Eldritch Horror Theatre

”You’ve killed it before? And it had no effect?”

Fu Qian’s statement left Yasui Tokiyuki somewhat baffled.

Yet this newly advanced Tier 1 was clearly quite pleased with himself. Rather than pressing the issue, he simply offered a polite blessing.

”Then I hope it works for you this time.”

As he spoke, he studied Fu Qian’s face.

”What a miraculous item. Even I, in my current state, can only discern the transcendent properties of the mask itself without seeing through its concealment.”

”But isn’t this a bit redundant? You don’t actually think Nepheli kept your true Rank a secret from me, do you?”

”Not at all. I simply wouldn’t dare forget a papal bestowal.”

Fu Qian spouted casual nonsense.

”Pope?”Yasui Tokiyuki looked slightly taken aback, but then he burst into laughter.

”It has been far too many years since that title lost its magic.”

”Don’t be nervous. What lies before you is a sight countless people will one day dream of witnessing.”

With those words, Yasui Tokiyuki turned around and looked up.

Fu Qian politely followed his gaze. In the darkness, a brilliant streak of deep blue had suddenly appeared, hurtling forward at breakneck speed and trailing an umbrella-shaped tail that looked like a dream.

In the blink of an eye, this brilliant light closed the distance, illuminating the entire night sky.

Boom!

With a deafening crash, the massive mountain peak casting a shadow over them was violently flattened, losing a chunk of its height.

At the same time, countless crystal-clear fragments surged in all directions like a flowing waterfall.

They swept right toward the high hill where the two of them stood.

A comet? Theoretically, shouldn’t it dim before hitting the ground?

Fu Qian saw it clearly. The object that had slammed into the mountain peak was unmistakably a massive block of ice wrapped in countless fragments of debris.

And splashing outward alongside the debris was a chilling aura far below the freezing point.

However, this place was clearly fantastical. According to Yasui Tokiyuki, it was an existence akin to Utopia rather than the actual moon, so there was no need to nitpick the details.

The next moment, facing this terrifyingly powerful impact, Fu Qian’s body swelled slightly before he was completely submerged in the endless tide of shattered ice.

...

”Nepheli values you quite highly, but it seems she still underestimated you.”

A long time later, the storm finally subsided.

Amidst a hellscape of ice, a giant turtle-shell-like shield silently shattered and decayed, revealing Yasui Tokiyuki’s figure.

This shield, which had materialized out of thin air, appeared utterly unshakeable. It had effortlessly protected him from the torrential wash of crushed ice, leaving him completely spotless.

At this moment, Yasui Tokiyuki made no attempt to hide the astonishment in his voice.

Standing opposite him was Fu Qian, who had grown to over two meters tall. His entire body was encased in black-and-red bone armor. Dense rifts could be seen across it, but they were already mending at a rapid pace.

”You flatter me.”

Plucking an ice shard several centimeters thick from his thigh, Fu Qian casually tossed it aside as he gave his modest reply.

”What was that just now?”

”Since ancient times, humanity has always harbored a fear of various natural disasters. Even here on the moon, it is no exception.”

His tone profoundly cryptic, Yasui Tokiyuki made an inviting gesture.

”However, natural disasters often bring interesting things with them. Shall we go take a look?”

”Sure.”

Fu Qian glanced at the mountain peak the man pointed out, readily accepting good advice.

...

”You seem very interested in the Origin Council?”

Yasui Tokiyuki walked at a leisurely pace, striking up a casual conversation.

”A transcendent should strive for the top. Although I disagree with the Origin Council’s philosophy, I highly respect their spirit of exploration.”

His body already fully healed, Fu Qian maintained his inhuman form as he crunched over the countless shards of ice.

”Before this, I was highly skeptical of your status as a member of the Rebirth Club.”

”After all, the idea of the Rebirth Club getting tangled up with the Night Watchers is truly hard to imagine, whether for me or for Nepheli and the others.”

”But looking at your current form, I am actually starting to believe it.”

Yasui Tokiyuki said with piqued interest.

”This terrifying flesh-based power combined with that miraculous mask... If I were the man I was before today, running into you really would have been a headache.”

”Was your condition really that poor? You seemed to be holding up quite well during your broadcasts.”

Fu Qian spoke in the casual tone of old friends catching up.

”Logically speaking, as Emperor Yasui, your supply of both materials and information should be incredibly abundant. How could you leave behind such a massive hidden flaw during your advancement?”

”That is an interesting question.”

Yasui Tokiyuki laughed out loud.

”If you had asked before today, I would not have told a single soul. But now, it no longer matters.”

”It is exactly as you said. Given that the Demigod Realm already possesses enough deterrent power, the fact that I was willing to advance means I naturally believed I had a high chance of success. Do you know why Tier 2 is called a Divine Emissary?”

”The forms of the rituals are ever-changing, but they all rely on using one’s own divinity to connect to the essence of the corresponding authority?”

Fu Qian had heard Su Gao lecture on this fundamental theory more than once.

”Correct. Even though I had not yet made contact with the Origin Council at the time, I undoubtedly made substantial preparations. Even during the final advancement process, I made sure I didn’t commit a single error. And yet—”

Yasui Tokiyuki stopped walking, his smile fading for the first time.

”An incomprehensible problem still occurred.”

”After executing everything perfectly, my form suddenly became unstable.”

”Not only could I not transform into a complete Mythical Form, but even maintaining my own human shape became difficult as I rapidly broke down.”

”The transcendent world is far more chaotic and dangerous than one could ever imagine.”

Yasui Tokiyuki let out a deep, emotional sigh.

”So how did you finally resolve it?”

Since this newly advanced Tier 1 was so generously sharing his experience, Fu Qian did not hesitate to ask for guidance.

”Why don’t you take a guess?”

Yasui Tokiyuki suddenly decided to keep him in suspense.

Guess? Fu Qian thought for a moment.

”Because you had prepared enough materials?”

”Why do you say that?”

”Based on the principles of a Divine Emissary’s advancement, switching faiths at the last minute would probably be a bit too difficult to pull off. But taking whatever medicine you can find in desperation seems like it could still work.”

Fu Qian answered naturally.

”When the results aren’t ideal, increasing the dosage is always standard procedure. For example, consuming an extra portion of materials?”

”The Rebirth Club truly cannot be underestimated!”

Yasui Tokiyuki laughed heartily once more.

”Something like that. However, because advancement materials are far too precious, even I only managed to prepare one set. Thus, I ultimately chose to swallow a different material of a similar nature.”

Understood.

Fu Qian realized the truth in an instant.

Taking the wrong medicine in a panic had saved his life, but it had also left behind side effects.

”In short, I survived, and I even managed to retain the status of a Divine Emissary, but that was all.”

”Not only did my abilities become chaotic, but I could no longer see any hope for further progression—alright, we’ve arrived.”

As he spoke, Yasui Tokiyuki came to a halt.

The two were now standing at the edge of a massive crater.

A piercingly bitter cold constantly radiated from within. Countless jagged ice spikes jutted out like fangs. Under the illumination of the Red Moon, the pit looked exactly like a gaping, bloody maw, ready to devour anyone who dared to enter.

The next moment, this massive mouth actually moved.