This Chat Group's Vibe is a Bit Off

"Who says a band has to be a band?" Qianyi raised his hands, then suddenly clenched them, slipping into speech mode as his words sharpened. "A Community of Shared Destiny can be a band! A Dimensional Chat Group can be a band! Great Britain can be a band too!"

Morgan froze for a moment, then fell into thoughtful contemplation.

Great Britain could be a band, and Qianyi wanted to enact a Band Dissolution Tax.

So that was it—she'd misunderstood him. Qianyi was planning to form a Great Britain with her that would never disband, and that's why he was doing this!

With that thought, she looked at the young man before her, a surge of emotion welling up in her heart. She waved him over, signaling for him to sit beside her. "Qianyi, my lord, you don't always have to bear the burden alone. No need to be so restrained today—come, keep me company and chat a while."

"Let's try to keep it work-related," Qianyi corrected, steering the topic.

"Mm..." Morgan grew fonder of the young man before her, especially his stubborn devotion to Great Britain. "If this is what you want to do, then go ahead and do it. Wastefulness doesn't matter—this is necessary state expenditure. Spend as you please."

Having made her promise to Qianyi, she was about to bring up her daughter, Bavhanxi, as a topic to ease into casual conversation, only to find that he had already vanished.

Beast of Morgan.jpg

???

Steel Prison Big: Cheer for me! Hail me! I've finally taken the first step toward my dream!

I want to eat Mei-flavored instant noodles: What dream?

Steel Prison Big: I've convinced Morgan. The Band Dissolution Tax can be preliminarily implemented in the Fae Kingdom.

Child of Prophecy: Amazing! Qianyi, we've finally done it!

Customer Service Xiangzi is at your service: Can the faeries of Britain even understand what a Band Dissolution Tax is? You're trying to enforce it in a place that doesn't even have guitars or bass—will that actually work? I'd suggest not doing this.

Steel Prison Big: Precisely because no one here understands it, it's easier to push through. That way, when someone tries to disband a band in the future, they'll find this law already in place. How can they just dissolve it then? I won't chat more—I need to prepare the related festival.

Lower District Flying Head Barbarian: Festival? You need a festival to enact a law?

Steel Prison Big: What's the point of just announcing a law no one knows about? I'm going to build a grand theater in Camelot, invite all the faeries of the Fae Kingdom, and let them experience the beauty of music. After the performance ends, I'll smoothly roll out the Band Dissolution Tax. Perfect!

Steel Prison Big: When the time comes, if you're free, remember to come watch.

Closing the group chat, Qianyi couldn't wait to find Artoria and Bavhanxi. With the three of them, they could form the most basic band. Later, they could bring in Melusine (Fae Knight Lancelot), Barghest (Fae Knight Gawain), Woodworth, and others as needed.

This was his breakthrough from zero to one, and it also spurred him to pick up his instruments and start practicing again.

One month later.

With the arrival of the first Round Table Concert in the Fae Kingdom of Britain, faerie groups from all regions and clans gathered here to enjoy the musical performance.

"Lily, feeling nervous?"

At the Round Table Music Theater, Qianyi, Artoria, and the three great Fae Knights gathered together. Noticing the Boar Princess trembling slightly, he asked with concern.

"N-no, I'm fine. Just calm down, do it like usual..." Artoria tried desperately to reassure herself.

"Pull yourself together—you're our lead singer. If you screw up, I'll kill you~!" Bavhanxi suddenly strummed her guitar strings, producing a sharp sound.

"Time to take the stage. Straighten your back, tidy your outfit." Fae Knight Gawain (Barghest) slapped Artoria on the back, helping her stand tall.

"Lily, believe in yourself. You're better than anyone, any faerie." Qianyi patted Artoria's shoulder and comforted her. "When this is over, I'll treat you to barbecue in my world."

"A little world for two?" Melusine muttered her observation from the corner, looking completely indifferent.

"Hey, I'm coming too!" Bavhanxi immediately raised her hand.

