Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  Perhaps this was the biggest reason for the revival of the saint… the true power of Cereus!

  …

  For a long time, countless people tried to study the sunflower of illusion that bloomed in various concentrated zones of aether. But at the end of the day, they still found it impossible to reach its spirit and marrow. In fact, they could not even figure out the reason and pattern for the appearance of these sunflowers of illusion. Eventually, they had no choice but to give up. It was only after Charles had merged the Cereus that he managed to find out the reason why the musicians had been studying the wrong thing all this while.

  Those sunflowers that bloomed amongst the shadows were just reflections in the water. It was useless putting in so much effort on the reflection of the moon on the surface of the sea. It was simply meaningless. Their studies were never on the right path in the first place…

  From the very beginning, the Cereus was only a single flower. Centuries ago, it had already bloomed and once it had done so, it was destined to wilt. Since then, it was sealed in amber as a specimen and had been traveling across various countries as a piece of art.

  For centuries, it had been passed around tens of families and had been owned by more than a hundred people. But none of them could have imagined that this specimen sealed in amber, treated as a plaything in their study rooms, was the Originator of one of the four living creatures. In the end, the sixth Caucasian king grew tired of it and discarded it in the treasury. Since then, it was left to be covered in dust and no one seemed to care about it anymore.

  To the Cereus, its life and its bloom had probably ended very soon after that day. What men were observing were just signs of its nature interference through the Originator. It had died long ago, most likely even before men had observed it. But its death was also a confirmation that it had once lived.

  It was an afterimage anchored in the past, long sealed within the grains of time. All it represented was a sunflower that bloomed for a day. Its birth and destruction had been buried in the past, and men, who would always be rooted in the present, would never be able to come into contact with its existence nor understand its nature.

  Men observed its posture by looking into the past through the Originator but they would always be blocked off by time. It always seemed so near yet so far. The traces of the presence of life was the nature of the Cereus. This was the reason why it was labeled as one of the four living creatures, along with the other catastrophes, by the three sages.

  Dark Gaia represented “the maternal body that birthed life,” Hecatoncheir represented “the limit of growth of life,” Leviathan represented “the foundation of evolution of life,” and the Cereus was proof of the existence of life and traces of the past and the limited amount of time that life occupied.

  Right now, what had been settling at the depth of the Originator but had now reappeared in the world, due to the summoning of Charles, was not life but the residues of the past. It was a reflection that had been produced by the gathering together of records of the past, and a miracle that had been molded after the traces of history. As a result, the dead had been reborn, like ashes being reignited once more.

  Before too long, Paganini understood the nature of this miracle. When he looked at Charles, there was a complicated look in his eyes. What price have you paid for this miracle this time around?

  At this moment, other than Charles and Paganini, the projection of the saint Tchaikovsky had also joined in the battle. “Looks like it’s three against four now.” Charles smiled as he looked at his enemies. “Victory no longer seems so certain, doesn’t it?”

  Liszt remained indifferent and unshaken. “Your authority and power were obtained through stealing, you have usurped the truth and you falsely declare yourselves as God… You are demons disguising yourselves in robes of the Church. What right do you have to claim victory?”

  With that, holy light, hundreds of times hotter than before, burst out of his body as countless streaks of lightning and flame surrounded him. Under the castigation of music theory, reality was being distorted…

  That was the purest form of a destructive element. A power, that was known amongst the saints as the number one destruction, had appeared. It would burn one’s consciousness, light up one’s body, without any care or concern for one’s life or future.

  Liszt was ready to go all out.

  After he had taken the lead, all the saints began to light up their own music theories as if they were martyrs. The power, that had already exceeded the standard, rose once more. Under the resonance of each other, the projection of the Holy Caldron descended once again!

  As he stared at the Holy Caldron, which seemed to be filled with fresh blood, a hint of cruelty flashed across Paganini’s eyes. Just as he had predicted, the Church had been keeping a low profile all this while not because they were content to sit aside and watch, but because they had been making their final preparations for battle. All this while, the Church had probably gathered the reserves of the past few centuries and the most precious fortunes of the Sacred City and thrown them all into the Holy Caldron.

  At this moment, the fresh blood represented power that originated from catastrophe! For centuries, all the actual bodies of catastrophes, that had been gathered by the Sacred City through the Religious Court of Inquiry and the Silence Governance, had probably been thrown into the Holy Caldron to be used as its food!

  This was a top secret that probably even the saints had no idea of. It was just as he had guessed many years ago that saints were merely the products of the Holy Caldron, even if they seemed very precious and important. As long as the actual bodies of catastrophes continued to be thrown into the Holy Caldron, the number of saints that could be produced might even exceed the original number.

  This power that could convert catastrophe… must come from the same source as Charles’ abilities!

  They might be in the thick of battle but an even stranger thought appeared in Paganini’s mind. But very quickly, that thought was buried in the depth of his heart and was sealed forever. It would even be erased from his memories without leaving behind any traces. Its existence could only be proven by that moment of shiver.

  “Oh God…”

  735 Magic Gold

  The torrent swept over the land of Asgard.

