Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  “K-kill her!” the Pyramid King screamed, but it was too late. Bai Xi disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was a footprint carved into the stone where she had stood, terrifying cracks snaked forward. Amidst the majestic performance, the girl rushed forward with electric light and furious winds, instantly upending the Pyramid King’s guards. Their bodies were lost in the storm, burnt to crisp by the lightning, becoming a bloody mess. The halo flashed, dimming a bit. Bai Xi charged again.

  Just as the Pyramid King yelped, Medusa shrieked. She appeared out of thin air, gnashing her teeth at the girl. Her snake hair danced, bloody light exuded from the snakes’ eyes, illuminating Bai Xi’s face. The glow of the Stone Curse dissipated when it came in contact with the halo around Bai Xi. Divine power was able to evaporate any demonic curse. But it was clear that the halo dimmed, and it began to burn up faster—there was not much time left.

  When Medusa opened her mouth, Bai Xi snapped, “Move!” Clenching her right fist, thundering chimes sounded. A faint vortex appeared above her fist. The air constricted and it sounded like glass shattering.

  Boom! The virtual reflection of Medusa flew back from her punch. Her body shimmered and the snakes expanded, then exploded and spewed blood. The blood that had been sucked from the corpse a moment ago was forced out!

  The drum beats and chiming jangled messily. The halo above Bai Xi’s head flickered like a candle in the wind, but the girl did not care. She used this chance to raise her hand and reach out toward the Pyramid King. He collapsed in an instant, cradling his head and screaming in fear. But the hand did not burn him to crisp. Instead, it grasped the mirror in his hands.

  The music of Zhaodang resounding in Bai Xi’s body surged into the mirror like a tidal wave. The halo exploded into blinding light as if reflected tenfold. The Pomp and Circumstance March had finally reached the true climax. The runes on the mirror flashed and flickered. As if meeting a natural predator, they began extinguishing one by one. It was not because of outside pressure, but rather because the aether structure changed wildly due to having been enveloped by Zhaodang. It became extremely unstable. The last surge of aether extinguished more than half of the runes on the mirror. In the air, Medusa, who had been grasping for the girl, suddenly shimmered. She could only growl angrily before vanishing.

  With the mirror in hand, Bai Xi walked forward again. Clenching her fist, she brought it down on the Pyramid King, but her fist trembled in midair. The halo above her head burst and extinguished. The divine power aiding her disappeared. She went from the apostle of divine power to a little girl, weak and powerless. Her fist landed and she yelped in pain. Her punch had hit the raised groove of the bow. A wound opened, and blood flowed from the back of her hand.

  Sam gaped, not having processed everything. But he subconsciously raised the bow again, aiming at the girl before him, “Don’t move!”

  Bai Xi’s face was pale, and she pouted and raised her arms helplessly, “I surrender. I’ll surrender half, alright?”

  The Pyramid King studied how weak she looked with his small eyes. His fearful expression had not even disappeared fully before it was replaced by a sinister smile. It looked comical, “Hehe, so you’re…his accomplice?” Seeming to understand something, he climbed up. Pulling on the girl’s hair, he pushed her to the ground. Cackling, he aimed the bow at her forehead. “He couldn’t deal with Medusa, so he sent you to die? What other tricks do you have? Reveal them to me!”

  The already fearful thugs had run when Pomp and Circumstance had played. The new members did not have any loyalty to the Pyramid Scheme. All that remained was his best men. Seeing Bai Xi weakened, they unsheathed their swords and approached.

  “I didn’t expect him to need help. Seems like he isn’t as strong as I thought.” The Pyramid King had recovered from his fear. Looking around, he roared at the darkness, “I’m going to say this one last time. Come out! Or else I’ll kill her!”

  “Just give up,” Bai Xi sighed. “I’m just a passerby. I don’t know that guy.”

  “It doesn’t matter. With you here, he’d be scared to kill the wrong person. He can’t attack me anymore.” The Pyramid King grabbed the girl’s hair, pinching at her cheeks, leering at her, “What a good little girl. It’ll be a pity if you die. I can’t promise what will happen if he doesn’t come out.”

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a hoarse voice rang from the darkness.

