I, The Villainess, Will Seduce All The Heroines Instead
Chapter 165: The Trial (21)

Chapter 165: The Trial (21)

The moment they stepped through the portal, Verena felt the atmosphere shift entirely. Trial Two had been a controlled chaos of illusions and celestial beasts. This—this was something else.

The room they entered was vast—far larger than any of the previous chambers—stretching endlessly beneath a starless sky. There were no visible walls, no ceiling, no floor. Instead, they stood atop floating platforms made of crystallized starlight, suspended in an infinite void. The air hummed with ancient, humming vibrations—like the echoes of forgotten constellations whispering to one another.

And waiting ahead were countless floating pathways, bridges forming and dissolving, constantly shifting like an unsolvable puzzle.

"Where... are we?" Vivienne whispered, clutching tightly onto Verena’s arm.

Verena narrowed her eyes. "The Convergence Chamber," she muttered, recalling fragments of lore buried deep in her memory of the novel.

Trial Three wasn’t about endurance or strength. This was a convergence of fate itself—a literal meeting point between their Zodiac Affinities, choices, and accumulated karma since stepping into the labyrinth. Every failure. Every decision. Every little ripple they made would now be tested.

"Yeah, this one’s definitely more ominous than I remember..." she added under her breath.

Isolde calmly examined the floating pathways. "Looks like we’ll have to move quickly. The paths won’t stay stable for long."

Before any of them could react further, the system’s interface flickered into life once more:

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Trial Three Initiated: Nexus of Threads

Objective: Traverse the Converging Platforms and confront your Zodiac Reflection.

Penalty: Falling equals disqualification and regression of affinity synchronization.

"Wait, regression?!" Verena’s eyes twitched. "The system really knows how to play dirty, huh?"

Saphira hissed softly, emerging from her sleeve. "Be careful, Verena... this trial feeds on doubt."

The moment they took their first steps forward, the platforms beneath their feet rippled and shifted like disturbed water. Every movement demanded precision. The shimmering bridges twisted unpredictably, forcing them to adapt on the fly.

Just a few steps in, Vivienne slipped on a vanishing platform. "Ahh—!" she yelped, nearly falling into the abyss.

"Hold on!" Verena shouted, grabbing Vivienne’s wrist and pulling her back up.

"Thank you... I-I’m sorry..." Vivienne’s voice trembled, but Verena simply shook her head.

"No apologizing. We’re too far in to start panicking now."

They pressed forward, with Isolde taking the lead, her movements fluid and unbothered by the erratic nature of the platforms. The girl moved like she was born for this, her body shifting gracefully between platforms as if dancing with the unstable currents.

It wasn’t long before the real horror revealed itself.

With a sharp crack, one of the floating platforms ahead shattered like glass, releasing a wave of astral light. From the fragments, a figure began to emerge.

Verena’s stomach twisted. She knew this part.

The Zodiac Reflection.

It was her—another Verena, perfect in appearance, standing calmly on the platform ahead. Her duplicate radiated a cold, eerie confidence—unburdened by exhaustion, regrets, or self-doubt. She wore an elegant version of Verena’s academy robes, embroidered with countless constellations pulsing with life.

The Reflection smirked. "Well, well... look at you. Barely holding it together."

Isolde’s spear twitched in her hands. "Is this...?"

Verena clenched her fists. "Yeah. My Zodiac Reflection. The final judge."

The Reflection tilted her head. "Pathetic. You’ve done nothing but endure. Always enduring. Always gaslighting yourself with ’just a little more’. But you’re drowning in your own stagnation, aren’t you? You’re terrified that the moment you pause, you’ll lose everything."

The words struck too close.

Vivienne clutched Verena tighter, sensing her distress. "Verena... don’t listen to her..."

But the Reflection only continued, her voice venomous yet eerily gentle. "How long do you plan to carry deadweight? Look at your little entourage—two fragile girls desperately clinging to you. Do you think this ends happily for you? That somehow, you’ll be rewarded? You know better."

For a brief moment, Verena’s breath caught. A familiar wave of helpless frustration surged through her. The Reflection was echoing every creeping thought she’d buried deep within her chest—the unspoken fear that all her sacrifices were ultimately pointless.

But then she glanced at Vivienne, still trembling but standing beside her.

She saw Isolde, prepared to strike without hesitation.

And she remembered everyone else—Evelyn, Sera, even Beatrice.

Verena exhaled. "You know what?" she finally spoke. "You’re right. I am scared. Terrified, even. But that’s exactly why I’m still here."

The Reflection narrowed her eyes.

Verena grinned through her exhaustion. "Because people are counting on me. And if that means I have to keep gaslighting myself just to crawl forward—then so be it."

The reflection sneered, the stars swirling behind her beginning to fracture. "Then prove it."

With a sudden roar, the Reflection launched forward, threads of astral chains lashing out like serpents.

