Chapter 43: Frozen!
The scar-faced leader regained control, a twisted grin spreading across his face.
He raised his hand, admiring the black mist swirling from his bracelet like a rare treasure. “See this? The power bestowed by ‘Lord Black Mist’! With this gift, we can even…”
He swung his arm toward a trembling noble girl cowering in the corner. A thin tendril of black mist slithered from his bracelet, wrapping her like a dark veil, seeping into her skin.
Her shaking stopped. Her terrified eyes turned a demonic red, and a warped smile twisted her face, unrecognizable from her fear moments ago.
“Pfft! You haughty noble brats, always looking down your noses! Now you’re just as pathetic!” Her voice was sharp and venomous, dripping with contempt for her former peers, devoid of her earlier fear.
The leader, reveling in the spectacle, grew more smug. “See? That’s the ‘Gift’! Fear? Despair? Soon, everyone here will join us! Hahaha!”
Ailiya’s heart raced, alarm bells blaring. This is bad. If that mist controls someone, they become an enemy.
Curious, she asked, “Why didn’t you use that trick right away? Turn everyone into your puppets and be done with it?”
The leader’s grin widened, a sick glee in his eyes. “Why? So I could savor the looks of despair and humiliation on you pampered princesses’ faces! It’s sweeter than any wine!”
He raised his hand, and a jet of black mist shot toward Ailiya like an arrow.
“Tch!” Ailiya reacted swiftly, executing a deft backflip to dodge the mist, landing smoothly. Brushing off imaginary dust, she quipped, “Sorry, big guy, I’m no princess—just a plain old maid!”
“Is this the time for jokes?!” Aurora shouted from the side, frantic.
The leader, enraged by her taunt, roared, signaling his men to unleash their mist.
Black tendrils poured from their bracelets, clawing like malevolent spirits toward the uncontrolled noblewomen and girls.
“No!!” Screams filled the air, quickly replaced by eerie laughter.
One by one, their eyes turned crimson, faces contorted with madness, lurching toward Ailiya and Aurora like a zombie horde.
Resident Evil?! I’m terrible at horror games! Stay back!! Ailiya’s scalp prickled.
As she dodged the crowd, a clerk who’d been hiding in a corner moved like a viper, slipping behind Ailiya and locking her arms in a vise grip.
“Ugh!” Ailiya tried to break free with brute strength, but the possessed noble girls swarmed, pinning her to the floor, immovable.
“Ailiya!!” Aurora’s face paled, shouting as she raised her wand to cast a spell.
Before she could chant, a crimson-eyed noblewoman grabbed her wrist, sharp nails digging in.
Aurora gasped in pain, unable to react before others restrained her.
The leader smirked, toying with his prey. “Weren’t you quick on your feet? Why so still now?”
Ailiya, crushed under the pile, struggled to breathe but shot back, “Obviously! I was fifth in my middle school track meet! Could’ve been top three if I hadn’t skipped breakfast!”
The leader’s brow twitched, incensed. He leaned down, voice sinister. “Let’s see how tough your mouth is once you’re my puppet!”
He extended his hand, black mist slithering from his bracelet like a snake toward Ailiya’s face.
She gagged at the nauseating stench, thrashing, but the crowd held her like iron.
“Ailiya!!” Aurora, pinned, watched helplessly as the mist neared, her scream desperate.
The mist clung to Ailiya, seeping into her skin, threatening to consume her soul.
“Accept the ‘Gift’!” the leader hissed.
Ailiya went still, limp as a broken doll beneath the pile.
The leader straightened, counting down smugly. “Three…”
The controlled crowd joined in with eerie chuckles, the air thick with dread.
“Two…”
Ailiya didn’t move.
“One!”
As he shouted the final number, Ailiya’s head snapped up.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
She hacked violently, expelling a thick cloud of black mist from her mouth like vomited filth, scattering across the floor.
The leader’s grin froze, replaced by disbelief. “This… impossible! The ‘Gift’ didn’t work?!”
“Pfft! Pfft!” Ailiya spat, fanning the air. Gross! What is this stuff?!
She didn’t know why the mist failed, only that an unknown force in her body repelled it instantly.
Taking advantage of the stunned crowd, Ailiya surged, breaking free from the pile like a tiger, leaping to her feet.
The leader, quick to recover, shifted targets, flinging mist at the restrained Aurora.
It enveloped her as it had Ailiya.
But seconds later, Aurora coughed wildly, expelling the mist into the air.
“What’s with these two?! The ‘Gift’ does nothing?!” The leader was dumbfounded.
His shock turned to fury. “Fine! If the ‘Gift’ won’t work, kill them!”
He waved, and the controlled mob surged toward Ailiya and Aurora’s last stronghold—a corner by the wall.
“What now?!” Ailiya asked, panicking at the oncoming tide.
Aurora, staring at the crimson-eyed horde, sighed in regret. “I shouldn’t have dragged you here for underwear…”
“Exactly! Your fault!” Ailiya snapped, shoving the blame.
“You!” Aurora reached to pinch Ailiya’s cheek.
Crack!
A sharp sound, like breaking ice, cut through.
A man who’d turned to look was instantly encased in glittering frost, a lifelike ice statue, his face frozen in shock.
Creak—
The shop’s door opened slowly, a wave of frigid air flooding in, easing the oppressive atmosphere.
“[Frost Nova].”
Liliane von Winter stepped in, holding her ornate wand, her presence chilling.
Rain behind her formed tiny ice crystals, falling silently.
Her icy expression radiated an unapproachable aura.
Aurora’s eyes lit up like stars, trembling with excitement, like a vibrating massage gun at max power. “Lady Liliane! So cool! Waaa—!!”
“Who’s this?!” The leader glared, annoyed, opening his mouth for a nastier retort, only to feel his face freeze.
He touched his lips, now sealed in thin ice, silencing him.
Liliane raised her wand, its tip glowing icy blue, the temperature plummeting further.
The possessed mob and thugs, mindless as puppets, roared and charged.
“[Absolute Zero].”
Her lips uttered the words coldly.
A terrifying chill surged from her, a tidal wave sweeping the shop.
Time seemed to stop. In less than a breath, the frontmost thugs and controlled victims turned to sparkling ice sculptures, their charging poses and twisted expressions frozen.
The frost spread, encasing the floor, walls, ceiling, and debris in thick ice, transforming the shop into a glacial palace.
Only Ailiya and Aurora’s corner was spared, shielded by an invisible barrier.
Aurora, still in fangirl mode, gushed, “Lady Liliane… so beautiful…”
Ailiya, staring at the apocalyptic scene, rolled her eyes, muttering, Lady Liliane, that was a flashy move, but… who’s cleaning this up? How much will it cost to fix?!