CHAPTER 172: CHAPTER 171: THE GROOM DIGS, THE BRIDES ATTACK

The world outside was preparing for war. The world inside Rei Velvet’s bedroom was preparing... a spoon.

Specifically, a bent, slightly rusty dessert spoon Rei had stolen from the cafeteria at great personal risk. He crouched at the foot of his bed like a criminal in a cheap prison escape drama, jabbing the spoon into the stone floor with furious determination.

"Come on... just a little deeper... freedom is only twenty feet of tunnel away..." he muttered, sweat dripping down his brow. His arms trembled as he scraped at the tiles.

CLINK.

CLINK.

CLINK.

The spoon bent further.

[System Notification]

[Congratulations. You’ve successfully achieved the tunneling progress of a depressed hamster.]

[Update: Bedrock is magically reinforced by ten layers of anti-escape wards. Estimated time to dig your way out with a spoon: 4,720 years.]

[Don’t worry, by then the brides will definitely have calmed down.]

Rei dropped the spoon with a despairing groan. "Of course! Even the floor is yandere-proof. What’s next, the air itself will tackle me if I try to breathe without permission?"

The window rattled ominously. Outside, he could see Seraphina flying past, glaring directly at his window like a hawk spotting prey. He quickly yanked the curtains shut.

"...Right. Air is compromised too."

Just when Rei thought his day couldn’t get worse, the doors of his room burst open with an explosion of glitter and trumpets.

"Darling brother!" cried Velveria, the Academy’s resident chaos engine (and his little sister, by blood but not by sanity). She twirled into the room wearing a frilly announcer’s dress covered in hearts. "Guess what time it is?"

Rei’s stomach sank. "...Time for me to die?"

"Close!" Velveria beamed. "It’s time for the wedding preview party! Courtesy of your loving sister-slash-wedding planner-slash-master of ceremonies!"

She clapped her hands. Servants rolled in carts of food, cakes, decorations, and—most terrifyingly—a seven-foot-tall priest statue, eyes glowing red.

Rei backed up until he hit the wall. "Vel, we talked about this. I’m not getting married to anyone. Ever. At all. Especially not in one week at the Demon Citadel with fifty-thousand demons as the audience."

Velveria ignored him entirely. "Brides, enter!"

The first disaster arrived instantly. Lilia stormed in, resplendent in her priestess robes, staff glowing. She marched up to the massive seven-tier wedding cake Velveria had ordered and, without hesitation, stabbed it straight down the middle with holy light.

"This cake is a sinful mockery! It is not blessed, therefore unfit to share with my Rei!" She yanked her staff free, frosting flying like blood in a battlefield. "I shall bake the proper one myself—kneaded with my prayers and tears!"

Velveria clapped like a maniac. "Yes! Drama! Conflict! Perfect!"

Then Rosette appeared silently from nowhere—already crouched by the floral arrangements. Her hands moved with assassin precision, sprinkling faint green powder over the roses.

Rei squawked. "Wait—are you poisoning the wedding flowers?!"

Her gaze was calm. "Of course. If any bride besides me dares touch these petals, the toxins will paralyze them instantly. It’s... practical planning, Master." She gently caressed one rose, which promptly wilted and turned black.

Rei backed further into the corner. "You people are insane—"

The wall behind him shattered as Drakana crashed down from the ceiling, landing in a crouch. She stalked toward the demonic priest statue and promptly bit its stone head clean off.

"WHAT IS THIS FARCE?!" she roared, smoke trailing from her nostrils. "No priest marries us except one who withstands dragon flame!" She spat a plume of fire; the statue’s body exploded into rubble.

Velveria gave a delighted squeal. "Brilliant! Groom reaction shot, please!"

Rei waved his arms in terror. "You just murdered the priest!"

Drakana wiped her mouth. "He was weak."

Before Rei could recover, the System beeped in his head.

[System Event Triggered: Groom Suit Fitting Mini-Game.]

[Objective: Put on the tuxedo.]

[Complication: Every bride will attempt to undress you first.]

[Warning: Nudity equals automatic game over and permanent trauma.]

[Timer: 5 minutes.]

"WHAT?!" Rei screeched. "NO! I REFUSE TO—"

Velveria was already tossing him a black velvet groom’s suit. "Go on, onii-chan! Let’s see how dashing you look before you’re devoured by love!"

Lilia lunged first, grabbing at his shirt. "I’ll dress him! He must be robed in holiness!"

Seraphina swooped through the open window like a hawk, landing with her wings spread wide. "No! Angels clothe him! I shall purify his body with sacred silk!"

Emilia came sprinting in with scissors. "Step aside! I’ll cut away his filthy clothes and replace them with my own!"

Drakana flexed her claws. "I’ll simply rip them off."

Rei shrieked, dodging in circles around the room. "STOP TRYING TO STRIP ME!"

[System Alert]

[Time Remaining: 3 minutes.]

[Tip: Closet door detected. Hide inside to survive longer.]

