Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Wait, I'm really not joking!"

When Fu Qian grabbed him by the skull and hoisted him into the air, Ji Yicheng's fear practically materialized.

He didn't know why, but that terrifying impact had thrown his condition into total chaos, stripping away multiple abilities.

While this didn't mean he had completely lost his combat power, Fu Qian's performance along the way had shattered his courage to fight to the death. Now, he only wanted to grasp at the final straw to save his own life.

"Believe me, Elena is in these Ruins right now!"

"And I can sense that her mental state is extremely unstable. If you kill me, no one will be able to help her."

"Is that so?"

Fu Qian didn't look at him. Instead, he gazed thoughtfully at the empty room behind them.

Perhaps because there had just been an outburst, the oppressive sensation of purification had weakened slightly.

If his previous guess was correct, completing his task meant he would likely need to deal with this hidden gestating angel—a Higher Existence with a Rank sufficient to suppress the Demigod Realm.

He had to admit, this was going to be quite troublesome.

"Then take me to see her."

Mid-thought, Fu Qian tossed Ji Yicheng onto the ground and gestured for him to lead the way, completely unconcerned that he might run away.

Unfortunately, after being slammed straight into the dirt from a state of extreme confidence, Ji Yicheng had lost the nerve for such a thing.

To convince Fu Qian of his value, he even poured everything he had into stabilizing his physical condition, hoping to make things look at least somewhat better.

Even so, his appearance remained a wretched sight.

Feathers continuously burrowed out of Ji Yicheng's bloated body, piercing even through his armor.

The feathers were flawlessly pure white, yet the sight of them squirming out of his flesh was inexplicably disgusting.

Because they shed constantly right after sprouting, they left a distinct trail on the ground as he walked.

"Hold on. Stand right here."

Following one another, the two quickly retraced their steps to the Hall of Mirrors.

Looking at the broken Cocoon overhead, Fu Qian motioned for Ji Yicheng to stand in front of the massive Mirror.

Though he didn't understand what Fu Qian intended, Ji Yicheng warily complied.

It really is stable.

Fu Qian carefully examined the Reflection in the Mirror.

Just like before, Ji Yicheng's image inside the Mirror remained clear. It seemed the injuries he suffered moments ago hadn't caused any fundamental shift in him.

Fu Qian turned to look at himself. He was still a chaotic mess of flesh and blood, flashing blocks of color, and tangled, illusory images.

In that split second, Fu Qian grasped a crucial detail.

"You mentioned before that you can see everyone's fallen shadow. So, what do I look like to you?"

Fu Qian asked as he looked at Ji Yicheng.

"Aside from your true body, there is an illusory spirit body overlapping with it, locked in a state of constant flux."

It was quite similar to what he saw in the Mirror.

"Good."

Fu Qian nodded. After a moment of thought, he asked another question.

"When you first came here, what did your Reflection in the Mirror look like?"

"It was definitely different from now, because I was using my Ash Descent ability at the time."

"Since my body was already in a state similar to a spirit body, the Reflection also looked a bit illusory and overlapping. But I quickly recognized my true self from the outline, and the chaos disappeared with it."

Outline. Recognition.

A flash of insight struck Fu Qian. He finally realized what he had just picked up on.

"Cognitive Misalignment."

Fu Qian let out a breath and muttered to himself.

He thought of a possible way the covenant was formed—treating the fallen shadow as the true self and rejecting the original self.

Entering the Mirror's range and observing one's own Reflection was an identical process for everyone.

Yet only Ji Yicheng had unknowingly completed the covenant. The issue definitely lay in his unique condition.

But it wasn't the Ash Descent state that had directly earned him this acknowledgement. After all, he had just admitted that his Reflection had initially been chaotic as well.

It was merely that he had performed an action at that moment, fulfilling the final step.

That action was confirming which figure in the Mirror was himself.

When others saw their Reflection in the Mirror, regardless of how chaotic their flesh and blood became, they certainly wouldn't believe a mere phantom was their true self.

But Ji Yicheng was different. He naturally assumed his body was a spirit body and accepted it without the slightest doubt.

Even though it involved something known as an angel, this covenant was truly bizarre!

"What do you mean?"

Ji Yicheng clearly didn't understand.

But if that was the case, it made perfect sense.

Fu Qian ignored him, thinking of the presumably ill-fated Lorraine.

Unlike transforming into a spirit body, Cognitive Misalignment was something anyone could potentially achieve.

As long as her mental state was sufficiently abnormal.

However, why she had been amplified to such an exaggerated degree still remained a mystery for now.

"Let's go."

Offering no explanation to Ji Yicheng, Fu Qian gestured for him to continue leading the way.

Ji Yicheng was visibly confused, but ultimately didn't dare to question him.

...

Unexpectedly, the path he led them down turned out to be a familiar one.

Soon enough, the two returned to the hall filled with stone pillars.

To his surprise, there were actually two people inside the hall right now.

Elena sat silently in place, looking down at her own hands.

Beside her, Cross—whom he hadn't seen in a while—stood motionless like a statue, clutching his Flanged Mace.

As Fu Qian and Ji Yicheng entered, Elena seemed startled and was the first to look up.

"Hello."

Elena stood up and offered a flawless curtsy, a strange joy dancing in her eyes.

"Mr. Fu, it really is you."

"I should have guessed sooner..."

Since Fu Qian hadn't put his mask back on after taking it off earlier, she had finally recognized him.

As she spoke, Cross remained silent, merely staring intently in their direction.

The scene instantly recalled the very first time Fu Qian had met these two.

"Tyr brought you here?"

"How did you know?"

Cross spoke up, asking before Elena could say a word.

That's simple enough, Fu Qian thought.

After saving Tyr just now, given the man's personality, he probably wouldn't lie outright, but he could definitely tell half-truths.

He had stood guard, trying to persuade young adventurers to turn back—Fu Qian still believed that much.

But claiming he had braved mortal danger just to make this trip was a rather flimsy excuse.

Thinking about it now, Elena must have found Tyr after leaving this place, begging him to bring her and Cross back inside. The weapon in Cross's hand proved that to some extent.

It was obvious that her previous encounter here had made her feel it might benefit Cross's condition.

The facts proved her judgment wasn't entirely baseless. Cross looked fairly stable at the moment; he was likely being influenced by the Underground Ruins.

As for why they needed Tyr's help, that was simple, too. Both of them were currently in terrible shape. They probably lacked the strength to even cross the swamp on their own.

"I'm sure you can see the state she's in."

Ji Yicheng finally found an opening to speak.

"I can help, and I can prove it to you right now."

Although he still didn't trust Fu Qian's word, he no longer had the guts to demand payment upfront before delivering.

"No need."

To his shock, even with such a sincere offer, Fu Qian still refused.

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