  “Shut up and show yourself!” Sam swept his sharp gaze around.

  A sigh came from the writhing darkness, “Then, as you wish…”

  —

  Deathly pale moonlight shone suddenly, lighting up the cemetery full of grief and darkness. The light fell on the broken gravestones, as if they were lit with light from Hell. In the suffocating stillness, creaks sounded, like the gate of Hell had opened slowly. Rotting dirt turned, as if the dead buried six feet under were awakening, pushing at their tomb so they could bathe in the moonlight.

  As the dirt turned, a coffin slowly opened, and a thin figure rose from the rotting earth. Welcomed by everyone’s fearful eyes and weapons, the figure walked out casually. He had just walked out of a coffin, but he was dressed finely in a beastly robe. The scales on his shoulder reflected the white moonlight. Holding a black cane and wearing a rotting hat from the coffin, he looked as if he were attending a banquet—a banquet for demons! His silhouette was thin yet sharp like the contour made of steel wires. The face hidden in the shadows of the hat was unclear, but a vague smile was visible. It was all so odd.

  Everyone was taken aback. No one had expected for the terrifying thing to be hidden beneath their feet. It was impossible to discern…whether this figure was alive or dead. Even a musician was a human. Unless he had mutated himself, how could he live for so long in a rotting coffin?

  “Greetings, Your Majesty the Pyramid King,” the polite voice sounded from under the hat. The voice carried the grace that all elites strived for. It was full of dignity and made him seem unapproachable, separate from the others. But no one noticed as he sneakily threw an underground respirator into the darkness. If not for that, he really would have suffocated.

  He had planned on hiding in the coffin and waiting until the Pyramid King had completely broken before interrogating him, but he did not expect the man to have such powerful alchemy equipment. Nor did he think that Bai Xi would be here because she cared for him. Plans never accounted for all possibilities. He was used to this. The best solution was to keep his image as a dark musician and terrify them.

  Seeing him, fear flashed through the Pyramid King’s eyes, but quickly, it was replaced by ferocity, “You dare to come out?”

  “Why not?” Ye Qingxuan laughed lightly, “Didn’t I come tonight to fulfill my promise? But sadly, our game went astray and the entertainment disappeared early on.” He emphasized ‘entertainment,’ revealing his regret.

  The hoarse voice did not seem to fit the youth, and felt like the low voice of the dead. The thugs trembled with fear. This figure that seemed like a gentleman had the aura of something monstrous.

  114 Question Session

  “Stop talking about useless sh*t!” Furious, the Pyramid King swung his bow, aiming the arrow toward Ye Qingxuan. “Did those gay Lucos hire you? Or do the Indians want revenge? Or is it that son of a b*tch Professor, or that old Shaman?!”

  “I’m sorry, but none of them.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged and strode over. With his cane propped on his shoulder, he looked like an energetic youth going shopping. He seemed oblivious to all of the arrows that could kill him in seconds. He simply gazed around at the view, “I came for myself. Your Majesty, I only came for some answers.”

  “F*ck answers!” The Pyramid King suddenly pressed the arrow against the girl’s face. “Kneel or I’m going to put a hole in her head!” He was not planning on making the monster surrender by just using this girl, but there was something between him and the monster, and with her in his hands, the monster would not dare to take a risk. The Pyramid King just wante
d the monster to be shaken up. Even just a little bit would give him a chance.

  The Pyramid King’s hand twitched behind his back. The small movement was a command. Behind the youth, a shadow crept forward soundlessly. He pulled the dark green dagger out a little. This was the Pyramid King’s best assassin, a hitman hired with a fortune. The assassin had come from faraway Persia. He had taken medicine since childhood to make his bones strong but light. His body was as soft as cotton, but his inhumane training had made him impossibly strong. He could easily kill a tiger in the darkness.

  With someone like him, the Pyramid King had no worries, of course. He never had to fear powerful enemies. He only had to worry about people who used dirty tricks like him. What was a dark musician to him? As long as the musician was distracted and his spirit shaken, he could die just as easily from a blade to the heart.

  But contrary to his expectations, the shadowy gentleman laughed coldly. He did not even glance at the girl. The cold eyes under the shadow of the hat looked at Sam as if looking at an insect. There was a nuance of pity.

