Pillar of Yita

However, he didn’t really covet the Evil Power; he was merely asking casually.

R told him that behind it was an empty void, a starkly different answer from the girl’s. However, knowing the Invoker’s habits, he was certain someone had been in there before. Although he responded verbally, he quietly opened the community network.

’Mr. Knight, let me handle it.’

Miss Tata put down the book in her hand and said to him in the Mind World.

Fang Hong nodded slightly.

Since the two of them had already ’repaired’ the sealing, they had no reason to stay here anymore — there was no path ahead unless they ventured deeper into the sealed area. Yet Fang Hong wasn’t about to explore before the girl.

He might have done so before, but now as a leader, he acted with more deliberation —

The task was shorter than he anticipated, and if there really were no other ’stories’ behind it, it was no wonder the Invokers showed little interest — battling monsters and then escorting NPCs to complete rituals.

It always felt like a routine procedure.

But he was different.

On their way out, things weren’t entirely smooth. As expected, Fang Hong encountered the Elite Lord Level monster that R mentioned, an indescribable creature formed by countless shadow tentacles, yet its true appearance of a Dragon’s Claw henchman was apparent.

It seemed like the final form of Dragon’s Claw henchmen he had seen, teetering on the brink of collapse, when they could no longer maintain their form they transformed into this terrifying entity.

However, if Fang Hong fought with all his might, he could challenge it. But his Magic Guided Reactor only held less than twenty percent of its Magic Power, and he feared it wasn’t enough to face the Shadow Beast, so he chose to bypass it.

He still remembered the precipice he passed on the way here.

If he could reach that place, this thing shouldn’t be able to follow.

But to his dismay, he suddenly heard a scream from behind. Turning around, he saw the girl’s ankle caught by one of the shadow’s tentacles, causing her to fall to the ground, something in her hand slipped and fell.

The girl barely had time to worry about herself, she grasped her hand tightly, anxiously calling: ”...Yoshude!”

Fang Hong had no choice but to turn back, he summoned the Energy Angel and slashed towards the shadow’s tentacle — but as expected, the thing was not solid, the Energy Angel’s sword severed the shadow tentacle which then rejoined.

It dragged the girl, pulling her away, Fang Hong quickly reached for her hand — he gazed at the massive shadow beast. He had experience dealing with things like this. He quickly pulled the girl back, then lunged forward, grabbing the tentacle.

A silver crown emblem flashed on the back of his hand, almost penetrating the thick glove, emitting a shimmering blue light. The monster shrieked, as if the tentacle had flung into boiling water, hastily retracting each one.

Seizing this opportunity, Fang Hong swiftly pulled up the girl, escaping toward the precipice.

Fortunately, he was right; the massive body of the shadow beast could impossibly fit between the cliff’s edge — it realized this, raced a short distance, extending all its tentacles toward Fang Hong.

Those long tentacles, like seaweed in the shadows, swayed and brushed past Fang Hong.

But ultimately, they missed him.

Fang Hong ran two more steps, thrusting the girl forward — it was then he noticed the monster shaking its tentacles in anger, letting out a scream but stopping at the cliff’s end, unable to advance further.

The girl took a gentle breath.

She seemingly also heard the monster retreat, and only then did she catch her breath and say: ”Thank you...Mr. Ade, you’ve saved my life once again.”

Fang Hong shook his head.

He reached out, handing her a dusky ring. The ring looked somewhat like the Ring of Golden Flame, but not entirely; it had a style common in Istania, but in terms of adornments — the Ring of Golden Flame didn’t share such characteristics.

”Ah!” the girl exclaimed in delight upon perceiving the ring: ”Mr. Ade, I don’t know how to thank you enough; without this ring, Yoshude wouldn’t recognize me...”

Fang Hong watched her with some surprise, not understanding her meaning.

The girl put on the ring, feeling somewhat melancholic as she touched her hand, softly saying: ”Mr. Ade is just like Yoshude...”

Fang Hong didn’t quite understand how he and the Dragon Slaying Hero could be compared, even though he had used Yoshude’s Dragon Knight ’Xiuma’, he was after all a Combat Artisan, starkly different from the hero.

But the girl answered softly: ”...Yoshude often led us out of danger; back then he often took me on ’adventures’...despite the Great Elder strictly forbidding us from going to those places.”

She spoke with a slight smile.

Fang Hong, hearing this side of them, couldn’t help but reply: ”...That’s quite different from the hero I imagined. I only read about him in those documentary writings, he’s said to be a very serious man.”

Suddenly, he halted.

Realizing Evril and Yoshude were once so close, he wondered how their final confrontation would unfold.

He couldn’t help but grasp the Ring of Golden Flame hanging from his chest —

...