Pillar of Yita

The wind gently passed through the forest, lifting the golden hair of Hilveld like the glistening strings of a harp. The young girl stood beneath the woodland canopy, slender and graceful, slightly tilting her head to press her hair strands with her hand, while her eyes, clear as the shallow seas, watched the distance, free of any worldly dust.

She was the embodiment of lightness and elegance.

”Let’s go, Miss Hilveld,” her maid, the girl known as Xiesta, glanced at the giant shadow soaring into the sky and spoke for the first time—her voice was clean, devoid of any drag: ”It’s going to be troublesome in a bit.”

But Hilveld shook her head somewhat capriciously: ”Xiesta, do you really think he’ll be at a loss?” She looked at Xiesta with an amused gaze, a light smile on her lips: ”That guy, who is clearly a Dragon Knight but pretending to be a newbie, is really interesting—”

”Nothing but a lecher, probably with some dark and unspeakable purpose, highly suspicious.” Xiesta replied somewhat coolly.

”Men are all like that, aren’t they? Just like my dear uncle, who covets even the beauty of his niece. My father once saved his life—greed and ambition are, after all, the instincts of such creatures. And that Elf Girl is indeed a rare beauty, also a young believer of Ameya, the daughter of a Unicorn, who is the purest of young girls. And then there’s that shy little girl, whom I find quite pitiable.”

Hilveld placed one hand over her heart and spread the other, closing her eyes as if to savor the scent of the wind. She glanced back as if singing and asked, ”Xiesta, do you think he will agree?”

Xiesta shook her head: ”Without the help of outsiders, I think Miss could manage it.”

The young girl smiled as she opened her eyes, her bright gaze seeming to dim the surroundings, causing Xiesta’s heartstrings to quiver. The former walked over and took the hand of her maid—her fingertips felt metallic and cool.

”But I might not be as excellent as you imagine,” the young girl said softly: ”Have you ever heard of the Fairy Type Dragon Soul, Xiesta?”

Xiesta shook her head blankly.

The young girl lifted her maid’s hand, kissed her fingertips gently, and whispered: ”And this is what makes this story so interesting.”

The maid stiffened slightly, a flush irresistibly rising from her neck to her cheeks.

Above the sky.

A colossal creature was emerging from the Forest Sea, uttering a long, clear cry that seemed to resonate with the entire forest. The uneven forest floor churned as the soil surged and the dust settled, while the Primordial Crystal was breaking out of the ground, slowly ascending into the air.

All who saw this scene were turning to run, only those most daring and reckless remained behind, observing the events unfolding in mid-air. ”Look, what is that?” someone screamed loudly.

Almost parallel to the rising Rock Shark, a straight line leaped out from within the Forest Sea and, under the azure sky, arched with a trail of golden light toward the great shadow hanging in the air.

It was a nearly perfect arc, glittering with metallic reflection at its tail, describing a semicircle before diving onto the back ridge of the Rock Shark.

This scene was reflected in the surprised eyes of the few who had stopped their hurried escape—

It was also captured deep within the teal pupils of Hilveld, who was standing still, watching this unfold. The young girl blinked slightly, her eyelashes fluttering like fans, her gaze holding a knowing light.

A dazzling radiance rose slowly, as if dimming the forest’s skies, prompting everyone to instinctively halt and turn their heads to watch the spectacle of the sun and moon changing colors in mid-air. Then came the deafening thunder, the roars arriving to daze each person.

A shockwave fell from the sky, exploding in the forest, as tall sequoias at the epicenter fell outward like butterflies opening their wings, scattering a layer of leaves that were then swept up by the blast wave. Hilveld gave a small yelp and used her hand to hold down her skirt, bowing her head—her golden hair flew about, covering her face as bright as the moon.

On the Burden Beast’s platform atop Gey Ridge, everyone was thrown into disarray. Papalarians struggled to maintain their footing, one did a backflip and flew out, crashing into the back of the Burden Beast and hanging in the net like a sack, screaming and swinging back and forth.

But no one had the time to care for him, as Luo Yu shielded Tianlan in front, while Tianlan was protecting Gita behind them.

Fang Hong was similarly dizzy, half-kneeling on the ground, even worse off than the others.

His head was ringing with bells and drums, buzzing while he wept silently and cursed himself for being an idiot. He clenched his teeth and lifted his Control Gloves, raising two Magic Buoys to adjust the Clockwork Fairy’s pitch—above, another Clockwork Fairy was swaying in the storm, but also burst through the dense dust.

Like a shining star, it glittered brilliantly high above.

In the forest, people were embracing nearby trees, looking up at such a sight. The back of the flying creature was blasted open, yet it still climbed higher, screaming in rage as it flew.

The buzzing Magic Resonance was almost visible in the air like ripples on water.

And in the air, there seemed to be a faintly glowing firefly, weaving through the air, steadily accelerating, flying faster and faster. It hummed as it caught up, colliding with the back of the Rock Shark.