Chapter 104 – Highlight (6)

May 10th, 2023

The Matrics Theatre Group’s performance was as dazzling and well-directed as shown in the trailer, providing a delightful feast for the eyes and ears.

Firstly, the actors’ performances were outstanding.
As theater is an art form that relies heavily on the live experience of the audience, the quality of acting is crucial, and the actors in The Matrics Theatre Group were flawless.

Secondly, the production was well-prepared.
As I mentioned before, I added a few illustrations to make it easier to understand Xenon’s Biography.
Although they were only illustrations of the appearance of the characters, the map, and the steam locomotive, The Matrics Theatre Group made excellent use of them.

The actors who played Xenon, Mary, Jin, and Lily all perfectly matched the images I had illustrated.
In Particular, Jin’s eyes were a vivid shade of red, as if he had been fitted with lenses or something.

Lastly, the performance had an undeniable quality that was at the core of The Matrics Theatre Group’s identity: the energy of the performance itself.
While acting and costume design can be accomplished in other theater productions, the energy of the performance was unmatched.

Clang! Ching!

“Wow…”

Just like the fight scenes I saw on the training grounds, the actors playing Xenon and Sakran battled fiercely behind the protective barriers.

If Xenon’s sword moved brilliantly to pressure Sakran, on the contrary, Sakran’s giant scythe was simple but each strike was threatening.
As the actual battle unfolded, I realized how much they had prepared.
Surely, they must have practiced unimaginable exercises just to hit each other in perfect sync.

If they were really fighting, that would be perverted in itself.

“Being human and having this level of skill, impressive.
Who taught you?”

“There was a person who did.
A master who left without even giving me his name.”

After the short but seemingly long battle, a scene from Xenon’s Biography followed.
Xenon had a bright and pleasing voice like a beautiful singer, while Sakran had a rough, hoarse voice as if he had a cold.

In the original work, Sakran was also set to have a somewhat eerie voice.
This part shows the extreme effort put into fully projecting that setting.

But that’s not all.
As if proving the collaboration between the Lirus Orchestra and the Matrics Theatre Group, the Lirus Orchestra played music for each key scene.

Even during the intense battle just now, the Lirus Orchestra played tense music, and it matched surprisingly well, making me more immersed.
Seeing how two world-renowned geniuses perform together for one work is truly amazing, and they are showing it vividly right now.

As the original creator, I am truly happy beyond words.
I wonder if this is how the authors would have felt when The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter was made into a movie.

Soon, various scenes will unfold, and I wonder if they can also reproduce them.

“Where did Mr.
Sakran go?”

“He went that way! He said he felt the presence of a fallen demon…”

“Oh, my goodness! Let’s go!”

The performance was now rushing towards its highlight.
Just before an incident in which the entire Demon’s kingdom, Devildom, almost fell into darkness due to the scheme of the Devil’s faction.

Sakran, using the experience and insight he had accumulated until then, arrived first at the place where darkness was emerging and fought against the demons pouring out like a pack.
Xenon’s party also assisted Sakran and demon hunters, but darkness grew uncontrollably, and eventually, Sakran had to make a big decision…

“… Is that really magic?”

“It seems like it, doesn’t it?”

I was looking forward to how they would describe the devils rushing in like a pack, and they were really implemented just like that.
As if the entire plain had been pierced with holes, a huge black whirlwind arose, and the devils that were only seen in documents poured out of it.

However, it was not as numerous as described in the novel, perhaps due to limitations.
There was only one, but the whirlwind was large enough to engulf the entire stage.

“That’s real magic, isn’t it?”

When Marie and I were amazed, Cecily, who was sitting next to us, seemed surprised in a different way.
I raised my eyebrows, expressing my doubt, after hearing her words.

“Is that really magic?”

“Yeah.
It’s a kind of illusion magic.
It creates an illusion that moves like a real object based on what the target wants.
But since it’s an illusion, it disappears with a certain amount of shock.
Just like now.”

