A suffocating sense of dread filled the hearts of the crowd, the spectacle unfolding before them rendering them speechless.
But just then, the girl spoke again:
"Now, let's move on to the next magic trick."
"Hmm, what should I perform next?"
She pressed a finger to her lips, her face etched with deep contemplation.
Her words struck the crowd like a death knell. Their limbs turned icy cold, and even without physical restraints, their bodies stiffened into immobility.
Though the majority of this Fatui contingent were elite soldiers, the girl's actions had completely shattered their mental defenses.
They would rather die on the battlefield than face this terrifying demon!
"Ah, I remember now! The next trick will be Ten Thousand Arrows Through the Heart!"
"Another heart-stopping spectacle! I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats."
"Now, let me draw the next lucky audience member!"
The crowd trembled at her words, their fear growing more pronounced as she approached the number-drawing machine.
Finally, just as her hand landed on the machine's lever, one soldier broke under the psychological strain.
"Please! Spare me!"
"I don't want to die! I want to go home!"
"I'm my family's only child! I can't die here!"
"Please! I'll tell you anything you want to know, just spare me!"
This scene caught Lyney completely off guard. His expression darkened considerably, not because the Fatui soldier had disgraced the organization, but because he suspected the girl wouldn't care about intelligence at all.
Sure enough, when the girl's delicate brows furrowed at the soldier's wailing, Lyney's heart sank.
"Viewers of magic performances should remain silent," she said. "The time for excitement is when the magic succeeds, yet you people still don't understand this simple principle?"
"It seems I must make you understand it clearly."
The girl nodded as she spoke.
"No, don't!"
"Please, spare me!"
"I'll do anything you ask!"
"Don't kill me, I beg you!"
The girl's words only intensified the Fatui soldier's terror, driving him to frantic pleading.
The girl merely maintained her radiant smile, then raised her hand and brought it down in a swift gesture.
A deafening BANG erupted!
Amidst a sound like a watermelon being smashed, Lyney couldn't see what had happened, but he could guess the outcome from the commotion. He closed his eyes in agony.
These men had been captured under his leadership, and their deaths were directly linked to him.
Yet at that very moment, the hollow words of the Fatui soldier from before echoed in Lyney's ears:
"Why? Why wasn't it me who died?"
"I should have been the one to die!"
"Didn't you want to live?"
"I've always been soft-hearted, so I just picked a lucky audience member to die in your place."
"I'm just too kind!"
"No!!!"
The girl's nonchalant words once again drove the Fatui soldier to the brink of collapse. Though he didn't want to die here, he couldn't bear the thought of his comrades, with whom he had lived and fought day in and day out, dying because of him.
Realizing what was happening, Lyney felt another chill run down his spine. The girl before him had completely reduced them to mere tools for her amusement.
Bang!
The same sound rang out again, this time coming from the seat beside Lyney's.
Though the chair blocked his view, the blood splattering on his face told him everything.
This time, the Fatui soldier's agonized wail abruptly ceased, replaced by low, choked sobs.
The other Fatui soldiers who had nearly cried out also clamped their mouths shut just in time.
"Excellent! It seems everyone understands the importance of remaining silent during a magic show."
"After all, it's a sign of respect for an outstanding Magician!"
The girl spoke with a smile as she pulled the lever.
"No. 44!"
"Looks like your lucky number today is 'four'!"
With just a few words, the girl plunged everyone whose seat number contained the digit 'four' into abject terror.
"Let's welcome our lucky audience member!"
"No, why me?"
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
"Please spare me! My elderly mother won't survive without me!"
As the Fatui soldier in seat No. 44 was carried toward the stage by the Masked Men, he began to plead desperately.
Another deafening BANG echoed near Lyney, this time splattering blood across his forehead. The crimson liquid slowly trickled down, staining his vision blood-red.
A brief gasp rippled through the crowd before silence descended once more, silencing the Fatui soldier who had been pleading loudly moments earlier.
Under the audience's gaze, the soldier was silently strapped to a steel plate riddled with holes. Above him, another steel plate studded with countless spikes hung suspended by a single rope.
The Masked Men then drew transparent curtains around the steel plates, completely concealing the Fatui soldier.
"Alright, next up is the long-awaited Ten Thousand Arrows Through the Heart Magic Show!"
"Let's all count down together!"
"Three..."
As the countdown ended, accompanied by the girl's gleeful laughter, a Masked Man severed the rope suspending the spiked steel plate above. The plate crashed down with terrifying force.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the black silhouette of the iron plate appeared on the transparent curtain. Without a moment's hesitation, it crashed down upon the Fatui soldier. Steel spikes pierced through the holes in the plate where he lay, dripping crimson blood onto the floor below.
"Perfect! A perfect magic trick!"
The girl erupted into another fit of manic laughter. After a long while, her laughter gradually subsided, and she turned to Lyney, her eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
"Tell me, Mr. Lyney, what do you think of my magic compared to yours?"
"It's brilliant, isn't it?!"
"Don't worry, I have many more tricks lined up for you to personally critique!"
Hearing her words, the audience sank into utter despair. At this point, they no longer believed they could escape unscathed, some even envying the Fatui soldiers who had already perished—at least they were spared this torment...
"Now, let's see who our next lucky audience member will be?"
As the macabre performance continued, the anger and anguish in Lyney's eyes gradually faded into a numb indifference...
