Silent Crown

Chapter 361: The Dead

"Torre, help…" Glen rushed out of the corpse's belly and fell to the ground, screaming for help. However, the giant corpse suddenly bent over and swallowed him again. It started to chew wildly. After a few snaps, the dull screams disappeared, leaving only a curved sword poking out of the corpse's mouth, hanging on the face like a strange strand of hair.

Casper bared his teeth. His muscles pulled taut, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He wanted to pounce but Torre grabbed him and turned away without hesitation. No one knew what was going to happen while fighting with demons here. He was already aware of the strange aether fluctuations coming for him.

Just around the corner ahead, a faint aether wave suddenly emerged.

Torre did not stop but his voice suddenly turned gentle. He chanted soundlessly, playing a silent movement in the stillness. The music theory was being constructed in his hand, ready to be sent.

In an instant, two figures met in the corner. Coldness flashed in Torre's eyes, but the other person jumped back and raised his hands to protect his face.

"Wait!" The white-haired young man exhaled when he saw it was the Hauser brothers. "Torre, it's me, Ye—"

But Torre continued without hesitation. He pressed his palm down and the other person froze. Crimson blood boiled under his skin. His face distorted. Then, an invisible giant head descended and bit. The flesh and blood burst. Soon, the flesh disappeared without trace. It was just a phantom.

In the distance, Ye Qingxuan's figure appeared. He looked at them, full of vigilance. "How can you do that? It's me, Torre, what's wrong with you?"

Torre narrowed his eyes and watched him for a while. His taut body finally relaxed.

"Sorry, I'm too nervous. I thought you were an enemy in disguise."

Ye Qingxuan's face twitched a bit. He sighed helplessly. "Forget it. I understand. What's your next step?"

"Look for other people first. The more people who gather together, the bigger the possibility of survival," Torre said. "I wonder what is going on with the Masters."

"I'm afraid we can't worry about them." Ye Qingxuan walked forward with Torre. "I did not expect that those dark musicians are so rampant. They even…"

Boom! Behind him, Casper rampaged. Layers of huge mouths shrouded Ye Qingxuan's back. Ye Qingxuan's expression changed. He tried to roll forward but found his feet were anchored to the ground. The air around him was solid like a lock, tightly clamping him in. The next moment, the flesh and blood burst. The phantom dissipated and a hideous, hollow head rolled to the ground.

Torre smashed the head with his foot expressionlessly and lightly said, "Play such a trick before discipline musicians? Are you kidding me?"

In the silence, someone coughed behind the corner not far away. "Well…" Under two sharp gazes, a white-haired youth came out, holding his hands high with a complex expression. "If I said I'm real, would you believe me?"

Torre paused for a moment and glanced at Casper. Casper looked as he had before. He glanced at Ye Qingxuan then looked away, continuing to hang his head. Casper never recognized people by their face, temperament, feeling, breath, or fluctuation. Beasts only judged beasts. As the result of the animal genetics, he could sniff the beastly nature hidden in one's mind. Almost no camouflage could cheat its eyes.

Seeing Casper's such reaction, Torre sighed softly. "You're real."

"So can I come forward?" Ye Qingxuan took a step cautiously. Then after another step, he stopped and thought for a while. He stepped back to his original spot and smiled. "Or I just keep being like this. This will also be more convenient for us to escape."

"…" Torre was speechless. In the end, he just sighed. "Whatever. Do you have any advice?"

"Just do as you discussed with the previous 'faker.' Find the others. At the very least, figure out what's going on." Mercury threads spread from the youth's body and melted into the hellish crimson wind and flew into the surroundings. At the same time, his face slacked. He looked back to the collapsing burning house. His smile stiffened.

Torre followed his eyes but could not sense the breaths of any living creatures. "What's wrong?"

Ye Qingxuan was silent for a while. He whispered, "Can you ask your brother to help lift the wall up?"

Torre looked at Casper. Casper growled and the wall was flipped by some unknown force. There seemed to be an invisible giant beast scratching; even the flames were extinguished. The body under was revealed.

When Torre saw the clothing of the corpse, he soon understood something. He lowered his eyes.

Ye Qingxuan bent over to sweep the dust off the deceased's face. The dead looked grim and full of anger as if he had suffered an incredible betrayal.

"It's you." Ye Qingxuan lowered his eyes, sighing sadly. He put a holy emblem in the palm of the deceased and folded his fingers so he could firmly hold it. Thus, in the ashes, the dead's angry expression faded and his eyes closed.

"Dust to dust, earth to earth." Ye Qingxuan gave him one last glance. "Goodbye."

The figure slept in the fire and blurred. The sound of the flames was muffled as well like a farewell. After a long time, there was no more sound.

-

Sam was thirsty as he slept. Some sweet liquid fell onto his face and flowed into the dry and cracked lips. He moaned and subconsciously sucked the droplet by the corner of his lips. What filled in the mouth was a cold iron taste. It was blood.

He awoke from his dream and saw the burning town. Miller was carrying him on his back. He was still thin but a faint deep blue showed under his skin like steel covered with a layer of leather.

"You're awake?" Miller smiled wryly. "I thought you would sleep for six months." Then Miller applied the medicine for him again. He hesitated but took out a tube to give Sam a shot. Now, Sam was finally sober. His tiredness disappeared and he became energetic again. Even the cracks on his face revealed some faint glow.

He had slept for so many days that, if it were not the dark musician's attack, he would still be lying in the church. At the beginning of the attack, the first to be destroyed was the church. Miller had rushed into the burning church, carried out the sick Sam, and ran until now.

When Baro found him, he was surrounded by a group of demons. If it was a little later, the demons might have feasted on him and Sam. It was Baro who had come all the way to gather the musicians. There were about thirty flustered musicians. None of their usual demeanor and reserve could be seen. They were like a group of wandering beggars.

Baro had a broken hand and bloodshot eyes. He muttered something like a psychopath. He had forced too much beast nature out, which was about to crush his sanity. However, the crazier a Summoning musician was, the more powerful! In particular, he unified the phantom beasts with the sound of heart "Tiger Bone" to forcibly repress the beastly nature. He barely managed to stay sane.

Around him, the invisible flying sycles were inflated several times, emitting strong murderous intent. Even the recently-stitched giant corpses were torn up by the furious phantom beasts.

"Now that the grandmasters disappeared, where are we going?" After understanding the situation, Sam looked to Baro who was guiding the road. "Rushing out is impossible. This is the dark atrium that the dark saints had evolved with their scepters. They probably want to capture all of us. And…"

He smiled wryly and looked at the high wall up to the sky in the distance. Maybe those nations didn't expect that the elite musicians of the new generation would be trapped in behind this wall when they built in order to isolate the plague.

"Go north." Baro wiped the blood on his face. His voice was hoarse. "First we evacuate to the Snow Hotel where I came from. There is a grandmaster there."

"Which one?"

Hearing this, all the people became excited and began to ask questions. The morale turned high when they got to know the details. Even the effect of the music scores became stronger.

"Be careful! Don't attract any monsters." Miller sighed. "We'd better save our strength. I already feel my body starting to fade. The dark atrium is suppressing us." As a Choir musician, he was obviously the most aware of his physical condition. He could surely detect the silent erosion from the dark atrium. The repression on the strength was not the worst, but the dark atrium's force directly influenced the spirit. If they did not pay attention, they could be turned into demons without realizing it.

Hearing this, everyone became alert. After a short break, they began to walk north. However, Sam stood still. He sat on the ground, looking at Baro's back.

"Where did Baro go?" Sam's voice was hoarse but the words stirred in the crowd.

Baro looked back at him, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

Sam's expression was unchanged. He asked, "I said, where's Baro?" In the silence, only the sound of distant flames and collapsing buildings could be heard.

Sam looked at Baro coldly. After a long while, Baro chuckled. His eyes were no longer bloodshot. "I thought I was perfect." He sighed. "What's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong with you. You are playing well." Sam coughed violently and spat out bloody phlegm. His voice was still hoarse.

"Baro likes to bully others and hold grudges. He's narrow-minded and neurotic. He despises those who are weaker than him. He is a paranoid b*stard. So, never once did I hear the word 'let's' from his mouth, not to mention helping so many people along the way. He'd never be as 'kind' as you."

When saying the word 'kind', Sam's eyes became harsh like the scorching sun. Among the charred cracks on the face, blood lit up like lava. "Let me ask again. Where is Baro?"

"Is he such a man in your mind?" 'Baro' sighed. "If he heard that, he must be very sad. His last words before dying were, 'Sam you finally woke up. Great…' When I killed him, he thought he was dreaming."

"Grandmaster… What about the master?" Someone in the crowd was about to break down. "Where is the grandmaster?"

Miller finally processed everything. The former friend beside him had been replaced by a demon. A wisp of redness emerged on his ashen face like boiling blood.

Master? There was no master at all. This was only a well-prepared trap! What could be easier than letting the prey come voluntarily?

"Where's the grandmaster?"

'Baro' just smiled cynically at this in reply.

"What did you prepare at the northern inn? A trap? Or an ambush?" Sam stared at him. "Tell me. I'm interested."

"There's nothing interesting there, just a transformation ritual."'Baro' pursed his lips and chuckled. "After all, you're all stars of the next generation. My lord thirsts for talents. He would never do something like shedding blood. The perishing praise are just bandits that only know how to kill. I'd love to have more companions, especially elites like Mr. Sam…" Before he finished, a cry sounded in the distance. Dozens of wild aether waves appeared. A bloody head was tossed over.

'Baro' looked at Sam as if he could see the subtle hand movement. He chuckled meaningfully. "Do you still have more questions? I will answer everything I can."

Sam's expression darkened. Those who wanted to escape froze, their eyes filling with despair.

"I admit I had other intentions but I was still the one that protected you all along the way, right? How can you leave without a word of thanks? I'm so sad." He reached out and picked up the head. He flicked the dead lips mischievously. Looking at the people gently, he said, "Come, say it with me—thank you."

No one replied.

In the silence, someone finally set his determination. He jumped up, calling, "I'll stop them! Everyone split up and leave—" But before he could finish, his body split in two. His body was cut apart, and blood splattered onto everyone's pale faces.

"Leave?"'Baro' smiled tightly. "We're already here. Where else do you want to go?"

Blood fell endlessly like rain. Washed by the blood, the hallucination fell apart. The burning city and broken walls all disappeared. Finally, all that remained was the bloody hall. The northern inn that had transformed into a demon's lair was covered in bodies.

Sixteen dark musicians stood around the vast alchemy array and played an eerie music score. They performed the ritual and praise. The 'sacrifices' that had escaped here were standing within the array. The solid black aura constrained and immobilized them.