As I listened to her explanation, I turned my head towards the stage.
Whenever the actors on stage inserted their weapons into the swarming demons like a swarm of locusts, they turned into black smoke and scattered into the air.

It seemed like the illusion magic was implemented like CGI.
But to find a magician who could create such high-quality illusions on stage, in a theater of all places, he was surely a unique individual in many ways.

“By the way, when the illusion disappears, it transforms into black smoke…”

Cecily muttered quietly next to me, expressing her uneasiness.
I glanced at her expression and noticed that she had caught something, as she was tapping her finger on her cheek.

Just as I was about to ask her if she had caught something, a rough, grating scream from an old man pierced my ears.
I turned my head, wondering what was going on, and saw Sakran standing proudly in front of a huge vortex that seemed to have opened up like a hole in space.

That scene was undoubtedly…yes.
It was the scene where Sakran absorbed the huge vortex that had become immeasurably large.
In the original work, he flew into the sky with magic and sucked up all the darkness.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

As Sakran began to absorb the vortex, a loud drumbeat rang out, adding to the tension.
Even I, the creator, was nervous, so one can only imagine how the others felt.
Sakran had dedicated his life to the demons, but in the end, he could not defeat the darkness and became a devil himself.

Thud-

“Sakran!”

“Sakran! Are you okay?”

Sakran, who had absorbed all the energy of the vortex, knelt down.
The others who were fighting the devils rushed to him when he fell, but…

“Don’t come any closer!”

Sakran shouted loudly, as if the world was shaking.
His voice was not his usual raspy and hoarse voice, but had a distorted noise in it, as if it had been modified.

It seemed that the actors of the Matrics Theatre Group could even change their voices in real-time.
It was really impressive and perverted at the same time.

However, the immersion was incredible, so I didn’t say anything.
Honestly, it was entertaining.

“Hunters… I always told you to accept the darkness, but never let it dominate you.
If you are dominated, always point your sword towards that darkness.”

Sakran slowly stood up from his knees and spoke to the people behind him, as if he was giving a sermon.
The dark energy began to slowly flow out of his body, accompanied by his modified voice.

And above all… the devil’s wings began to take shape from his back.

In the end, Sakran, unable to overcome the darkness, began to transform into a devil. 

As the leader of demon hunters, Sakran possessed an incredibly powerful force.
As everyone watched in awe, Sakran slowly turned into a devil, causing them all to hold their breath. 

Then, staring blankly into the sky, Sakran slowly turned around. 

The horns protruding from his head grew to an overwhelming size, and his red eyes shone like blood, exuding an overwhelming sense of intimidation.
It was truly the appearance of a real devil.

“Why hesitate, hunters? There is darkness before you.”

“… …”

“Quickly aim your weapons! This is my final command!”

Upon hearing his final command, Xenon and the hunters tightly gripped their weapons with determination and sadness mixed with tension etched on their faces.
They must kill the ones who were once their master, their comrades, and those who had devoted their lives to demons.

“Morphae…”

Finally, with Sakran’s prayer, another tragedy was born.

After the prayer, Sakran slowly approached the group.
Whether it was to delay the fight even for a moment, or because he was still struggling with the darkness within him, it was unclear.
But one thing was certain: only anger and hatred remained on his face, which was radiating with fury.

If they keep hesitating like this, not only will there be no salvation, but everyone will be annihilated.

“Ahhhh!”

“No! Krot!”

Did he want to deny that Sakran had become a demon? One of the hesitant hunters shouted with determination and charged blindly towards Sakran.

Although his colleague called out his name from behind, the hunter had already thrust his sword towards Sakran’s heart.

No, he tried to.

Splat!

Before Sakran’s arm could pierce through the hunter’s body, as if it were wrapped around him, bright red blood scattered in all directions, and the hunter writhed in pain before collapsing on the ground, lifeless.
There was no need to check separately, as he was killed instantly.

Swish! Thud!

Sakran swung his arm as if he were throwing away garbage and tossed the hunter’s body aside, which had been impaled on his arm.
The hunters staggered back at the sight of one member turning into a cold corpse in an instant.
Even though they hesitated, their overwhelming fear was due to the fact that they couldn’t overcome Sakran’s power.

