(Suggested Song: "Experience" – Ludovico Einaudi ft. Daniel Hope)
...
Levi refused even to acknowledge the idea of letting Azhukar leave scot-free after everything that he had done to his brother and friends. His emotions might be sealed in the Void Form, making it near impossible for them to cloud his judgment; however, this didn’t mean he was going to give up just because a situation got difficult.
Thus, he didn’t have two choices... he had only one.
’How am I going to finish this? Think, think, think...’
As this question took root in Levi’s mind, he thought of new ideas, but nothing seemed enough to stick... Azhukar was simply too difficult to kill. He had thought of using the Cannon, but such an option wasn’t viable considering that Artifacts were name-bound.
This meant Azhukar had it registered in his name, like Levi did with the Sensebound Pearl... as long as it was registered under the emperor’s name, Levi could not use it since it wouldn’t accept his solar energy. Without solar energy, it became nothing but a decorative piece.
As for the dimensional wallet? Levi had already picked up on the incantation whispered by Azhukar to unlock it. However, he knew that the wallet of an emperor wasn’t going to have a pocket dimension no bigger than a room like the ones in his possession.
Just from the fact it survived the Fusion Ray, Levi discerned that it must be of the highest quality, which implied a dimension with multiple kilometers, if not more.
The time it would take him to search for something useful might be all he had before Azhukar broke through his darkness bindings.
He couldn’t risk everything on a chance of finding something useful, knowing Azhukar would have most of his stored artifacts registered under his name.
’Wait... the dimensional wallet... its absence is the solution.’
However, as Levi’s thought process went down this road, he realized something vital... Azhukar had shown him the divine grade growth totems, but he swiftly stored them back in his wallet.
This meant...
’He didn’t feel like I was worth wasting a divine grade growth totem to finish me off... his tank should still be around 10% or less... his dimensional wallet is nowhere near him anymore.’
Levi knitted his brows coldly as he gazed at Azhukar, who was still giving it his all to break free.
’You thought I couldn’t outlast you? I will show you the grave price of looking down on me...’
Without an ounce of hesitation, Levi used his aetheric grasp to take hold of Azhukar, desiring to free his lone arm. Then, he summoned his staff and activated False Sun.
The moment it emerged as a mini-copy of the Hungering Dark, the False Sun started pulling Azhukar’s soul from within his subconscious barrier while keeping pace with them as they flew straight ahead.
When Azhukar felt the painful tugging on his soul, he merely scoffed in ridicule. ’He thinks he can pull my soul out? How foolish.’
Sure, it was painful, but for entities of this level, pain was nothing but a close companion on their journey.
However, Levi was only getting started. He cast the Veil of Forgetfulness as well, intending to chip away at Azhukar’s mind. Whether it worked or not, Azhukar would be forced to fend it off to save his memories from being covered in a veil of darkness.
And yet, Levi wasn’t done.
Levi lifted his staff and placed the bottom crown under his chin. Then, he murmured, "Requiem of Despair... Switch."
The staff began to break into segments and fold into itself, reshaping until it turned into a pitch-black giant violin with a connected, chained bow. It was tainted with his Void Form, making it release a shadowy mist, like an instrument from the abyss.
When the tenants saw this, they couldn’t help but be reminded of Levi’s grueling violin lessons he had taken ever since he decided on this weapon.
Sure, he wasn’t a master yet... but they had seen him master a few songs and embed them with his spiritual prowess, creating pure spiritual attacks with sound.
But Levi didn’t switch to the violin for that alone... the violin served a bigger purpose, no, the main foundation of his plan.
’Is that a Cello? How can his weapons change form nonstop? Isn’t he a Daywalker like the rest of the rats?’ Azhukar frowned. His soul and mind were under attack, yet this situation still piqued his interest.
Levi took a deep breath and tuned himself with the violin. Then, he manifested an aetheric concentrated arm and held the bow with it.
His real arm held the violin, but since it was bigger than a standard violin, he extended it with aetheric energy, making it seem like he had two extra green arms.
This situation didn’t surprise the tenants. They had seen Levi train mostly with aetheric arms because it was physically impossible to play the violin the normal way.
But after intensive training, Levi showed no discomfort. He brought the bow onto the strings and didn’t play any of the tunes he had mastered.
