Eldritch Horror Theatre

To be honest, judging by past experience, the Flexible Skull was much like its namesake material—the gentlest of the Fallen Star Clan's Sacred Relics.

According to Frankie's earlier explanation, the sole effect of wearing it was to seal away a specific segment of memory, sparing the user from distress.

When it was put back on later, one could not only relive those old memories but also share them with others.

In theory, then, the Female Magnate's actions weren't particularly dangerous.

The main reason for Frankie's exaggerated reaction was the timing.

With the constant anomalies, relentless pressure, and everyone's nerves on the verge of snapping, watching someone nearby suddenly lose their mind and do something incomprehensible was indeed deeply jarring.

Especially since the Female Magnate didn't react at all to his reflexive roar.

Of course, her demeanor couldn't be called calm, either.

Judging by her earlier behavior, it was hard to imagine she was even capable of making such an expression.

Looking at her, though, it was hard to tell what was causing that agony.

Or why she seemed to be desperately trying to put the skull on while simultaneously doing everything she could to stop herself.

That's right—Fu Qian could clearly sense the contradiction radiating from the Female Magnate in that moment.

Her muscles were taut, beads of sweat poured down her skin, and even the left and right halves of her face seemed to be acting independently of each other.

It was as if there were currently two drivers inside her body.

From the looks of it, however, the will attempting to put the skull on held the upper hand for now.

Under Frankie and Xia's horrified gazes, the skull was finally forced down, bit by bit, onto the Female Magnate's head.

"Get out! Are you crazy?"

Almost the instant it was on, before Frankie and Xia could even react, the Female Magnate roared, her voice brimming with grief and indignation.

...

So there really was someone else?

The Female Magnate's reaction was nothing short of bizarre.

But for Fu Qian, who had already anticipated this, it was very easy to understand.

In his view, that roar was full of genuine emotion; the probability of her cracking a joke just to lighten the mood was exceedingly slim.

Something was occupying her body? She had noticed it, and resorted to this method to fight it off?

It seemed they were witnessing another function of the Flexible Skull.

Additionally, it seemed someone else had noticed it even earlier than the victim—

Fu Qian glanced at the Witch.

"Very unusual."

She gave a simple nod, confirming she had indeed just noticed the anomaly.

"Save me..."

The commotion in the next moment echoed the Witch's statement perfectly.

Following the Female Magnate's roar, Frankie and Xia, who had originally rushed forward, were clearly intimidated into stopping.

Just as they halted their steps, another voice unexpectedly emerged.

Although this voice also came from the Female Magnate's head, it sounded different, originating from the surface layer.

On the surface of the donned skull, another set of facial contours had surprisingly appeared. Its expression was just as full of struggle as the voice.

"Dead Star?"

Though it was just a few words, they were enough to make Frankie and Xia freeze once again.

"Where did you go? Why would you perform a Descent upon one of our own? How did you do it?"

Madam Xia's reflexes ultimately proved superior, and she fired off a Three-Stage Questioning in the very next breath.

...

So it really was one of the Big Four performing a Descent upon their own kind?

Fu Qian recalled hearing the name Dead Star just a moment ago; he was the very person missing from the earlier discussion.

According to what Frankie and the others had said, the man had vanished without a trace, leaving everyone feeling imperiled.

And now he had actually returned on his own? Even though this method was...

Fu Qian naturally remembered the Fallen Star Clan's Descent ability very clearly.

He had even witnessed it firsthand when they used Esther as bait earlier.

Within a certain range, they could temporarily take over someone else's body at will—an utterly overbearing power.

As for the source of this ability, its core element was naturally the non-reality essence of this place. Beyond that, Fu Qian believed it likely stemmed from their special status within the Nightmare.

The superiority complex of the Fallen Star Clan wasn't entirely unfounded. Second only to the Proxy, they were likely the group most closely aligned with the essence of this Nightmare's power.

However, judging by Madam Xia's reaction, it seemed they couldn't perform a Descent upon one another so easily—which explained her final question.

"I don't care what happened to you. Get out right now! Leave completely!"

Unfortunately, as the direct victim, it was obviously hard for the Female Magnate to maintain any composure.

Without waiting for Dead Star to respond, she continued her roaring.

What was special this time was that the voice was actually coming from the skull on her face as well.

"Save me, quickly save me..."

The response she received was the complete opposite, shifting to beneath the skull.

...

So it seemed this Sacred Relic wasn't omnipotent either. It only offered slight resistance against the Descent state; it couldn't directly separate the intruder.

Watching the Female Magnate's struggle, Fu Qian quickly drew a conclusion.

It wasn't surprising. If it were truly that effective, she could have just worn it to separate the intruder and then torn the mask off. She wouldn't be wasting her breath trying to negotiate.

Even so, the Female Magnate's reaction had been impressively swift.

Coupled with Xia and Frankie's obvious shock at this method of Descent, it made him wonder if the Female Magnate had prior experience in this area—or if Dead Star's choice of her hadn't been random at all.

"It's going to be too late... quickly save me..."

Unfortunately, neither party involved had any intention of answering Xia's questions.

Cursed at by the Female Magnate, Dead Star only continued to call for help; his situation sounded quite dire.

"A very unusual place. Even in this state, it is still difficult to grasp."

Amidst the fierce dispute on the side, the Witch finally spoke up, confirming the situation with Fu Qian.

It was obvious she was using Dead Star's Descent to pinpoint a location she hadn't been able to touch before.

And it sounded even more mysterious and elusive than the Mind Sea of Death.

Of course, this wasn't a bad thing.

The facts proved that the Four Giants of the Fallen Star hadn't disappointed his expectations after all, helping them explore something special.

Moreover, the 'special' nature of this place didn't just refer to it being difficult to grasp.

Although the Witch hadn't finished locking on, it was clear that she noticed the anomaly on the Female Magnate the very moment after she disseminated the Dark Moon's power.

There was reason to suspect that it was precisely this shift that allowed Dead Star, who was desperately seeking a way to survive, to seize his opportunity.

If this hypothesis held true, then given such an instantaneous response, was it possible that the place trapping Dead Star was sensitive to the Dark Moon's power?

"Found it."

Right in the midst of Fu Qian's brainstorming, the Witch's voice quickly echoed again, and his hand was grasped once more.

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