by Feng Yue
It possessed a terrifying attraction across many aspects, be it the various secret treasures and precious materials that had been cultivated in it for a long time, its own vast power, or even natural elements.
It was unlikely for any musician to be able to reject its temptation.
Soon, the countries discovered something that would cause them even more pain in the ass… Originally, according to usual practice, the country which the site of remains was located in had precedence in terms of investigation and excavation.
However, after repeated calculations, it was discovered that the physical body of the Ultimate had appeared in international waters and even involved dozens of key waterways.
To the north of the narrow sea region was Asgard, to the south, Burgundy, and to the west, Anglo. Six other countries were located to its east, and it wasn’t even far away from the location of the Cloud Tower…
In other words, in the blink of an eye, the international waters that no one had any interest in originally had instantly become a strategic point and hub involving the maritime strategies of various countries.
The strange sea region that was calm and tranquil had become an absolute ‘whirlpool’, pulling most of the western countries into it in just an instant, and even Aurora in the East couldn’t sit by idly.
If a country lost access to the Ultimate and allowed other countries to occupy the site, in the next 30 years at least, other countries would have it over a barrel across many aspects, be it trade, strategy, or even territorial sovereignty…
The complicated and strange relationship, which resembled hot oil, between the various countries, had completely intensified and boiled after the Ultimate’s appearance poured a pot of cold water into it.
Within the first hour the Ultimate’s appearance, the countries had entered a state of emergency.
Within the second hour, senior officials and relevant departments in the various countries had entered their respective meetings. Within the sixth hour of its appearance, the meetings had yet to end, but in all the meetings, no matter which one, the participants had come to only one consensus.
— The Ultimate must be firmly grasped in their hands!
The goal was to be achieved at all costs if need be.
In the fourth hour, Mary, the Queen Regnant of Anglo, ordered that the rank of admiral be temporarily granted to the Sylvaine, who was originally one of the leaders of the Navy, and that the First Fleet of the Royal Navy depart from the harbor and rush to the Ultimate at full speed.
At the same time, in Asgard, the Stronghold on Sea which was originally berthed at the national border to deter the Caucasus kingdom rumbled, and smoke spurted out of the countless chimneys, blocking out the sky and the sun.
Hundreds of gigantic aether furnaces were slowly preheated and started. The warship slowly accelerated from a speed of zero, and in the end stirred up frenzied tides on the sea.
Flanked by dozens of new generation warships, the Navy of Asgard set off.
Ten minutes later, Burgundy also reacted…
…
In the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, the Chapter of the Golden Victory was played once more.
The Homeland Defense Front was launched.
Ye Qingxuan went down on one knee before the throne. Holding a sword, Mary declared solemnly, “In the name of Mary, the Empress of the sacred kingdom of Anglo blessed by God, the guardian of the Church, and the mortal ruler with full rights, I hereby bestow the crown upon Ye Qingxuan, the Prince of Avalon — He shall act on my behalf!”
Beside the throne, the golden hound opened an eye and roared deeply.
— Approved.
Thus, an endless golden brilliance swept towards Ye Qingxuan, turned into a halo on his head, and faded out of sight.
In Mary’s hands, the long sword that Firebird had transformed into disappeared. She reached out and helped Ye Qingxuan up from on the ground. “I am entrusting the future of Anglo in your hands by sending you on this trip. Please be sure to bring back the Ultimate.”
Ye Qingxuan nodded. “As my Queen commands.”
…
In Yujing City of the Empire of Aurora in the East, in the main hall of the Copper Palace located within the forbidding imperial city guarded by high, towering walls, the empress dozing on the throne opened an eye. “Is that what the Prince Regent said?”
“Yes.” The girl named Bai Xi wore an odd smile. “The location of the Ultimate would affect Aurora’s lifeline, and it must be investigated.”
“The Prince Regent has phrased his memorial to the throne in such a fancy manner, but from my point of view, whether the mission succeeds or otherwise matters very little.” The empress coldly gave a wave of her hand. “The Six Royals are important to the dragon bloodline of Aurora, my country, and should not be involved without careful thought over issues that are not of high importance. The rest of the arrangements can be made accordingly, let House Liu and House Yuan handle it.”
Bai Xi bowed deeply. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Watching Bai Xi kneel behind the long table and rapidly draft the decree, the corners of the empress’s mouth curled upwards into a fascinated smile. “It had only been a few days, and you can already hold the brush quite properly.”
“It is because of the teachings of your Majesty,” the girl replied.
Upon hearing her answer, the empress chuckled, and the cat napping in her arms was awakened. The cat opened its eyes, licked its paws, and leaped down from the empress’s knees, rubbing against her robes as it mewed softly.
“You’re hungry again?” The empress scratched its chin, chuckling softly. “The Prince Regent understands me well. I’m lonely in the deep palace, and it’s quite fun to have quirky, mischievous companions like you guys by my side.
“That being said, he’s also pretty untroubled about leaving such a little girl like you behind in Yujing to withstand the pressure from various parties, unworried about possible accidents taking place.
“Is he planning to let me raise his daughter for him? “
Bai Xi kept her head down, writing rapidly, as if she had heard nothing.