With no other options, Rei dove headfirst into the closet and slammed it shut. His chest heaved in the darkness.

Then a soft voice whispered behind him. "...Welcome home, Master."

Rei froze. Slowly, he turned his head—Rosette was already sitting on a chair inside the closet, sewing lace onto a bridal veil.

"...HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN HERE?!" Rei squeaked.

Rosette smiled serenely. "Since last week."

[System Notification]

[Closet Safe Zone compromised. Attempt failed.]

[Time Remaining: 1 minute.]

Velveria, entirely unfazed by the chaos, rang a bell. "Now presenting—bride auditions! Each contestant shall reveal her chosen gown!"

The room’s lights dimmed. A glowing runway appeared as if conjured by demonic sponsorship. Rei pressed his face against the closet bars like a prisoner, whispering, "No... please, don’t do this..."

Lilia stepped out first. Her gown shimmered pure white, embroidered with golden prayers. A giant crucifix trailed behind her like a train, nearly smashing into the furniture. "By divine law, this gown symbolizes purity! None may sully its fabric except my Rei—when he bleeds upon it!"

Rei whimpered. "That’s not even subtle anymore—"

Seraphina followed, wings spread, halo tilted. Her gown blazed with radiant fire, literally burning the carpet as she strutted. "This dress is spun from angel feathers and consecrated flames. Should Rei reject me, I shall immolate the altar and us with it!"

Drakana stomped forward next, her gown less a dress and more a battle harness, plated with dragon scales. The veil? A chainmail hood. "Mate must know: I wed in blood and fire. After vows, feast begins. On corpses."

Velveria whooped. "Fierce! Savage! Beautiful!"

Emilia emerged after, red-faced, her gown stitched together from every piece of cloth she could steal in the Academy dorms. It looked like twelve wedding dresses had been violently merged. "He’ll pick me! Even if it’s ugly, he’ll pick me! RIGHT, REI?!"

Rei covered his eyes. "It’s like a bridal patchwork monster—"

Finally, Rosette appeared, silent as always. Her gown was impossibly perfect, sleek black lace with crimson threads spelling Rei’s name across every inch. The veil fluttered eerily even without wind. She said nothing. She didn’t have to. The murderous aura spoke for her.

The audience—namely Velveria, some terrified servants, and three poultry delegates who had sneaked in—applauded wildly.

[Congratulations! You’ve unlocked the hidden horror: Bridal Hunger Games.]

[Warning: You are the prize.]

By the time the last gown was revealed, Rei was trembling, sweat-drenched, and halfway to unconsciousness. He staggered from the closet, raising one hand weakly. "I... I can’t... I can’t survive... this circus..."

The doors opened once more. A hush fell. Lucivella entered, wearing a gown of midnight roses that seemed woven from shadows themselves. Her gaze locked on Rei, and the room froze under her presence.

She smiled. "Fitting, isn’t it? One week, beloved. Consider this... your rehearsal."

Rei’s knees buckled. He collapsed flat on the floor.

[Player Status: Unconscious.]

[Mini-Game Failed. Penalty: Brides will choose your tuxedo while you sleep.]

[At least you won’t feel them measuring your inseam.]

The brides circled Rei’s unconscious body, their murderous glares colliding like blades. Velveria beamed, clapping her hands.

"Marvelous! The groom fainted on cue! The preview party is a resounding success!"

Meanwhile, Rei lay sprawled on the floor, whispering faintly in his sleep: "I just wanted... peace..."

Lightning flashed outside, thunder rolled, and the countdown to the Demon Wedding continued.

[System Final Notification]

[Main Mission Ongoing: Attend the Demon Wedding (And Possibly Stop It).]

[Time Limit: 6 Days.]

[Optional Objective Updated: Survive the Bridal Auditions.]

[Spoiler—You failed.]

The servants scattered as the brides’ standoff grew heavier, the atmosphere so thick it could be cut with a butter knife—assuming the knife wasn’t immediately stolen and weaponized by one of them.

Lilia muttered prayers under her breath, clutching her staff like a club. Seraphina’s halo sparked dangerously, frying a chandelier into ash. Drakana flexed her claws, leaving smoking gouges in the floor. Emilia’s scissors gleamed with feral intent. Rosette just stared at Rei’s unconscious form with the tenderness of someone who might kiss him... or smother him with a pillow.

Velveria clapped her hands again, grinning from ear to ear. "Wonderful energy! Excellent hostility! I can already see the wedding reception brawl going viral across three kingdoms!"

[New Threat Detected: Wedding Reception Brawl.]

[Potential Casualties: All.]

[At least no one will complain about boring speeches.]

Lightning cracked once more, illuminating Rei’s sleeping face as he twitched in a nightmare. His lips moved, mumbling, "Not the spoon... not the tuxedo... no more... auditions..."

Velveria leaned down beside him, patting his head like a proud director. "Sleep well, Onii-chan. Tomorrow we rehearse the vows."

The brides all turned in unison, glaring daggers at each other. One thought united them all:

Over my dead body.

To be continued...