Eldritch Horror Theatre

As the mystery guest, every move Fu Qian made naturally drew everyone's attention.

Everyone immediately followed his gaze, then froze.

Including the man himself.

"Me?"

Instantly becoming the center of attention, Kamakura Ki forced the word out. His voice sounded remarkably dry.

"If I can help, I'd certainly be glad to, but I might not be strong enough..."

He wasn't just being modest. Even though he was the family head, his power was far from outstanding compared to the people from the Academy.

Everyone had witnessed exactly what happened when the members of the Sword Comprehension Institute made their move.

Of course, the greatest source of psychological pressure for Kamakura Ki was that the man standing right in front of him hadn't even dared to make a move himself.

Ni Huayuan had assumed Fu Qian actually possessed some brilliant insight. He hadn't expected something this ridiculous.

"You want him to deal with an opponent that two Demigods couldn't handle? Aren't you being a bit overly optimistic?"

Although he was essentially speaking up for Kamakura Ki, Ni Huayuan clearly had no intention of saving face for the Kamakura Family.

Then again, he truly didn't need to.

"Why not?"

Fu Qian scoffed, his tone unyielding.

"The Kamakura Family have been Tombkeepers for generations. This thing appeared in the Ruins, so isn't it exactly their area of expertise?"

...

Put like that, he actually had a point.

For a moment, Fu Qian's angle of interpretation left the group completely unable to argue.

"If you have a real solution, spit it out. But if you're just going to stand here spouting nonsense, forgive us for not having the time to indulge you."

So Ni Huayuan's reaction was to simply not argue the point.

He had taken a deep breath and delivered that flat ultimatum.

"I actually think Mister Yun makes a fair point."

Unexpectedly, it was Cass who spoke up next with a deeply thoughtful expression, throwing his clear support behind Fu Qian.

...

Now it wasn't just Ni Huayuan—the entire group was stunned.

"The Kamakura family head can give it a try. Do your best to ensure your own safety, of course."

Cass had no intention of explaining himself to the group. Instead, he spoke directly to the man in question.

Wasn't that a blatant lie?

Kamakura Keiji's gruesome fate was right there for all to see. How could anyone guarantee their own safety after striking that thing?

This Demigod leading the Academy team was far too unreliable!

Kamakura Ki felt a wave of bitterness. Subconsciously, he cast a pleading look toward Ni Huayuan.

"Hurry up and start. We don't have much time."

However, before Ni Huayuan could say another word, Cass stole his lines, speaking in an unquestionable tone.

Regardless of anything else, Cass was still the leader of this investigation team. No matter how vocal Ni Huayuan had been earlier, faced with such a stern tone, he actually didn't dare to push back any further.

...

With his last hope dashed, Kamakura Ki's face visibly darkened.

But since things had come to this, he knew he had no other choice.

He raised his Long Blade, not even attempting to order another clansman to take his place.

Cass had made himself perfectly clear: the Kamakura family head had to be the one to try.

...

After all, he hailed from a swordsmanship family with hundreds of years of heritage. Even with his prospects looking bleak, Kamakura Ki managed to compose himself in the span of just a few steps. His aura sharpened into something fierce.

Witnessing this grim march toward near-certain death, neither the Academy crowd nor the Kamakura clansmen said another word.

Wasting no time, the group silently followed Kamakura Ki, passing through the stone doors at the end of the Corridor once again.

...

The scene behind the doors had unexpectedly changed yet again.

When Cass stayed behind to cover their retreat, a conflict had obviously occurred, inevitably stirring up an even greater disturbance.

Right now, although the previous Crystal Spears had completely vanished, a pool full of bizarrely shaped entities had taken their place.

These included, but were not limited to, grotesque limbs, whirlpools, spheres, and spikes.

At the same time, tendril-like objects entirely detached from the crystal pool writhed and thrashed on the surrounding floor. It was impossible to tell if they had been hurled out during the recent clash.

In short, the sight was pure, unadulterated chaos.

The instant Kamakura Ki stepped through the doors, these entities immediately surged toward him, straining to extend their reach.

They truly seemed to be gradually "coming alive."

Fortunately, over the course of those few short steps, the latest challenger had already steeled his nerves.

Kamakura Ki had thought it through: with two Demigods present, he probably wouldn't suffer a violent death on the spot. He might as well go all out.

He took a deep breath and locked onto his closest target—a giant tentacle topped with a sphere—before delivering a full-power slash.

Unsurprisingly, it was the exact same meat-cleaving blade technique that Kamakura Keiji had used.

Amid the eerie whistle of the swinging Long Blade, Fu Qian watched Kamakura Ki's rigid, mechanical chopping motions with keen interest.

Having fought Kamakura Keiji earlier, he could easily compare the two and spot the utter consistency in their forms.

Although his Rank was slightly higher and his aura more imposing, Kamakura Ki's movements were virtually identical to Kamakura Keiji's. They were as standard and practiced as morning calisthenics, completely devoid of the insight or mastery one would expect from an extra few decades of training.

Did the Kamakura Family practice their swordsmanship while staring into a mirror?

As for the results, Kamakura Ki's basic slashes were undoubtedly far weaker than Chang Mo's. Amid a series of sharp, ringing clashes, he completely failed to break through his target's defenses.

At the same time, the clash triggered an even greater disturbance. More and more anomalies surfaced from the crystal pool, rapidly swarming toward Kamakura Ki.

Just after dodging a head-on strike and launching a backhand slash against a wheel-shaped cluster of crystals, Kamakura Ki let out a grunt of pain as blood splattered.

A perfectly smooth gash suddenly tore open across his sword-bearing arm out of thin air. For a moment, he nearly lost his grip on the Odd-Shaped Long Blade.

And then, he actually did lose his grip.

Clang!

Staggering back several steps, Kamakura Ki dropped his Long Blade and clamped his other hand tightly over his bleeding wound.

Compared to the young Kamakura Keiji, he clearly had a much better grasp of his own limits.

However, neither Fu Qian nor Cass forced him to step back into the fray.

Because at almost that exact moment, a highly unusual sound drifted out from the crystal pool.

Crack!

A perfectly straight gash—identical to the one on Kamakura Ki's arm—suddenly appeared on the very crystal wheel he had just failed to scratch with all his might.

In the blink of an eye, more gashes bloomed across its surface, spreading like a spiderweb as a dense symphony of shattering glass echoed through the room.

In less than ten seconds, every bizarre entity in the pool completely fell apart, crumbling into dazzling fragments that slowly sank beneath the surface.

This Severing Divine Seal was seriously absurd!

Naturally, Fu Qian didn't think Kamakura Ki was responsible for this kind of damage.

He had a clear view from the sidelines. Although these entities felt completely distinct from flesh and blood, the cuts along their crystalline bodies were eerily identical to the Kamakura Family's trademark wounds. It was obvious that not even stone was immune to this severing effect.

Compared to before, the crystal fragments were ground down even finer, almost as if their very bones had been crushed and their ashes scattered to the wind.

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