Eldritch Horror Theatre

Sure enough, neither mortals nor gods could stand being talked about.

Just a moment ago, when the issue of SAN Value arose, he had even used this God of Deception as an example. Barely any time had passed, and the deity had seemingly made a direct appearance.

That vile laughter was simply too classic. It was the sort that securely drew aggro without him even needing to show his face. One would be hard-pressed to mishear it even if they tried.

This was exactly why one couldn't let their thinking become rigid.

Who said that just because the crow feathers were gone, Ariel didn't have anyone else hiding on him?

Who said that just because Excellency Rom had revealed himself, there weren't other predators lurking behind him?

Indeed, Fu Qian's first reaction at that moment was that brother Ariel's body was a truly lively place.

He had, of course, personally experienced Excellency Patches's skills in concealment.

His ability to fool people was even more memorable.

So much so that the instant he realized who the laughter belonged to, Fu Qian's only question was what this particular predator planned to do.

After all, the gods might be struggling to survive to the point of blurring their allegiances, but it remained incredibly hard to believe that this trickster had come to help at Rom's invitation.

For one thing, there was no guarantee he wouldn't suddenly get a wild idea and pull off some outrageous maneuver.

For another, even if he dared to make such a guarantee, how thoroughly must Rom have lost his mind to seek out this kind of ally and believe that kind of promise?

Especially when he was already in an extremely weakened state himself.

Taking all this into account, Fu Qian judged that even if they were old acquaintances, there was a high probability that brother Patches simply couldn't be an ally to anyone.

As a result, his appearance this time instantly maxed out the anticipation.

As for why he had been laughing so happily just now, that was easy to understand—the banishment had been used on Fu Qian.

Excellency Rom, having endured silently all the way until now, finally brought out his trump card to seize the opportunity and take control of the situation in one fell swoop.

With Fu Qian becoming the target and drawing the fire, the threat to Patches had naturally decreased significantly, allowing him to witness the fun with far more ease.

Precisely because he considered this point, Fu Qian decisively halted his actions, playing his persona to the very end while conveniently entering spectator mode.

Of course, he couldn't rule out a certain possibility: that the laughter itself was Rom's delaying tactic to mislead him into not interfering.

To be honest, however, the conditions for that scenario were rather strict. After all, there really couldn't be many people capable of recognizing that laughter and finding it interesting enough to stay their hand.

Not to mention that imitating such a trickster who was always coming and going like a ghost could easily invite trouble instead.

It was precisely because of this judgment that Fu Qian showed his willingness to risk failing the task just a little, trading it for the chance to appreciate Excellency Patches's maneuvers, hoping the deity wouldn't disappoint him—

"Oh?"

Amidst this overly distinct posture, the one who had produced the laughter seemed slightly surprised.

"As you please."

In response, Fu Qian made an inviting gesture.

Since this person had laughed out loud so unrestrainedly, he obviously no longer needed to worry about startling Excellency Rom.

As for how Patches could sense something so acutely?

It was simple; that laugh hadn't been for nothing.

If someone had been watching his actions all along the way, anyone would conclude that his origins were incredibly mysterious.

Excellency Rom likely felt the same, if not more strongly. It was just that, limited by his conditions, the entity simply had no other choice.

In short, the very fact that Patches let out that laugh in this situation indicated that he suspected a few things, and he did it to test the reaction.

Naturally, Fu Qian taking a breath and exhaling it served the exact same purpose.

And now, a certain exchange had already been completed in silence.

"Heh heh... so it really is you. Should I be thankful for your trust?"

Sure enough, he opened with his aggro-drawing skill once again. Through that highly expressive laughter, Patches seemingly confirmed Fu Qian's identity.

"Yeah, so aren't you going to hurry up?"

Fu Qian didn't stand on ceremony. Urging him on directly, he even withdrew the Flame of Frenzy.

"Don't rush, it will be fast... heh heh, Excellency Rom is in quite the hurry..."

Clearly understanding what Fu Qian was referring to, Patches was apparently quite appreciative of his spectator mindset. Amidst successive cheap laughs, he signaled that they should respect the subjective initiative of the party involved.

And as if responding to his words, in the very next moment, the Statue of the Goddess of Sins suddenly collapsed with a thunderous crash.

...

A monstrous crime.

For such a scene to occur within the Sacred Hall was undoubtedly provoking the wrath of gods and men.

That graceful and voluptuous body, which even the Solitary King had only dared to stroke gently, was now snapped clean in half at the chest.

Even the head that plummeted to the ground seemed to have lost its durability, shattering into pieces upon impact.

Accompanying this, the familiar Thorns of Sin spilled all over the floor from every fracture on the Statue, rapidly sweeping outward in every direction.

His Excellency the Solitary King, who was nestled affectionately against it, naturally bore the brunt of the strike.

Roar—

From the beginning until now, this was the very first time the latter had made a sound.

Though it was hard to say how much of an intelligent being's sentiment was held within, Fu Qian still seemed able to discern that this roar stemmed not from pain, but from endless fury.

Coupled with the petals and shattered stones raining down around them, the whole scene looked even more tragic.

And this emotion reached its peak when he reached out, ignoring the numerous thorns tearing at his body, to pick up the shattered half of the goddess's head.

Pulling it tightly into his embrace, a peculiar sound subsequently echoed all over his body.

Crying. Every part of him was crying.

The most striking was the half of his face that looked like an infant. Amidst its whimpers, it was actually tearing itself away from that body bit by bit.

Other parts were also mutating into various shapes, directly shifting from live birth to reproduction by division.

Woo...

Under these circumstances, the legitimate one that had originally been in his stomach actually stopped making a sound.

The same went for its movements. For a moment, the area around his lower abdomen became the most stable point on this body, as if it were trying its hardest to compose itself and delay the collapse.

Boom—

However, lasting for no more than the span of a single breath, this power seemed to suddenly reverse, transforming into its polar opposite and wildly accelerating the process.

The fragile balance was instantly broken. Unrestrained, the body finally exploded with a deafening blast.

Depravity, madness, bloodlust... a scorching heat born from the mixture of far too many things swept across everything in that instant, thoroughly annihilating this magnificent architecture.

And within the endless thicket of thorns, a stroke of brilliant spectacle subsequently appeared—

Like a flower bud that could no longer hold itself closed, at that moment, every single fragment of the Solitary King's body welcomed the ultimate unfurling and blooming.

Layer upon layer, in a posture that was both separated yet unified, it blossomed into a gorgeous flower beyond the descriptive capacity of language.

"Watch closely, do not miss this moment."

Patches's voice transmitted over in sync. One could almost picture him staring intently, wholeheartedly savoring this beautiful scene.

Did he even need to say it?

Naturally, Fu Qian held nothing back either. Even burdened with zero perception, he still refused to let a single detail slip by, completely ignoring the notification chiming in his mind.

[Current task complete. Designation 1-423 Containment successful.]

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