Only I Am A Reader-Chapter 595: Mental Breakdown

’This is it!’

A spark detonated in Yvonne’s mind as she achieved her first epiphany.

Just as she expected, there was indeed a way to pressure the untouchable Aurora.

’If this is a form of punishment...’

Unlike what the Thorn Queen thought at first, it didn’t seem like breaking walls was a valid way of reaching the end of the Gate.

As she didn’t give it much thought then, she wasn’t sure of the proper method of doing so, but none of that mattered to her.

’Then I can push her to the brink!’

Up to here, hadn’t their leisurely walk been the result of complying with rules?

Then only by breaking it could chaos truly descend!

Subsequently, only the descent of that chaos could truly sabotage the seemingly invincible Aurora!

’One or five are the same to her, but...’

Would she still be as leisurely if the five Minotaurs became a hundred? Not enough? Then what about five hundred?

If she was able to continue rushing through one wall after the other, then the sky was the limit!

’Theoretically, at least.’

Of course, there was always the chance that by pushing through enough walls, the exit would be revealed, but that went against the Thorn Queen’s desire, and thus this possibility was ignored.

Wasn’t this supposed to be punishment for breaking the rules? No way they would be let off that easily, right?

A colored Gate like this should be able to rearrange its rooms to push the punishment into an infinite loop, one that could only be broken by repenting and choosing to clear it the conventional way.

Once again, everything was lined up in the Thorn Queen’s favor. As long as her theory was right, there was no stopping her!

"Stop right there."

Unfortunately, however, before she could even conduct the very first test to prove that theory, the Thorn Queen was stopped in her tracks.

’You!!!’

The cause? Once again, it was the same infuriating starry night curtain. This time, it was covering the entire wall.

"Star Pupils! What is the meaning of this? Why are you blocking me?"

Splatt!

Just in the brief pause that the Thorn Queen took to complain, two more Minotaurs exploded under Aurora’s hands.

Just these few seconds of delay were already sabotaging the opening move of her plan.

She had to force her opinion in the heat of the moment for the rest of the plan to work!

"If we have to deal with every Minotaur group after breaking each wall, this would take forever! The only answer is a non-stop breakthrough to the exit!"

Although she didn’t believe in that solution, Yvonne had no problem using it as an excuse. This was the cover story she had decided on from the start.

"Come on. This Gate is the epitome of leisure. We have all the time in the world to think about our next move. Is there really any reason to act so hot-headedly?"

Splat!

Only one Minotaur was left standing.

"Just undo your Ability-"

Splatt!

"I say we do this Star’s way."

Flicking away the blood covering her light-armored forearm, Aurora finally interjected in the argument.

"But-"

"No buts. Whether you are taking the lead or not, I’m still the actual team leader, no?"

By now, Aurora had long decided to give Kara the benefit of the doubt.

At the very least, compared to the overly suspicious sisters, she was far more reliable.

"I-"

"Don’t even try to use seniority as an excuse, you know that holds no weight here. Of course, if Star isn’t able to figure a way forward, then we can still do it your way."

Even the usually calm Yvonne was feeling extremely indignant after suffering humiliation at the duo’s hands. However...

"...I understand."

Seeing the crimson blood reflected in Aurora’s eyes, she couldn’t even muster the courage to argue any further.

The silent Aurora was the opposite of intimidating. However, when she stood in the middle of the bloodbath that she had just drawn, Aurora made Yvonne feel fear for the second time in the same day.

The flower of blood blooming with her at the center even added an extra point of aesthetics.

’This. This...’

All of a sudden, Yvonne came to a realization as her extreme confidence as the untouchable Thorn Queen was almost completely washed away.

Maybe... Maybe Aurora wasn’t the prime prey they thought she was.

Maybe they were the prey all along. Perhaps all the docility the duo had shown until now was just basic luring tactics that she and her sisters failed to see through.

Recalling the arrogance she entered the Gate with and the tight spot she had fallen into, the duo slowly transformed into the image of apex predators in Yvonne’s eyes.

’N-No! It’s still okay.’

However, Yvonne quickly denied her realization, forcefully restoring her composure.

What was wrong with all of this? From the very start, she knew that she couldn’t stand up to Aurora.

Unlike Star Pupils who only revealed her strength inside the Gate, Aurora was already widely acknowledged as the strongest.

Directly confronting Aurora was never part of the plan. Yet, she could still be gaslit into doing what they wanted. This was Yvonne’s intention all along.

’Fail. Fail. Fail...’

All that Yvonne needed to achieve their goal was for Kara to fail her attempt at finding the way.

It was definitely possible; Yvonne had already hypnotized herself to accept that as a fact! 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She herself was confident in finding the answer with the help of her perceptive roots, but a barrier specialist like Kara? What could she possibly do?

’I’m the True Throne!’

As long as she got to do things her way, as Aurora declared, Yvonne would still be the winner.

Sure, she was still weaker than Aurora now, but what was the point of being the strongest if they could still be manipulated to death? Being able to do so, Yvonne believed, made her the superior one.

Besides, once she and her sisters had their feast, even the glory of being the strongest would be theirs at the end.

’I’m the Chosen Queen, not her!’

"Oh, figured it out."

However, just as Yvonne tricked herself into mental recovery, Kara pulled the carpet right from under her legs.