Grande Sonata Pathetique (III)

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

In that instant, in the unknown space where one side was red and the other white, Rakshasa True Word opened her eyes wide. She hurriedly lay down on the semi-transparent floor, anxiously watching the situation below.

"Um... Luo-chan?" Truth Incantation asked timidly.

"Shut up and stop bothering me!"

He was immediately yelled at.

"Eeeee, I'm sorry!"

Luo-chan didn't even bother to glance at her, only staring with a furrowed brow at the pink-haired woman emanating a red mist, her scarlet eyes filled with disbelief.

"No way, 'Funeral Music Drama' and stuff, I thought she just invented it for fun, but she actually did it for real?"

She and those two bugs thought it was just a silly little entertainment they did on the street, but it turned out to be a major surprise?

"What is she doing there?"

"Funeral Music Drama... I really don't know if she's lost her mind or if I'm seeing things, actually using something with such subtle destructive power and effects..."

"Is this move weak?"

"... No, it's subtle in every sense of the word, definitely not weak, but as for strength, it depends on which aspect you're measuring it from. At least its destructive power is not as amazing as Paradise Lost."

"Isn't that a good thing? That huge explosion before... it was too violent!"

"What do you know! The key issue is that the Funeral Music Drama must be structured as an overture, sonata, symphony, Requiem, requiem, and finale, layer upon layer! It has six stages in total. You'd be better off spending that time on... Wait! Who told you to speak to me?"

"But you answered their first question too..."

"Shut up, you idiot!!"

"Meow... QAQ"

The blood-red haze spread in all directions, making the air seem viscous. A dim, eerie light shone from the sky onto the red mist, giving the space a bewitching hue. The haze appeared to spread slowly, but in just a few breaths it covered an area of several kilometers, and its concentration continued to rise. The lady and her Ten Thousand Person Orchestra, as well as Givinia's projections, all became shadows that appeared and disappeared in the dark red haze.

As for me--

"Let's retreat!"

With a low growl and a flap of my Flame Wings, I instantly slashed out with a long trail of fire to dodge War Song's attack. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible to dodge it. It seems that the lady and the others were also confused by this sudden anomaly. The crimson haze was an excellent barrier; it was not dispersed at all when I Flame Wings through it, and the path I had cleared was immediately filled in, like pebbles falling into sticky glue.

"What is this? An illusion?"

The lady's voice came from the depths of the Blood Mist. This space filled with mist was already my domain. Every wisp of mist was like an extension of my senses, and no movement within its range could escape my perception.

Buzz!!

A powerful sonic wave cleaved out like a sharp blade. This attack could easily split a mountain in two, but it lost its power after entering the fog and haze. It became weaker and weaker as it went forward, and finally dissolved into a bloody mess.

"It wasn't just a trick after all; it can actually weaken the attack to some extent? But that's all! My servants—"

"Husband, Madam..."

"Cough! Cough cough cough!!"

"Forgive me... for my incompetence..."

The servants who were usually willing to go through fire and water for her were far less responsive than usual. Their complexions were all worse than the last, their skin as pale as paper, and every movement was weak and powerless. They stood in a crooked and shaky line, their hands holding instruments trembling. As a result, the war songs they played were not as powerful as before, and eventually they could only dissipate into the haze.

Taking advantage of the smog, I distanced myself from them and searched for Givinia.

"Givinia? Where are you?"

"Hey, here! What are you doing—hey!"

I grabbed her as she moved to my side, and flapped my Flame Wings to fly away into the distance, otherwise the lady would soon be able to tell where we were by sound.

"That voice... it's there!!!"

The lady's roar pierced through the mist, and I could see the deep red haze filling the space visibly distort. I quickly accelerated, and at the same time, I felt my arms suddenly empty. Had Givinia moved away because she was afraid of danger? But she quickly returned to my arms, her chest heaving violently, and her breathing becoming somewhat weak.

"Are you really crazy? What is this fog?! I can't see anything at all, I don't even know where to put the projector!"

"So stay with me obediently! Crimson Haze Obscurity is a large-scale debuff! It not only weakens any creatures it comes into contact with, but it also interferes with vision and hearing! Haven't you noticed that your mom's reaction to sound is a beat slower?"

"But I also... cough cough... feel unwell...!"

"Of course, this stuff doesn't discriminate between enemy and friendly forces; you'll feel unwell if you inhale too much."

"Then hurry up and remove it!"

"But I refuse."

"Stop messing around! It's fine if you're always a bit unserious, but... cough cough cough... don't get in my way! Now it's time for my battle!!!"

"I don't want you to go from being a unique, charismatic, and seemingly affectionate yet aloof Divine Teammate to a clichéd harem member."

I don't understand what you're saying!

"Then you probably don't understand."

"I don't understand!"

Givinia has disappeared from my arms again. Looks like she finally couldn't stand my antics and moved on. Oh well, let's start the countdown to kill time: 5--4--3--

What's going on?!

