by Feng Yue
For a moment, the Professor froze. Ye Qingxuan let out a sigh of relief, but suddenly, a bout of dizziness attacked him. A memory surged from the depths of his brain uncontrollably. There was the snow, the burning huts and flames that evaporated his tears.
“Little Yezi, don’t be afraid,” someone whispered in his ear. “Don’t be afraid…”
Ye Qingxuan’s body stiffened, his vision darkened, and the feeling in his limbs and body was being sapped quickly. He finally understood that the blade and notes were just a cover-up. The Professor’s true weapon was the melody produced when the blade vibrated! He had hid the music in the piercing scream!
But this stiffness was particularly familiar. Memories of guilt flashed constantly in his brain. He could hardly breathe, as if he was going to drown in the black river. Visual distortion, olfactory interference, body sensory deprivation, auditory control… This was…this was…this was Black Friday?!
It suddenly dawned on him. He gaped at the Professor before him. They were drowning in the black river they called forth for each other. Then, it was the same action again. They reversed the melody, undid the intervals and control, dispelled the effects. In the end, they got out of the abnormal state of mind at the same time.
Coincidentally, they attempted to attack first to occupy the upper hand at the same time, but were both forced back. They stared at each other with vigilance.
“Ye Qingxuan?” The Professor’s voice drifted into his ear with the wind. “…It really is you?”
Ye Qingxuan’s pupils contracted instantly. “Who are you?!”
The Professor was silent for a moment, and could not help but chuckle softly. “Who am I? Who else can I be? I am just a homeless demon.”
He raised his fingers and lifted the hooded hood. The illusion of darkness dissipated and, for the first time, he revealed his true appearance.
At that moment, Ye Qingxuan heard the sound of his jaw drop. He almost thought that he was in another illusion. The criminal think-tank of Avalon, the shadow and demon musician of downtown, Professor Lord Moriarty…was a woman?
It was not a big deal that the Professor was a woman. What was unbelievable was that he had seen this charming and beautiful face before!
“This is the true face of the Professor. How is it, my ‘old friend’?” On that slightly pale face, her eyes were like the shadow of the moonlight. They gazed silently at the youth before her, and her thin red lips curled into a smile of delight. One had to admit that she was indeed the most beautiful woman Ye Qingxuan ever seen in his life. Just a smile could make people distracted and unable to look away.
“How can it be you?” Ye Qingxuan muttered, but the misty illusion gathered again and recovered the face.
“I think we have more important things to focus on than this, right?” She sighed, looking toward the door of the laboratory. There, roars had gotten closer. The destructive melody played by the Royal Music Division was already clear in their ears.
The flames, rays, and frost of the School of Modifications tore through the layers of barriers, and kept marching toward the core. The fierce phantom beasts of the School of Summoning followed closely behind, killing all living creatures in their way.
The scent of blood in the air thickened as they killed everything they in their path. No matter if it was a mad mutant or an innocent doctor, all were taken care of in the same way. This was the so called “extermination order” given by the royal family, and this decree of destruction was only enacted to clean up polluted villages and towns. Appearing here today, the royal family must have really wanted to eradicate them.
“I’m starting to regret not killing you.” She glanced at Ye Qingxuan. “Now it’s too late to leave.”
“There’s eighteen of them.” Ye Qingxuan emitted the perception threads to detect and had roughly pinpointed their location before the line was interrupted by turbulence. His eyebrows slowly furrowed.
That group of people was really cruel. They did not miss a single inch. It seemed there were Revelations musicians as the conductors as they were not affected by the complex crossroads or the dark surroundings at all.
The eighteen of them were divided into six teams. Each team leader exuded strong aetheric fluctuations. There were also three Resonance level musicians who had breached the Barrier of Knowledge. This lineup, enough to destroy a town, had scorched every inch of the place.
