bookbashuk Page 65
Page 65
Le Zhengling also turned to look at Chengzi, "But if I am abandoned again, I really don't know what to do."
“Then let’s make a new promise.” Arthur said, ignoring the magicians who were fighting more and more fiercely, in a tone that sounded like a vow.
"I swear by my existence that if anyone abandons you, I will come to your side as we agreed. If you want revenge, then I will become your ally as you wish. Even if the opponent is invincible, I will not let you suffer any harm before I die."
This oath, made in accordance with the Spirit Origin, was accepted by the Throne of Heroes without anyone else being able to see it.
Meanwhile, Fou, running around Chaldea, felt the Chinese knot on her tail getting slightly warm. Sensing something, she jumped onto the windowsill, tilted her tail to her side, looked at the slightly glowing [Binding Knot], and then looked in the direction of the Heroic Spirit Summoning System, her little head starting to think about a plan.
Looking at Arthur who had finished his oath, Yue Zhengling felt a slight stirring in his heart. He raised his fist to Arthur, and Arthur also raised his fist. Their fists touched.
"Then it's settled, Arthur." Feeling the warmth in his heart and looking at the fists clasped together, Yue Zhengling showed a very beautiful smile.
Chapter 152 Rani, Death
"Alright, alright, that's enough about the agreement between men. If this continues, I'll get jealous." Orange suddenly went behind Le Zhengling and pulled him into her arms.
“Ling’s only family now is me, so please stop bothering him, you fake father.” Orange said to Arthur in a teasing tone, then looked at the three who were locked in a fierce battle.
Le Zhengling also turned his head to look in that direction, and after watching for more than ten seconds, he said, "This is such a fake match, it's completely fixed."
"There's nothing we can do about it, Lingjun. Neither side is prepared to go all out, and they're also wary of us. Actually, in my opinion, we should just let Rani go. After all, her appearance was just an accident."
After hugging Yue Zhengling for a while, Chengzi let go of him and then began to analyze the situation in a detached tone.
"Sister Orange, it's precisely because it was an accident that you're so anxious." Le Zhengling touched her hair and realized she had forgotten to tie it up.
"Sister Orange, stop looking, help me find a rope to tie this up." Le Zhengling tugged at Orange's sleeve, then reached behind her neck, gathered her long hair, divided it into three sections, and skillfully braided them.
Orange originally wanted to braid his long hair first, but seeing that he had already started doing it himself, she didn't interfere. However, seeing how intense the fight was, she didn't want to do anything that would cause them to misunderstand. After thinking for a while, she took off the homemade hair tie from her own hair and put it on the end of Yue Zhengling's hair when he stopped fighting.
"Thanks, Sister Orange." Feeling the relief at the back of her head, Yue Zhengling nodded in satisfaction, then clapped her hands, attracting everyone's attention.
"Alright, everyone, it's about time. You can stop now." Yue Zhengling smiled confidently. "I have a solution that satisfies both sides. Would you like to hear it?"
Barthelo Loreleia ignored him and continued her attack on Rani. In her heart, she harbored a deep hatred for the Atlas Academy. Her chorus had inexplicably failed in that operation and almost suffered total annihilation. She didn't know the truth before, but now she knew who the culprit was. In addition, she had a premonition that she might die here. So killing the next successor of the Atlas Academy would be a way to avenge part of the grudge, and that was her last wish.
In addition, according to what Yue Zhengling mentioned before about the Holy Grail War of the Moon, this girl has a huge advantage. If we kill her here, the Clock Tower's chances of winning in the future will be much higher.
We've been looking for an opportunity to strike decisively, but now that Yue Zhengling has distracted them, there's no need to hold back anymore!
"Wind! All hit!!"
Taking advantage of Rani's distraction, Bartholomew Loreleia activated her magic crest at high speed, squeezing out all her magic power. She compressed the spell, which usually takes three minutes, into a three-section high-speed incantation, and then unleashed an incredibly powerful attack in front of her!
A massive storm arose on this level, and a small tornado with immense magical power swept up clothes, hangers, and even stone slabs, hurtling towards Rani like an enraged dragon with destructive force.
"Die, Atlas successor!" With unrestrained resentment, Barthemello looked at the tornado formed by using all her magic power, feeling a sense of relief.
