Chapter 27: Gradually Losing Control
Night Star let out a mental sigh of relief upon hearing the Group Leader’s response.
He still remembered her.
If the Group Leader had said, “Who are you?” she would have fainted from fright.
In the blink of an eye, black feathers appeared out of nowhere, swirling around the Group Leader and Night Star.
The two figures vanished just like that, as if performing a magic trick for the audience.
Then the perspective shifted.
The Group Leader and Night Star reappeared on the roof of a deserted skyscraper.
This suited Night Star’s intentions perfectly.
There was no way she could discuss matters with the Group Leader in front of a crowd.
The Group Leader broke the silence first.
“Audience Performer, did you stop me for something? If you wish to join me in wandering and performing, I wouldn’t mind taking you along.”
“Group Leader, I’m here to bring you back. We don’t belong to this world, and we shouldn’t be messing around here. If we want to perform, it’s better to return to our original world.”
The Group Leader shook his head.
“If leaving were that simple, it would be a shame! I plan to leave the footprints of the Rising Sun Theater Group in this world, bring spectacular performances to the audience, and stage an epic show—that’s the reason I’m here!”
“Ah…”
Night Star hesitated, wanting to say something.
Okay then—something was definitely off with the Group Leader.
His obsession was becoming a bit too much.
Or maybe he was just being influenced by Kuro.
From what it looked like, Kuro’s consciousness hadn’t fully awakened; he was merely affecting the Group Leader little by little—from his powers to his obsessions, and eventually, his very self.
Night Star knew Kuro couldn’t linger inside the Group Leader any longer.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “Group Leader, I support your decision.”
“Oh? As expected of the Audience Performer! Thank you for your understanding! I will give you a spectacular show to watch!”
Night Star switched gears.
“But… first, you need to make a wish for me, Group Leader. Please wish to return to your original self. Only then can I fully support you.”
No matter how you slice it, getting Kuro out of the Group Leader’s body was the top priority.
Only this way could they prevent Kuro from continuing to mess with his mind.
Inducing the Group Leader to make a wish was the best strategy Night Star could think of for now.
It was better than jumping out of the frying pan into the fire!
Since the Group Leader still retained some sanity and hadn’t lost all his memories, would he still cherish her as an Audience Performer?
Night Star wanted to know too.
The Group Leader gently shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Audience Performer. I must refuse your request. This new power allows me to perform anywhere in the world with unprecedented convenience. For now, I want to be more passionate, more spontaneous, pouring my heart into performances for the audience, free from any restraints. Do you understand?”
“Ah… I understand, but…”
Night Star really wanted to back the Group Leader.
But the longer they stalled on Kuro’s issue, the bigger the problems would become.
This wasn’t about understanding; it was about whether they could manage at all.
Either way, Night Star had come to a conclusion.
The current Group Leader was no longer the kind, doting uncle who pampered his Audience Performer, but a progressively unhinged Star Eclipse bent on his performances.
If things kept developing like this, the Group Leader would end up completely out of control.
Night Star didn’t want it to spiral out of hand like that.
Kuro was really causing a lot of trouble.
Once the issue was resolved, she would definitely hang Kuro from the theater ceiling as a chandelier for a year or so!
Taking a deep breath, Night Star’s expression turned resolute.
“I’m sorry, Group Leader. You’re starting to lose yourself. For the sake of the Rising Sun Theater Group, for this world, and for me, you must quickly return to your original state.”
The Group Leader sighed softly.
“Your decision troubles me, but I won’t blame you, Audience Performer. If my actions displease you, then try to stop me. I’ll treat it all as a performance and will respond with all my effort.”
“Um… I guess that means stepping onto the stage is unavoidable from this moment on…”
“No, you stepped onto the stage from the very beginning, and now we’re in the exciting part of the performance.”
“Looks like it.”
Then the Group Leader turned away from Night Star, apparently not inclined to continue the conversation.
“See you next time, Audience Performer! You’re always welcome to come watch my performances.”
In the next second, the Group Leader’s figure disappeared without a trace.
Night Star pouted a bit.
“Time-space ability…”
So annoying!
This unfair power was something she had given to the Group Leader personally.
Without using a trump card, it seemed she couldn’t capture the Group Leader.
At that moment, other theater members came through the Theater Door to Night Star’s side.
“Sorry, Audience Performer, we’re late.”
“It’s okay. I’ve just confirmed the Group Leader’s condition.”
“How is it?”
“The Group Leader is gradually losing himself and starting to lose control. If it drags on any longer, it might be irreversible.”
Mo Rabbit stroked her chin thoughtfully.
“Well, that seems manageable. The worst-case scenario was that the Group Leader was completely controlled by Kuro’s consciousness, but it seems there’s actually a buffer phase.”
Night Star mumbled.
“So what? If the Group Leader won’t cooperate, we can’t do anything to him with his time-space powers. Using the final trump card would be risky. How do we solve this with minimal cost?”
Mo Rabbit shrugged.
“How would I know? Time-space abilities are basically cheating—combining space and time! Instant teleportation is just one of their powers. Who knows, he might even be able to stop time, speed it up, delete it, or reverse it? With Kuro’s enhancement, he could probably do all that. So how do you plan on making the Group Leader submit?”
“Um…”
Night Star pondered for a moment.
“How troublesome! Let’s just use the Invincible Star Eclipse Wish Machine to solve the problem…”
That was certainly the simplest and most straightforward approach.
Although the final trump card usually came into play at the last moment, when a real crisis highlighted its worth.
But just thinking about wasting so much time in the meantime made Night Star feel an overwhelming urge to use “nuclear weapons.”
Of course, it was a gamble.
The Wish Princess had warned her not to constantly look for loopholes.
It could either be perfectly fine or lead her to a point of no return.
Who knows?
Thus, Night Star fell into a state of indecision.
Just then, Night Sky and the others arrived, seemingly having been munching popcorn nearby.
“It seems the situation isn’t looking good. Do you need our help?”
“Um… what can you do?”
After a moment of contemplation, Night Sky pulled out his dual blades and, with a serious expression, proposed his plan.
“Let’s try chopping your Group Leader a bit and see if we can knock some sense back into him.”
“Ah, wait…?”