Those who had 'died' along the way had already been tossed onto the altar. They were being slowly transformed into the dark race. Soon, the 'newborns' crawled out of the puddle of blood one by one. The dark musicians waiting beside them called out their names and helped them put on black robes.

"The transformation ritual has been prepared for a long time." The faceless actor finally revealed its true nature. The empty face smiled at them and opened its arms to the panicking musicians. "Now, what do you all think?"

The musicians' faces turned ghastly white as they stared at the menacing demons around them, unable to move. Then some familiar faces walked out of the group of demons.

"Asa?! How can it be you? And Lorenzo…" Someone was stunned. "Aren't you guys dead?"

In the crowd, a girl whose face had been burned yelped as she looked at a familiar face in the back. "Benny! How—why are you still alive…"

Those who had reappeared were all musicians who had died during the attack. Some had even died before their friends and were buried. But now, they were all here, looking the same as before.

"Illusion!" someone roared. "It's an illusion!"

Miller finally reacted. He glanced subconsciously at his companion who was an Illusion musician. However, the musician's face was colorless and decadent. Forcefully shattering an aether ball, his expression slacked. After a while, he shook his head. "It's…real?!" It was real…

"Anna." Amongst the dark musicians, the man known as Benny gazed gently at his lover. "We finally meet again. This is God's blessing. Please don't doubt me. Do you still remember when we first met? We…" The more he spoke, the more incredulous Anna grew. Finally, tears sprang from her eyes. Stumbling back, she covered her burnt face and choked with sobs. "Don't look at me, my dear. I'm…I couldn't save you, I'm sorry!"

"Ailments are just the surface. Don't mind it. My dear, we've reunited." Benny opened his arms and waved at her with gentle eyes. "Come here, my love. Come to my side."

Hesitating, Anna walked over cautiously. She embraced Benny and they kissed. The love in Benny's eyes was genuine. Finally sure that he was not an illusion, Anna broke down sobbing.

Benny murmured something to her. She quickly made her decision. Taking off her clothes, she stepped onto the altar. The other musicians were enraged, but she walked into the center of the transformation ritual. One by one, the musicians were convinced by their resurrected friends and walked toward the altar willingly. The faceless musician hugged each one, welcoming them.

Finally, he looked to Sam. "Mr. Sam, you were personally requested by leader Crowley. I'm sure you've witnessed our lord's ability to turn back death. Why are you unwilling to face reality?" The faceless musician stood before him and looked down.

"Is it humiliating to bow down before the truth? And what about you, Mr. Miller? The School of Choir has always been the cradle of dark musicians. Aren't you interested in the transformation between life and death? All you have to do is bow down and you'll see the treasures given to you by our lord."

Miller's lips were pale and trembling. He stood in front of Sam and stared at the faceless musician. He rasped out, "Your god is not my god."

"How can the clay idols you worship be compared to the majestic existence?" The faceless musician's expression hardened and he raised his hand. "I'm sorry. You only had one chance."

Miller closed his eyes, waiting for death. However, the hand was caught by someone else.

"Wait, Will." The newcomer stopped his comrade and said lightly, "Let me talk to them."

"Then…I'll hand it to you." Will glanced at the man and stepped back with a vague smile. The man turned around and took off his mask, revealing a familiar face.

"Baro!" Miller was dumbfounded. Even Sam's dark eyes flashed with confusion.

"It's me." Baro chuckled but his expression was extremely peaceful and calm. His eyes were not bloodshot, nor was there any mania. He looked like a gentle and quiet youth, undisturbed by his beastly nature.

"Our time apart felt like years. How have you all been?" he asked quietly.

Miller's expression changed and he stumbled back. He wanted to say something but he shut his mouth.

Sam glared at Baro as if looking at an abomination. "Baro, you're already dead," he said. "The dead should not crawl out of the grave."

"You're worried I'm fake?" Baro walked up. "Don't worry, Sam. I'm great now. I didn't actually die. It's just that Will helped me see my true strength. Do you still remember how we met three years ago? At that time—"

"At that time, you looked more normal."

"That's because I'm normal now." Baro laughed. "I'm no longer troubled by anger and mania. Calmness feels so nice. I've defeated the beastly nature within me. It was a gift from His Highness. Now, I've recovered—"

Snick! Blood spewed out, flowing from Baro's heart. A dagger had appeared in Sam's hand as if he had practiced it thousands of times. He was clearly too weak to move but he was still incredibly fast.

He had yanked the dagger from his boot, flipped his wrist, and sent it forward. The blade had swum through the air like a fish and disappeared into Baro's chest. It had pierced into the heart, creating a ripple of red.

Blood spewed onto Sam's face.

"I—I…I'm…agh—ah—" Baro gaped at Sam. He tried to say something but blood had poured into his lungs. He could no longer speak and fell onto his knees.

Sam pulled out the dagger and wiped it against Baro's neck. He fell to the ground. In the last moment, he gaped at Sam. His dull eyes reflected the bloodied face.

"Sorry, Baro." Sam sat on the ground and lowered his eyes. "Since you couldn't die bravely in battle, I hope you can die in shame. That way, you'll still be like before…"

"Sam!" Will could not process this. He roared, "What the f*ck did you do?! That's your friend! He had come back to life just to see you!"

"He's not my friend." Sam looked up with cold eyes. "He never was."

"You—"

"Friend? How could he have friends?" Sam raised his hand and closed Baro's eyes. He said gently, "People as paranoid as him only see wins and losses, strengths and weaknesses. Something like friendship probably never existed to him. He's an opponent that I acknowledge, and an enemy that I must kill with my own hands. That's what I thought when I first met him three years ago. He thought the same.

"Even without you, he would have challenged me before the trial ended, justly like a true musician. Dying would have been okay. But he chose this crazy path to challenge me. Now I feel sad seeing how weak he had become. I feel…disgusted!"

"Reckless b*stard!" Will laughed in anger. "If that's the case, there's no point in keeping you."

Pop! He flashed like a hallucination and reached out. His sharp finger bones ripped Sam's chest apart, breaking through the back. He squeezed the heart as if it was clay and fresh blood spurted out.

Sam was lifted up and moved around like a burnt and ragged doll. Blood flowed down his face like tears. As if he was crying.

He closed his eyes, letting the blood or tears roll down his cheeks. Finally, his breathing cut off. However, fire crackled within his shattered chest.

"Did you know? I've been waiting for him to challenge me…" His dead eyes opened again. Now, they were red as lava. There was no fear, uncertainty, anger, or sadness in those eyes. It just burned like fire. It was terrifying just by burning.

"I've waited three years for this day!"

The Copper Mountain rumbled!

Faceless musician Will screamed because the blood that splattered onto him had turned into burning melted metal! The shattered heart in his hand turned into a furious sun, burning his hand to charcoal. He convulsed in pain and tried to escape, but Sam grasped him as if embracing the dead Baro.

"Aether? Aether…" The faceless musician cried out as he burned. "How can you—no! No—"

"Idiot." Sam hugged him and said hoarsely, "I can't but Agni can. He's so much more generous than your lord!" As he spoke, flames seeped out of his every pore. His flesh burned into a rosy crystal. He sublimated in the fire into something that the average person could not speculate… He had become a beast more terrifying than any demon!

Since you killed Baro, then witness it for him! Witness this last Holy Spirit Transformation! This was the ultimate resonance, sacrifice, and offering.

For years, musicians had used pure Modifications music theory to create Agni, the holy spirit that represented fire and destruction. It only responded to the most aggressive thirst for strength—those who reached into the fire even if it meant burning themselves.

It was the strictest holy spirit. Only musicians who sacrificed everything for Modifications could receive its acknowledgement. At the same time, it was also the most generous spirit. As long as you were determined, it would give you unlimited strength and transform you into the physical incarnate of destruction. You would become this flame until you were burnt to nothing!

At that moment, the alchemy array under Sam's feet lit up. The melody from the darkness thundered. Aether from the deep abyss burst forth from all directions and entered coherence. It integrated music theory changes from the abyss and fused with the dark atrium. Transforming into an invisible shackle, it pushed the fire down.

However, the illusion of the Copper Mountain appeared in the flames. It was the dazzling harp amidst the roaring of the fire. He used fire as his body and thunder as his instrument. Blazing Foehn wind blew and swept in all directions. Countless thunder and lightning appeared. They collided against each other, playing the majestic music notes. Thus, the sleeping hero of legends woke. He attached onto Sam, making him invincible. Heavy armor appeared out of thin air. Countless music notes sang of destruction and miracles.

Fire turned to water, water turned to wind, wind turned to earth, and fire burned within the earth. The original sin could transform into salvation! This was the music score that Saint Liszt had written based off a legendary hero. It contained the ultimate desire of transforming death to life, allowing the immortal hero to appear in the world. It was Mazeppa!

"The state after the Distortion level…" Besieged by dozens of dark musicians, Sam opened his eyes in the fire and murmured, "I see."

The earth cracked apart. Scalding lava swept up from the ground like a reversed waterfall and soared into the air. The extreme modifications path appeared in his hands and descended into the world. The world shook in anger and the red pillar that represented disaster rose. It would reduce everything to nothing.

Shrouded by flames, the alchemy array instantly turned to ash. Firelight permeated and swallowed the dark musicians, turning them into a mass of redness. The moment the fire and destruction descended, Anna and Benny embraced. They turned to ash, the dark musicians followed, and then everything else…

For an instant, practically everyone in Auschwitz could feel the scarlet glow pour out of the Earth's crust.

It was fire. Fire seemed to transform into a red pillar that continued to rise, extending inch by inch to the sky, crashing against the dark atrium of the abyss. Then the skies and earth shattered.

-

"Sam?" Ye Qingxuan looked up at the pillar of destruction. His face paled. With no time for hesitation, he bolted. But when he finally arrived, everything was over.

At the center of Auschwitz, there was a tragic patch of black burnt dirt. There were no more traces of demons there. There was only a figure on the ground that seemed to be burning like a candle in the wind. The half-burnt Miller knelt on the ground, healing him in panic. But it was useless.

Ye Qingxuan could barely recognize Sam's face. The broken face looked like dying ashes. It was inexplicably ugly and menacing. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he seemed to see Ye Qingxuan's arrival and he smiled in regret. "Ye Qingxuan, you're late."

"The holy spirit's incarnate?" Ye Qingxuan finally understood what happened. He looked down blankly. His mouth opened but he did not know what to say.

"I accidentally killed people I shouldn't have killed," Sam murmured. "Sorry. People like me, we only know how to set fires. We try to do the right thing but we can't… If only you were here. There must've been…a better solution…"

Miller gritted his teeth. He choked with sobs. The burnt dirt cracked apart and a bloody dark musician crawled out. However, he abruptly screamed. In Sam's hand, the Copper Mountain glowed with blinding light. It burned him completely like fire.