"Oh dear, I knew this would happen?" Yue Zhengling watched this scene speechlessly.
Apart from Arthur, no one present could withstand this attack. Rani was not a combat-specialized android, so she could only watch helplessly as she waited to die.
Avoiding her was useless; she had been locked onto as the target, and the surrounding air pressure formed an unchanging cage that locked her in place.
Faced with sudden death, Rani's cyan pupils behind her glasses flashed with struggle, but quickly returned to calm.
"Hey, if you die, my magic sword will have nowhere to go, so—the Dream of One Cooking!"
Exhausted, Yue Zhengling slammed his staff on the ground and uttered a heavy sentence.
Then, out of sight of others, Rani's body blurred for a moment, and the tornado struck her directly, tearing her to shreds.
The aftershocks pierced through the wall and went outside, destroying a portion of the flying mechanical structures.
"Dead...dead?!" Gray exclaimed in surprise, supporting the Holy Lance that was deeply embedded in the ground.
She had just witnessed Rani being torn to pieces, and now, looking at the deep scratch on the ground with a long trail of blood, there was no chance of survival under these circumstances.
"Ha~ha~ha~ha~" Barthemello Loreleia also looked at the bloodstain. She was very confident in her magic, so she was now breathing heavily with peace of mind.
"I'm really annoyed by what you're doing~" Yue Zhengling said with dissatisfaction, looking at Basemelo, who was drenched in sweat.
“I apologize for this, but my hatred is too deep to forgive, and I must kill her no matter what!” Barthemello bowed slightly to Le Zhengling, this was the first time she had apologized since she was born.
"So does that mean our deal is off? But how will you compensate me for not getting the Demon Sword - Slashing Emperor?" Yue Zhengling looked at her, feigning anger.
"I will compensate you to the best of my ability." Barthezmello, who was determined to die, felt that nothing mattered anymore, so she was not afraid of Yue Zhengling making exorbitant demands.
"Hmm, that's fine. You should still have the Atlas Academy contract, right?" Yue Zhengling looked at her coldly.
“…I have a copy, I can give it to you.” Barthemello then remembered that he had such a thing, but in this post-apocalyptic world, it was probably useless, so he didn’t feel bad about giving it away.
"Miss Grey, could you please inform her? Also, is that teleportation magic circle still usable?" Grey had turned off the teleportation magic circle before coming down to this floor, which Yue Zhengling guessed was to conserve energy.
Grey nodded. "It's still usable; there's still energy left."
"Okay, good. Let's go up then." He walked ahead, suppressing his laughter, not wanting anyone to see the joy in his heart.
Only Arthur knew what he had done, but it was a harmless matter, so Arthur didn't say anything, only looking at the bloodstain with a strange gaze.
Having witnessed Yue Zhengling's illusions, Chengzi guessed what was going on, but since it was Yue Zhengling's secret, and since he could benefit from it, Chengzi was even less likely to expose him.
Upon returning to the upper levels, he first communicated with Weber, and Barthez told him the whole story.
"So, does that mean the relics we prepared are completely useless?" Looking at the large box beside him, Waver wore an expression of heartache, groan, and stomachache.
If he had known this would happen, why did he cut open the Emperor's cloak in the first place?
Chapter 153 The Singer of the End Times
"How about we change the transaction method?" Of course, Le Zhengling would not give up this opportunity. Those things would be very useful in the future, and he would never give them up.
"Change what?" Weber breathed a sigh of relief. If the other party said that, it must be something serious.
“I’ll take care of the outer perimeter, allowing Grey and Barthezmello to escape.” Le Zhengling looked at Webber with a very confident gaze. “I think once we get rid of those things outside, Grey and the others should have a good chance of escaping back.”
"...Could the enemy reinforcements behind us help hold them off for a while?" Waver looked troubled. He knew very well that the danger wasn't the mechanical constructs outside, but the rapidly approaching sphinxes. Against a divine species, even if Gray and Bartholomew risked their lives, they would definitely not be able to defeat them.
Therefore, the key to this matter lies with Yue Zhengling and his group. If King Arthur intervenes, or if Yue Zhengling uses his wondrous magic, they should be able to save Grey and Bartholomew from this calamity.
“I’m sorry, that’s beyond my control.” Yue Zhengling looked at him seriously. “I don’t want to become an enemy of the Atlas Academy.”
