Pillar of Yita

”Mr. Hudi!” Diket called out softly.

But Hudi seemed as if he hadn’t heard.

Only the girl stared steadily at Hudi, ”Hudi, that sword—”

However, Hudi shook his head. If Hes disappeared, what meaning would that sword hold for him?

Or rather, what meaning would this Phantom Realm hold for him?

”Hudi, you promised me.”

”But...”

”There are no buts. Go and pick up that sword. Do you remember your promise to me? What I want to see is a brave you moving forward—”

Hudi began to hesitate slightly.

What he feared was that with a single turn, the girl would vanish without a trace.

He was so afraid that this might be the last time he’d see her, and the thought of that final outcome blurred his vision.

Tears surged forth.

Dragon’s Golden Eyes were screaming at the Dragon Worshippers, ”What are you standing around for? Go and snatch that sword now!”

The Dragon Worshippers sprang into action.

Diket, with a swing of his sword, confronted these people, but the aged knight was outnumbered and could only stop a few of them.

There were always those who slipped through—

And the hall was only so far, the Dragon Worshippers seemed to almost be within reach of the sword.

But it was precisely at this moment that a flash of golden light burst through the darkness, hitting the sword with a ’buzz’ sound, knocking the Blade of Victory a good distance away.

As the golden light paused midair, everyone could see it was a Clockwork Fairy.

It flew half a circuit around the underground hall before coming to a hover. Then, a voice emerged from the Clockwork Fairy, ”Hudi, go and pick up that sword. Don’t give up hope—”

It was Fang Hong’s voice.

Hudi was slightly stunned, turning his head back in disbelief to look at the Clockwork Fairy in midair, ”Ade, I...”

”Wow!” Parker couldn’t help but exclaim upon hearing the voice, ”Alchemist, you finally came. I can’t hold on much longer. This situation relies entirely on me, if it wasn’t for that, these Dragon Worshippers would have succeeded already!”

Fang Hong glanced at this fellow hiding in the corner through the Wind Goggles and was speechless. He couldn’t be bothered with this live treasure and simply said to Hudi:

”Miss Hes is not dead yet. There is still a chance. You gave everyone in this Phantom Realm hope, but now, are you losing courage when it really matters?”

”But Ade—”

”Listen to me, trust me this once,” Fang Hong answered blandly: ”I came to tell you just this one thing, the hero’s sword exists to cut through Destiny.”

”In its presence, all mists are nonexistent—”

Hudi was slightly startled.

Suddenly feeling a coolness in his palm, he looked down in surprise to find Hes had grasped his hand. ”Go, Hudi, Mr. Ade and the others are all waiting for you there...”

Hudi was startled for a moment.

Then he nodded firmly. Standing up and turning back, the Dragon Worshippers had nearly rushed up to him. The latter drew their daggers, trying to charge at him.

But he didn’t dodge or evade, seizing the opportunity to grasp the hilt of the Blade of Victory first.

Seeing this, Diket threw his sword as a stream of silverlight came from behind, piercing through the back of a Dragon Worshipper. The latter showed an expression of disbelief, wobbled,

and fell heavily in front of Hudi.

”To Grey Oak Square!” the elder knight called out.

Hudi nodded, picked up the sword, and started to run, but he had only reached the entrance of the underground hall when he was blocked again. A man wearing a cloak, followed by more than a dozen robed Dragon Worshippers, slowly walked in from that direction.

”Messenger!” The leading Dragon Worshipper then cancelled the spell in his hand and called out to the man who came rushing in.

But the man didn’t spare him a glance.

He simply looked down at Hudi and spoke gently, ”I know you, young man, you are a member of the Dragonfire Guild. Hand over the sword in your hand to us, and I can ensure that your lover is brought back to life. You know who we are—”

He then glanced at Diket, ”For mortal men, death is an insurmountable chasm, but for us, it isn’t. There are so many tragedies in this world, and that’s why we pursue the true essence of power.”

The elder knight looked coldly at these people.

He almost squeezed the words out from between his teeth, ”Immortals—”

Thirty years ago, it was because of these people that the tragedy of Dolifen happened. Compared to them, those ordinary Dragon Worshippers were nothing.

But this time, he no longer had that brave lady fighting by his side.

Hudi looked at these people and slowly shook his head; of course, he wouldn’t believe the nonsense they spoke. After all, what exactly the Immortals were, he had learned it in the Dragonfire Guild.

But the man seemed not to care; he looked at Diket and said, ”Mr. Diket, you could survive until now precisely because you relied on such great power, did you not? Eternal and undying, isn’t this the ultimate pursuit of every mortal?”

”A puppet with immortal life?” Diket scoffed.

”Every power comes with its price,” the Messenger shook his head: ”Besides, Dragon’s Servant is just a rumor after all. If you join us, you will understand the truth.”

”Sorry, not interested,” Diket replied.

”Then you’d better hurry up and think it over, Mr. Diket,” the Messenger smiled: ”After all, your power source is special. When this Phantom Realm shatters, it’ll be too late for regrets.”