"No problem, you can all come. I'll treat you to delicious food that doesn't exist in this world," Qianyi said generously.

Though World Travel Tickets and Companion Tickets were precious, it was all worth it.

"Celebrating halfway isn't behavior befitting a leader," Barghest corrected.

"Don't worry. Only victory declarations when the final outcome isn't certain count as celebrating halfway. I've already locked in the final victory and started studying opponents after the great expedition." If Qianyi hadn't studied costume design, he'd be preparing custom skins for everyone right now.

The moment they stepped on stage, thunderous cheers erupted from the audience.

Gazing at the crowd below, a familiar feeling surged within him. Once upon a time, when he performed on stage, the audience below had been just as numerous, just as lively. A long-missed thrill rippled through the sea of his heart.

"Stop."

With a single gesture and thought, he brought nearly a thousand people to an instant standstill.

The stage fell silent, but Qianyi still didn't speak. He simply stared at the people before him, the atmosphere growing heavier by the second—frightening, suffocating.

Back when Michael Jackson performed, he would stay silent for three minutes to build tension. Qianyi was now using that same technique to command the audience's emotions, keeping them in his grasp, under his control.

Then, the performance began. Unheard-of, unseen-before playing styles and music made the faeries feel novelty and excitement. Though many didn't understand it, they inexplicably found it trendy, cutting-edge.

The crowd below went wild.

Love, adoration, reverence—all of it slammed into Qianyi's heart. All the excitement, all the hope, everything—bestowed by him. This was what he desired, what he yearned for—the real... music!

"Amazing..." Toyokawa Shoko, watching from the audience, was seeing Qianyi perform for the first time. But she could clearly feel that his bass had a soul, and his music was the cry of that soul.

Just as the performance reached its peak, a massive tremor shook Camelot. From within the enormous Cernunnos's Great Chasm, a giant, furry, horned creature slowly poked its head out.

Everyone and every faerie who knew the true identity of this creature wore grim expressions.

The Horned God Cernunnos—the ancient god of the Fae Kingdom of Britain, the messenger of the paradise, the source of the calamity that befell Norwich...

The original land of this Lostbelt was made when the six-winged faeries killed Him with poisoned wine and used His corpse to create it. As for "humans," they were made by splitting the Horned God's witch alive into many pieces. Thus, this god harbored hatred for these faeries, born with original sin.

Yet, for some reason, after leaving the great cavern, the Horned God's corpse did not unleash calamity upon the Fae Kingdom. It merely revealed its head, silently watching Camelot from within.

Twelve sacred spears fully activated, Morgan watched the Horned God quietly listening to the music, her grave expression shifting to disbelief. "Even the long-dead Horned God Cernunnos has been moved by their music?"

They say Cernunnos's curse will lift only when the fae truly repent their sins from the bottom of their hearts. Could this be that moment?

When all the scheduled pieces ended, Bavhanxi gazed at Cernunnos's corpse and inexplicably felt a call—a call of the soul—and within that call, there seemed to be something... some unique melody woven in.

She couldn't help but begin to play along with that melody, performing music that had only existed in the distant past.

Qianyi froze, wondering why there was another piece, but seeing Bavhanxi already playing and the audience below roaring with excitement again, he had no choice but to follow along.

Wasn't this just an impromptu performance?

At this level, I can handle it!

The other three fae were no ordinary beings either. They instantly grasped the shift in the situation and poured their all into focused playing.

This was a melody from twelve thousand years ago, one the 'Priestess of the Gods' often hummed atop the Horned God Cernunnos. Now, across time and space, it was being reenacted in a brand-new performance. But to the ears of Cernunnos's corpse, its meaning took on a bitter edge.

The tune his priestess often hummed, played by the fae who killed him and tortured his priestess...

This stirred the divine wrath of the slain god—the curse upon the fae—into turmoil. Yet his mercy still yearned to favor these fae, if only they would repent their sins from the heart...

"This song is so boring."

