Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Keep your distance and trap him. He can’t keep draining himself like this forever.”

The continuous string of unexpected changes had undoubtedly shaken everyone. After a brief silence, Lady Raven’s tone turned entirely cold as she issued instructions without any disguise.

To Fu Qian, this reaction couldn’t have been more normal.

The relatively normal conversation earlier was naturally meant to maintain her posture and minimize the impact of his demagoguery.

Most importantly, it had served as cover for two consecutive killing strikes.

Now that even her fallback contingencies had fallen through, firmly pinning a label on him and adopting a resolute stance was the only viable choice left.

As for directly giving the order: the wind is tight, pull back?

That was impossible.

If she did that, it wouldn’t matter whether the Dark Moon or a Nightmare stood behind him.

A faith whose truth was hard to discern, an opponent they could not match in strength—neither was something this organization could endure right now.But at the very least, they were a group of ambitious youths. They might not be cut out for a suicide squad, but an encirclement battle was still something to look forward to.

Lady Raven had made the most reasonable choice.

The only problem was that, in doing so, the dynamic had shifted into that of an audience and a speaker.

The audience even had to pay absolute attention, not daring to let their minds wander.

...

This was the art of guidance.

Satisfied with how things were developing, Fu Qian responded by firing three consecutive streaks of moonlight at Lady Raven to help her rally her troops.

She did not disappoint him. The Raven Feather Garment fluttered wildly in the storm of attacks, forcibly withstanding the three heavy blows without her taking a single step back.

Although the sluggishness from taking the first hit had already made it impossible for her to dodge the following two.

”It is gratifying to see so many listeners. There is a saying perfectly suited for this situation.”

The next moment, Fu Qian cleared his throat, recalling the sparse contents of the Book of Gospel.

”...Lies and fallacies bewilder those trapped within them without their knowledge, yet the shepherd who guides the weak through the dark valley shall surely receive the blessing of the Dark Moon... He shall be filled with wrath, burning to ash all who dare stand in His way with bright frost!”

With that impassioned final line, Fu Qian—shrouded in brilliant light—raised his hand and pointed across the way at the hidden assassin, whose body was tainted by moonlight after taking two hits earlier.

Under the cover of his companions, the assassin’s body had grown hazy once more. He clearly hadn’t given up on the assassination.

Being singled out by Fu Qian so suddenly, everyone followed his gaze and realized what was happening. They were instantly startled, terrified that divine punishment would descend the very next second—and it actually did!

In the next moment, a streak of dark light carrying an unstoppable momentum directly pierced through half of the hidden assassin’s body.

And this was the result of him dodging with all his might while in a state of shock.

...

What was this?

The sudden, tragic scene clearly sent a deep shock through the awakened ones.

Mainly, it was just too fitting. Right after the Dark Moon Apostle spoke of burning them to ash, this Black Arrow—distinct from the Bright Light earlier—fell from the sky, a Chastisement upon the listener trying to pull a fast one.

And as for its lethality...

Several people nearby subconsciously moved to help, but before they could even act, they were astonished to find that the Black Arrow pinning the man to the ground suddenly exploded into arcs of light that merged into his torn flesh.

”Attention! Enemies!”

This scene finally drew a cry of alarm from Lady Raven, who roared to warn them of the danger.

It wasn’t this guy; there was someone else!

Despite their panic, the group’s comprehension was still somewhat intact, and they instantly realized the underlying meaning of those words.

Still reeling from the shock, they readily accepted good advice, immediately scattering to find cover.

Almost simultaneously, more streaks of dark light rained down from the sky.

Bang! Bang!

Two of the arrows aimed straight at Lady Raven unexpectedly shattered in midair under her gaze, as if detonated by some special method.

She even had the spare capacity to do the exact same to another one not far away.

Yet even so, more than one scream rang out.

”What the hell is going on?”

The awakened ones who had struggled to dodge the attack surveyed this sudden change, their furious roars now tinged with terror.

The first person to be hit had already lost his human shape amidst his screams.

A dense blackness seeped outward from his flesh. His limbs swelled and twisted grotesquely, resembling a long-rotted corpse rapidly dissolving into a pile of sludge.

But this wasn’t that guy’s doing.

Subconsciously looking toward the figure in the center of the battlefield, everyone confirmed Lady Raven’s judgment once again.

Because that one person was enduring even more attacks than all of them combined.

It was just that all the Black Arrows were struck down in mid-flight by precisely timed streaks of moonlight, one after another.

Upon collision, the black Turbulence and the brilliant glow illuminated each other. They converged around the Dark Moon Apostle into an astonishingly magnificent scene.

When that magnificent display scattered an instant later, they saw the Dark Moon Apostle standing in the center completely unharmed. He was holding several Black Arrows in his hand, examining them closely.

Even the icy aura around him had subsequently receded.

...

In truth, there was nothing much to look at.

Fu Qian, keeping his posture dialed to the max, wasn’t actually focused on these arrows.

These were methods he had already witnessed.

The conclusion was obvious. His next communication partners—the minions and guards of the Nightmare—had arrived at a commendable speed, saving him from wasting any time.

Judging from their actions, it seemed they were prepared to use this excellent opportunity to wipe everyone out in one fell swoop.

The ambush just now had clearly encompassed all the awakened ones.

It was just that since he had helped heighten their vigilance, the effect wasn’t as pronounced.

As for why he grabbed them with his hands when he didn’t expect to observe anything from the arrows?

Naturally, it wasn’t just to strike a pose. Quiet Reflection and Wandering also had its limits.

Locking onto the attacks just now and pushing it to full power, Fu Qian quickly discovered that the ability could no longer be sustained and needed time to recover.

Therefore, this interception system had to be shut down early.

To accommodate this change, Fu Qian even conveniently dismissed the Commandment Residue, returning to a low profile.

And at this moment, likely realizing their attacks were ineffective, the ambush had stopped.

Amidst the screams of the victims, the awakened ones were left in terror, searching for the source of the attack.

But for Fu Qian, the answer was still far too simple.

This time, he didn’t crush the arrows in his hand. Instead, Fu Qian directly threw them back with a backhand toss.

Three streaks of dark light shot toward the edge of the night sky above them at a speed even faster than when they came.

Boom!

The Black Arrows smashed into different positions, and the arcs of light exploded almost simultaneously.

Amidst the tremors, the surroundings flickered. Multiple figures surfaced one after another, encircling the night sky overhead.

At a glance, their numbers were no fewer than the people on the battlefield below.

What gratified Fu Qian the most was that, although they wore the familiar Black Armor designs, they didn’t seem to have the same sense of instability as the three he had encountered before.

Not only had the guests arrived, but it also seemed they weren’t simple possession projections.

They were truly showing too much sincerity.

”Find a spot and take a seat anywhere.”

For a moment, Fu Qian called out, filled with tolerance for the latecomers.