At dusk, in the Temple of Beauty, the annual audience banquet continued. In the Hall of Singing, which served as the main venue, the scene of singing and dancing continued. Uninhibited dancers passionately danced on the stage, and the audience present all stared intently at the stage, enjoying the wonderful performance. Throughout the entire space, there was no noise except for the sound of music and the dancers' footsteps; everywhere was a scene of peace.
However, within this peace, an invisible undercurrent surged intensely. Various Extraordinary powers from different directions and sources were currently exerting their influence here, overlapping and affecting each other. Although on the surface it seemed peaceful, in fact, a fierce Extraordinary struggle had already begun invisibly, with the level of power involved even reaching Scarlet.
At the dance venue, two powerful Governor powers from Faloro's official side were currently locked and entangled with each other, while the dancer Sandrina on the stage relied on her own abilities and the enhancement of the stage beneath her to compete with Dorothy for control over the remaining Bourbons on the scene. Because of the stage's help, Sandrina's power of desire control continued to grow. She could feel that mysterious Extraordinary power competing with her for control gradually wavering, and she was slowly gaining the dominant position. This process was slow but steadily progressing, and Sandrina could already foresee the moment when she would completely seize control of the Bourbons.
Under the struggle of Extraordinary power, the bodies of the remaining Bourbons on the scene began to show abnormalities such as twitching and shaking. After a period of intense competition, Sandrina finally overwhelmed her opponent with the powerful strength of the stage. At the moment the stage's enhancement of her abilities reached its peak, she gained control over the Bourbons, which caused a smug smile to appear at the corner of her mouth.
'You ultimately can't compete with me! Adele's accomplice...'
Thinking this, Sandrina on the stage waved her hand, then completely activated the killing intent in the hearts of the remaining Bourbons on the scene towards Sansone. The powerful desire for slaughter endowed these mortals with inhuman levels of willpower, breaking through another form of control on their bodies. They all gritted their teeth, preparing to charge towards the main guest stand.
And just then, the controlling power that had been defeated by Sandrina and fallen into a disadvantage suddenly surged, instantly reaching Sandrina's current height again. The bodies of the group of Bourbons driven by desire that Sandrina was using were suddenly restrained again. The entire person who was running fell to the ground because of the sudden stop, causing quite a bit of chaos. And because almost everyone present was unusually engrossed in Sandrina's dance, no one noticed the problem on the scene for a while.
'How is this possible! Why did that guy's power suddenly increase again!'
Noticing this situation, Sandrina on the stage suddenly frowned. She couldn't understand why the controlling power that had originally been defeated by her would suddenly strengthen again to the point where it could contend with her, pulling the struggle for control over the Bourbons back to a stalemate. Could it be that the opponent suddenly used some Extraordinary medicine or talisman to enhance their abilities?
Facing this situation, although Sandrina was full of doubts, she acted immediately, attempting to regain control. However, this was not easy. Sandrina's current power had already been amplified to its limit by the stage beneath her and could not be strengthened further. It was quite difficult to regain control under these circumstances.
'Damn it... If this continues, I can only... Hmm?'
Just when Sandrina found that she couldn't seize control of the Bourbons and was about to adopt another plan, she suddenly discovered that the powerful controlling force opposing her, after holding firm for a while, suddenly became unstable again, starting to fluctuate violently. Within this fluctuation, it began to slowly decline again, and Sandrina found that she could slowly regain control.
'Heh... It seems the enhancement method that guy used was only temporary...'
Feeling this situation, Sandrina immediately concluded that the sudden surge in the opponent's controlling power was just a temporary measure like taking a stimulant, and its effect was slowly waning. Seeing hope, she temporarily dismissed the idea of adopting another plan and began to maintain control, engaging in a back-and-forth struggle with the unseen enemy she had never met. Feeling the opponent's power slowly fade, she regained control of the Bourbons' bodies.
After regaining control of the Bourbons, Sandrina made them get up from the ground one after another and continue to charge towards the main guest stand. However, they hadn't taken two steps when the weakening controlling force suddenly strengthened again, becoming evenly matched with Sandrina once more. This caused the Bourbons, who had just gotten up not long ago, to stumble and fall to the ground again, continuing to twitch and tremble.
"Tch... Is there no end to this!"
Seeing this situation, Sandrina, who was dancing, couldn't help but say through gritted teeth. Although she didn't know why the controlling power that had just weakened suddenly surged again, she still forcefully maintained the struggle for control over the Bourbons, attempting to regain control of them. Just as she was locked in a dispute with that power and was about to give up, the power suddenly began to recede again. After gaining control, Sandrina continued to make the Bourbons walk two steps, but due to the opponent's significant increase in controlling power, the Bourbons, who hadn't walked far, continued to fall.
And so... Sandrina began a repeated struggle with that mysterious controlling power. Amidst the continuous falling of the Bourbons on the scene, Sandrina periodically gained and lost control. This constant repetition, feeling like success was just one step away but forever unattainable, disturbed Sandrina's heart, making her increasingly agitated.
