Chapter 108: A Symphony of Horror

"Come to me Angel of Musiiic~!" The masked man sang as he held out his hand to me invitingly.

The pipe organ played loudly with no one to press its keys safe for the masked man's magic. Its sinister tunes echoes throughout the cave, chilling me to the bones but also captivates me at the same time. It's a song that I've never heard before, though its opening is something I've listened before…. during the time I first met him in Aria's Opera House.


I searched for my target, Countess Stevia, in the audience seats and on the balcony of the Opera House. Since there aren't many people, I hope I can finish this task as soon as possible without attracting unwanted attention. Strangely, after searching for few minutes, I didn't find her anywhere. Did she cancel her attendance to this Opera House? Ugh… I should've checked her residence before coming here. My tiredness and haste caused me to neglect some details that I should've checked beforehand. For now I must wait. Perhaps she is simply late.

Above the stage an orchestra is performing and dancers wearing fancy masks and colourful costumes befitting a masquerade party are dancing and singing on the stage. I heard that after this show, the songstress named Christine is scheduled to perform for the first time… though I could not care about that right now. I just hope I wouldn't crash the performance and career of a budding artist with my mission.

Suddenly, the entire performance is interrupted when the orchestra started playing a different song altogether, an entirely different genre… a sinister one. The stage lights also slowly get dimmer and dimmer. The change in song surprised everyone. Some of the audience grew excited, looking forward to the surprise show while others grew nervous.

When I looked at the stage, I saw that the orchestra members are bewildered because their musical instruments moved on their own, floating in the air above them and playing the sinister song. Something's wrong. I can feel magic power moving those instruments!

The dancers stopped dancing and were frozen in place as the figure of a tall masked man wearing black appeared in the middle of the stage. He walked slowly on the stage and the music seems to follow his steps. His very presence terrified everyone present, including the previously excited audience members… and even me. So terrified that nobody dared to make a sound, turn away from the stage or even move a single inch that the entire Opera House is silent safe for the orchestra's musical instruments playing by itself.

"Why so silent, Good Messieurs~?" The masked man in black started singing. His voice chills me and the audience to the bones.

"Did you think that I won't visit you at all~?" The masked man walked towards the edge of the stage, facing the audience while carrying a bloody sack.

"Are you excited, Good Messieurs? I have written you an Opera~!" The man continued singing as he held out the bloody sack, scaring the nearby dancers as they noticed that the blood dripping out of the sack is real.

"Here I bring the finished score! A Symphony of Horror~!" He continued as he threw the sack towards the audience violently. The audience members who were hit by the sack noticed its contents, the severed heads of three nobles. The audience screamed as if they now know who the man is and his identity horrified them.

Then everything happened so fast. The masked man in black moved so quickly and started slaughtering the members of the audience mercilessly. He sliced the people to pieces with his sword like they were nothing but paper. The rest of the people tried to run away while screaming. I may hate those corrupt nobles but this much chaos isn't what I wished! I jumped from the balcony and blocked the man's blade. Just from locking my blade with his, I can already feel how strong he is.

He's an artist and yet he's stronger than your average Spellsword!? Just who is he!? What does he want? Why is he killing those nobles!?

"Who are you!?" I shouted at him. He merely grinned through his mask.

He pushed me away and, with tremendous speed, jumped at me, ready to slice me apart. I jumped away on panic, dodging his attack and… allowing a person behind me to be sliced apart in my stead.

"Stop!" I shouted as I jumped towards him, my blade ready to strike him down. He merely dodged my attack effortlessly and proceeded to bisect another person with his blade.

"Stop it!" I tried to stop him again by slashing at him but once again he effortlessly dodged my attack and proceeded to slice another person up. He didn't even spare me a glance! This is infuriating!

"Don't ignore meee!" I unleashed the full extent of my magical power to reinforce my entire body and proceeded to lunge at him quickly. Despite my greater speed, he still dodged my attack… which ends up slicing another person behind him.

"What!?" I exclaimed, horrified at the fact that I killed an innocent person, not one of the corrupt nobles but one of the performers, one of the masked dancers. Said person's unmasked face is still warped in fear as he stared into my eyes and his blood stained my blade, causing me to freeze in place.

"You still have much to learn, my dear. But you have proven that you have such great potential." All of a sudden, the masked man appeared behind me and whispered directly into my ears. His voice caused me to shudder.

I turned back to slice him but he's no longer there when I do. He's a few steps apart already. Dammit! He's much stronger than Instructor Lambda! Perhaps even a match for the Seven Shades!

I probably can't beat him but I have to try! Reinforcements will soon come and we'll defeat him together! I just need to hold out until then!

"You chains will be mine! You will sing for me~!" He sang as he suddenly appears behind me before I realized it and knocked me unconscious with a hit from the back of my head.


I was broken out of my thoughts when the masked man grabbed my hands and forcefully pulled me into the platform where his various musical instruments lied. With one hand holding mine and the other holding a lantern, he brought me before the enormous pipe organ while it is still playing. Once we arrived though, the pipe organ stopped playing as he stood facing me. I took this as him finally allowing me to speak.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" I asked him once again. This time he looked at me in the eye and with a tender smile he replied.

