Chapter 17: The Puppeteer’s Grand Performance

Gu Qing’s temper flared instantly.

He had painstakingly undergone transformations and gone undercover, all for the sake of this foolish girl!

Yet, what did he get in return? In her eyes, he was nothing but a pretty face?

“I…”

Just as he was about to explain, a throng of students swarmed through the doorway.

A muscle twitched in Gu Qing’s cheek, and he was forced to plaster on another smile.

Having barely endured until the afternoon, he felt he had truly reached his limit.

He was utterly fed up with the tattered, lace-trimmed outfit, weary of the hormone-addled brats, and most of all, sick of the insults from his own flesh and blood.

If he stayed any longer, he feared he would genuinely lose control and lash out.

To hell with collective honor; he was done!

“My stomach hurts; I need to use the restroom.”

After offering a flimsy excuse for leave, he slipped away without a backward glance.

****

Inside the apartment.

Gu Qing ripped off the maid uniform, tossing it directly into the trash can.

He pulled an ice-cold beer from the refrigerator and tilted his head back, taking a deep swig.

The frigid liquid sliding down his throat finally brought him back to life.

Bliss!

Gu Qing collapsed onto the sofa, switched on the television, and settled for a random, uninspired variety show.

Finally, the world was quiet.

He remained oblivious, however.

A grand “performance” had already quietly begun to unfold.

****

Precisely three o’clock in the afternoon.

At the academy festival grounds.

A student, who had been playfully jostling with a friend moments before, found the smile on their face suddenly freezing.

The specially concocted drink in their hand slipped from their grasp.

“Ajie, what’s wrong?”

Their companion, perplexed, nudged them, but received no response.

The youth, who had been full of life just a second ago, now stood rooted to the spot, pupils dilated and vacant, like a soulless statue.

Similar scenes began to unfold across every corner of the academy.

Five.

Ten.

Hundreds…

Every student who had consumed a drink from the maid cafe simultaneously froze in place.

The boisterous campus suddenly grew eerily quiet.

The students still lucid sensed that something was terribly amiss.

“What’s happened to them all?”

A girl asked, her voice trembling with fear.

Under the terrified gaze of everyone present, the “statues” began to stir.

The Puppeteer, donning a clown mask, stood upon the rooftop of the academic building, surveying the unfolding chaos below.

They spread their arms wide, uttering a profound exclamation to the screaming, fleeing crowd below.

“What a magnificent moment! Fear, chaos—this is the art I truly savor!”

Across the campus, the plague they termed “art” was spreading like wildfire.

Infected students seized those nearby who were still normal, forcibly pried open their mouths, and savagely kissed them!

Void Spores (TL Note: A fictional parasitic spore), mingling with saliva, invaded new hosts through this primal method.

Those who had been “kissed” convulsed violently for several seconds, their pupils losing all light before they, too, transformed into puppets identical to their assailants.

“Let go of me! Are you insane?!”

“Help!”

…

Panic swiftly engulfed the entire campus.

Gu Qianqian watched in horror as a male classmate was pinned to the ground and forcibly infected by several individuals.

“Stop this at once!”

Her stomach churned, and a surge of overwhelming fury coursed through her veins.

“By oath of guardianship, may thorns transform into blades.”

“Flame Rose Transformation!”

The girl’s school uniform was replaced by a magnificent battle skirt, her red hair swirling amidst a crimson glow.

Magical Girl Flame Rose, made her grand appearance!

“Run! Get away from them!” she shouted to the petrified students.

Concurrently, Lin Xiaolu, suppressing the discomfort caused by the Void Spores (TL Note: A fictional parasitic spore) within her, dispatched a distress message to the number saved as “Tian Lanxing Senior.”

Her Star Power resisted the spores’ insidious invasion, yet her strength was being incrementally depleted.

Unless the spores were purged, Lin Xiaolu would inevitably become a puppet herself.

[Senior, something has happened at the academy festival; many students have lost their minds!]

