270 Your Heart and My Heart on a String

His eyes grew wild as he spoke. "Think about it, Mr. Holmes! Isn’t tricking a god a challenge? Avalon’s Shadow is a blind spot for him. He won’t know anything that happens here. If you’re willing to work with me, we’ll definitely win! I’ll win freedom and you’ll win power! Isn’t it a double win?"

"You’re crazy." The youth in the fog sighed. "I’m sorry. I acknowledge your pride and motivation but please allow me to reject you." He did not use an auditory illusion this time; he spoke with his own voice. Perhaps this was respect, to some degree.

"No need to apologize." Naberius lowered his eyes. "I should be the one to apologize. I’ll use your respect to kill you." The aether around him swelled, ready to destroy the enemy with destructive power. However, the drop of blood that guided him suddenly began burning. It shone with a cold yet deadly light.

The blood instantly became scalding lava. The moonlight burned in his hand, sizzling, piercing through his hand, and dropping to the ground. A hole appeared in his palm.

Naberius instinctively tried to reconnect the broken music theory, but he discovered that his senses had been cut by that light! Confused, he looked at his hand. The flesh around the hole writhed but was unable to heal. Raising his hand to his eyes, he studied the wound.

Did the youth turn the tides? One could vaguely see his pleasantly surprised smile through the hole. It seemed that this hunt was becoming more interesting! It was so great that he could have such an enemy for his last mission!

-

The silent fog was like a dark forest. He could not see anything three steps ahead. Everything was unclear yet eerie and filled with murderous intent. This was the world’s best hunting ground.

The hunter and prey seemed to have returned to an equal starting point. They sharpened their teeth in the darkness, looked for their enemy’s flaw, and then…performed the fatal blow!

"Chirens once said that bitter fruits await during a long ascetic practice. I truly love this phrase." Then Naberius suddenly asked loudly, "Mr. Holmes, do you read poetry?"

"Never." The reply in the fog was short and fleeting.

And so Naberius nodded with a sense of loss. "Seems like you don’t like literature. What about life? How do you view life?"

"Sincere and priceless."

"Well said! Life is priceless! To live, nothing counts as insulting." Naberius chuckled as if praising him rhythmically. "Then, Mr. Holmes, I’m willing to take a step back. Are you willing to leave Avalon’s Shadow and never return?"

"Sorry, I can’t."

"There’s nothing to be sorry about. I knew you would reply like that."

Naberius bent over. He took off the steel box from his waist and took the accessories out one by one. Holding them, he studied and chose the accessories. He said conversationally, "You know, you’re very famous. Many dark musicians know you."

"Oh?"

"Regular people think you’re a dark musician. Dark musicians think that you’re not a regular person. Without a doubt, you’re rational. There aren’t many rational people but I like those types of people. We can discuss everything." After a pause, he suddenly asked, "To be honest, you suit me. Are you interested in becoming my student? Join me. I promise you that in thirty years, you’ll be powerful enough to be top ten on the wanted list."

The youth in the fog seemed to be shocked. After a while, he chuckled lightly. "I have a teacher."

"Really? That’s a pity." Naberius sighed. He looked at the accessory he had finished assembly. "Your teacher must have never taught you what special skills the guys on the wanted list have."

Boom! Ye Qingxuan felt his vision go black. Blood rose to his head and he barely managed to stay standing.

Boom! With another muffled boom, Ye Qingxuan’s face flushed. It was difficult to breathe and he could barely make a sound. His heart was pounding furiously and almost jumped out of his chest. In the distance, a metallic heart suddenly appeared in Naberius’ hand!

The gentle yet sturdy heart assembled from metal pieces had seven holes like a flute. Naberius held it in his hand and played it. The sound was heavy yet fine; the music was melodious like the song of life. However, this song was despair. It was the song of life withering away.

Within a few moments, Ye Qingxuan’s blood was chaotic and his heart almost cracked from pounding.

"You’ve never personally experienced a battle with a Resonance level musician, right?" Naberius sighed. "Musician duels under the Resonance level are focused on countering different schools. It’s like chess. But above the Resonance level, it’s the defense and crashing of the sound of heart. Once the frequency of your sound of heart is grasped by your enemy and broken down, you’ll have no room to fight back."

Ye Qingxuan stooped low. Blood trickled from his lips. Hearing this, he asked hoarsely, "You…you can hear my sound of heart just from my speech?"

"No, no, that would be too idealistic. You must have well-rounded calculations and a series of guidance with much experience. This is probably my most unique skill. Because of this, the Sacred City calls me the ‘heart hunter.’ So, give up, Mr. Holmes." He looked down at his metallic heart and studied the pulsing atrium. "Thanks for talking to me for so long, letting me prepare with ease. Now, your heart is in my hands."

