Eldritch Horror Theatre

The setting sun cast slanting rays through a warm, gentle breeze.

It was hard to imagine it acting out of any civic duty, but the prey had indeed chosen to flee toward a more secluded corner than the office building.

Because of this, neither the earlier flurry of debris nor the scattered limbs currently on the ground had drawn an audience just yet.

That was only temporary, though. The earlier commotion inside the building had clearly been noticed.

That didn’t matter, however. The one on the ground didn’t have much time left anyway.

”This look is much easier on the eyes.”

As a polite hunter, Fu Qian didn’t belittle his opponent at a moment like this.

”Your strategy was pretty good, too.”

This was no empty flattery.

The massive heap sprawled on the ground still vaguely retained the skeletal silhouette of the giant dragon from moments ago, but its exterior was far more aesthetically pleasing.It was no longer a tangled mess of flesh and blood radiating a plague-ridden aura. Instead, it was covered in a smooth, delicate, grayish-white skin that seemed to carry an innate sense of timelessness.

Its overall size had shriveled considerably, but the gauntness paired inexplicably well with this new hue.

Coupled with pale golden eyes narrowed into thin slits, it bathed in the setting sun, resembling an old man with one foot in the grave peacefully watching the dusk.

Its time was indeed running out.

The most obvious sign was its shriveled body. Upon closer inspection, it was covered in countless crisscrossing cracks; there was barely a single intact patch of skin to be found.

It looked as if it had been diced into pieces and barely glued back together.

In reality, that was exactly what had happened. That final attack had detonated directly inside its stomach.

This was also why Fu Qian had praised its escape strategy.

The preceding sequence of events was quite simple.

After charging out of the building and facing an invisible threat, the cowardly dragon had chosen a highly efficient escape method: flying straight up into the sky.

Unfortunately, making itself such an eye-catching target had allowed Fu Qian, as the hunter, to drag it right back down using his Thread of Attachment. Following a Visceral Attack, it was finally shattered to pieces.

However, that was merely the surface. In essence, the moment it took to the air, its very existence had split into two distinct parts.

The half that had been dragged back and pulverized wasn’t a mere illusion, but it was far from the core body.

He could determine this because the Seed of Writhing he had planted remained inside the portion that had entered a concealed state.

He had never expected a single Visceral Attack to instantly kill the target while outside his King of the Abandoned Prison state. Therefore, when he opened the wound, he had conveniently slipped a little extra something inside.

An unhatched Seed of Writhing, as long as it remained within a certain range, could serve as a target for an Extreme Hunger Infection.

Infecting the very source of a supernatural pollution sounded almost like a piece of dry humor.

Regardless, upon immediately noticing the target’s actions, Fu Qian had chosen the most efficient method to neatly dispose of both targets.

”Thank you.”

At this very moment, a voice rang out from the mangled remains.

And this time, it sounded much more sincere.

”Don’t mention it.”

...

”Although the duration wasn’t very long, to me, it was an immensely agonizing experience...”

The hunter hadn’t interrupted its dying words and had even offered a polite reply. The shattered dragon sounded somewhat gratified.

”You may call me Huo... I am living fear, a walking nightmare, born from the midnight terrors of decaying minds.”

”They feared me. They knew I was there, yet they tried to turn a blind eye.”

”Although I am merely a convergence of pale will and have slumbered for so long, under the protection of a clear conceptual definition, my existence is purer than that of a true dragon.”

’Did that mean you could only be perceived by people over fifty-nine? That was indeed a strict and clearly defined condition.’

Fu Qian naturally thought of the events surrounding Rick’s birthday, but he was in no rush to interrupt the creature’s tale.

”Until that day, when an irresistible filth arrived...”

Sure enough, Huo quickly got to the point. True to its nature as a convergence of pale will, its tone remained peaceful and detached, even when describing something so detestable.

”At first, I thought it was simply another soul that had accrued enough life experience... Yet, the moment we made contact, I realized that was just a facade. There was no soul at all... It was merely a slime-covered tongue...”

’A tongue... That description wasn’t entirely wrong.’

’After all, if my speculation about the covenant holds true, it could indeed be defined as a physical extension of a higher entity.’

Fu Qian offered a silent critique. ’As expected, one easily achieves complete enlightenment during a moment of terminal lucidity.’