After sending the message, she gazed at Flame Rose, who was now encircled by puppets, and bit down hard on her lip.

‘No, I cannot hide in the background any longer.’

‘Senior will be watching, and Qianqian needs me too!’

“Though a flicker may be weak, it can still herald the dawn.”

“Morning Dew Transformation!”

A gentle green light radiated forth, signaling her entry into battle.

“Flame Rose, I’m here to help you!”

“Why are you here too? This place is incredibly dangerous!” Flame Rose exclaimed, surprised.

In her memory, Lin Xiaolu had always been one to shy away from such chaotic scenes.

“I am not the same as before,” she declared, raising her magic wand. “The Morning Dew of today can protect everyone just as well!”

Dozens of resilient vines burst from the earth, attempting to entangle the puppets’ feet.

However, these puppets, infected by the Void Spores (TL Note: A fictional parasitic spore), possessed immense strength and displayed a terrifying disregard for their own existence.

No sooner had the vines wrapped around them than they were brutally snapped by the puppets’ sheer brute force.

“Damn it!”

Gu Qianqian cursed under her breath, realizing the situation was far more challenging than she had anticipated.

These were all her classmates, her fellow students.

Though she could incinerate them to ash with her flames, she simply couldn’t bring herself to do it!

The two Magical Girls’ attacks meticulously avoided vital points, their sole intention being to repel the puppets, but their efforts proved utterly futile.

A puppet she had kicked away scrambled back to its feet the very next second, as if completely unharmed, and lunged at her again with an impassive expression.

Their restrained approach only invited a more frenzied onslaught from the puppets.

“Watch out behind you!” Morning Dew cried out, her voice loud with warning.

Gu Qianqian whirled around abruptly, only to see the usually good-natured sports committee member lunging at her, a heavy punch aimed squarely at her face.

She instinctively dodged, sidestepping just as the punch whizzed past, the wind from it grazing her cheek.

It was this momentary lapse in concentration that allowed another puppet to lunge from the side, violently slamming her to the ground.

“Cough!”

Crimson liquid seeped from the corner of Flame Rose’s mouth; the impact had nearly stolen her breath.

‘Damn it, this was endless. If this continued…’

Denied any chance to recover, more puppets swarmed her, intent on pinning her completely beneath them.

As a novice Magical Girl, she had yet to master the skill of flight, rendering her utterly unable to evade.

“Get away!”

Flame Rose roared, her Star Power erupting and blasting all the puppets pressing down on her away.

Yet no sooner had she risen than even more assailants closed in.

They were simply endless.

Lin Xiaolu’s situation was even more dire; her abilities leaned heavily towards support, making her direct combat prowess exceptionally weak.

She could only incessantly summon vines to weave into barriers, barely fending off the puppets’ relentless assaults.

‘I must hold on; I cannot be a burden any longer!’

However, the vine barrier was rapidly developing more cracks, clearly on the verge of collapse.

On the rooftop, the Puppeteer observed the scene, letting out a laugh of pure, unadulterated delight.

“Do you see, my dear Magical Girls?”

Their voice, amplified by a megaphone, echoed through every corner of the campus.

“How utterly ridiculous and powerless your so-called justice is in the face of absolute might.”

“You wish to protect your companions? Yet now, all they desire is to tear you to shreds!”

The Puppeteer’s tone grew increasingly deranged.

“Your kindness is your most fatal weakness!”

These words pierced the hearts of the two young girls.

Flame Rose’s eyes burned crimson.

Humiliation, rage, helplessness… a maelstrom of emotions intertwined, threatening to consume her very sanity.

“Shut your mouth! I will definitely kill you!”

“Kill me?” The Puppeteer laughed even more gleefully. “With you? A weakling who can’t even bring herself to harm my puppets?”

They lightly snapped their fingers.

“The first act, it seems, should draw to a close. Now, for the opening of the second act.”

“Allow me to present the special guest I’ve prepared for this performance.”