Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

“‘Das Wohltemperierte Klavier’.” Paganini was stunned.

  This was created by the King of Blue of the first generation and was the foundation of all melodies that musicians must study when they were still apprentices. It was a melody that even children would be familiar with. Das Wohltemperierte Klavier!

  Soon after, in that very instant, silver-colored light burst forth from the end of the vault of heaven and endless elegance shimmered above those silver-colored waves. There was silence wherever it passed as every creature was drowning in this beautiful destruction.

  That was a catastrophe… Catastrophe Silver Tide!

  Alongside the wave of destruction that was a result of countless iron being gathered together, a storm was brewing between heaven and earth. Pale white colors were spreading amidst the powerful gusts of wind and the silence of the murderous wind was only broken by screams and howls of despair. The Holy White Storm!

  Blood water dripped from the vault of heaven and gradually turned into a storm. Those blood-red droplets burned like flames, as if they would decay and drown all creatures, turning the land into an abandoned desert. It was a bloody, scorched earth.

  Within the earth, countless mounds of dirt rumbled as the eggs of insects, that were the result of the accumulation of poison, broke and turned into flying locusts. They flapped their wings non-stop and rose from the ground like a huge and devastating green-colored fog. The disaster of Abbandant.

  With the appearance of giant star Wormwood, unimaginable destruction had now been introduced into the mortal world and given shape and form. That would be the end above everything else. It was the reason why everything that was alien and abnormal was known as catastrophes. That was…

  “The Eight Phenomena?” The musicians behind Paganini all turned pale as they could barely believe what they were seeing.

  “Why did it turn out like this? Can the Sacred City really control the Eight Phenomena?”

  “Why not?” Paganini countered indifferently. It was as if he was looking at a bunch of children that were making a big fuss over something trivial. “Shouldn’t that be the case from the start? If they did not possess such power, how would they have been able to control this world?”

  Although this was something that crossed his mind, he was still feeling very solemn. It was not that he was worried that Charles would not be able to handle it, but that he might be affected by other aspects…

  At this very moment, the thing that he was most worried about had finally appeared. He heard the voice of Gaius.

  “Paganini, let’s retreat.” His voice was calm, yet there was no room for refusal or opposition. He simply gave a command that would decide the outcome of the battle. Paganini was enraged

  Retreat? Why must we retreat? Why do we need to care about anything else? Are you not seeing this? The real battle has only just begun! The outcome of the battle between God and men is about to be revealed! To think that you want to retreat now?

  He gritted his teeth but there was no way he could against Gaius’ order. He could only control his rage and transmit Gaius’ will to Charles.

  “Let’s retreat, Charles.” He barely managed to squeeze out the words through his teeth. He could not believe his own hypocrisy. “If we continue fighting, there is no meaning to it.”

  Just as he expected, Charles did not move. He only looked back at him. “If we leave, what will happen here?”

  “Who knows?” Paganini replied calmly, “The earth’s crust beneath the Golden Palace is very unstable. If we leave things as they are, after volcano eruption and catastrophe, this place will probably turn into one of the deepest lakes of the inland.”

  “Oh.” Charles nodded. Then, without a sound, he turned back and looked at the massive city that was being engulfed by destruction.

  Paganini felt a burst of happiness and relief, so much so that he could dance. But when he looked at Charles, who was a distance away, he suppressed his impulse and waited for Charles’ reply. Finally, Charles, turned back and asked softly, “Paganini, do you have a mirror? I feel that I’m a little dirty…” Although no one knew what Charles was thinking, a female musician still reached into her pocket and was about to pass a mirror to him. But just as she barely touched the mirror in her pocket, she saw the cold stare from Paganini. There was terrifying rage and ferocity. She was taken aback and did not dare to move.

  Only Paganini looked back. The ferocity on his face was gone, only to be replaced by his handsome face and a warm smile. He bowed to Charles respectfully. “There’s no need for a mirror. Right now, Your Highness looks majestic and flawless.”

  “Is that so?” Charles smiled. That’s great. Surely those children will not be fearful of me now?

  “Don’t be afraid. It will all be over very soon.” He stared at the city that was howling in despair amidst the destruction. He muttered quietly and spread his wings.

  The light of Eden appeared from the realm of aether once again, and, according to his will, heaven descended on this place. A burning light that had never been seen before appeared in both his eyes. That was divinity.

  Divinity was burning and in sublimation to become an endless power. It was climbing to the highest point of the mortal world and returning to the emptiness of heaven to regain control of all beings. In that instant, Charles turned into the purest light and shone on the deepest face of the earth.

  “Let there be light,” he muttered quietly, and light shone on the mortal world. Beneath the light, all beings were solidified. Every form of will and spirit were bowing, trembling and panicking as they were completely in awe and fear of this amazing power. They lowered their heads inadvertently to bow down to this almighty presence. Beneath the light of the miracle, the music theory of Symphony number nine trembled and roared.

