Famous Paintings of the Moon World (2nd Update)

[Codename: Songstress]

[ID: Y-0007]

[Disaster Level: Four]

[First Appearance: July 15, 1982]

[Region of Appearance: Yingzhou Autonomous Region - XX Village]

[Frequency: 7 times]

[Contained: No]

[Controllable: No]

[Eliminated: No]

[Description: An unsolvable anomalous phenomenon. The entity is a translucent female floating in mid-air, resembling a ghost from urban legends, and emits an ethereal singing voice. The killing rule is triggered upon the emission of sound at a certain decibel level. Extremely dangerous; physical isolation is ineffective. It cannot be eliminated or contained. Possessing a degree of intelligence, it is one of the rarest sentient anomalies. During its first appearance, it caused the deaths of all 1,072 residents of XX Village. Every subsequent appearance has resulted in heavy casualties.]

[Countermeasures: Like normal anomalies, this phenomenon fears sunlight. Nuclear fusion can eliminate it; otherwise, there are no obvious weaknesses. When confronting it, maintain silence as much as possible to prevent triggering the killing rule. Note: Even for a sentient anomaly, it cannot bypass the rules to kill if the killing mechanism is not triggered.]

[Additional Remark: This entity possesses intelligence. If humans deliberately remain silent, it will use various methods to induce them to make sounds, thereby triggering the killing rule.]

In an instant, the data on the Songstress flooded Murata Himeko's mind. The pressure hit her immediately, making her throat go dry.

At the same time, Murata Himeko felt a sense of bewilderment; she could not understand why a thing like the Songstress would descend here.

One must know that although the Songstress is an unpredictable anomaly, it possesses intelligence.

Every time it appeared and brought death, it specifically targeted small villages and towns. When had it ever attacked a metropolis like Tokyo?

According to big data analysis, cities with large populations and high levels of civilization and prosperity effectively suppress the emergence of anomalies.

To date, there had not been a single case of an anomaly appearing in a major city. It seemed that these metaphysical entities adhered to certain metaphysical concepts—for instance, in the Flame Kingdom, it is believed that a vibrant population generates a strong "yang" energy, making it difficult for dark, ominous things to exist.

However, the appearance of the Songstress shattered this theory, proving that even a super-metropolis like Tokyo, with one of the top five population densities in the world, was still vulnerable to anomaly attacks.

Most importantly, the Songstress is an anomaly that possesses "intelligence"!

Even if this intelligence is completely different from that of humans and its thought patterns are beyond human comprehension, it still implies the possession of a thinking will and the ability to weigh pros and cons.

So the question arises: why would the Songstress attack the headquarters of the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office?

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to Murata Himeko, making her hair stand on end. She immediately issued orders to her subordinates.

"Immediately dispatch the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad and the Tracer Squad to escort the personnel related to codename 'Holy Grail War'. All other combat squads are to use every means necessary to delay the Songstress! The Songstress—that anomaly—is likely targeting them!"

"Anomalies can understand human hope... and they want to destroy that hope!"

She made the most correct decision and order possible.

However, it seemed it was already too late, for in the next moment, she received a report from her subordinates: the personnel related to the Holy Grail War, codenamed 'King Arthur', had encountered the Songstress!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Ugh!"

"Waaah~"

"Heh-heh..."

"Woo~~~ woo~~"

"Don't speak! Don't make a sound! Run... ugh-ph..."

Gunshots, muffled groans, screams, and the ethereal, melodious singing echoed through the corridor.

Artoria had lost the ability to think and could only stare blankly ahead.

There, seven members of the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office had already become corpses, and the female operative closest to her had died after uttering her final warning.

Everyone had died in the same way: their jaws were ripped off, their vocal cords torn out through the shattered jaw, and their blood instantly congealed, as if they had been dead for over a dozen hours, leaving not even a splash of blood.

The entire process was as if an invisible hand had simply and brutally ravaged them; the group had no ability to resist.

