Pillar of Yita

Atop the solitary island, as Fang Hong expected, Toragotos’s minions were already arrayed in tight formation, appearing at the end of the Light Bridge.

What was different from the previous two islands was that this was a large island, littered with ruins, which theoretically should mean stronger Dark Forces at play. Yet, the situation was quite the opposite, with the Dragon’s minions finding themselves in a pincer attack.

It was the Invokers—

The island’s Invokers converged from all directions, launching a desperate charge against the Dragon’s minions, trying to carve a path through their ranks.

The comm channel was filled with a jumble of noises.

Shouts, calls, or words of encouragement to each other.

These people were not particularly strong, some teams had no more than a dozen members left, but they threw themselves into the enemy lines with a moving sense of desperate bravery.

They might have been outclassed by the Dragon’s minions. If so, they resorted to every weapon at their disposal, clinging to their enemies and tearing and biting like wild beasts, releasing their most primal instincts. Even wizards joined melee combat after casting their spells, as someone witnessed an Invoker roar and drag an enemy with him over a cliff.

Both he and his foe exploded into several balls of flame.

The Dragon’s minions seemed to hesitate.

It was not out of fear, but rather because the madness of their enemies made them momentarily unsure how to react. In their minds, this was not how humans were supposed to behave.

In Golande’s King’s Square, it was eerily quiet. The applause had ceased, and everyone was looking up at the scene in silence, men clenching their fists, women biting their lips, every person feeling something deep inside them being touched.

Even mothers unconsciously let go of their children, as this mad scene etched deeply into the hearts of everyone present on that day. Perhaps many years later, they would still be able to recall this moment.

It was not a blind rage born of lost reason.

It was the protection of humanity’s last hope.

When Paradise Lost saw this scene, his mouth fell open in shock, feeling as if there was a roaring flame bursting from his chest. He shouted to his members, ”Charge, don’t let our brothers fight alone!”

Without any agreement between them, everyone raised their weapons.

But two faint glows had already streaked by, and everyone saw Fang Hong leading the charge with the Energy Angel at the forefront of the troop for the first time.

He only looked back and said to everyone, ”Follow me, and don’t act rashly—”

If it had been before, perhaps he would have been swept up in the heat of the moment and charged ahead without a care. But as the leader of a team, those heavy words always brought him back to a state of coolheadedness. He faintly felt there was something odd about the movements of the Dragon’s minions.

They might have appeared clumsy due to their hesitation, but the Invokers’ attacks were not sufficient to make them retreat.

And the two Energy Angels immediately drew everyone’s attention.

”Those are Variant Sword-Bearers!”

To the civilians, that might be all they knew.

It was a Combat Artisan and his two Variant Sword-Bearers—Combat Artisans were seen as very powerful in the eyes of ordinary people, one of Eteliria’s most special professions, both an Alchemist and a Summoner.

But exactly how powerful they were, they couldn’t say. Ordinary people only talked incessantly about famous individuals, and since the arrival of the Invokers in this world, ’Ranks’ have been added to the assessment of strength, with numerical stratification of power levels being clear and straightforward.

Nonetheless, the onlookers were unaware of the young people’s Levels.

Their attention was merely captured by the two somewhat special Variant Sword-Bearers and their uncannily fluid movements.

But within Golande’s Artisan Association, the branches of the Combat Artisans and the grand council of Alchemists, many were rooted to the spot upon seeing this. Meanwhile, inside the Royal Palace, some nobles who had stood up to leave and report to the King also suddenly stopped.

”Who is that young man?”

”Where did he register?”

Unlike ordinary citizens, many here understood what the restrictions for entering the Black Holy City entailed. There was a sense of oddity among them, as Colin Ishurian always valued the outstanding young Alchemists, which is why competitions like the Continental League existed.

Those exceptional talents discovered during visits to the various Artisan Associations, with even the slightest gift in one area, would be recorded and sent to Golande’s headquarters. It didn’t matter whether they were Invokers or Natives.

Because Invokers and Natives have long been difficult to distinguish, the Invokers from the China Competition Region can indeed be considered citizens of Colin Ishurian, representing a shared interest. Thus, young and promising Combat Artisans such as Wu Di, Red Leaf, and Liuli Yue were already on the Artisan Association’s records, ready to be summoned for competitions representing Colin Ishurian or overseas skirmishes if needed.

They would unhesitatingly answer the call.

These young Heroes were already affixed in the minds of these important figures, their details known as if by rote, perhaps even more than the clubs and associations to which they belonged.

However, this young man before them seemed to have suddenly emerged from outside their field of Vision.

Dual Control of Variant Sword-Bearers, Level 15—the significance of these two points alone spoke volumes to the professionals present.