Eldritch Horror Theatre

Wasn’t that a bit too ruthless?

The path of the extraordinary was fraught with peril, and Serana, having long prepared herself for it, was undoubtedly gritting her teeth and holding on.

Yet Yuan Shan, who understood that just as well, suddenly seemed to grasp the true weight behind Professor Fu’s ”order to advance to Tier 2.”

Serana was already on the verge of losing control, yet the first thing out of his mouth was still about her progress—she rejected you before, so is she still rejecting you now?

That air of assured victory was certainly admirable, but could this actually work? No matter how one looked at it, it felt like she was making a pointless sacrifice.

”Yes... and She is in great pain.”

Sure enough, Serana still had no good news to offer.

After a brief pause, she even shared a glimpse of ”heaven’s secrets.”

So she didn’t even call Her the Progenitor this time?

Under Yuan Shan’s silent gaze, Fu Qian looked noticeably thoughtful.As everyone knew, among vampires, reverence for the Progenitor was etched into their very bones.

Serana had clearly used the honorific title of Progenitor earlier, yet now she had dropped it entirely. One had to wonder whether she had sensed something under such dire circumstances. Combined with that line in the Abyss Notes, had she finally confirmed that the Progenitor was gone, and that someone else might be in Her place?

If that really was the case, she certainly lived up to His Excellency Ambor’s assessment—a remarkably talented figure among the Blood Clan.

”It sounds like you can stop now.”

While Fu Qian silently gave her his approval, Yuan Shan finally took a deep breath, gesturing that Serana didn’t need to make such a senseless sacrifice.

”Indeed, it looks like we can try a different approach.”

Surprisingly, Fu Qian, the very man who had single-handedly orchestrated the tragedy unfolding before them, actually agreed with her.

”However, the connection has already been established...”

Instead, it was the person at the center of it all who hesitated.

In the blink of an eye, she had become unrecognizable. Even the blood-red eye on her right was no longer clear, having melted into a murky mass.

Yet despite clearly enduring immense agony, Serana refused to take this chance to free herself, showing an intense reluctance to let go of her sunk costs.

Of course, her reaction wasn’t entirely unreasonable. If trying a different approach meant finding another way to draw that gaze, there was really no point anymore.

It wasn’t that Old Man Henry’s plan had failed—that part was already complete. The flaw lay in what came after securing the gaze. ”Haa—”

This time, the sound came from her original mouth.

With a groan that seemed to mingle agony with pleasure, Serana pressed a hand against her shoulder.

At the motion, blood far exceeding the normal volume of a human body gushed out from the spot.

...

Wasn’t that where the Starry Sky Rose was?

Though he was directly in the line of fire, he still had plenty of time to react.

Yet faced with that massive spray of blood, Fu Qian was in no hurry to step out of range.

On the contrary, he took a step forward, drastically narrowing the spray’s reach so nothing would splatter onto Old Man Henry.

The man was only here as a special guest, and his health hadn’t been great lately; there was really no need to make the Old Man bear any extra risk.

Chief Yuan was even more decisive. At almost the exact same moment, she grabbed her teacher and pulled her back.

Was Serana trying to force the ritual through? That was certainly resolute. Within moments, only Fu Qian and Serana remained on the high platform. Watching her movements, Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

In the blink of an eye, the sprayed blood was already rising into a mist, rapidly shrouding the surrounding area.

Judging from where the blood was coming from and how Serana had reacted to their persuasion, what she intended to do was already obvious.

The problem now was no longer about establishing contact, but that something seemed wrong on the ”Progenitor’s” end.

Even if the Old Man optimized his methods later or found an alternative path, it wouldn’t solve the Progenitor’s ”rejection.”

To complete the ritual, the other party had to be convinced.

And that was precisely what Serana was doing right now.

If the Progenitor refused to give any further response, then she would simply take another step forward herself.

Her actions also demonstrated just how crucial the Starry Sky Rose was to the ritual.

At first glance, Serana’s choice seemed hard to evaluate.

Setting aside the fact that such an attempt was ninety-nine percent certain to be in vain, even if she did manage to move the ”Progenitor,” would that really be a good thing?

From that brief brush of contact alone—and while being rejected, no less—her body had already twisted into this state. Such a transformation was more than enough to prove that the being on the other side was in a deeply wrong state; she had even admitted herself that the Progenitor was in pain.

If she truly won that favor now, it could very well turn out to be a disaster rather than a blessing, drowning her completely in the ”pain” of the Progenitor of the Blood Clan.

Was her drive to advance really that strong? Strong enough to take such a risk and gamble on odds that might not even be one in ten thousand?

...

Of course not.

As the chief culprit behind all of this, Fu Qian naturally wouldn’t interpret Serana’s actions that way.

This was someone Ambor himself had singled out as lacking ambition, someone who for years had preferred to waste her talent idling around rather than strive for the top.

Not to mention that she had collected enough Starry Sky Roses on her body long ago, yet had kept such vital information hidden the entire time.

In Fu Qian’s view, what Serana was doing right now was less about refusing to give up a rare opportunity for herself, and more about refusing to give up on the ”Progenitor.”

Yes, her usual words and actions were so unrestrained that she practically looked like a disgrace to her kin.

Yet her filial devotion to the Progenitor was likely far more sincere than anyone else’s—

Since Progenitor Annalise had already fallen, who was on the other side?

If it clearly wasn’t the Progenitor, why did it still occasionally respond to the Blood Clan?

And what was the real cause of that ”pain”?

Those questions had no doubt been lingering in Serana’s mind all along.

Combined with her repeated ventures into the ”Ancient Reminiscence” over the years to seek out traces of the Progenitor’s past glory, deep down, Serana might very well have been harboring the thought of investigating the Progenitor’s predicament and trying to offer a sliver of help.

And now, the opportunity might have arrived.

No matter how things had reached this point, no matter how bizarre the process or how inscrutable the participants, it had still succeeded in proving that the ”Progenitor” was facing some kind of predicament.

Better yet, she even had three special guests with their own unique skills standing by to guard her, one of whom was openly unfathomable.

What situation could be more suitable for making an effort than this?

An opportunity like this wouldn’t come again, so why not take the risk and try?

”Still rejected?”

Unfortunately, sheer initiative had its limits.

In the silent Church, watching Serana commit this act of ”insubordination” while wreathed in blood mist, Fu Qian let out a sigh.

”Yes...”

Sure enough, the answer was regrettable, and Serana’s voice was already so warped it was barely recognizable as her own.

”In that case—”

Fu Qian took another step closer, stopping only when he was almost pressed right up against Serana.

Splat—

Under Yuan Shan’s gaze—which clearly read ”this farce is finally coming to an end”—one of his hands pierced straight through Serana’s abdomen, leaving a Seed of Writhing inside as well.