210 Tragische Ouvertüre (1/2)

The game was about to begin. Soon the two lowered their hands and returned to their original positions with smiles. They rotated their wrists and knees as they began to warm up.

”Banner, what happened?” Cullen could feel the faint coldness in Banner’s eyes when he returned and whispered, ”What did he say?”

”Just some ridiculous joke,” Banner said slightly. ”No need to care. Are you ready?”

”We’ve finished warmups.”

”Good.” Banner lowered his head and chuckled softly. ”Tell everyone to get ready. No matter whether it’s him, his friend, the little girl, or the dog ... I'm going to make them kneel outside and watch their own defeat!”

He clenched his still painful fists, with his eyes full of rage. The residual pain in his palms seemed to penetrate into his bones, making him feel the long-gone humiliation. It felt like a flame burning his heart.

He glanced across at the enemy. When he saw the last musician with his weird headgear, his expression became guarded. If there was anything in the music history department that deserved their caution, it would be this guy who did not show his face. From the beginning to now, the guy had not exposed himself to them. He hid his powers and dealt with matters easily, no matter what the situation was. An unknown enemy was the most worrisome.

”Countdown begins now,” the referee's voice sounded. ”Five, four, three, two...one!” In an instant, the whistle rang, and the game finally started.

Everyone's body tensed, but then Banner saw Ye Qingxuan’s suddenly spring forward and steal the ball! At the beginning, all the musicians prepared to play, in favor of defense, but this guy gave up his defense and took the initiative.

Banner sneered. The musicians of the other departments might be intimidated by his trick, but the School of Summoning would not, let alone someone from the School of Royalty who studied both.

He closed his eyes. In the darkness, a pair of beastly eyes seemed to light up. It was the phantom beast that grew in his brain—the manticore.

”Marchosias!” he whispered its true name and suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils, quickly, elongating into the slender pupils of a beast.

With the swing of his hand, the ring on his finger lit up. He pressed his palm down, and crisp piano sounds burst into the air. The piano was sharp and grand, like a lion’s roar. Five shadows sprang from his body. They were the projections of the demons in his mind. But then, a sharp sound burst from the arms of the young man opposite him.

Jiu Xiao Huan Pei!

Bang! Countless strings were played at staggered times, but the sounds overlapped, becoming sharp and harsh, and piercing ones eardrums!

This was composite note playing, but at a more advanced level, because all the notes were played simultaneously. This was a complex technique that could only be done with multiple stringed instruments. The musician controlled the sound of all the strings according to the different order and level, and mixed the sounds into one chord with absolute control. The more strings, the harder the chord was.

After Jiu Xiao Huan Pei absorbed the large amount of spirituality, Ye Qingxuan managed to achieve the level of six chords, which meant...Six notes were released in an instant.

In a sudden, layers of mirrors proliferated behind the youth, forming a looming mirror matrix. Fierce light shone from it immediately after.

In a sudden, it seemed that everything dimmed. Pure light rushed forward like a canon and everything seemed dim in contrast. The sharp light stung everyone’s eyes. The light came like a tidal wave, causing Banner to freeze. His mind became blank for a few seconds due to the intense stimulation.

Just in an instant, the manticore, who was in the middle of projecting, screamed. The shadow trembled under the intense interference of the light. The strong light disappeared, but the world was still dark.

The soccer ball was already under the youth’s foot.

”Ye Qingxuan!” Banner roared while the beastly shadows around him paused. They screamed and the five shadows instantly turned into a consolidated blackness.

The five dark shadows quivered and suddenly rushed toward Ye Qingxuan’s direction. Although they were the manticore’s projections, they were all different. Some were like giant scorpions, some like pythons; others were silhouettes of dragons, or had the posture of a lion, the determination of eagles...These were the five animal characteristics that the manticore contained.

The five completely different kinds of beast fused together and formed the manticore’s strength. Now they split up and projected out, charging at the youth with five different forces. This was one of Banner's special techniques.

In the previous games, Banner used this trick to defeat the other team’s offense right at the start. When he charged forward, his teammates also showed their abilities, pulling out instruments and alchemy equipment to play melodies surrounding the rest of Ye Qingxuan’s teammates.