As an envoy dispatched by the Family to help this planet restore order, establish its returning scales, and found a new branch of the Family, he was naturally an exceptionally accomplished Tuner.
And so, the Family's envoy guided the supplicants in singing a hymn of Harmony.
The celestial rings began to resonate, and the entire world joined in!
The wind hummed softly, the rain danced to the rhythm, and even the beasts raised their voices in a thunderous chorus.
An enormous, magnificent opera house rose from the ground. All 107,336 people who had joined their voices in prayer appeared in its audience seats, while towering giants sculpted from stone and metal supported the vast, pillarless hall.
The Family's envoy from the Montor star system donned an elaborate ceremonial costume and took his place at the center of the stage.
An incarnation of Harmony had descended.
The Theater of Myriad Sounds, Constantina, born of countless voices singing as one, had manifested upon this world!
Unlike an incarnation of Harmony that descended upon a single individual, the Theater of Myriad Sounds embodied the collective nature of Harmony—a multitude united as one.
Now, every person present was part of the Theater of Myriad Sounds.
Every one of them was Constantina.
Together, they would perform a sacred offering to Xipe!
This was a gift from the great celestial world of harmonious music. To the invaders who had come to disrupt its melody, however, it was a funeral bell whose toll they would never live to hear.
Fortunately, the necessary conditions hadn't been fully met, so the incarnation that descended wasn't the Infinite Centurion.
The good news: they wouldn't have to face the Infinite Centurion's wrath.
The bad news: the Theater of Myriad Sounds had arrived instead.
The envoy assumed the role of guide.
"First Act — The Endless Feast."
"Under the music of Harmony, all people embrace Harmony and discover their own scales. They become part of the divine score, and from this day forth, there shall be no more social classes!"
Following the envoy's proclamation, the curtain fell, concealing him behind the stage. Across the ground, mud and stone began to churn.
When the curtain rose again, the earth had formed countless statues of mud and stone. They began performing the ancient play of their own accord, while the power of Harmony conjured an assortment of musical instruments that played the accompanying score without a single musician touching them.
In truth, this was an incomplete manifestation of Constantina.
A chorus of merely a hundred thousand people and a single Tuner was nowhere near sufficient to properly summon the Theater of Myriad Sounds.
Dominicus, the Harmonious Choir, was actually the incarnation of Harmony with the lowest summoning requirements. As long as there was a Tuner and a collective wish, Dominicus would answer the call. The extent of THEIR power would depend on the number of people sharing that wish and the sincerity with which they desired its fulfillment.
In a sense, Dominicus could be considered an observable manifestation of the proximity between Harmony and Abundance—and the subtle conflict that existed between the two Paths.
The requirements for fully manifesting the Theater of Myriad Sounds, Constantina, were considerably more demanding.
At least three Tuners of Rank IV or above had to guide the summoning together, accompanied by a well-coordinated choir of no fewer than one hundred thousand people. Only when both conditions were satisfied could the true Theater of Myriad Sounds descend.
After that, three divinely chosen individuals capable of harmonizing the multitude of voices would each lead one of three interconnected acts.
Every act also required the cooperation of several Family members who had returned to their proper scales. One would serve as the conductor, guiding the performance; another would serve as the singer, leading the chorus; and the third would serve as the dancer, directing its rhythm.
Only through their cooperation, with a hundred thousand people united in heart and voice, could they compose a truly devout offering to Xipe.
Unfortunately, the conditions on Kasbelinyat VIII were nowhere near sufficient. The envoy could only attempt a diminished summoning.
Fortunately, Constantina had actually answered their collective song.
Compared to Dominicus, however, Constantina possessed a distinctly stronger affinity with Order.
"First Movement: Freedom and Peace — A Hymn to Harmony!"
Inspired by the music, everyone in the audience rose to their feet and began singing a distinctive Ode to Harmony.
As Constantina coordinated their voices into a single magnificent chorus, the notes washed over the battlefield.