Far away, roars sounded one after another. A mournful melody played in the sky. The dark atrium fell inch by inch, bringing with it a mighty pressure.

In the bed of flames, Sam stared up at the sky. He chuckled weakly and closed his eyes. The Copper Mountain harp descended slowly into Ye Qingxuan's hand, bathing him in warm firelight. As if returning to land from the deep sea, the terrifying pressure and shackles disappeared. The sense of aether was clear again.

"They're coming soon. Go," Sam said quietly. "Take the Copper Mountain with you. Remains of Agni's symphony of predestination are still there. It can help you… If you can leave this place alive, bring it to my teacher. The School of Destruction will repay you." As he spoke, the firelight in his eyes lit up again. He seemed to be totally fine. He had revived his spirit and stood up again. No hardships could knock him down. But that was just a reflection of the light. The darkness in the sky thickened. Pressure of thousands of tons fell quickly, about to completely seal everything off.

"Ye Qingxuan!" In the distance, Torre rode a beastly hound. He yelled, "You're running out of time!"

"Go! What are you waiting for?" Sam took one last glance at Ye Qingxuan and smiled in farewell. "I won't thank you even if you stay to accompany me."

Ye Qingxuan opened his mouth to say goodbye but nothing would come out. He took a step back and another. With one last glance, he pulled Miller left and turned around, direct and unhesitating.

Sam smiled. This was good, this was how it should be… This was very good.

"At least my sacrifice won't go to waste." Sam raised his head and looked at the pressing blackness in the sky. Smiling, he murmured, "Sadly, I can't win with you all…"

The darkness swallowed him.

The fire extinguished.

-

In one short hour, Auschwitz went from stillness to fire. This hour felt like eternity to everyone. More than half of the musicians passed away in this attack. The remaining ones huddled together in the 'front' that the grandmasters had left. They anxiously observed the demons writhing in the darkness.

The only sound was a deafening rumble. It was the sound of the giant beast made of hundreds of corpses patrolling in the darkness. The screams and cries of demons traveled from the burning city. After multiple attacks, the dark musicians seemed to have temporarily given up on this difficult prey and retreated. However, the music theory of the 'front' showed signs of breaking apart under the pressure of the dark atrium and abyss music score. If this continued and the front collapsed, everyone would be sitting targets for slaughter.

The dark atrium had already recovered from Koch's self-destructive attack. It had permeated even further. Under it, the abyss gained the upper hand and rewrote the rules of all music theories.

Everyone's resonance with the aether world was forcefully cut off. All music scores under the Resonance level were distorted and could not be cast. They could not fight against the dark musicians. Plus, the enemies were not average foot soldiers. They were the infamous 'perishing praise' from the Dark World.

All was quiet in the small courtyard front. Some girls had broken down and started crying. Everyone's expressions were dark and heavy.

"Stop crying." A Revelations musician by the entrance paled. "Something's coming again!"

Low rumbling sounded in the silence. The bloody corpses fused into something like a giant centipede. It started crawling in the darkness again. Bones stuck out of the flesh and turned into scales. The bony scales opened and moved forward with the giant centipede, crushing the walls with a thunderous noise.

It was attracted by the smell of blood. It wriggled over and paced outside the front. Though it could not see through the illusion, it was still attracted by the dead beings. It moved around eagerly, the many eyes on its ugly head blinking constantly, trying to distinguish the building before it. Finally, it slammed against the wall fiercely.

Under the boom, dust flew and fell from the ceiling beams. The lights flickered and everyone paled.

The centipede seemed to have gone insane. It charged crazily at the defense outside the front, scratching, gnawing, spitting acid, scraping with its scales… Amidst the thunderous booms, it danced like a kid who clutched a gift and could not wait to rip off the wrapping paper.

Then the sounds stopped.

The crazed centipede froze. Its thick and unnatural limbs were broken by an invisible power. An unseen beast was besieging it, causing it to roll on the ground in pain. The countless corpses all cried out.

Then the cries stopped.

The horn rang, signaling the coming of dawn. Flames blazed from every mouth, every eye, every void. After dozens of silver nails punctured to and fro, countless fire drops fell on the demonized bodies, burning exuberantly. Finally, a muffled explosion sounded. The ball blew up and exploded. Minced meat and blood fell down from the sky like sticky rain. Everything was covered with shocking red.

In that dark red, a few figures slowly came. The young man at the front stooped, picked up the silver nails on the ground, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it, and put the nails in the backpack. He looked bloody like he had just crawled out of a bloody hell, but his hair was pure white like burning silver.

At last, he raised his eyes and looked over. Seeming to see through the illusion, he saw the man behind the door. Then he came forward. "Open the door." The weary young man knocked gently, and his hoarse voice came from the outside. "I am Anglo's representative, Ye Qingxuan. Miller and the Hauser Brothers are also here."

The people in the front still had not recovered from earlier. They looked at each other with fear. Someone hesitatingly went to open the door, but someone screamed, "Don't open it! Who knows if they are real or not!"

For a moment, the hand that reached to open the door drew back quickly as if touched a red-hot iron. There was still shocking dark red blood on the door and walls-that was the trace left by the last faceless actor who had sneaked in.

Open the door or not?

If they were fake, then…could this front suffer another loss?

"What if they are real?"

"Real? How could someone play music movements in the abyss? They must be fake!"

"But…"

"We need to get rid of them quickly."

Some people became vicious and touched their instruments. "If we let them stay outside, who knows what they will attract…"

People looked at each other with uncertainty. They whispered, disputing the identity of the newcomer. For some unknown reasons, they subconsciously kept away from the door and dared not approach it. But in the dreary silence, only the leisurely knocking on the door could be heard. That sound was like a hammer beating everyone's heart again and again.

In the end, someone looked at the back with hesitation. "Colt …"

"Open it." The brooding musician lowered his eyes and stroked the wooden staff across his lap. He said lightly. "When they come in, we will see if they are real or not."

"But…"

"I said open the door." Colt glanced at him. "Or do you not trust my ability?"

The man shut up and stopped talking. It could be said that all the survivors here were gathered by Colt. Even this front was arranged by the Rock Institute. If it weren't him, all the people here might have been annihilated.

Soon, the door of the front opened a crack. The musicians who had been waiting for a long time slipped in. Then the door was closed, and everything was engulfed in silence.

In the silence, all the people looked toward those figures. They looked very pathetic. Their whole bodies were bloodstained. No one knew what they had experienced along the way. The Choir musician fell down on the floor, exhausted, as soon as he entered. But soon, someone exclaimed. A gentle light lit up slowly in that musician's bosom.

The Copper Mountain suspended in the air like a gentle sun, dispelling the cold air. Left in it was the symphony of predestination of Agni. The flames not only brought about destruction but could also banish darkness and bring about life.

A glow seemed to light up in the dark. In the land transformed by the abyss music theory, a piece full of order was unexpectedly made. The fractured front also ceased to collapse. It even began to be repaired. They finally understood how these men had survived in the abyss outside.

After seeing the Copper Mountain, Colt narrowed his eyes slightly. Thinking of that huge fire pillar half an hour ago, he guessed where Sam had gone. He had not expected that Sam would die so soon. Although he regarded Sam as a great enemy in the trial, the death of Sam in this dangerous environment was still a bad news to all, including him.

-

On the floor, Miller had been gasping for a while before he climbed up. But soon he noticed the gazes from all the people and the faint hostility in the air. Several musicians had surrounded them, occupying a favorable front. There were faint aetheric fluctuations emitting from their bodies.

A Revelations musician came up with an aetheric ball in his hand. "Excuse me, please cooperate. Don't fight back." Ye Qingxuan looked back at him indifferently. The Revelations musician unconsciously stepped back and swallowed. "This, this is the necessary examination."

Ye Qingxuan ignored him, skipped over those guarded musicians, and looked directly at Colt. "What are you playing?"

"In this time, we have to be more cautious." Colt looked at him. "We risked letting demons and opened the door. You have to show your sincerity."

"Don't scare them, Colt." Ye Qingxuan sneered. "Real or not, can't you tell?"

Colt was silent. He looked at surrounded Ye Qingxuan. He looked still the same, but the original gray cloak had been dyed scarlet. The scorch marks all over were very shocking. But for some unknown reason, he felt Ye Qingxuan was a little different… Something had changed. But he couldn't tell what it was.

The silent staring contest was soon over. Colt waved and motioned all the people back. Ye Qingxuan put down his heavy backpack. After loosening his muscles, he sat opposite Colt and took out his pipe. He filled it with tobacco. "Do you mind?"

Colt gestured to him that he did not mind, and just asked, "Is there anyone else out there?"

The teenager lowered his head to ignite the pipe. After a whiff or two, he exhaled the blue smoke and sighed with his hoarse voice. "The grandmasters left behind six fronts that can be used as shelters. Only this place has people," he said. "The other two places had people…" He didn't finish his words but Colt could obviously understand what he meant.

Two places had people. How about now? They must have died. Only ruins remained.

"Do you have any information?" Ye Qingxuan asked. "You know what I'm asking."

"The 'perishing praise' is a music division of those dark lords. The head is Crowley, a fallen musician of the spirit level. He inherits Paganini's music theory. The dark atrium, you see it? That's what the saint's scepter looks like, known as the Devil's Shelter…

"If I am right, the dark musicians wanted to seize this opportunity to turn all the people of Romulus into a dark race. Just like the Moon Spirits and Half Dragons. Anyway, they were already eroded by the Dark Gaia. They have the demon bloodline by nature. They can be said to be the demons' reserve.

"The reason why they didn't act is to leave a nail in the human world before the fruit was ripe. Now they have no time to wait for the fruit to ripen so they planned to catalyze it forcibly."

"If you see any cocooning Romulusians, you'd better kill them, or else they'll all turn into monsters when dawn comes," Colt said coldly. "It's a pity the Sacred City was too kind to clean up this group of variables earlier."

Ye Qingxuan listened and smiled weakly. He just nodded. "I see." In the silence, only smoke rose. "Where are the grandmasters?" he asked, "Still not in touch?"

"There is no news yet. I'm afraid they're trapped in the deeper areas of the dark atrium. We can do nothing," Colt said. "We still have fronts here. Now we need to assemble all the forces to defend it.

"It is impossible for the Sacred City to have no interest in Auschwitz, especially as there are so many masters here. As long as the Sacred City reacts, we can be rescued. Just make it through this period."

