Eldritch Horror Theatre

An interesting technique. It rendered one as powerless as if they had encountered a natural predator.

Of course, Fu Qian wasn't the one who had attacked, though he didn't lift a finger to help, either.

The sudden shift happened in less than a breath. Through it all, Fu Qian simply sat there, quietly observing the developments.

Catherine was still frozen mid-turn. Right now, her entire body gave the impression of prey firmly entangled in invisible silk.

A strange luster was even beginning to shimmer across her skin.

It was as if a greedy devourer might crawl out the next second and swallow her whole, just as she had done to others.

And it seemed there really was.

Fu Qian remained silent, shifting his gaze to the shadows in a certain corner.

At first glance, it appeared empty. But putting himself in the shoes of a hunter, Fu Qian considered it a prime spot for an ambush.

His subtle shift in focus still drew a reaction.

In that moment, something expanded within the darkness.

Was this... a web?

Since Catherine had long since lost her mobility, Fu Qian naturally knew this new attack was aimed directly at him.

Even then, he didn't react, merely watching quietly as the thing unfurled before him.

Unlike the previous ambush, a mass visible to the naked eye had actually been thrown out.

The grayish-white cluster appeared practically weightless. The moment it appeared, it rapidly expanded, indiscriminately covering the entire area before him.

It truly resembled a web. Its octagonal structure and radial primary threads easily brought to mind a certain creature called a spider.

Even though it seemed to exist in another dimension and hadn't actually clung to anything, Fu Qian still felt a sluggishness; his movements were slightly hindered.

Catherine fared far worse. Under its cover, her already stiff body seemed to lose its weight, beginning to sway to a peculiar rhythm.

"I know it's easier to eat like this, but she might be a little shy."

Taking in the scene, Fu Qian casually pointed at Catherine and finally broke the silence.

...

Cobwebs, predation... some things carried far too strong a sense of déjà vu, easily bringing an old acquaintance to mind.

Spider Silk Queen Akasha. In a certain nonexistent history, he had even accepted a token she gave him.

And as everyone knew, the waitress Catherine's most iconic identity was as a blood slave raised by Akasha for feeding.

"You seem a little shy too. Relax, I prefer eating the food here rather than the service staff."

When a brief wait yielded no response, Fu Qian added another line, emphasizing that she didn't need to worry about him stealing her food.

Mentioning her shyness was perfectly reasonable. In his memories, Akasha had never been this low-key.

Back then, she hadn't just given him a token—she had even covered him in sticky white fluid during their very first meeting.

Yet now, faced with an invitation, she was actually playing hide-and-seek.

That's right, this was an invitation.

Not having seen each other for days, treating an old friend to a meal was perfectly normal, right?

Given Catherine's previous state, anyone with a shred of reason wouldn't expect her to spill any valuable information.

For Fu Qian, letting the Lord go and bringing her here—along with the conversation they just had—had always been secondary.

Catherine was the Spider Silk Queen's blood slave. That had always been the crucial point.

It had already been proven during the mission that Akasha could seemingly sense what happened to her free-range food.

The reason she had attacked him back then was that she had rushed over right after Catherine lost control, stumbling right into his confrontation with Ballard.

As for the reborn Catherine, although he wasn't sure if that connection remained, it still seemed worth trying to use such a delicious piece of bait for an invitation.

It was worth noting that Akasha was clearly a rather special figure in Unseen Hill.

Her self-positioning was very clear: an evil, bloodthirsty supervillain.

Yet her relationship with Ballard and the Prophet was evidently quite close; she was even drafted for missions.

If he wanted to establish contact with the Justice Faction, or even verify the Prophet's situation, going through her was obviously a viable choice.

It was exactly this train of thought that had led to his subsequent series of moves.

And things seemed to be going smoothly. His old friend had indeed answered the call, just acting a little overly cautious.

Rustle...

In reality, there had been no sound. The trembling of the 'spider web' merely forced one's mind to supply the sound effects.

At a glance, it looked as if a figure had slipped through the web along with the movement, diving into another shadow.

The sluggishness grew stronger.

Fu Qian looked down at his own hand. It had actually begun to take on a strange luster, similar to the one on Catherine's body.

"Are you a bit embarrassed to have an audience while you eat?"

It was practically a blatant attack, yet he still paid it no mind, even appearing understanding.

"I've heard of such things. In that case, I'll step out first. Do as you please."

It wasn't just talk. The very next moment, Fu Qian stood up and walked straight toward the exit.

Clack!

Though he stopped after just one step, he saw Spikes materializing one after another in his path, blocking the way.

"These Spikes are a little chilly."

Naturally, he wasn't going to get pricked. In that moment, Fu Qian stared at the lethal weapons at his feet and muttered to himself.

"You aren't going anywhere... neither of you."

Those words seemed to flip a switch. A cold voice spoke up in the next moment.

...

Compared to Akasha, she was severely lacking in enthusiasm.

Fu Qian turned around and looked at the spot where he had just been sitting.

Catherine still stood blankly to the side, but her previously empty seat was now occupied by a 'person.'

At least by Fu Qian's standards, he felt they could be classified as such.

Her figure was nowhere near as voluptuous as Akasha's; it could even be called somewhat frail.

And beneath a head of flowing, aqua-blue hair was a face that wasn't entirely human.

In all fairness, she wasn't ugly. It was just that the multiple fangs protruding from beneath her lips instantly reminded him of a certain bad-tempered member of the Justice Faction—Crystal, was it?

Recalling the figure who had once frozen him into a block of ice, Fu Qian relied on his cross-species aesthetics to quickly link the face before him with the white-mist-shrouded ice wolf.

That explained it. How could Akasha be so bashful about showing her face?

"Welcome, welcome."

Though covered by his mask, Fu Qian still revealed a smile of reunion and actively answered the Crystal Demigod's decree by sitting back down.

The wrong person? No, it was exactly the right person.

Akasha was merely a mix of good and evil, but the one before him was so righteous she was downright sinister.

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