Eldritch Horror Theatre

As the academic leader and the one possessing the highest Rank present—the Demigod Realm—Kasi commanded everyone's attention, no matter how ridiculous his behavior seemed.

And after a series of failed attempts, the person he chose to consult instantly became the center of attention.

"This is a bit tricky."

The man called Ah Kai was also a member of the Academy's team.

His Rank wasn't particularly high, and he looked quite young.

He was also far more relaxed than the rest of them, treating the excursion like a fully funded vacation.

Before Kasi called on him, he had been sitting in a corner of the room, completely uninterested in even coming over to take a look.

But since the leader had directly called his name, he couldn't keep slacking off.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he stepped forward and studied Kamakura Shinji, clicking his tongue in thought.

Despite their distress, the nearby Kamakura Family members perked up, and one of them asked impatiently.

"Without knowing the root cause, a complete cure is impossible. But I can try to stabilize his condition, provided he's willing."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't he be willing?"

"I'd be stabilizing his 'current' state. It will be extremely painful."

Ah Kai glanced at Kamakura Ki.

"He will be trapped in the continuous process of being sliced open, just at a drastically reduced speed. 'A living hell' would be a fairly accurate description."

...

Kamakura Ki fell silent for a moment, looking down at Kamakura Shinji.

By now, the effect applied by Ni Huayuan had already worn off.

Overwhelmed by tremendous physical agony, the young man could barely even stay conscious. The gash across his throat made it impossible for him to make a sound.

"Please do your best. Thank you."

Kamakura Ki made his decision, speaking firmly to Ah Kai.

Ah Kai ignored him, looking instead to their team leader, Kasi.

"Since the family head has spoken..."

Kasi gestured for him to proceed.

Only then did Ah Kai take action.

Unlike Ni Huayuan's simple finger snap, his method was clearly far more complex.

With a flick of his wrist, a palm-length Black Long Awl appeared in Ah Kai's hand.

He drove the tip of the awl down into the tabletop and rubbed his hands together. The next instant, a cluster of eerie green flames actually ignited.

Bathed in that light, the surroundings immediately took on a hallucinatory quality.

Crack!

Ah Kai crushed a sparkling thin flake in his other hand. It dissolved into an invisible surge of energy that blended into the eerie atmosphere.

His movements didn't stop there. Pacing continuously, Ah Kai crushed three more flakes in succession, shifting to three different positions while murmuring under his breath.

'Is he performing a ritual? The Academy really is full of strange and capable people!'

Fu Qian watched the scene with curiosity.

He had to admit, this style was a far cry from what he usually encountered.

But in this world, one had to maintain a healthy respect for the unknown.

No matter how you looked at it, Brother Ah Kai seemed like a fringe member of the investigation team, and his Rank wasn't particularly high.

Yet at this moment, he was the person Kasi was pinning his hopes on.

Kasi himself had just stated that the power level of this "sword path" curse was exceptionally high.

For him to still have Ah Kai handle this meant Kasi was confident that Ah Kai could suppress such a high-tier affliction.

Even Ni Huayuan was watching his performance with a solemn expression.

...

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, Ah Kai completed his circuit and returned to his original spot, finally coming to a halt.

A moment later, he pinched his fingers together, snuffing out the green flame.

"Done."

He let out a long breath, looking utterly exhausted before slipping right back into his slacker demeanor.

'That's it?'

Surprised, the group turned to Kamakura Shinji on the bed. They found that he had actually settled down and was no longer convulsing violently.

Even the blood on his body had almost stopped seeping; he shouldn't be in any immediate danger of dying in the short term.

Of course, the wounds were still a vibrant red, looking like gaping mouths without the slightest sign of healing.

Just as he had claimed, there wasn't a hint of actual healing.

"How long will this last?"

Kasi didn't seem overly surprised.

"Less than three days. No minimum guarantee."

Ah Kai replied matter-of-factly.

"That's enough."

Kasi glanced at Kamakura Shinji on the bed and offered his assessment.

Slowing the deterioration of his injuries hadn't erased his pain.

In just this short amount of time, his face was already twisted in horrific agony.

Kamakura Ki and his group looked as if they wanted to say something, but in the end, they remained silent.

"Liushuang, what do you think?"

After a moment of thought, Kasi looked toward another corner of the room, drawing on the collective wisdom once again.

Over in that corner, the even younger Ji Liushuang looked up in surprise upon hearing her name.

"Borrowing the intuition of your Lucent Sword Heart, what do you make of this out-of-control sword intent?"

Displaying his full leadership demeanor, Kasi spoke to Ji Liushuang in a pleasant, mild tone.

"Don't worry, just speak your mind."

"...I can only offer my intuition. I have no evidence to back it up."

Faced with her leader's earnest expectations, Ji Liushuang showed no stage fright. After a brief pause, she spoke up.

"First of all, my feeling is the same. The damage appearing on the victim originates from some very high-tier concept of power, and it has been in a continuous state. However—"

Ji Liushuang hesitated for a moment.

"I doubt this falls under the category of the sword path."

"Excuse me, what does that mean?"

The moment she said this, it was like she had kicked a hornet's nest.

Kamakura Ki, who had remained rather mild-mannered even when facing his clansman's life-and-death struggle, was the first to question her. The others also fixed her with stern glares.

"Are you implying that the Divine Seal Blessing obtained by the Kamakura Family doesn't even count as the sword path? Forgive me, but that's simply absurd!"

"Yes."

Facing the condemnation, Ji Liushuang nodded firmly.

"I don't understand Divine Seals or curses, but in my eyes, this power might be strong, yet it is fundamentally different from what I consider to be the sword path."

"...The Kamakura Family cannot accept such a statement. Do you have any proof? If not, please retract your words..."

"The Kamakura Family's sword path has been passed down for centuries..."

"Young people shouldn't be so arrogant..."

Ji Liushuang's insistence on her view poured fuel on the fire, instantly triggering a chorus of outrage from the crowd.

"Enough."

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Kasi finally spoke up from the sidelines.

The intimidation of a Demigod Realm expert was no joke. The Kamakura Family fell silent almost instantly, though their eyes still burned with indignation.

"Have you forgotten that there is a true Sword Dao Demigod present?"

At this, Kasi gave a meaningful smile, drawing everyone's attention to Fu Qian with a single sentence.

"Mister Yun."

He turned to look at Fu Qian.

"Liushuang just mentioned that she felt the Kamakura Family's Divine Seal blessing doesn't resemble sword intent. I wonder, what are your thoughts?"

'What are my thoughts?'

Meeting the numerous gazes converging on him, Fu Qian pondered for a moment.

"She is correct."

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