by Feng Yue
Naberius continuously activated the alchemy equipment embedded into his flesh and let out music scores. He constructed a fortress around himself. Looking up at the youth with a halo of moonlight, his expression changed from shock to horror, ferocity, awe, marvel…until it finally turned to respect. No wonder Holmes was a genius that could be compared to him!
“What a pity.” Naberius’s flesh quickly recovered and his broken limb regenerated. Looking at Ye Qingxuan, he gritted his teeth and said hoarsely, “Such a pity!”
“What’s a pity?” The youth furrowed his brows.
“I feel pity for you.” Naberius smiled in rejoice and said with sincerity, “If you didn’t relax at that moment and used all the music scores in your instrument, I probably wouldn’t be able to fight anymore. No, if you used your best card, I’d definitely be destroy—” Here, Naberius’s smile suddenly froze. The last part of ‘destroyed’ was stuck in his throat.
“Wait, you…seem…” As if discovering something impossible, he gaped at Ye Qingxuan and stuttered, “Why do you always play and chant live? You never use scores stored in your instrument. Your best card… No, the level I could sense…this isn’t right! This is too unbelievable! This is…how can it be? It’s impossible! Impossible! Impossible!” He roared in confusion. Subconsciously grabbing at the newly-grown hair, his scalp turned bloody. His fingers and scalp scraped against each other with a jarring sound.
“How is this possible?”
Finally, he turned his head stiffly while convulsing and looked at Ye Qingxuan. His eyes were huge and bloodshot. They practically shone.
“I finally understand, Mr. Holmes. You really impress me. No, you’re a once-in-a-lifetime, no, hundred…once-in-a-millennium genius!” he cried as if going crazy. Pointing at Ye Qingxuan, he cackled wildly. “The enemy I’ve been battling for all this time isn’t even an official musician?” Losing all sanity, Naberius laughed so hard he was crying.
“What a joke! The infamous Vengeful Spirit of Avalon that had purified countless demons and dark musicians isn’t even an official musician! Dear lord, I used compare you to myself but now I realize that I’m nothing compared to you! Even at my current state, I can’t be compared to you.”
He gazed at Ye Qingxuan fervently. He lowered his head and, casting aside the fact that they were enemies or that they were at vastly different levels, he performed the most sublime rite.
“Mr. Holmes, please allow me to offer you my highest respect. Your talent has caused me to realize my weakness for the first time in my life. Right now, I am…shedding tears because of the talent you have shown!”
Naberius lowered his head. Bloody tears rolled past his cheeks and fell onto the floor. “It’s really such a pity and such cruelty that someone like you cannot become my companion. Why did God allow me to enter this world and meet you? Why were we forced into such different and incompatible grounds?”
He choked as he sobbed. The aether around him lifted like furious winds. The crazed power broke through the shell of his body. It burned with aggressive light, almost suffocating Ye Qingxuan. Despite Naberius’ weak words, the power coming from him was terrifyingly strong.
Cracks even appeared in the walls around them. The surrounding objects had started breaking apart. Naberius also swelled as his flesh expanded. When he raised his head, the now-inhuman face was still filled with respect and solemnity.
“Now, let me use my strongest power to end you! Let me give you a battle you will not regret! A battle that fits your status even if you go to Hell…”
No, I won’t blame you if you go easy on me! I wish we can go back to how things were and start over, Ye Qingxuan yelled in his mind.
However, Naberius had already started his final transformation. A vertical pupil had grown on his forehead at some time. It was filled with endless satanic craze. This was the manifestation of Hyakume.
An identical face appeared on the back of his head. It chanted the same poem—this was the talent given by the natural catastrophe Sukuna. Black scales sprouted throughout his body. Each one shone with the light of the night sky. One could see that blood no longer flowed in his bulging veins. Instead, it was a fluid that looked like mercury.
Every time he had a new transformation, Ye Qingxuan felt more pain. In the end, he was completely numb. How many satanic gods did this f*cking psychotic motherf*cker sign with?!
