Eldritch Horror Theatre

Professor Ah Kai's research was certainly yielding results.

Even standing a short distance away, Fu Qian could feel the destructive power radiating from the scythe.

Its sheer oppressive weight rivaled the dread the ship itself had instilled so far.

Even a Demigod like Ai Ke likely couldn't pull off such a feat. The only plausible explanation was that Professor Ah Kai had triggered a Miracle.

However, the manifestation of this particular Miracle was decidedly unfriendly.

In the blink of an eye, the scythe swept outward with unstoppable momentum, obliterating everything in its path.

Amber, pillars, bulkheads... everything within its radius was sheared clean in half.

And that radius was constantly expanding. With every rotation, the scythe grew a fraction longer.

"Impossible..."

"I was attempting a completely different Miracle, one that should have had minimal impact on the surroundings. I have no idea why it turned into this..."

That, I actually believe.

Just catching up to them, Fu Qian eyed the ever-expanding zone of destruction, not doubting the professor's claim.

An unrestrained approach to research was one thing under normal circumstances, but in a highly dangerous situation like this, operating alongside the Night Watchers, Professor Ah Kai wouldn't act so recklessly.

Moreover, neither of them seemed to have noticed the commotion happening above.

"Is there a way to stop it?"

Excellency Stoss clearly didn't have much faith in the discipline of Academy professors. However, after glancing at Ai Ke—who offered no response—he decisively dropped the issue and immediately focused on damage control.

"Hard to say. I can only try bit by bit—"

Unfortunately, Professor Ah Kai lacked confidence in his own answer. He stared at the spinning blade with a bitter expression before his gaze suddenly froze.

"Why did it suddenly get so bright?"

...

So they just didn't notice it right away?

Looking at Ai Ke, who vaguely shared the same expression, Fu Qian easily reached a conclusion: their time was up as well.

The fact that the two of them had been able to peacefully conduct their research earlier proved that the sudden flare of light hadn't affected them. It had solely targeted the three troublemakers up above.

Unfortunately, now that the boundary had been breached, they couldn't escape the collateral fury.

"Now what is that?"

Before the solemn-faced Old Man could even explain, Ah Kai cried out again.

Along the edge of the scythe's destructive path, something was slipping out from the gaps between the wooden floorboards. A snow-white... Feather?

Beyond just its color, its shape was identical to the massive swarm up above.

Yet, as it drifted out, seemingly buoyed by the air itself, its swaying, wobbling motion was eerily reminiscent of a fish swimming in water.

Not only that, but it was steadily "swimming" straight toward the scythe.

When the blade swept past a moment later, the Feather wasn't shredded. Instead, it drifted lightly and clung directly to the scythe.

"There are more above."

Ai Ke finally spoke up, pointing at a Feather drifting down from above.

In the blink of an eye, it too began to swim through the air like a fish, heading straight for the scythe.

And there were more...

But the others had already noticed them, even without her warning.

A scene eerily reminiscent of the ropes on the upper deck began to unfold. Centered around the scythe's radius, Feathers emerged from every single gap and crevice, regardless of their size. Swimming like fish, they surged into the zone of destruction like moths to a flame.

The scythe was quickly smothered, its original color entirely hidden beneath the mass. A myriad of Feathers began to flutter and dance around it, creating a striking visual spectacle.

And a physical impact as well.

Sensing a chaotic tremor pulsing through the ship's hull, Fu Qian turned his head and spotted a face dark enough to drip water.

"The ship seems to be destabilizing."

Clearly, Old Man Stoss had also felt the intense vibrations racking the ship ever since the Feathers appeared.

It wasn't just a simple shaking. It was a fundamental, manic instability—like a wild beast losing control of itself after a source of destruction had taken root inside its body.

"I can't sense a way out.

"Even when we were up above earlier, the only thing I could sense was the barrier separating us from this lower deck."

As Stoss turned to look at Su Gao, who was standing at the rear, she shook her head.

...

"Did something go wrong?"

The brief exchange carried a lot of heavy implications. Suddenly on high alert, Ai Ke immediately asked.

"The situation is spinning out of control. We need to leave, now."

Giving a curt explanation, Old Man Stoss had evidently made his decision.

As he felt the ever-intensifying tremors rocking the area, a scorching, sun-like point of light materialized in his palm once more.

"It looks like we can't stop that thing for now."

However, after their recent consecutive cooperative efforts, he finally seemed to place some importance on the operations advisor's input.

Under the poorly concealed surprise of Ai Ke and Ah Kai, Stoss didn't immediately hurl the light in his hand. Instead, he first sought to confirm his thoughts with Fu Qian.

"Yes."

Fu Qian nodded.

"Those two are most likely still watching us."

"I thought as much."

"Even for me, the brightness of that light—which represents the severity of the distortion—is nearing the levels described in your reports. If we are affected too deeply, recovery might be impossible."

Through their brief exchange, Stoss freely admitted that his own condition was also a cause for concern.

"It's about the same for me."

Surveying the scene before him, Fu Qian agreed that his own perception was similar.

"Then our best bet is to stick to the original plan. We'll give this ship another jolt to create an opening for our escape, even if it means destroying this place.

"We can't afford to be overly optimistic anymore. Even if we somehow manage to hold out for what would be three days in the outside world, it will still take them time to find people and mount a rescue."

Clearly having given it careful thought, the Old Man quickly laid out his analysis. The next moment, he took a step forward, his eyes locked onto the spinning scythe, which was gradually beginning to slow down.

"Not necessarily."

However, at this hair-trigger moment, Fu Qian voiced a disagreement for the very first time.

...

"What do you mean? You think they'll arrive in time?"

Abruptly reeling his foot back in, the Old Man didn't mind the sudden interruption that had nearly thrown out his back. He just looked at Fu Qian with a puzzled expression.

"No, I just think your hope of holding out for three days is a bit too optimistic. Chief Yuan and the others probably haven't even considered mounting a rescue yet."

Shaking his head, Fu Qian offered an even more pessimistic perspective.

"I have a special trick for keeping time. Less than twelve hours might have passed in the outside world."

And he provided his reasoning.

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