CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 175: THE DUELS OF BRIDES

The chapel had become less of a wedding venue and more of a post-apocalyptic coliseum. The crimson silk aisle was no longer a place for gentle footsteps of the bride—it was cracked stone, soaked in melted wax and dragonfire, with collapsing pews serving as barricades.

And at the very heart of this war zone, Rei Velvet sat strapped to his Groom Chair of Doom, screaming into the void.

[Event Update: "Apocalypse Wedding – Phase 2 Activated."]

[Sub-Objective: Do Not Get Vaporized.]

[Survival Rate: 1.1%.]

[Congratulations. You’ve unlocked "Hardcore Groom Mode."]

Lilia stood at the end of the ruined aisle, bridal gown now shining like sanctified armor, staff glowing with runes of light. Her stag mount bellowed and stamped its hooves, scattering sparks of celestial flame.

Opposite her, Velveria floated effortlessly, her obsidian gown spreading like a tide of night, shadows coiling into claws. She held her skull goblet casually, sipping as though the world wasn’t exploding around them.

"Unhand my groom, demon!" Lilia declared, her voice ringing with cathedral clarity. She raised her staff, hymn spilling from her lips—a song of radiant justice, each note vibrating through the fractured stained-glass windows.

Velveria’s lips curled. "You dare sing in my chapel?" Her shadows surged, weaving into vampiric tendrils that reached for the light.

The two powers collided. Hymn against shadow, holy chords against whispers of the abyss. The chapel walls shook, and the stained-glass saints wept light as their windows shattered into glittering shards.

Shards of rainbow glass rained down, catching fire midair. Rei ducked in his chair, screaming: "I’M NOT INSURANCE-COVERED FOR STAINED-GLASS COLLAPSES!"

[Glass Rain Hazard.]

[Damage: 10D6 glittery lacerations.]

[It’s really beautiful way to die.]

The explosion of light and shadow forced guests—what few hadn’t fled—to throw themselves face-first into the floor, begging whatever god was left awake.

Velveria’s fangs glimmered as she pushed forward. "He is mine."

Lilia’s hymn rose louder, pushing back the shadows with sheer, furious faith. "I WILL NEVER ALLOW THIS UNHOLY MATCH!"

And the stained glass finally gave way, raining fragments so bright the aisle itself looked like a prism of war.

As the hymn battle raged, Drakana made her move.

Her dragon mount burst through what remained of the roof, scattering beams and burning debris. She leapt astride it, bridal silk snapping against armored scales. "Mate! You WILL choose me!"

The dragon roared and unleashed a torrent of fire—except this wasn’t ordinary fire. The flames swirled unnaturally, forming into giant, blazing hearts. Dozens of them. Flaming hearts the size of carriages, streaking across the chapel like the world’s deadliest Valentine’s card.

"WHY ARE THE FLAMES SHAPED LIKE HEARTS?!" Rei shrieked as one smashed into a pillar, collapsing the roof beams.

[Hazard: Heart-Flame Inferno.]

[Romantic Damage Multiplier: x4.]

[Finally, someone’s putting their heart into it.]

Beams collapsed like dominoes, one after another. A chandelier fell, barely missing Rei’s head. He screamed again.

Drakana swooped low, swinging her spear of flame. "COME DOWN AND FIGHT ME, VELVERIA!"

Velveria, unimpressed, raised her goblet. Shadows surged and deflected the spear strike. "Dragon girl, please. You’re too loud for a bride."

The two forces clashed midair, dragonfire exploding against shadow tendrils, raining sparks and black mist onto the wreckage.

Seraphina descended next, her phoenix mount screeching, wings blazing gold. Her bridal gown was scorched at the edges, halo tilted aggressively like a weapon.

She landed directly in front of Rei, staff raised high. "Stay back, Rei. I will protect you."

For once, Rei almost felt safe—until she slammed her staff down and summoned a holy pillar of light that wrapped around him. A glowing dome shimmered, shielding him from stray blasts.

Rei blinked. "...Wait. This is actually good. This is—"

The floor rumbled. The pillar of light carved too deep into the infernal ground of the chapel, splitting something ancient beneath.

Velveria’s smile widened. "Oh... you shouldn’t have done that."

From the fissures of the floor, a swarm of bat-shaped imps burst forth, shrieking and swarming toward the ceiling like living shadows.

"WHY DO YOUR HOLY BARRIERS SUMMON DEMONS?!" Rei screamed.

Seraphina’s halo flickered. "Oops?"

[Warning: Blessing backlash detected.]

[Side Effect: Demon Bat Infestation.]

[Your guardian angel just ordered extra bats.]

The swarm spiraled through the chapel, dive-bombing nobles and biting through tablecloths. Guests screamed. One unlucky baron was carried away by a dozen bats, shouting: "Tell my wife I’m already married—!"

Seraphina quickly shielded Rei again, her wings burning brighter. "Don’t worry. I’ll fix this."

Rei buried his face in his hands. "You’re all going to kill me before Velveria even gets to ’I do.’"