"I am-"


Under direct orders from Mordred, Perv Asshat has to personally investigate a massacre in Aria Opera House. The victims of the massacre just so happens to include several nobles from Count Rajta's faction, which Perv benefited from. But Mordred can't allow their internal conflict to go on any longer and even started suspecting Perv for hiring an assassin to eliminate his rival's faction members.

To prove that the murders commited by the Owl and the massacre at the Opera House is not his doing, Perv was forced to investigate this himself even though he has enlisted Lord Necromancer's help in dealing with the Owl, which Mordred did not know about. He is now standing on top of the crime scene conversing with a guard who has interrogated all eyewitnesses they could find.

"A man wearing a fedora hat, black cape and a white half mask appeared on stage, started singing and then massacred everyone? And that the Owl actually came to stop him?" Perv repeated the information he just received to confirm that he heard it right.

"Y-Yes, Lord Perv. Some of the audience who are more… excelled at magic also felt how the musical instruments of the orchestra were controlled by the masked man when he started singing." The guard said.

Hmm… Such control over magic can only be Lord Necromancer's doing… or someone from his inner circle. I would've loved to witness his performance. It must be inspiring. Thought Perv to himself as the corner of his lips started rising a little before he consciously stopped it.

"Then it would appear we have two serial killers on the loose. Continue your investigation and be vigilant. There's no telling when they would appear again." Perv said to the guard.

"Yes, my lord!" The guard said as he left Perv alone on the bloodstained stage.

Unknown to Perv and the rest of the guards, Beta has decided to visit the Opera House personally after 626 and the rest of her subordinates were unable to find a clue about Rose after two days has passed. She is currently hidden in the shadowy corners of the Opera House's great hall. With her elven ears she was able to eavesdrop on Perv's conversation with the guard and was able to confirm her theory about a dangerous third party being involved… She also didn't miss the slight smile that Perv showed briefly when he spoke with the guard, leading her to believe that Perv was involved with the masked man who massacred the nobles in this very Opera House and was most likely responsible for 666's disappearance.

She wanted to sneak into Perv's mansion but she didn't want to repeat Epsilon's mistake of being ambushed by Mordred. She'd have to interrogate him herself when he is alone… and he IS alone right now. This is her chance!

But just as she was about to make her move, she sensed an ominous magical power suddenly appearing around the Opera House. She couldn't tell exactly where but she felt its tremendous weight and terror all the same. Perv also felt it and grew a little nervous as he began heading towards the Opera House's main gate, though with a suspicious grin on his face.

The pressure of the magic power she sensed caused her to grow wary. She decided to slowly sneak out of the Opera House. But before she could do that, she was ambushed by an armoured figure, who blasted her out of the window.

"What!?" Beta, with her torso suffering a rather deep cut, was unable to properly land on the rooftop she fell into. When she stood back up, she saw the figure of an armoured knight clad in black standing in front of her. His armor has dragon motif carved around it, his dragon head shaped helmet in particular.

"Dammit… I got ambushed the way Epsilon did." Beta remarked to herself as she gritted her teeth.

"So, you're one of the Seven Shades I've heard so much about. You're nothing special." The knight remarked.

"Ughh… You know who I am and yet I know next to nothing about you. A bit unfair, don't you think?" Beta said.

"You can call me simply as the Black Knight for now. My master wouldn't allow me to speak of my glorious name as of this moment. But mark my words, that when my true name is revealed, all shall tremble and despair!" The knight declared with confidence.

"You… Are you one of the slumbering legends?" Beta asked.

"Hoo… Quite the sharp eye you have, to notice a legend when you see it." His answer made Beta widened her eyes.

"We had… too many of legendary figures returning these days." She said with an uneasy smile.

"Is that so? Then I shall kill them all and prove that there is only ONE legend!" The knight declared as he sheathed his blade.

"You're letting me go!?"

"Indeed. You shall spread the words of my glorious existence! Remember this day, woman!" The knight ordered as he jumped away from the scene, leaving Beta alone in the rooftop.

"Haaah… to think another one sprouted out of nowhere… And to my bad luck he's hostile. Though at least he let me go due to his own arrogance. Lucky me." Beta remarked while clutching her wound, closing it with her slime suit and started performing first aid healing on it.

"He was so arrogant and proud of himself… though he mentioned a master who restrained him… Could it be? Necromancer…? Ugh…!" Beta grunted again as her wound started hurting again.

"Go back to the base first… Decipher his identity later…!" Beta said as she left the scene before anyone noticed her there and attack her when she is wounded and unprepared.


Author's Note:

The song that was sung in this chapter might be familiar to some of you. If not, search for Masquerade/Why So Silent.

Edit: You may have noticed the new Cover Art. Check out this fanfic on Sufficient Velocity or on my Twitter ( TheOminousRain), Tumblr ( ominousrain), DeviantArt (OminousRain) or Instagram ( ominous_rain) if you wanna see the full art.

Guest: With it being confirmed to be Phantom of the Opera, I am now imagining a piano duel between the Phantom and Epsilon.

Answer: I did set up so Epsilon could've go to Oriana despite being stationed in Everick in the previous chapter. We'll see if she would appear or not.

DerTrap: I'm already excited for this arc. Especially as it seems that the war arc will be after this arc.

And of course due to recent events:

RIP

Akira Toriyama

1955 – 2024

Answer: I'm glad you're excited.

Also, yeah… RIP the legend of legends. He will be missed.