Silent Crown

Upon Arthur’s orders, Avalon shook.

Beneath the city that had almost recovered to its past state, a river of blood gushed. The red water swirled up into the sky against gravity, then fell as raindrops of blood. As the drops sprinkled into the sea, they eroded the silvery white moonlight, as if they were falling into the city in the reflection.

The pure white moon shook and radiance spilled from it.

At the moment, in the hands of Ye Qingxuan, drawing the terrifying power of Mary, Genesis had opened up a new stratum between the realm of aether and the Physical World, enclosing the entire Kingdom of Heaven on Earth in it.

Everything in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth was under the control of Genesis.

At the moment, the music theory of Genesis operated in the moon, casting the light that God had promised humanity on the city that had once slumbered in the shadows.

Moonlight shone, resisting the invasion of the river of blood.

For the first time since its birth, the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth clashed with the power of Leviathan. After causing a loud bang to burst forth, the powers originating from the same source overlapped strangely.

At the moment, Avalon had entered a state similar to that of the sacred city during the invasion of Hyakume back then.

Everything in the Physical World was eroded by music theory, and the realm of aether collapsed downwards. The initially distinct duo overlapped here, mixing illusion and reality up.

As a result of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and Avalon attacking each other, parts of the two began to superpose, turning the entire city into a huge maze. The superposing regions included the uptown, midtown, and the 24 islands surrounding the city. The roads connecting the regions all tangled into a mess.

Meanwhile, right in the middle, drawing powers from the remains of the array of godly ascension left over from the past, Mary ascended the throne and engaged in a deadly battle with her ancestor, Arthur.

After perceiving Lancelot’s actions, Ye Qingxuan was silent for a moment, then entrusted Genesis into the hands of the purifying musicians and looked to the throne.

On the throne, Firebird was operating. It continuously plundered the power of the path of godly ascension. Fiery golden flares burst forth from it, engulfing Mary’s figure, and one could only see the vague silhouette of the girl.

Sensing Ye Qingxuan’s gaze, after a brief moment, her slightly hoarse voice rang out.

“Mr. Ye, if you feel that it is necessary, go ahead.” Mary paused for a while, seemingly hesitating, then said softly, “But please come back safe and well.”

Ye Qingxuan was silent for a moment, then nodded and promised, “Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will be back in a while.”

Upon finishing his words, he looked at Shi Dong, who nodded in response. “Worry not, Grand Inquisitor, I do have some experience of protecting dignitaries. Before you come back, no mishaps shall happen to Her Majesty.”

“I’ll leave it to you then.” Ye Qingxuan turned and walked towards the door of the throne room.

In the loud noise of the rumbling coming from the heavens and the earth, he gazed at the assembled Witch Hammer.

The Mountain of Nomadism hung high in the sky, casting a huge shadow on the ground.

The clergymen in armor held the banner on which the holy emblem was embroidered with iron thread high and bowed their heads at him, going down on one knee.

Raindrops with a bloody smell fell from the sky. They descended along the silent steel armors, splattered on the ground, and formed puddles, which reflected the silver hair of the young man and his icy, iron-like face.

As Ye Qingxuan walked past them, glows lit up on the helmets of the knights on both sides, like giants waking up. Sounds of aether furnaces being started rang out one after another. Sounds of steel scraping against each other converged and resembled that of a swarm of bees flapping their wings while flying.

On the banner, the holy emblem embroidered using iron thread gave off a scorching red glow. Fiery heat radiated from it, evaporating the blood rain falling on the banner.

Behind Ye Qingxuan, in the distorted curtain of rain, holy emblems slowly lit up one after another as they were raised up high into the sky, proclaiming the advent of the trial.

The terrifying heat radiated, dispelling the bone-chilling, dismal cold.

The Witch Hammer advanced mightily, a cold gleam of iron reflecting off them, making them resemble mercury flowing in a groove.

In the end, following his figure, the loud noise reverberated between the heavens and the earth.

The flames had once again been ignited.

…

As they advanced, Ye Qingxuan heard loud bangs continually bursting forth from the city, and everything was spinning dizzyingly.

The labyrinth-like roads constantly shattered and reorganized, making it impossible to distinguish between directions. Soon, the collision between the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and Avalon finally came to an end.

Shortly after, the radiance of the golden Firebird descended from the sky and landed on Ye Qingxuan’s head, turning into a crown.

The strengthening effect from the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 not only brought him power, but also entrusted the control of the city and the safety of the throne room into his hands.

Ye Qingxuan finally got to experience how royalty felt when they were walked in the city. It was a fulfilling sensation of everything obeying one and being in one’s control.

At the moment, he was no longer a designer of the city like how he initially was, but became the controller of the city instead. All means of defense were within his control.

The city had become an extension of his flesh, changing at his will.

He had been strengthened with all the defenses. As long as he was still alive, no one could break through the defenses of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and step into the throne room… In other words, if he died, the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth would have no more barriers of defense.

“It’s really a heavy responsibility, Your Majesty.” He turned his head and gazed at the direction of the palace, sighing softly.

When he turned back, he could already see the Lance of the Dragon Slayer, which could penetrate all layers of barriers and obstacles, amid the distorted light and shadows.

As the lance took aim, the artifact created for the purpose of slaying Leviathan exuded a terrifying divine majesty. It cut the chaotic music theory off completely and restored everything to its original appearance.

Surrounded by the souls of the dead, Lancelot, who was holding the meteorite metal in his hand, had put on his helmet once more. The blood-colored rainwater flowed on the helmet made of silver, revealing the cold grotesqueness of the magnificent decorative engravings on it.

