Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Don’t go over there!”

A sudden change occurred. As the most low-profile person on the team, Madam Ann had displayed a remarkable will to survive, sticking close to White’s side the entire way.

Given her behavior along the way and the progression of the Crimson Frenzy, White clearly had his guard down around her.

Yet at a moment of such uncertainty, she was the one who delivered this backstab.

Faced with this sight, Jill, her body trembling, still struggled to shout a warning to Li.

The latter, already jolted somewhat awake by the shock, instinctively started to rush forward.

It was clear he still trusted Jill. Though he didn’t entirely understand, he forced himself to stop in his tracks at her words.

”It’s just like the last one... It’s probably too late. Be careful not to let it stick to you.”

When he turned to look at Jill, she shook her head, giving up with extreme decisiveness and signaling him to stay away from the two entangled figures over there.

And it seemed Jill’s judgment was flawless.The next moment, although there were two entangled bodies in their vision, they actually displayed the same sense of distortion as the prison guard from earlier.

As they thrashed about, it even made the guard’s previous movements easier to understand.

As Li finally took the advice and scrambled away, Madam Ann’s soft, slender hand continued to press forward, clasping together with White’s hand.

A flicker of flame that had been gathering on his palm was quietly snuffed out.

Simultaneously, wisps of blood-red threads rapidly pulled from between their fingers, tangling together.

As they gradually became indistinguishable from one another, the corresponding parts of their bodies also withered into ash, scattering in clumps.

”Run! This thing is different.”

This time, it was the Scholar who roared. Relying on his keen Insight, he seemed to sense even more that something was wrong; he was already continuing his mad sprint as he gave the warning.

”Why... so... rushed?”

Yet, the first to react to this warning and action were actually the two entangled figures over there.

Those two heads actually used different voices to say the exact same words in unison, their tone possessing an eerie calmness.

...

It could actually still communicate?

This change made every fleeing survivor—save for Fu Qian—subconsciously slow their pace.

It really was different from the previous victim. It actually regained a lucid consciousness this quickly?

That synchronized sentence just now even gave the impression that under this union, the two had merged their very minds.

”What are you trying to say? What exactly is going on?”

Amid their uncertain glances, Jill was ultimately the first to stop in her tracks, asking coldly.

”Sharing a way to survive, of course... Isn’t that what we’ve been doing all along?”

And that withering body actually answered, its voices gradually becoming steady.

The two heads even looked over in unison, flashing identical smiles.

”Don’t be afraid. I have no need to devour and merge. You are meaningless to me... You as well.”

That last sentence was clearly aimed at Fu Qian.

Because of his outstanding performance earlier, the mysterious Sinner Excellency had received some extra attention.

”You flatter me.”

Fu Qian offered a slight nod to this, continuing to fully display the demeanor of a Rebirth Club titan.

”I don’t understand what you mean. Are you saying we just need to merge with someone to fight off this erosion?”

”Honestly, looking at your current state, I find that a bit hard to believe.”

But not everyone had Fu Qian’s excellent state of mind. Brother Scholar, who already had the momentum of growing braver with every battle, cut in ahead of Jill to answer Ann-White.

And as he spoke, he even gestured with his eyes at the other’s body. The withering and desiccation was visibly continuing. In just this brief moment, more than one limb had already taken on the state of a Scarlet Angel, leaving its earlier claim of surviving lacking in persuasion.

”Wrong... completely wrong.”

Scholar Excellency’s performance could not be considered lacking, but unfortunately, this confidence suffered a head-on blow the very next moment.

The two heads opposite them swayed together; even the angle at which they shook their heads was exactly the same.

”First, I said devouring and merging are unnecessary, and then, resistance is actually unnecessary too... because this is not an erosion.”

...

Not an erosion... Things seemed to be getting interesting.

Faced with this peculiar phrasing, while Jill and the others remained confused, Fu Qian—who already held higher expectations—had a completely different thought in that moment.

Jill’s judgment was still without issue. The state of this thing before them was entirely different from the one that had been crushed with a punch earlier.

To Fu Qian, this point was exceptionally clear in his perception.

Take the most intuitive aspect, for instance—divinity.

The Rank of this lump of flesh was not on the same level as the previous one at all, and it was even still climbing as its body decayed further.

It was as if something was using this curse to Descend before them across inconceivable space and time—like the Knights of the Apocalypse.

As a predetermined death condition that would trigger a kill upon gathering all four, Fu Qian had never forgotten to monitor their possible methods of Descent along the way.

And right now, the situation did not look optimistic.

Neither Madam Ann nor White was anywhere close to possessing divinity, and even the Metamoran Fusion Technique would have almost no reason to achieve this extent.

This change seemed more like it was merely providing a coordinate for a Descent.

Listening to it, even this two-in-one embrace didn’t sound like a necessary condition.

”Do you still not understand? This isn’t the ordinary curse you’ve known in the past; our situation is far more unique than that!”

Before Jill and the rest could express their lack of understanding, Ann-White continued with another deafening declaration.

”Look at this thing in front of you. Do you still think this is just Anjing spreading pollution, and then the sea freezing over because it’s too cold? We are surrounded by a unique Transcendent Tier power.”

...

”No matter what the reason for its appearance is, or whether some power of this ancient place was triggered, this is our opportunity.

”Feel it, feel your true self and seize control, instead of resisting... You will thank me.”

The previous claims were undeniably hard to refute, and Ann-White didn’t give them any more time to think. The next moment, it raised a pair of clasped hands woven entirely from scarlet blood threads.

”So who exactly are you...?”

Seeing that nearly half of its body was already in the Scarlet Angel state, although unsure of how to evaluate the claim that they ’will thank me’, Jill ultimately couldn’t help but ask.

”Isn’t it obvious? I am Ann. White is already dead.”

In response, the latter actually let out a dual-toned chuckle. Then, amidst a crisp snap like breaking deadwood, Warden White’s entire head was forcefully wrenched off its neck and casually tossed aside.

”Simply because I couldn’t control that special urge in the beginning.”