Across a boundless black sea, Li Yue could not remember how many times she had come here. Countless times, she felt this was the final resting place for the dead. As for why, perhaps it was the darkness and the silence that gave her a heartfelt peace, allowing her to find release during these difficult days.
She jumped lightly from the small boat and stepped onto the surface of the water.
“Has anything really changed?” she heard a voice rising from the bottom of the abyss. “Walking into one danger after another alone. Dying at just the right moment.”
“Am I dead?” she asked toward the water's surface.
“How foolish... exactly like I used to be, always trying to do things I couldn't achieve.”
The voice gradually drew closer. She felt the voice was filled with a cacophony of sounds, as if multiple people were speaking at once.
The water not far away began to tremble, and a bright red blood demon emerged from beneath the surface. Li Yue froze for a moment, and a sharp blade appeared in her hand at some unknown time.
She decapitated the blood demon without hesitation. Immediately after, more stood up from beneath the water. Li Yue was stunned for a second, then gripped her blade and charged.
She swung her blade, venting the pain and resentment in her heart upon the blood demons before her. The blood demons fell in waves only to rise again. Li Yue went from initial excitement to a gradual numbness, and finally to exhaustion.
Blood-red claws slashed across her chest, and she once again felt the agony of having her heart gouged out. Her wounds multiplied until she finally collapsed in a pool of blood.
Dead?
She opened her eyes again, seemingly back at the place where she had fallen. She swung her sword once more, as if in a dream. There was no day or night here, no time. She didn't remember how many times she had died in this cycle, nor did she know how long she had been fighting.
In a daze, a blood demon took on Caesar’s appearance and clawed viciously at her chest, gouging out a bright red heart.
Li Yue fell powerlessly, plunging into the other side of the abyss.
“How many things have you neglected?” the ethereal voice asked.
“You didn't know that the blood crystals beneath that fur merchant's place were the products of civilian sacrifices. You might have had the chance to learn about these things.”
Li Yue was stunned.
“Between the difficult and the easy, you chose to escape.” On the water's surface, a girl sat on a massive blood crystal throne, resting her cheek on her hand as she watched Li Yue quietly.
“So of course you didn't know that the manor once belonged to Caesar.” There was no mockery at the corners of the girl's mouth. She simply hid behind her hood, watching Li Yue silently. “Have you ever wondered why Miller was so fanatical about blood crystals?”
“It was a desire for immortality. Unfortunately, you always avoided the blood crystal in your own chest. As long as you didn't understand it, you wouldn't have to fear anything, right?”
“The ‘Blood Cup’ is real. Unfortunately, you underestimated the God's legacy too much.”
“If you had investigated Miller’s auction, you would have seen Caesar’s gold-stamped seal on the invitations he sent out.”
“If you had known the legends, you might have discovered that those invitees were descendants of ‘Merlin.’ They carried the bloodline of the most glorious magic users of the old continent, even if it had been diluted countless times.”
“You certainly didn't know that their blood was collected and purified by Caesar to eventually become the offerings for a divine sacrifice.”
“You fantasized about a girl, using an imaginary love to fill the void in your heart in an attempt to escape everything. You once despised your own soul, yet you were timid and hesitant countless times.”
“If you had burned the pages or used your blood to cover that journal, you would have found Caesar’s name beneath William’s. You suspected it, but you didn't take it to heart.”
“Finally, Caesar changed his plan. He originally intended to crush the heart to create a small Blood Moon, but you made the heart beat once more.”
“You are always fooled by fate, forgetting time and again to check the records of the Royal Court, even when someone gave you enough hints. So you didn't know that the Royal Court was established under a Blood Moon, and you wouldn't know that Caesar’s plan wasn't to control Parvati. He wanted to turn Parvati into the foundation of a new Royal Court.”
“From the beginning, you felt like the protagonist of a transmigration story, never believing you would actually die. You hid that arrogance from (blurred) deep in your heart, conceitedly forgetting one thing after another.”
“So every step you took still landed on the path fate arranged for you.” The girl stood up and walked toward the uncontrollably trembling Li Yue. “So in the end, you are not the protagonist. You are just a pathetic wretch in the script of fate.”
“There are no more chances. The story has already happened. Like an arrow shot from a bow, it won't easily return to the string before hitting its target.”
“How do you know all this...” Li Yue thought back on everything. In an instant, all those blood-colored memories returned. She clearly remembered the agonizing memories and the stinging deaths.
“I am someone who cannot let go of the past.” The girl looked into the distance. “I was once omniscient and omnipotent. In that moment, I realized how many moments in the past could have been salvaged and how foolish I had been. It was just that, by then, it had already reached the end...”
“I need to get out... Caesar is going to...” Li Yue suddenly stood up. Her memories had reached the point where Caesar took her heart.
“Don't neglect anything else...” The girl lightly pressed a finger against Li Yue's chest. “Draw a line downward, gently.”
A sudden sensation of falling came over her. Before Li Yue could ask what was left, she plunged into the endless abyss. She looked at the girl and could only vaguely see blood-red snake pupils.
