Pillar of Yita

”Someone got here before us, Brother Ade.”

Tianlan lay on a mound, curiously observing the situation below.

Not far away was the group of pyramids in the middle of the valley, which at a glance looked very much like the style of pyramids found in the rainforests of Central America on Earth, but more ancient and majestic. The pyramids protruded from the forest like spires, and the ancient spells of the Xinsas Ritualists from the previous era still lingered in the valley, so some spires were still floating around.

This used to be the center of the dark Holy City of Xinsas, but now its original masters had long departed, and the place had been submerged by the Forest Sea over the long course of history. When vines climbed over the boulders, all that met the eye were the scars of moss.

The ruins were gradually occupied by Outsiders—not just humans but also a kind of Lizard People who, according to legend, also possessed Dragon Bloodline like the Gnolls. These creatures did not get along with adventurers, but they lived in the cavities beneath the ruins, making it difficult to drive them out of this place.

The center of the Golden Tower group was an open square—

At the moment, not a single person could be seen on the square; occasionally, someone in a red battle robe could be seen moving through the rainforest. Free Adventurers and members of the Rain Listener Guild were on the other side, and the difference in their attire was clear at a glance.

However, the place Tianlan was looking at was obviously different from the others. A part of that pyramid was blown open, and the black cloud from the explosion was still rising into the air, gradually dispersing.

People dressed in the Blood Oath Alliance’s battle robes lay scattered on the ground, and not far from them, a young man in white was slowly walking up the pyramid.

”It’s him!” Tianlan recognized the person at a glance.

Fang Hong also recognized him.

It was Baihua, the contestant number sixteen who had fought against him once at the Traveler’s Rest Artisan Competition, and he had later helped him repair a weapon—a chainsword, so he knew that he was from the Rain Listener Guild. It was not strange to see him here.

But he seemed to be in some trouble now.

”Your competitor seems to be in a bit of trouble,” Reed said, squinting his eyes as he tapped his pipe on the trunk of a tree. He then put away his pipe and drew his weapon.

”Competitor?”

”Aren’t you competitors in the competition?” Mr. Big Cat scratched his chin, saying, ”I heard about this from Tianlan and Gita.”

”That was ages ago, Mr. Big Cat.”

”About a month ago, I suppose.”

Fang Hong answered while squinting at the distance.

The person was caught in a tight encirclement. Honestly, this was the first time Fang Hong saw such a combat style—or rather, the first time he saw a class other than Berserkers with such a mode of operation.

His weapon was the chainsword that Fang Hong had fixed not long ago, but it was likely to break again soon. He swung his chainsword, completely disregarding whether the opponents in front of him were heavy, light, armored, or shielded, treating all equally.

As blades met armor, blood gushed like fountains.

And as the opponents encircled him, he always managed to dodge just in time. If he couldn’t dodge, he didn’t mind exchanging wounds as long as the attacks weren’t fatal. Only for those potentially lethal blows would he occasionally step back or a shield would light up beside him.

That shield was undoubtedly made by a Combat Artisan.

Surrounded by seventeen or eighteen people, the man was still advancing, while the other Rain Listeners had long been left far behind. Seeing this, Fang Hong inhaled sharply, wondering if people nowadays were all so hot-tempered? It was evident that the people of Blood Oath Alliance, or rather the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team, had surrounded him, yet he was still holding up. But once he was attacked from both front and back, he would likely soon be embroiled in a tough fight.

But at that moment, the man unexpectedly threw out a weird-looking Walker.

By its build, the Walker seemed to be a Type III Walker, a Sword Bearer, with four legs and two arms, but its upper body was that of an elegantly shaped woman, and a Magic Crystal was embedded in its chest.

”Variant Sword-Bearer.”

Luo Yu immediately recognized it.

Fang Hong nodded. Most Flexible Constructs were standard equipment, but of course, there were also uniquely modified ones called Variants. But being a Variant wasn’t just about adding or removing a module; a Variant had to be visibly very different from standard Constructs.

Just like the one before them.

However, Variants were diverse and sometimes the blueprints were hidden as unique heritages, so in Eteliria, no one dared to claim they recognized all Flexible Constructs. Thus, even Fang Hong and Luo Yu could only identify it as a Variant, but only guess at its abilities.

As soon as Baihua released the Sword Bearer, he was back-to-back with it in battle; it seemed like the Variant Sword-Bearer was covering his rear. But Fang Hong understood that the Variant Sword-Bearer, being a Flexible Construct, did not possess its intelligence and was still controlled by Baihua himself.

So basically, he was fighting a 360-degree, no-dead-angle battle. How could he see behind him? Fang Hong looked up and indeed saw a Clockwork Fairy hanging in the air. He was struck with admiration, knowing the man was skilled, but this was indeed quite impressive.

The profession of Supreme One was actually a very complex one because they had to control Flexible Constructs to assist their battle while being embroiled in melee themselves. This was quite different from the general Combat Artisan’s Dual Control.