Pillar of Yita

The incarnation of Dragon’s Golden Eyes’ pupils constricted slightly, as if enraged, he abruptly twisted Recall’s neck, lifting him up and said, ”Don’t mention that name to me—”

”Captain!” Red Leaf gritted her teeth, fingers clenched together, ready to attack again, but Fang Hong immediately turned back and yelled, ”Stop her!”

Xiesta grabbed her wrist, ”Let me go!” Red Leaf shouted with tearful eyes and clenched teeth at the latter.

But the maid watched her, unmoving.

Fang Hong, blocking Gita and Tianlan with one hand, said to the others, ”Run, everyone scatter and run!” Glancing at Recall who was being pressed against a tree by the incarnation of Dragon’s Golden Eyes, the latter seemed to sense something.

A message popped up from the team channel: ’Listen to Ade—’

Fang Hong turned and led Gita and Tianlan into the forest.

”Ade!?” Red Leaf turned back, looking at him both angry and annoyed.

”Xiesta, take her with you.” Hilveld, holding a suitcase in one hand and hitching up her skirt with the other, called out while running.

”Wait!” Red Leaf panicked, instinctively trying to pull back her hand. But the maid stepped forward, lifted her onto her shoulder with a shove, ”Put me down!” Red Leaf pushed hard against Xiesta’s shoulders to no avail, as the latter ignored her and carried her along in pursuit.

The moment Fang Hong fled, the incarnation of Dragon’s Golden Eyes furrowed her brows, once again letting go of Recall to crash to the ground. She turned to pursue, but tripped, as that damned human once again grabbed her ankle.

But that little strength couldn’t stop her.

Her tail lashed out behind her, ready to fling the pest away, but just as the dragon tail began to move, suddenly a hair-raising sense of unease rose from behind.

The incarnation of Dragon’s Golden Eyes let out a sharp scream, ”You dare—!”

Her vertical pupil contracted to a slit, instantly turning around and folding her wings in front of her. Recall crawled on the ground, grasping tightly onto her ankle, while the other hand was placed behind him—on the Core Crystal of the Magic Guided Reactor.

A blinding white light rose from within the forest.

Then a deafening roar, as if even the ground trembled with it.

Fang Hong stopped instinctively, turning back towards the direction of the noise, seemingly realizing something, and unconsciously clenched his fists.

Not far away, the two young girls, Tianlan and Gita, also halted their steps—the bright light in the woods quickly dimmed, and calm returned to the surroundings.

It even seemed quieter than before, the sound of insects lost, leaving only a faint, peculiar hum.

Fang Hong turned in that direction.

In the gloomy forest, Parker, Diket, and Hilveld seemed not far from the trio, and he could even hear the incessant chatter of the Papalarians coming from a certain direction.

”My Treasure Map is still on Ade!”

”Shall we leave you behind then?”

”Uh, never mind that.”

But their conversation grew fainter, seeming to drift away from their direction.

Fang Hong didn’t call out to remind them but instead took two steps back—Gita and Tianlan exchanged puzzled looks at him. Gita, alert, carefully turned around to pass the Elf Miss, pale as a sheet of paper, to Tianlan.

”Tianlan, Gita, take Miss Atira and leave this place,” he said.

”Brother Ade, what about you?” the two young girls looked up at him with small faces.

”Shhh, someone’s coming,” Fang Hong whispered, patting Tianlan’s shoulder, ”We can’t get far with three of us, I can come back to life, but you can’t, I’ll stay and cover our retreat.”

”Is it the incarnation of Dragon’s Golden Eyes?” Gita asked softly.

Fang Hong shook his head.

”Is it the Dragon Worshipper?”

Only then did Fang Hong nod, giving the two a push, ”Go quickly.”

In the forest, the sound of chaotic footsteps grew closer. Knowing staying would only hinder Fang Hong, Tianlan’s eyes reddened, and Gita bit her lip, nodding to him, before they helped Atira up, looking back three times with each step as they disappeared behind the bushes.

Fang Hong watched them go, then turned back, raising his hand. A streak of golden light flew from the darkness, clicking into his hand.

