Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  Ye Qingxuan had not expected to be reunited with her one day. Nor did he expect that she would be crowned so soon.

  She had become an empress, distinguished and powerful, but it was not how Ye Qingxuan imagined.

  …

  The new ruler’s tour in the nation in the shadows had begun.

  The King of Hell would descend.

  When Ye Qingxuan entered the shadow of Avalon, the tour had yet to end, but hell had already revealed vaguely its grotesque appearance. Mary did not hide her whereabouts, or rather to say, she had no intentions of hiding at all.

  The king toured, dignified and rightful.

  She entered the gates of the city, walked along the winding streets, stepped on roads stained red by blood, made her way uptown, passed through the broken city, towards her palace. Everywhere she passed, all buildings and streets fell apart and collapsed into pieces. A huge aether wave radiated from her.

  On her head, the image of the city reflected off the crystal-like crown, casting everything in the dim yellowish light from hell.

  The kingdom of shadows had ushered in sunshine for the first time in centuries.

  But the sun was born of darkness.

  The huge sun of darkness responded to her singing and rose from the top of the palace, illuminating the city of demons and accelerating its collapse.

  Countless pungent particles of sulphur dust fell from the sky, burning and resulting in specks of fire, like scorching hot rain. The rain of fire covered every corner, igniting everything.

  Countless demons hissed in the fire, shaking and dying. They maintained their posture of worship even in death, dedicating everything to the supreme emperor, the ruler of the mortal realm and hell.

  At the moment he saw her, Ye Qingxuan immediately understood what happened.

  Although he had no idea what deal the Dark Sovereign and Lancelot had struck up, at the moment, there was no doubt that Mary, as a sacrifice, had become a pawn of the Dark Sovereign.

  Ye Qingxuan could see countless movements extending from the scepter of hell and immerging themselves in Mary’s limbs.

  The Dark Sovereign implanted the essence of himself, the movement of hell, into Mary’s body, controlling Mary’s will via her dark side born of the curse of the dragon blood.

  At the moment, through Mary’s body, the Dark Sovereign could move around unimpeded in the shadow of Avalon.

  He could even turn the tables… by absorbing the power of the shadow of Avalon to make himself whole.

  The movement that was once damaged badly by the stone sword was constantly extracting the power of the shadow of Avalon at the moment, undergoing evolution and rebirth.

  Upon her arrival at the palace, the movement of hell would replace the power left by Arthur and seize all the bases, completely turning the shadow of Avalon into a hell on earth.

  Meanwhile, King Arthur would be completely freed from the palace and descend upon the world once more as a catastrophe.

  “What a crafty plan you have devised, Your Majesty the Dark Sovereign.” Ye Qingxuan sighed softly, and couldn’t help but raise his hand to suppress the faint headache in his temples. It was a strange feeling of mixed irritation and anger which filled his brain like a flame.

  In the gap between his fingers, cold moonlight lit up in the black irises.

  “Let’s say hello first and see what happens.” He whispered, “It’s rude enough to come unsolicited, at least we should let the host know who is knocking at the door.”

  “Yes sir.” Behind him, Shi Dong nodded and unsheathed his epee, piercing it into the ground. The blade scraped against the iron and the rock, making a harsh, low-pitched whistle that dragged on.

  Then, a thunder-like roar burst forth.

  It was deafening.

  “— Deus vult!!!”

  Never before had anyone expected that the shriveled body of the dying old man still had such strength left in it. It was strong enough to support him to roar like a dragon with all his might and shake the heavens and the earth, as well as all the nations in the world, with his roar.

  It was the language passed down from before the Age of Dark, a blood-stained vow inscribed in the Religious Court of Inquiry and their crusade to the east.

  Deus vult, God wills it.

  It was God’s decree, it was the wish of all things. It was where justice and glory lay.

  It was hereby declared that the Witch Hammer had set foot on the battlefield!

  Following the roar, the heavens and the earth rumbled.

  The holy emblem in flames rose slowly from Shi Dong, illuminating the dark clouds.

