Chapter 576: Carnival of Desire [8]

[HOLY SHIT! It’s a freaking bloodbath!]

[Wtf, this is supposed to be a circus performance? There isn’t even a script or a shred of logic to it! They’re obviously just killing people!]

[Holy crap, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a scenario like this.]

Clearly, he had never intended to give anyone a chance to think or figure out a way to break this game. This was a massacre—moreover, a completely one-sided massacre, because none of the people here could possibly match Ringmaster Jack in strength.

In the stands, the remaining independent players looked ashen-faced, like walking corpses. Even Lily pressed her lips tightly together, a few traces of anger flashing in her cold eyes, but the iron chains around her seat still clamped tightly around her wrists, preventing her from moving even an inch.

The thick stench of fresh blood assaulted everyone’s nostrils, causing the numbers displayed on their chests to drop and fluctuate wildly once again.

Ringmaster Jack licked the blood clinging to the blades of his scissors, his grotesquely blood-red eyes sweeping back up toward the stands, where the group of players remained locked to their seats.

"What an absolutely spectacular opening act! And now... our next two lucky spectators will be..."

He spun his conductor’s baton, its tip slowly coming to point directly at Lily and another member of the Themisia Guild!

"How about the pretty girl with the ponytail and her companion come down to the stage, shall we~"

The surrounding puppet spectators once again erupted into gleeful clap... clap... clap..., while the iron chains on Lily’s seat began to vibrate violently, preparing to yank her down into the blood-soaked sandy pit.

The bloodstained chains dragged Lily and her teammate beside her straight down onto the stage. The instant the soles of their feet touched the scorching sand drenched in fresh blood, the terrifying pressure suppressing their bodies suddenly vanished.

The energy within their bodies exploded back to life. Lily’s pupils contracted. She immediately twisted in midair, drawing her short sword with her right hand. A razor-sharp flash of icy light swept across the air, cleaving apart the gray wisp of energy that was lunging toward her, attempting to seize her by the neck.

"Skill activated: Ice Shadow Slash!"

Lily let out a low growl, and hundreds of trails of razor-sharp ice tore through the sand of the performance arena, shooting straight toward Ringmaster Jack. Her companion also quickly drew a massive bow, nocked an arrow, and fired three blazing arrows of light that ripped through the air.

"Oh ho! What a passionate bit of audience participation!"

Ringmaster Jack showed not the slightest hint of panic. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, his lanky body twisting grotesquely like a boneless snake. He swung his enormous iron scissors, creating a mechanical vortex. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The ice spikes and radiant arrows were effortlessly swept away, shattering into countless specks of light.

The Ringmaster spun his conductor’s baton, his metallic voice echoing as though broadcast through a malfunctioning public-address system: "Ladies and gentlemen! In any truly spectacular performance, ’technical difficulties’ caused by supporting actors who fail to follow the script are simply unavoidable!"

He spoke in a regretful tone: "Clearly, I have gone to such great lengths to ensure your safety..."

He shot forward at wind-splitting speed, appearing directly behind the Themisia Guild member who was holding the bow. The blades of the iron scissors came crashing down at a speed far beyond the player’s ability to react.

RIP!

A clean slash ran diagonally from the left shoulder to the right hip. The player rolled his eyes upward, and before he could even cry for help, his upper body slid away from his torso. Fresh blood and internal organs poured onto the sand like the contents of a torn-open sack. The Satisfaction Points displayed on his chest immediately dropped to 0 and burst into flames, turning into black ash.

[Even after recovering their skills, they still got completely crushed!]

[What a brutal rule! It literally treats killing an artist as a ’stage accident’ just to justify the performance!]

[Lily is screwed! How can she possibly block those scissors by herself?!]

[I feel like ever since Ember’s previous dungeon, these dungeons have been getting more and more bizarre. They’re completely out of proportion with the artists’ abilities!]

[Finally, someone else feels the same way I do.]

"It’s your turn now, pretty girl~" Ringmaster Jack grinned maniacally, bringing his blood-soaked scissors straight down toward Lily’s neck.

Lily gritted her teeth and raised her ice-covered twin short swords to block the attack. BOOM! The immense force, weighing down like a thousand tons, drove her down onto one knee in the sand, a streak of fresh blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. The razor-sharp iron blades were now only a few inches from her pupils.

Just then, a thunderous explosion rang out from the ceiling of the circus tent, shattering the oppressive atmosphere.

BANG!

The enormous backstage door was blasted completely off its hinges by an invisible force. Thick gray dust billowed upward, mingling with a magnificent, dazzling golden radiance so bright that the entire pale puppet audience in the stands was forced to raise their hands to shield their eyes.

"As brutal as this is, the performance script is so clumsy that it’s actually making me sick~"

A deep, elegant voice filled with mockery echoed throughout the entire space.

From within the golden haze, a six-wheeled cart carrying a ten-meter-tall iron cage slowly rolled forward. With every movement, the enormous cloth covering the cage swayed continuously, yet it still wasn’t enough to reveal what was truly inside.

Nick, dressed in a garishly colorful clown costume, was pulling the ropes, while Ember, clad in dusty leather gear, gripped a long chain-wrapped whip and strode forward with heavy steps that made the sand beneath them tremble. Of the two, the others could only recognize Ember.

But before they had time to recover from their shock, Ringmaster Jack’s cold voice rang out: "Who dares criticize my script?!"

CRACK... CRACK...

Ringmaster Jack’s lanky neck snapped around 180 degrees toward the backstage door that had just been blasted apart. The gigantic iron scissors, slick with blood and rust, halted right against Lily’s throat, and the suffocating pressure weighing down on her shoulders suddenly eased. Lily coughed violently, clutching her bleeding throat as her icy eyes glared toward the blazing golden radiance billowing into the air.

Ember stepped forward, his cold, emotionless gaze fixed on Jack.

"I’m telling you, your performance is simply not worthy of being brought onto the stage."

[Aaaaaa, he’s so handsome!!]

[Is it just my imagination, or is Ember’s shirt really cut lower than it was before?]

[It must be Adrian’s doing. He always knows how to attract attention. It’s seriously infuriating!]

[But I’m still totally captivated. Mlem mlem mlem.]

"Crude?! Not worthy?! Who the hell are you?!" Ringmaster Jack roared. His blood-red pupils bulged from their sockets, while the cracks at the corners of his mouth tore open, dripping a bright yellow fluid. He released Lily and swung the iron scissors violently down into the sand. "Arrogant outsider! What could you possibly know about the performing arts of the Night Circus?!"

"Then let’s have a fight," Ember said, stepping forward as he whipped the chain-wrapped leather whip in his hand through the air.

CRACK!

The whip’s explosive snap tore through the air, making the dolls in the stands tremble. Ember glared with amber eyes brimming with killing intent, his deep voice echoing through the arena: "Let’s see whose script can drive those rotten, hollow spectators into more of a frenzy. The loser... hands over their own head!"

"Good! Very good! Gambling is what I love most!" Ringmaster Jack laughed maniacally, pointing his silver-coated conductor’s baton straight at the center of the sandy arena. "Duel performance activated! Show me what you can do!"

CLACK... CLACK...

The sand in the arena immediately cracked apart. From beneath the ground, countless razor-sharp iron spikes, drenched in blood, suddenly burst upward. At the same time, four enormous iron rings engulfed in bizarre green flames descended from the ceiling, swaying back and forth according to an unpredictable rhythm.

"Let the performance begin: The Death Fire Rings!" Ringmaster Jack announced, staring hungrily at the iron cage.