Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Mister Lu truly has impressive methods!”

Kelsen studied the figure crawling in agony on the floor. His words offered praise, but his tone sounded like he had just caught a thief red-handed.

”Offering absolutely nothing only draws suspicion. The only way to properly conceal one choice is to present another.”

He pointed at Sunny, who stood blankly to the side.

”With a little staging, a character like this quietly led me astray.”

”It seems you improvised this. It is hard to believe you convinced them to cooperate in such a short time—or rather, convinced it.”

”The proprietress of this little inn must be little more than a puppet, right?”

”Looks like it.”

Faced with Kelsen seeing through the act, Fu Qian showed absolutely no embarrassment. He even offered a deadpan critique of the assessment.

Mainly because Sunny’s unplugged, dead-battery demeanor was simply too classic.”Now I believe the Origin Council truly has designs on the Wasteland. I’m not sure what you intend to do with it, but even in a place this remote, you know more than I do.”

Kelsen chuckled.

”I previously wondered about the true purpose of this bizarre little inn. Now, everything makes perfect sense.”

”To protect itself, the one on the floor set up a stronghold in this manner, making it convenient to gather a crowd.”

”Its unique concealment abilities, paired with the puppet’s cover, make it easy to sow suspicion among the hunters.”

”And the more these people keep each other in check, the less of a threat they pose to it.”

”That sounds perfectly reasonable, but I have one question. Since an Ancient Giant Dragon is perfectly fine roaming freely outside, why not just hide right now instead of briefly revealing itself for greedy adventurers to find?”

Fu Qian nodded as he listened, promptly raising a counterpoint.

”A fair question, but the answer seems to be right in front of us.”

Kelsen snorted, pointing at A Long, who had finally scrambled to his feet.

Trapped in this predicament, the latter didn’t immediately counterattack. Instead, he tried to conceal his figure once more. Unfortunately, that tail—which radiated an aura of exalted rank—continued to flicker in and out of sight, clearly marking his position.

”It probably needs the blessing far more than we do, so it can’t afford to miss a single opportunity. But the process is unstable, which means its concealment isn’t always successful—just like now.”

”Come to think of it, we seem to have interrupted its secluded cultivation. Truly a shame!”

Kelsen’s tone carried absolutely no genuine apology.

”In short, its plan to sow discord failed, forcing it to try to strike first. That’s why it didn’t hold back when it attacked you just now.”

”Speaking of which, Mister Lu, you’ve been dragged into this thanks to Siren’s schemes. I still appreciate your cooperation, heh...”

”What a pity. Its consecutive misjudgments quickly backed it into a corner, to the point where it had to drag in the puppet it left outside to serve as cover.”

”Demigod Excellency Kelsen might be overthinking things.”

It was Sunny who spoke up, finally seeming to snap back to her senses. She frowned, her tone completely sincere.

”I truly have nothing to do with this person.”

”Oh, is that so? Then why go out of your way to explain?”

Kelsen’s smile never faltered.

”Looking at the current situation, it is obvious he will die while you walk away perfectly fine. Could it be that your conscience can’t bear it, and you’re trying to sway my choice?”

...

With her intellect utterly crushed, Sunny opened her mouth several times but failed to make a sound, blowing her own cover even more thoroughly.

”This is what I admire about you, Mister Lu. Faced with this kind of dead weight, your excellency still figured out a way to make use of her, and did it so naturally without leaving a trace.”

Kelsen’s admiration sounded entirely genuine this time.

”Even I was almost led astray. It’s just a pity that Mister Lu had bad luck; this guy’s condition is still far too unstable.”

”A remarkably sound analysis. Even I am starting to be convinced.”

His tone was as punchable as ever, but Fu Qian’s response was noticeably slower this time.

As he spoke, he even deactivated the Decree of Return. Beside him, A Long’s figure grew clearer, the butterfly and dragon tail merging into a bizarre spectacle.

”So, Excellency Kelsen—are you truly certain this time?”

You really are...

Faced with Fu Qian’s deliberately drawn-out drawl, Kelsen was momentarily left speechless.

However, the scene unfolding before him undoubtedly proved his guess correct once again: this man actually had the means to help the target stabilize his condition.

As for his tone, they were both experts, and it was perfectly understandable to want a bit of flair. Kelsen didn’t mind playing along.

”Choose one of the two. Final chance.”

Fu Qian was still carrying on with his host routine.

”Of course.”

Kelsen gestured, and the encircling Lightning Cage slowly began to contract.

”Die!”

But apparently, someone else was noticeably faster.

Seeing that Mister Lu remained true to his word—offering zero interference once Kelsen made his choice—A Long finally stopped waiting for death. The One-Winged Butterfly transformed into Razor Blades, surging toward Kelsen.

Since his movements were already erratic, dodging such a strike was no easy feat.

Not that Kelsen looked prepared to dodge at all.

A split second before the Soul Butterfly hit, a gloomy dark light erupted from his body, coating him as if in a layer of oil.

A Long’s desperate dying strike landed successfully, yet it merely left a shallow scratch on that layer of oil.

A power type completely at odds with his own. A transcendent item?

Witnessing this, Fu Qian remained seated in his Golden Seat, completely unsurprised.

As a demigod who held a high-ranking position in a large organization, how could he not have a few defensive transcendent items on hand?

Although A Long’s assault was eerie and unpredictable, his power level was still a bit lacking. Failing to break through the defense was only natural.

Fortunately, that wasn’t his real attack.

The next moment, the electric net about to bind him was forcibly torn apart by a long white whip.

The previous action was merely a smokescreen. He had lashed out with the disproportionate tail on his back.

The Rank of this tail was noticeably higher than his own, even carrying a trace of divinity.

Turning a disadvantage into an advantage, his mind wasn’t entirely rigid. He decisively utilized the very blessing that had exposed him.

After shredding the electric net, this strike of at least Demigod Tier power whipped viciously into Kelsen.

Crack!

The layer of oil on his body finally failed to block the strike. One of Kelsen’s arms deformed on the spot, his flesh and blood shattering into countless ice crystals to expose the ghastly white bone.

Unfortunately, the roar A Long let out at the same moment didn’t sound very joyful.

The electric net immediately reconnected, enveloping him without a single tremor. Its momentum undiminished, it constricted all the way to his chest into a dense ball, then violently detonated.

”Murder always comes with a price. How could I possibly not know that?”

Not having glanced at his own arm even once up to this point, Kelsen said coldly.

’’’