  “I told you, it’s best if you don’t do that.” Ye Qingxuan stumped the cane slightly, and a vague strumming sounded in the air. A cacophony of piercing noise followed the pounding of the cane against the ground. The sharpness pierced through everyone’s eardrums, making their vision blur.

  But the man behind Ye Qingxuan, who had crept over soundlessly and pulled out his blade, started shaking. It was as if his organs suddenly started tearing. His muscles jumped, trying to leave his body, and his veins writhed. The hallucinatory pain attacked without warning. He fell to the ground, shaking and crying out in pain.

  The man curled into a ball in pain, not even knowing that he had sliced himself with his own dagger. As he shook, his joints rubbed against each other. His bones had started to lock up.

  The man had wanted to make a sneak attack, but he did not know that with Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, the surrounding aether acted as Ye Qingxuan’s eyes when he was on guard. The theory of three hundred and sixty degree vision had confused Ye Qingxuan for a long time. He still was not used to it. The legends of how a musician’s power would multiply with a good instrument was no lie.

  Sensing that someone was approaching, Ye Qingxuan quickly moved his tired mind and performed the third measure of Black Friday. He controlled the assassin’s senses, inflicting the burning hallucinatory pain on him!

  In the end, the man shrunk to the size of a dwarf, and continued to writhe with difficulty. Veins pulsed on his face like a living organism. He stared up at the Pyramid King in despair. His mouth opened but he could not speak, only making high-pitched gibberish. Chills ran down everyone’s spines. They finally understood what had happened to Kruger.

  “Kill him, kill him!” Sam shrieked. His men tried to shoot, but they realized that they could not move their fingers no matter what.

  Sam’s shrieking broke off, his voice caught in his throat. His body was no longer under his control. The dark melody rushed in like a river. It dug into their limbs, flowing through their mind, taking away all reason. And then it brought hellish pain.

  Under the shadow of the hat, veins bulged painfully on the youth’s face. The extreme performance was pushing his limits. The melody that was meant to be used on one person had been expanded to influence a dozen people. It was just to provoke their negative feelings, but it had surpassed his abilities. Thankfully he was prepared.

  Behind his back, Ye Qingxuan pressed the button on the Double Snake Time Meter. He chanted, “All is dark. Only the Tree of Life is forever green.” Instantly, a crisp rhythm sounded in his ear, lifting up his dazed mind, erasing the fatigue and pain. He became more in tune with his spirit than before. The sensitivity of his perception suddenly doubled, making him feel as if he had expanded. The three hundred and sixty degree vision freed him from his body. He rose into the air and looked down at the thugs drowning in pain.

  The difficult performance had changed too. Now it was as easy as rowing a boat along with the current of the water. With doubled sense and manipulation, Ye Qingxuan’s power soared to the limit of the Rhythm level. Guided by the melody, the aether transformed into nonexistent fire and blades, putting his enemies through hellish pain.

  —

  Ye Qingxuan was only able to continue this all-powerful hallucination for a few seconds. but these short seconds felt like an eternity to the Pyramid King. The unprecedented pain pushed him to the brink of sanity. When the melody suddenly ended, he screamed as if waking from a nightmare and stumbled back. The girl in his arms had had enough. Jumping up, she slammed an elbow into him and stole the bow, aiming at his forehead. She kicked his crotch angrily, causing his eyes to bulge, and he rolled on the ground in pain.

  “That’s for grabbing my hair! That’s for pinching my cheeks!” Venting her anger, Bai Xi kicked him and prodded his forehead before retreating behind Ye Qingxuan. Close up, she could see the veins at the corner of Ye Qingxuan’s eyes and his trembling hands. Panic flashed through her eyes. She wanted to say something, but then saw his glance. Understanding his plan, she did not reveal any panic.

  “I surrender…” Sam, panting on the ground, lifted his head and glared at Ye Qingxuan. “Do whatever you want to me. But don’t think I’ll just obediently wait for death. My men will avenge my death, even if you kill me. You won’t be able to leave here unscathed.”

