Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - Chapter 473: Funeral Music Drama (3)

Originally, it was the sky above the Cathedral of the True God complex.

No matter how distorted my perception of the world has become, in reality this place is still a vast golden stage. Spotlights shimmer, colorful flags flutter, and all sorts of banners dance in the air; even the old Royal Theatre couldn't compare to one percent of it.

But this beautiful scene was instantly engulfed by Fierce Flame.

It was still an exploding Lycoris radiata, but this one was much smaller than the first one, both in size and in scale. Even so, its power was terrifying; the rising heat and the spraying flames once again dyed the sky, turning it into a scorching hell like a steamer.

"Huff... huff... this is killing me... no, it's killing me."

In the self-destruction just now, I only risked one life, so the scale was much smaller, and my body was reconstructed very quickly. Now my clothes are all made of blood, a convenient feature that means I never have to worry about running around naked. The downside is that my clothes are always red and black.

And right in front of me—

"I thought you'd given up on the tactic of committing suicide and starting over if you couldn't win."

The lady was fanning herself with her pretty little fan, completely unharmed, her movements elegant and leisurely, like a noblewoman taking a stroll... no, that's exactly what she was.

There's something off about it. I would have noticed it quickly under normal circumstances, but I just can't quite put my finger on it now.

"If you don't take drastic measures soon, you'll really have me completely manipulated..."

If I let her twist my world to its extreme, I'll become her plaything or puppet, which isn't funny at all. Don't let my appearance fool you; I've never actually been the submissive one when playing with Haoyue.

"You're passive when you're being dragged into bed, but once you're in bed, you're always the one on top? I see, I see~"

"Your ability to hear people's thoughts is really annoying."

"How could that be? I'd like to know more about you. In fact, I've lived a life abstained from sex for two hundred years. I'd be very happy if you could give me some personal guidance."

"... Look at what you're saying, I'm already a little wet."

"That really is mine--"

She vanished without a trace.

"--pleasure!"

He appeared in front of me in the next instant!

"I can't afford that!"

I mustn't get close enough to hear her voice! Although the process was slightly different, the previous times my world was distorted, it all started with hearing her whispers! I absolutely cannot let her get close to me! My blood, burning wildly, erupted from my entire body, and the raging Blood Flame instantly engulfed me, granting me extreme speed and power! With just a light push off the ground, the surrounding scenery transformed into a blurry tunnel of light, and I was moving away from her at supersonic speed!

"Stay away from whom?"

But the sound relentlessly pursued me. Something appeared behind me, and I couldn't shake it off—I already knew this, because wherever there is sound, there is her! Moreover, her control over sound is conceptual; even if my eardrums are destroyed, the sound will still penetrate my heart. Even if I move at a speed exceeding the speed at which sound travels through solids, I cannot shake her off. Simply trying to avoid her is impossible!

"Blood Prison Space, expand once more!!!"

If I can't avoid it, I'll just pull her into my world! The Blood Prison Space is an inherent entity, a space that Blood Fiend created using the remnants of the Blood King, and now I've inherited it. In my understanding, its existence is inherent and unchanging. Therefore, although Madam can distort my understanding of the world, she cannot interfere with my understanding of the Blood Prison Space!

Boom!!!

The exploding Blood Flame swept away everything in their path, and the Blood Prison Space merged with the real world, transforming the entire Cathedral of the True God and even the sky above it into a world permeated with Blood Energy. Rolling blood engulfed all the buildings, and every exposed blood crystal was covered with Flower of the Other Shore. Crimson blood clouds filled the sky, and fluttering Lycoris radiata and fire powder from the Blood Flame danced in the air. This is my true home ground!

But she remained relaxed and showed no sign of anything amiss.

If an ordinary person entered the Blood Prison Space, they would probably faint instantly due to uncontrolled blood flow, or even die from exhaustion. But she was completely unaffected... Logically speaking, this has nothing to do with her mind; her physical body is ultimately only at the level of an ordinary person, and it's impossible for her to be so at ease.

I can't defeat her mentally no matter what; destroying her body physically and killing her is the only way. But... does she have some kind of way to protect her body? Or have I unknowingly fallen into her illusion again?

"Tsk tsk, no matter how many times I see it, I can't help but marvel at the beauty of this space." She looked at me with a playful expression, as if she were mocking me, but also as if she was genuinely admiring it.

"Wouldn't it be perfect for building a tomb for someone as beautiful as you?"

"How boastful! But I don't dislike it. Don't forget, your Blood Prison Space isn't very stable yet. Warrensding is an expert at controlling it, but you aren't."

"We'll only know after we try it—Blood Fusion!"

With a wave of my hand, all the blood in the space erupted into the sky like a volcanic eruption, filling the world with specks of blood foam and blood steam. These dissipating, dense blood droplets had a strong viscous feel, as if once they touched you, they could never be removed—and that was indeed the case.