  The dark tides ran over the land, so vast that they seemed to snuff out the air. Everywhere the torrent passed, the sound of the tides could not be heard. Instead, all that could be heard was the sharp sound of gold and iron scraping together.

  This was the collision between Vanaheim and the power of Leviathan.

  Everywhere that the incarnation of the catastrophe went, the white mist and violent seas that preceded it covered the land of Asgard. The mighty forces collided with each other in the uninhabited wilderness like a battle between fire and lightning.

  Light and darkness intertwined.

  Under the cover of the ocean, the power of Leviathan was not as had been expected as it had been weakened when it entered Vanaheim. But as Vanaheim was suppressed by the sea, it became more violent and terrifying.

  As the blade of justice fell, in the distant pure white tower that supported the dark sky, the shock made several Scepter musicians spit up blood.

  Catinat’s power still acted on them through Vanaheim.

  The four Scepters had actually been injured by the shockwave.

  Facing Gungnir as it pierced out from Odin’s shadow, the incarnation of the catastrophe slowed its pace. It was only a few hundred kilometers away, but a step away for a catastrophe, but it was firmly held in place and unable to advance.

  The incarnation of Leviathan roared.

  The sound was like the song of an iron whale. In the void, the bestial natures of countless sea monsters gathered into the incarnation of the catastrophe. It was ignited by this power, and the flames blazed wildly.

  The power of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth once again rose sharply, and a layer of the light of the Firebird coated th
e inhuman catastrophe. The will of human and catastrophe were united here.

  Suddenly, a gravitational force extended out from its whole body, pushing back the boundary of Vanaheim inch by inch.

  A severe gap was opened up in the vast field covering Asgard, and the unfettered Leviathan swept its sword forward.

  The sword’s light collided with Gungnir in the void, burning the earth and causing several rivers of lava to burst forth. Leviathan took a step back at this collision, and for the first time, a small crack appeared in Catinat’s blade.

  The closer it got, the more terrible Gungnir’s power became, until it was almost impossible to resist.

  In the earliest plan, Gungnir would have been formed around Odin. If the giant of the land was Odin’s body, then Gungnir was his weapon.

  Compared to the terrible power when the spear was thrown, the pressure exerted on Mary when Odin controlled the spear was even greater and more terrifying.

  It was like facing a meteor strike.

  Calamitous fire fell from the sky, bringing destruction and despair!

  Mary took a deep breath, gripped Catinat, and drove Leviathan forward. The earth roared and floods burst forth from underground streams.

  The primitive animal nature of numerous sea monsters flowed out from the blade, blending into the dark tide of the sea. It was like the seeds of countless disasters were being sown. The animal natures quickly absorbed aether and sprouted, working in concert with the power and elements in the realm of aether. They developed and grew.

  Finally, numerous giant beasts broke out of the vesicles and roared as their carapaces quickly hardened. Their edges and corners were sharp and their natures were fierce.

  They were the vile spawn of the sea!

  Hundreds of sea monsters emerged from the tide, spread out, and swam in the field created by Vanaheim, bringing their frightening power to bear in a siege of the World Tree!

  Atop the white tower, the old musician sighed dejectedly.

  There wasn’t enough time.

  He couldn’t stay tangled up in this mess, the Golden Palace…

  He hesitated for a moment, then finally made up his mind. He looked behind him. “Master Wagner, may I trouble you for your assistance?”

  The pale old musician was wearing the same badge the of the Church, had the same severe uniform, and his mottled white hair was combed back in the same way.

  It was Wagner, who had been away for a long time.

  Under pressure from the Commonwealth of Caucasian, the King of Red had no way to convince the King of Black to get involved, but he had recalled Wagner from the world of dark.

  “It is my duty.” In the face of the old musician’s downcast attitude, Wagner was neither arrogant nor self-satisfied, he merely nodded. “Everything is for the purpose of safeguarding righteousness.”

  He closed his eyes.

  Then, a mighty melody of war rang out from the sky. In the mighty glow, the shadows of many giant spirits came forth from the light. They drew upon Asgard’s nearly limitless aether reserves and solidified.

  It was a legion!

  Wagner had never been so extravagant in the past, but in an instant, he had exhausted a third of Asgard’s aether reserves. A third of the reserves that countless musicians had accumulated over the centuries had been exhausted in an instant by a single movement!

  It was as if the legion that defended Heaven was coming down to Earth.

  Over the divine gathering of bestial nature, valkyries made of God’s authority were formed. The determined valkyries were armored in iron and rode on six-legged horses. Their iron hooves trampled across the sky as they charged towards the earth.

  The earth trembled!

  The warhorses neighed and horns blew, and the valkyries rode towards the iron-looking world, charging at the sea monsters. Hundreds of valkyries gathered together in a stream of iron. They galloped forward mightily, smashing through every obstacle.

  The tides were broken, the sea monsters were pierced, and Leviathan’s field was torn apart by sudden onslaught of divine elements.

  Bang!

  The incarnation of the catastrophe took a step back as serious looking cracks appeared on its body.

