Eldritch Horror Theatre

So the devil really was in the details. The situation surrounding that ancient entity had just gotten even more bizarre.

When Master Yuhun appeared in Melia's identity, his overall behavior had been perfectly natural.

Even his subsequent adjustment of his Rank to intimidate Fu Qian had been flawless.

In that atmosphere, stopping at Tier 2 rather than pushing higher had made his mockery and disdain all the more obvious.

But looking at it now, was it possible he hadn't just chosen not to push higher, but simply couldn't?

The theory that "Melia doesn't actually exist" seemed to carry more weight by the second.

To sum it up: the Ancient Higher Being Melia still had an honorific name, authority, symbols... even her dependent domain. Yet more than one piece of evidence proved that she herself did not exist.

Even with her legacy digested by Master Yuhun and inherited by Fu Qian himself, the moment he advanced to Tier 1, that essence would be lost... wasn't that restriction a little too strict?

At that moment, Fu Qian clicked his tongue in wonder.

The entire Bookstore World simply did not permit a "Tier 1 or higher Melia" to exist.

Was she locked away, just like the Nightmare Corridor?

No, it was different even from that.

For beings like Yarakiel, absolutely nothing—not even their honorific names—could seep out.

But in Melia's case, everything else was still present, save for the very source of it all: the existential essence of the Snow Tree Goddess.

How was that even accomplished?

"Professor Rob, give me the mushroom in your pocket."

As his thoughts raced, Fu Qian's expression remained unreadable as he casually gestured to the side.

...

Huh?

Rob, who had been holding his breath the entire time, instantly became the center of attention.

Still, he had seen his fair share of storms. Now that he had a task to do, his shock actually gave way to a sliver of composure.

He quickly fished out an item and handed it over. Without a single word, Rob retreated back into that agonizing state of anticipation.

The Mimic Mushroom was actually packed quite securely, but one didn't even need eyes to know it was there—the smell alone gave it away.

Fu Qian took it with his free hand, resting it on his open palm to quietly inspect it.

It made sense that Rob was carrying it. After all, there were relevant remnants left at the incident scene, and bringing them along for verification was necessary.

Encouragingly, despite everything it must have gone through, the mushroom's overall condition was still fine...

Fu Qian still did not lower his Rank. Soon, in his abstracted vision, a distinct conceptual link manifested between the mushroom and the Snow Tree Leaves in his respective hands—but it had nothing to do with him.

This change undoubtedly further proved that he had lost the identity of Melia.

That wasn't even the only conclusion—was the Fungal Emperor truly the same person as Melia?

This sight undoubtedly provided faint confirmation of a theory he already held.

Namely, why he hadn't seen even a shadow of the Emperor when he fought his way to the very end last time.

Because, just like Melia, "He" was "impermissible" to exist.

Things were starting to make sense.

Though this meant there were still two more questions. First, why was Melia also the Fungal Emperor?

The nature of the two felt quite different; even classifying them by biological taxonomy, they differed at the very level of their "kingdom."

Was Melia not only mysterious but also this chaotic in nature?

As for the second question: what exactly was it that "did not permit" her existence?

...

An Ancient Higher Being with a name and symbols, with a Miracle like "Meria's Resurrection" circulating, and whose alternate identity, the Fungal Emperor, possessed the ability to poison the King of the Abandoned Prison.

What could possibly forbid the existence of such an entity?

The probability that she had wanted to hide herself wasn't high either. With so many things still circulating out there, the only thing missing was her "existential essence"—had it run off to another world, just like the core of the Law?

That seemed like the easiest possibility to think of.

The moment the term "existential essence" came up, this was practically Fu Qian's very first association.

But Melia's Miracle was clearly still effective; he had seen it himself in that apocalypse.

Although it was hard to say right now, and one couldn't make an absolute judgment based on this, it still felt like the authority belonging to her actually remained in this world.

If that wasn't the case, what other powerful force could achieve this "impermissible existence" from the outside?

Wait a minute. There actually was a precedent he could reference.

At that moment, Fu Qian looked up, as if gazing into the infinite heights.

He truly was gazing into the infinite heights, because a Red Moon was silently watching from up there.

Perhaps this was fate?

The first time he opened the Burial Scroll, the Red Moon hadn't been looking this way, but this time it seemed he had caught it right on cue.

And even though it did nothing but hang there silently, at that moment, it still helped provide a train of thought—

Melia was impermissible to exist, while the Red Moon seemed permitted to exist only as a moon?

The degree might have differed slightly, but this overbearing tyranny that looked down upon Deities truly possessed a striking similarity.

Things were indeed sliding perfectly into place. Was he just overthinking it?

If not, the extreme caution of entities like the Blazing Rainbow became much more understandable... It seemed mortals weren't the only ones struggling in confusion.

So how should he verify these thoughts? There was no rush.

It was about time. Resources should still be allocated more toward saving people first.

Taking a deep breath, Fu Qian still didn't lower his profile; on the contrary, in that instant, his Rank surged to its absolute peak.

"Get out."

Even as he carefully reined in his own presence to avoid driving Rob insane on the spot, he unceremoniously kicked them out.

Though they didn't understand what was happening, the professors obviously wouldn't disobey, and they practically sprinted out the door.

The next moment, with the true might of a Tyrant, Fu Qian locked onto the Snow Tree Leaves, the mushroom, and "this room"—which was resonating with them under the influence of Melia's favor...

In short, the entire Melia Plate. Then, the Calamity Eyes snapped wildly open.

Boom—

And then erupted.

If he couldn't find the person, then how about trying to completely forbid the "Melia" element, making it so this place was no longer her dependent domain?

If even this provoked no reaction, only then would it prove to some extent that Professor Ah Kai's disappearance had nothing to do with the name "Melia," and that his earlier theories were wrong.

...

"You can come back in."

Having barely just stepped out, Rob's group—who hadn't even dared to look—immediately received the summons to return.

Faced with Demigod Might, they naturally didn't dare complain, hurriedly scurrying back inside.

Ah Kai...

The moment they stepped through the door, the eyes of Rob's group were drawn to an extra figure on the floor.

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