Naberius finally revealed his true nature. He was not a human anymore—he was a beast with six sides! Six different Resonance level aether waves crashed around him, practically asphyxiating Ye Qingxuan.
“I haven’t had this feeling in a long time,” Naberius growled. He clenched his fist and sparks flew from his fingers. “Let us begin now.”
“Wait!” Before him, Ye Qingxuan suddenly raised his hand. “We’re going to fight anyway so can you answer some of my questions first? At least let me die without confusion.”
Naberius laughed heartily. “You think I’m those villains from stories that talk for a long time instead of killing the main character, giving him time to turn the tides?”
Ye Qingxuan’s face twitched.
“I am,” Naberius stated, causing the youth to blanch. “For people like us who pursue the absolute choice, the only thing worse than death is dying with confusion, right? Due to my respect for you, you can ask me anything. If I cannot answer, I will not. If I can, I will tell you everything.
“If you have any other tricks, please try them. If your intelligence and talent can turn the tides in such a disadvantageous situation, I will lose without complaint. I am wholeheartedly willing to be the stepping stone for someone like you.”
In other words, after the question, he would fight without mercy or holding back. He would fight with death as his goal.
So…
Please describe the biography of a saint of Anglo’s diplomatic history using ten thousand words? He obviously could not ask such a question to make more time for himself. What if Naberius decided to just kill him?
He still needed to hold onto this sudden chance. The gears in Ye Qingxuan’s mind turned. Finally, he uttered the biggest question he had, “You all made such a big commotion in the Elizabeth Tower. Weren’t you afraid of attracting Mordred? Or were you confident in winning?”
“Mordred?” Naberius was stunned. He did not expect Ye Qingxuan to ask this question. A secretive smile appeared on the inhuman face. “Why should we be careful of something that…was never there?”
“Was never…there?” Ye Qingxuan froze and his face slacked. “It doesn’t exist?”
“Correct. Arthur’s descendant, the traitor who stabbed him in the legends…never existed. The supposed achievement was just a legend created by poets and authors!” Naberius casually stated something completely different from history. His expression was cold and grave. “Mordred died when he was still in the womb!”
“Impossible!” Ye Qingxuan retorted reflexively.
“Why is it impossible?” Naberius’s eyes were cold. “His mother was killed when she was still pregnant. Some said that Arthur suspected his queen was unfaithful but Mordred was undoubtedly King Arthur’s son. This much is definite. However, he was not human. He was the inheritor of the cursed blood and his blood was more powerful than his father’s!
“He would be born a demon. His mere existence represented that King Arthur was tainted and was proof he had fallen. Arthur would never allow him to live in this world. And so Mordred was killed in his mother’s womb, dug out, and burned for seven days, mourned for seven days, and finally sealed under this Elizabeth Tower for eternity.”
Naberius looked at the youth’s shocked expression and extended his arms, sweeping at his surroundings. “So many years of resentment. That child is still submerged in lycoris flower solution, not decaying for eternity and singing every night. Mr. Holmes, have you heard his song?”
The song that haunted his ears sounded again, sending chills down Ye Qingxuan’s spine.
290 I Have a Killer Weapon…<
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The boy’s voice sang the quiet song from the deepest darkness of the white tower. The song resounded within the dark city, snaking into everyone’s ears.
“The king and his helpers kidnapped the queen, imprisoning her in dreams… We have power and the sea so which direction should we wander? Oh ho, millions of pairs of hands raise the sails high. Pull, the thieves and beggars, we’ll have eternal life… The bell has already rung in the cemetery. Did you hear the eerie song? Respond to our calls, the blood debt will be paid… Oh ho, raise the sails, we’ll return home. Pull, the thieves and beggars, we will be immortal in death…”
Immortal in death!
Ye Qingxuan gritted his teeth. “What exactly are you planning to do?”
“That’s a second question, Mr. Holmes.” Naberius clenched his fist. A majestic melody resounded around him, calling for power from the deep abyss. “Unfortunately, you don’t get any more answers! So let us fight!”