"Defend here?" Ye Qingxuan raised his eyes and looked at him. "The dark musicians have noticed here. When they have cleaned up the rest, they will come back and concentrate their efforts against this place. We can't stop them. Staying here is to wait for death."

Crash. In the silence there came a noise of chaos. It was a frightened musician who had knocked down a cup. Under everyone's scrutiny, he scrambled to pick up the cup. "S-sorry…" But everyone looked at each other with fear. They totally ignored his apology.

"Ye Qingxuan, do not overstate." Colt's voice was serious. "Everyone can criticize, but those who tell the story are often the most unrealistic. Do you have a better idea?"

"Go to the underground palace," Ye Qingxuan suddenly said. "Hades' Door can still be repaired…"

"Do you know how far the palace is from here?" Colt sneered. "The dark musicians will let you go into the underground palace? Although it is big in the mine, there are not so many ways for you to escape. Even if we manage to get into the underground palace, we'll be in another trap. What's the difference between here and there?"

"I know a secret chamber." Ye Qingxuan lightly said. "It's the chamber left by the King of Yellow"

Hearing this, everyone fell into dead silence. Colt's lowered eyes turned up like he was struck by lightning. He stared at Ye Qingxuan and subconsciously clenched his wooden staff. His muscles pulled taut as if he was going to crush it.

"You…" Everyone looked at Ye Qingxuan in shock. Even Miller did not expect that he would find the secret chamber that didn't exist in the underground palace.

"The sacred flame. Everyone forgot the sacred flame." Ye Qingxuan said, "There are all together twelve gods in Romulus, but there are only eleven in the hall. One was hidden the secret chamber. It is Mercury, the god of travelers and messengers. There was also a clue that the King of Yellow left before."

Colt tightly pursed his lips. He sneered after a long while. "I see. So I'm a step behind. It seems that the people of Romulus choose you? It really didn't occur to me that Caligula, that old man, would take so highly of you… Unfortunately, you can't save them."

Ye Qingxuan was silent as if he had not heard. He just clenched his fist tightly beneath his burnt sleeve.

"Prove your words." Colt reached out. "Do you have proof?"

"No."

"Any way to get in?" Colt asked again pressingly. "You came here to take us all into the underground palace but you won't even tell us how to get in?"

"I'm the only one who can do it," Ye Qingxuan replied indifferently. "I don't plan on publicizing the details."

"Ha." Colt scoffed. "You must have some results, right? What about the King of Yellow? Any trace of him?"

Ye Qingxuan fell silent. After a long pause, he said, "I don't know."

Colt looked at him strangely as if looking at a lunatic. "So, you have no proof and you're unwilling to provide any details or the exact location and method of entering, yet you want everyone to risk their lives and help you find a possibly non-existent secret room?" Colt raised his voice, "Ye Qingxuan, are you dreaming?"

"Colt!" Miller shot up instinctively and glared.

Torre looked over too, and Casper opened his mouth, revealing sharp canines. Colt stared back without fear. In his corner, a few musicians with clenched fists walked forward silently, preparing to surround them.

"Wanna fight?" Colt sneered and looked at Ye Qingxuan. But Ye Qingxuan stayed silent. He smoked, blowing out plumes of gray. An eerie phantom appeared from the smoke. It was a wisp but wrapped around the two. It seemed that it would appear behind Colt at any time and place invisible swords on his neck.

Colt stiffened. He looked at Ye Qingxuan darkly. "I was kind enough to let you all in but you've wanted to fight since the beginning?"

Ye Qingxuan still did not reply. Finally, the pipe went out. The figure in the smoke disappeared. Lowering his head, he knocked off the ashes and wiped his pipe clean with a handkerchief. He slowly rose and put his bag back on his shoulders.

"Since you're all willing to wait here and die, I have nothing to say." Without looking at Colt, he said nonchalantly, "We're leaving in two minutes. Those who are willing to believe me can come."

Sensing his contempt, Colt's expression darkened. However, the confused crowd rustled when they heard Ye Qingxuan's words. Some hesitated but walked toward them.

"Hey, are you really going?"

"What if it's true? We'll just be waiting here anyway. Doing something is better than not doing anything at all. If I go and attract the dark musicians, I can make it safer for you."

"Then—then I'll go with you."

"What about you?"

"I…"

The whispers snuck into Colt's ears. Coldness flashed past his eyes and his lips thinned. With Ye Qingxuan's arrival, everyone forgot the things he had done. They'd rather believe that demagogic guy. It was always like this! As long as that guy was present…

Already five or six people were preparing to leave. The others started having doubts too, panicking especially when Miller prepared to retract the Copper Mountain.

Hiding the darkness in his eyes, Colt made his decision. "Wait!" he raised his voice and looked at Miller. Miller turned around, his hand stopping in mid-air. "I'm not against your leaving." Colt stared at him coldly. "But if you take it away, then what about the rest of us?"

Hearing this, everyone grew anxious. Menace appeared in some eyes. Miller finally realized that he had become surrounded at some point.

"Leave the Copper Mountain behind if you're leaving." Colt looked at him with a cruel expression. "With so many people here, any resource is valuable. It can't go to the grave with you."

Miller froze. Seeing all these people around him, he was helpless. "B-but…this is Sam's…"

Ye Qingxuan waved, gesturing for him to stop. "The Copper Mountain is what Sam left behind and I'm taking it. Even if I don't, I still won't give it to you all." He glanced at the people surrounding him. His cane popped out of his fingertip and thudded on the ground. "If you want to fight, then come. If you want to talk about philosophy, then here's something for you—what does your life and death have to do with me?"

Hearing this, Colt laughed. He pounded his staff and asked quietly, "So you're set on going alone?"

"Stop the nonsense, Colt. Haven't you been waiting for that?" Ye Qingxuan arched an eyebrow, his lips twisting into a smirk. "But are you confident in winning against me? Or are your teammates really that useful? Think carefully. Since I've come here, how many times could I have put a hint in your minds? Or put down fulcrums? Plus…"

Plus what?

Behind him, Casper's figure slowly expanded. A wild shadow scurried up the wall like a burning flame, emanating with beastliness. The music note key on Torre's arm had appeared. He could activate the 'humanity seal' instantly.

"Are you ready?" Ye Qingxuan asked. Are you ready to make chaos in the front? Are you ready to face self-destructive methods? Or rather, are you ready to make this broken front completely fall apart?

Colt fell silent. He grasped his staff with a dark expression. Then everyone's vision went black.

Boom! A sharp sound shattered all their eardrums. Messages from the darkness sounded outside the front. Countless girls screamed in despair but they sounded so beautiful. Their screams were gentle and graceful, inexplicably lovely. Music theory descended from the dark atrium, slamming against the shields of the front. The music notes and theory of the front cracked with tiny fissures. It was close to the end. In the air, the firelight within the Copper Mountain dimmed, close to going out.

"Dark musicians!" the musician on guard before the window yelled. "The dark musicians are here!"

"Don't panic. How many…"

"I think-think there's only two?" The Revelations musician looked down at his aether ball but his vision spun. "No, there's seven, eight…twelve…there's more than thirty!"

"Give it to me!" Ye Qingxuan snatched the aether ball. Glancing at it, his expression darkened. "There's only two and only one has acted but there are more than thirty aether waves. This is the largescale symphony that dark musicians specialize in!"

Boom! The aether ball exploded.

Outside the front, the hooded musician who had just overseen the transformation ritual of the Dark Gaia sensed that someone was watching and mercilessly cut off the connection.

He immediately played his French horn. The shields around the front groaned and twisted. A hand reached out of thin air to get rid of these annoying obstacles! The slender and feminine hand tore at the front frantically but it was somehow beautiful, like a girl waving at her lover. Under the strange melody, girls reached out from the abyss, searching for their dance partners.

Then blood rain fell from the sky. The bloody thunderstorm converged into a rumbling river. It burned like a river from hell. Brides in their wedding dresses emerged from the bloody river. The skeletal faces were covered in pure white veils. They looked gentle and lovely but their slender fingers had no warmth. The aura of death wrapped around them.

"Skeletal brides?" Ye Qingxuan froze, remembering something.

But then, a high and energetic song started. "Ah, ah, you worry so much. You're young and beautiful, gentle and kind. You're like a piece of gold shining in the mine. True love awakens here beside the Danube River, beside the beautiful Danube River of blood!" The hooded musician opened his arms wide and sang loudly. His sonorous voice was unusually attractive, making one envious. But there was no time to envy him.

The world was shaking.

Above the boiling blood river, the front was quickly covered in a layer of red. The redness seeped into the music theory outside the front, aiming to upend the entire yard. Tiles scraped and twisted, the walls shook and collapsed, the ground roared and quaked…

A ghastly crack appeared on the earth and the bloody river sprayed out. A slender and white hand instantly reached out. Then a white veil and skull shot out with a smile. A blazing silver nail burst forward.

Boom! The nail went straight into the forehead, embedding into the bone.

Ye Qingxuan held the silver nail with one hand. He clenched a fist with the other and slammed down.

Bang! With a tragic wail, the silver nail broke through the skull, digging into the bride's core. The music notes burning on the nail burst forth with a horn.

Flames exploded! The skeletal bride was nailed into the blood river. She struggled but the blazing fire was like a four-sided sword. It exploded above her skull and rose up in flames to the ceiling. Within the pillar of fire, the bride wailed and screamed, turning to ash.

Before that, Ye Qingxuan had already collected the Copper Mountain, stuffing it into Miller's arms. He yanked the dazed boy up to get the h*ll out of there. He was confident in his bad luck but he never thought his predictions would come so quickly.

The dark musician was almost there. Who knew what would happen if they stayed here? It was better to make a definite choice. After all, these guys were adamant on going toward the dead end. Ye Qingxuan would just let them be.

"Leaving again?" Miller froze and looked at the dark shadow in the distance. "There's only one. If we all fight, we might win, right?"

"You know…anyone who says that in novels fail." Ye Qingxuan chuckled dryly. He did not know how to explain the sense of danger that finally besieged him. He could only drag Miller up. While everyone was still dazed, he kicked down the swaying wall and ran out from the side. Hesitating shortly, Torre and Casper followed behind him.

"Ah, I thought you'd live and die with them."

"Living with them is okay but I'd pass on the dying." Torre sighed. "You ran without even thinking after seeing him. I'd be stupid if I stayed there."

"That makes sense."

Torre glanced at his troubled look. "You know that dark musician?"

"I don't but I have my guesses. I can't believe it." Ye Qingxuan chuckled dryly. "If I'm right, then we're in trouble." Before he finished, a frail figure appeared in the ruins before them. He was a boy around thirteen or fourteen years old.