"Ha." The youth’s weak voice traveled in the fog. "Do you really have improper thoughts about me?"

"To be honest, I don’t reject close relationships between two men." After short and serious consideration, Naberius nodded and said, "Let’s decide the technicalities after I see what you’re like. After all, everyone loves beauty."

"Ha, your fantasies are pretty beautiful." Ye Qingxuan coughed violently. "But fine. Come over and I’ll show you something good."

"Okay," Naberius said. However, his footsteps stopped thirty meters away. Thirty meters, thirty meters…that was a critical distance. "You want to show me that alchemy equipment that shoots lightning, right?" His expression was cautious. "I’m sorry for being a coward, but according to the information I’ve received, that extremely powerful weapon is a saint’s relic, correct? So how about no. I’ve already been transformed but I still won’t be able to withstand that type of power at a short distance."

Ye Qingxuan muttered a curse. The cane that he had raised now fell to the ground listlessly. Indeed, a trick would lose effectiveness if used too many times. This time, his enemy was well prepared. The parliament had probably grown defensive of Indrah’s Eye.

"You tried so hard to make me fall but you’re too scared to come over. Don’t you think that’s laughable?"

"Safety first. I don’t mind being laughed at." Naberius looked down at the metallic heart and murmured, "In my opinion, this isn’t enough. I must be more cautious when facing enemies like you."

Ye Qingxuan was caught between laughing and crying. "You still need to be more cautious?"

"At least…I should at least make you too weak to speak." Naberius clenched his fist. With a boom, Ye Qingxuan’s face turned red and purple. He gagged and spat out sticky blood.

"Look how pitiful it is for someone to control your heart." Naberius’ voice traveled from afar. "Your sound of heart represents having control over your life. Once it is controlled by your enemy, it means that your life is controlled by him."

"Yeah, just like the relationship between you and that god of yours—" Before Ye Qingxuan could finish, his vision went black again. The pressure in his eye was so strong that it felt as if his eyeball would burst. Under the guidance of his frantic heart, his organs started rebelling as well. The blood, veins, lymph nodes, and bone marrow all over his body were influenced as well.

It would be easy for Naberius to kill him. The man only needed to hold that heart and play a few tritone intervals. After a few measures, Ye Qingxuan would be more dead than dead.

But that *sshole clearly wanted to keep him alive. And the bad thing was that he could really do it! Ye Qingxuan realized that if this continued, he really would not be able to speak anymore.

Lowering himself, he tore open the hidden button in his sleeve with difficulty and injected the cardiac needle, local anesthesia, and stimulant. The prick of the needles brought immense pain. His lungs trembled and swelled as he said hoarsely, "You know why…I don’t want to be a dark musician?"

"No, normal people all want to be dark musicians, right?" Naberius could not help but whistle. "Let me guess. Is it because of prejudice?"

"No." Ye Qingxuan shook his head painfully. He collapsed onto the ground involuntarily as he lost support.

After pondering, Naberius asked again, "Is it because of your ideals? Are you like those revolutionary soldiers who want anarchy?"

The youth laughed mockingly. His voice was weak and hoarse.

"Oh, then is it because the rewards aren’t enough? You must be the core student of some school then, right? Indeed, a contract with a saint is looser than relying on natural catastrophes."

This time, the youth in the fog did not even feel like replying.

Naberius chuckled. After thinking again, he sighed involuntarily. "If it’s not because of interest, prejudice, or ideals…Hey, are you really into keeping the vow as a musician?"

No one replied. The youth in the fog could no longer spoke. Even his breathing had become irregular. The breathing sounds came once every few seconds.

Wait, once every few seconds?

Naberius froze. He counted in his head, five, four, three, two, one, exhale, five, four, three, two, one, exhale…

His expression changed drastically. Cutting through the fog, he rushed to where the youth was.

No one was there.

There was only a coin with an auditory illusion shining there. It would make a breathing sound every five seconds. Beside it, he could see the blood the youth had spat out. As well the trail of him crawling away painfully.

Beside the coin, he could also see the answer that the youth had written with his blood: Why don’t I want to be a dark musician? The reason is simple. It’s because you’re all too stupid.

Naberius’ face changed. In the end, he could not help but burst into laughter as if he had heard the world’s greatest joke. Rather than feeling anger or confusion, he felt appreciation from the bottom of his heart.

"He really escaped? Mr. Holmes, you’re an opponent I must respect from every aspect!" Watching the direction the youth had crawled in, he rubbed his hands excitedly. "Then let’s see how far you can run!"