As those who witnessed Sakran’s powerlessness from the sidelines, they knew better than anyone that they could never defeat him.
It was Sakran who taught them how to use the power of the demons, and it was Saran who instilled in them a sense of duty.

It was the complex emotions that entangled and conflicted with each other, preventing them from responding readily to Sakran’s orders.
However, our protagonist, Xenon, was different.
He looked at Sakran with a stern expression and then took a step forward.

“Xenon…”

“… …”

Mary, the woman with violet hair, called his name quietly, but Xenon didn’t pay any attention and continued walking with a thud-thud sound.

He was doing it to bring peace to Sakran, who was more human than anyone else, and to stop the powerful demon in front of him.
Our protagonist stepped forward.

“Morphae…”

Starting with Xenon whispering while unsheathing his sword, the best scene in Xenon’s Biography and the highlight of the fifth volume unfolded before our eyes.

Woooong-

At the same time, the music of the Lirus Orchestra played.
It was surprisingly the intro and the last part of ‘Life,’ which Lirus Orchestra had presented.
The mournful sounds of the string instruments created a solemn yet poignant atmosphere that was mixed with the tragedy of the demon race.
It emphasized the tragedy of the demon race even more and created a thrilling sensation.

The best theater group and the best orchestra come together to create an indescribable emotional experience.
Battles are usually urgent and chaotic, but the fight between Sakran and Xenon somehow seemed sad. 

In fact, it was not really a battle, because Xenon didn’t want to kill Sakran and only wanted to give him peace.
The reason why Sakran’s weapon was a giant ‘scythe’ was also similar to Xenon’s mindset.
Sakran thought of the demons who had turned into devils as humans, so killing them was like committing murder, and it was also like holding a funeral for them.

‘…Haaa, it’s a bit embarrassing to cry.’

As the movie continued to deliver touching scenes one after another, I found myself getting lost in the story.
The ‘Life’ of the Lirus orchestra, and the battle between Sakran and Xenon, made me feel emotional.

Although I was absorbed in the performance, I could hear people crying here and there.
I pressed my nose with my handkerchief and checked the reaction of Cecily.
She was shedding tears while listening to the music.

Therefore…

“Sob… Sniffle…”

“…”

“It’s too… too sad… Sob…”

She was crying so hard that she even bit down on the handkerchief that I gave her earlier.

‘Let’s just leave her be.’

I focused on the performance again.

*****

It was a time when everyone was either sobbing or shedding tears at Sakran’s lament.
There was someone watching the play on the stage, not in the audience seats.
His name was Gartz, Cecily’s escort and a member of Reapers.

He wanted to sit next to Cecily and watch the show, but as a Reapers member, he had to watch from an unknown location.
Therefore, he was watching the performance floating in the sky through magic, not in the audience seats.

“…It’s sad.”

Even though he seemed emotionally dry, he was still a demon.
Gartz stole tears from his eyes as Sakran’s and Xenon’s battle continued and the mournful music played.

As a member of Reapers, who could be considered a motif of demon hunters, he was even more immersed than others.
If there was no one around, at least if someone knew his usual bluntness, they would have been surprised to see him shed tears.

But not only demons but also most of the people watching the performance were sobbing or feeling sad.
It attested to how terrifyingly powerful the performance was in its expression and delivery.

It would have been nice if the performance had ended like this, but…

“Hmm?”

Gartz’s expression froze as someone was detected by the security magic installed in the mansion.
Detecting it wasn’t a problem, but someone intruding was a problem.

If it were Isaac’s family, it could have been easily overlooked, but currently, all of his family members are watching the performance.
So, it means that a stranger has entered without permission.

Even the knights sent from the palace are strictly forbidden to enter a personal bedroom, so unless it’s an intruder, it won’t be detected by the security magic.

“…Son of a bitch.”

Gartz cursed with sincerity and flew towards the mansion.
He was curious about who the one who interrupted this moment just before the highlight was.