Chapter 3036 The Extinction of Romance

It really was the Wanderer?

The rapid twists and turns were dizzying, but to Fu Qian, certain details were instantly recognizable.

The Scarlet Angel might have been completely unrecognizable, but that "Ghost Claw" looked practically identical to the one he had seen before.

During the task with the Knights of the Apocalypse, his initial conversation with the Abyss Knight hadn't been very pleasant. They had come to blows after just a few words.

The Wanderer had used a similar move then, and its bizarre effect had left a deep impression.

The moment that move appeared, his identity was practically confirmed.

Was this the power of their bond?

He had merely tossed a Scarlet Angel into The Abyss to help build a bridge between them, and Brother Wanderer had actually seized the opportunity, sensed the summons, and responded?

He had to admit, it was moving.

It was just that his subsequent actions seemed rather abstract no matter how you looked at them.

Searching for his long-lost wife, he had finally gotten his wish under miraculous circumstances, their fingers intertwining.

Yet the next step wasn't pulling her into an embrace—it was chopping her hand off. An O. Henry ending had nothing on this.

As for why he would do this—

Madam Three-Eyed's soul-crushing cries of pain were finally subsiding.

Turning to look, he discovered that both her hand and the Pocket Watch were still attached to her arm; neither had been dragged into The Abyss.

Yet something had indeed been severed: the hideous veins that had once covered it.

Using the Ghost Claw's slash as a boundary, the distal end had been pulled away like a glove, revealing a smooth, unblemished palm.

Not only could her fingers now curl and grip without obstruction, but even the Pocket Watch in her grasp looked a bit cleaner.

The remaining veins couldn't even maintain their coverage, rapidly shrinking upward until they completely retreated from her arm, ultimately condensing into a single spot on her cheek.

The third eye that had originally rested there had quietly dissolved into flesh and blood, leaving behind only a fine, narrow wound.

...

Brilliant. Now this was an exorcism.

Watching the transformation from start to finish, even Fu Qian couldn't help but marvel. He had just performed a shamanic exorcism act in front of Demigod Aike not long ago, making it very easy to draw a comparison.

The conclusion was that his own visual impact fell far short.

Unlike his conversation with thin air back then, any random child in the audience would be able to tell that the evil power entangling her had been slain in a single strike, restoring the victim's true appearance.

At most, the wound on her face remained as a hidden danger, leaving room for a sequel—something about the devil never being fully eradicated and one day spreading out to consume her again.

As for why it couldn't be eradicated? Was there a suspicion of forcing a storyline just to make a quick buck?

Fu Qian felt there was no need to rush to condemn the writing just yet; he had actually seen a similar case himself—Eve.

Yes, that bug using Wen Li as a Cocoon.

Without his help, it seemed Eldest Miss Wen had only two fates waiting for her.

The first was stagnating for the rest of her life. Eve wouldn't hatch, but that might not be up to her.

The second was being completely replaced by Eve the moment she advanced to the Mid Tier, the turtledove occupying the magpie's nest.

Looking at it from the perspective of evil spirit possession, didn't it match up quite well?

Parasitic, impossible to fully eradicate, and destined to swallow the host whole one day... Academic workers absolutely had to know how to draw comparisons and summarize.

In Fu Qian's eyes, the changes to Madam Three-Eyed's body could entirely be seen as the "Eve" on her getting beaten up and obediently shrinking back.

The era she lived in might have been quite long ago, but something like "transcendent architecture animation" shouldn't have too strict of an era restriction.

As for what exactly was parasitizing Madam Three-Eyed? The answer seemed right in front of him.

It seemed that even with a safety contingency in place, the Wanderer was still trapped in The Abyss, left with only a few lingering obsessions just like Herbert.

Then why did he insist on doing something so dangerous?

Could it be because of the thing inside his wife's body?

...

How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den.

So that strike just now wasn't severing their ties of affection, but rather stopping his wife from being consumed by this power once again?

Although the intelligence was excessively fragmented, it didn't stop Fu Qian from exercising his imagination and organizing it into a complete logical framework.

And if this was actually true, the scene just now became even more moving. One side waiting devotedly, the other searching painstakingly.

Relying on an unforgettable bond across endless years, they had only managed to meet as broken remnants through a multitude of coincidences.

In the end, the only thing he still remembered was that he had to sever this bond to ensure his wife wouldn't be consumed by the abyssal minions inside her.

Hmm...

Fortunately, the effect seemed pretty good. In the blink of an eye, not only did Madam Three-Eyed lose all inhuman traits, but even her demeanor had settled down considerably.

She stood gracefully, clutching the Pocket Watch tightly, and quietly watched the Scarlet Angel in the pool.

After performing that action, the latter was finally unable to maintain its form and was dissolved and swallowed by the red mist.

However, Madam Three-Eyed's heart, which had been on the verge of collapse from her bitter waiting, seemed fully recharged by this brief contact, allowing her to continue enduring the long years ahead.

Even though her essence was nothing more than a wisp of a remnant soul briefly coalesced.

[SAN Value -5, inspiration +5]

The moment after Madam Three-Eyed turned slightly to bow in gratitude toward him, she followed in her lover's footsteps, silently melting away.

... That saved some effort this time.

In just a brief moment, the stories of two couples had consecutively played out and drawn to a close.

As an audience member and key interactive participant, Fu Qian silently calculated his gains, sighing with emotion.

An alternative case of a Mortal Body rivaling a Deity, Madam Three-Eyed had actually managed to contribute ten points of inspiration with her frail body.

He hadn't even needed to lift a finger during the whole process; it was automatically gifted when the time came.

After this battle, the new inspiration added during this trip had officially exceeded the half-century mark, reaching fifty-one points.

Maxing it out at ninety-nine points again during the Hongmen banquet was entirely within sight.

Aside from that, even up until this lovers' reunion concluded, Excellency Blazing Rainbow still hadn't shown any signs of movement, fully displaying the composure of a veteran.

According to his previous analysis, the severity of the situation he would face later was also entirely foreseeable.

All in all, it was truly lively.

Reviewing his experiences on the way to the banquet, Fu Qian didn't continue stirring up trouble next to Old Man Henry. He put his Glove back on and turned to look at Su Gao beside him.

Having watched the entire process of Professor Fu poisoning the pool, she had remained emotionally stable throughout, not even resting her hand on her sword hilt once.

"Your Weapon?"

"It's fine, I can go pick another one on Drifting Street."

Su Gao gently shook her head, but still drew her Curved Sword out a fraction.

With a single glance, it was obvious he hadn't misheard earlier.

The originally snow-bright Blade was now covered in fine, dense cracks, momentarily reminding him of how its owner had once looked.

? ?(???_??)?