When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 466: Give Them Back!

Chapter 466: Give Them Back!

The King’s sudden inquiry was akin to a bolt of lightning that shattered the intense and passionate atmosphere brewing in the ballroom. The music abruptly ceased and all eyes fixated on Jin Jiuchi’s feet where the unmistakable gleam of glass slippers could be seen. A wave of fervent murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Goodness, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. Is that truly a pair of glass slippers?"

"Isn’t it said that only the Queen of this nation is allowed to wear them?"

"Where did she get them from, then?"

"The audacity...!"

"Wait, does this mean that she is God’s chosen one to become the future Queen?"

"Look at how furious His Majesty is! I dare to bet they’re nothing but cheap knock-offs! How dare she break our sacred tradition!"

Voices of doubt, apprehension, confusion and even schadenfreude filled the air, yet Jin Jiuchi acted as though he didn’t notice them at all. Regaining his balance, he stood up straight and patted the area Noir had touched as if removing the invisible dust.

With a flourish, he lifted the hem of his skirt, revealing the glass slippers in full view. "You mean these?" he quipped with an arched brow.

Surprised gasps and exclamations erupted amidst the guests, taken aback by such uncouth behavior from a lady. Across the room, Vivianne and Eva simultaneously furrowed their brow as they began to sense a strange familiarity with the unknown lady. Why did her demeanor feel so familiar somehow?

Shen Nianzu, on the other hand, was currently making his way straight to Jin Jiuchi, his gait hurried and impatient.

Their main task was to return the glass slippers to their rightful owner, but right now, Jin Jiuchi was still unaware of the King’s true identity as the evil Queen! Shen Nianzu had to intervene as soon as possible before Jin Jiuchi provoked their enemy, all the while keeping Jin Jiuchi’s role as Cinderella a secret!

According to the plot, no one should find out the identity of the mysterious girl in the ballroom, or else Jin Jiuchi would be accused of breaking his character!

"Yes, those!" The sudden appearance of the items he had been searching for years aggravated the King so much that he could barely keep his composure. His face twisted in a mixture of excitement, disbelief and a hint of fury. "Where did you acquire those? They belong to Her Majesty the Queen, not to be worn by the likes of you. Return them to me!"

"You?" Jin Jiuchi studied the King’s appearance from head to toe with a thoughtful hum. "Why should I give them to you? If anything, shouldn’t I return it directly to the Queen?"

Oh no! Shen Nianzu’s heart skipped a beat when he sensed the King’s demeanor changing abruptly. Hastily gathering his cumbersome dress, he rushed forward and cried out, "Your Majesty—"

But unfortunately, the King could no longer hear him, or anyone else for that matter. He gripped onto the gold decorations on his armrests so tightly that they shattered under the force, his tall frame shaking violently. The eyes that bore down on Jin Jiuchi were bloodshot, filled with a manic light of someone teetering on the brink of madness.

With an enraged roar, he bellowed, "I told you to give them back to— me!!!"

At his last word, his voice abruptly changed into a sharp screech of a woman’s, echoing on and on amidst the enclosed space like a furious cry that emerged from the depths of Hell. A violent gust swept across the ballroom, extinguishing the lanterns and plunging the whole space into sudden darkness.

The guests’ terrified screams pierced the air, creating a cacophony of panic and confusion.

"Ah, w–what is going on?!"

"Don’t push me!"

"Help... my body... I can’t control my body!!!"

Chaos erupted as the NPCs found themselves losing control of their own bodies. Screaming mindlessly, they rushed to the nearest glass slippers objects around them and began a frenzy of destruction.

Statues were shattered, paintings were torn down, plates and glasses crashed to the ground. With each object broken, the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble; barely discernible at first, only to grow more and more violent with each passing moment as though a dark and powerful force was on the verge of breaking out from beneath.

The curtains billowed wildly along with the powerful gust, causing the doors and windows to slam open at once!