Soon, she was done writing the decree. After the imperial seal was applied on it, the palace servants moved forward on their knees, respectfully took the decree with both hands, and left. The decree would soon be conveyed to all nine states of the empire.
After God knew how long, the empress’s midday nap was over, and she opened her eyes. “It’s this time of the day again?”
“Precisely.” Bai Xi nodded.
The empress yawned and asked casually, “Where did we last stop?”
Bai Xi stroked the stone chime located in the hall and replied, “The prelude to the chapter of Dawu [1].”
“Then play it for me first, let’s see how much progress you’ve made…” the empress said.
Soon, the mighty and magnificent sound of the stone chime rang out in the main hall, traveling in all directions.
…
In the ruins of Old Orleans, Burgundy, a mighty cantata sounded in the huge parish church.
In the center of the parish church, amid the performance of countless musicians, the ground rumbled and fell apart, revealing the darkness which seemed to be dancing below. A hurricane swept outwards from the darkness, blowing all the debris away.
Beside the deep well of darkness, the old man by the young man’s side seemed afraid. He took a step back and raised his arm to block the hurricane. His gaze, which could be seen through the gaps between his fingers, turned to one of awe.
Amid the mighty cantata, the parish church rumbled, and the huge machinery underground operated. Countless gears spun rapidly, and 16 heavy chains made of black iron tightened, slowly and difficultly pulling whatever had been buried in the deep well up.
Darkness spurted out of the well.
The mournful wails of countless people sounded.
In the end, a skeleton of pure white slowly rose from the darkness.
It resem
bled an artwork carved by an unparalleled master. Despite being a grotesque skeleton, it looked so sacred and magnificent, and possessed a splendid beauty.
Eight bony wings hung low behind the skeleton, with traces of burning and hacking by weapons still remaining on them.
Despite being non-living matter with no life in it, when it emerged from the gushing darkness, a soft breathing could be heard in the parish church.
The old man’s expression changed.
It was the rhythm of the sea of aether…
Outside the parish church, countless musicians were playing a brilliant movement passionately, guiding the aether to gather here. The aether turned into a torrent and descended from the sky, washing over the pale skeleton like rainwater.
So, a pure radiance emerged from it.
It was so pure, yet so fierce, that it seemed as if it would turn everything into ashes in a roaring fire. Even with layers of protection on, one could feel a burning pain when breathing.
But at the frontmost, the young man facing the skeleton had an expression of ecstasy.
Then, the brilliant performance ascended to the climax.
On the skeleton, countless rays of light emerged, attaching themselves to it like flesh and blood, and the thin silhouette quickly filled up. In the end, it was as if the sun and the thunder had descended in the parish church.
The parish church rumbled and shook.
A pale bony wing lifted, feathers and flesh growing out of it. A horrifying aether wave burst forth, forming an almost physical air billow that swept across!
It was followed closely by the second wing, then the third…
When the fifth wing had completed its growth, the terrifying aether waves were already beyond the scope of human understanding, and had advanced into a catastrophic level.
It had even surpassed ordinary catastrophes, and was only one step away from the league of the four living creatures…
But the growth of the wings stopped here.
Three other bony wings had no flesh and blood on them.
“It has reached the threshold of the Sixth Day?” The young man lamented softly, “After the brewing up of the project for so many years, the artificial angel has surprisingly reached the level of Thrones. Catastrophic weapons are truly terrifying.”
At the moment, the skeleton had turned into brilliant flares.
Like a giant formed of light, with the curvy outline of a female, it bathed in the fire of the light of God.
On the phantom face, the eyes slowly opened and looked down.
A hollow voice sounded. “Who art thou?”
A terrifying majesty emerged from the light, crushing everything, and made the young man’s face pale and bloodless. Behind the young man, under the scrutiny of the gaze, the old man screamed in pain and combusted, as if he was being burned at the stake.
He tumbling hard and stepping back.
Against the terrifying pressure, the young man slowly raised the signet ring in his hand. “Your master, Don Juan!”
The horrifying pressure dissipated. The fiery flares slowly converged and burned through the dark iron lock.
The giant of light slowly shrank into a size no different from ordinary people. In midair, she bowed to the young man named Don Juan. “The king of greatness, please give your order.”
“Welcome back, lady saint, the savior of the nation.” Don Juan smiled and stroked her face, letting the terrifying flares burn himself. “— In the name of the King of the Sun, please bring victory to Burgundy again!”
[1] A traditional Chinese dance. The name can be literally translated as Grand Martial Arts.
633 The Second and Firs
Asgard, the capital. The seas were frozen and snow blew over from far away, landing on the massive city that has been built beside a mountain. The bustling city was heated up, so the snow would melt and turn into rain to fall on the walls of the city. As the rainwater streamed down the walls, they looked like a forest that has been turned upside down. Occasionally, ice would crack and fall onto the ground with a crisp breaking sound.
This city that has been shrouded in ice and cold would be filled with such crisp and melodic sounds every day. The delicate sound would spread and be carried by the wind over the massive city and up the ice mountain. In the end, it would clash with the wall made of gold and iron to produce a deep and low resonance. In the entire city, the number of buildings decreased as one climbed higher. Other than the School of Rock and Iron that occupied the middle layer, the other buildings were observation towers that have been built by all of the major clans.