"We haven't even counted to 1 yet... Welcome back!"

"Why is there red fog everywhere?! We were just transported a thousand kilometers away, how can the fog cover such a wide area?"

"I just set it to spread out from your main body. The Blood Energy emanating from your main body can't fool me, so there's no way you can escape."

"That's enough!!! Why are you getting in my way? I'm grateful that you helped me weaken the lady beforehand—at least you forced out her spiritual body, so please just rest peacefully on the sidelines!"

"Watching you go to your death?"

"I had no way out long ago! This was all my own choice, starting two hundred years ago!"

"But I don't want you to die, I haven't even had my way with you yet."

"Go up--what!?"

"You."

"That's enough—cough cough!"

"Just kidding... You've almost ruined the dignified and composed image you've always cultivated. To be honest, I still want to consider you a friend, so have some self-respect. I've never truly fought alongside you before. I don't care what your and your wife's wishes are, but all I want is to defeat her as soon as possible and keep moving forward."

"..."

"So calm down, everyone. If you continue to be so stubborn, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to let you die from the weakening effect of the Crimson Haze Obscurity. Look, I only used this little trick to kill you. If you can't even handle me, don't even think about taking down the Madam on your own."

She glared at me fiercely, her usual gentle smile completely gone, replaced only by rejection of me, her obstacle. Was this the real her? No, she probably didn't even know what the real her was like.

"... Despicable, but... cough! Tsk... it seems we have no other choice... but what can we do if we join forces?"

"Your biggest predicament right now is the safety of your physical body. If you want to harm the lady—"

"--Don't say it out loud! Say it in your mind!"

She projected herself into my mind, communicating directly with my thoughts, thus shielding me from the Madam's detection to some extent. I wonder how long the Crimson Haze Obscurity can hold her back? It's about time for the Sonata to begin...

"Listen, I have a way to protect your true form. Unless I die, I will never let you suffer any harm, as long as you cooperate with me."

How do we coordinate?

"I think I've figured out a way to deal with her. You should give up on the idea of using projection to approach her and then punching and kicking her, right? Listen to me, this is very important... When my Funeral Music Drama reaches the Requiem, use any method you can to stall her, just enough to make her pause for a few seconds! But you must finish this before the final chapter begins, otherwise even the shortest time difference could be used by her to counterattack!"

"Where did they go...?"

The lady frowned, sensing the sounds around her. She had been able to detect the two people before, but now one of the sound sources had suddenly disappeared, and the remaining one... probably Ye, was also becoming indistinct due to the obstruction of the Blood Mist.

"Warrensding used similar methods before... but it was different. I can't quite put my finger on the difference, but... no, that guy is more troublesome!"

Givinia.

The fact that her own daughter was still alive, with her unwavering persistence and forbearance, shocked the lady for the first time in two hundred years. Even hearing the news of Blood Fiend's death had not shaken her so much.

But after that initial wavering, Givinia's subsequent performance greatly disappointed her.

Clearly, this differed from Givinia's original plan. She probably intended to wait until both she and A Ye were exhausted before launching a decisive attack, but she likely hadn't anticipated that I would completely transform my body into a spiritual form. Although I possessed methods to harm myself, as long as I concentrated, her mere mental attacks wouldn't touch me at all.

Despite these thoughts, the lady dared not be careless at all; on the contrary, she became even more cautious.

Ye, who had been inactive until now, has also begun to act. They must have reached some kind of consensus. Their vitality is not to be underestimated; no matter the dire situation, they can come up with all sorts of solutions. Such a person is the most troublesome opponent. From the beginning, she regarded Ye as an opponent of equal caliber. As for this dark history remnant called her daughter... although she was very unwilling, she had to pay close attention to her. Someone who could remain hidden for nearly two hundred years without being detected—it wouldn't be surprising if such a person truly created a miracle.

So what will they do next? Ye has already confirmed that he can't hurt himself, and Givinia is still lacking in experience. If the two of them join forces... the most likely scenario is that Ye will use some strange methods to provide cover, while Givinia uses that cover to launch her attack.

"Madam, what's next..."

"Hold your positions and do not act rashly."

"Yes, sir."

One of the servants obeyed the order and returned to the protection of the sound barrier. Layer upon layer of sound waves protected the lady and the entire orchestra of ten thousand people like a fortress, separating them from the dark red haze. If they were directly exposed to the outside, not only the servants, but even the lady herself would be in danger.

Should we send a small team to probe the area?

Just as she was thinking this—

"Madam, upstairs!"

"... oh?"

I don't know when it started, but the smog has started to thin out. A significant portion of it has risen to higher places and condensed into a thick layer, completely blocking out the sunlight.

It formed a huge, dark red cumulonimbus cloud.

Faced with this situation, the lady's first reaction was--

"Oh dear, I should have brought an umbrella."

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