The reason this situation occurred was because of Dorothy. After feeling that Sandrina's controlling power had reached its peak but still couldn't shake her puppet control, in order to prevent Sandrina from giving up, she deliberately pretended that something was wrong and intentionally weakened her controlling power, giving Sandrina a little hope. After Sandrina could finally control the Bourbons, she intentionally strengthened her controlling power to stop her, and then weakened control again before Sandrina gave up, giving her hope again.
Dorothy's purpose in doing this was to buy time, making Sandrina focus her main energy on the constant back-and-forth with herself, continuously interrupting her actions and constantly giving her small victories, making her think that she could eventually secure control of the Bourbons and thus keep trying. However, in reality, no matter how hard she tried, it was all in vain.
Dorothy's delaying tactics were very effective at first, successfully making Sandrina focus all her attention on the endless struggle for control. But after several cycles, Sandrina gradually noticed the problem. Although that mysterious controlling power constantly showed signs of imminent collapse before her, it never actually collapsed, making her feel exasperated, tangled up, and finally driven mad. Not long after, her patience was finally worn thin.
'Damn things! Take all these! Play with them yourself!'
Gritting her teeth, Sandrina waved her hand and directly released her desire control over all the Bourbons. Instead, she focused her attention on all the guests present. She began to guide the desires in the hearts of those who had prejudices against Sansone, rapidly amplifying some minor dissatisfaction, instantly swelling it to the level of a blood feud.
As a politician, Sansone's image naturally wasn't only subject to dissatisfaction from the remaining Bourbons; among the Faloro politicians present, there were certainly many who had opinions about him. However, Sandrina's main goal was to frame the remaining Bourbons, and using these Bourbons to act would naturally have the best effect. But now that the Bourbons couldn't be controlled, she could only settle for using other people. Doing so would be a bit more troublesome in terms of handling the aftermath, requiring the fabrication and supplementing of connections between the assassins and the Bourbons.
'Indeed... That controlling power doesn't exist on other people; he can only control those Bourbons!'
Under Sandrina's stimulation, seven or eight of the guests present who held the deepest opinions against Sansone suddenly stopped appreciating the dance, shifting their gaze to the main guest stand. Endless fury erupted from their eyes. Then, they all grabbed whatever they could find nearby to use as weapons and rushed towards the main guest stand.
And as these people approached the main guest stand, on the path they had to take, they discovered several figures waiting there. Most of them were wearing attendant clothing and seemed to have been waiting there for a long time.
Facing the charging angry guests, those attendants showed their fists and directly attacked forward, knocking the angry guests to the ground unconscious with just a few punches.
These were all Corpse Puppets that Dorothy had prepared in the Temple of Beauty. They had long been waiting on the necessary path leading to the main guest stand, precisely to prevent such a situation.
'Hmph... Quite... well-prepared...'
Sensing this scene, Sandrina suppressed the frenzy in her heart and let out a cold snort, then she used her next method again.
With another wave of her hand during the dance, Sandrina controlled a guest among the attendees who had a perverted desire for her, instantly amplifying a twisted desire deep within his heart countless times, and then indulged him to pounce towards her.
"Miss Sandrina! You are mine! Let me taste you!"
Under Sandrina's deliberate actions, the guest with the perverted desire picked up a dining knife and ran towards Sandrina on the stage at high speed, his eyes filled with fervent desire, seemingly wanting to dismember Sandrina on the spot with the knife in his hand, and everyone present witnessed all of this.
Most of the guests in the Hall of Singing were currently intoxicated by Sandrina's charm. Seeing that she was about to be attacked, everyone couldn't help but feel hostility towards the attacking guest. They subconsciously wanted to protect Sandrina and attack the attacker. This desire was captured by Sandrina the moment it arose, instantly intensified and strengthened, and the focus was shifted towards Sansone on the main guest platform.
For a moment, the gazes of almost all the guests in the Hall of Singing shifted to Sansone. All eyes looking at him carried intense killing intent. This even included several bodyguards around Sansone, and even Sansone himself.
'I won...'
After pausing the attacker's movements, Sandrina couldn't help but show excitement in her eyes as she looked at the scene before her. With so many people controlled by her desire, no one could stop her.
On the main guest platform, Sansone's bodyguards drew their sidearms and held them to the heads of the people they were supposed to protect. Sansone himself, with a terrified look, picked up a fork and held it to his own neck. Under the lock of countless killing desires from all directions, he seemed to be doomed. Sandrina smiled again at this moment of certain victory. She knew she had won. As long as she used unscrupulous means and lowered the bar, no one could stop her!
Just as Sandrina was about to complete the assassination, another sudden change occurred. She controlled everyone's killing desire and directed it towards Sansone. Just as these people were preparing to act, an invisible force quietly arrived, sweeping through the entire Hall of Singing. For a moment, the actions of those who were about to participate in the assassination stopped in place, completely motionless. The scene instantly looked as if the pause button had been pressed.
'What...'
Facing this situation, Sandrina on the stage couldn't help but widen her eyes for a moment, her expression showing utter disbelief. At this moment, she felt that a competitor had appeared again in her control over desire. Another powerful invisible controlling force had affected everyone present in that instant. This mysterious controlling force, almost on par with her own, instantly suppressed her control, causing the scene to return to stillness.