Li Yue jolted awake. She was surprised to find that the blood hole in her chest had vanished. She had already fallen to the ground. Aside from an empty feeling in her chest, there was nothing else. She propped herself up and stumbled toward the exit.
On the scorched earth, people were crying and fleeing, trying to escape this endless night. But it was in vain. The moment they fled the city wrapped in Blues and their bodies were exposed to the moonlight, their flesh grew wildly, quickly breaking through their skin as they began to roar and charge at the people around them.
“The Blood Moon that year was your doing as well, wasn't it?” Roland’s eyes flashed with a pale blue light, and musical scores swirled around him.
“I didn't expect that you would not only break through the Magician stage but even temporarily reach the level of a Great Mage at this moment.” Caesar, draped in a bright red robe in the air, smiled. “It was my doing, but that was just an experiment. I paid a heavy price for it as well.”
Roland sighed. He looked toward the south from afar, sadness flickering in his eyes. With a gentle wave of his hand, the Death Movement began to play. Within the range of Roland’s control, the ground cracked, and the roaring blood demons exploded into pools of blood.
Yet under this powerful magic, the barrier in front of Caesar showed no signs of wavering.
“This was created by a God's legacy. Here, only a divine relic of the same tier can break me.” Caesar laughed contemptuously, looking down at the struggling Roland from above.
Roland paused, letting his Blues spread as far as possible to stall for time.
He thought of the white-haired girl, seemingly having predicted her fate. He closed his eyes, trying to let his emotions follow the rhythm of the music.
On the shattered streets, Li Yue looked at the Blood Moon in the pitch-black sky, and a surge of terror welled up within her.
That moon... was caused by my heart? This is actually such a terrifying thing...
It’s all my fault...
She took a half-step back, clenched her fists tightly, then let them go powerlessly again. At this point, what could she do?
The Blood Moon of that year was only quickly quelled with the intervention of a Great Mage. At her strongest, she was perhaps only at the Magician stage. Now, she seemed to have nothing.
She knelt on the ground, looking at the dark earth. She remembered the girl on the black river who had told her not to neglect anything else. But... what did she have left?
“Death is a curse, a fall, and also a blessing.” Li Yue murmured. A sentence entered her mind. She closed her eyes, and for the first time, she began to recall the deaths she was most unwilling to remember.
She searched with difficulty through her fragmented memories. She thought back to everything, back to the beginning—that massive blood pool, that blood-red longsword, and that heart she had ignored for so long.
She looked at the blood crystal in her chest. It had been violently torn out before, but every time she woke up, it would still return to her side.
Her hand gently gripped the blood crystal, pulling with slight force. A tearing, excruciating pain came. In a daze, she could see the shocked but relieved gaze of the snake-eyed girl in the far distance.
Enduring the tearing pain, she pulled the bright red blood crystal out with her own hands.
Above the blood crystal, a pitch-black cross-shaped hilt began to emerge. Her blood was drawn out, slowly condensing on the black hilt into a bright red blood blade, exactly like the one she had seen in the crimson of death.
A bright red light appeared around her, even outshining the crimson of the Blood Moon in the sky. Li Yue struggled to stand. The influence of the Blood Moon seemed to diminish; it was as if something capable of suppressing it had appeared.
A pitch-black claw lunged toward Li Yue, only to be blasted away by a burst of music. Roland appeared by Li Yue's side, and an expression of disbelief appeared on Caesar’s face in the sky.
“You are its wielder?” Roland asked softly, pointing at the blood sword in Li Yue's hand.
“What is this?”
“A God's legacy... It chooses its own master.” Roland looked at Li Yue with a complex gaze. “So you have already stepped onto a divergent path of fate.”
Roland paused for a moment, thinking for a long time as he looked into Li Yue's eyes.
“I will create an opportunity for you. Get as close to him as possible. After that, you just need to attack.”
Roland patted Li Yue’s shoulder as if he had made a decision. He waved his hand, and the phantom of an object appeared in the air, which he then caught.
It was a small, sky-blue violin. Roland gave Li Yue a deep look and looked toward the south once more. The bow lightly touched the strings, and as his right hand moved, a mournful and melodious tune began to play.
Li Yue looked at Roland. She clearly felt the powerful force erupting from him at this moment, which seemed to far exceed the scope of a magician. She didn't hesitate and charged toward Caesar in the air.
Intermittent musical notes appeared in the air. Li Yue stepped on them, walking through the sky.
Countless blood blades flew toward Li Yue, whistling through the air with sharp tearing sounds.
God's legacies... I’ve learned about many, but can something that carries the fate of a god really be called a gift?
Roland looked at Li Yue in the sky, as if seeing himself from many years ago.
But if it is in her hands, it should bring gifts to others. I look forward to the day you shine upon the world. As long as you do not forget your original intention, I will bless you forever.
Countless musical notes appeared around Li Yue, blocking the tide-like attacks for her.
“Roland, you!” Caesar waved both hands, preparing to launch an even more powerful spell.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp, sudden pain in his heart, forcing him to interrupt his casting. The light screen in front of him also dimmed significantly.