  The huge warship of steel broke through the clouds, the searchlights penetrated the luminous flares of the dark sun, and a ghastly white radiance spilled onto the ground. Dozens of steel stakes shot out from the catapult track. With a roar, they wedged deeply into the collapsing buildings. Then, flame pillars so high they touched the sky rose from the ground, and interwove into a huge cage of flames.

  At that very moment, the King of Hell stopped advancing abruptly and slowly turned back, making Ye Qingxuan smile. “Yes, that’s right, look here.”

  Facing her gaze, Ye Qingxuan slowly walked forward into the cage of flames and bowed to the girl wearing the crown. “Mary, Your Royal Highness, it’s been a long time.”

  The girl’s gaze was empty, her delicate face full of indifference, and she did not response.

  It was as if she was looking at nothing but air.

  In the projection of the scepter of hell, the image of the Dark Sovereign slowly emerged. He looked around at the surroundings, and finally looked down at Ye Qingxuan, wearing a mocking smile. “It’s been a long time since I last witnessed such a scene indeed… The Religious Court of Inquiry? I remember you all dragging out your ignoble existences, as miserable as stray dogs, after the Church gave up on you. Surprisingly, you all managed to wait it out until the day of your resurgence has come?

  “What is this? A miracle? “

  “Isn’t it exactly because goddamn things like you still exist in the world?” Ye Qingxuan looked at him and responded coldly, “After all, someone must remind you — that you still have undefeated enemies, that there are still people in the world who will fight against you until one side perishes.”

  “You want to slay your king?” The Dark Sovereign clapped his hands in glee. “Just like what your superior, Maxwell, did. Ye Qingxuan, he really didn’t get it wrong about you. The saviors of Anglo actually all want to kill their king? How ironic.

  “Too bad Her Majesty even admired you once. I wonder if she’ll be heartbroken if she sees you now… Am I right, Your Majesty? “

  Mary’s eyes trembled.

  As if she was awakened from a long nightmare, in the empty gaze, a dim light resembling that of a candle flickering in the wind emerged.

  She looked stunned, unsure, and fearful.

  After getting a clear look at Ye Qingxuan’s face, she couldn’t help but want to hide and run away.

  In the end, she seemed relieved.

  She did not question him demandingly, nor was she enraged, as if she had understood her end.

  “Mr. Ye, are you here to kill me?” she asked softly.

  Ye Qingxuan was silent.

  After a long time, he slowly nodded. “Yes.”

  “It’s really great to be able to die in your hands.” As if the time of her liberation had arrived, she cracked a smile, suppressing her tears of fear, and softly bid farewell. “Please save the country and cut off this bloodline of disaster completely.”

  “I give you my word that the Ripper will die here.” Ye Qingxuan looked into Mary’s eyes and promised her, one word at a time, “— Mary and the country shall be reborn together.”

  “Then… I’ll leave it to you.” Mary smiled and closed her eyes.

  When she opened them again, her eyes were already covered in a grotesque, beastly red.

  Horrifying Firebird erupted from her body and evolved into a flame-like
substance, spreading in all directions. Under the strengthening of the scepter of hell, her tenacity materialized, and its operation itself was enough to cause the shadow of Avalon to whine forlornly as it collapsed further, distorting the Physical World.

  The cage of flames shook.

  Invisible knives and axes swiped at Ye Qingxuan, and the barrier in front of him cracked, revealing countless gaps, and shattered instantly.

  Ye Qingxuan sighed, and when he raised his eyes again, they were already full of cold moonlight.

  Against the frenzied Firebird, he raised his arm and issued an order. “Deus vult!”

  The wish of all things, the decree of God.

  — Hereby executing the righteousness of the world, the eternal justice!

  Flames and iron descended from the sky!

  596 Pledge Allegiance?

  Following Ye Qingxuan’s orders, stars of flame and iron fell from the sky.