If Gu Luoxin were here, he would have witnessed familiar dark shadows pouring out of the King’s body, running rampant like a horde of hungry, evil ghosts. They slithered and coiled themselves around the NPCs, controlling them to destroy any objects related to the glass slippers.

"Woah...!" Jin Jiuchi bent down low to evade yet another NPC lunging at him, shouting at Noir. "What the hell is wrong with that guy? Hey, isn’t he supposed to be your Daddy?!"

It was unknown whether Noir was doing it on purpose or not, but he didn’t even deign to answer Jin Jiuchi’s question. Instead, his eyes keenly scanned the darkened ground as if searching for something.

"Watch out!" Shen Nianzu arrived just in time to deliver a swift kick to an NPC who was dangerously close to Jin Jiuchi, his long skirt flowing beautifully around him. "Pay attention to your surroundings, you damned husky!" He admonished fiercely.

"What the hell?!" Jin Jiuchi couldn’t help but curse in frustration. "Why are they all so obsessed with me?!"

"It’s not about you!" Noir and Shen Nianzu shouted angrily in unison.

With the three of them watching each other’s back, it was impossible for the NPCs to touch even a strand of their hair. However, they couldn’t go on like this because the situation would surely take a turn for the worse.

Before they could think of a solution to tackle this problem, however, a dazzling burst of light emanated from the corner of the ballroom, chasing away the darkness and allowing everyone to see the shadows swirling wildly in the air.

"Ahhh, what is that?! What in the world is that?!!"

"Help, it’s latching into me—!"

"CALM DOWN, EVERYONE!" A commanding voice cut through the chaos, resonating from none other than Six as she shouted into a megaphone that was undoubtedly a prop. Not only that, it seemed to possess a calming effect on the agitated NPCs who subconsciously slowed down to listen.

"Stay where you are! We will exterminate the dark shadows around you as soon as possible, so please remain calm and still!"

As Six took charge with the megaphone prop, her teammates sprang into action with synchronized precision. It was clear from their seamless coordination that they held a deep level of trust in each other and had often acted together. While one of them suppressed the shadows with a bunch of talismans, Grapefruit summoned a long sword and dashed straight toward the King, who stood motionlessly atop the podium!

Drawing his sword from its sheath, Grapefruit shouted, "Please heed my summon, O’Fire Phoenix!"

In an instant, flames erupted from the sharp tip of his sword, casting a fiery glow over his determined silhouette. "Ha—!" With both hands, he brought it down to the King and at the same time, the shadow of a majestic phoenix rose into the air, accompanied by a clear and piercing cry!

Observing the battle scene unfold, Jin Jiuchi subtly nudged Noir beside him with an elbow, whispering, "Hey, he’s gonna kill your Dad."

"Tsk, don’t touch me," Noir clicked his tongue in annoyance. "And it’s not my Dad. It’s my Mom."

"Wait, what??" Jin Jiuchi snapped his gaze to him, astonished.

"Sssh!" Shen Nianzu hushed them with a scathing glare, warning them not to quibble any further.

The three of them watched with bated breath as the fiery phoenix consumed the King, submerging him in a torrent of flames. A gut-wrenching shriek wrenched out of his throat as he collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing and squirming in agony.

Satisfied, Grapefruit sheathed back his sword and shouted at Six, "It’s done!"

"It’s done?" Jin Jiuchi voiced his bewilderment. "Just like that?"

No sooner than he spoke those words, Six cried out in alarm, "Grapefruit, be careful—!"

Without warning, a surge of dark flame exploded out of the King’s body, swiftly extinguishing the fire phoenix and launching a vicious assault at Grapefruit! Although the male player was quick to dodge, he still sustained a slash on his arm, blood staining the ground beneath him.

"Damn it!" he cursed through gritted teeth, clutching his wounded arm. "My attack doesn’t work on him. What kind of nightmare creature is this?!"