Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  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!

  371 Whale Fall

  Half an hour ago, the clattering of hooves sounded in the barren fields outside Auschwitz. A dark stallion walked through the field. The knight was covered in armor without an inch of skin showing. The heavy armor was created from hundreds of detailed yet hefty pieces. Rather than seeming fat and cumbersome on him, it looked like another layer of skin or a sharp skeleton outside the body. He carried a black kite shield covered in gashes and scratches. One could vaguely see the design of two keys.

  This was the representative of the Sacred City.

  The two overlapping keys represented the joining of heavenly and human power, expressing that the pope had indisputably high status.

  A bladeless sword hung at the knight’s waist. The hilt was narrow and all forty centimeters was pure black. It clanged against the leg armor as the stallion moved. The crisp sound seemed neither powerful nor fierce.

  “Sir, this way,” a fawning voice said. A ragged old man carried a lantern and walked quickly beside the horse, guiding it. “Sir, let me guide you.”

  The entire way, this old guy kept talking nonsense while the knight kept silent. The old man’s words were extremely dramatic. Even if he saw a crack, he would exclaim, “Ah, watch out, sir!” When the stallion crossed the crack, he would praise, “Sir, you are so impressive. You’ve worked hard!”

  The knight remained silent.

  In the still wilderness, the man and horse walked forward in solitude. After a long while, the knight suddenly stopped his steed. He looked down at the old man beside him. “Mr. Caligula.”

  The man halted and looked up. “Sir, how can I help you?”

  “Here will be enough.” The knight looked down at his small meter for a while before putting it away.

  Knowing his place, Caligula took a few steps back. The knight grasped his sword with both hands and raised it to his eyes. With a spin, a holy chime seemed to sound in the distance. Blazing flames rushed from the sword! The dark night was suddenly illuminated by the blinding light. The blade of flame that spanned countless meters rotated slowly. When it shot up to the sky, the blazing light swallowed the knight.

  Grasping the sword of light, he raised it to the sky. The blade flickered and changed its length to an unknown rhythm as if calling out to the distance. Then hundreds of thousands of whales started singing above the black clouds. It was a thunderous rumble from thousands of meters above the sky.

  The dust on the earth shook and hundreds of waves rippled through the sea-like clouds. Under this majestic thunder, fire was ignited above the blackness. It was as if hundreds of meteorites were burning and about to fall.

  The steel curtain of clouds was torn apart. A black shadow rode the flames and broke through the long night. It pressed down slowly and hung in the air.

  There were suddenly dozens of suns. Under the blazing light, the entire world was covered in a layer of silver white iron. Above the flames, a giant object covered the entire sky. The iron dazzled, turning the entire sky metallic.

  Like a group of whales, countless flying ships migrated from the endless sea and rode the wild wind into this wilderness. Using invisible technology and secret collaborations between alchemists from various countries, the Sacred City created this terrifying fleet that could soar through the skies. It was Knights Templar!

  Explosive thunder rumbled in the air. Among them, countless black dots fell from the largest Holy ship like rain. These were landing capsules that did not contain any deceleration measures. They crashed toward the earth, tearing the air apart. They burned red from the friction with whistles that sounded like roars. The earth shook. Rumbles sounded continuously like the wail from dying whales.

  It was the whale fall!

  As the world shook, a landing capsule landed before the knight. The cabin door opened, releasing scalding steam. A burly figure walked out of the white steam. He was covered entirely in solemn armor. The bronze and dark gold on him wove into a holy emblem. He looked like the iron men who guarded the throne in the Holy Temple. His servants walked out of the cabin and helped him put on the heavy chainsaw sword and large shield.

  The iron knight stood on the wilderness under the blazing light, casting a vast shadow on the earth. Before him, the guidance knight lowered onto one knee. He lowered his head with the respect of a follower to a god.

  “His Excellency Bann,” he reported solemnly. “I await your orders.”

  The iron giant slowly opened his mask, revealing a coldly handsome face. He nodded slowly and looked over. “Elder Caligula.”

  “I’m here, here!” The old man came over and put on a smile. “My lord, how can I help you?”

  “Before coming, his majesty the Pope requested for me to take the utmost care for everything related to Auschwitz and to not harm the innocent. However, we arrived too late.” Bann looked behind him to the city covered in darkness. “Do you have any suggestions now?”

  “How can an old guy like me have any suggestions?” Caligula shrugged. “We’ve been watched by dark musicians for so many years. Isn’t Knights Templar here to save us now? I have nothing to say. I hope that you can act without holding back.”

  Bann looked down at him. “Even if we kill all Romulusians who had turned into demons?”

