Daisy staggered before finally regaining her balance.

She wore a simple white dress in a classic young lady’s style, with no jewelry save for a ribbon fastened at the back of her head.

Her long, straight black hair flowed down her back. Then, she slowly lifted her head and looked directly at Mia’s group.

Nick was certain he heard people sucking in sharp breaths. He himself was no less astonished by Daisy’s beauty.

It was hard to believe this was the same monster he had seen outside.

But why did the candy pinned to the collar of her dress look so familiar?

Watching Daisy steal everyone’s attention the moment she appeared, Mia nearly lost her mind. Even Daniel was staring at her without blinking, the desire in his eyes completely undisguised.

She clenched her fists, trying her hardest to stay calm. What she failed to notice was that her facial muscles were already beginning to twitch out of control. The way she looked at Daisy made it seem as though she wanted nothing more than to tear her apart alive.

Sensing Mia’s overwhelming hostility, Daisy instinctively took a small step backward.

Mia let out a laugh.

"What’s wrong, Daisy? Are you scared? We haven’t even done anything to you."

Daisy pressed her lips together without answering.

She didn’t know why, but Mia felt different today.

She looked as terrifying as a demon, making Daisy want to turn around and run at once.

"Nick, aren’t you going to welcome your dance partner?" Daniel had already regained his composure. When he spoke to Nick, there was even a hint of impatience in his voice, as though he couldn’t wait any longer.

Nick: "..."

He had promised Silvanus that he would protect Daisy.

But judging from the current situation, he felt that his own little life was in far greater danger.

No matter how frail Daisy appeared, she was still the real boss...

Nick forced the most roguish smile he could manage as he walked toward Daisy.

"You already agreed, so what’s with the holier-than-thou act?"

At the same time, he frantically called Silvanus’s name over and over in his mind.

[This place is really weird, Silvanus!!!]

Nick had assumed, as usual, that his message would sink into the void without a reply.

But this time, Silvanus answered almost immediately.

[I’m here.]

At the same time, terrified of Nick, Daisy kept backing away until an outstretched foot caught her off guard, sending her stumbling.

The hall instantly erupted with gleeful laughter, everyone eagerly anticipating her humiliation.

Nick instinctively reached out to catch her.

But someone was faster.

A tall figure stepped out from the crowd and caught Daisy before she could hit the floor.

Daisy’s eyes widened in surprise.

Beneath the shimmering crystal lights stood none other than the young man from yesterday. Bathed in their radiant glow, he looked as though a god had finally descended to save her.

"Are you alright?" a warm, steady voice asked.

Only then did Daisy realize how intimate their posture was. Her entire face flushed crimson as she awkwardly straightened herself.

She looked up at Silvanus, speaking in a tiny voice.

"Th-Thank you."

[Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!]

[I know Silvanus is using the handsome-guy strategy, but I can’t prove it.]

[He’s just being kind, okay? But I have to admit, that entrance was perfectly timed. Hahaha.]

Silvanus said nothing. He simply tightened his grip around Daisy’s wrist, just as he had the night before, before turning to face Mia’s group.

Daisy stared blankly at the broad back in front of her.

Perhaps she had looked at the crystal lights for too long, because her eyes suddenly began to sting.

The heart that had long since gone numb seemed to beat once more, and emotions returned to her drop by drop.

To Daisy, however, each drop felt like a raging flood.

The moment Nick saw Silvanus, he almost wanted to jump up and cheer.

Without the slightest hesitation, he darted behind him.

Seeing Daisy still looking as though she might burst into tears at any second, Nick immediately said,

"Don’t worry. Silvanus will protect us!"

Daisy stared blankly at Nick.

She wasn’t even sure whether this really was Nick anymore.

"Who is that?"

"Do we even have someone like him at this academy? Why have I never seen him before?!"

"Damn it! Why does everyone keep falling for that bitch Daisy?!"

Whispers spread throughout the ballroom.

Across from them, Mia’s fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned bone-white, her teeth grinding together with an audible creak.

She didn’t even realize that she had begun to resemble the others around her.

Her complexion turned ashen, her appearance gradually growing more grotesque.

"So... someone wants to protect Daisy?" Jax said, his tone deep and unreadable.

"These people aren’t one of us," Elya added quietly.

"Who are you?! Who are you people?!"

At last, Mia screamed.

Her shrill voice was so piercing that it made everyone’s eardrums ache.

As if it were the opening gunshot, the surrounding students became like a swarm of puppets, madly repeating the same words.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?!"

Their eyes bulged wide as they stared straight at the three of them, their bodies beginning to lean unnaturally forward.

Nick couldn’t help letting out a sharp hiss.

At the same time, his arm was yanked violently.

"Run!"

Silvanus’s voice rang out, so clear that it was almost piercing.

"AAAAAH—!"

Only then did Nick finally scream out loud as he bolted forward with everything he had.

But there were simply too many students packed inside the ballroom. Before long, the exit ahead of them was completely swallowed by the crowd.

Nick ran frantically while desperately scanning their surroundings, but it was useless.

There were no other exits.

Yet Silvanus never slowed down.

Instead, he continued charging straight ahead at an unbelievable speed.

Seeing this, Nick had no choice but to grit his teeth and follow.

Then, without warning, Silvanus gave both of their arms a powerful tug, pulling Nick and Daisy toward him.

The two of them felt themselves jerk forward before their feet suddenly left the ground.

Nick was tucked under Silvanus’s arm at the waist, while Daisy was effortlessly slung over his shoulder.

Boom!

A thunderous crash echoed through the hall like a small explosion.

Carrying both Nick and Daisy, Silvanus smashed straight through the wall of bodies.

Nick even caught sight of several of those creatures being kicked flying through the air. One of them had its head twisted into a grotesque spiral, yet it was still grinning at him.

The livestream even added a slow-motion effect.

Silvanus landed lightly on his feet before immediately launching forward again, as though the two people he was carrying weighed no more than a pair of feathers.

[Holy shit, he’s so strong!]

[The last time I felt this hyped was watching the number one debut contestant.]

[Silvanus’s debut has to be an all-time peak now, right?]

[Knew it. I never invest my shares in the wrong person!!!]

The comments streamed across the screen without stopping.

At the same time, Silvanus’s performance was immediately clipped, mixed together with several bloody action shots, and uploaded onto the giant display screens as a promotional trailer to attract more viewers.

The stark contrast between everyone else’s desperate struggle and Silvanus charging fearlessly through the horde created an incredibly powerful visual impact.

It wasn’t long before another massive wave of new viewers flooded into the livestream!