Behind the helmet, only a pair of cold, indifferent eyes could be seen.

Lancelot showed not even the slightest hint of wavering even when facing the only son of his deceased sister.

Ye Qingxuan gazed at Lancelot, trying to see a difference in his demeanor, but all he could see was the usual distantness. “Lancelot, must it really be like this?”

Lancelot said nothing, but simply lowered his eyes, holding the end of the Lance of the Dragon Slayer in his hand. As he swung it, the lance swept across the ground, drawing a complete circle, with the starting and ending points overlapping.

The blade scrapped against the stone, and sparks flew out.

At the very moment when the circle was completed, an invisible force burst forth, and all the raindrops falling from the sky were pushed away. As if in fear, the water puddles on the ground fled one after another, forming a forbidding space of blankness.

Amid the blankness, the blade was slowly lifted, and it pointed at Ye Qingxuan.

“Is that so?” Ye Qingxuan understood and nodded. “That’s fine as well, lest I have to listen to your stories about ineffable difficulties and what not… To be honest, I’ve wanted to beat you up for a long time, and now that I finally have such an opportunity, it’s really great.”

As he said so, he slowly lifted a hand, and his voice rang out in everyone’s ear. “Have no qualms, annihilate the enemies!”

The response he received was the rumble from the armored knights’ advancement, resembling that of dams bursting and torrents sweeping through, and the roar that reverberated through the entire battlefield. “— Deus vult!!!”

…

Just as the Witch Hammer clashed with the torrent of the Royal Musician Division, and the moonlight of pure white illuminated the Lance of the Dragon Slayer, Avalon and the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth collided again for the second time.

Amid the large-scale turmoil, tides which were hundreds of meters high were stirred up out of nowhere, sweeping and tumbling.

The split paths of godly ascension collided with each other as the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and Avalon superposed. On two identical thrones, the gazes of the distinctly different ancestor and descendant met across a seemingly far distance.

On them, echoes burst forth from the blade and the sheath in resonance.

The power of Leviathan turned into a torrent, continuously strengthening the two. The brilliance of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth became more and more dazzling, and the fury in Arthur’s heart soared higher and higher.

“With dragon blood that you have stolen and a crown that you have stolen, you still dare to lay a finger on what is rightfully mine?!”

The black Firebird suddenly roared. As willed by Arthur, it gathered into a ray in his palm, and he threw it towards the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Despite only being willpower which made use of aether as a medium, thunder and lightning burst forth from it.

On Mary’s body, countless strands of music theory riveted themselves together. A phantom image of the sheath suddenly emerged. Along with it, the golden Firebird was stirred up and responded to the attack.

As it came head to head with its forebear and source, the Firebird which should have collapsed immediately upon contact surprisingly clamped down in midair on the spear of darkness that Arthur had thrown, crushing it. The spear fell apart.

Arthur was stunned for a moment, then he saw some even more unbelievable consequences.

Without even requiring Mary’s tenacity, the Chapter of the Golden Victory operated, and the bestiality that had developed to its limit once again evolved into a dragon of gold. Numerous blades of swords emerged from the Firebird, swiping towards Arthur like sharp teeth.

Orders from him and the suppression from Leviathan had no effect at all. To his shock, someone had actually broken the shackles resulting from the curse of the dragon blood!

Flame-like darkness burst out of his body and burned the golden swords completely.

The deep darkness collided with the brilliant gold.

“What on earth is this?” Arthur gritted his teeth and extended a hand violently. “You evasive coward, show yourself!”

In the roars, a vague eye emerged from the golden Firebird. The eye opened, and arrogantly cast a look of disdain at Arthur.

Then, a blurry reflection emerged in the huge eye.

One was able to vaguely make out that it was a gold-colored hound.

The hound growled deeply, and shockingly controlled the music theory in the sheath to command the Chapter of the Golden Victory, staging a brutal counter-attack against Arthur.

Firebird tore the air apart, and from it came a vague, speech-like voice, which was very familiar to Arthur. “Are you finding the chair to be a comfortable seat?”

At the very moment, Arthur’s pupils dilated, and the reflection of the sun of darkness spun in rage. What emerged was a reckless murderous intent, jealousy, and hatred from the bottom of his heart.

The black Firebird swept and suddenly swiped at the reflection of the hound, leaving forbidding marks of scars.

“It belongs to me and has nothing to do with you!” Arthur fixed his gaze on the hound’s figure with a death stare, his gaze dark and grotesque. “You can reminisce all you like, but don’t you ever dare to lay even one finger on it again…”

In the eye of the dragon, the golden hound lowered its head, seemingly sighing, and shook its tail nonchalantly. “Regardless of whether I miss it or regard it with contempt, actually, when sitting on it, it’s very unsettling.”

The vague voice said, “A fisherman’s son had a dream. Now that he has woken up, all those things should disappear, and he should not yearn for them too much…”

“You are a fisherman’s son, I am not!” Arthur’s roar interrupted it, and the pitch black Firebird erupted, then gathered and formed, guiding the power of the scorching sun in the sky, and evolved into grotesque scales and claws.

The scales collided, like gold and iron scraping against each other, and blinding sparks flew out.

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth shook violently as the black claws scratched at it. The music theory of Genesis quickly deflected most of the power, and a fissure cracked open on the core bell tower.

On the throne, Mary’s body trembled with it and a corresponding wound cracked open on her arm.

“Enough of gossip, now…” In Arthur’s eyes, the hollow sun of darkness lit up once more, emitting frightening flares. “— Hand. Over. The. Sheath!”