  At this moment, the movement that represented the victory of mankind began to show cracks due to the pressure of God’s will. The spirits of countless Holy Spirits trembled and the flame above the scepter was almost extinguished. It was dancing dimly, struggling but failing to escape the hold of the light.

  In that instant, the majestic tolling of bell burst forth from Charles’ fingers. The power of Symphony number nine suddenly collapsed, and countless Holy Spirits dissipated from within. Resonance was no longer possible and the entire structure had completely collapsed. It was as if the legendary Tower of Heaven had been broken.

  Men’s settlements dispersed. At this moment, light shone on the entire mortal world. Charles opened his eyes but there was no longer compassion in them. Instead, they were empty and wide, just like the original darkness of the universe beyond the vault of heaven, and were filled with the beautiful light of stars. God had finally descended! In that instant, the King of Yellow sighed softly from a long distance away, while Ye Qingxuan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. He was gritting his teeth to control the fury in his heart as he closed his eyes. “Ah! Ah! What a detestable God!”

  Paganini looked up at the light. The expression on his face was complicated but fearful. And yet, when faced with such immeasurable power, he felt so touched that he was crying. “You have finally come to earth!”

  750 Heaven

  A voice rang out in every corner of everyone’s consciousness.

  At this moment, all tranquility and meditation were broken by that indescribable sound. Everyone was forced to listen to the low voice that came from the sky, whether they had ears or not.

  Unseen lips opened, and words like flowing water poured out from the highest places, immersing everyone within them.

  There was no sound left in the world.

  All that was left were his whispers.

  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”

  Then, in a flash, the watery blood pouring from the sky solidified and stopped in the void as if it had been frozen in amber. Then the sound of shattering crystal rang out from the blood that was spread out on the ground.

  Numerous c
rimson crystals grew out of the blood like sprouts out of fertile soil. In a flash, crystal plants grew all over the ground.

  The blood rain that had solidified in the void also grew. Like the condensation of snowflakes under a microscope, complex prisms grew and crisscrossed, forming a perfect pattern and a symmetrical topological sequence. Under the interference of endless essence, the whole solidified world turned into a huge reactor.

  The blood rain was refined into a huge, still crystal forest. Countless crystals hung in the air, turning heaven and earth into a wonderland. After a few short moments of strangeness and terror, it was overflowing with dignity and beauty.

  Eventually, a finger crooked, reached out, and tapped on the blood crystal in front of it.

  Bang! The clear sound spread out.

  It was like the roar of a frozen ocean.

  The spores erupted, and the sound of cracking spread out all over the ground. There were loud roars as lava and layers of ice collided, and the sharp sound of scraping metal was everywhere, becoming a grand elegy that was difficult for human ears to bear.

  The rupture spread amid the massive resonance.

  White cracks emerged in the blood crystals, splitting them from the inside out. In the end, all the material in them was completely torn. They dissipated into powder along with the roaring collapse, returning to nothingness.

  The blood rain that had permeated the heavens and the earth disappeared without a trace.

  The earth was restored.

  It changed from hell back into the world of humanity, even if it was still devastated.

  Then, the pair of eyes in the sky turned and gazed at the earth.

  “For you were made from dust, and to dust, you will return,” the voice said. “That which has not lived shall not live again.”

  A roar rang out from the earth, and the dark green insect eggs quickly faded, losing their color. In the end, they became pure particles of dirt.

  In the thick green fog that filled the air, there was the buzzing sound of the wings of numerous flying locust, but soon the harsh noise became scattered.

  This was because their wings were broken, and began to wither.

  The staggeringly huge locust lost their wings and fell from the sky.

  This was different than the bloody, scorched earth caused by the poisonous curse. This was a weak spirituality caused by violent bestial nature being immersed into the soil. The broken bestial natures that remained had gathered together in the aether, forming hundreds of millions of poisonous locus with nearly no bestial nature of their own. They had no consciousness, but their faint bestial nature endowed them with viciousness and the hunger of a beast that could never be sated.

  But now, that unthinkable amount of terror was not in use.

  Under the gaze of that pair of eyes, the highly polluting bestial nature was easily erased. As their scales were shaken off, they turned into nothing more than swollen gray moths. They quickly died one after another on the ground. They broke apart, and their cracked bodies left behind only dust.

  With the divine power running through the earth, the rushing tide of quicksilver solidified in place, forming a lifelike silver sculpture. The white storm roared, but as it became slower and slower the madness no longer…

  The world that was full of catastrophes was being changed.

  Light shone on everything.

  Everything greeted its redemption.

  “Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not leave any leeway for demons.”

  In that instant, all the Holy Spirits felt powerful suffocation, as if they had been plunged into iron and stone and their lungs had trouble operating. Even though they did not have lungs within their aether incarnations, they still felt a strong sense of suffocation. Even the aether flowing through their bodies no longer obeyed their orders.

  It had a new master.

  Under the gaze of that pair of eyes, the projection of the Holy Cauldron dissipated and was expelled amid the loud noise of ringing bells.

  The surviving Holy Spirits quickly retreated.

  Silence suffused this confrontation.