Back then, 16 clans had followed the Emperor and helped to build up this country. Their banners and totems could be seen everywhere to surround and protect the Emperor. The nine electors that ruled the country on behalf of the king also made up the Senate, and they all came from these 16 clans. Countless banners hung on those towers, ruffling in the wind and snow. The one that stood out the most was the Towering Metal City at the very top. It was a gigantic palace that was built with plenty of iron and decorated with luxurious and majestic black gold. It looked like a giant that was sleeping on the peak of the mountain, listening to the bustling of the world and opening its eyes slightly.
Gladysheim. The palace known as the ‘golden palace’ sat on the tallest peak of the world and was once home to the arrogant and proud Emperor. To date, it had been vacant for close to a century. Ever since the previous Emperor died, no one had been able to live in it. The electors of the Senate were the only ones who were able to step foot into it to bow to the empty throne. Underneath that gigantic golden palace and in the depths of Gladysheim dwelled eternal lightning.
Hundreds of layers of enchantments enveloped the entire mountain, blocking off any aether waves from escaping so as to conceal that terrible power. Eternal streaks of lightning lit up the dark underbelly of the mountain. The streaks of lightning were like the ebb and flow of waves. If one looked at them for a long time, one would think that the lightning had congregated into metal and interwoven into the capital of all Gods. Countless illusions of Gods would show themselves amidst the lightning before vanishing the very next moment, making their presence felt only for a fleeting moment.
When ordinary people walked through it, they were as miniscule as dust particles. This was the real core of the entire Asgard, the location of the real golden palace. As lightning streaked about in this narrow space, the sound it made was not ear-deafening thunders but majestic movements.
For centuries, countless musicians have immersed their Symphony of Predestination into the golden palace. These flames gathered together to create a terrifying blaze, such that the sea of lightning would give birth to an embryo of miracle. Right in front of that gigantic black-gold door, the amazing glow of rainbow that poured from the realm of aether congregated to form a physically huge bridge that connected the world of men to the Gods.
With the cumulation of the powers of Asgard, the lives of countless musicians, hundreds of host elements and 14 godly elements, this was a natural disaster that was man-made. The process of breeding caused the realm of aether to collapse, developing into a world of sublimation in the physical world. Before it was even born, it was already displaying incredible power that was on par with the Four Living Creatures, far surpassing the power of destruction of the Eight Phenomena. Even though it has been sealed up by the nine black-gold doors, the amazing aura it emitted was still irresistible to the elders standing in front of the doors.
That would be the eternal throne of the future Emperor. A natural disaster that was created by men and had gone against the orders of the Church, the king of kings, Odin! But in such a holy place, one could almost hear the sound of moaning behind the layers of black-gold doors. It was the hoarse sound of a wild beast that seemed to have gone through unimaginable torture and was now on the brink of death. Its cries were filled with pain and suffering.
On the rainbow bridge, the nine elders from the Senate looked at each other. There
was shock in their eyes. “Helmut, how long has he been in there?”
“An hour.” A red-robed senator looked up and spoke softly, “It is twice the amount of time compared to when he first started. He is now getting better at withstanding Odin’s punishment…”
“It’s insane.” The white-robed elder shook his head. “He is more arrogant than we all thought.”
“All Emperors are supposed to be arrogant.” The green-robed senator said, “If he is able to pass the final test, there is a chance that he can merge with Odin and become a true Supreme Being. Now that he has already obtained the resonance of Odin’s element, it is definitely possible. I think we can continue to monitor the situation.”
The white-robed elder did not reply and only stared at the black-gold door silently. No one would have thought that two months ago, after witnessing how Bach threw the Spear of Destiny, the effect on the Third Prince would be this great. The Third Prince was only one step away from becoming a scepter. He was a talented and undefeated musician who had been said to be able to approach the Originator one day in the future… but he could not even approach within a hundred steps of the King of Back.
The difference between these hundred steps was disappointing. Within two days after the departure of Bach, the Third Prince returned to the capital and summoned the nine electors before informing them of his intention. Thereafter, he began this path of doom that had consumed plenty of Masters and scepters.
He wanted to earn the recognition of Odin and merge with that blank divinity. For the past few centuries, only the Princes that had run out of options would choose this route because they knew it would only lead to doom. No one would be able to last for an hour in the golden palace. Before one could even see Odin, one would be destroyed and turned into dust by the power embedded in those divine elements.
Now, amidst the veil of divinity and the judgment of lightning, not only had the Third Prince yet to be melted by the lightning, but his terrifying talent and potential had been developed continuously. Within the short time of a month, six visits were equivalent to six deaths and revivals. When he crawled out from behind the black-gold door this time, all nine electors could no longer recognize him. He was weak and frail, as if he had just been put together with dust. Through his half-translucent chest cavity, one could almost see the painful beating of his heart and the blood in his vessels being infected by the lightning that has already penetrated his bone marrow. Half of his handsome face had been charred and even one of his eyes had been burnt into nothingness.