“But that lady from the Atlas Academy is dead. Aren’t you afraid they’ll put you on their hostile list too?” Weber coaxed, trying to get the conversation going so that Yue Zhengling and the others would take action.
"You've seen how the world has become. Atlas Academy is all-powerful, and I don't think they'll let you off the hook."
Le Zhengling looked at Waver with a half-smile. In fact, he had already seen through Waver's thoughts, but he really didn't want to get involved in this mess. Most importantly, Rani was not dead at all. As long as Grey and the others left, Le Zhengling could send her back.
"Sorry, that's my business. You guys just mind your own business. So, shall we make a deal?"
Seeing that Yue Zhengling remained unmoved, Weber knew that there was no point in saying anything, so he could only nod in agreement.
The items arrived quickly—large suitcases made of the finest ebony, about half a person's height, looking rather bulky, but thanks to the wheels, they were easy to push. Each suitcase had a handle, and the overall design resembled a small wooden table or cabinet.
"This is a box left by the Gemstone Elder in the Clock Tower. It has some secondary magic functions. Because there are too many things, and some of them are quite large, this is the only box we can use to store them." Waver briefly introduced the box, then showed a very distressed expression.
"This item is extremely valuable even in the Clock Tower, so I hope you will treat it well."
"Of course~ I will cherish this spatial equipment." Yue Zhengling did not rush to open the box. When he heard that the box was made by the Gemstone Elder, he knew that it was a very precious treasure.
The things made by the Gemstone Elder are like the medicines made by the Moonhead; they are effective, but sometimes the side effects are absolutely agonizing.
Just like the treasure chest-like box left at the Tohsaka residence, Rin Tohsaka was once locked inside it. That box cannot be opened from the inside, and if you use a mobile phone inside, it will randomly connect to other parallel worlds.
And those two kaleidoscope staffs are even more dangerous; from any perspective, they are extremely dangerous.
After pulling the suitcase a couple of steps, he found it wasn't as heavy as it looked. Nodding in satisfaction, Yue Zhengling said to Weber, "Alright, I've received the goods. Now let's deal with those things outside."
"Should I make a move?" Arthur asked, standing next to Yue Zhengling.
“If I let you do it, who knows how long it would take to kill everyone? I’ll do it myself.” Yue Zhengling moved the box to her side, then took off her staff, clenched her hands, and closed her eyes.
The two thin chains on the staff began to extend, piercing through the floor, and then dragged a guitar, a flute, an earphone, and a small universal solar charger from a certain floor.
"Lingjun, are you sure this stuff is useful?" Orange looked at it and couldn't see any use for it at all.
"Of course it's useful. Well, thanks to Arthur and Merry's spirit origins, my abilities have been enhanced, and I can use these things to deal with things outside." Yue Zhengling picked up the guitar and began tuning it with the pick.
"What are you going to do?" Orange looked at him with great interest. To others, Yue Zhengling might just be fooling around, but she believed from the bottom of her heart that he could do it.
"Have you ever thought about what the true nature of those things outside is?" Yue Zhengling explained to the others while adjusting the sound.
“Mechanical?” Weber said uncertainly.
“No, it’s spirit particles and sand.” Yue Zhengling looked at everyone.
"Didn't I already tell you that those sands are the deterioration of the Philosopher's Stone? What binds them together is a program written into this world egg, and disrupting these programs can break their structure."
"So simple!?" Upon hearing this explanation, Weber's eyes widened. Even he hadn't figured out how those mechanical constructs appeared before, but after Yue Zhengling's explanation, he finally understood the key points.
"Simple? Let's not even talk about whether you can decipher those programs. I think you don't even know how those programs discovered your existence, do you?" Le Zhengling looked at these people with disdain.
Weber frowned and pondered, and when he saw Yue Zhengling plucking the strings, he exclaimed in a flash of inspiration, "It's sound!"
"As expected of Weber, you guessed one thing right." After finishing tuning, Yue Zhengling stood up and walked to the window.
"The correct answer is the sound of spirit particles. The Atlas Institute has deployed spirit particle sound detection devices. As long as there is movement of spirit particles, they will definitely be able to detect it. If it is outdoors, these mechanical structures will track the source of the spirit particle waves."
"There is only one solution, which is to cancel their spirit wave in the same way and then use the principle of resonance to solve them all at once."
