Book Five: Return from the Other Shore - Chapter 483: Grande Sonata Pathetique (II)

As the lady launched her counterattack and relentlessly pressed Givinia, I was also nervously observing her true form. The lady couldn't immediately locate the shifting Givinia, but for me, who could sense Blood Energy and had memorized the scent of her blood, it was a piece of cake.

Givinia was moving back and forth among a multitude of projections, constantly shifting her position, sometimes right next to the lady, sometimes teleporting to a distance beyond my sight, but the lady's attack range was simply too vast! Unless Givinia was determined to escape, there was no way she could get rid of her!

Think it over carefully, Ye. What is it that I can do? If we just sit here and wait, it's only a matter of time before Givinia is defeated...

"... Life, fill it!"

Within the sea of Lycoris radiata on the inside of my body, vast swathes of Lycoris radiata began to wither, their abundant life force surging into my limbs and bones, filling the void left after I activated Paradise Lost using the Blood Prison Space, gradually restoring my body to normal. Only now do I realize that activating Paradise Lost recklessly was a bit too impulsive. You see, I have a whole host of powerful new techniques that can only be used with the Blood Prison Space, and even if I return to normal now, my combat power will be greatly diminished.

Moreover, Paradise Lost is indeed my most destructive physical attack. If using it still can't defeat the enemy, then I should seriously consider running away. Givinia is also struggling to hold on right now. I can feel that the rhythm of her Blood Energy flow is starting to become disordered, which is a sign of her condition becoming unbalanced.

Are there any other ways? Ways to tip the scales of victory in our favor...?

"... Yes, there are, but I haven't used any moves yet."

Although its physical attack power is vastly different from Paradise Lost, it is, in some ways, my most cherished ultimate move. If there were any move that could become a character's signature, it would probably be this one.

But could it hurt the lady?

No... my concern now isn't harming the Madam, but assisting Givinia as much as possible! She's the real key player now! I don't know the depth of her hatred for her birth mother, and even if I could imagine it, I wouldn't bother to understand. It's natural that she doesn't want an outsider like me to interfere, but what does it matter? People can never fully understand each other. All I need to do is try to distract the Madam and tip the scales of victory in our favor!

First, we need to find a way to protect her!

It's useless, useless, useless!

Givinia bit her lip hard. Although she had tried to attack countless times, the "army" of voices surrounded the lady, creating an impenetrable defense that made it difficult for her to get close! Although she had a backup plan, it was weak and had a pitifully low success rate, so she hadn't placed any hope on it from the beginning!

And-- (Here it comes!)

In A Ye's eyes, she was just dodging and desperately fighting, but as a psychic, Givinia could clearly see the terrifying army roaming through space. This army, imbued with the concept of "war," was absolutely superior to any legion in the world! Faced with such an offensive, she was like an ant stripped of its armor and bared into battle, ready to be crushed at any moment!

Having probably pinpointed the most likely location of her main body, an army clad in magnificent armor rushed toward her. Although her projections could fight against a single soldier of sound, the more projections she created, the weaker her control over them became. At the same scale, her side would only be crushed!

The instant the legion approached, she immediately projected herself into a relatively safe position several kilometers away. Then, she swapped positions with that projection, narrowly escaping a fatal attack. But before she could even catch her breath, the army that had been roaming around her new position suddenly accelerated, as if sensing that their target had fallen within their firing range.

(Just as I suspected! That guy has gradually learned to track my movements!)

Although both Givinia's projections and the current Madam are spiritual entities, they differ in essence. Givinia's true form is still her will residing within her physical body. Since her body remains, she can process external information from each projection at high speed, making each projection essentially a clone of her, each capable of seeing and hearing. The Madam, however, has completely abandoned her physical body to defeat A Ye. As a pure spiritual being, she cannot perceive physical information from the outside world. Therefore, she needs to use her special ability to convert all external information into the only thing she can control—sound—to receive it, and then reconstruct the received sound into various external situations. While this method cannot achieve accurate "real-world perception," the amount of information gained is far greater than that obtained through the five senses alone. It will likely not be long before the Madam completely controls the movements of her true body!

However, this also creates a major drawback for the lady. When external information suddenly explodes, the processing efficiency may not be able to keep up for a while, thus temporarily affecting the lady's perception of the outside world. This can be seen from the lady's rare dizziness when A Ye released "Paradise Lost", because the excessive amount of sound, light and energy information exceeded the processing limit.

(Honestly, were my expectations of A Ye too high? I was hoping she could at least deal some blow to Madam, but...)

But it was no use. Although the lady was slightly out of control due to the appearance of two formidable enemies, old and new, she was far from being so irrational as to fight to the death. If only A Ye had...

(No, how can I blame A Ye? It's my fault... I lost the bet.)

