Silent Crown

Chapter 292 Friend

"It’s you…Robin." Ye Qingxuan saw the truth that he had ‘overlooked.’"So it’s you, Gavin." He had been looking for the Robin for such a long time but he had never thought that the Robin would be hidden so close to him. So close they had become such good friends.

He should have known that no place in Avalon would have a musician so well-versed in Summoning and Modifications other than the School of Royalty. Why did Gavin, from the School of Royalty, only show his attainment in Modifications and never Summoning?

Other than the royal musicians who had Galahad’s help, who else would be able to escape from Moonlight that night in the asylum? This was how it was…

It was so natural yet felt so sudden when he realized the truth. It was so sudden that Ye Qingxuan…wanted to cry.

"When?" the youth asked tiredly, "When did you discover me?"

"The school anniversary day. You used Bolero the first time we met. That was your only flaw."

"As expected, showing off isn’t a good habit." Ye Qingxuan laughed at himself. "So you didn’t approach me because you liked me?"

"Yeah." Gavin nodded and lowered his eyes. "But I was telling the truth when I said I’m jealous of you."

He let go and Ye Qingxuan collapsed. Blood flowed out soundlessly. Ye Qingxuan looked up at the moonlight from the pool of blood. He just wanted to laugh. Laugh at himself, laugh at his naivety…

"I thought…we were friends."

"We are but why wouldn’t you listen?" Gavin’s eyes were upset. "I already warned you, didn’t I? We would still be friends if you stayed in the academy, Yezi. As long as you didn’t come, we’d be friends forever."

"That’s great." The youth panted weakly. "I didn’t die in the hands of a friend."

"Yes, how can the Robin and the Vengeful Spirit be friends?" Gavin closed his eyes sadly. When he opened them again, only coldness remained. He yanked the dagger out. Blood poured out onto him. They dyed the steel gray eyes red.

"Farewell, Yezi," Gavin said quietly as he walked across the youth. "Someone as na?ve as you doesn’t suit this dirty world."

The youth lay in the spreading blood and sank into darkness. However, Gavin—no, Robin—changed into his blood-colored ceremonial robe. He climbed the corpses to reach the highest point.

The crystal eye in his hand caught the moonlight and shone with cold light. The light fell upon the enchantment of Avalon. When it fell on the tip of the Elizabeth Tower, the enormous white tower boomed and shook. Above the sacrificial altar at the tip, a huge hole opened up. The entire tower trembled and whined as if it was about to break apart. Darkness poured from the hole.

The container held down by layers of metal chains lifted, escaping the restrictions. Finally, it emerged from the darkness to see the moonlight. The cold song sounded once again.

"The king and helpers kidnapped the queen, imprisoning her in dreams…" Something was singing softly inside the small metal coffin. It carried centuries of hate and desolate; its voice was gentle yet lonely.

Gavin’s dagger flashed. He brought it down, hacking away the seal covered in metallic paste. The coffin shattered. Clear fluid shook inside the glass beaker within. The moonlight illuminated the charred oddly-shaped infant.

The wounds on its ruined face slowly opened and closed, singing the chilling song. Gavin stared enthusiastically at it. He pressed against the glass, feeling the power within.

"After all these centuries, you’re still alive. What kind of power did Arthur give you?"

As if sensing the living organism close to it, the infant cracked its eyes open. The eyes were empty and cold with the natural arrogance and eeriness of demons.

"Drink and enjoy the fountain of life!"

Gavin cracked the seal open. Cackling, he slit his wrist. Fresh blood flowed into the crack. It diffused and drowned Mordred’s body. All that remained was a faint shadow.

In the blood, the strange shadow began to distort and grow. It absorbed the blood and grew rapidly. After waiting for hundreds of years, it finally came to this cold world.

The lycoris flower fluid bubbled and the cracks of the container extended quickly before finally shattering. The song grew clearer and clearer. It echoed in all directions, making anyone pale. It grew from a weak man’s voice to the roars of countless demons. The song resounded in the darkness, transforming into a majestic ode and the frenzied song of revenge!

"…its key has been inserted in the case. The demon will realize our dreams. The bell has already rung in the cemetery. Did you hear the eerie song? Respond to our calls, the blood debt will be paid… Oh ho, raise the sails, we’ll return home. Pull, the thieves and beggars, we will be immortal in death!"

Be immortal in death.

Under the cold moonlight, the ball of boiling blood suddenly shattered, evaporated, and disappeared. In mid-air, the cold and handsome boy slowly opened his eyes. The orbs seemed to contain endless thunder and fire. One could not meet his eyes.

Within a few snaps of the finger, he had recovered from his burned state. He grew quickly and already looked to be seven or eight years old. His gold hair danced under the cold moonlight. He was ineffably strange and majestic. The rebellious child who had been sealed away for centuries had finally arrived to the world from death!

