Eldritch Horror Theatre

He already knew that devouring a stable transcendent target, whether person or object, allowed him to use Insight to grasp the power it contained.

But what if he devoured an unstable target—like a pure form of damage?

As a man of science, Fu Qian had long wanted to test this.

And the target right in front of him was undoubtedly the perfect choice.

What effect would Insight have on practically cursed flesh and blood?

Even a Deity Level Insight.

...

As it turned out, this action—which felt suspiciously like exploiting a bug—did not help him evade the damage.

In that instant, Fu Qian felt as if his body were burning through. That incinerating heat spread directly across his entire being.

Unlike a normal devouring, the sensation was vague. He could only roughly confirm that it was tied to the essence of the power currently destroying his body.

Fu Qian lowered his head. He was stark naked by now, allowing him to see it with absolute clarity.

Beneath his skin, a scorching radiance seemed ready to seep out. It was as if boiling magma flowed beneath his flesh instead of blood.

The burning hadn't stopped, and the soul-tearing agony remained, but the physical damage seemed to have reached a dynamic equilibrium thanks to what he had gained from the devouring.

Was his recent action equivalent to a temporary inoculation, granting him a specific resistance?

Fu Qian quickly formed a hypothesis.

Not bad!

Even though he currently felt like a squid sizzling on an iron griddle, Fu Qian was quite satisfied with this result.

After all, dying and losing sanity was one thing, but he was carrying a bunch of gear. If one or two pieces were destroyed in the process, it would be a massive loss.

Now, it seemed he should head back. Taking damage over here was overwhelmingly brutal, after all.

Fu Qian glanced at his body and, a moment later, snapped his fingers. His skin began to shift rapidly.

This time, he didn't choose his usual bone armor. Instead, he manipulated his skin to fold into smooth, mirror-like surfaces.

In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a seemingly familiar figure.

A seamless suit of armor, patterns linking across the whole body, and a mirror surface polished enough to reflect people clearly—it was the exact guise of Mirror Knight Ballard.

The only issue, of course, was that its color wasn't a silvery-white like the original. Instead, it was a dark, bruised blue, with wisps of flame tracing brilliantly through it, looking exceptionally gorgeous.

After confirming that everything that needed to be covered was flawlessly concealed, Fu Qian deactivated his Blood Crusade.

"You..."

In that instant, Fu Qian heard more than one gasp of surprise.

Indeed, since he hadn't moved an inch, he reappeared sitting right back in his original spot.

Faced with the bizarre figure that had suddenly materialized before them, the Hunting Squad looked shocked and uncertain.

Naturally, this didn't affect their professionalism. Almost immediately, a Shortsword appeared in Aike's hand, its blade like endlessly flowing Mercury.

The next moment, however, her unhesitating strike was parried by a burly figure.

The half-demigod who had previously blocked the way stepped in.

This clearly represented Chaumont's will.

Faced with this classic display of internal disunity, Fu Qian only gave it a single glance before looking away.

"I don't know what the culture is like outside, but by the standards here, you outsiders are far too impolite!"

...

This statement undoubtedly contained an astonishing amount of information—albeit fake information.

"Andiel?"

With her attack halted, Aike quickly retracted her stance, staring at Fu Qian in utter disbelief.

The voice definitely sounded like him, but that previous attack had been a sure-kill strike carefully orchestrated step by step by two Divine Emissaries and a demigod.

Yet this guy was acting as if nothing had happened?

And he even had the nerve to come back?

For a moment, Aike felt her worldview take a severe hit.

"It's him."

Before Fu Qian could answer, Chaumont spoke with a cold expression.

Fu Qian wasn't surprised by the man's certainty. He knew full well that the mark on his body had not yet been erased; naturally, it was impossible for Chaumont to mistake his identity.

"It can't be helped. The people in here are far too dishonest,"

Chaumont said a moment later, not even asking how Fu Qian had survived.

"You aren't an outsider at all. You are a demigod belonging to this place!"

'Only you guys, who can't truly die, would dare to return under these circumstances,' he added mentally.

"Don't be so absolute,"

Fu Qian said, his voice laced with amusement.

"Why couldn't I have originally been an outsider, and only later came to belong here?"

He smoothly repurposed the information he had learned from the clown on the spot—that once an outsider died here, they could never leave.

His reason for doing this was very simple.

In his identity as the outsider Andiel, his relationship with this group had already reached a fight-to-the-death stage; he couldn't expect to squeeze any more valuable information out of them.

What he needed to do now was declare bankruptcy, restructure, put on a new face, and make a comeback.

He hadn't bothered posing in this Mirror Knight guise for nothing.

Of course, the root of it all lay in the Hunting Squad's initial attack. Under the chain of suspicion, simple communication was no longer possible.

"So, what is your real name?"

Chaumont was visibly in a bad mood, but like Aike, he found it inexplicable that the other party—merely at the Demigod Rank—had survived an all-out strike from both Stoss and himself. This incomprehensible anomaly made him hold back from attacking again for the time being.

"You can keep calling me Andiel. I don't mind."

Fu Qian acted extremely easygoing.

"Alright, Andiel. Could you then explain your purpose from the very beginning up until now?"

Stoss, who had just flaunted his terrifying power, interjected from the side.

Clearly, he felt that Chaumont's approach to the conversation was far too tactful.

"Most of what I mentioned before is indeed true. I claimed to be an outsider mainly because I didn't want you to have any reservations that might affect our teamwork."

"So you're saying that, as a member of this place, you truly planned to join us in slaughtering your own kind?"

Aike let out a cold sneer.

"Why not?"

Fu Qian sounded genuinely puzzled.

"Isn't that what humanity excels at most?"

...

For a moment, Aike was entirely speechless.

"So what is your purpose in seeking the flame?"

Chaumont asked instead.

"I know what you're trying to ask."

Fu Qian let out a long sigh.

"Don't worry. In all of Unseen Hill, I'm the only one looking for it. Even before I met you, I merely had a vague feeling that something could help me end this journey, but I couldn't be certain what it was."

"So what is your purpose in searching for the flame? Taking such huge risks—it can't just be for simple material gathering, right?"

"...It's very simple. We have a wounded person who requires treatment,"

Faced with Fu Qian's inquiry following his "candor," Chaumont hesitated briefly before finally answering.

"Inside the carriage?"

Fu Qian "thought for a moment."

"Yes. Due to certain special events, he suffered a profound loss of control, leaving both his body and mind in complete chaos. We must use this special flame to try and bring him back to normal."

Use the flame to dispel the chaos?

Ever since learning that Logan was in the carriage, Fu Qian had guessed as much. Now, he nodded naturally.

"So, in your eyes, the flame can actually purify someone? Or bring them back to order?"

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