  “Sir, that’s nothing,” Caligula said softly as he bent over. “With something like war, casualties must happen. If my family and brethren can break free from the natural catastrophe, then all sacrifices are worth it. I just hope the Sacred City can remember our sacrifices.”

  “Of course, all sacrifices should be remembered.” Bann gave him one last glance. “But I hope you understand that you won’t be the only one making sacrifices.” He turned and gazed at the dark city in the distance. He raised his sword; the chainsaw blade shone with the light of god.

  “Holy Choir, ready!” he commanded gravely.
His voice was like steel and it echoed in the air. The iron whales responded one after another and shone.

  “Battle Mass!”

  The world was stifled. Under the solidified wind, a hoarse song began. This was a sacred song that announced the gospel from heaven. Thus, God’s apostle told the mortals, “I am here, not for peace, but to call you to arms.” Soon, God’s apostle would shake the heavens, earth, the sea, and the nations!

  A grand melody sounded along with the drums and instruments. It filled the air with bells and resounded in all directions. The bell at the peak of the Sacred City rang; countless bells followed. Ripples started in the aether sea.

  The bells traveled into the aether world, awakening the holy city within flames. In the sacred resting place, countless burning souls opened their eyes. They sang hoarsely and joined the majestic battle mass.

  In that moment, holy light fell upon the darkness in Auschwitz. A crack appeared in the black sky like a path to heaven. Thus, heavenly light shone under the Holy Choir’s grave singing!

  However, the glow was neither warm nor merciful. It was cold as steel and full of murder. The darkness began shaking under the light. Cracks appeared on the dark atrium from the holy light.

  The Garment of Original Sin was burning and crying out like countless dying demons. Between the sky and earth, between the light and darkness, a flat and blurry crack seemed to appear. This was the battlefield of countless music theories.

  The temperament was distorting; the boundary between existence and nonexistence was blurring. The foundation of the material world was torn apart and dragged into the aether current, dying in the quakes.

  The center of this was Auschwitz. The high walls shattered instantly, caving in, revealing the burning city.

  Countless figures soared into the sky instantly. The hiding dark musicians now went into coherence to fight against the battle mass. Immediately after, a wind tunnel from the abyss opened. The Dark Gaia’s flesh appeared from the ashes. It transformed into countless statues and rushed toward the Knights Templar fleet.

  Bann looked at the wailing city. He raised his hand and commanded, “Falling Star!”

  A roaring music score played under the help of Modifications musicians and alchemy arrays. The immense meteorites from the aether world came forth. They passed through the nine levels of the aether sea and crashed toward the material world.

  They passed through the dying ‘flesh enchantment’ and exploded with light! This was an attack that burned and killed everyone it touched. Everything was shrouded in destruction. Both friend and foe.

  “Yezi, I’m sorry…” Bann murmured. He pulled down his mask and climbed onto his steed under clangs. The war stallion whinnied. Sparks flew from its nostrils and its eyes were blood red. Its whinny sounded like a dragon’s roar.

  “Notify the second legion…” The chainsaw sword in Bann’s hand lit up in flames, transforming into the blade of God’s punishment. Hoisting it, he declared, “Prepare for Whale Fall!”

  Countless black dots fell from the fleets again like a thunderstorm. The Knights Templar descended from the sky. The moan of the Whale Fall filled the sky.

  God’s apostles had sounded the horn of slaughter!

  372 This Is War

  The moment the Garment of Original Sin tore apart, the dark atrium trembled. The invisible cage in the abyss was at the brink of collapse. A crack appeared and six beams of light shot into the sky. Within a few hours, Auschwitz turned from a barren city into Hell on Earth. The grandmasters gazed at the tragic state with furrowed brows. After closing their eyes and sensing, their faces darkened.

  “At least half are gone…”

  “I can’t sense Grandmaster Koch. He was probably slain.”

  “Is this Knights Templar from the Sacred City? Have they already started fighting? It’s too fast. The young musicians haven’t left yet!”

  The grandmasters exchanged glances. During their confusion, a bell rang vaguely. A light projected here from thousands of miles away, falling into the hands of the lead master. The blockade music theory came undid automatically. It attracted the aether and transformed into a scroll. The end was stamped with the Pope’s seal.

  “An order from the Sacred City?” Stunned, he looked up. Broadcasting his voice, he announced, “The order decrees for all nations and the Sacred City to call for all musicians. The trial’s goal has been changed: defeat the dark musicians, foil the plan of the natural catastrophe, and safeguard humanity from the Dark World!”

  The survivors who had been dumbfounded and helpless were now ecstatic. They quickly shrugged off their disguises to reveal their aether waves and approached the Knights Templar. They either went for protection or to join the battle.

