Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 78: The Prom

Under the strong objections of the butler and Ayoi, and to avoid being mistaken for a criminal, Yuka took off the helmet before getting into the prom.

She had chosen a mask she liked from those the butler had prepared. The mask was a blend of platinum and white, with the intricate golden patterns covering its surface, revealing only her eyes and mouth.

This clever design concealed Yuka’s face completely. Yet, her beautiful eyes were still captivating, sparking curiosity about the beauty hidden beneath the mask.

Yuka found her curls with hairsprays uncomfortable around her neck and chose to pin her hair up, revealing her slender neck. The butler assisted her, securing the hair with a lace ribbon, then slipped into a hidden pocket on the side of Yuka’s puffy skirt.

The Horn family, true to their former noble status, had arranged a limousine to pick up Yuka and Ayoi from their dormitory for the prom. Alex, on the other hand, took a separate car, planning to reunite with them at the prom’s entrance.

The Lev made its way through the central area to a towering castle, a remnant of the ancient era.

That was the ancestral home of the Donny family. At the castle’s entrance, two handsome men were tasked with inspecting the invitations of the guests to authenticate and admit them.

Yuka and Ayoi waited near the entrance for Alex, surrounded by other prom attendees. In just a short time, Yuka noticed at least three others in similarly styled and colored dresses. If she were to blend into this crowd, even the butler might struggle to recognize her.

The butler, frustrated, exclaimed, "How could this happen!" It had chosen the most expensive custom-tailored evening gown, and now, it was determined to confront the merchant about this oversight.

The masks worn by the guests were diverse and unique; Yuka even spotted someone with a bird-beak hood, making it impossible to distinguish who was who.

Alex arrived soon after. Somehow, he had grown significantly taller in the past two months.

Now taller than both Ayoi and Yuka, Alex looked quite dashing in a suit and a pure white mask, his identity concealed.

With everyone gathered, Yuka, Ayoi, and Alex approached the entrance, each showing their digital invitations on their opticomputers. The door attendants, after scanning and verifying the invitations, smiled and said, "You must be friends of Miss Donny. Please, come in."

Yuka stepped forward, her low-heeled leather shoes making a soft sound on the wooden floor as she entered.

Inside the hall, soothing music filled the air as ladies in elaborate gowns and well-dressed gentlemen in suits strolled and conversed, elegantly holding glasses of red wine.

Yuka remarked on the crowd’s size as she moved to the edge, tilting her head and asking, "With so many people, why don’t they check for weapons upon entry?" She had noticed a man entering with a gun, yet the door attendants seemed to ignore it.

Alex explained, "Masked proms are anonymous. Most attendees come with the intent of flirtation or to indulge in... certain discreet desires. The Horn family, having invited mostly former nobility, respects their privacy deeply, not even allowing surveillance cameras, let alone personal searches at the door. This setup is likely a concession to these privacy concerns."

"And most here bear grudges against the Alliance Army, so it’s unlikely that the Horns invited anyone from there," he added.

Yuka nodded, then glanced at the second floor, noticing Donny wearing a half-mask but apparently not recognizing them.

Yuka turned to Ayoi and Alex, "I want to check out the food area. Are you coming?"

"I’m heading to the dance floor to spot familiar faces," Alex said.

"I’d like to dance," Ayoi admitted shyly.

So, they split up for the time being.

As Yuka turned to leave, Vivian, lifting her gown, emerged from a room, approaching Donny. "Donny, have you seen Yuka?" she asked.

Donny shook her head, "No, I haven’t."

Vivian frowned, puzzled. "That’s strange. If Yuka attended the prom, her beauty should have drawn everyone’s attention."

Vivian, not considering that Yuka would cover her entire face, lifted her gown again and said to Donny, "Never mind, I’ll look myself."

With that, she quickly went down the stairs. Donny wanted to follow, but her father had instructed her to stay upstairs all night, waiting to oversee the event’s conclusion. She reluctantly remained in place.

Meanwhile, Yuka had reached the dessert area, picking a small macaron to taste, only to find the mouth opening of the mask too small to fit the macaron.

She rolled her eyes and stayed speechless.

Yuka, unable to eat the macaron, opted for an alternative and asked a waiter for a straw to drink a bottle of milk.

"Beautiful lady, may I have the honor of inviting you for a dance?" A blond man wearing a colorful mask approached Yuka, bending graciously and extending his hand.

Yuka politely declined, "Sorry, I don’t really know how to dance."