"Not even close to the previous ones. Feels ancient."

"Judgment: out of ideas."

The fae below were unenthused.

In an instant, countless disasters and curses surged forth, driving the Horned God's corpse. The great calamity that once destroyed Great Britain and slaughtered all the fae erupted once more.

The Fae Kingdom of Great Britain was on the verge of destruction.

Chapter 71: Qianyi: I Did My Best, I Did My Best

The furious roar within the great cavern subsided, settling like receding tidewater into silence. The Horned God Cernunnos stood beneath the blood-red sunset, its massive shadow cast upon the cave walls, transforming into a silent, ancient divine statue.

Beasts only roar in warning, threatening their enemies. When they decide to strike, they keep a deathly silence.

When the last ray of sunlight vanished below the horizon, when night flooded the sky like a tide, the curses and calamities accumulated in the great cavern finally erupted. Like Pandora's box thrown open, they surged outward madly. The earth trembled and wailed under this power; even the hardest mountain rocks cracked.

At the peak of the tremors, every living being—human or fae—bore unconcealable terror on their faces. Even the City of White Chalk, Camelot, began to suffer: domes fell, ground split, fae in the palace scattered in panic. Only the Queen of Britain, Morgan, sat on her throne, watching the slowly moving Horned God, bracing to suppress these escaping calamities alone.

Twelve sacred spears stood ready.

The Ultimate Spear: Rhongomyniad—the barrier magecraft entity known as the "Wall of Light" covering the entire Lostbelt of Britain, and the most violent firepower of the Fae Kingdom. When it fired, the spear that sang of starlight and shimmered would erupt like a volcano, sending infinite radiance piercing the heavens, igniting the night into day.

"This is my Britain! I won't let you destroy it!"

Morgan unleashed her full magical power, the throne operating at maximum output. The twelve sacred spears bombarded the Horned God Cernunnos without pause, blasting it back into the cavern, raising the temperature inside to six thousand degrees Celsius—the surface temperature of the sun. Under this heat, even the calamities and curses within began to evaporate and vaporize. This was merely the light and heat from the spears' discharge.

The twelve spears hammered relentlessly for over a hundred minutes, pouring her magic without reserve onto the god.

Did she win? Was the god that brought endless calamity and curse to Britain slain?

Impossible.

If it could be killed so easily, the Horned God's corpse would have been reduced to nothing the moment Rhongomyniad was built. But from its construction to now, the corpse remained in the great cavern. Britain's most ancient god could at most be stopped, not killed. To slay the Horned God, the only option was to load either Morgan or Artoria—the "concept of the sacred sword"—as ammunition.

The smoke cleared. The Horned God's massive body showed scorch marks on its white fur in many places, but no fatal wounds. Then, crimson orbs materialized around it, bursting forth abruptly. Hundreds of lasers poured down like a storm, sweeping through forests and cities. Blazing fire instantly consumed everything. Amid the fae's screams, once-lush green trees and skyward structures turned to ash in the flames.

This scene left Morgan's feelings indescribable. Neither sorrow nor joy—blank and still, as if everything in the world was isolated from her perception. The only thing she could feel was perhaps a weariness seeping from the marrow of her bones, quietly spreading to every cell—a heavy, undeniable trace of fatigue.

"Qianyi, what do we do?" Artoria looked at Qianyi.

"Should we fight?" Kiana flashed to Qianyi's side, entering her Herrscher form. Having already fused the Serenity Gem and Pestilence Gem, she was terrifyingly strong now.

"Does poison work on this fluffy big guy? If it does, we might win easily." Seele loved fighting big things like this. Hydra's Poison was a noble true damage—hit them and it crazily drained their max HP.

"Big body, lots of fur. Should be weak to fire." Talulah analyzed the enemy's weakness.

"Don't worry. Even though I used one life fighting Melusine, I can still explode ten more times. Then Qianyi, you can steal my skill, and we chain-explode. After that, we can see if fusing into full Heracles lets us keep exploding." Toyokawa Shoko was ready to become the Thunder-Fire King and just mindlessly blast away.

