Ruby and the twins, Anya and Yara, were no longer wearing the French aristocrat-style outfits. The Femme Fatale trio now donned dark, gothic attire reminiscent of Victorian-era English gentlemen.
Suddenly, a screech like claws scraping against metal rang out.
That eerie sound layered with pounding footsteps, whistling wind, slamming doors, and the cawing of crows - forming a chilling symphony.
Even a Vampire like Autumn felt goosebumps crawling up her arms, so she wasn't surprised to see most humans in the audience curling up in their seats.
To heighten the horrifying atmosphere inside Harmony's Grand Theater, the small orchestra beneath the stage ended their unsettling piece with a sharp, ear-piercing scream.
"I must warn you in advance: Round 3 of The Purge will be brutal and inhumane. This trial is not suitable for anyone with heart conditions or fragile nerves. Therefore, I request that any contestants - and any audience members - who doubt they can withstand it, please stand up and leave."
Ruby paused briefly to study the expressions of the Let's Dance boys. A few faces immediately turned pale at her warning.
Because with their pants glued firmly to the chairs by some kind of super-adhesive, any boy who wanted to quit had only one way out:
Leave the pants behind.
So how could any of the Let's Dance boys possibly "stand up and walk away" as she claimed so casually?
Ruby truly had a talent for making other people's lives difficult!
"Hahaha! How brave of you, Let's Dance. Since you have chosen to continue Round 3, you alone are responsible for your decision."
Ruby let out a wicked laugh when none of the boys dared to choose disgrace and leave the stage.
"Now then, we will give each of you a full makeover. Our goal is to make you as handsome as the members of Crimson Veil themselves. And let me introduce… the finest beauty specialists at Harmony."
The spotlight shifted to the twins, Anya and Yara.
The two stood back-to-back, but both pairs of eyes were fixed on the audience.
Attendance for Round 3 remained steady - no student had left to go home for dinner, even though it was already very late.
A sharp metallic sound suddenly rang out - shnnkk!
The sound came from Anya, the girl with pastel-pink hair. She raised a gigantic pair of scissors - so big she had to hold it with both hands. It wasn't clear whether it was meant for cutting hair or trimming hedges.
Meanwhile, Yara - the girl with pale sky-blue hair - flicked open three long-handled straight razors, one in each hand. They were the traditional folding type; no one used them anymore nowadays because you could slice yourself open with the slightest mistake.
At the same time, the vocalist and the small orchestra beneath the stage began performing the most haunting song from the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Epiphany.
Autumn began chewing her nails without realizing it. She had already understood what the twins intended to do.
"Hey! I need a volunteer! Anyone?"
Anya waved the enormous scissors in the air, but none of the Let's Dance boys dared respond to her enthusiasm.
Seeing Anya standing there cluelessly waiting for someone to offer themselves up, Yara decided to take the initiative.
She vanished from the spotlight…
… only to appear suddenly behind the Let's Dance boys. The way she moved was exactly like a snake.
Yara peered at one boy, then another. The sharp razors in her hands glinted ominously under the stage lights - very much on purpose. They made her threats far more effective. The boys froze stiff in their seats.
"Anyone need a shave? This guy? Or maybe this gentleman here? Wow, you're still in high school - how do you have this much facial hair?"
Yara had found her sacrificial lamb.
It was - once again - a boy from Class 12C. He looked noticeably more mature than his peers thanks to the stubble on his chin.
"Hey! Sit still! Don't struggle! It's just shaving. Nothing to be scared of."
The 12C boy thrashed around helplessly as Yara and Anya closed in on him. The boys around him could only sit there and watch in powerless silence while Yara worked with the razor.
Boom!
His chair toppled onto the stage floor - and stuck to it was his pair of pants.
He had chosen to abandon his pants to save his own life!
From the darkness, camera flashes went off wildly as the audience captured the hairy legs of the boy who had successfully escaped Round 3 of The Purge.
And once again, the audience on the balcony erupted into laughter.
Now, Let's Dance had only five members left!
And to make sure no one else could escape like the bearded guy from Class 12C just did, the remaining Let's Dance boys were tied tightly to their chairs by the Femme Fatale trio - using a mess of ropes that had just fallen from the stage ceiling.
"Let me see… who will be the next one to get a makeover?"
Ruby swept her gaze over the boys onstage, pretending as if the choice was terribly difficult.
"Class 12C… how pitiful! You started with ten applicants to Let's Dance, and now only two are left - the Team Leader Chris, and this one here… Hey, what's your name again?"
She pointed at a boy with fluffy hair from Class 12C, sitting beside Chris. The moment she paid attention to him, his face flushed red like a shy bride on her wedding night.
"Hm? Why aren't you saying anything? Fine, I'll call you Chow Chow for now. You don't mind, do you?"
The boy from 12C barked - three whole "Woof!"s - at Ruby instead of answering. He practically glowed with happiness like a pampered pet.
"Good boy, Chow Chow. You're as cute as my best friend Poodle. When I have time, I'll take you and him to the park together."
Ruby leaned in toward this newly named "Chow Chow" and ruffled his fluffy hair until it looked like a ball of puffed cotton. His face, already red from embarrassment, grew even redder - but he looked more delighted than uncomfortable.
"The Poodle she's talking about… that's you, right, Kai?"
Autumn cast a curious look at Kai. She could vaguely guess why Ruby called him that - his carefully curled, dyed-brown hair really did resemble a fancy toy poodle.
But Kai didn't answer her. His eyes were burning with jealousy, sparks practically flying out of them, as he was forced to watch Ruby openly flirting with another boy.
"Alright. I'll let Class 12C off for now. You're all just too adorable - like a bunch of puppies. Hmm! And you boys from 11B, hang on a bit. You're almost as cute as my pets, so you don't need any makeover priority. That means the next target will be…"
Ruby glanced briefly at Andrew and Nathaniel, and their shoulders slumped immediately when she showed no real interest in them. Meanwhile, Kai's mood brightened just a little…
Seeing the disappointment in the eyes of the two boys from 11B, Autumn suddenly felt her heart dip.
Maybe Kai was right - The Let's Dance boys were enduring humiliation through Round 3 only because they wanted to impress Ruby… and win her favor.
But Ethan…
He had plenty of chances to run away before Round 3 even began - he only needed to swallow a little pride.
So why didn't Ethan quit?
What was his real goal for staying in Let's Dance?
Recognition?
Popularity?
Harmony Points and the Symphony International University scholarship?
Or was it simply… because of Ruby?
No way.
Autumn shook her head quickly, brushing the thought aside.
She hadn't known Ethan long enough to understand the calculations inside his mind. That Bloodbound boy was not someone easy to read. Or maybe she simply lacked the experience to read humans properly.
"Ethan Duong"
"Mountain Monkey from 11D!"
"Ethan! Ethan! Ethan!"
The audience chanted Ethan's name rhythmically, pointing toward him from the balcony.
"Alright, alright! As you wish!"
Ruby smirked wickedly.
It looked like she was giving in to the audience's demands - but in truth, she had been waiting a long time for the chance to punish this human boy.
"I told you already, didn't I? You would be punished. Twice as hard. Do you remember that, Ethan?"