  “Withdraw,” Chopin ordered hoarsely.

  Mendelssohn looked back angrily, “The College of Cardinals ordered us to fight to the death, and you still want to escape?”

  “If the College of Cardinals wants a fight to the death, they can do it.” Chopin looked indifferent. “With things the way that they are, would a fight to the death mean anything? Or,” he pointed at the god far off in the sky and smiled coldly at his comrade, “do you think it will take that thing a lot of effort to kill us?”

  Mendelssohn was silent.

  “Retreat. I will take responsibility for the consequences.” Chopin closed his eyes. “In the face of this kind of thing, no amount of sacrifice would make a difference.”

  …

  At that moment, endless power worked in the magnificent light. Everywhere that the light shone, a supreme power held everything, guiding the multitude of chaos towards order.

  Rising out of the physical world, the ran through the sea of aether, forcibly settling the storms. Next, it went up, up and up and broke through the boundaries of the realm of aether, completely splitting the source of catastrophes.

  Everywhere the magnificent light went, all disasters and adversities were smoothed out.

  All catastrophes were completely eliminated!

  Paganini’s smile became stiff. What are you doing, Charles?

  This was not consumption and absorption, this was pure destruction. After paying such a great price, God was completely wiping catastrophes from the earth, even destroying the source.

  After this, the Eight Phenomena would disappear without a trace.

  Then, the light hanging in the sky fell.

  God’s will was in motion.

  The roaring earth was restored to stability again, and the sinking rock stratums were supported by new ones underneath. Volcanoes roared and exploded, but the boiling lava came too late to spurt out, and it slid back into the earth’s crust through the cracks in the rock stratums.

  The anger of the mountains and the earth was redirected, and the flowing rivers of lava cooled and hardened. They burned no more. Then, a new river developed and springs surged forth, making it run again.

  The sulfur in the air dissipated, and the dark sky that was formed by accumulated ash was split open, revealing the dark starry sky behind it. Moonlight once again fell upon the land, but it could not hide God’s glory.

  His glory ran above the earth, flowing like water, causing dust and gravel to rise up and collapsed walls and ruins to return to perfection. Everywhere it went, cries of mourning ceased.

  Pain and torture could not continue, for relief was extended to everyone.

  It only left nothing for itself…

  The divinity burned.

  God bathed in the fire of creation.

  The originally pure divinity was controlled by the will of a small body. Among the flames, his drooping eyes struggled to open and looked up. The glow of a human was revealed, pained yet firm.

  “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.”

  He bent at the waist with difficulty, reached out and grabbed his face. The magnificent voice dissipated, and the revelations from the mouth became a hoarse whisper, “It is better… to lose one part of your body than for… your whole body to be thrown into hell…”

  Taking advantage of the scripture that had inexplicably appeared in his heart, determination flashed in Charles’s eyes. His hand shot out, and a twitching, plaintive cry rang out from his throat.

  The roar rang out through the sky.

  It was like the world had flown into a rage just as his finger pierced his eye socket.

  At that moment everyone was dumbfounded as they stared at the madman in the sky as he painfully, and with difficulty, dug out his own right eye, cutting off the road to the Originator.

  The King of Yellow recovered from h
is shock and his face went hard. But beside him, Ye Qingxuan was laughing and laughing, as if the person who had lost their bet was not him.

  Amid the sound of small cracks, Charles slowly lowered his hand. He opened his fingers, revealing the right eye of condensed divinity within.

  All that was left where the eye had been was a hole.

  Blood ran down his face.

  The wound had not healed, because his omnipotent power was rapidly dissipating.

  It was as if he had completely torn himself in two. The strong part of him had been ripped out along with the loss of his right eye. Even the projection of Eden became unstable due to this and disappeared once again.

  His giant wings abandoned him, dissipating into the depths of the realm of aether.

  God was no more.

  The young man fell from the sky towards the earth, as if he had been expelled from the Kingdom of God.

  He had no power left.

  Wind rushed against his face. In his long descent, long-forgotten pain and weakness filled his body. The earth that rushed up to meet him was like death opening its arms, waiting for the final embrace.

  But he felt no fear.

  He was just satisfied.

  “Hello everyone.” His mouth curled into a grin with difficulty as he stared at the human world with his remaining eye. “I’m back,” he whispered softly.

  Darkness engulfed him.

  …

  When he opened his eyes from the dirt, he heard Paganini’s voice, “If I hadn’t reacted quickly, you’d be dead.”

  “Yeah?” Charles forced a smile, feeling only the painful convulsions in his limbs. “I’m…”

  “Badly wounded,” Paganini answered indifferently. “I only came in time to keep you from dying. Your spine is badly damaged, both your legs are broken, and your internal organs are bleeding. You’re already severely anemic, and relying on divine support. After losing your divinity you immediately tried to drive yourself to your death. After we get back to the Commonwealth of Caucasian you’ll probably have to stay in bed for a few years.”

  “Sounds terrible.” Charles sighed. “Was it you who saved me?”