No, Levi was emotionless in his Void Form, but he wanted to use the violin to express himself... to rage, to cry, to feel despair and hope after everything he had endured. He couldn’t show his emotions, but music was one of the greatest expressions of them in the universe.
And so... he just played.
The first notes were slow and soft, echoing like forgotten memories. Following their birth, Levi’s form started releasing tendrils of shadows... tens, hundreds, thousands. The tendrils of darkness danced to the tune as they spread out to engulf every piece of rubble around Levi.
Then they slid out like smoke, wrapping around the fallen ruins of the planet... broken buildings, pieces of land, rivers of sand, water, and the Corrupted.
The moment they were covered in darkness, they started to awaken with a single purpose, their shapes transforming into humanoid entities or beasts.
Some were as much as hundreds of meters tall, others as small as pebbles. Their hollow crimson eyes flickered with faint light, their bodies shaped from nothing but shadow, dust, and a will... the will of their creator.
"Arise and avenge yourself..." Levi murmured as he floated in a world of pitch-darkness with only his tune to paint it alive.
In the silence of the void, Levi’s music kept awakening one piece of debris after another, highlighting them in the darkness.
This made him feel like he was performing amidst the stars.
Each rubble deserved a voice, a light.
Each rubble and Corrupted was a victim of Azhukar’s ambition.
Each of them represented the planet’s despairing cry... it wanted to live too, to exist, to matter.
That’s why Ancient Distorted Sites were born, reaching across dimensions for a helping hand, anyone willing to listen, anyone willing to save it.
Just because it had no voice didn’t mean it was any less deserving of life... and yet, it was being destroyed simply for existing. Levi might not be able to save it, but the least he could do was give it a chance to strike back at its abuser.
As his bow moved again, the awakened army of Umbral Servants and any floating Corrupted turned toward the sound and began to move.
But when the melody grew faster, sharper, they rushed forward in fevered waves toward Azhukar, answering their master’s tune without hesitation.
In an instant, they engulfed Azhukar, building on each other, throwing themselves at him over and over until he was surrounded by a massive sphere of moving darkness.
The moment Levi saw this, he swung Azhukar toward the Hungering Dark with his aetheric energy and kept playing as both were pulled toward their damnation.
"GET OFF ME!! GET OFF ME, YOU BASTARDS!"
Azhukar roared while unleashing faint bursts of plasma rays, cutting through hundreds of them, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t enough.
For every shadow burned away, a thousand more replaced it. The darkness spread like a sea, with Levi at its center. Surrounded by a celestial sea of rubble that seemed infinite, Levi had all the energy and resources he needed to keep this for eternity.
All he focused on was the rhythm he built. He was in peaceful harmony with it, feeling less like a soloist and more like a conductor expressing his own emotions and the planet’s.
He might not feel his own emotions buried in his tune, but there was someone else who did.
Jasmine covered her mouth in stunned silence, her eyes no longer reflecting the universe’s chaos. No, there was only Levi, playing the violin with such intensity and emotion. The tune was haunting, sorrowful, and despairing, yet beautiful, silencing the noise of the Reality Limbo.
Her chest felt heavy, and the strange rhythm made her heart race. Then came warmth... something she couldn’t describe, something that filled her chest so suddenly it hurt.
The song wasn’t just sound; it was alive. It carried pain, longing, and something deeper than words could touch.
Her eyes started to water. She didn’t know why. The violin’s notes sank into her bones, resonating through every part of her that had ever been silent... deaf.
Every stroke of Levi’s bow felt like it was calling out to her, not as an Umbral Servant, not as a survivor, but as a person who had always lived behind walls of solitude.
It was as if he was telling her... it was okay to step into the light, to be herself.
"Levi..."
The darkness around him should have been terrifying, and it was, but not to her. It was breathtaking to watch the shadows move with his melody. Even in chaos, there was harmony.
For the first time in her life, Jasmine felt like the universe was finally speaking a language she could understand.
The more he played, the more she felt drawn in. She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to steady the strange pull inside her, unsure if it was the song... or something more.
Meanwhile, Levi’s playing grew more intense, faster, until sparks seemed to fly from the strings.
He was no longer controlling just the Umbral Servants with his melody... The False Sun, the Veil of Forgetfulness, and everything else he used to overwhelm Azhukar fell under his symphony.
A violin.
A single violin.
A single melody.
And yet, Levi controlled the symphony like a natural-born maestro. The more in tune he became, the stronger his control over his powers grew...