Klaus didn't panic after reading the description, despite knowing he couldn't kill his next target using his weapons or skills. It was as though he was heading into his next battle unprepared, yet he felt ready.
"So this will be a battle of wits," Klaus muttered.
He could already tell the battle would involve deciphering the true nature of the music she would play and uncovering what compelled her to create such a benevolent tune with a malevolent intent.
The description portrayed her as a victim, making Klaus recall a moment from his past life when he killed the Flame Dragon to gain access to the ancestral grounds of the Chaos Flame Demon Dragons.
Back then, that dragon was far more perceptive than his friends, and Klaus had been forced to kill him. But it was only after the act that he discovered the dragon was one of the few genuinely good demons.
He blamed himself for it at the time, and now, seeing another good demon turned sinister stirred something deep within him. It felt like he finally had an opportunity to make things right.
"This time, I have to do the right thing," Klaus vowed.
He then focused on the sentence that mentioned she had help from the distant future. The thought lingered briefly before he dismissed it, choosing instead to concentrate on his next battle.
He sighed and decided to enter the 8th trial.
Klaus was immediately transported to a lush garden filled with an array of vibrant flowers. The scenery captivated him.
Everything about the garden was simply breathtaking.
Klaus moved through the lush garden until he arrived at a spot where a beautiful lady sat with a zither resting on her lap.
She had long blonde hair, green eyes, and two small greenhorns on her forehead, each adding a unique charm to her appearance. Klaus immediately realized she had been waiting for him, but seeing her took him aback.
'She has been waiting for me for a long time.'
To confirm his thought, the moment their eyes met, she smiled slightly. Klaus couldn't help but smile back as if they were old friends finally reuniting after eons.
"Hi," Syrith said, her voice soft, like a lady greeting her long-lost crush.
"Hi," Klaus responded almost instinctively.
Syrith was supposed to have a frown on her face—that was what he had expected. Yet, contrary to his assumptions, she held a warm smile.
"No need to look puzzled," Syrith said calmly. "This is, as you said many years ago, a part of the process. I am simply doing what must be done at this very moment.
Also, don't hesitate to ask if you are wondering what I mean by this. You will understand later. However, you should not assume this is not a part of the trial. If you fail, you will die."
Syrith's expression turned serious as she finished speaking.
"I see. Then what happens now?" Klaus asked, his voice steady.
"It's very simple: I will play a tune, and all you have to do is listen to the whole song without succumbing. I have to tell you, this is the most difficult trial you will face, so be ready," Syrith said.
Klaus nodded and quietly sat down. He somehow knew that what she said was indeed something hard to endure.
He might not know how he came to understand this, but he knew sonic attacks were on the same level as soul attacks and, in some cases, even more destructive.
"Go ahead, play me a tune," Klaus said, ready to take on the eighth trial.
Syrith sighed, and then Klaus saw the look he had expected. A frown appeared on her face as she guided her hand to the strings of the zither.
Then her slender fingers plucked the first note, immediately capturing Klaus's attention. Suddenly, he felt a change occur around him as the second note filled his ears.
His heartbeat slowed down, and a feeling of joy and happiness overwhelmed his senses. Then it happened—Klaus was pulled into the realm of music.
However, it wasn't what one might expect.
In music cultivation, when one gets immersed in music, the realm of music allows one to become one with the sound, and every note resonates with one's soul and mind.
In some cases, if nature is embedded in the music, those listening will be pulled into this realm where everything is real and fake.
In this case, Klaus was now pulled into a similar state. But this wasn't a fake reality but a reality made from memory.
It was Syrith's memory, and without even having to be told, Klaus knew what the trial was about. He would have to live through Syrith's memory and experience everything as an audience.
If he managed to live through everything and didn't die, he would pass the trial.
And so, Klaus began witnessing Syrith's life.
She was a person born into battle. She entered the world on a battlefield, and just minutes after her birth, her mother was killed by an enemy soldier.
Fortunately, she was rescued, and from there, her journey began. Klaus, with his immense mental strength, was unaffected by this harsh scene, but he couldn't help feeling pity for her.
As Syrith grew up, her life began to take shape. At the age of 16, she discovered her love for music. Inspired and determined, she joined a sect devoted to the Art of Music.
With time, she improved her craft. Her talent did not go unnoticed, and her brilliance began to shine. She wasn't someone who could easily be ignored—her beauty and charm captivated everyone, regardless of gender.
Syrith's rise was swift. She gained recognition, made many friends, and each week hosted a music session within her sect where she played cheerful tunes that lifted everyone's spirits.
Eventually, she was recognized as a Core Disciple of her sect and was sent to a much larger sect, one entirely dedicated to music.
At this point, Klaus found himself smiling. Everything he witnessed so far was filled with joy and happiness.
Syrith's journey was far more vibrant and inspiring than he had anticipated, and it was a pleasure to watch.
However, unbeknownst to Klaus, he inadvertently created a vulnerability by allowing himself to revel in the joy and happiness of what he was seeing. The Music of Death was now quietly infiltrating his subconscious, subtly invading his mind.
But he didn't know that.
He was immersed in the music, so much so that he didn't even notice when something dangerous started happening to his body.
However, he continued to listen as the music slowly influenced his mind.
Many years passed in the memory he was seeing, and before he knew it, he had witnessed 57 years of Syrith's life.
He saw how she thrived in the new sect she was sent to, how seriously she took her cultivation, and how much she loved herself and cared for her body.
Klaus saw everything, and the more he watched, the happier he became. He was being influenced slowly, but he didn't know it.
Klaus spent over 70 years witnessing Syrith rise to the peak of Music Cultivation.
But everything changed when she left the sect and began using her music to make people happy. It was also when she chose to walk the path of Purity.
If only she had known her life was going to end in the most gruesome way possible...She would have listened to her master and stayed forever in the sect.