“What is it? Your gaze seems a little off.” Gently swaying her body to the music, Her Highness tilted her head up, looking into the gloom within Lynch’s eyes as a thoughtful smile touched her lips. “Have the enemies arrived? Do they wish to bring everything to an end during my first dance?”
“Not your first dance. It is our first dance.”
Only someone who harbored the deepest despair toward life could treat their own survival with such indifference. Gazing down at the faint smile of the beautiful young lady in his arms, a sudden surge of unwillingness welled up inside Lynch. With her calling him her hero over and over, perhaps he truly could do something? Since he had extended the invitation, at the very least, he would see this dance through to the end with her.
“Do you trust me?”
“I have never trusted anyone.”
“Would you like to try? Not forever—just for this moment.”
“Trust in what?”
“The wicked enemies are just outside the gate, ready to breach the doors at any second, while the princess’s knight will do everything in his power to protect her until the very end. So, no matter what you see, what you hear, or what you feel, do not panic, and do not be afraid. Trust that your knight will always stand by your side, fighting off every foe for you. And when the battle ends, the knight will ultimately lead the princess out of the castle to greet the cheers of their people.”
“Is the knight truly willing to take another risk for the princess?”
“To fight for you, my lady.”
Clang.
With an explosive crash from the piano, the tempo of the music suddenly surged.
The crowd held their breath, gazing intently at the two figures on the dance floor.
The final movement had begun.
The slowly swaying spotlights came to a halt, converging all their brilliance upon the two in the center of the dance floor. In that moment, the pair shone like the most dazzling silver-white and crimson in the night sky.
Piano, violin, zither.
Woodwinds, strings, percussion.
The entire orchestra sprang into motion. The musicians wielded their instruments like weapons, driving the atmosphere of the dance floor toward the evening’s first climax.
As the tempo quickened, the movements of the two dancers grew faster and faster. Guided by Lynch, Her Highness spun to her heart's content, her fragrant scent swirling as her hemline fluttered.
Her Highness was smiling—a radiant, glowing smile.
Even if her life might reach its end at any second, since she could still breathe right here and now, she would dance with all she had. She would relish the most brilliant instant of her life, cast everything aside, be a protected princess just this once, and entrust everything to the first hero in her life who showed her pity.
Even if she were ultimately headed toward death, the curtain would fall amidst brilliance.
For the first time in twenty years of repression, her heart laughed with pure abandon. Her Highness closed her eyes—not looking, not listening, not thinking—relaxing her body and casting herself entirely into these firm, dependable arms.
Come, enemies, I am Sophia Ross. Come, my hero, I fear nothing anymore.
The enemies were already here.
Just before the final movement began, the enemy’s assault descended silently.
Within Lynch’s inspiration, a fierce clash had already erupted—more violent and far crazier than the opening confrontation.
This also allowed Lynch to perceive it with greater clarity.
Three wills struck from three different directions.
From the very start, it was a ferocious bombardment. Countless intents surged abruptly, crashing down like an overwhelming tidal wave.
Without regard for vector or angle, they focused directly on the two people dancing in each other's embrace upon the floor.
Boom.
The world of inspiration violently trembled as the incoming divine senses collided head-on with the vigilant defenders.
Four friendly wills soared into the sky from various points across the castle, charging head-on to meet the attack. The moment they clashed, the flames of battle flared to their absolute peak.
As one thought fell, another arose in endless succession, repeating in infinite waves.
Collision, annihilation, eruption.
There was no light, yet it shone brighter than fireworks; there was no sound, yet it roared more fiercely than the dance tune.
Amidst this invisible, fierce battle, Lynch’s mind seemed split in two.
One part looked up at the sky, gazing upon the bizarre, frenzied, yet magnificent battle unfolding in the world of inspiration.
The other held the Princess, dancing to the accelerating tempo of the final movement, spinning faster and faster until a veritable whirlwind seemed to sweep across the dance floor.
Three wills versus four, attacking and defending, hopelessly entangled.
The offense was cunning and ubiquitous, finding every gap; the defense was cautious and airtight, leaving no opening.
Clang, clang, clang.
The rapid piano notes rang out like a battle bugle. The invisible shocks grew increasingly violent, and just at the battle's most intense, deadlocked moment, an eighth will suddenly materialized within Lynch’s inspiration.
Rising from the distance, it closed in the moment it appeared.
This unheralded surprise attack caught the four defending wills completely off guard. Bypassing the defense entirely, a beam of divine sense hurtled downward without obstruction, striking straight toward the dancing Princess.
Clang, clang, clang. The piano grew even more urgent, and the dance steps accelerated abruptly.
As if by mere coincidence—or as if he could genuinely perceive the incoming divine sense—Lynch guided the Princess through a series of swift, sudden spins. Like an elusive gust of wind, they drifted away from their spot at the final second.
Thud.
The divine sense struck the ground and withdrew the instant it hit, kicking up merely a few specks of dust like a gentle breeze. Yet in the very next instant, before the guardians could react, the ambushing will manifested hundreds of divine senses, pursuing the dancing pair relentlessly like a torrential downpour.
“Hahahaha.”
The high-speed spinning and wide-ranging shifts drew a clear, joyous laugh from Her Highness, like ringing silver bells.
She could feel herself moving at tremendous speed, drifting unpredictably. Wind roared in her ears, mingled with rapid bursts of sharp concussions, as if countless bullets were chasing close behind her—always just one step too slow, skimming harmlessly past her body.
In this moment, she felt like a princess dancing through a hail of bullets.
No, not merely like one—she was!
Her Highness kept her eyes closed, laughing freely as she let Lynch guide her through unpredictable spins across the stage. It lasted only a few seconds, a mere fleeting moment, but this moment was already eternity.
Finally, one of the friendly wills broke free from the enemy's entanglement and rushed over to intercept. But just an instant before it arrived, the ambushing will transformed once more into tens of thousands of divine senses, blanketing the entire dance floor and crashing down simultaneously.
Nowhere to dodge, nowhere to flee.
Then they wouldn't dodge.
The erratic pair came to a sudden halt, spinning in place, allowing the divine senses covering the whole dance floor to crash down upon them.
The divine senses struck down, yet the instant they were about to hit, the two abruptly vanished into thin air.
Every strike landed on empty air.
【Secrets Hidden Beyond Time, temporarily extracts the target from the timeline】
Vanishing and reappearing in a flash.
It happened so fast that most people never even realized they had vanished, yet it effortlessly evaded the entire barrage.
Boom.
The four friendly wills exerted their strength in unison, shoving the enemies back completely. For a moment, divine senses roiled through the air once more.
Clang!
The piece reached its end. The music ceased abruptly, leaving a lingering resonance in the air.
Their footsteps came to a sudden halt.
Lynch leaned over, holding the Princess by the waist as Her Highness leaned back, the two frozen in the final pose. Her tightly shut eyes slowly opened, harboring an indescribable emotion within her gaze.
Whoosh...
Applause erupted like a tidal wave around the dance floor. Amidst the cheering, countless fireworks shot into the sky, dazzling and radiant.
Amidst the flashing fireworks, the four wills receded once more, and everything finally returned to calm.
Rate on N.U.
