Silent Crown

It was looking up at the wrath of heaven. The hot pillar of light, that had pierced through heaven and earth, was radiating with light. Hurricanes swept over with wind pressure and heat, which was suffocating.

Paganini stood on the debris of the Golden Palace and stared at the vault of heaven. Countless beams of light were dancing, and shortly after, stars began to fall like rain. The turbulent sea of light covered the entire sky and as the Holy Spirit fell, the broken scepter broke through the deepest layer of the raging ocean, just like a star crashing towards the ground. Along the way, it burnt brightly with the remnants of its life.

It slowly fell and dissipated until the end. Most of the light was lost between the vault of heaven and darkness, leaving behind only random streaks of light. It was just like a tombstone.

A voice spoke from a distance away and reverberated beside Paganini’s ear. It was Wolf Flute. “The latest news is that Asgard has restrained Quiet Moon.”

“Although that’s unexpected, it wasn’t impossible.” Paganini muttered quietly, “After losing Hyakume, there were no longer any conflicts in the Originator so there was no need for a brake valve. Although it still carried the name of the Three Pillar God, it only existed in name. On a certain level, a meaningless Quiet Moon and a meaningless Asgard could be compatible with each other.”

“Even so, the old fellow is still worried about any possible effects on the battle at Golden Palace.” Wolf Flute’s voice was monotonous, “He suggests that all of you get yourselves prepared so that, if necessary, Anubis will bring all of you along when we retreat.”

“No need.” Paganini rejected immediately, without considering the possibility of a retreat, “We should not even be thinking about losing. How can Quiet Moon, which has lost its divinity, be a match for Eden? Besides,” he looked up at the light in the sky. He could not disguise the look in his eyes that spoke about the trust and admiration towards absolute power, “Charles will definitely not lose!”

Wolf Flute stayed silent for a long time before sighing quietly. “What I’m worried about has never been whether he will lose. Some things can never be changed, regardless if we win or lose.”

Paganini replied coldly, “Men can never hide their true nature. No matter how determined they are, or how hard they try to control and suppress, men will always act according to their true nature at the end of the day.” He paused for a while, then said, “Just like you.”

After a short pause, Wolf Flute did not seem upset. Instead, he began to chuckle. “Sounds like I should have just been a traitor from the moment I was born.”

“Although that’s not what I meant, sometimes, some things can’t be avoided.”

“Yes, yes, yes. This, I understand.” Wolf Flute seemed to be smoking a roll of tobacco and was puffing out some smoke. “But you were wrong about one thing.” Tens of thousands of miles away, he stared at the flicker of light on his fingertips as he muttered quietly, “Maybe some people were destined to be a traitor from the moment they were born, but no one was born to be a God, Paganini. No one…”

He extinguished the flicker of light on his fingertips and the remnant sparks lit up his emotionless face. When the sparks were also extinguished, his face disappeared into the darkness. His voice was never heard again.

Tens of thousands of miles away, at the highest point of the entire world, the battle had reached its climax. Amidst the majestic voices and with the boost of the iron tower, the Holy Spirits were now well-armed with armors and weapons. It was as if music theory spirits and movements have turned into humans, as they displayed fierce and cold shimmer of metal from the infusion of aether.

The iron Holy Spirits traveled the vault of heaven at an incredible speed. A naked eye could only see the trails of their movements. This was a battle that far surpassed the limits of the speed of human reactions and every moment consisted of countless clashes. Every single detail possessed the power to influence the outcome of the battle.

At this moment, above the vault of heaven, every single Holy Spirit had already given up on their own individuality and devoted themselves in the main theme and turned into the most fundamental music note in that massive movement. And within the resonance of every single Holy Spirit, a majestic symphony played with aplomb. Symphony number nine!

There was no need for other names or title, for a single number was more than sufficient to recognize its existence. Within the entire Symphony number nine, there was one movement that was universally admired and respected. The core music theory that the King of Red had inherited, other than “Destiny” which ordinary men could not even take a peek at, was now being formed by countless Holy Spirits to become the ultimate power.

If destiny represented the emptiness and variance of God’s will and punishment, then Symphony number nine highlighted the principle of mankind. The elements represented by countless Holy Spirits were now gathered under the same main theme as they converted into pure power.

With this, they would praise and with this, they would sing at the top of their voices. With this, men would emerge victorious!

Amidst the music theory of Symphony number nine, the powers of countless Holy Spirits have already combined into one. Although the King of Red was not here personally, there was not much difference anymore. At tens of thousands of miles away, the iron city suddenly let out a deep roar. Countless towers began to toll their bells and the voices of hymns and prayers seemed to have extended from the distant past to the faraway future and carrying out the present.

The Church, which had once ruled over the old world for centuries, finally revealed their deposits. As countless Holy Spirits summoned, the power of the Holy Caldron finally descended upon the sky of Asgard. Just like a metal staff hitting on solid ice, rows of cracks began to appear on the projection of Eden.

All the powers throughout the universe gathered here with countless Holy Spirits acting as the vessel, the majestic and grand traces of Symphony number nine were finally outlined. As Symphony number nine gradually took shape and under the continuous impact of the iron Holy Spirits, Charles’ reaction became more tedious and cramped. It was no longer as smooth and easy as before.

“How terrifying it is when old people become angry…” He stared at the Holy Caldron above the vault of heaven and within the body, tens of thousands of burning beams of light were piercing through flesh and muscles. It seemed like he was about to melt and fuse into the light. This divinity would leave anyone dumbfounded. It was tens of times more powerful than Odin and it was a form of power that was completely different from those that were man-made. Even if it was completely irrigated by fresh blood, it remained as pure dirt. It might have prospered out of a human body but it was completely natural. As if it was meant to be this way.

The tolling of countless bells continued and the power of the Holy Caldron struck down once more. As a result, Eden, which was in the depth of the realm of aether, shook violently and the crack extended rapidly. The light shook and was instantly extinguished under the heavy pressure, which had increased suddenly by tens of thousands of times.

The sky lost its color, and in the huge roar, Charles fell from the sky. In the blink of an eye, he fell into the heaps of debris on a street and crashed through a house that was already burnt down. Gasps of exclamation could be heard beneath the broken tiles.

“To think that there would be a sneak attack?” Charles was embarrassed as he coughed. He turned back and saw a group of children that were huddled together. These children had nowhere to hide and were staring at him with panic in their eyes. The blood on their faces had already dried up completely.

“Er… Hey, are you all okay? I’m so sorry. I destroyed your beds.” He laughed awkwardly as he brushed off the ashes on his hair and his body before standing up. “Don’t be afraid. It is coming to an end.”

The children shuffled backward and dared not get closer. It was fear. Charles was stunned. He looked back and saw the broken mirror hanging on the broken wall but he could not recognize the person looking back at him.

He lowered his eyes solemnly and apologized quietly to the children, “I’m sorry.” Then, he spread his wings again and flew up into the sky. He dared not look back into those eyes.

At this moment, with the sound of the screeching horn, tens of Holy Spirits vanished and the horn, that was high in the vault of heaven, broke. The blood-red gigantic star appeared behind the gap in the vault of heaven. Giant star Wormwood! With Sacred City’s intention to murder, the melody that everyone was all too familiar with began to play from within the Holy Spirits.

“‘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!”