  In the city, the dark musicians and knights fought furiously.

  The knight on the mountain outside the city galloped in on his eight-footed horse. Covered in armor, he lowered onto one knee in the bloody dirt before Bann. He looked extremely tragic. He reported something quietly. Bann nodded and waved. He turned and joined the battle again.

  Beside Bann, something downcast flashed past Caligula’s eyes. “Still haven’t found her?”

  “The knights have already searched within a hundred meter radius of the location you provided. Sadly, they still have not found Miss Elsa.” Bann glanced at him. His words were emotionless. “You should be prepared. She is probably dead already.”

  “I know.” Caligula hung his head sadly. “I know.”

  “Actually, the Sacred City has another question that we hope you can answer for us.” Bann supported himself with his sword and looked down at Caligula coldly. “What did the King of Yellow do in Auschwitz behind the Sacred City’s back?”

  Caligula froze but quickly laughed. “I am equally confused. However, no matter what he did, isn’t the result as you see now? As sinners, we Romulusians were born with curses and fated to fall into darkness. Now we are shrouded by the disease and will never be cured.”

  He looked down and said hoarsely, “The average mortal cannot guess what the high and mighty three kings wish to do. But for the Romulusians who live under others’ mercy, we can refuse neither your torture nor blessing. After all, our demon blood is our original sin.”

  After a long silence, Bann shook his head. “What the King of Yellow did has nothing to do with the Sacred City. Before he disappeared, he had forced his way into the palace and discussed with the two other kings. However, things ended unhappily. We could not find him after that.

  “Before I arrived, Nibelungenlied told me that the ‘lighthouse’ had observed that the King of Yellow’s scepter has been in Auschwitz all these years without moving. I believe he has been hiding and observing us. Or even worse.”

  Bann stopped and did not continue. Without a doubt, the Sacred City had already suspected that the king who had never gotten along with the others had joined the natural catastrophes in anger. If this was the case, then it would be the biggest betrayal to humanity. No nation or the Sacred City could allow this to happen!

  “If I may ask,” Caligula suddenly said with a troubled voice, “if the worst case scenario truly happened, what will the Sacred City do?”

  Bann looked down at his sword of punishment in silence. His eyes reflected the cold sharpness of the sword. He had never hesitated or weakened.

  Ever since the Dark Age had ended, the three kings were the pillars of the human world. If a king betrayed his throne, there would only be one solution for the Sacred City—kill the king!

  -

  As the destructive light shattered the dark atrium and fell into Auschwitz, it seemed to come to life. It moved in the air, continuously refracting into thousands of small rays. The light that was attracted by the abyss music theory fell onto the shocked dark musicians. It was as if a bucket of boiling oil had been poured into a jar. Pained cries sounded one after another.

  The strongest beam crashed down onto Naberius. Even hundreds of meters away, the heat was enough to make his hair c
url. The power was terrifying. The Battle Mass contained a requiem for heretics and demons. Under this glow, everything burned.

  This was great. The problem was…Ye Qingxuan was right next to him!

  In that moment, Ye Qingxuan felt his scalp go numb and his vision go black. Coldness jumped from his toes to his head and exploded. Every pore was screaming for help. Without waiting to think, he subconsciously activated the Governor. To increase his strength, he even added the power of Indrah’s Eye!

  He shot back like an arrow! The electric current was enough to burn him to crisp. The Governor acted with the overload, each piece radiating with strong magnetic power. If he had not worn the Governor outside and anchored his bones, this movement would probably have dislocated his neck. However, the destructive light started falling before he could get far enough away.

  Gritting his teeth, Ye Qingxuan activated Holy. An invisible realm descended and covered him. Then chaotic light swallowed everything.

  There were piercing screams that cut off abruptly. The shattering sounds did not stop. There was extreme heat but Ye Qingxuan could only see whiteness.

  Wild aether lifted him into the air and threw him back, crashing into a wall. He rolled out in the rubble. Thankfully, he was able to cover his face. However, he was now as ragged as a beggar.

  The explosion still rang in his ears. The blazing light seemed to have forever stopped before his eyes. Every pore on his body was screaming in pain. The air seemed to be burning. He could not breathe; every breath was like swallowing lava.

  After a long, long time…

  Ye Qingxuan finally recovered. He crawled out of the rubble but everything was spinning. Images flashed by. It sounded like he was underwater. He could vaguely make out cries and fighting.

  When his mind was finally clear, he bent down. With difficulty, he found a surviving vial of green medicine from his broken first aid kit with his left hand and drank it all. As if cold water had rushed into his brain, all murkiness was gone. Then he gasped and stopped himself from crying out.