"Uncle said I can't let you leave." The youth put his doll into his pocket and looked up. His eyes were gold, pure gold like a dragon, and wildly bloodshot. He said, "You must stay."

"You have to stay…" Just before the teenager finished his words, Casper roared furiously. For the first time, Ye Qingxuan saw Casper become so furious that he even broke free from Torre's control. He seemed to have sensed something very dangerous. The roar of a beast resounded through Auschwitz. Then, countless beats' giant mouths suddenly loomed toward the boy.

Casper rushed forward and his body expanded crazily in the midair. He even slightly broke free from the 'seal of humanity.' Swallowing the beastliness in his consciousness, he forcefully evolved into the three-headed hound.

It was a veritable fusion of beastly nature. Dozens of species of phantom beasts were fused in his body. Each one was a huge phantom beast from the remnants of his 'beastly inheritance.' In the blink of an eye, he turned into a half-human, half-beast covered in fiery flames. Immense toxicity spread.

Not expecting the enemy would attack directly, the teenager was shocked for a moment. He watched as Casper rushed to him. Then, he reached a hand out to Casper's forehead and suddenly pressed down!

Bang! The earth trembled. It was like a falling rock crushing Casper's skull from high above. Casper was crushed into the ground by the boy's palm. The huge fulmination spread and the trembling earth made one's vision go black. Dust flew but soon froze in the air.

The teenager suppressed Casper's fury merely with his own strength. An invisible power extended out from his hands to freeze the air and formed twisted shackles. Casper frantically struggled in the shackles but was unable to move.

Ye Qingxuan was drenched in cold sweat. He knew this power; he was so familiar with it…

"I said you all have to stay." The youth looked up. There seemed to be melting gold boiling in his eyes. "No one can leave." This feeling was definitely it…

"The dragon breath…" Ye Qingxuan whispered softly.

This was the 'dragon breath' that only phantom beast 'Dragon' could produce. It could interfere with reality at will by attaching the thought to the aether, condensing it into substance, and transforming into an intangible but qualitative force.

That power could turn into a bone-picking knife and completely tear the body into shreds, but it could also attach to the body and strengthen the human flesh to an unimaginable level. It was said that at its extreme, one could turn into the wind, into clouds, into a fire or even thunder and lightning! But in this youth's hands, it was used as skillfully as his arm. Ye Qingxuan had never seen such powerful dragon breath that could suppress Casper's outbreak in an instant.

At the same time, behind them, in the distance of the crushing position, the breath of the abyss pierced into the sky in the distant crushing front. Blood fire burned. In the dismal song, the skeleton brides danced with desperate grooms. They embraced their partners tenderly and immersed themselves in the burning blood river. In the chaos, the frantic musicians were determined to surround him at all costs.

'The Hole of Destruction', 'Catalysis of Beastly Nature', 'Mimicry Illusion', 'The Eyes of the Exterminator'… These strange movements and alchemical equipment emerged endlessly, but no matter what kind of power, they were all jokes to the hooded musician even though he was only at the Resonance level.

Holding the Hole of Destruction from the sky, the figure seemed to suddenly teleport. The figure easily took away that strangely glowing 'eyes' and swallowed them. Then an arm grew out of the shoulder, playing a gentle tempo. However, a Modifications movement cut into the beat, forcibly causing the music theory's backlash. The musician instantly swelled and turned into dust.

He seemed to have anticipated what would happen next.

Using only the Danube River of Blood and countless strange music scores, the hooded musician was able to sweep the stage with his destructive power. He seemed to be toying with the musicians with his skills. Thus, the musicians sank into the blood river one after another and were sealed by the skeletons, waiting to be transformed.

"Is that all you got?" The hooded musician chuckled. "I was expecting all the school's elites to have some new tricks, but you all play the same trick? I saw nothing different from what I learned when I came into your school with a disguise."

"Well, then, try this!" a voice said behind him. It was a dark-skinned youth with a head of braids. His body was painted with all kinds of strange tattoos. Under the tattoos, layers of notes flowed. He was like a phantom treading on the blood river. He crashed through the air and set off a white blast. Then that frantic speed brought by his left foot was thrown into the blood river, setting off frenzied waves.

The power went into his body with this action. It crossed his waist and went along the shoulders. His muscles fluctuated like waves as if they were alive. They grew and expanded three times so that he practically became a giant in that moment.

Then the power that was enough to break a wall gathered into his fist and he punched forward! The fist broke through the air again with a blast. The speed even went beyond the speed of the sound. It penetrated layers of shields before the movement changed, smashing through layers of defense and slashing toward the hooded musician's shoulders.

Boom! The hooded musician's shoulder and even half of his chest was blown up. His body flew out but he recovered in mid-air and landed slowly on the ground. A hint of pleasant surprise flashed in his eyes.

"That attack was a bit like 'nudge inside' of Eastern martial arts, but the speed and strength…" He gazed at the young musician and muttered, "One's body would have vaporized in this speed. Hey, young man, what's your name?"

"Paul Bunyan." The young musician with braids rolled his neck. His joints cracked and popped. His muscles had turned into an abnormal dark color.

"The strengthened Choir?" The hooded musician recognized the power in his body but immediately shook his head. "No, there is also strengthened Modifications. That's it!

"You combined it with the music theory of the school of Choir and transformed your body with the power of Modifications so that your physical fitness could almost be improved endlessly… Was it inspired by the dark musicians?"

He applauded with joy. "New theories and levels produced after just a few decades? Amazing! I am impressed. I never thought that the weak human body could be strengthened to this degree. You are almost like steel—no, you're far beyond steel! If we didn't appear, you would surely be able to shine in this trial! Becoming the elite of this new generation musicians is also possible for you!"

"It is the same even with your appearance!" Paul Bunyan suddenly flashed and his body came like thunder. He seemed to grow three heads and six arms. His fists smashed forward like storms. Every fist would penetrate through the air and bring about an explosion.

There was thunder! The strength and fist were pushed to the limit. He solved all the problems by meeting them head on. No matter if it was a shield, walls, or anything else before him, everything must be mercilessly destroyed! During battle, Paul Bunyan's blood almost boiled. Strands of blood gushed from his pores like burning flames.

In an instant, the hooded musician was beaten into mud but then recover soon as if he had endless vitality. However, he could not fight back against Paul Bunyan. "…My weakness was…found…?"

"Sure enough, you're spent!" Paul Bunyan laughed. "What Colt said was true. You have run out of your strength after fighting with so many musicians! As long as I restrain your change with speed, you have no ability to fight back!"

"Col…t… Well, he must be the elite of the Rock Institute. I did not expect that I'd be revealed…" After the flurry of beatings, the ball of ground flesh and mud could still talk and even laugh tauntingly. "But where is the Colt that you mentioned?"

Paul Bunyan was stunned. He turned back but only found several figures behind him. Colt, who had been conducting them, had disappeared. No, he had escaped!

"Distraction in battle…is very dangerous." At that instant, the hooded musician's voice sounded in his ear. His vision went black as if the back of his head was hit by a siege hammer. His body flew out and smashed against a wall. He quickly climbed up and looked over blankly.

Standing still, the hooded musician had already recovered. The palms under the broken cuffs constantly changed. They were dark as iron and cold as silver. At the end, they seemed to have transformed into dark purple crystal.

"How could…" Paul Bunyan almost suffocated. He had figured out the method used by the hooded musician. It was the core music theory of his school—Immortal Alchemy! The frail body sublimated into a more solid golden iron, and finally, to an immortal state.

"Is it really strange?" The hooded musician laughed. "What's so strange thing? See enough and you'll naturally know."

The next moment, Paul Bunyan's face turned. The enemy was pouncing toward him!

-

In the darkness, Colt was running wildly. His footsteps were silent and the figure was misty. In the huge Auschwitz, he was aware of the existence of many dark musicians and demons. He ran at the edge of their range of perceptions and quietly ran through many battles. No one noticed him. Soon he sneaked into the outside of the mine and hid himself in a half-collapsed building. He held his breath warily and gazed at the demons wandering around the mine in the distance.

Since the front was destroyed, they could only venture into the mine, use the complex paths to escape the pursuers, and find the hidden room with Ye Qingxuan's clues. This was the best solution now and was they were close to success.

However, the closer to success they were, the more humiliated Colt felt. This was the solution he had looked down upon but now, reality proved Ye Qingxuan was correct. This guy who was not even good at Revelations! So who was wrong?

Colt's face twitched. This guy had used his words to lower everyone's morale and led all the musicians to run away with him the moment the fighting started. With all the people they had, they would not have been captured by that dark musician if they had stayed!

He lowered his head. His face hidden in the shadows was livid.

Ever since Heisenberg returned from Anglo, he no longer praised Colt and instead grew distant and cold. Even when Colt broke through the Barrier of Knowledge and made all sorts of accomplishments to prove his talent, he only received four words: I have no successors.

"I'm so envious of Abraham," Colt still remembered how Heisenberg had murmured that day. "If I have a successor like him, the School of the Secret Keepers must have a glorious future, right?" Glorious future…

From that day on, the future of the secret keepers dimmed because the cloud called 'Ye Qingxuan' hung over his head. No matter where he went, those three syllables followed him like a shadow. It wrapped around his ears and took everything from him!

"That's the smell of jealousy. Can you smell it?" Behind him, a blurry face reached out of the shadows. He inhaled deeply around him, his eyes intoxicated. "This sweet and heavy smell like wine…I haven't encountered it in years."

Behind Colt, Crowley came out of the shadows. He gently held Colt's shoulder and said with a soft and curious voice, "Young man, you have not yet fallen. Why is the dark abyss in your heart as deep as the sea?"

"I…" Colt gaped at him. His hand quietly reached into his sleeve and grasped the dagger's hilt. His hand tightened and tightened until it loosened weakly.

"What are you scared of? Me? Or…someone else?"

Crowley chuckled meaningfully. He pressed onto Colt's forehead with an eye-crinkling smile. "I see… The Rock Institute? Why help those old gatekeepers?" He paused, looking down at the shocked Colt. "I allow you to become the concertmaster of the perishing praise within five years."

In the silence, Colt collapsed onto the floor as if all his energy was sucked out. He was covered in cold sweat. He looked at Crowley but saw no reflection in his eyes—only darkness from the abyss.

Colt seemed to have found his true nature in the darkness.

He lowered his head.

-

In that moment, Ye Qingxuan and Torre, who had been shaken by the dragon breath, met each other's eyes. Behind them, no more sound came from the shattered front. They could only sense a writhing shadow. It seemed to solidify into a human with thousands of hands, hundreds of feet, crawling over to them. They could not keep going!