"No problem, please allow me to teach you," the man persisted, stepping closer to Yuka and gazing intensely at her chest. "Trust me, I’ll make sure you have a pleasant evening."

As Yuka contemplated whether to punch him, a piercing scream suddenly erupted from the edge of the dance floor. The scream was so intense that it momentarily disrupted the music. Everyone dropped their glasses and stopped talking, turning towards the source of the scream.

A couple sat on the ground, trembling and pointing towards a headless waiter. Despite losing its head, the waiter’s body remained eerily upright.

Yuka squinted, put down her coconut milk, and took a few steps forward.

A transparent entity wriggled out from the waiter’s severed neck. As more of it emerged, the crowd could see its entire body.

The parasite insectoid, initially transparent, turned red in the middle, engorged with blood and flesh from the human host. It crawled out, moving disgustingly as it did so.

Screams erupted everywhere. Some people, paralyzed with fear, fell to the ground, unable to stand. But they soon overcame their limits, crawling away in terror.

It wasn’t just this waiter. All waiters around the dance floor exhibited agonized expressions as parasites, now mature, emerged aggressively from their bodies, rushing towards the people in the dance hall.

All this chaos unfolded in mere seconds. Most people instinctively followed those running upstairs, fleeing in a panic with a cacophony of curses and cries.

The man Yuka had seen earlier with a gun at his waist stepped forward, mustering the courage to fire two shots at the approaching parasites.

His hands shook violently, causing him to miss; one bullet hit the hall’s lighting, dimming the lights, while the other grazed a lady’s hat, triggering another round of screams and adding to the panic.

Yuka pushed through the crowded hall to the man still holding the gun, ready to shoot again. She snatched the gun from his hands and shouted to the crowd, "Number Two!" She used the code names from their first team competition to avoid revealing their identities, trusting that Ayoi and Alex would understand.

Ayoi responded quickly, raising her hand high and calling out to Yuka, "Number One, I’m here!" Ignoring the man’s curses, Yuka tossed the gun to Ayoi, who caught it mid-air.

Ayoi then squeezed to the edge of the crowd and fired several shots at the incoming parasites, emptying the gun and taking down a dozen of them.

Alex grabbed a nearby wine bottle, smashed it against the wall for a sharp edge, and stabbed a parasite in the head. Others, too, began to react, searching for makeshift weapons to join the fight against the parasites.

Yuka used a dessert stand to kill the last parasite in the area, wiping the blood off her hands onto her pale pink dress, staining it crimson.

The "distinguished guests" hiding upstairs slowly stopped screaming, discreetly straightening their clothes and masks, pretending nothing had happened, then elegantly coming down, eager to leave this nightmarish scene.

Donny, wiping sweat from her forehead, suddenly remembered something important and gripped the wooden stick she had ripped from the railing. "Don’t open it," she turned to the others inside, commanding. "there might be more parasites out there."

Those preparing to leave froze in their tracks. The parasites became mature in twelve hours, entering the body through food and water. This meant these people must have ingested the parasite eggs during breakfast. The waiters, doormen, valets, and chefs all ate together...

Donny closed her eyes briefly, contemplating the potential number of parasites.

The heavily burdened main doors of the hall creaked ominously. Those standing near the door quickly stepped back, picking up their makeshift weapons again, tensely watching the door.

Yuka’s hand deftly slipped into the hidden pocket in her dress, touching the body of the butler.

With a loud crash, the main doors burst open, and a mass of parasites rolled in, wriggling rapidly across the floor.

Screams erupted again from the second floor as more parasites, emerging from the kitchen, swarmed towards the panicking crowd. These parasites opened their abdomens, revealing spikes ready to pierce into human flesh and feast on blood.

Donny immediately turned to assist those upstairs.

Yuka, with a swift motion, drew a long sword transformed from Oniyon and plunged it into the brain of a parasite at her feet.

The butler, now a sword, let out a muffled cry, "Yucks, I’m all dirty! :("

In the dim light, only a slender figure in pale pink could be seen swiftly moving through the hall. Each swing of her blade was precise, eliminating a parasite. Her black curls flew with her gown, in rhythm with the music, creating a solo performance. Blood sprayed from the parasites’ heads, staining her dress, but her breathtaking beauty remained undiminished.

Those on the second floor stopped screaming, holding their breath, mesmerized by her.

But the parasites were too many, quickly surrounding Yuka and threatening to climb up her legs.

Swinging her sword, Yuka frowned in thought:

’Why hasn’t the Alliance Army arrived yet?’