With a loud clang, a blood sword struck Caesar’s barrier heavily, and cracks began to spread.
“How is it possible?! How could It choose you?!”
The barrier in front of his chest shattered. A powerful melody supported Li Yue, the melodious tune seemingly resonating with her soul.
Caesar suddenly felt his throat tighten, followed by the sound of his windpipe rupturing.
He coughed up a bloody heart. At that moment, Li Yue's sword pierced Caesar’s body, skewering his heart.
His body rapidly turned into a cloud of blood mist, dropping a white token with a pitch-black ‘K’ written on it.
The longsword in her hand transformed into a black and red shadow—a giant snake. It swallowed the heart in one gulp, then turned back into a blood crystal and flew back into the chest of the exhausted, collapsing Li Yue.
Everything seemed to be over.
Li Yue stood up, feeling a powerful force filling her body. She looked at the shattered black sky, her eyes filled with a spark of excitement. She looked toward Roland and found that he was also looking at her.
Roland beckoned to her, and Li Yue walked to his side.
“Walk with me for a bit.”
On the shattered streets, Roland and Li Yue walked side by side. Roland surveyed the city; the fatigue in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a sense of release.
“A powerful deity has chosen you.” Roland smiled. “I hope you can use His power well. Do you remember what I said? The essence of magic is all the same.”
Li Yue nodded.
“I won't preach anymore. Let me tell you a little bit of my story.” Roland smiled.
“I was born in a city in the south that wasn't very wealthy. My childhood wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. I was a newsboy in the morning, worked for a rich family in the afternoon, and went to the church's night school in the evening.”
“My parents died early. My uncle took our house, but allowed me to keep living in it.”
“I forgot which year it was, but one Christmas, the church invited a band to play.” Roland squinted his eyes, seemingly still reminiscing.
“A classic trio. I was deeply attracted by the piano performance.” Roland’s hand moved, as if playing a piano piece.
“For the next ten years, I passed by the piano shop every day. When I was lucky, I could press my ear against the glass and listen to the melodious music. That was once the only joy in my life.”
“The gods seemed to pity me as well. On the day I became an adult, I learned magic by chance one afternoon.” Roland smiled. “I learned it from a magician who came to perform. I didn't expect him to be a real magic user. He said it was just his hobby.”
“I still remember his words.” Roland put his hands behind his back. “Magic tricks create miracles; magic creates miracles. He called himself a miracle magic user.”
Roland laughed as he spoke.
“Later, just like you, I was lost too. I went to the academy and learned many, many spells, but finally got stuck at the Magician stage for many years.”
“After graduation, I joined the Hunter's Association and eventually came here. After that Blood Moon, I lost my captain, my guide, my mentor, my comrade, and the person I once loved.” Roland wore a smile, but his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“On that afternoon, I passed by the piano shop and bought a piano. There, I found hope in life again. After a few days and nights, I learned ‘Blues.’ A few years later, I was promoted to a mage, but I never went through the formal promotion process. I felt that staying on the front lines was good; I could directly protect this city.”
Roland took out a slip of paper with an address written on it.
“This is where my home used to be, but I haven't been back in four or five years. If you can, go back and see it for me. I didn't expect that at a time like this, I’d still be thinking about that place.” Roland laughed at himself. “But it can't be helped. At least that’s the home where my parents lived, the land we once tilled, the streets I walked through with tears, and the piano that held my life and dreams.”
“People are lost most of the time, yet they often grow in just a few moments. Looking back, after all the circling around, one ends up back at the starting point.”
Roland sighed with relief and handed Li Yue a music score and a medal.
“This book contains the scores I’ve written over the years; my favorites are marked with stars. This is a demon hunter medal; I never had the chance to give it to you before.” Roland stopped. “You’ll probably be leaving this place soon, too. Don't worry about this city; the association will send new people soon.”
“Are you happy? Starting today, you are an official demon hunter.” Roland smiled and rubbed Li Yue’s head, finally handing her a violin case.
“I originally wanted to take it with me, but I suddenly felt that it would be a pity if such a good violin was never played again. It would surely be angry, so I’m giving it to you.” Roland handed it to Li Yue solemnly. “If you want to learn, go ahead.”
“Remember to tell Kelly to stay up late less and not overwork herself. Tell Yorick to go out more, get some sun, and stop always finding a dark corner to smoke. And those others you aren't familiar with... I really want to see them again.” Roland shook his head and sighed. “But, I have no more regrets.”
“Your name isn't Nolan, is it?”
“I... I am Li Yue. I am also...”
“I know who you are. You don't need to dwell too much on the other name.” Roland smiled and breathed a long sigh of relief.
“It's time to say goodbye. Li Yue, live well. As long as you do not forget yourself, I will bless you forever.” Roland hugged Li Yue and walked a few steps forward. He looked back at Li Yue with a smile, seemingly having no regrets left. Melodious music began to play as he slowly closed his eyes.
All of his life force had already been burned away in that battle.
Above the lonely streets, an Ode to Joy echoed for a long time. The boy who had been away from home for many years finally saw his beloved parents again. In that sun-drenched small southern town, they were calling him home for dinner.
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