Crack—
The sound of something breaking was crisp and pleasant, yet it made hearts clench.
The dancer onstage continued its routine, but Ji Yan was certain that when it had just leaped, it had risen a full two meters off the ground. The instant it landed, the bones in its feet had broken.
Even so, the dancer continued repeating its steps beneath the dazzling spotlight.
But its broken right foot still affected the ballet dancer's performance.
This time, its performance gradually "distorted."
The "puppet audience" below the stage began to stir.
"Ha chi! Ha chi!"
They were laughing.
The puppet audience seemed even more interested in this distorted performance, their grotesque laughter echoing throughout the hall.
"Something's changed..."
Ji Yan's button eyes flickered.
He tried to activate [Omniscient Understanding] on both the performer onstage and the puppet audience below.
It activated,
but the information he received... was fragmented.
[Opera House... sea of fire... endless loop... rules... dream...]
[Escape... Black Swan... White Swan... unseen grotesquery]
"What the hell... Is it because these ghouls were born from the Dream Core that the information is as scattered as a dream?"
Ji Yan thought to himself as he analyzed those keywords.
At the same time, another change quickly occurred onstage.
As the ballet dancer leaped up, it was struck again and crashed viciously to the floor.
This time, its injuries were severe. Blood soaked its ballet costume, and the pristine white feathers were stained by glaring crimson. Flesh split apart, bones burst through, and the sight was utterly horrifying.
Yet the "dancer" was still forced to perform.
Like a puppet controlled by strings, even though it was covered in wounds, its body was still forcibly moved.
Its leaps grew higher and higher, and every landing dealt an especially brutal impact to its feet.
Both