“I’m afraid there’s more than that.” The Professor shook her head and looked up at the shattered dome overhead. “The robin’s people dared carry out a blood sacrifice in this Asylum, so I’m afraid they worked out the method to deal with the Royal musicians…”
Before she could finish her words, a drop of black mud fell from the broken openings of the dome. The thumb-size droplets of mud fell on the ground, squelching. Mud splattered on the ground, forming a palm-sized stain. But something seemed to be squirming vaguely in the stain. As if this were a cave that lead to darkness, a foul wind blew from the stain, bringing the wailing hymn.
This was the first drop, followed by the second, the third…until it began to fall like rain. The strange ‘mud’ quick seeped from, not just the cracks, but also the floor, and crevices in the walls…If this did not stop, they would soon have no place to stand!
“It has begun.” The Professor’s eyes grew cold. “The Elegy Memorial.”
171 There Should Be Moonligh
“Strum the instrument and sing the mournful song with me!” In the hidden room, Red Eye’s head hovered in the air. There seemed to be snakes writhing under his twisted features, and they changed constantly. Before him, the sharp sacred music appeared from the ancient scroll and resounded in the darkness. Waves of hoarse singing followed immediately in the darkness.
In the faraway “warehouse,” countless empty metal hooks on the ceiling shook…there was nothing there already! Those dead corpses had already started moving again! They crawled, writhed, walked and grouped outside the central security room, pacing through the complex underground palace. Without exception, all of their eyes turned blood red!
When the hymn sounded, all of the corpses began trembling. They turned toward the direction of the sacred scroll in unison. Their red eyes shone with fiery light as if they had been ignited.
The shrill hymn echoed in every corner. Under the music, the corpses raised their heads and opened their mouths, singing the fallen hymn in unison.
This choir of the dead—choir from Hell—hidden in the darkness was the result of Red Eye’s longtime experimentation. He did not care about his physical body because each of these mutants could become his new body. Now, his consciousness jumped out of his shell and flowed in these innumerable bodies. Under his control, the thousands of people were like one.
They sang hoarsely, “Strum the instrument and sing the mournful song with me!” When the song resounded in the darkness, every Royal Musician looked up abruptly. They saw the shapeless darkness above their heads writhe. An open mouth seemed to form and chant the destructive hymn.
“The wheel of fate turns heartlessly. Destruction falls and pain is here! Do not hesitate now. The most courageous warrior has already collapsed under fate and is crying in pain. Offer petty alms, but for the extortion of greed…”
The Carmina Burana which required dozens of musicians to perform together was now produced by thousands of mouths howling, murmuring, and harmonizing. The fallen hymn moved the darkness and ignited the mercury runes carved into the layers of stone tiles.
In an instant, nightmarish fog poured out of thin air and swallowed the entire hospital. In the darkness, the silhouettes of countless demons danced. They wailed, impatiently waiting to take over the flesh and become substantial.
In the underground palace, mud dripped from the ceiling. A Royal Musician that was raiding outside felt something cold drip onto his neck. He wiped it away, but the squirming mud spread on his hand. The mud shot up his shoulder and burrowed into his heart, traveling through his blood. The flesh and bones
in its path were turned into pure blackness.
He yelped and stumbled back. When his companions looked over, they saw him holding onto the wall and vomiting.
“Asa, what’s wrong?” A musician raised his lantern to illuminate the man.
“I—I’m fine.” With his back to the others, Asa shook his head. He wiped away the mud at the corner of his lips and breathed with difficulty. But an empty smile appeared on that stiff face. “I’m just…a little hungry.”
Outside the central security room, layers of blood-red music notes and scores appeared on the walls and dome. It was as if hemp and rattan were entangled with each other.
The darkness swallowed everything, turning the underground maze into something otherworldly. It was isolated from the outside world! This was the song of despair dedicated to fate. It was the ceremony of death dedicated to Satan.
The entire underground palace was now a giant quagmire. Everyone in it had sank and was struggling. They struggled with all their might, but all that awaited them was hopelessness.