Isolde moved first, intercepting the incoming barrage with a well-timed spin of her spear. "Focus, Verena! You can do this!"

Vivienne closed her eyes, sending out waves of Dreamtide magic to soften the swirling chaos, attempting to weaken the Reflection’s onslaught.

Verena summoned her mimicry threads once more—only this time, they were steadier, sharper. She wasn’t just mimicking anymore; she was owning it.

"Let’s end this."

The room they entered was vast—far larger than any of the previous chambers—stretching endlessly beneath a starless sky. There were no visible walls, no ceiling, no floor. Instead, they stood atop floating platforms made of crystallized starlight, suspended in an infinite void. The air hummed with ancient, humming vibrations—like the echoes of forgotten constellations whispering to one another.

And waiting ahead were countless floating pathways, bridges forming and dissolving, constantly shifting like an unsolvable puzzle.

"Where... are we?" Vivienne whispered, clutching tightly onto Verena’s arm.

Verena narrowed her eyes. "The Convergence Chamber," she muttered, recalling fragments of lore buried deep in her memory of the novel.

Trial Three wasn’t about endurance or strength. This was a convergence of fate itself—a literal meeting point between their Zodiac Affinities, choices, and accumulated karma since stepping into the labyrinth. Every failure. Every decision. Every little ripple they made would now be tested.

"Yeah, this one’s definitely more ominous than I remember..." she added under her breath.

Isolde calmly examined the floating pathways. "Looks like we’ll have to move quickly. The paths won’t stay stable for long."

Before any of them could react further, the system’s interface flickered into life once more:

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Trial Three Initiated: Nexus of Threads

Objective: Traverse the Converging Platforms and confront your Zodiac Reflection.

Penalty: Falling equals disqualification and regression of affinity synchronization.

"Wait, regression?!" Verena’s eyes twitched. "The system really knows how to play dirty, huh?"

Saphira hissed softly, emerging from her sleeve. "Be careful, Verena... this trial feeds on doubt."

The moment they took their first steps forward, the platforms beneath their feet rippled and shifted like disturbed water. Every movement demanded precision. The shimmering bridges twisted unpredictably, forcing them to adapt on the fly.

Just a few steps in, Vivienne slipped on a vanishing platform. "Ahh—!" she yelped, nearly falling into the abyss.

"Hold on!" Verena shouted, grabbing Vivienne’s wrist and pulling her back up.

"Thank you... I-I’m sorry..." Vivienne’s voice trembled, but Verena simply shook her head.

"No apologizing. We’re too far in to start panicking now."

They pressed forward, with Isolde taking the lead, her movements fluid and unbothered by the erratic nature of the platforms. The girl moved like she was born for this, her body shifting gracefully between platforms as if dancing with the unstable currents.

It wasn’t long before the real horror revealed itself.

With a sharp crack, one of the floating platforms ahead shattered like glass, releasing a wave of astral light. From the fragments, a figure began to emerge.

Verena’s stomach twisted. She knew this part.

The Zodiac Reflection.

It was her—another Verena, perfect in appearance, standing calmly on the platform ahead. Her duplicate radiated a cold, eerie confidence—unburdened by exhaustion, regrets, or self-doubt. She wore an elegant version of Verena’s academy robes, embroidered with countless constellations pulsing with life.

The Reflection smirked. "Well, well... look at you. Barely holding it together."

Isolde’s spear twitched in her hands. "Is this...?"

Verena clenched her fists. "Yeah. My Zodiac Reflection. The final judge."

The Reflection tilted her head. "Pathetic. You’ve done nothing but endure. Always enduring. Always gaslighting yourself with ’just a little more’. But you’re drowning in your own stagnation, aren’t you? You’re terrified that the moment you pause, you’ll lose everything."

The words struck too close.

Vivienne clutched Verena tighter, sensing her distress. "Verena... don’t listen to her..."

But the Reflection only continued, her voice venomous yet eerily gentle. "How long do you plan to carry deadweight? Look at your little entourage—two fragile girls desperately clinging to you. Do you think this ends happily for you? That somehow, you’ll be rewarded? You know better."

For a brief moment, Verena’s breath caught. A familiar wave of helpless frustration surged through her. The Reflection was echoing every creeping thought she’d buried deep within her chest—the unspoken fear that all her sacrifices were ultimately pointless.

But then she glanced at Vivienne, still trembling but standing beside her.

She saw Isolde, prepared to strike without hesitation.

And she remembered everyone else—Evelyn, Sera, even Beatrice.

Verena exhaled. "You know what?" she finally spoke. "You’re right. I am scared. Terrified, even. But that’s exactly why I’m still here."

The Reflection narrowed her eyes.

Verena grinned through her exhaustion. "Because people are counting on me. And if that means I have to keep gaslighting myself just to crawl forward—then so be it."

The reflection sneered, the stars swirling behind her beginning to fracture. "Then prove it."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.