  Under the sixth drive, the main armament of the Petitioner erupted in overload. Waterfall-like torrents of aether gushed out, containing horrifying heat and purifying music theory within. They tore through layers of barriers and descended upon the top of the king of hell’s head in a flash.

  Then only did an inkling of the gleam of iron hidden in the fire appear faintly.

  It was steel that was burnt until a scorching red in the terrifying high temperature up to thousands of degrees — horrifying flares spewed from the stakes, bringing the path of redemption which would turn all sinners to ashes.

  ‘Mary’ lifted her red eyes. Under the guidance of the crown of hell, the red Firebird materialized as an actual hand and grabbed at the strong light.

  The first to be heard was the bang of steel colliding. Ghastly white waves of air were stirred up from within and propelled the sharp noise of gold and iron scrapping against each other to sweep across the entire Avalon.

  The big bell resembling the wrath of god was struck.

  — Doomsday would come.

  In the dissipating flares, the stake had fallen apart.

  Walking out of the flares was the king of hell, a crystal crown on its head, donning blood-colored garments. The terrifying aura radiating from it and the gigantic sun that the palace had turned into echoed each other.

  After consuming a small half of Avalon, the scepter that was once heavily damaged had been repaired completely. The element of hell operated within the horrifying and majestic melody, and the actual scene of hell unfolded.

  The Dark Sovereign had returned once more!

  Behind the domain of Holy, Ye Qingxuan sighed softly.

  From then on, what he had to face was no longer only Mary who was controlled by the cursed blood… but also the king of hell in his prime!

  No one was beside him to help keep the Dark Sovereign in check, and Ye Qingxuan had no chance to wander about the battlefield at an unhurried pace and seek opportunities to strike through the catastrophe’s defenses.

  It was a face-to-face confrontation, an undodgeable battle.

  “It’s getting somewhat troublesome…” He murmured softly.

  At the moment, the hem of Mary’s scarlet skirt fluttered in the wind.

  The gigantic sun of darkness advanced forward, and the ghastly red Firebird gushed towards him like a river. In a flash, Mary had lifted a pale, slender arm, the index finger tapping gently on the wall of Holy.

  The next moment, a horrifying bang erupted.

  Struck by innumerable invisible knives and axes, the wall of Holy fell apart.

  After penetrating the layers of defense, the finger pierced through Ye Qingxuan’s chest mercilessly, emerging from behind, as if it was crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.

  Then, countless strands of Firebird erupted from it. Like wandering blades, they attempted to scrape all his flesh and blood off, strip away all his skin and internal organs, and pluck off all his muscles and tendons in a flash, leaving only a clean, white skeleton behind.

  However, nothing happened.

  Ye Qingxuan was still intact.

  Only then did the low noise coming from Jiu Xiao Huan Pei rang out belatedly. The strange melody resembling the sound of metal scraping against each other lingered in the Dark Sovereign’s ear and refused to dissipate, like ridicule.

  In the vague, strange noise, a hoarse voice rang out faintly, as it sang fanatically, “— Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani!”

  The movement of hell, which was operating magnificently, paused momentarily, and the Dark Sovereign immediately understood what was going on.

  Passion cantata!

  Like what Abraham did back then when fighting against the saint, Ye Qingxuan had used nature interference to advance himself to the extremity of the state of vacuum, performing the movement Abraham had passed down to him to the very best of his ability.

  It was like how a knife couldn’t cut the light apart, and how iron couldn’t kill water.

  In accordance with the nature of the enemy, one’s own form was changed, turning oneself into relative nothingness.

  Even though one was clearly in sight, one was beyond reach.

  “Another of your little tricks!” The phantom of the Dark Sovereign emerged and sneered as it looked at him. “Do you think such trivial cleverness will be of use?”

  As he finished his words, Ye Qingxuan’s face turned pale, a trace of purple-black blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

  Firebird was an extension of the dragon blood — It controls aether directly with the tenacity of the host, bestowing physical forms to the tenacity and turning it into knives, swords, or metal.

  In essence, it was still an existence similar to music theory.

