mock them in return, but after White's head was blown off, that demonic Second Fold speech had vanished along with it.

Though the remaining voice sounded slightly distorted, it was unmistakably Ann's.

"Are you saying... as long as we actively embrace the Crimson Frenzy on our bodies, without needing anything else, we can complete some sort of metamorphosis? And thereby survive in this place?"

"You got a part of it right this time."

Ann finally nodded, even stroking White's head that was now outlined by the threads of blood.

"He really didn't need to die. It's just that, with no one to share their experience, I was a bit confused at first. But—"

The next moment, she actually grabbed that head and shoved it right back on. She didn't stop there, continuing to push downward, causing White's body to continuously disintegrate and crumble away.

"Do you still not understand? This place isn't a deathtrap, but our opportunity... an opportunity we will likely never have again."

Her pitch suddenly rose. Along with this, a ball of grayish-green fire ignited in Ann's palm, and nearly half of White's body was already gone.

"...Not only is your mind clear, but you actually kept your abilities?"

At this, even Li could no longer hold back. Aside from Fu Qian, he had been standing the closest; as he spoke, he couldn't help stepping further away.

Earlier, when the group had been wary of the mysterious Sinner Excellency, he had clearly noticed the Transcendent Tier anomaly appear in Ann's hands, recognizing it as her ability.

"Kept? Heh..."

However, Li's rare attempt at analysis was not validated. Instead, Ann raised her hand with a cold sneer.

Silently, a head-sized sphere of grayish-green flame appeared. Like ghost fire in a graveyard, it flew slowly but firmly toward Fu Qian.

Indeed, even though her sneer was directed at Li, the attack was squarely aimed at Sinner Excellency.

It couldn't be ruled out that this was simply because he stood the closest.

"What an excellent Chaos Arrow Technique."

Yet this sudden attack failed to make that aged face flinch in the slightest.

He even offered a word of high praise. The next moment, Fu Qian neither dodged nor retreated; he actually raised his hand as well.

Under the horrified gazes of the spectators, that bruised and blackened giant fist opened up, catching the fireball directly in its palm.

Boom!

An explosive tremor finally sounded.

Like flame and mist, the fireball detonated the instant the two connected.

However, the sight of its destruction was vastly different from White's earlier methods.

Dense and swirling, it looked as if numerous phantoms of evil spirits had overlapped. Following this transformation, they thrust out their claws, tearing in all directions.

At the same time, its speed seemed slow but was actually blindingly fast. Li, who was the closest, practically had to leap away just to barely dodge it.

Even so, the ground where he had just been standing looked as though it had been ploughed by the claws of evil spirits, leaving several long gouges.

"Sinner Excellency is truly extraordinary, easily blocking even this.

"To be cellmates and teammates with someone in the Demigod Realm is truly an honor."

Yet Li still couldn't make Ann spare him a second glance.

The latter scrutinized the completely unharmed Fu Qian, laughing cheerfully.

...

Look at this. This was the art of self-flattery.

The moment the title of Demigod Realm was brought up, there was no other sound except for Ann's laughter.

"Good eye."

Under the absolutely horrified stares of Jill and the others, Fu Qian, who hadn't taken a single step back, showed no modesty at all.

Those who ventured into the jianghu all valued the art of mutual flattery.

Her earlier words overtly acknowledged his strength, but by daring to actively provoke and evaluate someone in the Demigod Realm, her underlying implication was just as clear.

In light of this, Fu Qian didn't mind striking a pose and returning the compliment.

"Sinner Excellency..."

Faced with this exchange of flattery, the team members who had finally come to their senses were now calling him Excellency without any psychological burden.

"Not only did you keep your abilities, but accepting the curse promoted you to the Demigod Realm?"

However, without even seeking a second confirmation from Fu Qian, Jill muttered to herself as she sharply turned to Madam Ann, realizing that her earlier actions were purely to demonstrate her strength.

"I've said it more than once. That isn't a curse, but something far beyond your comprehension..."

It was hard to say whether Ann's tone at that moment was pleased or displeased, but she definitely held disdain for the group.

"Earlier, I had sunk into deep despair and stopped trying to resist. Yet it was exactly under those circumstances that I felt more.

"What's imposed upon you isn't just what's on your body, but something omnipresent. It's even a ritual you can't possibly fathom."

Another flurry of debris scattered down. Little remained of White's body, and even the Scarlet Angel gestated within it was centering around Ann, coiling and integrating into her.

The latter used her extra 'hand' to point all the way from that massive wall of ice deep into the prison.

...

Although she sounded too much like a cultist and her words hardly resembled human speech, to be honest, she had touched upon some essence of the truth.

As the eyes of Jill's group flickered wildly, straining to comprehend, Fu Qian was already agreeing with this statement.

It wasn't just the Crimson Frenzy on their bodies; there was a more holistic concept present in this prison.

The Scarlet Angel he had killed earlier had merged into it.

And this explained how Ann was able to achieve such an exaggerated transformation.

Truth be told, she was now at least at the Demigod Rank. Before the change, she was only at about the same level as Li.

What leveraged this ascension wasn't just that simple curse on her body, but something of a higher tier—like the 'ritual' she mentioned.

Of course, even so, Fu Qian didn't consider this a good thing.

Setting aside his own mission, when did free lunches ever drop from the sky?

It was clear that the others shared similar concerns.

They were, after all, worldly adults who had served time in prison. Even though they faintly understood Ann's meaning, Jill and her group still looked at each other, not rushing to speak.

"Of course, you can also be like White and join me, letting me show you that wonder."

Unfortunately, before they could figure out how to handle this opportunity, Madam Ann took the initiative in the next moment, offering to help.

"Then what about La Nina?"

Nodding and not letting this spirit of helpfulness go to waste, Fu Qian asked casually.

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