Torre tapped his finger onto the air. The emptiness shook. His bloody gray robe suddenly expanded. Blazing light glowed within. Under it, the blood and grayness warped, burned, and transformed into a flame. Hoarse singing rang out from him, guiding aether to descend. A star shone in the black sky and rose gradually. It told of a holy arrival!

The strange youth suddenly looked up. Something murderous flashed past his eyes. Invisible dragon breath surged and tore through the air like a white dragon shooting toward Torre. Everything in its path was pulverized by the iron. However, Torre closed his eyes and started praying.

"Who can bear it when he comes? Who can remain standing when he appears? He is like the fire that smelts gold, the alkali that cleanses one…" As he sang the holy hymn, radiant light fell from the sky, breaking through the dark abyss and falling on everyone. Ye Qingxuan was untouched but the strange youth shook, practically falling to the ground.

The dragon breath dissipated!

All of the aether was forcefully converged into the glow. The power was comparable to how Yunlou Chaoyue had awakened the 'Taiyi' and transformed into the sole master of aether. All white noise and demonic sounds were chased away.

This was the Messiah—the music score that announced the coming of God and Heaven!

This was a specialty of Discipline musicians. After investigating the true nature and rules of aether, they created the discipline way in the School of Abstinence. Thus, they were able to see the patterns of all beings and learned ways to counter them. It was the same faced with Modifications, Illusion, and the dragon breath.

But even for Discipline musicians, performing the Messiah at the Resonance level was still too dangerous. Torre had only chanted the beginning but his body was already burning. His skin cracked apart and blood flowed from his eyes.

The light burst through but flickered like a candle in the wind.

Ye Qingxuan did not waste the precious time Torre fought for him. He unfurled his Jiu Xiao Huan Pei and instrument strings overlapped, abruptly playing a melody.

Sub-originator—activate!

Layers of thunder and lightning overlapped and shot out, carving a complex music score in thin air. The electric score changed with the melody. The image of a moon instantly rose behind Ye Qingxuan.

The music jumped past the overture and straight into the 'main melody.' Without stopping, it swept past 'cold,"calling,"death,"qi', 'soul'…until it reached the eighteenth measure of the main melody—'sword!'

"Moonlight is the symphony of predestination that Teacher could not complete even after he entered the Scepter level," Lola had once said to Ye Qingxuan. "It contains all of his work. And even though 'sword' sounds graceful, it's actually contains ten steps of murder. It's similar to the deadly phenomena of the white rainbow, a comet crashing into the moon, and the black eagle who assassinated the emperor. All of Teacher's murderous wishes are put into this measure."

Thus, the image of moonlight turned black like a steel curtain of black clouds. The clouds wavered as if they were inside a thunderstorm.

The sword! Moonlight broke through the clouds, falling down like a sword!

The cold light swept across. Nothing in its path was harmed but the implied negativity disappeared. All sadness, fear, and coldness vanished. All that remained was the flashing sword of moonlight.

The moonlight broke through!

In that instant, the boy shook. He forcefully broke free from Messiah's halo. Torre spat out blood and stumbled back. However, the boy sensed danger and looked up. Golden fire burned in his eyes. Scales appeared on his limbs and his fingernails sharpened. Digging into the stones, he charged at Ye Qingxuan before the moonlight fell.

At that moment, Ye Qingxuan opened his mouth and roared, "Mordred, you dare disobey me?!" The voice was not like his at all. It was hoarse and low, seeming to contain endless hysteria and fury—this was the roar from crazy King Arthur who had paced through Avalon's Shadow for centuries!

This voice had given Ye Qingxuan immense fear in Avalon's Shadow. This was why he remembered it. As the voice sounded, the sub-originator in Ye Qingxuan's heart—the core of Avalon's enchantment—radiated with the king's aura.

"Ah!" Terrified screams broke out.

The boy's movements suddenly stopped. His face filled with fear as if he was swallowed by a nightmare. He screamed deliriously and scrambled on the ground as the deadly moonlight sword fell down!

Silently, the moonlight blade cut through his shoulders, piercing into his chest and nailing him to the ground. Cold moonlight entered his body and spread, fusing into his blood. It transformed into thousands of tiny blades, tainting his blood, destroying his organs, and turning him to dust from the inside out.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts…" On the ground, the boy named Mordred rolled and writhed in pain. He scratched at his chest, tearing his flesh as he tried to dig out the nonexistent moonlight. However, specks of cold moonlight wrapped around his body, turning his organs into dust again and again, and they died away and regenerated.

Like a real kid, he rolled in pain without even thinking of fighting back.

"Daddy, don't hit me… I'm sorry, daddy, I'm sorry… Don't lock me up, I'm scared…" Mordred wailed, rolling on the ground. He cried, "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Don't hit me, daddy, my head hurts…"

The dragon breath turned into destructive electric light, shooting up to the sky! Under the light, Mordred transformed into a demi-dragon. He lowered his head and dragon breath poured from his mouth. This was the true nature of the dragon's destructiveness. Not even he himself could stop it.

Half of his body along with the moonlight dimmed in an instant. But then it grew rapidly, flesh growing and bones extending. The blood of the red dragon had given him endless vitality, causing him to grow wilder!

"Split up!" Ye Qingxuan only had the time to stuff his bag into Miller's hands. "Don't worry about me and go to the mine! Everything to open the room is in here! I'll find you guys after I get rid of this beast!"

Without waiting for Miller's response, he activated the Governor and rushed toward the other direction. Mind-numbing murderous intent followed, whistling past. He heard a string cracking sounds. It was the furious Mordred crashing through layers of obstacles.

Ye Qingxuan looked back. The sight he saw made the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight. Mordred had transformed into a dragon completely. He was chasing with blood-red eyes.

"Daddy, don't go!" it roared hysterically. "Let me kill you! Let me kill you! I'm going to! Kill! You!"

Boom!

Ye Qingxuan's vision went dark and he flew out. In the air, he felt himself get hit at least ten times. Each time was enough to pulverize him. If he had not activated Holy in time, he would be a mass of blood now, raining onto Auschwitz's dry dirt. Maybe there would be flowers here next year. But before he could keep thinking nonsense, he smashed into the ground. He rolled and finally crashed into a burning home.

In the next moment, the flames were extinguished by Mordred's dragon breath. Furious, he grabbed Ye Qingxuan. His red eyes were murderous. He raised his other hand, about to scratch his face into shredded flesh!

"Mordy…" A hand reached out of the darkness and tapped the back of his head. "Stop."

The sharp claws stopped.

Mordred abruptly came out of his dragon state. Losing all strength, he collapsed onto the ground. His eyes were blank like a broken doll.

The hooded musician walked out of the darkness and picked Mordred up by the neck as if he was a pet. Then he looked down at Ye Qingxuan's pathetic state and tsked. "Such a small world. My friend, you always surprise me."

"The feeling is mutual." Ye Qingxuan coughed and tried to catch his breath. He looked up at this 'old friend.'"Naberius, aren't you dead?"

"The musician's stage is cruel, my friend. Every important character needs the skill of faking deaths. Coincidentally, I'm the best at this." Naberius lifted his hood, revealing the familiar face with an arched eyebrow. "How about it? Are you surprised?"

"Surprised your *ass," Ye Qingxuan swore weakly. "Why are you always here? You're so annoying!"

Naberius sighed and scratched his head awkwardly. "I couldn't help it. The abyss has a shortage of people and I have a shortage of money so I had to come work." He suddenly changed the topic and his expression grew more cheerful, "However, compared to the destruction before, we're here as lofty masters of justice this time!"

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan could not help but scoff. "Justice? Since when do dark musicians have the right to talk about justice with me? Is it justice to turn people into demons?"

Naberius glanced at him with a strange expression, smiling but not smiling. "You…don't think that no one discovered when the Sacred City did those small things to Auschwitz, right? Who do you think asked us to come and save the Romulusians from the disaster?"

In that moment, Ye Qingxuan froze. He had guessed the answer but he did not believe it.

"That's right! The answer is…" Features dancing, Naberius uttered the name, "The elder of Auschwitz, the last saint of the Romulusians—Caligula!"

When Ye Qingxuan regained consciousness, it felt like his head was cracking apart. In the underground room that had been transformed into a prison, he was half naked and soaked in some sticky liquid. Breathing was difficult. He could not feel blood flowing and had lost his sense of aether. He felt drowsy too and could not collect his thoughts.

"Hey, do you have to be so serious?" Ye Qingxuan rasped out, struggling to open his eyes. "Can't you just use a rope?"

"How can a rope be suitable for someone of your status?" Naberius snickered. "You're experiencing the treatment of a grandmaster right now. How is it? Happy?"

"F*ck you."

"I'm reassured seeing how feisty you are." Naberius nodded in satisfaction. "I'll have Mordred accompany you during the wait so you won't be lonely. He's really obedient and you can ask him for anything you need, even bedtime stories. Don't worry, it won't be long. It'll be your turn in a few hours."

He paused. His narrow eyes squinted in anticipation. "Don't be afraid. You won't feel anything being taken away when you fall into darkness. All you'll receive is liberation. I'm really excited. How powerful will you become from the evil thoughts and unimaginable darkness locked away in your mind?"

Ye Qingxuan lowered his eyes, no longer listening. He quietly sensed his surroundings but he was disappointed. The dark musicians had really given him the grandmaster treatment. There was not even a handkerchief on him. He obviously did not have something as powerful as Jiu Xiao Huan Pei either.

Thinking of this, he could not help but look over at Naberius. All of his belongings were hanging on the wall behind the youth reading fairytales on the ground…

"How long was I unconscious for?" Ye Qingxuan sighed.

"Two months." Naberius chuckled. "So don't worry, Auschwitz has already been burned to the ground. As for the trial, the good news is that all your competitors are dead. The bad news is, you didn't gain anything."

Ye Qingxuan did not even glance at him. "Tell the truth."

"Tsk, half an hour." Naberius shook his head. "Being too familiar isn't a good thing. I can't even crack a joke."

Just as he finished, footsteps appeared outside the dungeon. A black shadow walked toward Naberius. "Leader Crowley calls for you."

Naberius nodded. He glanced over at the newcomer, eyes filled with involuntary shock. "He chose you? He has good taste. Since the leader thinks highly of you, I'll leave this to you. I'm sure you and the prisoner will have a good time." He patted the man's shoulder and left. All that remained in the cell were Ye Qingxuan, shackled in the cage, and the man outside the cage.

"Hey, Colt…" Seeing his cold expression, Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh in amazement. "Your new clothes are pretty handsome. I didn't expect this to suit you, really."

Faced with the undisguised mockery, Colt remained cold. "Whatever. Even with your abilities, aren't you in this state too? People have to know when to give up so they won't become as pathetic as you.

