Their sound arts kill me. With the despair of deceived love.

-Heinrich Heine-

----------------------------------------

-Psht!

I immediately wrapped the Self Defense Essence around my neck, but the invisible, unidentified weapon pierced through the shield of essence and left a tiny wound on my neck.

A thin and shallow scratch, like being cut by a sharp thread, barely noticeable.

But I soon realized that the attack, which barely grazed the surface of my skin before reaching the dermis, was intentional.

‘…Is this just a simple courtesy gesture?’

Irene Adler smiled looking this way.

Our eyes met for a fleeting moment.

Just from her expression and gaze, I felt I could understand what she wanted.

‘She’s showing off. What she can do.’

Though it didn’t reach the level to pierce Protective Enhanced Energy, she was confident that she could do so to Self Defense Essence.

I had consistently and voluntarily trained to defend against blades, especially small and thin hidden weapons, even without my master’s demand.

The opening of the Conception and Governing meridians enhances the quality and flow of internal energy, but the opening of the minor meridians narrows the distance between essence and consciousness, enabling more delicate and faster energy manipulation.

By observing Irene Adler’s throat and predicting the moment of attack, I quickly wove layers of internal energy like a net to form a Self Defense Essence, all possible because my minor meridians were opened.

Yet she succeeded in leaving even a wound on my body.

If she uses the same technique once more, will I be able to respond?

In fact, it was a meaningless question.

Among the Kung-Fu I mastered, there was a technique that perfectly defends even against such mysterious attacks, ignoring their principles.

But if I used it now, the fact that I am a practitioner of demonic arts would be revealed to the whole world.

Unlike the Lionheart Method, which leaves no trace of demonic arts mastery, this technique spreads a peculiar energy everywhere once used, so anyone not foolish would recognize it as a technique of a practitioner of demonic arts.

‘Did she load internal energy onto directional sound waves to control them and create a true vacuum state?’

I had heard that there is a Kung-Fu that manipulates air with internal power to wound the skin.

It’s the type of Kung-Fu art commonly called wind technique.

Whether used by the Merry Men or a famed violinist, the Gale-Point Arrow’ technique, executed with either longbow or violin bow, is recognized as the representative technique of this particular Kung-Fu.

[諸法不動本來寂.]

All laws are unmoving and originally tranquil.

The teaching of True Emptiness and Wondrous Existence says that whether self or law, everything is a dream.

This Kung-Fu, which started as an absurd attempt to realize true nothingness through Kung-Fu, was once revered as a means to attain the Buddhist enlightenment that all is emptiness.

But since becoming a Buddha through breathing exercises and punching was impossible from the start, those who trained wind techniques became human weapons that tore the wind to create a true vacuum state instead of realizing truth.1

Of course, apart from that, the power of wind techniques is extremely brutal and difficult to block with Self Defense Essence, making them notorious in the martial world.

However—

‘Those standing between me and Miss Adler are unaffected by the Kung-Fu. The way the air vibrates is different.’

Wind techniques, now matter how little essence used, are not specialized for such delicate manipulation of a single person.

Above all, wind techniques inevitably produce loud noise whenever used.

Irene Adler sings with an innocent face that harms no one, so the technique she used is far from wind technique.

‘A killing technique that deceives the eyes with sound and controls hidden weapons to cut the enemy…? No, it’s different.’

If she manipulated a sharp weapon capable of cutting Self Defense Essence as an invisible object, I would have felt a faint killing intent.

In that case, not only I but other masters should have noticed the ambush.

Of course, in this situation, very few would pay attention to me who was leaning against the wall.

Around Irene Adler, singing to piano accompaniment, a strange scene was unfolding.

The moment the royal attendants scattered pieces of colored paper, Irene’s sound art captured and began moving them.

-The fragrance of flowers overflows, drifting through all three realms.

-Day and night, I praise the Great Dao—and awaken.

She’s singing the ‘Fragrance Fills the Three Realms, Enlightenment.’

Following the last phrase of the Nine-Grade Lotus Platform, which likens the moon and lotus to enlightenment and seekers, the white and pink colored papers dancing in the air naturally merged into the shape of a lotus flower.

“Oh…!!”

One after another, exclamations burst from the mouths of the martial artists watching the performance.

Those who had a deep interest in art and were mesmerized by the diva’s overwhelming expressiveness and enchanting singing.

And those who admired Irene Adler’s beauty, which exceeded the common standards of beauty.

Besides these two groups, many were astonished by Irene Adler’s skill.

“Truly an amazing energy manipulation.”