  Meanwhile, after consuming Leviathan’s blood, Mary had already tapped on her own potential, which could be considered bottomless. It could be deemed as terrifying in terms of its nature and intensity.

  Although the power of the Firebird did not tear Ye Qingxuan’s physical form apart, the music theory contained within still shook his form, almost knocking him down from his state of vacuum — If the aether circulation stopped, the only end awaiting him upon returning to his mortal body would be disintegration.

  Facing the Dark Sovereign’s ridicule, Ye Qingxuan could not help but sigh. “It’s just that I’m not capable enough.”

  He reached out and made a cut-throat gesture towards the projection that was close at hand. “If my teacher was here, at that moment just now, he would definitely have already cut off your good-for-nothing head in one blow!”

  What could be said for certain was that for centuries, no one had ever dared to be so impudent and offensive in front of the Dark Sovereign. Although cutting off his head had zero effect on him, it was undoubtedly an insult that could be considered wildly arrogant.

  The Dark Sovereign merely sneered and said no more.

  On the top of Mary’s head, the crystal crown suddenly released a horrifying light. The movement of hell roared, and the scepter slowly rose into the sky. The terrifying gravitational pull contained within the music theory erupted from it, tugging at the fragments of the shadow of Avalon.

  The old king had died.

  The touring new king would regain control of its territory.

  The Dark Sovereign was madly consuming the city in the shadows to mend the cracks on the scepter of hell — When the shadow of Avalon was thoroughly disintegrated, the King of Hell would be completely reborn!

  Ye Qingxuan had no time to stop him.

  It was because Mary’s red eyes had neared him.

  At the moment, in the sky, the Mountain of Nomadism sprinkled down metallic gleams that resembled stars.

  In a flash, hundreds of dots of light flew out from the projectile tracks and shot in Ye Qingxuan’s direction. They stirred up a whistling hurricane, which sounded like an iron whale singing freely before its death.

  They crossed the long distance, then smashed onto the ground.

  Loud bangs rumbled.

  Amid countless specks of flying dust, h
eavily armored knights walked out, assembled into arrays, blocking Mary’s path, and pulled out their chainswords.

  — Whale fall!

  “Ahaha, haven’t we arrived somewhat timely, Grand Inquisitor?” Shi Dong’s voice sounded in his ear. “Your faithful subordinates are here to help.”

  “Isn’t it considered to be within your responsibilities?” Ye Qingxuan responded coldly. “If subordinates couldn’t relieve their superior of his burdens, what would be the difference between them and idiots?”

  “So, what’s the order this time round?” Shi Dong’s voice took on a pondering tone. “Kill? Purify? Or destroy?”

  “Obstruct, or preferably capture her alive.”

  Ye Qingxuan ordered, “The enemy you all are fighting against is the queen of Anglo, even if she kills all of you, she must not be hurt in the slightest manner.”

  “I knew it would be like this.” Shi Dong sighed. “But what about the one living on her?”

  “Get all the purification musicians ready.” Ye Qingxuan said, “I’ll take care of it.”

  At the moment, the clothes of original sin shook, and a huge gravitational pull erupted from it, distorting the surrounding matter.

  The Symphony of Predestination operated within his body. The first part awakened, as did the second part, then the third… In a flash, the soaring force that had increased by more than four times almost went out of his control.

  In the faint sound of tides, the moon of pure white rose out of nowhere, against the huge pressure from the scepter of hell, and confronted the gigantic sun of darkness from a distance, hanging high above the night sky.

  Although he had yet to create a legend, master elements, and form a scepter, the Symphony of Predestination so vast that it had never been preceded still sufficed to shock others.

  Innumerable perception threads of moonlight that had blended into the celestial body extended from it, connecting themselves to the alchemy array of the Mountain of Nomadism, and was instantly connected to hundreds of aether waves in standby.

  Resonance!

  With Ye Qingxuan’s tenacity as the central theme, the Heaven Ladder stretched across the seven systems, mastering countless changes in music theory, and integrated the sound of heart movements of the purification musicians into one.