Chapter 64: Masquerade of Temptation (3)

Chapter 64: Masquerade of Temptation (3)

Just a few minutes ago.

The ballroom.

Da-landan-dan, da-rala-dan

The rhythm became increasingly intense, beyond what a human leg could keep up with.

However, even in the midst of that, Jecky was able to

dance comfortably.

After all, she had a total of four legs.

"Well, what is that...!"

It was already challenging enough to follow the dance with two legs, let alone four.

Edna looked at it and exclaimed, her face turning pale.

"Stop, Jecky! If you get consumed by the role of Lady Aeron any further, there's no turning back!"

"Shut up!"

"It could become a terrible sight! If you get consumed any further, it will be irreversible!"

"What do you know!"

With anger-filled emotions, Jeckys dance became even more intense.

Her dance didn't stray from the boundaries of modern ballroom dance, but she alternated between waltz and tango offbeat.

She suddenly danced alone as if there were two people, intensified the rhythm, and chaotic patterns emerged haphazardly.

Jeckys magic thrilled in all directions.

Sound waves vibrated, musical notes struck the air, and rays created by sound seemed to tear objects apart.

Yet, despite the three girls enduring, two additional legs sprung out from Jecky, making a total of six legs.

"Ugh!"

One of the fallen students let out a dry heave.

From that point on, it was less beautiful and closer to a grotesque and terrible sight. However, the nobles still cheered and applauded to the rhythm of Lady Aerons dance.

"As expected! You're beautiful!"

"You're the best dancer!"

"Punish those foolish challengers, Lady Aeron!"

"It's a dance so beautiful that it can't be compared to foolish challengers!"

When Lady Aeron stomped on the ground, fireworks exploded, lights shattered in a splendid display, and specks of light fluttered in the air.

The space folded, and a stage exclusively for Lady Aeron rose up, with red pouring down from the walls, creating a red carpet for her.

Jecky started dancing with her six legs, even claiming the surrounding terrain as her own.

Edna felt the intensifying offensive magic and bit her lip, and her face turned pale.

<em class="chakra-text css-0">This is too much of a stretch

The sensation at the tips of her toes was fading away.

Eisels legs were already tired, and she barely managed to stand in a precarious position.

Hong Bi-Yeon, driven solely by willpower and determination, endured and kept enduring, but she, too, had reached her limit.

Watching their state, Edna bit her lip.

<em class="chakra-text css-0">This won't do

From the moment the character named Jecky possessed Aeron, the story took a completely different turn from what she knew.

<em class="chakra-text css-0">What on earth should I do...? I prepared so thoroughly for this day, but I can't seem to become her opponent no matter what.

Tatatang!

As three out of the six legs touched the ground and matched the rhythm, an enormous storm of mana swept Ednas entire body. It became difficult to even move, let alone dance.

She was desperately resisting the seduction relying on her mental strength, fearing that she would succumb to it at any moment,

Kkaaang!

Somewhere, the sound of a collision reached their ears.

"Eek!!"

Jeckys movements instantly froze.

"What...?"

"W-What's happening...?"

In a fleeting moment, a gigantic and grotesque spider-like figure appeared and disappeared from Jeckys body.

It was truly a momentary glimpse, but the cheers of the NPC nobles paused for that instant, and the girls quickly caught onto the "gap" in timing.

"Now's the chance!"

They didnt know what the situation was, but the girls didn't miss the sudden opening.

Three girls danced to the beat, swung their staff, and yellow beams of light, icy shards, and fiery red flames struck Jeckys body.

"Kyaaaah!!"

Her lower body turned to stone; her shoulders were pierced by the beams, and her face was horribly burned.

Jecky screamed in pain.

No, to be precise, something beneath the Grand Blade Spider twitched.

Thud! Thump!

Flipping over the black carcass, Jecky revealed herself, lying beneath it.

"Huuuh... you keep interfering... with me..."

One of the participants was so shocked that they sat down on the ground. It wasn't because they were startled by Jeckys resurrection.

"What... is that?"

Her complete transformation into a 'spider' was so horrifying.

"Edna..."

Jecky slowly lifted her head and turned it in the direction where Edna stood.

Similarly struggling to hold onto her sanity, Edna took a step forward.

"Jecky..."

"Ha, ha! You can't beat me with your dance, so you resort to these tricks, huh? Because you can't dance more beautifully than me, right? How pathetic, truly pathetic. Edna, you're also jealous when someone more beautiful than you appears, aren't you? Ahaha, I'm glad. I wasn't the only one after all. You're just like me, aren't you?"

She was not in her right mind. It was truly irreversible now. However, Jecky was still healthy, while the participants had no strength left to face her.

"Baek Yu-Seol..."

They looked up at the ceiling, but they couldn't see him.

There was no choice.

They had to follow the method that Eisel had used on Lady Aeron in the "original romance" novel.

They had to do the same.

"Eisel, summon the Ice Mirror."

"... Yes."

Understanding the request immediately, Eisel swiftly swung her staff and tapped it on the ground.

Kukwang!

A slightly taller wall of translucent ice, larger than a person's height, appeared and its surface smoothed out, turning into a mirror.

As Edna hurried to move towards it, Jecky blocked her path.

She stretched her lips up to her ears, forming a sinister smile.

"What kind of nonsense are you trying to pull again? Always resorting to cheap tricks, that's all you're capable of."

"That's right. I'm only capable of that much."

Edna admitted willingly and shrugged her shoulders.

"So, would you like to see the mirror?"

"Hmph, are you trying to compare who's more beautiful? Of course, there's no need to ask. Obviously, it's me..."

"But why is it so quiet?"

"...Huh?"

Come to think of it.

Something was off.

Even if the music had stopped, why couldn't she hear the cheers of the nobles? Even after she resurrected as the most beautiful being in the world.

"What's going on?"

Jecky slowly looked around the plaza. Some people avoided her gaze as if they were afraid, some retched, some frothed at the mouth and fainted, and some shed tears.

"This can't be happening..."

They were supposed to love only her.

It was instinct.

When she turned her head to look at the mirror.

"Ah."

Jeckys pupils shook.

The woman in the mirror was no longer a woman.

Sharp eight pairs of legs, spider's eyes,

unsettling horns of unknown identity, and black sticky shells protruding from the skin.

Unconsciously, she raised her arms. Hoping that the mirror was an illusion.

"Whats this...?"

That... wasn't the clean and beautiful arm of a girl. It was more akin to the legs of an arthropod.

She lowered her head.

Come to think of it, hadn't she been naturally moving her body with eight legs at some point?

A spider.

Yes, she was a spider.

Her appearance, which she had believed to be the most beautiful in the world, had transformed into the most terrifying form in the world.

"Oh..."

Jecky slowly, and surely, realized and acknowledged this fact.

It was... the most horrific torment for her.