“To have achieved this much at the age of twenty-three.”

“Isn’t this an achievement impossible without fully dedicating innate Kung-Fu talent to music?”

Except for Watson, who looked at me with concern, everyone was captivated by Irene and the paper lotus surrounding her.

And many martial artists were straining their concentration to figure out through what Kung-Fu principles Irene Adler controlled the colored papers with her singing.

Adler was not delicately moving countless colored papers as an invisible object like the Rain Of Petals technique of the Tanne Clan Of Sachsen.

The Qi Frequency of a martial artist performing Rain Of Petals is said to temporarily stiffen the entire body’s meridians upon contact.

Because the energy emitted while handling numerous hidden weapons contains an unimaginably dense amount of information and is too complex to understand.

But Irene’s singing and the Qi Frequency she emitted rather made people feel comfortable.

That marvelous function, relaxing muscles and blood vessels and opening the gates of consciousness, was something even Schumann, who composed the song, could not have anticipated.

For this reason, it was not easy to guess what Kung-Fu principles her sound art followed.

‘I have no choice but to acknowledge her skill.’

Irene Adler, continuing her song, looked quite joyful.

Despite being a walking Heart Demon, she gathered colored papers at her feet with sound art and even made a plausible lotus platform, as if she were an Antipope.

Without pushing the function of the minor meridians to the limit, it would be impossible to move thousands of colored papers so delicately.

The Kung-Fu she displayed when she came out to rescue her captured subordinates seemed to be less than 70% of her true ability.

Ambushes indoors rather than open confrontations outdoors were the field where she could fully demonstrate her skills.

-Psht!

Once again, an invisible blade grazed my wrist.

The wound was deeper than when it targeted my neck, and a small amount of blood seeped out.

‘It means I must choose between enduring until I’m covered in blood and driven out, or fleeing during the performance and being humiliated.’

Apparently, she was quite upset about biting her tongue when hit by the silver tray earlier.

Since she sees value in using me, she has no intention to kill me (and even if not, I have no intention to die willingly), but she feels a strong will to humiliate me in front of everyone.

Even if I reveal that Irene Adler is attacking me, no evidence will remain, and only I will be in trouble.

Moreover, considering the average character of the people of the martial world, they would surely think the victim is stupid.

Though I could use Kung-Fu to protect myself, that would surely lead to the worst outcome, so I exclude that option.

I have no choice but to quickly find out the identity of the Kung-Fu Irene Adler is using and respond.

If I fail, the reputation and impression I’ve worked hard to build today might vanish.

‘Wait…’

At that moment, a lightning-like realization swept through my mind.

‘…I was missing the clue right before my eyes.’

Irene Adler is focusing everyone’s attention on herself and the colored papers to conceal the fact that she attacked me.

At the same time, she is using Overtone Singing to produce two voices from one vocal organ, attacking me with sound arts.

But no matter how delicate her energy manipulation is, it is impossible by Kung-Fu principles to perform two sound arts simultaneously with one voice.

Even the Double Standard2 technique of Robinson Crusoe, the Peach Blossom Island master, is limited to performing different Kung-Fus with his left and right hands.

‘In other words, the technique moving the colored papers and the one attacking me are the same Kung-Fu.’

Just as I got closer to identifying the technique, Irene Adler stopped singing.

The lotus had already crumbled into pieces, returning to colored paper and falling to the floor.

And as the accompanist began the prelude of a new song.

A change occurred in the dress Irene was wearing.

-Pssssss…….

The white and pink dress resembling a lotus flower.

Its surface crumbled like powder, revealing a pale green fabric hidden inside.

“That song is…”

~Printemps Qui Commence~

An aria from the opera “Samson and Delilah” composed by Saint-Saens, decorating the end of Act 1.

As the song began, the colored papers responded to essence, dyed brown and green, forming a large willow tree shape behind Irene.

The tender lyrics praising spring and lamenting a lover, combined with the dress embroidered with slender willow leaves, made Irene Adler appear like the goddess of spring returning from the underworld to the surface.

A posture that fits perfectly with her nickname, Mistress of Green Willow.

Her eyes, scattering the scent of spring around the audience, lingered on me for a moment.

And again.

-Swish

As I moved half a step sideways, something sliced through where my forehead had been.

Three or four strands of cut hair fell to the floor.

-서걱

-서걱

-Swish

-Swish

-Swish

The invisible blade persistently followed me, carving shallow wounds on my nape, above my eyebrows, earlobes, lips, and the bridge of my nose in succession.

With the second song starting, it was Irene Adler’s declaration to toy with me seriously.

