Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 456: The one to kill the Jester [1]

BANG—!

Kyle’s figure was thrown to the side of a wall as a hand clasped onto his neck, lifting him above the ground.

“Huek!”

It all happened so fast that he had no time to react.

By the time he did, a pair of cold, dark eyes stared straight at him.

Through his struggle, Kyle managed to get a few words out.

“S-Seth…?”

He was stunned. He didn’t know what was going on. In one moment, he was looking at someone, and in the next moment, he found Seth grabbing him by the throat.

His thoughts spiraled.

’What’s happening? Why is he acting like this? This makes no sense… Why would he be doing this? What if…?’

His mind fell back on the memories he had seen.

All of a sudden, a thought surfaced in his head.

What if they weren’t fake? What if they had all been… real?

A shudder ran down Kyle’s spine as his pupils constricted. He didn’t hesitate. Past the point of confusion, and at the point of realization, he instantly activated his nodes, trying to freeze the time around him.

But to his absolute horror, he realized none of his nodes were responding.

’How?!’

Kyle didn’t even have the time to speak out his confusion before he felt the grip over his throat tighten as Seth’s hand pulled back before smashing him against the side of the wall once more.

BANG!

“Akh…!”

A harsh groan tore from Kyle’s throat as the air was driven from his lungs.

In his daze, he continued to stare at Seth.

He still couldn’t understand. Why were his nodes not working? And what the hell was going on with Seth?

“What are you doing!?”

Thankfully, reinforcement came pretty quickly as Kyle caught a glimpse of a lock of blonde hair from behind Seth. In that fleeting moment of clarity, he could see the look of shock on Clara’s and Zoey’s faces.

But despite their presence, Seth’s attention remained fixed on Kyle.

“Come out…”

It was as if he only cared about one thing and one thing only.

Everything else appeared to be white noise to him.

But what was he even saying?

Come ou—

“Hey!”

A hand gripped onto Seth’s shoulder, pulling him back.

“What are you doing!?”

Zoey’s voice echoed once more, this time louder as she glared at Seth. Clara stood not far from her, observing the entire situation with a deep expression. For a moment, she looked almost hesitant.

But that hesitation didn’t last for long.

Soon, her expression returned to normal as she stared at Seth, dark tendrils moving up her body as they enveloped her entire body.

Seth didn’t mind all of this.

He couldn’t care less about what was happening around him.

His only focus was on Kyle.

“You’re still not going to show yourself?”

His grip over the throat tightened as he pulled Kyle back once more, his hand ready to smash him against the back of the wall once more. But before he could even attempt such a move, a figure appeared right before him, her movements quick.

“….”

“….”

It was only then that both sides came to a halt, Clara’s gaze locking firmly with Seth’s as the tension between them thickened.

That moment seemed to last for an eternity, but it was just for a moment.

Not even a second later, Clara appeared behind Seth, a cold dagger already pressed against his throat. She was so fast that Seth didn’t even have the time to react.

…Or at least, that was how it appeared to be for Kyle.

But looking at Seth, Kyle’s throat clenched.

For some reason… It didn’t really feel like he cared at all as his gaze remained fixed on him.

“Y-you…”

“I don’t understand what is going on, but you need to let go of Kyle. I’ll keep things courteous on account of what you did to me. However, if you continue like this, I’m afraid that I’ll have to take more extreme measures.”

The cold blade dug deeper into Seth’s throat, its edge pressing firmly against his skin. Still, Seth didn’t react. That forced Clara to press the blade even harder against his neck. The pressure increased until a thin red line finally appeared, slowly tracing its way down his neck.

Drip—!

But despite the threat.

Despite the blood that dripped down.

Seth…

He remained unmoved.

His eyes never left Kyle’s, his own reflection staring back at him from within them.

For just a moment, the surrounding chaos appeared fleeting to the four of them. The screams, the clashes, the laugh… Everything appeared null as Seth continued to stare at Seth, and Clara’s dagger pressed deeper.

But eventually, Seth’s grip over Kyle’s throat loosened.

Until—

Thump!

He finally let go.

“Cough! Cough…! Cough!”

Slumping to the ground, Kyle coughed violently, both hands clawing at his throat as he fought to draw in air. His head spun, his throat burned, and his thoughts came sluggish and unfocused. Even so, he kept his eyes on Seth, forcing himself to stay aware.

He… was still trying to understand.

“W-why? Why did you…?”

But Seth’s attention wasn’t on him.

It was elsewhere.

Not on Clara. Not on Zoey.

Somewhere else entirely.

And when Kyle followed his line of sight, his breathing stopped entirely. The same went for Zoey, and even Clara’s grip on her dagger slackened, her hand trembling as whatever they saw stole the air from their lungs.

Standing in the distance was a figure that didn’t need to move to be felt. Its gaze locked onto them, and as its attention fell upon them, a crushing pressure bore down on their bodies.

It felt as though something beyond this world was staring straight through them, ignoring flesh and bone alike. A deep, primal dread rose from within their bodies, instinct screaming as they froze beneath its gaze.

But they weren’t the only ones.

Everything around it seemed to freeze as well, the gazes of many locking firmly onto it.

Jingle~ Jingle~

A soft jingling sound drifted through the air, carried by a faint breeze, and with it, the laughter came to an abrupt stop.

Nobody moved.

Be it the people or the anomalies.

Everything… had stopped.

For the first time…

The Jester had stopped laughing. Nobody knew what to expect.

All sorts of thoughts drifted through their minds as they stared at the Jester.

’It stopped laughing. Should we attack? Did it get tired? Should I… use my node? Is it safe to use my node?’

’…No, not yet. Observe. Why did it stop laughing?’

’Calm. Keep calm. Calm.’

’Look for a weakness.’

’Don’t use your node yet. Keep observing.’

They were all assessing the situation. Trying to determine what to do and make of the situation.

And under such gazes, the Jester finally began moving.

Step.

The world tensed, the nodes of many starting to churn as they prepared for the worst.

But to everyone’s surprise, and growing horror, the Jester continued to move.

Step. Step—

It seemed to have a goal.

A direction.

Those in its path moved aside without thinking, their bodies reacting before their minds could catch up. With every step the Jester took, the hearts of those watching thudded harder, each beat pressing heavily against their minds.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Where was it going? What was it doing?

Watching the Jester move, all eyes followed its gaze and finally caught sight of a pair of dead eyes staring back at it, a red line tracing down his neck.

“…..!”

“…..!!”

The faces of a few changed, recognizing the figure staring back at the Jester.

How could they not?

He…!

“T-the traitor!”

Shock filled the hearts of many, but their shock only amplified as the Jester drew closer and closer to the traitor, eventually coming to a stop in front of him.

In that moment, the world seemed to fall silent. Every sound vanished, every breath stilled, and all hearts paused.

All eyes were fixed on the two figures facing one another.

The Jester.

…And Seth.

Just…

What was happening?

Source: .com, updated by novlove.com