Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - Grande Sonata Pathetique (Five)

"The Third Movement, Symphony - Bloodstained Hell and Flying Flowers!"

It's finally started.

The first attack with real lethality in the Funeral Music Drama.

I certainly don't think that can solve the problem for the lady.

However, it can disrupt her massive orchestra.

The band itself has no power; they act as amplification devices for the lady's supernatural abilities. Their highly coordinated performance can double the effect of the lady's songs.

So let's start with them! Once we break down their fortress of sound, they'll be truly exposed!

The pervasive dark red haze gradually thinned, and the momentum of the Blood Rain subsided, but the sense of danger in the air that made one's skin itch did not diminish; on the contrary, it grew stronger. Even the servants, whose emotional reactions had been greatly diminished by the lady's influence, instinctively sensed the danger. They looked around uncomfortably, the sense of danger drawing ever closer, but they could see nothing.

A rustling sound filled the space, as if many things were drifting in the wind, but she couldn't discern where the sound was coming from. The lady frowned deeply; she tried to construct an image from the sound, but this most basic ability repeatedly failed, and she couldn't even determine the source of the sound.

No, calm down...

Is it because they're used to having fun that they're not suited to real battles where the sole purpose is to win?

Grasp even the smallest clue, sense the source of a sound as faint as a whisper in the wind, and see through the tedious illusions...

"... above!"

She suddenly looked up at the sky. The dark red clouds had deepened in color, and flowing, bright red streaks appeared within them. But these streaks weren't hovering high in the sky; they were getting closer and closer.

"The petals of the Lycoris radiata lily?"

Slender, curled petals unfurled in the sky, like snowflakes fluttering in winter, or like countless red sprites dancing in the wind, adorning the battlefield sky like a dream.

Colorful clouds covered the sky, ethereal mist swirled, and flower petals danced in the air—it was truly a manifestation of paradise on earth.

But the clouds were a dark red, as if blood had been washed over them; the fog was a life-stealing Blood Mist; and the drifting clouds were petals of the flowers of the underworld—each a sign of hell.

A fairyland constructed from hellish materials.

A beauty beyond human comprehension.

A danger beyond common sense.

Whichever one it is, it's impossible not to be captivated by it.

"--wrong!!!"

As if doused with a bucket of cold water, the lady instantly sobered up, filled with regret and shame, making her grit her teeth—as a top-tier psychic ability user, she had almost been bewitched by such a trivial trick as Blood Mist and Blood Rain!

Looking at the clueless servants around her, the lady felt another surge of annoyance. Why was everything going so wrong?

"Wake up, all of you!!!"

A sharp shout, like a thunderclap, jolted the entire band of ten thousand people awake. At that moment, the Blood Mist that had been swirling in the space finally dissipated completely, and they could see their surroundings clearly.

Just seconds before, they thought the petals of the Lycoris radiata were floating high in the sky, most of them blown away by the wind and far away from them.

And now--

"This is..."

"When!?"

"Lady!!"

"This... how... gaa..."

The rain of petals is not far away; on the contrary, it is already incredibly close.

Above, below, in front, behind, and to the sides, petals were everywhere, a torrential downpour of petals. The entire orchestra was completely enveloped, with nowhere to escape. Each petal was far from a simple decoration; it was a weapon concealed by its beautiful exterior.

Each performer's body trembled violently. The moment the petals touched their skin, their Blood Energy drained away from the point of contact. Thin streams of blood seeped through their skin where the petals touched, like blooming flowers, eventually twisting and dissipating into the blood-scented air. As their Blood Energy was forcibly extracted, everyone's face turned deathly pale, and they no longer had the strength to struggle. Their flesh withered away at a visible rate.

"If you touch a flower petal, all the Blood Energy in your body will be forcibly drawn out?"

Countless petals drifted towards the lady, but all passed right through her body. These petals, being physical entities, could not reach her spiritual form. Although she reopened the sound barrier at the last moment, it was too late. The vast majority of her painstakingly crafted masterpiece—the orchestra of ten thousand people—had unknowingly come into contact with the petals. Thousands of musicians collapsed one after another on the sound-mimicking stage, streaks of blood emerging from their bodies, resembling an endless red shrubbery at first glance. In severe cases, not only the places where they had come into contact with the petals, but also their mouths, eyes, and noses were oozing blood continuously.

"Damn it... I don't remember Warrensding having this move!"

Looking at the sky full of petals and the fallen servants, the lady tried hard to recall every battle with Blood Fiend. Blood Fiend had indeed summoned a vast sea of flowers, but those were more like byproducts of the Blood Prison Space than weapons. All the methods Ye had used so far were within the lady's expectations, including infinite resurrection—because Warrensding had mentioned that she had many lives, but she chose to keep only one true life, absorbing the rest as power all at once; while Ye had preserved all those lives, absorbing some only when necessary and converting them into power.

Now, from Blood Mist to flower petals, these are probably all new moves created by Ye.

"This is really troublesome..."

While the countless petals wouldn't harm the lady, the interference was far too severe.

(They're everywhere, everywhere, everywhere!)

The sounds of life are everywhere!

