Eldritch Horror Theatre

The Night Watchers seemed reluctant to shatter the tranquility of this place.

Granted, his earlier conclusion sounded a bit like the spiritual victory method.

But that was the nature of clashing momentum; only those involved could appreciate its subtleties.

This time, Excellency Kelin had clearly deliberated at length before she finally cracked and made the first move.

In fact, her approach was almost tactful—a far cry from the Night Watchers’ usual overbearing stance, which was how Fu Qian had reached his earlier conclusion so easily.

At first glance, her move seemed clever and ruthless: using him as a tool while simultaneously applying pressure.

But given his current stance, he didn’t need to offer any further proof; his behavior was already undeniably suspicious.

In the experience of a professional operations advisor, he had likely already crossed the Night Watchers’ threshold for execution.

Normally, they would have long since lost the patience to bicker with him. They would have already encircled him, ready for physical annihilation.

One might argue that Kelin wasn’t exactly a hot-tempered bruiser, but that didn’t contradict his point.Based on their previous clash, Fu Qian believed that unless she was putting on a show for an audience, Kelin would almost never expose herself this recklessly—whether she was acting alone or colluding with the Origin Council.

Taking all this into account, Kelin was most likely moving alongside Night Watcher experts. And for some reason, this squad’s style was far less aggressive than usual.

And what was that reason? They didn’t want to break the barrier.

...

As long as his previous assumption held true, the answer was actually quite simple.

If this place was truly similar to the Akons, then it also served as the barrier separating the Burial Ground of the Gods from the Human Mind World.

The chances of the Night Watchers being unaware of such an important Lands Between were extremely low.

Not to mention, judging by the number of people inside, it was hard to say when the Great Royal Court had appeared, but its scale was clearly considerable.

Looked at coldly, completely ignoring the mental state of those trapped inside, it was actually continuously thickening that barrier.

This seemingly left the Night Watchers in a moral dilemma.

Should they risk the barrier collapsing to destroy this place and liberate these numerous lost souls?

Fu Qian leaned toward ”no.” That group had never been soft-hearted.

Viewed in that light, the logic seemed much smoother.

Though this simultaneously spawned another question: what were they here to do?

Did they come to conduct regular inspections of such a thriving place?

Honestly, given Kelin’s political pedigree, Fu Qian felt there was very little chance she would participate in such an activity.

The Night Watchers must have come with a specific goal in mind, and coincidentally, the Origin Council had arrived too—

”Blasphemy—”

The fanatic’s patience was clearly even thinner than Excellency Kelin’s. Before Fu Qian could finish his thought, the man had already charged right up to his face.

...

It was said that when someone was truly furious, the veins in their neck bulged.

Right now, Fu Qian was getting a highly intuitive demonstration of that.

Taking in the sight of the male white-collar worker advancing step by step with a sharp blade in hand, as well as the two behind him who had followed after being enlightened by his words, Fu Qian felt that if his old biology classes had featured such clear physical models, everyone’s grades would have been much better.

Of course, if he didn’t do something soon, the white-collar worker was about to carve up his neck next.

This was the hallmark of an exchange between professionals: you could never expect to take all the advantages for yourself.

Excellency Kelin might have come up slightly short just now, but that didn’t stop him from having to counter this move. And what was so hard about that? Gospel Shockwave.

Even though it was virtually impossible for the trio to cause him any harm, Fu Qian didn’t remain seated.

Acting solely to maintain a persona would be too deliberate, putting him on the same lower footing as His Excellency Needle Witch.

Blaspheming the divine grace, was he? Interfering with enlightenment?

A person must bear the consequences of their own actions. In that case, this seat will provide some enlightenment in his stead.

Carefully adjusting the output, he fired a Silent Gospel Blast directly into the white-collar worker’s brain.

...

Even though he had drastically minimized the dosage, the constitution of the fanatic before him was only marginally stronger than an ordinary person’s.

As the gospel flooded his ears, a familiar scene immediately played out.

The man skidded to a halt. His gaze froze, and all movement ceased.

Aside from the fact that his eyes were locked onto a different neck, his reaction was completely identical to when he believed the divine grace was being blasphemed earlier.

So, what was this guy witnessing right now?

The effect of Gospel Shockwave was to enlighten spirituality and increase madness.

Considering the connection between the people here and the Solitary King, what he might see after his spirituality received enlightenment was a subject of genuine curiosity.

”Ugh—”

Unsurprisingly, the other two—who lacked the good fortune to hear the gospel—were once again influenced by the man’s actions and stopped in their tracks.

It was obvious that this rapid flip-flopping had placed considerable pressure on their brain vessels. Right now, they were somewhat at a loss.

”Roar—”

However, this peace didn’t last long. Soon, another bellow tore from the white-collar worker’s throat.

And though it wasn’t as high-pitched this time, the emotion behind it was markedly richer.

Beyond rage and hatred, there was a sense of liberating joy, as if he had genuinely gained something from the gospel—Rip!

Another eerie sound echoed, but this time, it didn’t come from his mouth.

Amidst a bout of twisted trembling, his neck burst open like a blooming flower bud.

His sleeveless shirt—which Fu Qian had earlier judged as ready to tear at any moment—literally ripped apart, along with the chest beneath it.

As flesh and blood sprayed, a cloud of white powder exploded into the air, whipping up a storm of epiphany that swallowed Fu Qian’s figure whole.

...

He knew it. The higher-ups of the Night Watchers would never be trapped by a moral dilemma.

The visual effect wasn’t just stunning; in that moment, Fu Qian could even feel the leech on the back of his hand rejoicing.

The male white-collar worker, who no longer resembled a human, seemed to have reaped rewards in his faith and transmitted them directly to him.

‘Thank you.’

Even though he was technically the catalyst for this transformation, Fu Qian still silently offered his thanks in that instant.

How could there be such a coincidence?

A casual act of enlightenment just happened to yield excellent results, and those results just happened to push him one step closer to being the perfect tool?

Fu Qian looked down at his feet.

The man was far from dead. Certain human tissues were actively tangling around one of Fu Qian’s legs.

While Fu Qian didn’t suffer from moral dilemmas either, he wasn’t about to rashly claim all the credit for this masterpiece.

This sort of physical mutation felt far more characteristic of the Needle Witch.

Excellency Kelin had chosen to apply pressure again, which meant it was his turn.

The moment the ”chains” tightened around his leg, brilliant golden flames ignited with a roar, sweeping out in all directions—the Flame of Frenzy.

That’s right. Fu Qian had directly unleashed this authority of the King of the Abandoned Prison.

His reasoning was simple. Excellency Kelin’s methods might be unpredictable and bizarre, but they never strayed from their core essence—

‘I might know what you’re all here for.’