Mordred looked up slowly. He gazed at the moonlight and smiled with malice. Reaching out, he clenched a fist. Gold light flashed in his hand and countless demonic apparitions appeared!

It was the Chapter of the Golden Victory!

Boom! Waves crashed in the sea of aether! Mournful cracks appeared on the Elizabeth Tower. Its core shattered abruptly. The entire Avalon’s Shadow began to quake violently. The enchantment was collapsing!

The enchantment that had enveloped this golden city for centuries was now like a candle in the wind. It quickly died away in Mordred’s hand. The collapse quickly moved from the shadow to reality.

Everyone felt the ocean’s cry, the earthquake, and the cracks on the Elizabeth Tower. The faint glow enveloping the night sky extinguished rapidly; the aether rippled wildly, signaling the coming of darkness.

Avalon had lost all protection.

However, deep inside Avalon’s Shadow, darkness was quickly dissipating along with the thick and endless fog. The bell rang and echoed through the city of darkness.

At the highest point of the city, the gate chained by layers of darkness and fog suddenly opened! The gate of the palace had opened!

And in the endless darkness deep inside the layers of doors, the throne was burning. A pair of sleeping eyes slowly opened a crack within the flames.

The sleeper was about to awaken.

-

"Yezi?" For a moment, Lola felt a sudden heart palpitation. Deep inside the hallucination, she spun around. The marker she had put on Ye Qingxuan suddenly disappeared—the resonance was over and the heart of sound had dissipated. What had happened?

The angry Blue Moon lit up inside her eyes. She scanned the dark city, seeing layers of corpses and demons dancing within the blood and ruins. And the youth awaiting death at the top of the tower.

"Ye…zi?" She froze. The surrounding moonlight went out of control and flashed. Immense hatred and gloominess appeared in her eyes. Darkness surged and the demonic blood within her roared.

Who did it?

The moonlight burned like the sun. It became tangible outside the hallucination and the blade swept across Avalon’s Shadow. In its path, demons were split apart, their blood absorbed by the moonlight, and transformed into cold dust.

Who did it?!

She screamed and her broken scepter appeared around her. She performed her symphony of predestination again and transformed into a towering shadow. This was the god that the moon spirits worshipped—the physical incarnation of the Blue Moon.

Her scepter was the Dark Side of the Moon!

The insubstantial shadow shook and dissipated. The broken scepter broke once again. A crack appeared across Lola’s face. She spun around and looked inside the hallucination.

Malpas was no longer flying. He had stopped in mid-air, allowing the hallucinations to eat away at him and drag him in. Countless eagle feathers floated above the thousands of black feathers. It all transformed into a black vortex. He was going to…give up!

The moment he felt the Avalonian enchantment end, his restrained power suddenly shot to the peak of the Distortion level. He distorted the hallucination and rays of light as if they were real. However, this guy did not think of turning the tides when he recovered his ability. Instead, he chose to…give up?!

Malpas’ body swelled rapidly because his blood absorbed the aether. It bubbled as if boiling. Each feather contained burning power that could wipe an entire street off the map.

"I offer this feather to you, the creator of all, Eagle Wing Mother!" Murmuring hoarsely, he recited, "I offer this blood and bone to the mighty followers of the darkness; I give this soul to the almighty lord!"

"He has arrived!"

"He has arrived!!"

"He has arrived!!!"

The wild incantation came from the black vortex. His screams lifted wild waves in the nothingness of the aether sea. The power that had shot upward from the Distortion level now transformed into flames that burned the hallucination. The endless snow field and blizzard were ignited instantly, turning this place into a hell.

Deep within the hell, Malpas had swelled to his limits. The giant eagle that wanted to swallow everything radiated with light and fire. He burned himself endlessly, transforming into an aggressive sun.

The overlapping music theory shattered and the hallucination scattered. Huge tremors traveled thousands of miles with the broken music theory and crashed onto Lola.

She shook. Slicing the air with her fingers, the music theory suddenly disappeared. The dozens of demons trapped in cages around her suddenly shook and died with an explosion.

Blood trickled out of her openings. Her entire body jolted violently as her moon spirit blood boiled. She could barely control it.

Demons were maniacs after all. They would explode without any forewarning. If she had not retreated in time, she would have been swept into that ball of light and burned to death as well.

Before she could catch her breath in the dark alley, she injected the remaining Deva’s blood into her body to forcefully cover her wounds. Gritting her teeth and holding onto the wall, she stumbled toward the slowly crumbling white tower.

Yezi, you must live. If you die…if you die… She lowered her eyes. Sharp fangs pierced her scarlet lips. Then let this entire city die with you!

-

In the heavens, Malpas finally burned completely inside the sun. His body transformed into a black vortex that endlessly sucked in the aether and exploded. However, a heraldry appeared in the center of the vortex—the Eyes Within the Eye.

The skies and earth shook! The vortex pierced the boundary between light and shadow and opened a crack that led straight to the abyss. And within the abyss, something…was coming!