Boom! A wind tunnel opened behind Ye Qingxuan. It hung above his head like a black vortex. The moonlight flickered like a candle in the wind. Once again, he almost suffocated from the power.
“Wait!” His face white, he raised his hand for a time out. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out, “Mr. Naberius, I advise you to stop when you still can. I still have a killer weapon hidden. I hope you won’t force me to use it.”
“Oh? Please take it out.” Naberius laughed heartily with a joyous expression. “Now, I’ll believe you even if you say you learned destructive scores like Genesis or Ode to Joy! Is your best card Fate which the average person cannot understand? Or is it Ride of the Valkyries? Or is it Symphony No. 1819?”
“Naberius, those that you mentioned don’t have true power.” A sliver of regret flashed through Ye Qingxuan’s eyes as he sighed. “The thing more powerful than music scores is…calling for help. Butcher, get him!”
Roar! A thunderous roar exploded in the air. A chainsaw appeared out of thin air. The crude yet sharp blade was covered with layers of dried blood and shining music notes. When the raised chainsaw sliced down, it practically ripped the air. It left behind a thick bloody gash in its path. Blood spread through the air like ink and transformed into various youthful faces.
A river-like roaring sounded; it was the sound of blood pulsing through veins. The thunderous bursts transformed into a rhythm; it was the echo of an enormous heart beating heavily. There seemed to be devil bathing in lava and singing happily under the crazed melody.
“God, please give me mercy. I kneel in the river of souls, attempting to wash away the dirtiness. God, please give me salvation. I am waist-deep in curses. Can you hear my pleas? God, please give me your blessing. I am neck-deep in blood. I beg for relief…”
And so the countless faces in the bloody cloud laughed and replied, “Lalala~ lalala~ lalala~”
Within an instant, the chainsaw appeared behind Naberius. There was a roar, it swelled, and it fell down!
The protective enchantments crumbled. The defensive music scores were useless. The wind tunnel that reached into the abyss was split cleanly into two by the bone saw. The overlapping music notes on the blade shone brilliantly, crushing the fine and majestic music theory; unable to heal, it broke apart completely.
Naberius’ expression changed drastically. He dodged quickly but the saw had already scraped past the face on the back of his head. It hacked down the middle, leaving an ugly wound that extended to his waist. It practically dug his spine out.
Something sharp flashed past Naberius’ eyes. Mercury-like blood flowed out of the wound. The blood contained countless aetheric changes. They revealed different properties, such as earth, water, fire, and wind. Leaving his body, the power in his blood fought against each other with destructive strength.
However, the bone saw abruptly pulled back and blocked the blood’s path. When the blood sprayed onto the saw, they were battled down by the aggressive music theory within the saw.
Shattered pieces of bloody mist flew and burned like fire. When they attached onto something, half of a menacing silhouette appeared. It was like a dragon hiding in gray clouds—it only revealed half a claw and more dangerous objects hidden in the darkness.
Even though it was attacked, its disguise was still intact. This was the highest level of Illusion scores. Its effect has entered the rules of nature through resonance. This was at least at the Distortion level!
“When…” Naberius scurried back, trembling with chills.
“Since the beginning,” Ye Qingxuan stated coolly. “You practically creamed me last time. Did you think that I wouldn’t have learned my lesson?”
Lola had put the highest level illusion onto the Butcher so he could follow Ye Qingxuan into Avalon’s Shadow. The Shaman paid for the Butcher’s fee and the materials needed for the illusion. Not only did Ye Qingxuan have a helper, he also helped the profiteer Lola earn some extra pocket money.
He had hired the Butcher this time just to deal with Naberius and the Robin. He had fooled everyone by hiding him. Other than at the entrance of the tower, the Butcher did not do anything else.
Ye Qingxuan had not asked for help even when he was close to dying. The Butcher had been calmly watching by the side too. He had hidden his murderous intent while watching Ye Qingxuan practically get killed. It was as if he had not existed. But now, he burst into action and practically dazed Naberius with one strike. However, the Butcher was still hidden in the emptiness. He only revealed fleeting and terrifying shadows.
