Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Take a guess."

Sin-Seeker William was clearly reluctant to answer Fu Qian's question.

"Playing the riddler? Let me think."

Fu Qian rubbed his chin.

"I've heard of quite a few death games like this before."

"Usually, whoever organizes these things does so either to satisfy the twisted tastes of some higher entity, or to harvest the legendary devil's food—the negative emotions, pain, despair, and anger that people produce under the threat of death."

"And in this competition, that specific concept is exceptionally prominent, directly manifesting as the Fire of Sin."

"Plus, acquiring the Sin Fire obviously strengthens you. That must be one of your goals."

"Beyond that, there's another question. Your behavior has completely changed."

"If you just wanted to collect Sin Fire, you wouldn't need to go to all that trouble. You could have just stayed in your current form."

"Is it safe to infer that you can't maintain your current form for very long?"

Fu Qian looked curiously at this executor of justice.

"It lasts long enough."

William remained silent for a long time before finally answering.

Sure enough. While his previous state was weaker, its advantage lay in stability.

It seemed the reason the man hadn't wanted to run a marathon with him was precisely because he couldn't maintain this state for long.

"So, after you first discovered the Statue and accepted purification, you realized that Sin Fire could enhance your strength?"

Fu Qian continued.

"Later than that."

Seeming to realize he couldn't do anything to Fu Qian for the moment, William answered honestly.

"For a long time after that, I didn't notice any changes—not until one day, when an exploration team stumbled in here."

"Got it."

Fu Qian caught on instantly.

"They happened to intrude while the Goddess was 'watching,' and you found yourself summoned here in a special state?"

"Exactly. From then on, I realized that as long as the Fire of Sin was produced, I would sense the summons. And as long as I accepted it, I could answer the call by transforming into a special state."

"It was an indescribable state. Even my thoughts were beyond my control; I only needed to follow my instincts to slaughter."

"At the same time, it granted true immortality. Even if I fell, I could quickly answer the summons again."

"And you even grew stronger with every kill?"

"Much stronger."

Even through William's distorted voice, his excitement remained unmistakable.

"Back then, I was nothing more than an ordinary Mid-Tier Transcendent. Yet that single instance made me feel like my power had more than doubled."

An increase in power...

Fu Qian frowned slightly, realizing the man's phrasing was a bit strange.

"But you didn't feel like you advanced to the next tier?"

"So-called tiers are nothing but an illusion."

William snorted, practically admitting it.

"That was when I realized my thinking had been imprisoned all along."

"I am absolutely certain that there is no need to care about cultivation methods or tier rituals. As long as I continuously gather Sin Fire, I can achieve limitless growth until I become an unimaginable existence!"

"So this Redemption Plan was born. It makes perfect sense. Very few people could resist such a temptation."

Fu Qian offered no comment on the man's narcissism.

"I tried many methods; this one worked best."

"First, the Fire of Sin only appears under the Goddess's gaze. I don't have much time to exploit it each year."

"But the fear of death and the desire to survive cause the Fire of Sin to burn at maximum efficiency."

"And some people will even concentrate it for you in advance, making it easier to harvest all at once."

Fu Qian added.

"Yes, they worked very hard for it, heh..."

It was the first time Fu Qian had heard William laugh.

To be honest, he sounded like a duck choking on a stinging caterpillar.

"Thanks for your honesty. I think I basically have the full picture now."

Fu Qian let out a long breath.

"Also, let me think. Aside from Patrick, you probably killed the other final victors too, right?"

"...Yes."

"Since we know you can't harvest Sin Fire by killing people outside, it must have been for another reason."

Fu Qian continued his analysis.

"Take another guess."

"That's too easy. Because aside from the Butcher, they all underwent purification, right?"

Fu Qian countered almost immediately.

"You were worried they would discover the secret of the Sin Fire, and you didn't want your position as the First Sinner threatened."

"Indeed. Those people weren't stupid. I couldn't take that risk."

William admitted it openly.

"Looks like your worries were justified."

Fu Qian pointed to the ground.

"Aside from a bloodthirsty maniac like the Butcher, the others must have sensed something to some extent. This one, for example, caught on quite quickly."

"He deserved death even more."

Looking at Yun's decapitated body, William gave a heavy snort.

Such deep resentment?

"Let me think. This insane swordsman relied on his formidable strength and a spirit that acted with utter disregard for his own survival to disrupt the rhythm of the entire game, leaving your projection unable to suppress the others."

"The most obvious consequence was that the Butcher could gather Sin Fire without any scruples and grow wildly in power. If he had become the final victor, it would have been a massive loss for you."

"So, after being destroyed yet again, you couldn't stand it anymore and entered the fray in your true body. Clearly, after being summoned so many times, you had fully mastered this form."

"And it worked perfectly. You directly took out the Butcher."

"But it was undeniably a risky move, because in this state, you can no longer die an infinite number of times."

"All correct!"

William's voice suddenly turned ice-cold.

"Then why don't you think about why I would dare to do this despite the danger?"

Before his words even faded, a dark red line of blood slowly seeped from the neck of the silver-white armor, winding around his throat like a snake.

At the same time, countless sharp Spikes condensed along the bloodline, wildly stretching out in all directions.

In just a few seconds, the bloodline transformed into a dark red Thorned Long Whip.

And it wasn't the only one. Everywhere else, winding thorns sprouted from every joint of the armor, rapidly crawling over his entire body.

Even the Silver Greatsword in his hand was instantly entangled in countless Spikes.

The silver and red contrasted sharply, creating a shocking sight.

"And why do you think I've wasted so much time talking nonsense with you here?"

William's voice rang out again, now brimming with murderous intent.

"I also needed a little time to digest the Goddess's gift."

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