Chapter 20 - Despair on Center Stage

Sakura stood frozen, her entire body trembling as the crimson flames surrounding Greed illuminated the stage.

"...No... No... It's not true..."

Tears welled in her eyes as she slowly backed away.

"...Taichi...?"

Greed's delighted smile widened even further.

"Hehehehehe!"

She placed one hand against her cheek.

"Oh, it absolutely is..."

She giggled between laughs.

"I have to admit... Your reaction is priceless."

Sakura could only stare. Her legs refused to move, and her mind desperately rejected what she had just witnessed. The flames. The promise. Everything pointed toward a truth she didn't want to accept.

Greed slowly turned away from Sakura and spread both arms toward the audience with exaggerated feminine elegance, as though she were the host of a grand performance.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

She spun once.

"It's time... for the second act!"

For a brief instant, many spectators erupted into cheers.

"So it was part of the show!"

"This is incredible!"

Then, a man near the front row frowned.

"...Huh?"

Something black crawled out from beneath his seat. It was a tiny creature with glossy black skin, large glowing white eyes, and sharp teeth.

Before he could react—

It leapt onto him.

"AAAHHH!"

His scream echoed through the stadium, and the cheers stopped instantly. Then another goblin emerged, followed by another and another. Black hands burst from beneath seats, from the shadows, and from beneath the stage. Hundreds of goblins poured into the stadium as people screamed and parents grabbed their children. Thousands of spectators surged toward the exits, and within moments, the orderly concert dissolved into complete panic.

Greed threw her head back and laughed.

"Hehehehehe!!"

Her laughter echoed through the stadium.

"Oh, look at them run! They're so adorable!"

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Sakura took a shaky step forward, tears streaming down her face.

"...Taichi... Please... stop this! You don't have to do this!"

Greed wiped away tears of laughter.

"Oh, Sakura..."

She smiled lovingly.

"Watching your tears... watching your face fall into despair..."

She placed both hands over her heart.

"...only makes me fall in love with you even more."

Sakura's heart sank. The person standing before her was no longer the boy she remembered. Whatever had happened to Taichi, whatever this creature had become, it wasn't him anymore.

It was a monster wearing his memories.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elsewhere inside the stadium, Saki sprinted through a backstage corridor with a squad of soldiers close behind her. The distant screams of the audience echoed through the building.

"Faster!"

Then she stopped.

Five figures slowly walked toward them. They were human-sized wooden puppets, each wearing the same dark costumes as Sakura's backup dancers. Their movements were stiff and mechanical, while their painted faces remained frozen in expressionless smiles.

"...No..."

Saki whispered.

The puppets suddenly charged.

"Open fire!"

A soldier raised his rifle.

"Hold your fire!"

Saki shouted immediately.

"If I'm right... they might have been human!"

She rushed forward alone. The first puppet swung a wooden arm, but Saki ducked beneath it and struck its shoulder.

CRACK!

The puppet staggered but immediately stood back up. It showed no pain, no hesitation, and no fear. Hidden blades suddenly extended from both of its forearms, forcing Saki to narrowly avoid the next slash.

"So that's how it is..."

She stopped aiming for the torso. Instead, she struck the elbows, knees, and shoulders. One by one, wooden joints shattered until the puppets collapsed onto the floor, unable to move.

Breathing heavily, Saki pointed toward them.

"Restrain them, but don't damage them any further."

The soldiers quickly secured the fallen puppets, and Saki immediately resumed running. She had only taken a few steps when someone quietly stepped into the hallway.

A small girl stood before them. She had short green hair, one emerald eye, and one golden eye with a tiny star-shaped pupil. An oversized black sweater nearly swallowed her frail body, while long sleeves covered her trembling hands. Tears rested in her tired eyes.

"...My..."

"...puppets..."

She lowered her head.

"...fell..."

"...Now..."

"...I have..."

"...to buy..."

"...time..."

Saki stopped.

"Who are you?"

The girl hesitated.

"...There's..."

"...no point..."

"...in telling you..."

After a long pause, she gave a tiny bow.

"...But..."

"...I'm..."

"...Sloth..."

Behind her, six enormous floating puppet arms slowly emerged from the darkness. Each arm was several meters long, and their wooden fingers slowly opened and closed as they waited protectively around their master.

Saki lowered her stance as electricity crackled around her fists.

"So you're another Witch."

Sloth closed her eyes.

"...I'm..."

"...sorry..."

"...This..."

"...will..."

"...take..."

"...a while..."

The giant puppet arms lunged forward.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back on the main stage, the cries of terrified civilians echoed from every direction.

"Pink Braver! Help us! Please!"

Sakura's body trembled. For one brief moment, she closed her eyes and covered her ears, as though shutting out the screams could make the nightmare disappear.

Then she remembered a red-haired boy who was always smiling, always standing back up, no matter how hopeless things became.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. Tears streamed freely down her face as she reached one trembling hand toward Greed.

"...I know... I know you're still in there... Taichi... Please... take my hand. Come back to me."

For the first time, Greed's impossible grin disappeared. A gentle smile appeared instead as she quietly walked toward Sakura and reached out.

Their hands met.

Sakura's eyes widened as hope returned to her face.

"...Taichi..."

she whispered.

Then—

Greed's gentle smile twisted. It stretched wider and wider until the impossible delighted grin returned, more monstrous than ever.

"Hehehe... Got you."

With effortless strength, she seized Sakura by the arm and hurled her off the stage.

"AAAHHH!"

Sakura flew through the air above the panicked crowd below. As frightened civilians fled from the advancing goblins, the Pink Braver crashed toward the chaos.