Eldritch Horror Theatre

So they were giving up on treatment.

Honestly, Reginald wasn’t entirely wrong.

Naturally, the changes occurring beside him couldn’t escape Fu Qian’s notice. He knew full well that the thing in Brother Brain Fork’s stomach was rapidly mutating.

It had even reached the verge of a qualitative change.

The problem was, Fu Qian doubted Reginald had the ability to notice this.

His earlier words seemed like a pure diversion.

That meant this relatively iron-blooded fellow was still bound by his principles and refused to agree to Fu Qian’s plan.

At the same time, Fu Qian had already tested the absolute limit of the ”more” Reginald was willing to accept.

Since there were still no results, this little project was likely about to be shut down. But having racked his brains to get this far, how could Fu Qian allow him to give up so easily?

”Are you sure about this? Aren’t civil clerics usually more ruthless?”Fu Qian found this completely unacceptable.

”Assist me.”

Reginald’s expression shifted multiple times upon hearing Fu Qian’s remark. Ultimately, he forced himself to pretend he hadn’t heard a thing, turning to give Amira serious instructions.

”Understood... put on your mask.”

Amira surprisingly shared the same sentiment. Not only did she agree at light speed, but she didn’t even dare glance at the volunteer when she whispered the reminder.

How cautious.

Fu Qian naturally knew that instruction was meant for him. It seemed past purifications hadn’t been entirely free of resistance.

Wearing a mask to lower his presence might not necessarily work, but Fu Qian wasn’t bored enough to reject a well-meaning tip.

Just as he slipped the mask on, the patterns covering Amira’s body lit up. Surging outward, they peeled away from her form and extended into midair.

Though their glow dimmed until they looked like phantoms, they remained solid and refused to scatter.

In the blink of an eye, they traced a ring in the air, transforming into a unique barrier.

Unsurprisingly, Fu Qian found himself isolated on the outside.

”Ready.”

Amira immediately signaled Reginald to begin.

”Right.”

Reginald didn’t waste words. He stepped forward and struck a pose similar to the one Amira used during her mental pacification.

However, what materialized in his palm was a leaping cluster of deep silver-gray.

Fu Qian had expected some sort of holy light of judgment. As expected, fire was still the most practical tool for purging filth.

Though he was an outsider, Fu Qian could see clearly that this was strikingly similar to the Lead Flame that had coated the Hunter’s blade earlier.

He had already witnessed the destructive power of this particular technique.

To the naked eye, the Lead Flame in Reginald’s grasp was expanding endlessly. He was clearly charging up his power, preparing to finish the job in a single strike and call it a day. Unfortunately...

Boom!

Amid a muffled detonation, a cluster of metallic flame exploded across the ground, splashing like liquid silver.

Aside from the scorching heat that bled through the barrier, the resulting shockwave was overwhelmingly heavy.

The nearby pool was instantly crushed, kicking up a massive spray of water—along with Reginald himself.

Swatted away by the violent force, the cleric slammed forcefully into Amira’s barrier.

Fortunately, the barrier functioned more like a force field and wasn’t overly rigid. Cushioned against it, Reginald quickly righted himself just in time to dodge a charging horse.

That’s right. Although its shape was a bit crude, a brightly colored ”horse” had actually burst out of the lingering mist.

Unable to turn in time, the horse’s head crashed heavily into the barrier. The impact was so massive that it triggered a visible tremor.

Naturally, it paid the price—a massive chunk of its head shattered, sending a spray of colorful flatworms flying.

Indeed, this bizarre creation was born from the corruption afflicting Brother Brain Fork.

When Reginald had been focused on charging his attack earlier, he had been plowed right in the chest by this sudden ambush, causing the Lead Flame in his grasp to spiral out of control and detonate.

Fu Qian’s earlier assessment had been spot on. Reginald’s claim that the situation was deteriorating had been based entirely on a hunch; he hadn’t possessed a precise grasp of the corruption’s progress at all, and he had suffered a major loss for it.

At a glance, his flesh was lacerated everywhere, and his clothing was torn to shreds—leaving only his Gorgeous Shawl perfectly intact.

”I’m fine. Reinforce the barrier; don’t let it escape.”

Of course, this didn’t seem to have much of an impact on his Combat Power.

The moment he landed firmly on his feet, Reginald signaled Amira to hold her position while he kept his eyes locked on the mist ahead.

A small ”horse,” barely half a meter tall, was staggering out from the haze.

Judging by the missing third of its head, it was clearly the same one that had just rammed them so brutally.

The front half of its body was entirely composed of those vividly colored leeches.

Toward the back, its form extended into a hollow, gaping body cavity.

Despite his body being practically folded in half, Brother Brain Fork clearly wasn’t dead, though he was letting out inhuman wails.

The only silver lining was that the chains binding him had mostly rotted away, returning his freedom.

...

There were simply too many eyesores in this place.

Seeing this twisted shape made Fu Qian sigh in amazement.

The sight before him aligned pretty well with what Amira had mentioned regarding the invisible influence caused by information radiating from the fringe of the Nightmare.

The only thing worth complaining about was that mutating into a horse was quite a stretch. Logically speaking, mutating into a medic would have made far more sense.

He could only conclude that corruption was truly unfathomable.

”I was careless. The rate of mutation is faster than I thought, but it’s completely manageable.”

Reginald marveled aloud, his confidence unshakeable.

As he spoke, the metallic flames surged once again from his hands. However, he didn’t charge forward; he merely locked eyes with the little horse.

Was he waiting for the target to deliver itself to his doorstep for a fiery embrace?

Fu Qian instantly understood the intent behind his stance.

It was a sound strategy, especially since the little horse was clearly acting on sheer instinct, completely ignorant of the concept of retreating in the face of danger.

Before he could finish critiquing the plan, Fu Qian watched the little horse burst into motion. Unsurprisingly, its target was Reginald.

It even launched itself like a catapult. Its folded, hollow cavity remained rooted in place as the tangled leeches surged in a bizarre manner, violently propelling the front half of the horse’s body forward.

The method defied imagination, and its speed was nothing to scoff at. Yet, to the prepared Reginald, there was still plenty of time to spread his arms and prepare to catch it in a tight embrace.

It was just a pity that this desperate leap ended up hitting nothing but air.

The little horse he had been bracing himself to receive suddenly pivoted mid-charge, smashing headfirst into the barrier instead.

Even more shockingly, not only did it know how to feint to the east and strike to the west, but the creature’s impact force was utterly absurd.

The barrier, which had been perfectly solid just moments ago, shook violently and was pierced right through.

Driven by the sheer momentum, the ”horse”—its body now little more than a mangled lump—instantly lunged at the volunteer who had been sheltered behind the barrier.

...

Ah, youths. Ninety li is only halfway on a hundred-li journey.

Not dodging or evading in the slightest, Fu Qian allowed the creature to pounce right onto him. He sighed silently, having just cast his Thread of Attachment.

Let this old master teach you what it truly means to find dark willows and bright flowers through sheer persistence.