This beast was wearing armor like the archangel armor. However, the armor was black and much bigger and menacing. As if it was made of sharp raw metal, it spewed out scalding evaporated gas as he moved. The sharp sound melded into the music scores on his body, causing the singing to grow more frenzied. One could make out the emblem that had been scraped away on the shoulder of the armor.
“St. George’s Spear? This armor is from…the Dragonriders?” Clenching his jaw, Naberius forced out a smile. “I know you. You’re the Butcher…haha! I didn’t expect to see the results that Gaius had left behind! It seems that you’ve been transformed many times, right? How much demon blood do you have in you? You look more like a beast than I do now…”
The Butcher remained silent. Mournful red light shone from the eyes under the helmet. There was the sound of metal scraping, like a sword being unsheathed. The silhouette of a huge blade appeared in the air. The chaotic aether waves on the blade could barely remain hidden by the illusion.
Merely its appearance could make any living thing feel the pain of its flesh separating from bone. The bone saw and blade knocked against each other crisply like a beast lusting for blood’s gratification.
The thin youth raised his hand before the Butcher’s fierce silhouette. He steadied his hat and revealed his taunting eyes. “Using your words…next, let us fight!” As soon as he spoke, the halo of moonlight brightened and the cold light bathed the surroundings. The Butcher roared and charged with the youth.
Naberius growled angrily. His two faces chanted simultaneously, the muscles on his spine writhed, and his two hands shot out. It was hard to fight against two enemies so he added another pair of hands!
Blades of wind and swords of fire materialized in his hands. Destructive light surged around him. He guided the aether and darkness flowed like a tide. Power from the abyss re-appeared, transforming him into the physical incarnate of destruction.
The originally vast room began extremely cramped in this terrifying battle. Within a few rounds, it was already covered in traumata and broken walls. Naberius had been smashed into the freezing storage room and began to fight amongst the rotten food!
The Butcher countered Naberius’ strength directly. He had been the best fighter of the Dragonriders and fought with natural catastrophes. Now, this executioner released the wild power from before. Under Hermes’s customized armor, his blood flowed like lava, turning him into a beast.
A beast fighting a beast!
A demon killing a demon!
Amidst the illogically-powerful battle, everything between them broke, shattered, crumbled, and turned to dust.
Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop!
Even the recruiter Ye Qingxuan had never seen the Butcher fight with his all before. Naberius retreated continuously under the wild power. However, Ye Qingxuan’s floating moonlight continued to help the Butcher. Moonlight stretched from his body and latched onto the Butcher and Naberius.
He read, analyzed, reacted, decoded…he saw each and every move from the two and added his own strength when needed. Moonlight, thunder, hallucination, hints…
The relentless power was an obstacle for Naberius. The endless eroding moonlight caused him to struggle. How was this an exhilarating fight? This was torturous like being skinned alive slowly.
He grew furious. Everyone who fought against Ye Qingxuan had felt the same pain. It was like sinking into a quagmire. No amount of power was effective. Under the relentless attacks, he retreated gradually. He could only watch as he sank powerlessly and slowly into the quicksand.
Suddenly standing still, he forced the Butcher back and roared to the air. His voice contained the calls from the abyss and it spread instantly. He rang the black bell in his hand.
“Which demon are you trying to call?” Ye Qingxuan knew what he wanted to do. “It’s useless!”
Rather than retreating, he grasped this chance and charged with the Butcher again. He completely controlled the rhythm of the fight now.
Naberius froze. He rang the bell again but Malpas did not appear no matter how the bell echoed.
Seeing his confused eyes, Ye Qingxuan smirked. “Did you notice that…today’s moon is really big and really round?”
The Blue Moon hung high outside the hole in the wall. Like water, the moonlight turned this world into an ocean. If one looked from the ‘bottom of the sea,’ one would discover that ripples of light appeared above the ‘sea,’ above the layers of clouds.