Eldritch Horror Theatre

The same trick was useless against a Saint.

But a true Saint also had to know how to make someone step into the same trap twice.

Like right now.

Fu Qian actually wasn't entirely certain he would be attacked.

Because right now, the motives of the two attackers—who were all but confirmed to be the Marr Brothers—for appearing here remained complicated and bewildering.

Normally speaking, what was the point of running back to defend their base at a time like this?

The Night Watchers had already discovered the location. Since they couldn't relocate it, why pull this kind of hostile stunt?

No one was stupid enough to challenge the Night Watchers in a contest of retaliation, right?

Even in the best-case scenario—using their home-field advantage to surprise and kill a few High Tiers—it was obvious what kind of bitter days the Origin Council would face afterward.

He had never underestimated Excellency Kelin, but Fu Qian still leaned toward the idea that an undertaking of this scale was simply too large for her to handle.

In short, because their motives were unclear, it was impossible to know whether the Marr Brothers planned to leave or stay.

Would they keep tangling with the three of them, or take the opportunity to cause trouble for Ah Kai and his group?

But a true expert never relied solely on definitive information to make a decision.

Fu Qian was fairly confident that as long as they hadn't left, he was still their most likely target. That was why he had just coordinated with Su Gao once more—

The exact same reassurance not to worry, the exact same trap inviting the gentleman into the urn.

And just like that, the Marr Brothers made their magnificent reappearance.

Of course, all of this was built on one foundation: his confidence in Classmate Su Gao's strength.

He believed she could block the Marr Brothers' sneak attack single-handedly.

After all, a lion uses its full strength even to hunt a rabbit. The "golden opportunity" for a sneak attack they had won by cleverly exploiting human weakness definitely required them to strike together to ensure maximum certainty of success.

And if Su Gao couldn't stop them, he would be forced to kill them right in front of Excellency Stoss.

Fortunately, she never disappointed, and she didn't give him the chance to commit such a sin.

...

"Leave it to me."

It even seemed that Classmate Su Gao wouldn't need to commit any more slaughter either.

Excellency Stoss reacted even faster this time; the very next moment, he had already rushed up and shouted out.

As a result, Su Gao, who had just successfully inflicted heavy damage on the attackers, didn't take a single extra step. She instantly retreated to her original position and resumed her watch.

The gap in experience was starkly demonstrated in that moment. It was obvious she would never fall for the trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain.

She abandoned the chance to finish off the critically wounded enemies without hesitation, turning instead to calmly admire a Tier 2's methods alongside Expert Fu.

To Fu Qian, these methods were even seemingly familiar.

Faster than Stoss's figure was an inconspicuous speck of blazing white light that flew out from his body.

It seemed to lack mass, yet resembled a compressed sun, radiating a sense of endless, scorching heat from within.

Fu Qian had genuinely felt it before.

Back at the Unseen Hill, when the Night Watchers Squad flawlessly coordinated to execute him, this was the exact final resort they had used.

The stinging thrill of it was still fresh in his memory.

It was obvious that the Old Man was genuinely furious.

In his vision, the speck of light had already submerged into the void at a moderate speed.

Boom—

And at a certain instant, it unleashed a terrifying shockwave from within the unseen.

Although he didn't witness the scene with his own eyes, Fu Qian still felt the shockwave cross boundaries and forcefully seep through. The entire ship felt as though it had been jolted by a massive wave.

"They haven't left. We're still their target."

However, Stoss, who had caused this commotion, didn't press the attack. He simply stood not far from Fu Qian and Su Gao, frowning as he scrutinized a certain spot.

"Neither of them left, but I can't track them anymore."

Su Gao softly added in response to his statement.

...

Both of them still being here was hard to classify as good or bad, but it was at least good news for Ah Kai and the others.

At Su Gao's addition, Excellency Stoss finally withdrew his gaze and glanced at her, his expression growing a bit more complicated.

He had clearly been confident that his final strike had dealt substantial damage. Yet afterward, let alone a corpse, he hadn't even caught a trace of them.

This made him—who had just confidently shouted to take over the battlefield—look somewhat awkward for a moment.

In contrast, the battle record of this newly advanced Demigod Realm combatant was simply too exaggerated.

Not only had she coordinated with the operations advisor to bait them out once more, but she had actually fought them one against two and made one of them pay a heavy price.

The Power of Echo, terrifying to this degree.

That last part was Fu Qian's inner sigh.

Observing Old Man Stoss's reaction, he completely understood the shock the man was feeling.

Those were top-tier assassins capable of inevitably cleaving open his mind with a single sword strike, even when he was in his Blood Crusade State.

If the Marr Brothers had heard anything about Su Gao's past battle records, they should have been doubly careful when deploying their methods in front of her a second time.

Their robust flesh and exaggerated stealth automatically became less effective after they had engaged her once.

He had seen it clearly just now. When Classmate Su Gao unleashed her last three sword strikes, a blood-like streamer had coated her blade, faintly coalescing into the shape of Spikes.

In essence, it was just a visual manifestation of the Transcendent Tier, but it was precisely this change that had rendered the Marr Brothers' robust bodies fragile.

Fu Qian leaned toward the idea that this wasn't some special enchantment Su Gao normally used, but rather an automatic countermeasure generated after their brief prior clash. It was simply unreasonable to the extreme.

"Since they didn't leave before, it's possible they still haven't left now."

Aside from figuring out what people were thinking, providing reference suggestions was also an operations advisor's duty.

Having thoughtfully given Excellency Stoss a second to process his shock, Fu Qian offered this reminder in the very next moment.

...

It was a simple truth, but one easily overlooked.

"Are you trying to say they might be trapped here with us? Because this ship is another force we've disturbed?"

His attention instantly shifting back to the current situation, Stoss gave a slight nod.

"That's just a more optimistic possibility. Even if that is the case, I lean toward the idea that they understand this ship much better than we do and are far more adept at utilizing it—such as using this ability of coming and going like a ghost to hide."

Not blindly agreeing, Fu Qian gestured toward the spot where blood had spurted earlier.

Hmm...

He was obviously contemplating Fu Qian's statement. However, before the Old Man could even express his agreement, a shocking change suddenly occurred in their field of vision.

Rough yet pliant, densely packed ropes wriggled like snakes. Emerging indiscriminately from above their heads and below their feet, they drilled out of every visible crevice.

It was as if they were automatically drawn to the three of them. Every rope tip pointed toward their direction from afar, "looking" over as they swayed.

The sky brightened drastically.

In just the blink of an eye, the intensity of the light in their vision had surged explosively.

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