Givinia herself gave a forlorn smile. Yes, whether it was seeking revenge against the lady or hoping that A Ye could help her, it was ultimately just her own wish.

Whether her feelings for her mother were hatred or a distorted longing for kinship is unclear. Her mother was both her beginning and her grave. Her childish hatred for her mother led her down this path, and when she severed that hatred, her path came to an end.

But what does A Ye mean to me?

Companions? Xiao Wu and Haoyue were her companions. Friends? She was clearly not qualified. Acquaintances? That should be above that. Using and being used? But she felt she never considered A Ye a useful tool.

I don't understand. I see everything clearly when I'm an observer, but I'm confused when it's my turn.

But I don't dislike this feeling.

"But... A Ye, there's only one thing I want you to do right now..."

Having narrowly escaped the lady's next attack, she watched as thousands of projections scattered in all directions, her head throbbing with pain. She knew this was not a good sign, but it couldn't be a reason for her to flee.

If I can't get revenge... dying in a life-or-death battle with my mother doesn't seem so bad.

"So, whatever you do, don't interfere, A Ye..."

"I'm sorry, I can't accept that."

"--Huh!?"

Givinia rarely let out a sound of panic, as a fragrant breeze suddenly brushed against her face, tickling her nose with her long, peach-pink hair. And this guy just shrugged innocently at her, sticking out his tongue. Hey, you sticking your tongue out is so cute I can't resist, you know that?

All attention was focused on the lady and the legion of voices, neglecting the one who should have been the most attentive! How did she determine which was her true form—ah, right! She can sense Blood Energy!

"Oops, did I accidentally disrupt your rhythm?"

"I told you not to interfere!"

"I already said I'm sorry I can't comply."

"Cut!"

Just as Givinia was about to move her main body away, this guy flapped his Flame Wings and flew off, heading straight for a projection in the distance. Judging from his serious expression, anyone who didn't know better would think he was going after the real Givinia.

(This guy isn't stupid...)

Their exchange was so brief, almost imperceptible, that if they had lingered any longer, the Madam would have become suspicious. Her immediate flight towards other projections, however, could mislead the Madam. Sure enough, the Madam immediately noticed her movement, seemingly convinced that the only person this pink-haired woman would approach was Givinia. With a wave of her hand, the legion of voices roared and charged forward—

(Wait, no, wait, this guy is really stupid!)

Wouldn't that expose myself to danger?

"Seriously! You're all so annoying! You might as well all die!!!"

The entire army of sounds gathered together, tearing through the air as they charged towards A Ye! Perhaps she couldn't see anything, but Givinia could clearly see tens of thousands of soldiers rushing towards that beautiful figure! Regardless of the destructive power comparable to a massive army passing through, the sheer ferocity of killing intent contained within was enough to severely damage one's spirit!

A Ye's expression was extremely calm, so calm that it made people wonder if she had completely gone mad. She gave off a strange feeling right now, neither releasing all her power nor completely concealing her aura, but rather exuding a strange sense of Stay Out of It and leisure.

"Don't you enjoy both acting and watching plays, Winsani?"

A strange, blood-red light flickered in her eyes, and streaks of blood appeared on her body, but instead of spreading across her entire form, they extended into the surrounding space. As she moved, the sky, though still ablaze with flames, suddenly dimmed, and a faint crimson hue seemed to emanate from the darkness. The only bright spot was her eyes; her left eye, a golden pupil, flashed, while her right eye, a crimson pupil, seemed about to drip blood.

"Then watch and act to your heart's content..."

Even the lady seemed to sense something, paused for a moment, and then frowned.

"You dare underestimate me? Fine... I'll show you, they're part of my power too!"

With a wave of her hand, as if the stage backdrop had been removed, the audience that had been hidden all along appeared in this space, floating in the air carried by invisible sound waves. These were all the servants who had been carefully brainwashed and transformed by the lady. Each one had an exquisite face with little distinguishability, and there were tens of thousands of them. Even the most powerful emperors of ancient times might not have had so many servants.

And they were clearly no ordinary servants; each one was dressed in fine velvet gowns and carried a variety of musical instruments, their brilliance shining even under the dimming sky! This was the world's most prestigious orchestra, the lady's most treasured possession!

"Everyone, prepare the music!"

The lady's voice resonated powerfully, and without even needing a baton, all the servants were instantly ready to perform.

"Battle Song - Radical Theme!!!"

The rumbling sound of the army suddenly stopped, but this stoppage was not a weakening, but a transformation and evolution! Amidst the atmospheric tremors, Givinia seemed to see a huge beast breaking free of its cage. The sounds of the battlefield were no longer confined to the form of an "army," but had shed this constraint and become a pure condensation of killing intent and battle spirit!

At that moment, wisps of deep red haze spread from the woman with peach-colored hair.

"Funeral Music Drama, Overture - The Crimson Haze Obscurity!"