"I can't believe Naberius is so good to you. He even added some of the Dark Gaia's flesh into the treatment liquid. Other than treating your wounds, you'll have an extra ability after your transformation. You should thank him. He treats you well."

"Really?" Ye Qingxuan chuckled. "I didn't know dark musicians were so hospitable. I can't wait to join this loving family! When will you take me to meet the 'parents'?" He paused, his expression turning into disdain. "Oh, right! You're not a dark musician yet either. You haven't even seen 'daddy' yet and you're already here to sing the praises? Your teacher at the Rock Institute will be sad, you know."

Colt's expression remained unchanged.

In the corner behind him, Mordred suddenly raised his cold eyes. A dragon scale fingernail shot out of his fingers like a blade. Seeming to sense this coldness behind him, Colt stepped back. The fingers clenched around his sword loosened one by one.

"You're on your own, Ye Qingxuan." He stared long and hard at the youth in the cage and left.

In silence, Ye Qingxuan watched as he disappeared and let out a relieved sigh. He really could not control his mouth. What if he accidentally pissed this guy off completely and Colt decided to end him?

"Thanks, Mordy." Ye Qingxuan waved at the youth in the corner.

The youth glanced up with disdain.

Ye Qingxuan was speechless. However, time dragged on forever in the silence. Finally, he could not help it anymore and asked, "Can you really read me fairytales?"

Mordred looked up in confusion. After confirming that there really were such bored adults in the world, he looked down and tried to read the fairytale out loud. He stumbled over the words and butchered the story. Ye Qingxuan suspected this was a new type of torture.

"Hey, Mordy." Ye Qingxuan coughed, clearing his throat. "Can you get the clothes on the wall for me? And my bag—"

Mordred raised his head and looked at Ye Qingxuan as if he was stupid. "My uncle said that if you said that, I should tell you, 'do you think I'm an idiot?'"

What Ye Qingxuan felt at the moment was indescribably. He sighed. "What can you do other than reading fairy tales? Can you whistle?"

"Do you want to hear?" Mordred glanced at him and shook his head. "Because I can't."

"I didn't expect you to either." Ye Qingxuan sighed weakly. "There's a whistle in my bag. You can take it out and play it."

Mordred froze. He thought about it, hesitating. "Why should I play your whistle?"

"Then whistle with your mouth."

"I can't."

"Then you can only find a whistle to play, right?" Ye Qingxuan shrugged innocently. Then he started rolling on the ground, moaning, "Help! I really want to hear whistling. I'm gonna die!"

Mordred hesitated for a long time. Finally annoyed by Ye Qingxuan, he got up and kicked the bars. "Shut up! It's just whistling…"

Ye Qingxuan shut up obediently. He watched as Mordred yanked his bag off the wall and started trifling through. "Ah, it's not there. The bottom-yeah, your right side, beside that box-yes, yes, that one!" He could not help but clap his hands. "Whistle, whistle, whistle!" he cheered like a kindergartener waiting for a performance.

Mordred glanced at him suspiciously. He checked the whistle in his hands but found that it was just a regular thing. It could do nothing other than make loud noises.

This showed the importance of being cunning. If Naberius was here, he would definitely break the whistle and burn it to dust. But Mordred was different. After hesitating, he picked up the whistle given to Ye Qingxuan by the Angloian grandmaster and put it in his mouth.

He blew.

The sound was thin yet sharp and traveled into the distance instantly. In that moment, Ye Qingxuan was overjoyed. Cackling, he almost flipped inside the cage.

Then a long, long while later…nothing happened in the silence.

Ye Qingxuan waited blankly for a long, long while. Still, nothing happened.

His smile stiffened on his face like a withered cabbage. Outside the cage, Mordred was tired. He threw the whistle into the cage in annoyance.

"If you like whistles then you blow it yourself. I've never seen someone so happy from whistles. Are you some kind of dog demon?"

Ye Qingxuan clutched the whistle and cried without tears.

-

Somewhere in the deep abyss, darkness filled every crevice. Six captured grandmasters sat cross-legged in the cramped space, their brows furrowed. Someone pounded the darkness furiously but the darkness showed no sign of weakening.

"Stop wasting your energy." Mr. Hu sighed. "This is a projection of the abyss. We're all inside the Garment of Original Sin. There'll be no use unless someone breaks through the dark atrium or if we self-destruct. It sucks here but at least it's difficult for them to move or hurt us. We're just locked up temporarily."

"You make it sound simple!" A grandmaster rolled his eyes and glared. "Your students—those Easterners—had gone home long ago! You're by yourself, of course you're relaxed!"

"That's a reason, of course…but 'home is where the heart is.' There's nothing wrong with making the best of things, right?" Mr. Hu waved with a smile and pointed at the kettle on the small stove before him. "The tea's almost done. Would anyone want some?"

"The tea's done? Great, great!" The Angloian grandmaster, snoring in a corner, suddenly woke up. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Ah, it's been a while since I slept so well."

"Dreams come from the heart." Mr. Hu chuckled. "Maybe you're the type that can only sleep well in the abyss."

The Angloian grandmaster laughed as well. Rather than correcting him, he picked up the thumb-sized teacup. Looking at the green tea, he drank it all. "Someone told me this is life." He shrugged. "I give in."

In the silence, Mr. Hu lifted his teacup as well, smiling in reply. Then he suddenly looked up and listened hard. "Is someone blowing a whistle?"

"Is there? Whatever…" The Angloian grandmaster yawned. "I've been lacking sleep these past few days. Let me sleep a bit longer." He laid down in the corner and started snoring as soon as he finished. He slept soundly as if he dreamed of a peaceful home in the abyss.

After a period of time that was not long but felt like eternity, Ye Qingxuan finally heard a raspy voice say, "Ye Qingxuan, it's your turn."

He was instantly tied up and covered in shackles and chains. As if he was the source of some pollution, he was also covered in two layers of what looked like body bags. Then he was carried by two strange demi-dragons to the altar. He only realized that he had been locked inside a cellar when he was carried out.

All that remained in Auschwitz was death. Among the corpses, he could see black 'cocoons' everywhere. The sleeping souls within the cocoons were slowly transforming to receive their new life.

After tonight, there would be a new race in the abyss. Hyakume's status amongst the natural catastrophes would rise again. He was close to ruling over the others. If these things really had upper and lower positions, that was.

The demi-dragons carrying him were one of the abyss races. This race had appeared hundreds of years ago in the Dark World. They combined different demonic traits and created a new race and society. Many musicians were born from them and they showed signs of establishing a kingdom like the moon spirits.

However, most demi-dragons had low intelligence. They could not even be compared to a child. They were also aggressive, competitive, and loved to fight. However, they were loyal and thus liked by dark musicians. They were often hired as part of their retinue.

Though they were demi-dragons, they were more like lizards. They did not have talents like the 'dragon breath.' They had natural hard scales and could pass down their memories to their descendants. All of them could be soldiers. Such as the two carrying Ye Qingxuan.

Soon, a disgusting scent hit him in the face. The smell of rotting blood was extremely familiar and forced Ye Qingxuan to recall many unhappy memories. There was also the faint smell of mercury and sulfur.

The dark musicians ordered the two demi-dragons to force Ye Qingxuan to the ground. Shackles went around his hands and feet, chaining him into place. Rings were put around him into an alchemy array. He could vaguely see the complex music theory from the abyss.

There were many other musicians around him with the same treatment. However, they were all pale-faced and glared furiously at Colt in the distance.

An old musician who looked like a night owl went up and checked all of them. He cackled. "All are high quality. Colt, your information is pretty good!"

"You flatter me. I'm just trying my best." Colt nodded. "It's great that I can contribute to the perishing praise."

Night Owl laughed. "Don't worry, the leader will definitely remember you when this succeeds. At that time, he will ask the lord to transform you personally. The last one who was given this honor is still the lead priest of Anglo!"

Colt chuckled quietly but did not reply. However, the musicians who still had some sanity left started yelling and cursing. If Colt had not revealed their information, they would not have been caught so easily. Colt acted as if he could not hear. He injected the louder ones with tranquilizers until they went blank.

The room returned to silence.

No longer looking at them, Colt walked to the corner. He gazed as if enjoying the view. However, he froze for some reason, as if seeing something scary. Ye Qingxuan, who had been sneaking glances, thought it strange. He could even see…fear in Colt's eyes? But Colt's expression quickly went back to normal and he stepped into the shadows.

The night-owlish musician rubbed his hands. Lighting incense, he prepared the transformation ritual while muttering to himself, "I've been saying that the faceless actors are unreliable. They ruined the transformation array in the northern inn and wasted all my efforts. Now I have to do it all over again. And that, Ye Qingxuan…which one's Ye Qingxuan?"

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan closed his eyes and pretended to be dead. However, this was useless. The old man still found him. He coughed awkwardly and opened his eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"You're Ye Qingxuan?" The old musician studied him and cackled. "You look handsome. No wonder Lord Naberius thinks so highly of you."

"Hey, don't say nonsense!" Ye Qingxuan almost spat out blood. "No one wants to be thought of highly by him, alright?"

The man cocked his head. He took out a bone from his pocket and munched on it like a snack. The action gave one the chills.

"Don't worry. Lord Naberius has requested that you'll have the best transformation. Your materials are ten times better than everyone else. When you're done, you'll be the next black star!" His features danced as he spoke, "When you're successful and still haven't forgotten me, please take care of this old man."

Ye Qingxuan's face twisted. "No, no, no, I take revenge for the littlest things. You're so ugly, I'll definitely kill your entire family when I'm successful! So what if you let me go now or reconsider?"

"Haha, that's what everyone says but it's all different after the transformation." Mr. Night Owl patted his shoulders. "You'll like the feeling." This time, he got up without waiting for a reply. He grabbed a bone staff from his assistant and hit the air as if it was a gong.

Boom! Drumbeats resounded. It felt as if the staff had fallen on their skulls. Everyone's vision went black and the world spun; they practically lost their sanity. The drum sounded again and again like muffled thunder. Each beat was agitating, making one nauseous and muddled. Hallucinations appeared in their minds; they could barely control themselves.

Ye Qingxuan was the most clear-headed of them all.

However, that probably was not a good thing right now. He was forced to watch a dark cloud rise from the array, creating various hallucinations, and slowly close in on them. This was the gift and transformation of the deep abyss. Once swallowed by it…Ye Qingxuan would probably have to live the rest of his life hiding around.

No, the moment his transformation succeeded, he would probably be burned to dust by the moonlight within him! He really did not want to try such a sad death.