“Hmm.”

Something razor-sharp ignored my Self Defense Essence and ravaged my skin.

It was a cruel hand targeting only the areas where my nerves were concentrated, mocking and teasing me.

‘This single lady has quite a nasty taste.’

Like rolling candy on her tongue, inflicting wounds as she pleased, Irene Adler was saying this.

I hold your leash, and one verse of my song is enough to take your breath away.

‘I must endure it.’

Being tied up at a royal ball and having to go along with the tricks of a lower-level opponent is not enjoyable.

But I have no choice.

To raise the beacon of counterattack, I must first thoroughly analyze that woman’s methods.

-Crack!

Entering the Faust Moment, I concentrated internal energy in my eyes and unfolded the Indra Net.

Observing the powder fallen from clothes and the colored papers imitating willow leaves drifting on the wind through the fully extended Indra Net, I sensed something off.

The colored papers and pigment powder around Irene changed positions moment by moment as the pitch varied, aligning in fixed patterns like a formation.

‘Chladni figures3… no, should I call it Chladni Three-dimensionals?’

Clausius Chladni, a German jurist turned Kung-Fu scholar, conducted experiments placing fine powder on vibrating plates and rubbing violin bows on the edges.

The result was that the powder formed different patterns depending on the sound frequency.

‘If applied to sound arts—’

If essence is finely controlled, perhaps the shape of particles can be manipulated in three-dimensional space following sound.

If true, it also explains why I didn’t feel killing intent from the technique that cut my skin.

As long as the thought to toy with me remains in Irene’s mind, the consciousness embedded in the song focuses on creating a fixed shape in the air.

Irene Adler is deceiving even her own consciousness through lies.

To her, the cut I received is merely an unfortunate accident caused by contact with the trajectory of moving particles.

‘It’s time to verify the hypothesis.’

My concentration pushed to the limit merged with the intuition cultivated as a consulting detective.

Following the new possibilities opened by the minor meridians, it led me down a path my master had never shown.

Within the realm of selflessness, my energy manipulation, now far more delicate than before, gathered moisture in the air around me, forming countless lens shapes.

Unlike Irene Adler’s evil tricks, this was a dizzying acrobatics subdividing consciousness to handle countless droplets like the Tanne Clan’s complex and bizarre family Kung-Fu.

Like a net strung with precious jewels hanging over the palace of Indra in mythology, all visual information reflected in thousands of droplets fixed in the air began to concentrate in my Ni Huan Palace.

-Swish

Irene Adler, unaware of what I was attempting, launched her technique.

But.

‘I see it.’

My vision, having developed the Indra Net to a higher level through the new idea of manipulating moisture in the air, encompassed all directions.

I tilted my head to avoid the strike brushing my nape.

My eyes identified the tiny weapon magnified beyond the droplets.

‘…This is.’

What I discovered was a fine metal particle cutting through coagulated droplets.

-Zing!

The next moment, unable to endure the intense pain caused by excessive information, the Faust Moment ended.

-Swish!

I quickly reached out to confirm the identity of the foreign object.

“…I don’t know how she earned it, but it seems her money is rotting.”

It was cold iron in the form of fine particles.

Irene Adler used Overtone Singing to emit a second voice inaudible to human ears, a directional sound art, to manipulate powdered cold iron like colored papers and cut me.

As confirmed at the time when I faced the Dead Man, cold iron is expensive but a heavenly treasure that can cut aura without wrapping it with essence.

It was natural that my Self Defense Essence couldn’t block it.

“Seems like a cheap trick.”

Martial artists who have the habit of solving everything with money, especially those from the dark path, never achieve greatness.

I’ll take this chance to properly break her arrogance and correct her habits.

She probably intended to embarrass me without dirtying her own hands, but it won’t go as planned.

I took out the phonograph stone Irene Adler had discarded and activated Gravitation.

“If you want to embarrass others.”

-Goooo!!

As the recorded Lion’s Roar and the essence maintaining it were instantly absorbed into my body, the phonograph stone began absorbing new sounds like a sponge.

“You should have been prepared to wallow in the mud yourself.”

Now, it’s time to see how long the lotus blooming in the mud remains proud and beautiful.

1. TL/N: The word true emptiness, true nothingness, and true vacuum are all one ️

2. TL/N: refers to the 雙手互搏 technique from the Jin Rong’s Condor Hero series where a person use both hands to perform different actions simultaneously ️

3. TL/N: Chladni figures, also known as Chladni patterns, are visual representations of vibration modes on a flat surface, typically a plate ️