The one responsible was seven meters away, floating in mid-air: a woman wearing tattered white robes, her body translucent, her skin a bluish-white, with long hair obscuring most of her face.

Anomaly: Songstress!

The moment she manifested, her ethereal and melodious singing filled the corridor.

At the instant of her appearance, some of the seven staff members escorting Artoria to safety were telling her to hurry and trying to calm her down.

As a result, two of them immediately triggered the Songstress's killing rule—one must not make a sound in the presence of the Songstress.

Because the attack was so sudden and death arrived so quickly, the group had not reacted, nor had they realized what the attacking anomaly was. On the spot, others shouted to run, or screamed the names of their fallen comrades in anger, attempting to fight back.

The killing rule was triggered again, and the slaughter continued.

In truth, these staff members possessed high professional standards and should have performed better.

However, the Songstress's singing itself induces humans to make sounds; it is a form of cognitive influence. If one lacks the firm will to keep their mouth shut, they will constantly feel the urge to speak when encountering the Songstress, thereby triggering her killing mechanism.

In the end, when the last staff member realized this was the Songstress, all they had time to do was cover Artoria's mouth and utter their final warning.

Death, just like that, descended.

Without warning, without giving humanity any chance to react or resist, it arrived unreasonably, bringing death and despair.

Sinking weakly to the ground, Artoria's delicate body trembled uncontrollably. Having never witnessed such a scene, she completely lost the ability to think, only able to stare blankly upwards at the Songstress emitting her ethereal song.

At the same time, the Songstress tilted her head slightly, in a very human-like gesture, as if observing Artoria.

Though her eyes were unseen, one could clearly feel its curiosity, and its overwhelming malice.

Then, the Songstress's song grew louder. The intense stimulation of the song was continuously affecting Artoria's brain, constantly provoking an urge to speak, to say something.

It was beyond what a normal person could resist, yet the girl did not utter a sound. She clenched her lips tightly, blood trickling down from her bitten mouth, a testament to her will.

She did not want to fail the sacrifices. She absolutely could not speak.

Even when terrified to the extreme, she had to endure, had to persevere, had to...

"How~in~teresting~"

Suddenly, an extremely bizarre voice, as if singing yet uneven, made one's hair stand on end, rang out.

The source of the voice was the Songstress, and this uncanny being actually revealed a human-like smile.

In that instant, Artoria, witnessing this, felt a violent shock surge through her heart. A terrifying mental tremor almost made her lose control of her body, her tightly clenched lips involuntarily parting.

Simultaneously, her vocal cords vibrated, and a syllable, as if squeezed from her throat, emerged.

Instantly, the killing rule was triggered. An invisible force surged towards Artoria, about to kill her.

It seemed Artoria's death was a foregone conclusion.

Unless...

A miracle occurred.

And then...

A miracle happened!

An invisible blade flashed, magic erupted, air currents surged, and a blue-white figure suddenly appeared, unleashing a strike with an incredibly sharp sword intent.

The uncanny power, beyond human reach, was instantly severed by this strike. The intense magical airflow even affected the Songstress, causing it to violently drift backward a short distance.

The next moment, under Artoria's wide, disbelieving eyes, a maiden identical to her, but filled with heroic spirit, stood before her and looked down at her.

Her position was such that the light from between the corridors illuminated her, allowing Artoria to see her clearly.

Then, the other party spoke in a voice identical to Artoria's, yet cold, composed, and imbued with majesty: "I ask you, am I your reincarnation?"

"..." Artoria did not answer.

Was she unable to speak because things happened too suddenly, leaving her bewildered?

No, it wasn't like that...

It was simply because... the maiden before her was too beautiful, rendering her speechless.

And so, the two stood there, one sitting on the ground looking up, the other looking down under the moonlight, forming a silent, world-class tableau.

Seeking recommendation tickets! Seeking collection! Seeking rewards! Seeking monthly tickets!

Thank you, everyone!