  Wagner’s will was entrusted into the valkyries divine elements as if he was driving lightning and fire forward to block the incarnation of the catastrophe.

  The incarnation of the catastrophe was unconcerned and unwavering. It lifted Catinat towards its enemies.

  At that moment, far away in the Anglo Kingdom, Ye Qingxuan sighed softly and closed his eyes. Silver light poured through the Net of Aether that covered most of the West.

  In the realm of aether, the brilliant Scepter of the Land of Dreams tore a hole in the physical world, put forth its projection, and appeared beside the incarnation of the catastrophe.

  The New Testament Sword descended from the sky, falling in front of Wagner’s divinity.

  Then, great amounts of light gathered together.

  Entering the aether cycle, Ye Qingxuan, who was placed within the void, slipped free from the bondage of flesh and blood and by means of the Holy Spirit arrived thousands of miles away.

  Looking at the giant valkyries who surrounded them, Ye Qingxuan smiled and drew the New Testament Sword. He nodded at the incarnation of the catastrophe. “Just keep dealing with the Asgardians, Your Majesty. Let me experience Master Wagner’s movement.”

  “Ye Qingxuan?” Wagner’s projection stared at the incomparable Holy Spirit before him, the one hailed as the most awe-inspiring musician in centuries, the strongest rebel against the Church.

  But there was no anger or disgust in his expression, only a kind of understanding.

  It was like, Ah, so that’s what you look like.

  He did not hesitate long at Ye Qingxuan’s challenge. He merely pondered for a moment then nodded and said, “Well, I did not expect to have the chance to confront His Excellency the Grand Inquisitor.”

  “I won’t disappoint you.” Ye Qingxuan grinned and put his sword in front of him. In a flash, the wrathful movement of The Day of God’s Fury played and brilliant flames spewed forth from the blade.

  The earth was trampled by iron hooves. It shrieked and cracked as the iron flood streamed over it.

  It was like the heavens and the earth was shaking.

  Amid the loud roar, the light from the iron engulfed Ye Qingxuan.

  Facing thousands of valkyries galloping towards him, Ye Qingxuan saw them stand up on their warhorses as their iron hooves trampled over everything as they bore down on him. The valkyries clenched their axes and spears and brought them down upon him!

  Bang! The axes and spears stopped abruptly before the New Testament Sword as the blade resisted the valkyries’ power. Then Ye Qingxuan stamped his foot, and without regard for the spears thrusting towards him, he slashed out, “Get out of the way!”

  Light rushed towards the sky.

  The light of God’s wrath rushed forth, and the longsword sliced through axes, spears, warhorses and the valkyries atop them like a knife through butter. It fell to the ground and a large crack was chiseled into the ground from its arrays.

  If the divine elements were a grindstone for bestial movements, then the Day of God’s Fury was the nemesis of the divine elements, the end of all heretical false gods!

  The greatest thing holding mortals back was the natural limit of a flesh and blood body.

  Facing thousands of enemies by oneself you would be sliced in two in an instant.

  But after entering the aether cycle, this limitation had suddenly disappeared. He could finally act as fast as he thought, and his attacks surged forth along with his desire to kill.

  In a flash, the brilliant stream of light engulfed both sides.

  The valkyries cried out as the fearless attack came, and they were smashed under the New Testament Sword. Then the shattered valkyries were reborn from the void and encircled Ye Qingxuan.

  They came without end.

  It w
as as if they were endless.

  Just behind the arrayed valkyries, Wagner’s projection stared silently at everything. After a while, he thrust out his right hand and looked at his index finger.

  Originally in this state of being an incarnation of the Holy Spirit, there would be no jewelry left.

  But there was an old ring on the index finger of his right hand that seemed to be made of pure gold. It seemed to have gone a bit dark over its long existence, but it was still difficult to hide its eye-catching luster.

  It was a great temptation.

  Wagner’s inheritance—the magic gold of the Rhine.

  Legend had it that the ring of madness that had caused so many marvels in the realm of aether was also a source of divinity, carrying the artifacts of countless valkyries’ spirits.

  But now, Wagner took off the ring that represented great authority, opened his mouth, and swallowed it.

  The incarnation of the Holy Spirit had no desires of the stomach, and could not digest mortals’ food, let alone metal.

  But after swallowing this magic gold, Wagner’s incarnation of the Holy Spirit trembled, as if it was in great pain. Some supreme will had been awakened inside the magic gold and was running through his body.

  It was divinity.

  Divinity emerged from within his body and ignited. It was like the collision between ice and fire: it melted the earth and froze the sky.

  An illusory projection appeared behind him. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the dark sky. Frost and lava wreaked havoc, bringing everything to an end. The final, brutal war had been set off. After the last three long winters, the world welcomed its final dusk before everything was given over to destruction.

  It was the death of God.

  At that moment, the void projection collapsed.

  Wagner looked up and a blazing crown appeared on his head. The thin incarnation of the Holy Spirit had already expanded to more than a few meters in size. It was bathed in frost and flame, and it held a flame-shaped epee like it was holding the pillars of heaven and earth.