After that, Tokyo BLADE's first performance came to an end amid thunderous applause.
When White Oni was finally defeated, nearly everyone in the theater rose to their feet, applauding and cheering with all their might.
Fortunately, there were only a few scenes left after that. Otherwise, with the audience so excited and exuberant, it was questionable whether the performance could have ended smoothly.
After the curtain call, everyone returned backstage and changed out of their costumes, but they were so exhausted that they practically collapsed into their chairs.
"This is killing me. I almost couldn't get back up at the end!"
Arima Kana dropped onto the sofa, her face still showing traces of fear.
"Me too... Xiao Ai's pressure was just too intense..."
Kurokawa Akane beside her also looked utterly exhausted and nodded.
The others said nothing, but they clearly felt the same way.
The final battle had not merely been a test of their acting skills. More importantly, they had to spare part of their minds to withstand the killing intent rushing at them from Duanmu Huai.
In fact, most of their energy had gone into resisting that killing intent. The performance itself had relied more on the instincts they had developed through days of training.
"It felt just like being battered by a waterfall. Several times, I thought I couldn't hold on anymore."
Himekawa Daiki sighed emotionally, and another actor beside him nodded.
"Yeah. Halfway through, I felt as if I were really fighting for my life. It was as though if I gave up at that moment, I would actually die... I've never felt anything like that before."
"Xiao Ai's presence in the movie is frightening too, but it wasn't until I faced her for real that I realized it was completely different..."
Arima Kana stared at