Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Special techniques?”

Eve looked at Fu Qian in confusion.

”Yes.”

He flicked his wrist. The Crimson Long Whip materialized out of thin air, cracking in a neat flourish.

...

Staring at the blood vessels and veins pulsing along the whip, Eve’s expression twisted into something spectacular.

”You... lunatic!”

Eve could obviously tell this whip was no bedroom toy, but a genuine lethal weapon.

Her heart sank, and she looked at Fu Qian in sheer incomprehension.

”What exactly are you trying to do? Does this benefit you at all?”Crack!

Faced with her accusations, Fu Qian remained silent, letting his actions answer for him.

With another sharp crack, a deep welt scored Eve’s pristine, pale arm.

Caught off guard, Eve let out a miserable shriek of agony.

A moment later, however, something even more terrifying happened.

A chaotic, berserk intent surged in her mind, battering her sanity until it wavered.

”Why... are you doing this?”

Eve’s voice had turned incredibly hoarse. She tried with all her might to dodge, but against the formless, traceless Crimson Long Whip, her efforts were useless.

”Why?”

Fu Qian lashed her again. Drawing a foot back and standing tall, he sneered.

”Audacious monster, I could tell at a glance you weren’t human!”

”I’ll force you to reveal your true form!”

”Time to slay the monster!”

...

These bizarre lines nearly left Eve frozen in place. Without fail, she took another lash.

”Why!”

”Why are you forcing me!”

Amid the agonizing pain, hoarse roars tore from Eve’s throat.

At the same time, an incredibly violent, maddened aura erupted from her body.

Centered on the bright red welts, crystalline scales actually began to sprout from her skin, rapidly spreading across her entire body.

A blurry face was visible on every single scale, letting out waves of wails.

Soon, the crystalline scales enveloped her completely. She transformed into a massive, multi-faceted crystal—a sight horrifying enough to make any woman scream.

As she moved, the countless wails from the scales converged, forming a maddening wave of sound.

Under the impact of the sound wave, even Fu Qian felt his head grow heavy, as if he had been struck by a hammer.

[SAN Value -1]

That single sound had actually made him lose SAN Value?

It was reminiscent of facing the evil god progeny directly.

This thing really wasn’t human!

His judgment confirmed, Fu Qian’s strikes grew even more resolute, the Tyrant’s Fist lashing the target over and over.

When he deduced that something might be lurking inside Wen Li’s body, he had considered several methods to force it into submission. However, none were as effective as his newly acquired weapon, which turned out to be an unexpected bonus.

”Why! Why!”

Eve dropped to her forearms, her neck stretching to an impossible length. She glared at Fu Qian on all fours, the sounds tearing from her mouth now resembling the howl of a wild beast.

Under the relentless lashing, the accumulated negative effects of the Tyrant’s Fist were truly terrifying. For a Psychic Type like her, it was far more horrifying than mere physical injury.

Pushed by intense mental stimulation and a desperate will to survive, she disregarded everything else to complete her state transformation.

As long as she successfully advanced to Tier 6, everything would change.

”Die!”

Taking another lash without attempting to dodge, Eve finally launched her counterattack.

The crystalline scales covering her body possessed unbelievable durability; the Crimson Long Whip could no longer leave a mark on them.

Sprinting on all fours like a rampaging beast, she took a short running start and leaped high into the air, her front claws slashing toward Fu Qian’s chest.

Her speed and strength could almost rival a physical type.

Advancing to the Mid Tier truly brought a qualitative leap!

Facing this terrifying strike, Fu Qian sighed in admiration.

Of course, he was even more amused by the fact that this thing had clearly lost its mind.

She might be close to a physical type, but she was facing a genuine physical type.

Easily evading Eve’s attack, Fu Qian planted a kick directly into her waist, sending her flying through the air.

Keeping his mission objective in mind, he held back the force of that kick.

This thing shared a body with Wen Li; if he actually beat it to death, Wen Li would undoubtedly die along with it.

One thing was certain now: Wen Li wasn’t dead yet. Otherwise, his mission would have already failed.

She was most likely in a comatose state at the moment.

Eve tumbled from the kick, planting herself firmly on all fours again and glaring at Fu Qian like a tiger eyeing its prey.

Her nerves were tough. To think she still hadn’t gone completely mad after so many lashes.

Fu Qian narrowed his eyes.

The scales must have offset the later effects of the Tyrant’s Fist, because Eve’s condition actually seemed to be stabilizing.

”I might have to thank you.”

A hoarse rasp echoed from Eve’s throat.

”Although this wasn’t the method I wanted, completing my advancement in this form might grant me unimaginable benefits.”

”That weapon in your hand is quite interesting. Unfortunately, it’s still just a little too weak to make me lose control, haha.”

”Once I finish this, I’ll let you experience the ultimate extreme of pain and madness!”

”No need to be so polite.”

Hearing Eve’s threat, Fu Qian didn’t panic in the slightest.

”Just a little too weak? How about this?”

As blood splattered, he viciously lashed his own back with the Crimson Long Whip.

Boom!

A chaotic, berserk killing intent surged in his mind.

”Someone once told me that she was like a mirror, capable of clearly perceiving and projecting the emotions of those around her. So, is adding my share enough?”

The moment Fu Qian finished speaking, Eve let out a wail. Her four limbs trembled violently, and she collapsed to the ground, an uncontrollable terror welling up in her eyes.

It seemed to work.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Fu Qian controlled the Tyrant’s Fist, lashing it against his own body over and over.

With the fall of the final lash, Eve unleashed another earth-shattering howl. The crystalline scales covering her body shattered to pieces, and she slumped completely to the ground.

Fu Qian stopped and walked over to her side.

He could clearly sense that the portion of consciousness belonging to Eve had completely disintegrated and dissipated.

Next came the test of willpower.

Fu Qian crouched down, leaning in close to her ear.

”Time’s up. I’m sorry, but you failed to fulfill my demands.”

”However, I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided to strip you naked and throw you out, Eldest Miss Wen.”

After repeating it twice, Fu Qian felt a staggering wave of emotion radiate from her.

The beast on the ground drew rapid, shallow breaths, projecting waves of psychic storms into the surroundings.

Fu Qian once again experienced the sensation of his emotions being amplified.

It was working!

Feeling an exaggerated sense of joy welling up in his own heart, Fu Qian silently observed Wen Li’s changes.

As her breathing gradually steadied, the mutations on her body receded bit by bit. The countless shattered mirrored facets across her skin slowly melted away, returning to soft flesh.

A long while later, just as Fu Qian could hear the sound of people clearing the blockage in the ventilation ducts, Wen Li slowly opened her eyes.

[Containment Complete]