Meanwhile, Lyney and his companions were unaware that everything happening inside the secret hideout was being broadcast live.
Throughout Fontaine, pre-positioned broadcasting devices activated, projecting massive images onto bustling city streets.
At first, passersby had no idea what these projections were. Curiosity drew them to stop and watch.
Hearing it was a magic show, the crowd cheered and clapped, assuming it was a free entertainment act.
But after the first magic trick concluded, a brief silence was followed by a chorus of screams.
Only then did they realize this was no magic show—it was a live broadcast of murder!
The name "Six" became deeply etched in the minds of most Fontainians.
Soon, Maison Gardiennage officers arrived at the broadcast locations. They maintained order and glared furiously at the girl on screen, yet dared not destroy the broadcast equipment.
This was because before this, the Maison Gardiennage in every city of Fontaine had received a warning letter from the murderer. If they dared to cut off the live broadcast or disperse the crowds, he would immediately eliminate everyone and trigger an incident within Fontaine with at least ten thousand casualties!
The murderer's brazen and extreme actions immediately shocked Fontaine to its core, prompting the deployment of even greater forces to address the crisis.
On the screens, the girl's personal magic show continued uninterrupted. Pedestrians who saw the broadcast turned deathly pale.
Yet humans are strange creatures. Surprisingly few people left the scene. Regardless of the diverse motives driving their morbid fascination with the gruesome spectacle, none could alter the unfolding events.
Meanwhile, Neuvillette, who was also watching the broadcast, wore an equally grim expression. The rain intensified overhead, and Navia, who was closely following behind him, occasionally glanced at Lofan, whom she carried on her back.
Since Lofan needed to use his ability to communicate with other consciousnesses, Navia had to carry him to avoid slowing their progress.
The group was currently rushing toward the location Lyney had last been seen, as reported by their informant.
They were still some distance away, and the livestream footage they were watching had been captured on the road.
It was barely any time since the serial disappearances of young women had concluded, and now the murderer was broadcasting live from within Fontaine—truly, one crisis after another.
They couldn't predict the impact this broadcast would have on the Fontainians, but for now, they couldn't afford to dwell on it.
There was some good news, at least: Lyney and Lynette were likely still alive. The perpetrator seemed to be saving them for last.
Moreover, Kelly's true identity unequivocally corroborated Lofan's claims, proving that the "Vinani" from before had indeed been suspicious.
But they had to move faster. They had to reach the scene and rescue them before the perpetrator concluded his scheme.
"Melus, Silver, stay behind."
"Miss Navia!"
Melus and Silver glanced at Navia, panting, their faces etched with reluctance and worry. Finally, they sighed in resignation.
"We understand, Miss Navia."
"Please be careful!"
"Yes, I'll be careful," Navia replied.
Hearing her assurance, Melus and Silver turned to Neuvillette, their voices earnest.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, we entrust Miss Navia's safety to you."
"Hmm," Neuvillette nodded slightly.
With a final burst of speed, the two figures quickly vanished from Melus and Silver's sight. The pair, who had been pushing themselves to keep up, finally stopped to catch their breath.
"Miss Navia has already left us far behind," Melus gasped, clutching his knees.
"If we don't want to hold her back in the future, it looks like we'll need to train our bodies more diligently," Silver added, panting.
"Yes, we must become stronger too."
"This was also Monsieur Callas's last wish. We must protect Miss Navia well, in his place!"
A fierce determination burned in both Melus and Silver's eyes.
Lyney felt as though centuries had passed, though he couldn't tell how long it had truly been.
He tapped to inquire about the others, but only a few responded now.
Just then, he heard the girl's voice: "Alright, good times always pass too quickly. It seems we must bid farewell to everyone."
It's over? Lyney thought numbly, his mind dulled by the relentless blows.
Next, she'll likely wipe out the remaining survivors, and I'll probably be kept alive for experimentation and research.
Though visions of his potential future flashed through his mind, Lyney felt little emotional reaction.
He had endured too much today; his spirit was near its breaking point.
Yet the girl offered him no respite. Her next words struck him like lightning, leaving his mind blank.
"Now, let me bid you farewell with my final, grandest magic trick!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my magic assistant, Miss Lynette!"
"Welcome everyone!"
The scraping sound of a heavy object being moved across the floor began to rise, and Lyney's body trembled violently.
Though he had entertained countless possibilities and clung to every sliver of hope beforehand, the moment he saw Lynette, her limbs locked inside a massive glass box, being pushed onto the stage by several Masked Men, his hopes were utterly shattered.
No, this can't be happening!
A wave of overwhelming panic surged through Lyney's heart. Even after all he had endured, this was the one scenario he had dreaded most.
The memory of how he had nearly allowed Lynette to fall into the clutches of the nobles flooded back, rekindling the same intense despair and helplessness—this time, even more overwhelming than before.
Lyney began to struggle frantically in his seat, his eyes bloodshot, his expression contorted with rage.
But it was all futile.
No! Let Lynette go!
He unleashed a silent roar of fury, but the young woman remained lost in her own world, completely oblivious to his plight.
Next, Lyney heard the girl speaking to herself:
"Now, Miss Lynette will present us with a breathtaking magic performance!"
"In a moment, she will fill this glass box with water and vanish before everyone's eyes!"
"Let's all look forward to it together!"
As the girl finished speaking and gazed at the azure liquid above the glass box, a bone-chilling dread washed over Lyney.