Lynn felt like he was suffocating.
He was pinned by four gazes brimming with desire, like prey stuck in the center of a spider’s web, forced to watch as the predators approached him step by step with blissful expressions.
What should he do?
Interrupt them?
The moment he moved, Vivian’s sword would sever his legs first.
Call out their names?
They couldn’t hear him.
They were already lost in their own worlds, unable to break free.
[Blackening Value: Vivian 95%]
[Blackening Value: Alicia 96%]
[Blackening Value: Lilith 98%]
[Blackening Value: Ignis 92%]
The numbers on the System Panel were madly fluctuating, a blinding, glaring red.
If this continued, even before they acted, the skyrocketing Blackening Values alone would be enough to trigger the “Yandere Apocalypse” ending.
He had to do something!
Lynn’s mind was operating at an unprecedented speed.
Illusions… the source of the illusions was that statue.
That statue was reading their subconscious minds and projecting the images they most desired.
But why was he the only one unaffected?
Was it because he was a Transmigrator?
A different data structure of the soul?
Whatever the reason, he was now the only one who could break the deadlock.
He had to shatter this illusion.
How?
Destroy the statue?
No, the moment he made a move, Vivian and the others would “protect” this illusion of him first.
The only way was to create a greater “stimulus,” one powerful enough to jolt them awake from their beautiful dreams.
A stronger signal that could simultaneously overwrite the illusions of all four of them.
Lynn looked at the three closing in step by step, then at Ignis crouched on the ground, ready to pounce.
He made a decision.
A crazy decision.
He didn’t retreat.
Instead, he walked straight towards Vivian.
Before Vivian could swing the sword meant to sever his legs, he actively threw himself into her arms.
Then, in a moment that no one, not even those lost in their illusions, could react to.
He looked up and kissed Vivian on the lips.
The moment their lips touched, it was warm and soft.
Lynn’s mind went blank.
Vivian’s body stiffened.
Her eyes, originally full of infatuation and resolve, lost focus for an instant, only to sharpen again the next second.
The knight’s instinct made her want to retreat, to draw her sword.
But that unfamiliar sensation, the scent of Lynn so close, seemed to drain all the strength from her body.
“Bzzz—”
A faint, almost imperceptible vibration came from the white statue in the center of the hall.
The flowing light on the statue’s surface went out.
The world returned to normal.
Alicia jolted awake from her kneeling posture.
Looking at her own hand extended towards Lynn, fingertips swirling with the Holy Light of Destruction, all color drained from her face.
The Puppeteer-like smile vanished from Lilith’s face without a trace.
She stared at the embracing figures of Lynn and Vivian, innocence and malice rapidly alternating in her eyes.
Ignis also halted her pouncing motion.
She shook her head, the greedy glint in her vertical pupils fading, replaced only by confusion.
“You… what are you doing?”
Vivian’s voice was hoarse.
She shoved Lynn away with enough force to make him stumble back two steps.
She raised a hand to wipe her lips, her fingers trembling.
It wasn’t shyness; it was anger, the disorientation of having her constructed world brutally shattered.
The illusion was gone.
But a reality more terrifying than the illusion had descended.
Three, no, four gazes, sharp as tangible blades, pinned Lynn in place simultaneously.
The air grew cold enough to freeze.
“Explain.”
Vivian’s sword was back in her hand, its tip angled towards the ground, but the sharp, murderous intent had already locked completely onto Lynn.
“Lynn.”
Alicia’s voice was soft, yet colder than Vivian’s blade.
“What did you see?”
They were asking what he saw in the illusion.
Why had they all fallen into mad dreams, while he remained unharmed, even able to perform… that kind of action.
Lynn’s heart pounded wildly.
What did he see?
He saw an ordinary room, a comfortable armchair, a huge screen.
The screen showed a game, and he himself was lounging in the chair wearing shorts, one hand on a controller, the other holding an iced cola.
Freedom, happiness, long live singlehood.
Could he say that?
To say it would be to pronounce his own death sentence.
They would immediately understand that he and they were not from the same world at all. What he desired was a world without them.
[Blackening Value: Vivian 92%]
**[Blackening Value: Alicia 93%]
[Blackening Value: Lilith 96%]
The numbers had fallen from their earlier peak but were still at fatal levels.
They were waiting for an answer.
An answer they could accept.
Lynn’s back was soaked with cold sweat.
His throat felt dry, each word weighing a thousand pounds.
He had to lie.
Tell a seamless lie that could simultaneously placate these madwomen.
“I…”
Lynn looked up.
His gaze swept over each person as he forced a smile uglier than crying.
“I saw an illusion too.”
Vivian’s brow furrowed.
“Then why were you unaffected?”
“Because…”
Lynn took a deep breath, putting on a perfectly measured expression of confusion and lingering fear, even a hint of… blissful reminiscence.
He began his performance.
“The illusion I saw was different from yours.”
He looked at Vivian, trying hard to make his eyes seem sincere.
“I saw… a very large courtyard. You were teaching me swordsmanship. Your expression was very strict, but every time the wooden sword hit my hand, you would secretly heal me.”
Vivian’s sword hand trembled almost imperceptibly.
Lynn didn’t stop.
He turned to Alicia, his tone softening.
“I saw a very warm study, a fire burning in the fireplace. You were reading stories from the Holy Scripture to me, sunlight shining on your hair. You said my soul was the purest you had ever seen.”
Alicia’s fingers curled at her sides.
She avoided Lynn’s gaze and lowered her head.
Next was Lilith.
To deal with this little demon, he had to use the strongest medicine.
“Lilith.”
Lynn’s voice carried a hint of guilt and indulgence.
“I saw… we were back in our childhood home. You made your specialty honey cake but deliberately put in a lot of salt. I ate it all, and you laughed so happily.”
Lilith’s expression froze.
She stared at Lynn, as if trying to find traces of a lie on his face.
Finally, Lynn looked at Ignis, who was crouched on the ground.
“Ignis, I saw you transform into a very, very big Dragon. Your nest was piled high with gold and gems, and I… was sitting on your treasure hoard, counting gold coins for you.”
“Awooo!”
Ignis let out an excited cry, her tail thumping loudly on the ground.