Eldritch Horror Theatre

There was a difference between one kind of darkness and another.

Without waiting for the two behind him to finish their exchange, Fu Qian quickly crossed the boundary of the Ash Descent.

Though nothing particularly bizarre occurred, the visual impact of that moment was striking.

It was night on both sides, but while one could at least evoke faint thoughts of nightlife, the other inspired nothing but boundless reverie about the afterlife.

The spread wasn't particularly fast, but it had undoubtedly already swallowed quite a few people.

The surrounding population density wasn't particularly high, but the bar's location served as a decent point of ignition—

It provided ample kindling, wouldn't immediately draw the attention of too many demigods, and wasn't too far from the Prophet's location. He believed it would soon expand over there.

Furthermore, out on the periphery, he wasn't the only one to witness this drastic change.

However, the residents of Unseen Hill did not scatter in a panic.

As expected. Had the torment following the Prophet's disappearance dragged on for too long?

He felt no urge to mock their apathy. On the contrary, Fu Qian completely understood their reaction in that moment.

When the courage to pursue "freedom" was repeatedly crushed without success, it would inevitably warp and ferment into something else.

Actually, the most brilliant part was that the outcomes of both choices vaguely looked the same.

"Why the rush to leave?"

Unfortunately, not everyone thought that way. The next moment, an erratic voice drifted over, sounding as though it had been waiting a long time.

Without even waiting for Fu Qian to respond, the towering spire of a nearby building suddenly snapped.

Then, as if yanked by some invisible force, the behemoth plummeted straight toward him.

...

Fu Qian's pace wasn't slow, but the incoming projectile had undoubtedly locked onto him perfectly.

If both maintained their current trajectories, the spire would pierce precisely through his chest.

Even when Fu Qian suddenly shifted his rhythm the next moment, the outcome didn't change; it remained firmly locked onto him.

Crack!

Fu Qian made no further evasive maneuvers. Instead, he simply reached out and caught the tip of the spire right as it reached his chest.

Although its density wasn't low, its material was still ordinary.

Neutralizing its momentum was naturally no problem for Fu Qian, but logically speaking, such a blunt stop should have caused the structure to instantly disintegrate—unless Fu Qian had used more than just one hand.

In that instant, a multitude of tentacles erupted from his arm, bracing the incoming object from every direction.

The distribution of force was so precise that it left the structure completely intact.

"Thank you, but this is far too generous a gift."

Even after pulling off such an astonishing maneuver, Fu Qian didn't forget to thank his benefactor for the tip.

Even now, he could only hear the voice without seeing the person, and the voice itself sounded completely unfamiliar.

But the attacker was definitely waiting for him. Fu Qian was certain they hadn't mistaken him for someone else.

Or rather, the other party had simply been waiting for a demigod to emerge from the Ash Descent, regardless of who it was.

It was perfectly normal for the commotion caused by the Ash Descent to be noticed. Lacking the courage to investigate inside, yet wanting to keep tabs on the situation—that was a very standard course of action.

"Is that so? You're quite welcome."

Seemingly surprised by Fu Qian's politeness, the interceptor fell silent for a moment before speaking again, their voice still echoing from all directions.

Simultaneously, amid a series of deafening booms, several more massive shadows hurtled toward him, continuing their attempt to make Fu Qian stay.

Boom!

Spawning a few more tentacles to catch them was naturally no problem for Fu Qian, but since there was no reward without merit, he refrained from doing something so dull and opted to perform a little trick on the spot.

The captured spire abruptly reversed direction and, in the next instant, shot forward at terrifying speed, instantly crushing a shivering figure not far away.

'Hmph, an insignificant skill, yet you still thought you could escape this seat's Vision Radar?'

...

To be fair, the disguise was quite good, and there was some actual strategy involved.

Instead of hiding and playing hide-and-seek, the attacker had completely altered their appearance and stood out in the open while suppressing their aura as much as possible.

Unfortunately for them, not only was Fu Qian immune to the bad habit of preconceived notions, but this also happened to be his area of expertise.

He didn't even need to strain to spot them; under the Vision Radar, this fellow was glaringly conspicuous.

In short, they had made a grave error in judgment. They really should have chosen to go inside and investigate instead.

After all, in Fu Qian's estimation, while the Ash Descent might have had some negative effects on demigods, it wouldn't have been nearly as fatal as the situation they were in now.

"Sorry—"

Fu Qian casually swatted the new projectiles aside. By the time they plunged into the street, the spire had already shattered into pieces.

The submerged figure proved just as tenacious as expected, darting out from the rubble in a spray of blood and immediately blurting out a plea for peace.

Unfortunately, they didn't even get the chance to finish their sentence before their body was torn apart by three invisible impacts.

Fu Qian didn't have the slightest interest in chatting; he simply followed up with Air Bullets and sent the attacker straight to the grave.

The apology might have been sincere, but their reaction to the current situation practically meant that the newcomer wasn't even a peripheral member like the Lord. The chances of them offering any valuable information were slim to none.

Therefore, this was actually the best way to utilize them: a fierce conflict followed by a swift execution, just to see how Unseen Hill would react to it—and react it did.

Among the unharmed onlookers, someone suddenly pitched forward and collapsed, colors of black, white, and gray immediately spreading across their body.

...

They really were incredibly fragile.

In an instant, the Ash Descent had claimed a new point of infection, faintly taking on the momentum of a spreading wildfire.

Rather than believing that this fellow who had been standing guard here had also fallen victim to the Lord's schemes and suffered a localized outbreak of corruption just like Holler...

...Fu Qian was undoubtedly more inclined to believe that this once again proved his unique constitution as an outsider.

Ever since a certain point in time, he had become like a walking branding iron within Unseen Hill, liable to burn a hole through it wherever he went.

If they hadn't been right on the edge of the initial Ash Descent, allowing the two zones to merge in the blink of an eye, Brother Holler might have started doubting the previous frame-up when he rushed over and saw this.

Of course, that wasn't a major issue. To understand the core element reflected by this change, he still needed to view it from the perspective of a "doctor"—

If his previous assessment regarding Ji Feng's level of activity was correct, could the current situation be interpreted as the patient actively resisting treatment, constantly screaming, "I'm beyond saving"?

Though it didn't really matter. Usually, when someone knew they were "beyond saving," it meant they could still be saved.

The only problem was that he didn't have much time left.

He hadn't resorted to pulling the firewood from under the cauldron to directly destroy that Unseen Hill Without Fire back on the other side of the door. As a result, it now seemed to be actively infiltrating this side through this very method.

Following standard logic, the moment the Ash Descent completely enveloped the entirety of Unseen Hill, the mission would undoubtedly end in failure.

He believed this process would only accelerate. Now that the preliminary diagnosis was complete, the upcoming window for treatment was likely going to be very short.

Never once breaking his stride, Fu Qian crossed the boundary between the Ash Descent and the night once again.

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