What's going on? Did that Adele's accomplice come to steal people from her again? But from the situation just now, wasn't he unable to affect people other than the Bourbons? How could this situation suddenly occur? Where did this powerful and widespread controlling force come from?
For a moment, numerous doubts filled Sandrina's mind. Just then, a rumbling sound attracted her attention. Sandrina looked towards the direction of the sound. What she saw was directly in front of her: the large door connecting Caiqiong Hall and Yizhang Square was slowly opening amidst the sound of mechanisms. Through the opening in the door created by her dance, she glimpsed the scene outside.
Sandrina saw that on Yizhang Square under the twilight, many people were gathered around the huge Liming Fountain, staring intently at the fountain before them with mesmerized eyes. Above the fountain, which was spraying magnificent water patterns, a gorgeous figure in full dress was gracefully dancing on the continuously rising clear spring water.
That was Adele, Adele dressed in the performance full dress of Xiaer King. At this moment, she was fully displaying her dance on the lotus stage outlined by the brushstrokes of the spring water. Between the twilight's radiance and the clear flowing water, her dance attracted everyone on Yizhang Square.
Even though she was wearing a complex full dress, Adele's dance on the water lotus stage was still incredibly fluid. Her dance this time was not as wild and bold as Sandrina's, full of suggestive implications of various lewd thoughts. Instead, it was noble and elegant, gentle and beautiful, filled with a sense of grace and nobility in every movement.
Adele's dance was the traditional Faloro classical court dance. The noble demeanor it contained perfectly matched the luxurious and magnificent Temple of Beauty, and was completely incompatible with Sandrina. After seeing Adele's dance, Sandrina couldn't help but utter her name from between her lips.
"Adele... It's actually you... This level of The Path of Depravity power, have you found the second stage? When exactly..."
Looking at Adele dancing on Liming Fountain, Sandrina said resentfully. She knew very well that with Adele's power as an Extraordinary of The Path of Depravity, it was impossible for her to contend with herself, who had stage amplification. Now that this situation had occurred, it meant that she also had her own stage!
In the Temple of Beauty, among the three stages left by Xiaer King, the second stage was precisely Liming Fountain located on Yizhang Square. When Dorothy saw the various dazzling and unpredictable fountain water patterns in the Temple of Beauty, she wondered if it would be possible to create a seven-petal lotus-like water pattern by controlling the direction of the fountain's spray. Afterwards, she checked the water pattern systems of all the fountains in the Temple of Beauty and found that only one fountain had this possible variation, which was the largest fountain on Yizhang Square, Liming Fountain.
Therefore, Dorothy used a Corpse Puppet to obtain Xia Er's costume, had Adele put it on, and then controlled the fountain to form the seven-lotus water pattern. After Adele ascended the second stage and began dancing, she could utilize the ability to strengthen her power of The Path of Depravity.
However, the stage's enhancement for an Extraordinary of The Path of Depravity is gradual. Therefore, Adele needed to dance for a period after stepping onto the stage to maximize her ability amplification. But because Sandrina started dancing earlier than Adele, she would reach her peak faster. Hence, Dorothy needed to stall Sandrina to buy time for Adele's power to grow.
And now that Adele's power amplified by the stage had reached its peak, Dorothy opened the door of Caiqiong Hall, allowing Adele to directly confront Sandrina. Adele also decisively used her ability to suppress Sandrina, bringing the situation in the Hall of Singing back to a stalemate.
Just like this, on a central axis, Sandrina and Adele faced each other, dancing in opposition across Caiqiong Hall, each using their abilities to confront the other. Two powerful forces of desire achieved a subtle balance invisibly, causing the scene to fall into a deathly stillness.
The two desire dancers facing off continued to compete with their abilities. For a moment, it seemed neither could do anything to the other. Facing this situation, Sandrina's eyes showed a resentful expression while her teeth were clenched tight, seemingly feeling that her situation was not optimistic.
However, when Sandrina looked through the open door at the distant horizon, at the twilight sun gradually approaching the horizon, the serious expression on her face instantly vanished, and a smile appeared again.
'Time... is almost up...'
Looking at the dim yellow sun disc on the horizon, Sandrina thought in her heart. Although Adele had gained the ability to compete with Sandrina on the same stage through the second stage at this moment, Sandrina knew that it wouldn't work, because time was on her side.
'Adele... You don't think finding the second stage will allow you to contend with me, do you? Heh... If it were any other time, things might go as you wish, but today is the audience banquet, today is different.
'Soon! I will let you know the reason why today is the audience banquet! You are wearing Xia Er's clothes and dancing on the second stage, but you don't know that the true King in full dress will only ever perform on the first stage. The first stage is irreplaceable and the most noble!'
While continuing her dance, Sandrina thought proudly in her heart. She knew how many secrets the first stage beneath her held. As long as she stood on it, she would be invincible in the Temple of Beauty. Whether facing a direct attack or a challenge from a desire dance, she still had trump cards!