The faint buzz abruptly ceased—

In just a moment, several figures shrouded in black robes scurried out of the darkness, looking sneaky; the one in the front was taken aback at the sight of Fang Hong and stopped in his tracks, too.

”You noticed us a while ago?” The leader asked after halting, his voice echoing strangely in the hollow space.

”Before the incarnation of the Dragon’s Golden Eyes appeared,” Fang Hong calmly replied, eyeing the five mysterious individuals before him.

The leader faltered, ”I didn’t expect you to really figure out that it was the Dragon’s Golden Eyes—”

”There’s more that I’ve figured out,” Fang Hong replied, ”Is Fox Howard your name, or just an alias?”

The man appeared extremely surprised.

He was frozen for a good while before suddenly lifting his hood to reveal a face Fang Hong had seen once—a youthful and otherwise unremarkable face.

Amazement was written all over the young man’s face, ”How do you know me?”

Fang Hong looked at him steadily and began, ”I investigated the representatives from the Elpaxin Artisan Association who participated in the competition at the Traveler’s Rest; you should know that we have also been tracking your movements. You didn’t think that your identity as a member of the Dragon Worship Sect wouldn’t be revealed afterward, did you?”

The young man was indeed the representative from the Elpaxin Artisan Association who had participated in the competition at the Traveler’s Rest.

Fox was taken aback, ”I mean, how did you know I’d be here?” He looked around suspiciously, as if he thought there might be spies of Fang Hong’s lurking nearby.

But Fang Hong just sighed, ”It was just a guess.”

”A guess?”

”Among the competitors, you were not the only Dragon Worshipper, right?” Fang Hong countered, ”Is Hudi also one of your people?”

Fox closed his mouth suddenly and regarded Fang Hong warily.

”So, if Hudi is here, it stands to reason that you’d be here as well,” deduced Fang Hong, realizing his assumptions were correct from the other’s expression, ”I’ve sort of figured out your scheme—the original plan was to use Hudi to get this thing from me, but unfortunately, you fell short. Mazak is much more astute than you anticipated.”

Fang Hong took out the wrapped item from his chest and shook it at them.

”Moreover, the critical point is, you have no idea what Hudi really intended to do...”

”Do you know where that bastard is!?” Fox glanced greedily at the item in Fang Hong’s hand while asking angrily and shockingly.

However, Fang Hong looked at him with a touch of pity, ”I also know that you’re about to die.”

”What!?”

Before he could finish, a green, poisonous dagger suddenly thrust through his chest.

Fox’s eyes bulged, disbelieving the scene unfolding before him; he growled in his throat, struggling to turn around, but he saw nothing—until the annoyed voice of a Papalarian rose from below:

”I’m right under you, don’t push your luck too far!”

By then, the poison in the dagger had already taken effect; Fox’s eyes rolled back, and he was dead.

Parker then pulled the dagger out piece by piece, pushed forward, and dumped Fox’s body on the ground like a bag of rubbish. Only then did he look up and gesture vigorously to Fang Hong, ”King of the Nightingales from Sanxiak, remember you owe me a meal, Alchemist Mister?”

Then he looked regretfully at the dagger in his hand, shook his head, ”Such a shame, this was a good, one-time use item, and now it’s spoiled.” He tossed the dagger away, spread his hands, ”But again, it wasn’t mine—”

The dagger traced an arc in the air, landing amidst the dry leaves, its faint, cold light glowing under the moon.

At that moment, the remaining four Dragon Worshippers seemed to finally catch on. They stared dumbfounded at the fallen Fox and then at the Papalarian who had suddenly appeared, puzzled for a moment and completely unsure how he got there.

They had clearly heard these people walking away before.

”Summoners System,” Fang Hong finally spoke to them, ”Get familiar with it.”

”You vile invaders!” the Dragon Worshippers suddenly realized, angrily pulling out their weapons and lunging at Fang Hong.

Flashes of blades reflected in Fang Hong’s face, yet he stood motionless, just watching them coolly and softly responding, ”However, I do have to thank you all for filling in the last piece of the puzzle for me—”

And in the next moment.

A massive Iron Gauntlet reached out obliquely, clanging against the blades of the Dragon Worshippers above.

...