Beneath the wall, in a ruin atop the wilderness, in a collapsed place where moonlight could not reach.
Igna knelt on the cracked floor, her eyes tightly shut.
Before her stood a statue with only its lower half remaining, its original form completely unrecognizable.
Tap, tap, tap.
She pressed her palms together at her chest, praying devoutly to the statue.
Heels stepped on the stone slabs, producing crisp sounds.
“Not running anymore?”
Shimmering faintly, a petite figure emerged from the darkness, her vivid crimson eyes suddenly halting their steps.
Vivian had prepared for a battle of attrition, but she had not expected the other side to be ready to surrender… somewhat surprising.
She scanned the surroundings and said calmly, “So this is the burial ground you chose? Not bad.”
Ancient stone walls were covered in moss, unknown vines climbing all the way up isolated stone pillars.
The bright moon hung high, its cold moonlight spilling across the courtyard as if laying down a silver-white carpet.
Lonely, desolate.
This was probably a collapsed church.
As a burial place for the dead, the feng shui was just right.
“All people are trapped between life and death, soaked in suffering for a lifetime, until death arrives.”
Igna murmured before the statue, her voice eerie and cold, carrying a trace of indifference.
Like falling into a frozen cavern of death, chilling one to the bone.
“I do not pray for the deceased, but for the living to endure through those days.”
The eerie cold voice echoed through the ruins.
She slowly stood up, her palm gently brushing over the half-statue before her.
“The gods in heaven have never answered my prayers.”
The cold, rough statue remained silent throughout.
“They merely watch, quietly watch, as if watching a failed painting, a botched play.”
“Not even sparing a bit of applause…”
“If that is so, then let me be the one to draw the curtain on this performance.”
“What are you mumbling about over there? Who can even understand what you’re saying…”
Vivian boredly picked at her ear.
‘Skip, skip it all.’
‘This night wind is freezing me stiff, I don’t want to waste time here.’
‘I can’t understand it anyway, so let’s just skip the boring plot-watching segment and get straight to fighting.’
Igna chuckled softly and turned to face Vivian.
“I see.”
She spread her arms wide, and a deathly aura so dense it nearly solidified spread outward from her as the center.
Like a drop of ink falling, the yellow earth beneath her feet was dyed ashen white.
Sinister and evil energy swept across the wilderness, the surrounding grass and trees withering instantly, turning into rot that seeped into the soil.
The small animals hiding within were still in their dreams, with no time to react.
Their flesh and skin rotted at a flying speed, melting into puddles of corpse fluid.
Leaving only piles of stark white bones in place, becoming tiny decorative accents on this vast expanse of corrupted earth.
The land of the underworld, under Igna’s influence, extended into this world.
“Ooh~ looks like you’ve got some skill.”
Vivian smacked her lips and dropped her calm demeanor, assuming a battle-ready stance.
Judging by this display, the opponent was probably not some roadside trash mob.
This was a super-strong villain who required full concentration and serious treatment.
‘Time to bring out some real skill…’
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am a fifth-term graduate of the Eternal School, a villain, and a member of the Light Music Club.”
Igna placed one hand on her chest and bowed slightly.
“Ah, there’s a Light Music Club too?”
Vivian was somewhat surprised, muttering quietly.
It seemed she had heard a term that did not fit the worldview.
This world actually had a Light Music Club.
‘Next time, would they bring out heavy rock?’
Igna did not mind Vivian’s surprise.
She stepped forward and stomped heavily.
Behind Igna, brilliant green trails traced through the air, converging behind her.
The bluestone slabs in the ruins rose from the ground under an invisible force.
Slabs of varying sizes stacked in orderly disorder, constructing a magnificent giant archway.
Igna raised a finger and lightly tapped the center of the archway.
Green energy rippled outward layer by layer, covering the entire arch.
Like a rift connecting the underworld to the living world, threads of deathly energy continuously leaked out, corroding the surrounding space.
As her words landed, three figures emerged from within the archway, walking out slowly.
“Time to take the stage, my companions.”
The first to appear was a massive living corpse, its body piled with rotting flesh, with a large hole rotting through its stomach.
Behind it, it dragged a drum as large as itself, its surface sewn from numerous human skins.
Following close behind was a skeleton, its form hidden beneath a black cloak, revealing only two orbs of ghostly blue fire.
It cracked its stiff neck in place and took down the wooden guitar from behind its back.
Gray-white bone fingers lightly swept across the guitar strings, producing a piercing tremolo.
Last was a ghost floating in the air, its spectral body semi-transparent, like a thin veil about to dissipate.
It waved its hand, and a stark white piano appeared out of thin air, heavily pressing onto the ground.
A massive split-open skull served as the soundbox, and ribs with natural curves formed the piano lid.
The undead communicated not at all with one another, naturally finding their positions and forming their formation.
As if they had rehearsed countless times before taking the stage.
The moment they appeared, the world was muted.
The whistling wind, the cries of birds and beasts from afar instantly fell silent.
The entire world lost its sound.
A desolate, heavy atmosphere filled the air.
“Where’s the bass?”
Vivian tilted her head and asked, puzzled.
Based on her experience watching girl band anime in her previous life, shouldn’t there be a bassist responsible for the low notes in this kind of band?
‘Could she have run away?’
‘That would pad out another episode.’
Hearing this, Igna shook her head.
“That one is not needed.”
“Enough talk. Let us begin.”
Tap, tap.
The giant living corpse raised two drumsticks high and struck the air.
It was a reminder that the battle had begun.
BOOM!
The drumsticks slammed down heavily, the ground like a bronze gong being struck.
A massive vibration poured from the soles of Vivian’s feet into her knees, traveling up her thighs through her whole body.
Vivian stood firm.
Every muscle in her body tensed, resisting this force.
BOOM!
The low drumbeat came again, sound waves transforming into a giant hammer falling from the sky.
Vivian leaped to the side, barely dodging the blow.
The ground was smashed into a deep pit.
“Wow, getting hit by that would leave a nasty bruise.”
Gazing at the deep pit, she pouted and remarked with interest.
TWANG!
The string blade was swept violently, an almost invisible spectral sound blade tearing through the air.
‘Damn! There’s a sneak attack too!’
Vivian was caught off guard and grazed on the shoulder.
The fabric was cleanly sliced open, leaving a white mark on her delicate skin, no bleeding.
Vivian could not help but draw a sharp breath.
It stung a little.
She raised her eyes to the field and saw Igna with her eyes closed, head bowed, chanting incomprehensible incantations.
The ghostly musician silently accompanied her, streaks of green light flying from the keys and sinking into Igna’s body.
Seeing this, Vivian narrowed her eyes.
Even with her meager brain, she knew the opponent was absolutely charging up some world-destroying ultimate move.
‘Cannot let her finish!’
Her sixth sense kept sounding alarms in her heart.
If Igna were allowed to unleash this strike, even the thick-skinned Vivian would pay a bitter price.
‘It would hurt, it would hurt so very much!!’