Everyone chattered about how to fight the Horned God, but in truth, they were just waiting for Qianyi to start with Tens of Thousands of Proverbs to open the fight. Once he used it, they'd follow up with a big wave to test the enemy's strength.

If it couldn't hold up, it was just a roadside mutt. If it could, then it was worthy of being their opponent!

However...

"Persona, Zio." Qianyi summoned Izanagi, firing a bolt of lightning at the Horned God. It failed to pierce the enemy's armor, making him give up instantly. "I did my best, I did my best! The Horned God's too strong. I gave it my all and couldn't win."

"Bro, what the hell?" Kiana was dumbfounded.

"What about your Tens of Thousands of Proverbs?" Talulah couldn't help asking.

"What skill is Zio?" Toyokawa Shoko had never seen Qianyi use this skill before, and wasn't its power a bit weak? It looked even less damaging than a leak from her home appliances.

"Thunderbolt is my strongest skill. It dealt zero damage to the Horned God. I'm too spent to fight. I did my best, I did my best." Qianyi looked regretful.

Everyone: "..."

What was Qianyi's strongest skill? Tens of Thousands of Proverbs was definitely the top contender. Savior's Heal as a support skill wasn't bad either. Soubi form probably counted as a skill too. What the hell was Zio?

It was like Erlang Shen fighting, searching through his three-pointed double-edged spear, Heaven-and-Earth transformation, mountain-splitting axe, and then pulling out a "Celestial Cape" from his skill list.

Qianyi slowly spoke. "They say the world God created must be fair and just. If someone sins, they must pay the price—a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot. If someone can sin without paying, who would still believe in God? Who would defend His glory? I'm not Jesus. I don't have to save these fae. Besides, I've already enacted the Band Dissolution Tax. I've fought the good fight, I've finished the race, I've kept the faith. From now on, a band that won't dissolve awaits me."

"Huh? You enacted..." Seele scratched her head, about to say when did you do that, didn't you just finish the concert, but Toyokawa Shoko quickly covered her mouth.

"But some fairies don't deserve to die. I only have five tickets for carrying people through time—can only take five. Anyone want to chip in?"

"Me!" Toyokawa Shoko immediately pulled out hers. "Is that enough?"

"And mine!" Artoria followed suit at once.

Though she didn't quite understand why they'd suddenly lost to the Horn God, it seemed their entire force had been defeated. Now was the time to flee.

Running would come in handy next.

???

Camelot Throne.

Morgan sat on the throne, pondering for a long time. Her mana was nearly drained, leaving her unable to fire the Holy Spear's shells at the Horn God. But without shells, she could just load something else. As a fairy of Paradise, she herself possessed the "Holy Sword Concept"—she was the perfect shell!

"I am the King of Britain. Britain belongs to me. I... don't want to lose Britain again!"

"The Spear of the End that shines is my magecraft. So if I connect the throne's magic circuits to my heart, I can transform the Holy Spear into the Holy Sword—"

"Projection, begin."

Just as Morgan prepared to burn herself, an Alien Apostle, acting on the Alien God's orders, silently appeared behind her throne. A projection of Tomoyuki Muramasa's imitation blade materialized in his hand, piercing through both her and the throne in one stroke.

Blood gushed from Morgan's mouth. Chikago Muramasa pressed the attack, intent on completing the assassination. But nine bullets, each trailing a fiery wake, came at him from different angles and trajectories.

Chikago Muramasa switched from offense to defense, swinging his longsword. He precisely severed the nine bullets, which clattered to the ground around him. Squinting as the nine warheads dissolved into flames, he muttered, "Hundred Head Slayer? Who's there?!"

"I'm your dad!" Qianyi had no mood to bicker with Chikago Muramasa. He slashed out with his blade.

Chikago Muramasa raised his sword to block. The moment he saw who it was, he blurted out in shock, "Holy crap! You really are my old man!"