-
“Just immerse yourselves in hunger. Tonight, you can feast here. Everything here is an offering to Hyakume!” The robin gripped his half of the sign. His eyes were eerie and devoid of any pity, but when he looked at the two incoming figures, he felt slightly unsettled. These two—Holmes and Moriarty—must be killed!
“Red Eye, first corrode the two in the final laboratory. The sign must be in our hands!”
Red Eye closed his eyes and his sleeves shook before him. The hymn rippled and the dark mud moved under his control. It was as if the walls had turned into an angry current. It rushed toward the final laboratory instantly.
-
In the laboratory, the sticky black mud surged from cracks in the ceiling, floor, and walls. They transformed and corroded every living thing in its path.
Ye Qingxuan retreated slowly, but the mud was closing in on him. It radiated with a corrosive strength that made his vision go black faintly. Even the tiniest bit on him would have bad results. Now, there was no way for him to leave.
The phrase “no road towards the heavens, no door toward Hell” was probably made to describe these kinds of situations, right?
“I was too bold.” He chewed on his lips and his brows furrowed. “Miss Professor, can you not space out now? We can talk about our matter and who the sign belongs to later. But now, do you have any idea how to let us get out of here?”
“Huh, even Holmes is powerless now?” The Professor chuckled, as if she were happy that Ye Qingxuan was lowering himself. “I have an idea. I’ll tell you if you beg me.”
“Okay.” Ye Qingxuan fluttered his lashes and gazed at her with innocent eyes. “Sister, please…”
“…” The Professor heard his plea, but she did not feel proud at all. Instead, there seemed to be something caught in her throat. “Don’t you have any dignity?”
“It’s just asking someone for help. There’s nothing to do with dignity. Life is precious and begging someone isn’t too bad.” Ye Qingxuan turned. He punched the ground and the vibrations forced the incoming mud back, keeping this small space temporarily. “I’ve done much more lowly things to survive. If you want to see me humiliated, you’ll be disappointed.”
“…” Gazing at his backside, the Professor fell silent, but the look in her eyes was complicated. She could not help but sigh. “Since you know Black Friday, do you know Moonlight, the advanced movement?”
“It’s in my head, but I can’t play it.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “That’s a Resonance level movement. I can somewhat read the overture, but I don’t understand it.”
“What about Jiu Xiao Huan Pei?”
“…It’s here.” Ye Qingxuan raised his hand and showed her the instrument that was now a ring.
The Professor smiled. “Then, do you want to go into Coherence?” She looked into the youth’s eyes as if wanting to find the hidden fear. “If you want to leave this place, I can give you some energy. But aren’t you scared of being sucked dry by a demonic musician like me?”
Ye Qingxuan was silent for a moment. Then he gripped her hand. Her hand was soft and cool, but it was not frightening. Instead, it felt familiar. There was that feeling of familiarity again…
“Okay,” he said quietly.
“Let’s have a moment of silence for your choice.” She licked her lower lip and chuckled. “Falling into my hands is worse than death.”
Ye Qingxuan closed his eyes, letting her do whatever she needed to. He could feel a cold finger flitting across his neck, bringing a cold feeling. Then sharp teeth sank into his skin, piercing his blood vessel. His life was being sucked.
He could feel his blood being sucked continuously. A strong emptiness appeared in his heart, but Ye Qingxuan still did not feel shocked. He began playing Bolero again, taking in the water vapor and forming perception threads. The threads wrapped around the Professor and entered her body.
For the first time, he could sense the aether in her body. In an instant, his pupils dilated. “This is your sound of heart?”
-
It was as if he was listening to the morning tide crash onto the shore. The waves overlapped into a symphony. The roaring music filled his ears and the world quieted down. This was her sound of heart!
The sound rushed into Ye Qingxuan’s body through the perception threads. His vision went black, and the hallucination of endless ocean waves appeared before his eyes. He was practically drowning.
“Cleanse your soul.” The Professor embraced Ye Qingxuan from behind. Her voice, gentle and delicate, murmured in his ears, “Awaken Jiu Xiao Huan Pei and I’ll cooperate with you.”