Countless Voidrangers of the Antimatter Legion were "converted" by Harmony's music and willingly threw themselves into the Family's embrace.
The Legion immediately descended into chaos.
Anyone who had ever experienced a military camp erupting into mass panic would understand just how devastating confusion on this scale could be.
The Antimatter Legion and the newly "converted" Legion soldiers, now fighting on the Family's behalf, became entangled in a ferocious battle against one another.
The Harbinger of Calamity remained composed.
So what if they were dealing with the Family of Harmony? It wasn't as though the Antimatter Legion had never fought them before.
He reached for the longbow carried by a nearby Trampler—a weapon forged from the wings of a Doomsday Beast.
It had come from Shenxiao Space City.
Three Harbingers of Calamity drew their bows and began gathering power. Then they unleashed three spiraling arrows toward the Theater of Myriad Sounds.
The arrows streaked across the sky, trailing brilliant light. Together, they formed a triangular lattice of energy that extended from the Antimatter Legion's position toward Constantina.
Whoosh! Boom!
Clatter, clatter!
Golden chains materialized among the soaring musical notes, intercepting the spiraling arrows.
The Family's envoy frowned.
There was definitely something wrong with Constantina's current state.
Golden chains?
Their association with Order was far too pronounced.
Why was there such a powerful interference from Order?
Although the Harbingers' attack had been intercepted, the result was actually encouraging.
It proved that the blessing of Harmony covering this land had an upper limit. Once an attack exceeded a certain threshold, the protection granted by No More Strife could no longer neutralize it.
"Pass the order to every Trampler!" the Harbinger commanded. "My arrow will be the signal. Wherever its point is aimed, unleash every arrow you have!"
All the Tramplers who still retained their senses and hadn't become entranced by Harmony's music raised their bows.
A storm of arrows followed.
One after another, the centaur-like war beasts released brilliant arrows of light, filling the heavens with their attacks.
They really were the creatures that most closely resembled Lan.
According to certain unofficial accounts, Nanook and Lan...
The countless scattered arrows approached the triangular lattice. Then, as though space itself had been distorted, their trajectories bent inward, converging upon the passage formed by the three spiraling arrows.
Every last one of them surged through that passage toward Constantina.
The Harbingers' initial attack had never been intended to cause damage on its own. Its purpose was to open a route through which the Legion could concentrate its firepower, overwhelming a single point rather than spreading its attacks across the entire defensive barrier.
Unfortunately, once the arrows passed through the corridor and approached the sky above the Theater of Myriad Sounds, they all transformed into colorful fireworks.
The resulting spectacle served as a splendid announcement that the performance was approaching its climax.
The Theater of Myriad Sounds continued performing its enchanting melody. Yet the notes, which had initially sounded free and unrestrained, gradually settled into an increasingly rigid pattern.
The repeated rhythms began to resemble a solemn hymn.
Faced with this impenetrable shell, which rendered their overwhelming numerical advantage completely useless, the Harbingers of Calamity still showed no fear.
After all, their own attacks had proven effective, hadn't they?
So what if they had to confront an incarnation of Harmony directly?
So what if that was practically equivalent to fighting an Emanator of Harmony in single combat?
The three Harbingers discussed the situation briefly before sweeping their arms forward.
"Vanguard, charge!"
Then the rear guard became the vanguard.
The three Harbingers personally took the lead, charging at the head of their army...
In the opposite direction.
What a joke!
Just because they didn't fear their own destruction didn't mean they were idiots who enjoyed throwing their lives away for absolutely no reason.
If they really wanted to die, wouldn't slitting their own throats be a much more efficient way to go about it?
The Family's envoy let out a sigh as he watched the Legion retreat.
Oh, well.
The people of this planet might have been a little too indiscriminate in what they were willing to embrace, but the Family could certainly embrace them in return.
What was a little discordant noise from Order, anyway?
"Second Act — All Things as One."
"Harmony shall guide Order, and Order, too, is Harmony. Harmony embraces all things, and all things shall ultimately become one."