Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was only a possibility.

After all, the last time he had seen Sophia, she had long since been ravaged beyond recognition.

Only that similar hair color served as a slight identifier.

On one hand, the Clown was right. Despite her miraculous appearance, her Rank was far below the Demigod Realm.

This bizarre contrast, however, perfectly matched the young recruit who had wanted to become a Gold Saint.

On the other hand, as one of the two people he had personally referred, A Wei hadn't disgraced himself in his transformation into the Angel of Death. It seemed only fitting that Sophia would assume the role of "Mother" to rule the world, didn't it?

Back when he was tracking A Wei's movements, Fu Qian had been equally curious about Sophia's whereabouts.

He just hadn't wasted any effort looking for her due to her lack of distinguishing features.

Looking at her now, this young woman—who had endured endless torment and remorse, hoping in her final moments to "wake up and find it was all just a Nightmare"—seemed to have her wish half-fulfilled?

"Sophia? It's not a bad name for 'Mother' to use... How did you know?"

The Clown seemed quite receptive to it, praising the name while expressing curiosity over the coincidence.

"I was the one who sent her here."

Far from minding the wasted time on the question, Fu Qian remained brutally honest.

"Oh? Doesn't that mean you bear a huge responsibility for this place turning out like this?"

The Clown paused for a moment before seeming to get genuinely thrilled by the revelation.

Slapping on an exaggerated expression of shock, he ruthlessly pinned the sin of "the world turning out like this" onto the righteous Mirror Knight.

"It's more than that. I sent the Angel of Death here, too."

Unfortunately, this version of "Grimm Ballard" clearly didn't understand the concept of a guilty conscience.

Fu Qian nodded solemnly, genuinely never resting until his words astonished.

...

It probably wasn't an illusion. At that moment, the darkness itself seemed to flicker, as if some mighty entity of the Heavenly Dao were cursing him out with filthy words.

However, letting spit dry on his face, Professor Fu merely adjusted a nonexistent bowtie with absolute poise.

"Uh... Hahaha... No wonder you looked for him right away! So, the name A Wei is real?"

The Clown was a fantastic audience at that moment. Amidst his shock, he laughed so hard he rocked back and forth, nearly flipping backward out of his Deck Chair.

His focus was definitely a bit unconventional, prioritizing the authenticity of the name A Wei above all else.

Riiiip—

Before Fu Qian could confirm it, another commotion broke out.

The Rubber Duck that had swum up beside Sophia suddenly seemed to hit a frenzied blade, and was violently torn to shreds in an instant.

And in the blink of an eye, Sophia vanished completely.

Though inconspicuous, that Rubber Duck seemed to provide some sort of true-sight effect, revealing hidden things in the surroundings.

Sss—

It was obvious the Clown's heart ached for it—so much so that he casually pulled out another one, stroked it gently, and tossed it into the water with a mournful expression.

"A Wei is also here. It will lead you to him."

Sure enough, once the mystique was broken, there was no going back. He had absolutely no intention of using the title 'Angel of Death' anymore.

Even this minor verbal disrespect was nothing compared to the Clown's actual actions.

His intent with this second duck was incredibly straightforward.

The first duck had guided them to Sophia. This one was going to help them directly find A Wei, who was also in The Lake—so they could just beat him to death.

This was no longer just the behavior of an ordinary traitor; no matter how you sliced it, it was a blatant turncoat move.

Yet, coming from the Clown at this very moment, it felt inexplicably reasonable—what kind of person could tolerate their little duck being murdered without flying into a rage?

He had even given Rubber Duck No. 2 a special red-eye effect to symbolize its quest for vengeance, and it paddled through the water a bit faster than before.

"That is indeed his style."

Empathizing deeply, Fu Qian didn't feel the Clown's behavior was inappropriate in the slightest. His gaze genuinely tracked the duck.

Furthermore, this behavior of "hiding in the corner with his head tucked away" was indeed very much like the Apostle of the Death God he knew—even his method of ambush was similar.

"Fools, you are already too late!"

Following a solemn declaration, even Rubber Duck No. 2 stopped in place and spun in circles.

At the spot where the first duck was sacrificed, not only did Sophia's figure reappear, but pure white feathers began pulling free from her torso and limbs. They intertwined to form another bizarre humanoid shape that looked like a mummy at first glance.

Fu Qian recognized the look. Back in Shangjing, His Excellency A Wei had projected himself out of Jiang En's body in much the same way.

However, the momentum behind it seemed far grander this time.

The moment that body fully formed and floated in midair, a sound like shattering glass echoed out. The Lake's crystal clarity reached its absolute limit—the water completely vanished.

The Sage Lake of this world had thoroughly turned into a dried-up basin.

...

"You haven't changed a bit. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that you can get along so well with him."

The voice wasn't loud, but its clarity was like a whisper right beside the ear.

Radiating the imposing aura of absolute success, the Angel of Death descended upon the center of Sage Lake.

Even amidst catching up, he hadn't forgotten the one who had contributed to his success.

The lost girl Sophia's eyes were still closed, but she didn't drop to the lakebed when the water dried up. Instead, she continued to float silently at the feet of the Angel of Death, creating a gloomy, bizarre tableau.

"You too. You look like you've gotten quite used to it here?"

Fu Qian didn't give him the cold shoulder, immediately returning the pleasantries.

"Very used to it. Otherwise, why would I come here specifically to thank you?"

It was obvious that A Wei had done a great deal of mental preparation for this meeting. Faced with Fu Qian's verbal provocations, he was utterly unmoved.

He didn't even waste time talking nonsense. As he spoke, he crooked a finger, and the entire world seemed to pause for a split second.

When time resumed its flow, Fu Qian's right index and middle fingers were impressively pinching a "rift."

That's right—as if the entire world had been violently torn apart in that instant, a jagged rift slithered down from above, extending all the way to Fu Qian's position.

It gave the terrifying impression that if he hadn't dodged, he would have ended up like a "person torn to shreds in a photograph."

Even though Fu Qian had caught it with his hand, the flesh and blood where his two fingers pinched the rift were actually turning into wisps of drifting ash.

"My choice was correct after all. If I had rushed to jump out, I wouldn't have been able to handle you at all.

"You really are a terrifying figure. You were completely toying with me back then, weren't you?"

Staring at this scene, A Wei seemed even more certain of a particular thought at that moment.

Just as his voice faded, deep, murky shadows began climbing out from the layered bodies on the lakebed.

Drifting and swaying, they swarmed forward in endless droves.

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