The waves changed. Her sound of heart was tuned to Ye Qingxuan’s fluctuations.
He felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless sea, falling, falling, falling to the deepest part of the sea…
The sound of heart resounded in his body; the sound of tidal waves flowed endlessly to his fingertips. Burning light radiated from the instrument string and it vibrated without stop! Finally, it let out a crisp sound—a beautiful sound, but in actuality, a weapon responsible for life and death!
“Long time no see, Jiu Xiao Huan Pei.” Ye Qingxuan opened his eyes. Waves were reflected in his eyes. He looked down at the entangled strings around his body. They silver-white strings crisscrossed in the air, but the beginnings and ends could not be seen, as if they had stretched out from nothingness. After such a long time, Jiu Xiao Huan Pei had expanded fully once again.
His strength back then was incomparable to the Professor’s sound of heart. The forgotten jewel had finally revealed its true power. Ye Qingxuan only had to lightly touch it for all the mud around them to start shaking. The crisscrossed strings strummed, resonating with each other, and produced a clear sound that entered every pore.
Tuning with the perception threads and blood, Ye Qingxuan seemed to turn into the Professor and looked down at the world with her eyes. He could hear the waves in the darkness, the old song under the earth, the clanging of clouds rubbing in the sky…and his own heartbeat, now beating to the same rhythm as the Professor’s.
He could hear her breaths, the sound of blood flowing in her veins and the unclear melody she was humming. It was the melody—the familiar music score—carved into his mind.
“Is this Moonlight?” he murmured. With his eyes closed, he strummed the instrument.
In the sea of aether, ripples spread in all directions, brewing with immense power. In that instant, Ye Qingxuan forgot everything. The moment he pressed down the first note, his heart and mind were completely taken over by the music score in his memory. As if the music had come to life, Jiu Xiao Huan Pei expanded as he played. It guided his consciousness, controlled his body, and performed the cold and sparse music!
Ye Qingxuan lowered his eyes, focused completely and immersed in the incredible power—immersed in Moonlight. There should be moonlight.
-
In the dark underground palace, the chaotic hymn of t
housands of demons roaring had reached its climax. The solidified pieces of darkness contained power from Satan and extreme evil and wildness. Contact with a bit of it would cause it to invade one’s body, tainting the blood, burrowing into the lungs, polluting the mind, turning a human into a demon, twisting all reason into insanity.
The changing mud transformed into countless distorted figures. They walked through the underground palace, singing the crazed hymn in unison. Under the song’s influence, everyone turned wild. They could no longer restrain the irritation and anger within them. Some had already lost control…
But a gentle sound appeared over the shrill and cacophonous hymn. No one knew where it came from, but it echoed throughout the underground palace. It was as if a small white dot had appeared in the black mud. It was extremely glaring and strange.
In the hidden room, Red Eye furrowed his brows. He conducted the hymn and began the climax again, trying to destroy all resisting sounds. The fanatic hymn drowned the melody, but when it reached the peak, the cool melody reappeared. In fact, it had strengthened, and was brewing…
“What is this?” Red Eye murmured, opening his sole eye. In that eye, a sliver of light shone in the empty darkness.
There was light.
His head flew up and he looked in the direction of the central security room. There, the cool music was rising as if the long brewing process had finally ended. The rise and fall of tidal waves were crashing down on the wild hymn!
In an instant, the angry rhythm was interrupted. A blank space appeared in the shrill chorus of the countless zombies! And then, a beam of light shone through the darkness.
“What the f*ck?!” Red Eye roared. He extended his perception in that direction and used the zombies’ eyes to gaze into the mud-covered final laboratory.
He saw the darkness surging and tossing as if something huge was brewing within. It crashed against the locks repeatedly—it was about to burst out!
“Holmes? What is he doing?!” he muttered hoarsely. He tried to add more power into the locks, but the sudden change caught him off guard.