For a brief, shocking moment, Seraphina and Drakana coordinated—dragonfire sweeping the swarm, phoenix flame cleansing the shadows. Temporary allies, united by obsession.

And then... silence. The shadows grew thicker. Rei became tense because he knew that silence.

Sure enough, Rosette emerged from thin air, veil fluttering. Her gown didn’t glitter or blaze—it simply absorbed light. She moved with deadly precision, weaving between collapsing beams and flaming pews.

Rei spotted her crouching at the altar, sliding strange glowing runes onto the floor. His eyes widened. "Are those bombs? ARE THOSE WEDDING BOMBS?!"

Rosette put a finger to her lips, eyes cold and tender all at once.

[Detected: Stealth Bride in Action.]

[Objective: Do not reveal her position.]

[Which means you absolutely will.]

"ROSETTE’S AT THE ALTAR!" Rei screamed instinctively. "SHE’S PLANTING BOMBS!"

The entire chapel froze. Everyone turned to look at her.

Rosette’s expression didn’t change. Slowly, she turned her gaze back to Rei, eyes glinting with faint betrayal.

"...Oops?" Rei croaked.

The runes flared, exploding in a wave of shadow fire. The altar shattered into fragments, hurling debris across the chapel. Rei’s chair skidded again, spinning wildly.

Rosette vanished back into smoke, leaving only a whisper: "Later."

[Stealth Attempt Ruined.]

[Consequence: Eternal Cold Shoulder.]

[Nice going, blabbermouth.]

Through the smoke and wreckage, Emilia stood. Her gown was ragged, scissors broken from overuse. Her mechanical wolf was a pile of sparking junk in the corner.

She had nothing left—except a porcelain teacup she’d grabbed from a guest table.

With trembling hands, she raised it. "I... will not lose..."

Velveria laughed coldly. "A teacup? That is your weapon?"

But the other brides hesitated.

Rei blinked. "...Wait. Why are they backing off? It’s a cup."

The aura around Emilia shifted. Her veil fluttered with unnatural force. In that moment, she radiated something beyond obsession, beyond madness.

[New Trait Detected: "Main Girl Energy."]

[Warning: Reality Distortion Active.]

[She has plot armor, and she knows it.]

Emilia raised the teacup like a divine chalice. When Velveria’s shadows lashed forward, the cup deflected them with a ping like church bells. When Lilia’s holy light struck, the cup reflected it in a beam that cut a pew in half.

Every insane blast hurled across the chapel—dragonfire, holy lances, shadow spears—bent harmlessly around Emilia.

She stood unshaken, bridal gown glowing faintly. "Rei will choose me."

Rei gaped. "I—I don’t even like tea!"

[Maximum Bride Density Detected.]

[Physics: Overloaded.]

[Romance Probability Chart: Exploded.]

[You are now trapped in a shoujo manga finale.]

The duels of brides reached their breaking point. Hymns clashed with shadows, dragonfire with phoenix flame, scissors with teacups. Every blast tore more of the chapel apart until the very foundation groaned.

The altar split down the center. Flames spread across the crimson aisle. Chandeliers swayed, dropping glass and fire.

Finally, the building could take no more with a deafening crack, the roof collapsed inward, beams and fire crashing down in a tidal wave of ruin.

Rei’s Groom Chair was flung clear across the aisle, landing upside down against a pillar. His muffled voice screamed from beneath the wreckage: "THIS ISN’T HOW WEDDINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK!"

[Event Update: Chapel Integrity 0%.]

[Status: Total Collapse.]

[Congratulations. You’ve upgraded to "Outdoor Wedding."]

The Academy’s grand chapel—the most sacred hall of learning, the most prestigious site of unions—crumbled into fiery ruins.

And amid the smoke, flames, and falling stone... the brides still stood, gowns scorched but eyes blazing with obsession.

The wedding apocalypse was far from over.

Ash rained like confetti from hell. The once-grand chapel was nothing more than a bonfire of vows and broken pews. Somewhere in the smoldering wreckage, a wedding banner fluttered weakly, charred into reading: "Till Death Do Us—" before disintegrating.

Rei crawled out from under his overturned Groom Chair, hair smoking, tux shredded, eyes wide with the gaze of a man who had seen eternity and wished he hadn’t.

"...Can’t we just elope quietly?" he croaked.

The brides turned as one, glaring murderously, soot-streaked but radiant in their madness.

[Warning: Bride Aggro at 600%.]

[Side Quest Unlocked: "Run, Groom, Run."]

[Reward: Oxygen maybe.]

Velveria’s shadowy veil spread wider, her smile calm and cruel. "No, darling. The ceremony has only begun."

And as the ruins still smoked, the battlefield shifted—an outdoor wedding of chaos about to erupt under the open, unforgiving sky.

Rei groaned, staggering to his feet, tux in tatters, hair singed, and muttered, "I just wanted one peaceful wedding..."

[System Alert: Peace Not Found.]

To be continued...