Silent Crown

The old musician pressed down on his white hair as they flowed in the hot and fiery wind.

The sounds of the friction of metal were coming from all directions. Those massive pieces of metal were being pushed together by the machinery, letting out ear-shattering roars. Amidst all the sparks, an incredible power was being gathered in the center.

Black clouds trembled from the huge roar like an iron curtain that was being beaten. The ceiling vibrated, causing countless ashes and dust to fall. What was originally a pure white tower was now coated with a layer of black.

The foul stench of sulfur filled the air and seemed to be capable of taking over the air. They came in huge gusts, so much so that people found it difficult to stand steadily. One might be at the top of the tower but in this hot and gloomy world, one could still hear the sound of crashing waves. It was as if the waves were crashing from all directions and the sounds they created would stack on top of one another. These sounds combined with the huge metal roars and the overall atmosphere was one of unease. It was as if the moisture of the water was soothing a very dry throat so as to save the soul of a body that was burning with heat.

Only by standing at the edge of the tower and looking downwards would one truly feel despair and hopelessness. One could only see waves crashing at the tower in all directions, and their color was red like fresh blood. There was a hell-like glow to these waves. They were flames. The red river of flames flowed underneath the gloomy skies, turning the iron curtain into a fiery red.

The molten lava brought flames and the power of hell as they provided the power for countless massive machines to continue operating and for the machinery with continue splitting the air with their sharp edges.

“This is just like hell,” the old musician muttered under his breath. He did not dare to look down anymore. Behind him came the sounds of hurried footsteps on the metal ladder. A middle-aged man was panting while climbing up the tower. When he reached the old musician, he handed over a document and reported, “My Lord, the west line has sent over this piece of information.”

The old musician lowered his head and flipped through this urgent report sent over from the Stronghold on Sea. Instead of becoming furious and upset like The Elders, he laughed. “He is a young man after all. His words may be serious and solemn but there will always be a bit of ego and pride in him.” He could almost see the grim look on Rommel’s face. He tossed the document into the air, and pieces of paper were quickly shredded in the wind before falling and vanishing like dust.

The middle-aged officer pretended not to hear anything. He only lowered his head. “The Elders will want to hear your views.”

“I don’t have any views. Don’t use a man you suspect and don’t suspect a man that you are using. I believe His Majesty will agree with this.” The old musician kept his hands in his sleeves and seemed helpless. “There are some things in this world that will never change, no matter how what you say or what order you give, unless the person experiences the pain personally. Our opponent is the Prince of Avalon, who is a monster. There is no shame in losing out to him, and there is no need to point fingers. Since we have already decided to place our trust in the youth, then we should leave the outcome of the battle to them.”

The middle-aged officer kept quiet for a moment before asking him a question that an elder had asked him to. “Do you think we will lose?”

The old musician pondered for a moment and suddenly broke into laughter. “Even The Elders are afraid? Afraid that this world will give up on itself… My apologies, I am not a sorcerer nor a fortune-teller. This is not something I can control. I can only confirm one thing.” The old musician took a glance at him and continued calmly, “If luck and fate are not on our side, then the Asgardians must not believe in fate. It’s as simple as that.”

The officer stayed silent for a long time before finally leaving.

The old musician stood quietly in this hell-like environment. No one knew how much time had passed before there was finally silence and the countless roars finally dissipated. It was as if the entire world had been muted, except for the sound of thick breathing beside his ear.

A crooked figure appeared suddenly from the shadows. He raised his head to reveal a wrinkled face. On his hooked nose rested a pair of heavy glasses that were full of dust. His voice sounded like metal plates grating against each other. “My Lord, the godly nature of Odin has been successfully shifted into the Tree of World. We are awaiting your order.”

“Then, let’s begin.” The old musician turned back and smiled. “Youngsters tend to be careless and impulsive when they do things. Sometimes, they will make mistakes. As their elders, we must try to understand them and give them a helping hand in times of need.”

The crooked figure bowed deeply before vanishing into the shadows.

Shortly after, the entire area began to dim suddenly. Beneath the iron curtain, the river of flames that were gathering from all directions seemed to flicker in the wind. It was as if an invisible monster had opened up its mouth and swallowed the light heat of hell. The tower shook violently.

From the bottom of the tower to the hubs in all four directions, the nine major burning seas and 36 streams of molten lava were quickly losing their glow as they began to cool down and congregate and break down. The light that was a sign of the burning iron curtain disappeared. Amidst the darkness, a pair of eyes opened in the depths of the tower.