”There was no way to resist such blasphemy... Fortunately, I soon realized that the will behind this authority was inactive. Therefore, I decided to take the lead in this process, hoping to harness the accumulating power to break free from my restraints and attain purification.”

”It doesn’t look like you succeeded.”

The entity had spoken at length in a single breath, and its account aligned closely with his previous deductions. Fu Qian finally nodded and offered his input.

’Rick’s sudden escalation of symptoms was indeed being driven by this fellow behind the scenes.’

”Correct... This was a Road of No Return. I did experience growth, but the will behind that authority simultaneously awakened within me... It’s a pity. By the time I noticed, I had lost control of everything except a tiny sliver of self-will.”

”Therefore, I harbor no resentment toward you. Deprived of that filthy flesh, I have lost the foundation of my existence in this place. But your purification allowed me to reclaim my sense of self, granting me a final moment of tranquility...”

”Thank you for listening to me... Please, accept this...”

Huo’s parting words had finally reached their end. Simultaneously, the fissures across its body rapidly expanded as its physical form completely disintegrated, reducing into a cloud of pale ash that enshrouded the surroundings.

At the very last moment, its solitary remaining eye fully opened, reflecting Fu Qian’s figure within.

Almost instantly, the swirling dust began to rapidly churn, coalescing into a completely different image.

”Apoptosis is also an ascension. I am unsure if this can aid you, or how much you will be able to see. My will has grown hazy, but I will expend the last ounce of my strength to hold on... I hope it proves useful.”

[Current task complete. Anomaly No. 2-020 Containment successful.]

Huo’s final dying words rang out in near perfect synchronization with the system’s task completion prompt.

...

’This thing...’

To Fu Qian’s eyes, the image churning within the dust was undeniably blurry, but an intrinsic, fate-level connection pierced through the haze without obstruction. It felt as if he were looking at something he was destined to experience.

It depicted a profound, sprawling river. The substance flowing within was not water, but an illusory yet viscous pitch-blackness—a darkness that felt completely unified, yet infinitely divisible.

A figure stood amidst this peculiar current. As it rotted away, it was simultaneously reborn. Throughout this cycle, the river’s torrent washed over it, scouring away the exterior to reveal another figure hidden within.

It was the King of the Abandoned Prison.

Fu Qian understood this immediately with absolute clarity.

As for the original figure, its identity was even more unmistakable—it was himself.

A higher form of his own existence.

Even the river felt somewhat familiar. During his battle with Emperor Yasui, she had seemingly manifested something similar. It was highly extraordinary.

’An opportunity for advancement? Is this guy using his final ripples of life to illuminate a sliver of the path ahead?’

His visual observation didn’t hinder him from absorbing the surrounding audio in the slightest, which naturally included Huo’s persevering declaration.

Faced with such profound generosity, he took a deep breath, locked onto the entity, and unleashed a maximum-power Gospel Shockwave the instant its voice faded.

’If your will is growing hazy, then you’d better strive for a bit more enlightenment!’

Everything shuddered violently. The supreme technique originating from the Mother of Gospel instantly bestowed enlightenment upon this fading will.

Unfortunately, the scene before his eyes didn’t sharpen in the slightest. Instead, it blurred even further, as if another layer of mosaic had been slapped over it.

Fu Qian felt no regret, however. He finished listening to the final few words of the system prompt and stood there in silent expectation.

”...Wait, I—it wasn’t me—”

Just as the image completely dissolved and began departing from this spacetime, a voice—incredibly faint, yet sounding like someone awaking as if from a dream—suddenly roared out from within the chaotic cloud of ash.

”Thank you...”

The very last thing Fu Qian heard was a word of gratitude, far more sincere than the previous two.

’At least you possess some lingering comprehension.’

His internal reaction was a dismissive snort, though he offered this Dragon of Apoptosis a positive review for the very first time.

’”Lost control of everything except a tiny sliver of self-will”?’

’Who gave you the courage to assume you still possessed free will?’

’An opportunity for advancement? A fateful connection?’

’A trick that had already failed once, and you actually tried using it against a Saint a second time?’

’When this seat was busy dealing with this so-called ”blasphemy,” the future family head of the Ji Clan hadn’t even taken control of the Gospel Team yet.’