The lady's ability to convert external information into sound for reception and reproduction has a prerequisite: she must distinguish the types of sounds, from concrete sounds of wind, rain, and voices to abstract sounds of regret, war, or life. However, these petals are all manifestations of life, all belonging to Ye's life. What is presented to the lady through direct reception are countless life reactions of Ye!

(Is this their real intention? To completely disrupt my senses, and then--)

She jerked to the side, narrowly dodging a heavy punch aimed at her side, but the next kick landed squarely on her chest! With Ye's cover, Givinia finally managed to close the distance with the lady again! The lady somewhat clumsily caught a hand aimed at her neck, but couldn't defend against a blow aimed at the back of her head!

"Gurgle--"

The head was struck, and a violent dizziness pierced through the "brain" of the spiritual body. Although it was a spiritual body, the lady's original physique was no different from that of an ordinary person. Even after transforming into a spiritual body, being struck by Givinia's projection would still produce the same reaction as a physical body!

(I was careless... Quick... Use your mental voice to repel her...)

That's what she thought, but her dizziness prevented her from reacting quickly.

Facing the dizzy lady, Givinia's pursuit was merciless, followed by a slam of her knee into her mother's chin. The chin injury would cause a severe concussion to the brain, further exacerbating the lady's dizziness and rendering her temporarily unable to use her abilities!

(Just as A Ye said, this is her blind spot, and mine too...)

Why didn't anyone think of this before? The lady's weakness is so obvious, yet no one has ever noticed it because no one has ever thought about it carefully!

Less than a minute ago--

"Think about it, Givinia, your mother's various moves are like a series of musical pieces, aren't they?"

"Need I say more? After all, it's a 'God-Given Sound,' and besides, don't call her 'my mom'!"

"No, no, think about it carefully again. So far, has the lady uttered any 'meaningless sounds'?"

"... Huh?"

"So far, she has used various methods such as opera, a cappella, symphony, and sound simulation to maximize her power, but has she ever made any noise? Has she ever let out any harsh and unpleasant screams?"

"No..."

"Therefore, there is a major premise that we have been overlooking all along: all of the lady's skills require weaving melodies and arranging individual notes. Even the chaotic sounds of the battlefield have the grandeur of an epic drama... In other words, for her, simply making random sounds is not enough; it must be meaningful music that has been carefully considered!"

(I can't believe I only just realized this now!)

If a lady wants to use her abilities effectively, she must create meaningful music.

To put it simply, it requires thoughtful participation.

If her brain becomes confused due to external forces, her abilities will be temporarily sealed. It's such a simple thing, yet everyone has been ignoring it all along!

(Perhaps it's because no one has ever been able to get close enough to fight her. There are only a handful of people who can hurt her, let alone someone who can beat her up with brute force. Apart from a few high-ranking officials, there probably hasn't been one in the last two hundred years. Moreover, everyone takes it for granted that this 'musician' uses 'music' as a weapon, without ever thinking about the meaning behind it, or realizing that this is actually the limitation of the lady's superpower.)

And now she has done it. Although she had A Ye's help, at this moment, the lady's life is indeed in her hands!

Perhaps, without even needing A Ye's last resort, he could manage on his own...

She kicked the lady in the forehead again, and the arm she had just raised fell limply to her side. Givinia pinned the lady down and swiftly reached out with both hands—grabbing her neck.

At that moment, Givinia's heart trembled violently.

This is a repeat.

It's a replay of what happened nearly two hundred years ago.

The only difference is the location and the vertical position.

Years ago, a crazed woman strangled an infant with her hands.

Now, the infant of yesteryear is strangling this being called mother in the same way.

For Givinia, who was skilled in martial arts, strangling an ordinary person to death was a piece of cake; she could break her neck with just a little effort.

But...

(What's wrong... my hands are shaking so badly...)

My hands were shaking so badly that I could barely move them. This violent trembling seemed contagious, spreading from my hands to my whole body, making even my thoughts muddled.

(What am I doing...? What am I hesitating about?)

Hurry up and buy it!

With just a little effort, I could kill this woman and put an end to everything that has happened so far.

For nearly two hundred years, wasn't this the moment I'd been waiting for?

So hurry up and get to work, get to work, get to work!!!

But the more she tried to move, the more her strength waned, and even her vision blurred. A warm sensation flowed from her eyes to her cheeks. Could it be that even a projection of her thoughts could shed tears? Although it was just a phantom of tears on a spiritual level, was this a sign of her own weakness?

"Get to it!!!"

With a sharp shout, just to make a decision, she released her hands from the lady's neck and clenched them into fists, slamming them into her face with all her might—a punch powerful enough to shatter her cheekbone!

However, with a single blow, the lady shattered into countless fragments, vanishing into the void before the stunned Givinia's eyes.

Is it fake?

What you caught was just a fake?

Looking around, one could see a streak, as if struck by sound waves, stretching from the sky to the ground amidst the dark red haze.

"I see... Is that so? As soon as I knocked him unconscious, he immediately transformed into a sound wave and fled downwards, leaving me here with a substitute... Tsk!"

Anger, disappointment, yet a subtle sense of relief.

There's only one thing to do—keep the pursuit!

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