Shortly after, there were countless roars of thunder. Lightning shot out from the base of the tower and streaked upwards. There were mighty torrents wherever it passed, washing away the black dust and rust so that the tower regained its original color of pure white once again. It began to glow brightly. It was the sign of the alchemy formation in operation.

Such a massive alchemy formation was created from the efforts of the entire lives of countless alchemists, as well as using up plenty of black gold mines. The complex alchemy formation began to open up, layer by layer. They began to light up in the core of the tower until it was so bright it could light up the entire place.

There were no stars, yet there were countless complex branches in the sky that was similar to the function of stars. There was no sunlight, yet there seemed to be a sun dwelling somewhere that shredded through the darkness. Initiation, creation, formation and activation, the four major levels lit up. But when the complete basic structure was formed, the operation did not stop. Instead, it began to evolve into a non-human phase.

At the very end, it split into nine major countries, only to connect with each other due to the ripples of godly nature. Eventually, they formed a body that allowed the massive godly nature to function perfectly. This was the ‘Tree of World.’ It was a weapon that was created from hundreds of volcanoes and was powerful enough to defeat a catastrophe with a single hit and destroy the world.

“Spirit and marrow in operation.

“Man-made divinity initiated.

“Nine major worlds are operating in balance. Godly nature has been congregated and the projection of Odin has been completed.”

The voices at his ear never stopped, but on top of the tower, the old musician closed his eyes. He was holding on to a wedge-shaped mud board that was full of cracks. Countless music notes glowed dimly. Amidst the repetitive melody, the glow of stars slowly rose from his body and intertwined in the sky to reveal the trace of a scepter.

At the top of the scepter, the vault of heaven suddenly trembled despite being hidden by the gloomy clouds. The shape of a ring slowly opened out of nowhere. In an instant, the thin yet gigantic lens opened fully and was fixed up in the sky, turning into a blurry yet perfect circle. Beams of light streamed over from far and projected onto the lens. What the naked eye could see was no longer the gloomy clouds that were the color of metal, but the boundless night sky.

The old musician opened his eyes. Holy light shot out of both his eyes as they looked into the night sky. The stars flickered in the night sky and the shapeless gigantic wheel began to move. Countless stars were in motion and their speed was so terrifyingly fast that they formed traces after traces in the night sky. In the end, the traces of these countless stars stacked together to form complex and massive concentric circles.

“Star tracks are in place.” The old musician opened up both his hands as if he was able to control the star-filled sky. His hoarse voice reverberated within his surroundings. “The demarcations of the sea of aether have been completed. Initiate the fire cellar formation. Begin the performance of the Dora movement…”

The ground shook and the gloomy clouds trembled as a number of devastating cracks appeared, one by one, and powerful beams of light shone through these cracks. These beams of sunlight seemed to be as sharp as knives as they intersected with each other. Powerful winds gathered to surround and protect the white tower. They seemed to complement the deep melody, raising howls and roars amongst the countless music notes.

In the next moment, dust rose into the sky before spreading out in all directions. The massive roar of metal grating against each other rang throughout the cold and gloomy world. Streaks of lightning gathered in the old musician’s hands before materializing into a physical object that was clear as crystal and shaped like a long spear. One could almost see the massive star-filled sky in motion through the long spear. It seemed so real. In contrast, the entire world seemed empty and small like a bubble.

With a gentle poke, it would be destroyed. This was the fruit of destruction created by humans, and a forbidden power seized from the hands of God. It was ‘Gungnir’!

“Dusk has come, and so has the time of extinction.” The old musician grabbed that spear of lightning and raised his arm to point at the star tracks in the night sky. “With this, compose an elegy for the people.”

In the next moment, lightning shot up into the sky. The star tracks broke. It was as if the fates that the stars represented have been pierced through and shredded by the spear of lightning. The gloomy clouds were lit up in flames, and the flames gradually spread across the night sky, leaving behind charred traces of burns.

Right in the center of the sky, a terrifying gap had cracked open. All it took was an instant for Gungnir to light up the entire sky. Terrifying streaks of lightning gathered together and easily dug out an empty hole in the sea of aether. Forward, forward, forward.

Lightning surged and carved out traces that stretched as far as a million miles in the night sky. They surged past the river of molten lava, dry deserts, thousands of miles of oceans and powerful storms. Wherever they passed, the sky roared, the river of molten lava was disrupted, deserts turned into glaze, waves crashed, powerful winds dissipated, storms evaporated…

In that very same instant, Mary, who was in the midst of a shallow sleep in the bustling hall of the throne, suddenly woke up and opened her eyes with a start. Her vision pierced through the ceiling of the palace and she stared at the sky that had been lit up. The lightning of destruction was descending from the sky!