The ruins emerging from the Blood Sea were completely stained with blood, and their shapes crumbled, all solid objects became twisted and deformed, and eventually completely melted into the blood. This is one of my large-scale destructive skills, which can melt away all solid objects within a huge area. It was originally intended as a backup to Sin Annihilation monsters like Xiao Wu, whose physical strength is insane.

Hmm... how did it go?

"I told you not to disappoint me! If you're going to treat me well, you'll have to put on a top-notch performance!"

The blood foam that filled the space vanished instantly, like snowflakes being scattered by a blower, but this sound wave was a hundred million times more terrifying than a blower! It was as if countless giant beasts were running rampant through the space, crushing everything in their path! My newly recovered body was blown away like a withered leaf, the violent sound waves tearing at my flesh, and even piercing into my body like needles, churning and raging within my internal organs!

A purely sonic attack? She suddenly switched to direct physical attacks?

"Cough--Pfft!"

In that brief contact, how many of my internal organs were shattered? Is there enough time to repair them? Should I just self-destruct and start over? I--

"--Still want to self-destruct and start over? Don't spoil the fun!"

The next instant, the pain that swept in from all directions almost robbed me of my consciousness. I was like a bird caught in a tornado, unable to escape, let alone flap my wings and struggle!

Sound -- Sound --

Since this is a physical attack rather than a psychological one, the sound needs a medium to travel.

Okay, let's find a way to block the sound from spreading.

The veil of the crystal boundary!!

The surging blood tide swept across the earth and sky, condensing into the largest crystal shield ever formed. Countless tiny fragments of internal vacuum gathered into tens of thousands of extremely thin crystal layers, each layer also being an absolute vacuum, and all the crystal layers together formed this whole! The sound waves sweeping towards me vanished instantly, blocked outside the giant crystal shield, but this was only temporary!

Boom!! Boom!!! Boom!!!!!

The monster of sound slammed into the crystal shield. Although the countless vacuum layers blocked the sound from propagating, the sound waves could destroy it as long as they shattered the crystal surface outside the vacuum. It just took a little longer! This was only a temporary delay!

In those few brief seconds of delay, think carefully... The lady's physical body is indeed only at an ordinary level, but why can she exist so calmly in the Blood Prison Space? Now, and before, I've tried many times to detonate the Blood Energy within her, to directly drain her life force, to engulf her with Blood Flame, but without exception, all have failed! Up to this point, I haven't even been able to harm a single hair on her head! Is it because she interferes with my five senses with sound, causing me to misinterpret her, and in reality, my attacks haven't hit her at all? Or has she distorted my perception of the world and done something to it? Or can she protect her body with something like sound waves? What is it—

Let's try one more time, with my strongest physical attack right now! If this doesn't work, I'll give up on using physical means to kill her completely!

First, some time is needed for preparation. Fill the entire Blood Prison Space with blood, then--

Rumble rumble rumble rumble!!!!!

A deafening roar erupted from the giant crystal shield, and then a torrent of sound rushed towards me! Amidst the shattering crystal dust and the scenery distorted by the sound waves, she appeared, laughing loudly!

"Fill it with blood, then what? Keep thinking!"

With a flick of her folding fan, all sounds veered off course, like loyal dogs groveling at her feet. I even had the illusion that the entire space was about to shatter! The moment the fan fluttered again, a torrent of Blood Flame hurled me away—but it was no use! I couldn't imagine anyone escaping the pursuit of her voice!

"Are you going to self-destruct? That would be so tasteless! Why treat such a beautiful body and life as a consumable!"

She was right next to me. I felt something grab my hair, but when I turned my eyes, I realized she hadn't reached out—was the sound giving the concept of "grabbing"? Before I could figure it out, the explosive sound wave knocked me down, sending me plummeting straight into the deep Blood Sea that filled the ground!

"I am proud to be human! What other creature can appreciate art and the beauty of music?"

The lady's voice was everywhere, like a whisper or a scream, constantly pouring into my brain and mind! My vision became distorted, and the scenes I saw began to flicker—oh no! She's trying to distort my perception of the world again! The prerequisite for using that strongest physical attack is to abandon the Blood Prison Space, and now it can no longer completely protect my fragile senses from distortion!

"Look, Ye! What a magnificent work humanity is! What noble reason! What great power!"

"Sorry—I'm not very good at appreciating humans!"

A thousand-foot-long Blood Flame instantly condensed in my hand, forming a colossal blade with the Void Greatsword, powerful enough to cleave mountains! The vast vacuum instantly sliced through waves of sound, as if flames were igniting even in space! But the raging Blood Flame still did not harm her; instead, the overwhelming sound reversed and shattered the flaming blade!

Almost there, hang in there!

It's just a hair's breadth away from filling the entire Blood Prison Space with blood.

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There's a high-energy ending to chapter 475.