He suddenly had an idea…

"Ah! Save me!" Ye Qingxuan suddenly started yelling with a pale face under the solemn drumbeats and satanic chants. "Oh no! A hairy and ugly—uh, no! It's just—something bad is gonna happen!"

The drum stopped abruptly.

The old night owl looked over with furrowed brows. The captured musicians looked over too. Their eyes contained hidden anticipation, waiting to see his amazing trick to turn the tides. Under those complex gazes, Ye Qingxuan was covered with cold sweat. He pointed to the sky with difficulty.

"Look, there's something strange flying in the air! It looks like a disc. It even glows!"

Awkward silence. Everyone looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"You…" Night Owl glanced at him in disbelief. "You really think someone would be stupid enough to look?"

"Uh, you won't?" Ye Qingxuan looked away in embarrassment. "Then I'll try something else?"

Everyone's expressions changed. They were hard to describe but basically carried the message, f*cking dumb*ss.

Night Owl sighed and raised his bone staff. "Continue the ritual! Everyone work harder and transform this annoying guy first!"

The rumbling drum sounded again. And Ye Qingxuan started screaming again. "Help! There's seriously a situation! Look behind you, seriously! Someone's trying to stab your back. Look, he even took his knife out…No seriously, I'm the b*stard child of the Anglo royalty. If you let me go, we can work together and get rich, alright?

"One of my bros is doing well in Burgundy. Don't you want to get to know him? Let me go and anything's okay! Hey!" He spouted nonsense but the dark musicians were unmoved. They sped up the transformation ritual instead. He felt that he was swallowed by the darkness already. Nothing he could say was useful now.

It was true what the old proverbs said: when in doubt just do it; life or death is nothing, longitudinal just do it. He did not know what 'longitudinal' meant, but basically, just do it!

He would just do it!

Something flashed past his eyes and the moonlight within him gradually glowed. The sub-originator was inside his body, after all, and its roots were in his blood. If the dark musicians were so powerful, why didn't they rip his chest open and check his heart?

The sleeping sub-originator was activated. It pulsed with his heart like a drum, agitated yet heavy. Moonlight appeared in his blood instantly and flowed through his body.

Within a second, it was as if he had run thousands of meters. Sweat evaporated and his muscles swelled. It felt like his body would explode. As his veins cracked, strands of blood met in the air, transforming into pure moonlight. It flashed, removing the shackles on him.

Ye Qingxuan felt his mind clearing. He recovered his sense of aether and jumped up, moonlight burning around him. Under the light's calling, something whistled through the air and fell into Ye Qingxuan's hands. It snapped open and turned into overlapping instrument strings.

Jiu Xiao Huan Pei had come. It pierced into the transformation array and disrupted the music theory. The ritual came to a screeching halt.

The drumbeats shook. The old night owl stepped back under the counterattack. Eerie green light shot from his eyes. "No wonder Naberius thinks highly of you. You tipped the scales so easily. But sadly, you can't esc—"

Before the last syllable fell from his lips, it was replaced by the sound of black organs shattering and a scream. Behind him, someone forced a dagger into his heart. Before the blade, all alchemy equipment and shields collapsed. Wild waves rippled through the body, mixing the internal organs and destroying the sound of heart.

One shot kill!

Night Owl tried to look back blankly but someone held his head. He did not even know who killed him before he died.

The corpse fell, revealing Colt behind it.

"There's something flying in the sky?" He looked at Ye Qingxuan disdainfully. "That's a horrible excuse."

Colt's sudden return was a surprise to everyone, including the dark musicians, but even more so for Ye Qingxuan. However, he had no time to worry about the details. He must gain the upper hand and get rid of the dark musicians before they reacted!

Sparse notes sounded. Under the cool melody, moonlight rose and seeped into the restraining music score. Like water, it was instantly wiped away like water.

As something designed specifically to counter natural catastrophes, it was too easy for the moonlight to dissolve the dark musicians' shackles. Next, Ye Qingxuan's voice rang in every sleeping musician's mind. "Wake up!"

Everyone startled awake as if they were wacked in the head. There was no time to wait for them to recover. Ye Qingxuan unethically planted the hint that all dark musicians were enemies, causing them to start attacking without even thinking. They were going to fight anyway. This was just faster.

However, what was beyond his expectations was Colt's speed. He never thought that this guy would be so skilled in fighting. Within a few snaps of the finger, Colt floated like a ghost past two dark musicians, leaving cuts on their throats.

Their blood instantly evaporated and spewed from the cut as thin as a fingernail. The anti-tune sword was not very harmful to the body but once it entered music theory, it would be absolute destruction—especially if it was wielded by a Modifications genius.

It was clear that Colt was extraordinarily talented. He had developed such a function targeted at enchantment breakthroughs and could use it so easily.

The dark musicians started fighting back after a few moments. The awakened musicians did not hold back either. Both sides fell into a flurry of fighting.

Ye Qingxuan retracted Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, turning it back into a cane, and thudded it against the ground. A horn rang out.

Dawn was coming.

A mass of silver nails appeared in thin air and shot into all directions. Fire lit up continuously, gravely injuring many of the dark musicians. Like sarcoptic maggots, the silver nails entered their bodies. Touching the abyss music theory, they rubbed against each other, creating sparks of fire that burned the victim.

Centuries ago, the Inquisition had used this method to burn too many heretics to death. Its power remained to this day. Practically all the old creatures in the crowd started screaming and could no longer fight.

Many of Ye Qingxuan's comrades were stunned as well. He usually did not fight but now, his tactics were so cruel. Their morale was boosted instantly.

Inside his head, Ye Qingxuan sighed. It was a pity that he was still restrained by the dark atrium and could not use the silver nails as chant consumables. Now, it was barely qualified to fight against the dark musicians. If Torre was here and he could team up with a Discipline musician, he could end at least four enemies at once. He would not be this tired!

The dark musicians' biggest mistake was not being guarded against the traitor Colt, letting him observe them for so long. He could sell his companions' weaknesses to the dark musicians; he could also learn all about the dark musicians' weaknesses.

A few minutes later, the battle was over. Everyone was wounded; one musician was on his last breath. Colt stumbled back. With a pale face, he spun the anti-tune sword around and stabbed himself. He ripped his stomach open in the mangled flesh.

Taking out a black bug inside a crystal, he slammed it onto the ground. The sleeping bug quickly woke up and started biting everything crazily. Then he stamped on it, burning it to ashes.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Colt mended his flesh and poured medicine over it. Under the sizzling, the flesh forcefully grew back together. He would be fine for now.

"I had no other choice to save the imprisoned musicians. If I'm still alive after this and you all still suspect me, you could report me to the Sacred City." He looked at the shocked musicians with an adamant expression on his pale face. "It's not safe here. We should split up and leave before they respond."

Under Colt's guidance, they quickly found their confiscated instruments and equipment from the cellar. They were still angry at Colt, but the guy had used his actions to prove himself.

After putting on black robes for disguise, they quickly split up. However, Colt realized after a few steps that the one beside him was…none other than Ye Qingxuan!

"Why are you forcing yourself to be with me?" His tone was not without mockery. "Seems like you're not that confident in the underground palace's secret room."

"No, I just have some questions." Ye Qingxuan chuckled. "I thought you really planned on searching for your great future in the abyss."

"Sometimes, you have to make some sacrifices so more people can survive, right?" Colt covered his mouth and coughed. Blood seeped from his fingers but his expression was still indifferent.

"It's a little too much to risk everyone though, isn't it?"

"Being fifty percent sure means sure victory. Isn't that what you said?" Colt shot back. "Plus, they would've all died without me."

"And then let them go attract the dark musicians while you save yourself?"

"This might be the result but you can't say it's my goal." Colt peered at him. "Or do you have a better idea?"

"No." Ye Qingxuan shook his head. "What you did was the best choice under the circumstances but I'm curious about something else." Staring into Colt's eyes, he said, pausing between each word, "Were you prepared to turn at the beginning or did you sense something?"

"Anything can be as you imagine," Colt replied without shying away from his stare. "The result is that I sacrificed myself and saved everyone, right?"

"Well said!" Someone suddenly clapped in the silence. Naberius stood in the shadows and praised, "If leader Crowley heard this speech, he would reward you greatly."

After a beat of silence, Ye Qingxuan looked at Colt with a troubled expression. "You said that I chose a bad path but yours isn't that great either."

Colt's face darkened considerably. He had racked his brain to choose the safest path but he did not expect someone would skip over everyone else and come for him… If he knew that Ye Qingxuan had suspected this early on but still chose to go with him, he would probably have had a heart attack.

Ye Qingxuan had expected this worst case scenario but this time, he did not have the Avalonian enchantment to help him. He would probably lose now…

"My dear friend, you're always beyond my expectations." Naberius looked at Ye Qingxuan and said darkly, "Don't worry. For safety, I'll have Mordred rip off your limbs this time. They'll grow back after your transformation. However, you'll probably be the only one in hundreds of years to be transformed while soaked in tranquilizers."

Ye Qingxuan laughed involuntarily. "Are you sure you can catch me alive?"

"It's okay. You can commit suicide." Naberius waved generously. "Lord Hyakume has already extracted the Acheron from the Originator and has control over the territory of death. As long as he can get the body, he can resurrect you. Don't worry, you'll be just like before and even better!"

No matter how prepared Ye Qingxuan was, he was still floored by the news. If Naberius took advantage of this moment, everything would be over.

But Naberius' words were seriously too shocking. If Hyakume was truly able to find the Acheron from the Originator's projection and introduced an entirely new power into the abyss, then he had broken through the territory that all musicians were troubled with and grasped the power of the Philosopher's Stone!

There may be some restrictions but who could resist the temptation of resurrection? For some people, it was more valuable than anything, even if they could not resurrect completely!

"My friend Naberius, when did you become such a jokester?"

"You can experience for yourself if this is a joke." Naberius stepped forward. "Now, do you still have doubts?"

He saw Ye Qingxuan's expression change. The white-haired youth's gaze went past his shoulder and into the sky behind him. His expression was shocked. When he looked back at Naberius, his expression had become extremely strange.

"…If I said that there really is something flying in the sky, would you believe me?"

Admittedly, Naberius…really did believe him for a moment! But when he snapped out of it, he was furious as if someone had looked down on him. "Ye Qingxuan! Not even a pig will believe that after kindergarten! Are you sure you're not insulting your own brain?"

"I'm serious!" Ye Qingxuan pointed behind him. "I'm not lying."

"Nothing you say matters now." Naberius sped forward. The heart in his hand prepared a strange melody. "No matter what's flying in the sky it has nothing to do with your end! I will—" Before he finished, something exploded.

Light burned above the clouds, melting the dark atrium!