Eldritch Horror Theatre

So decisive!

The recruited muscle was so effective that Fu Qian felt quite satisfied.

He had personally experienced the power of this move.

According to Chaumont, a killing move that required consuming a Talisman to safely unleash possessed a very high Rank.

So, even though the "Saint" before them held a much higher Rank, Fu Qian wasn't very optimistic about her resistance to it.

As it turned out, tongues were indeed susceptible to fire.

The blazing white point of light struck its target and instantly began to spread outward.

Countless vaporized phantoms could be seen wherever it passed.

But something seemed a little different!

Under the seemingly endless incineration, the giant tongue thrashed violently. Yet, the burned areas didn't turn to ash as he once had. Instead, they glowed like lit coals, radiating a blindingly bright yellow.

In the blink of an eye, the entire tongue looked like a burning lump of coal. However, it showed no signs of being destroyed, and the glow visibly spread to the Stone Coffin.

'This doesn't feel right!'

Fu Qian offered this silent critique as he quickly changed direction to dodge the few surviving phantoms.

He didn't think this was an issue with Old Man Stoss's power type. He remembered the "Saint" undergoing a similar change the last time he slaughtered numerous phantoms, though it hadn't happened quite so fast.

This reaction felt more like a balance of power being shattered.

The fire acted like a kind of pollution, and any external force only accelerated the process.

...

While Fu Qian pondered this, the unfolding scene greatly excited Chaumont, especially when the ring of fire swept out.

He signaled Stoss and his companion to stop focusing on the kill. Then, Chaumont reached a hand forward, as if touching empty air.

Following this motion, Old Man Logan's body plummeted from mid-air once more.

By now, the "Saint" and the Stone Coffin beneath her had almost entirely turned bright yellow, the glow steadily creeping outward.

Wasting no time, Chaumont maneuvered Logan's massive frame forward, pushing him directly into the ring of fire.

Roar!

Amidst agonizing roars, Old Man Logan's body began to contort once again.

Unfortunately, while the Night Watchers were thoroughly exhilarated, Fu Qian knew all too well how this "treatment" would actually turn out.

Not even bothering to spare them another glance, Fu Qian surveyed his surroundings.

As the flames spread, the Great Hall itself seemed to turn ethereal, to the point where the waters of The Lake outside became visible.

The "Saint" and the Great Hall clearly existed in this world in a highly unique state.

Now, that unique independence was vanishing. He got the distinct feeling that Ballard and the others could cross over at any moment.

Recalling Yuan Fang's rather ambiguous attitude earlier, Fu Qian made a silent judgment.

Yuan Fang's actions might well have been an attempt to lead a wolf into the house, hoping the Hunting Squad would "take away" the fire.

Because of that, even if he had spotted their group earlier, he most likely would have turned a blind eye.

But now, faced with this clearly spiraling situation, the chances of Yuan Fang dragging them in had drastically increased.

...

Of course, these were merely details. The most pressing issue right now was that attacking the "Saint" didn't seem like the way to complete the task either.

So this approach was also wrong?

If this approach was wrong too, then how on earth was he supposed to put out the fire?

His past two mission experiences quickly flashed through his mind, and he compared them one by one.

Suddenly, a realization struck Fu Qian. He unexpectedly stopped dead in his tracks.

The humanoid phantoms that had been constantly hounding him finally seized the opportunity and threw themselves onto him.

...

It was just as he expected.

The moment several phantoms embraced him, Fu Qian could clearly sense a change taking place within himself.

It was a profound sense of assimilation that went far beyond merely being mobbed by phantoms—it was the exact opposite of the Flame Blessing.

Most importantly, even with this happening, the notification for mission failure didn't appear.

'Just as I thought. What an interesting blind spot in logic!'

Fu Qian felt a surge of profound realization.

Having progressed this far into the mission, as long as one grasped the nature of the Unseen Hill, Chaumont's reaction was simply human nature.

Do not get corrupted. Do not let yourself be assimilated, or you will lose your independence on the level of "fate."

His earlier attempt to kill the "Saint" had indeed proven this point.

His ability to harm her had been restricted by a bond nearing the level of "fate."

And now, Fu Qian was certain that, having been deeply "corrupted" by the phantoms, doing anything similar would be infinitely harder.

Yet, the mission still hadn't failed.

This seemed to prove once again that completing the mission didn't rely on killing the "Saint."

Could it even require him to rely on being assimilated?

...

"What were you doing just now?"

Right then, Chaumont's voice rang out.

Fu Qian glanced over and saw the older man's eyes narrowed into slits, staring at him with a bizarre expression.

He truly lived up to his role as the person in charge. Even with Old Man Logan partaking in the flames and their goal nearly achieved, Chaumont kept his eyes on everything and hadn't relaxed his guard in the slightest.

And clearly, he had seen Fu Qian's every movement just now.

Chaumont was now looking at him like he was a madman, though the vigilance in his eyes remained undiminished.

Prompted by Chaumont's question, the other two also turned to stare at him in unison.

"Keep at it. I have some business to attend to."

Unfortunately for them, Fu Qian had no intention of explaining. Meeting Chaumont's gaze, he smiled and pointed into the distance, his tone as casual as a street-side chat.

Just moments ago, no amount of threats could make the man leave. Now, he suddenly wanted to take off?

Fu Qian's highly abnormal behavior made Chaumont subconsciously scan their surroundings.

Under the corrosion of the flames, the Great Hall was already overlapping with illusions. Even the ground beneath their feet was rippling like water.

Without a doubt, some sort of change was taking place.

At such a critical moment, what was this guy going out to do?

Based on their previous interactions, Chaumont refused to believe that this man was simply afraid they would free up their hands and threaten his life.

"Where are you going?"

He asked the question before he could stop himself.

"Interesting question."

But Fu Qian only offered that cryptic remark before turning on his heel and walking away.

He even swiped a hand over his face, causing his visor to snap shut.

Such arrogance!

When had the Hunting Squad ever suffered such an insult? Aike gritted his teeth and turned to Chaumont, waiting for his command.

He undoubtedly wanted nothing more than to smash the guy's head in, but—

Chaumont cast a glance at the rapidly mutating Logan. He fell silent for several seconds before finally shaking his head.

Saving Logan was the sole, core objective of this trip.

Although letting the man leave posed an incalculable risk, attacking him now would likely derail their plans even further.

In fact, if not for that exact consideration, he would have struck long ago instead of waiting until now.

The man's timing for such arrogance was simply too perfect!

Watched by the Night Watchers, Fu Qian—fully clad in his Black Mirror Armor—reached the edge of the Great Hall without once looking back.

Without even slowing his pace, he stepped right outside.

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