  “Oh, really?” Looking down at him, Ye Qingxuan laughed lightly. He taunted, “Your Majesty, why are you asking for death so impatiently? Didn’t I say before that I’m just here for some answers? If you answer me truthfully, I might let you live. Of course, if you don’t cooperate, I won’t let you die either. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Sam’s expression changed. He understood Ye Qingxuan: if he was not willing to cooperate, he would experience something more painful than death. He believed this completely. After all, he had just experienced hellish torture.

  “Do you swear?” Sam studied the shadow suspiciously. He was terrified, but he still had to grasp the last lifeline. “You want to know? I can tell you everything I know.”

  “You surrender as soon as you hear that you can live?” The shadow scoffed, “As expected of the Pyramid Scheme.”

  The Pyramid King’s expression was shameless, as if it was how things ought to be, “As if you’d let me go if I was brave?”

  The shadow laughed but did not reply. He asked, “I heard that there was a big commotion in downtown a few days ago. To be honest, I want more details. Would you like to tell me?”

  “You’re here for the white-haired kid too?” The Pyramid King seemed to suddenly see the light. “You’re here for the Blood Path too!”

  “You’re the one answering me. Don’t get it wrong.” Ye Qingxuan’s voice turned icy.

  Though he did not get a reply, the Pyramid King was sure. What would make a dark musician ignore the authorities searching for him and come to Anglo’s capitol, other than King Arthur’s hidden treasures?!

  “My friend, have you decided?” The shadow looked at his pocket watch impatiently, “My time is precious. Don’t waste it.” With that, he moved to start the melody.

  “Wait, wait! I’ll talk!” The Pyramid King opened his mouth and spilled the beans on everything he knew. “Ten days ago, we heard a rumor. Avalon’s Shadow, which hid King Arthur’s hidden treasures, is going to wake. The Blood Path leading to it will be activated soon. Some said that the key to activating the path is on the white-haired kid.”

  Ye Qingxuan scoffed, “You believe this?”

  “To be honest, we don’t believe in Avalon’s Shadow. The rumor is strange. The first who spoke of it was the Professor. He wanted to have the kid all to himself and wouldn’t let anyone interfere. The Indians seemed to have concrete information from somewhere. They were willing to anger the Professor just to get the kid. The Lucos and Asgardians were just taking advantage of things…”

  “And what about you?”

  “We just do dirty work fo
r the elites. We don’t care about the Blood Path. Really!” the Pyramid King explained hurriedly. “But they seem to really care about this news and ordered us to make things messy. Another family also offered a reward to capture the kid.

  “The kid wants to kill their heir. They couldn’t influence the academy, so they offered one-hundred thousand pounds to kill the kid in the most painful way…”

  For an instant, like an illusion, Sam thought the shadow grew darker.

  “Which family?” the shadow asked coldly.

  Body trembling, the Pyramid King answered loudly, “Rossi, it’s the Rossi family!”

  Ye Qingxuan fell silent, his eyes grew cold. It was Edmund.

  115 Report Your Name

  Ye Qingxuan was furious. He did not care about being the key to Avalon’s Shadow now, only the fact that the Rossis had tried to hurt him and were now trying to kill him was enough to harden his eyes. It seemed that they wanted to force him into a dead end. But he did not remain silent for too long. He asked, “Then what about the Butcher?”

  There was an undertone of anger in his voice, causing the Pyramid King to misunderstand. He quickly shouted, “That’s the Professor’s fault! I swear, it has nothing to do with me. I just wanted the Eastern kid’s body, but that *ss hired the Butcher and escalated everything. It was ruined for everyone!”

  “Oh? Professor…” Testing the name out, Ye Qingxuan could not help but remember the beast that had terrorized him that day, and the robed shadow beside it. He was a musician too. He quickly thought of all connections but there was still something important lost in the fog. He could not connect it all together.

  “If you want to find the Blood Path, you should hurry…” The Pyramid King’s voice seemed to be happy at his misfortune, “We received news yesterday that the Shaman is back. He hates dark musicians. Once he gets into power, everyone who breaks the rules will be hung or drowned in the quagmire. It’ll be impossible for you to work downtown.” The Pyramid King paused. When he mentioned the name, fear flashed through his eyes, “Everyone is starting to panic now.”