Le Zhengling took a deep breath, looking at the desolate world of endless yellow sand and the countless mechanical structures, and his heart was once again stirred.
Although Ziyuan did it to preserve this world, the method was simply too difficult for anyone to accept. If it were him, he—
Once the thought arose, he buried it deep in his heart; these were things he couldn't even think about, let alone do.
He's not that great. When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. Someone short like him should just lie on the ground and be a lazy bum.
Thinking of this, he gently plucked the first syllable, "Then, for the convenience of you, me, and everyone else, please disappear first. Let you, far away in the Atlas Academy, listen to this song of the end times, Osiris Sands."
In fact, Yue Zhengling had always wanted to complain about his name. Because the pronunciation of his name was the same as that of the virtual singer, and his appearance was somewhat similar, he initially thought he had been reincarnated into the V electronic world.
Unfortunately, he eventually realized he was wrong. He had been reincarnated into the incredibly dangerous Type-Moon world. If he had been reincarnated into the V-Electronic world, even if he didn't sing, he could at least have become a lyricist and composer.
However, fate played a cruel trick on him. He came to this world and did nothing for thirteen years, but unexpectedly began an turbulent life that he did not want.
He cleared his throat. Although he wasn't born in the V world, because of his appearance, he had borrowed several books about singing and musical instruments from the library and spent two years in a music store, where he learned to play the guitar.
The manager of that vocal music shop was also a wonderful person, one of the few people I could open up and chat with. Moreover, the manager had five sisters who ran a coffee shop, a vocal music shop, a photography shop, a hotel, and a freelancer, respectively.
I was fortunate enough to see their group photo, and I asked the shop manager about it out of curiosity. The manager told me about their situation. I also met the freelancer and the person who owned the photography shop, and I was even asked by the latter to help me out.
"That's true, it reminds me of something interesting." Yue Zhengling said with emotion. As someone with an extremely small social circle, it's really not easy to find someone you can have a good chat with.
"I'll go back and visit when I have the chance." With this thought in mind, Yue Zhengling mobilized the magic power within her body. At the same time, in the Atlas Academy, the Metatron Cube flashed and disappeared from Yog's virtual universe.
Using the Metatron Cube as a medium, new spiritual particles are activated in this post-apocalyptic world, and Yue Zhengling begins to sing, immersed in her memories. (BGM - The Singer of the End Times)
Cicadas and raindrops transform into pale ink, painting the twilight.
The footprints and ruts are clearly visible.
Laughter and floating water vapor saturation
The city blurred through the window.
strumming an old guitar
Humming a song in four beats
A person in the echo
Seemingly quite leisurely and content
A rich emotion filled the space as Yue Zhengling sang, and everyone who heard the song felt the emotions contained within it.
That loneliness, that helplessness, that sadness, that longing, that persistence—all these elements combine to create an indescribable sense of wonder.
"Miss Orange, what exactly did Ling encounter in the past?" Arthur listened to this sad song. As a Heroic Spirit, he could understand the lyrics, but that's why he couldn't suppress his curiosity.
"...I only know a little bit. Lingjun fled to Japan. When I met him in that world, his last relative had also died."
Chengzi sighed as she watched Le Zhengling's retreating figure. At that moment, he seemed even more lonely, and this loneliness pierced her heart.
"Moreover, he must have gone to the hospital for a check-up at the time, and probably knew that he didn't have long to live." Chengzi looked through the report, which clearly pointed out that Le Zhengling had a heart problem and had at most six months to live. She was not sure if Le Zhengling knew about this, but he probably didn't even expect that he would die before his heart could hold on.
After listening to Orange's words, Arthur closed his eyes and used Spirit Origin Resonance to sense Yue Zhengling's emotions, just like the song he was singing now, which was full of loneliness and helplessness.
Letting go and not letting go are two emotions that are no longer intertwined. Arthur understands a little why Yue Zhengling is so contradictory. From this perspective, we can see that the child was forced to give up some things, and also personally gave up some things.
He hated the world's irrationality and loathed his own powerlessness, ultimately drifting away from the world alone.
Just like the line in the lyrics, "Even a drifter struggles to survive," he, who has been deprived of even death, exists aimlessly, drifting along to some place, only wanting to shrink into a corner and watch time pass by.