363 The Last Mazeppa (1/2)
Faceless musician Will screamed because the blood that splattered onto him had turned into burning melted metal! The shattered heart in his hand turned into a furious sun, burning his hand to charcoal. He convulsed in pain and tried to escape, but Sam grasped him as if embracing the dead Baro.
”Aether? Aether…” The faceless musician cried out as he burned. ”How can you—no! No—”
”Idiot.” Sam hugged him and said hoarsely, ”I can't but Agni can. He's so much more generous than your lord!” As he spoke, flames seeped out of his every pore. His flesh burned into a rosy crystal. He sublimated in the fire into something that the average person could not speculate… He had become a beast more terrifying than any demon!
Since you killed Baro, then witness it for him! Witness this last Holy Spirit Transformation! This was the ultimate resonance, sacrifice, and offering.
For years, musicians had used pure Modifications music theory to create Agni, the holy spirit that represented fire and destruction. It only responded to the most aggressive thirst for strength—those who reached into the fire even if it meant burning themselves.
It was the strictest holy spirit. Only musicians who sacrificed everything for Modifications could receive its acknowledgement. At the same time, it was also the most generous spirit. As long as you were determined, it would give you unlimited strength and transform you into the physical incarnate of destruction. You would become this flame until you were burnt to nothing!
At that moment, the alchemy array under Sam's feet lit up. The melody from the darkness thundered. Aether from the deep abyss burst forth from all directions and entered coherence. It integrated music theory changes from the abyss and fused with the dark atrium. Transforming into an invisible shackle, it pushed the fire down.
However, the illusion of the Copper Mountain appeared in the flames. It was the dazzling harp amidst the roaring of the fire. He used fire as his body and thunder as his instrument. Blazing Foehn wind blew and swept in all directions. Countless thunder and lightning appeared. They collided against each other, playing the majestic music notes. Thus, the sleeping hero of legends woke. He attached onto Sam, making him invincible. Heavy armor appeared out of thin air. Countless music notes sang of destruction and miracles.
Fire turned to water, water turned to wind, wind turned to earth, and fire burned within the earth. The original sin could transform into salvation! This was the music score that Saint Liszt had written based off a legendary hero. It contained the ultimate desire of transforming death to life, allowing the immortal hero to appear in the world. It was Mazeppa!
”The state after the Distortion level…” Besieged by dozens of dark musicians, Sam opened his eyes in the fire and murmured, ”I see.”
The earth cracked apart. Scalding lava swept up from the ground like a reversed waterfall and soared into the air. The extreme modifications path appeared in his hands and descended into the world. The world shook in anger and the red pillar that represented disaster rose. It would reduce everything to nothing.
Shrouded by flames, the alchemy array instantly turned to ash. Firelight permeated and swallowed the dark musicians, turning them into a mass of redness. The moment the fire and destruction descended, Anna and Benny embraced. They turned to ash, the dark musicians followed, and then everything else…
For an instant, practically everyone in Auschwitz could feel the scarlet glow pour out of the Earth's crust.
It was fire. Fire seemed to transform into a red pillar that continued to rise, extending inch by inch to the sky, crashing against the dark atrium of the abyss. Then the skies and earth shattered.
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”Sam?” Ye Qingxuan looked up at the pillar of destruction. His face paled. With no time for hesitation, he bolted. But when he finally arrived, everything was over.
At the center of Auschwitz, there was a tragic patch of black burnt dirt. There were no more traces of demons there. There was only a figure on the ground that seemed to be burning like a candle in the wind. The half-burnt Miller knelt on the ground, healing him in panic. But it was useless.
Ye Qingxuan could barely recognize Sam's face. The broken face looked like dying ashes. It was inexplicably ugly and menacing. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he seemed to see Ye Qingxuan's arrival and he smiled in regret. ”Ye Qingxuan, you're late.”
”The holy spirit's incarnate?” Ye Qingxuan finally understood what happened. He looked down blankly. His mouth opened but he did not know what to say.
”I accidentally killed people I shouldn't have killed,” Sam murmured. ”Sorry. People like me, we only know how to set fires. We try to do the right thing but we can't… If only you were here. There must've been…a better solution…”
Miller gritted his teeth. He choked with sobs. The burnt dirt cracked apart and a bloody dark musician crawled out. However, he abruptly screamed. In Sam's hand, the Copper Mountain glowed with blinding light. It burned him completely like fire.
Far away, roars sounded one after another. A mournful melody played in the sky. The dark atrium fell inch by inch, bringing with it a mighty pressure.
In the bed of flames, Sam stared up at the sky. He chuckled weakly and closed his eyes. The Copper Mountain harp descended slowly into Ye Qingxuan's hand, bathing him in warm firelight. As if returning to land from the deep sea, the terrifying pressure and shackles disappeared. The sense of aether was clear again.