Pillar of Yita

Luce, with his innate reaction as an Iron Guard, recognized this Priest’s Divine Arts. The crystal in his hand flashed faintly, as if a curtain had drawn over it, casting everything into darkness. But before all was enveloped in pitch black, he had already turned with his shield towards the direction the black ray had come from, wary of a sudden attack.

Yet a pair of hands reached from behind and pulled him back.

Luce was startled, not expecting someone behind him — but the attacker didn’t seem undead, as the hands covering his face were warm, evidently from a living person.

Just as he was about to struggle, a familiar voice came: ”Don’t move, it’s me, Luce!”

It was the Imperial Guard Swordsman from Little Fatty’s team.

Their team wasn’t big, each member knew each other well, and Luce quickly recognized the voice. He was about to ask something, but the person shook his head in the dark, pulling him to the side.

Then whispered, ”Do you have the Communication Crystal?”

Luce nodded.

”Take it off and give it to me.”

”Wait, why?”

”Just in case.”

The Imperial Guard Swordsman replied in a low voice.

At the same time, he recalled what the ’Veteran Adventurer’ had told them: ”Whoever comes in, first disable his Communication Crystal.”

Luce thought for a moment, choosing to trust his companion, though everything felt strange. However, he could tell that Little Fatty wasn’t being truthful, and they apparently had some plans regarding the Undead Wizard.

He watched as the Imperial Guard Swordsman took his Communication Crystal, threw it on the ground, and split it in half with a sword.

The Imperial Guard Swordsman looked up at him, reminding: ”Quick, scream—”

”What?”

”Scream.” The Imperial Guard Swordsman said seriously.

Luce hesitated and glanced back.

The direction he had entered the cave was actually a corner — and as soon as the light from the Illumination Crystal disappeared, two Skeletons behind him fell into darkness.

However, darkness had no effect on them, and the two skeletons paused slightly, then quickened their pace to catch up, only to hear a piercing scream from the front.

Of course—if they could hear, that is.

Yet Fang Hong believed the people behind heard it.

As the two skeletons passed the corner, the Clockwork Fairy floating in the darkness made an almost imperceptible click, with the built-in Video Crystal following the skeletons, turning from left to right.

Fang Hong watched through the embedded lens in his Wind Goggles, gently raising his right metal-gloved hand.

In the darkness, two flat, Flexible Constructs, sprawled on the ground, suddenly rose slowly, and a spherical device above them unfolded, creating an invisible Force Field.

The Gravity Field descended out of thin air.

The two skeletons halted simultaneously, unable to lift their feet. For their summoner, it felt as if the summoned creatures had suddenly lost control.

But that wasn’t the end—

Fang Hong lifted his left hand again, and two bee-like Flexible Constructs dropped silently from the ceiling, quietly deploying a Floating Bomb. About half a second later, a faint sound was heard in the darkness, and then a blinding white light burst forth...

Fang Hong anticipated this and closed his eyes.

”Gita, now.”

Miss Natural Historian opened the Magic Guided Book, also closing her eyes, estimating the position in her mind, and blindly extended her right hand: ”Thorn—”

...

The ’Messenger’ suddenly let out a muffled grunt.

He opened his eyes abruptly, unable to stop the tears from flowing.

The last scene he saw was a sheet of white light, nearly blinding him. It took a while for him to calm down, clutching the Skeleton Staff and retreating two steps.

Everything happened too quickly.

After that corner, it was as if the person had vanished. He had heard the scream, but in an instant lost control over his skeletons, followed by a sheet of blinding light.

Had the opponent seized control of his undead creatures?

The ’Messenger’ felt a bit suspicious; the last part was magical feedback, but it seemed too mild? He looked at the shattered Crystal in his hand, which was connected to the Transmission Crystal bound to the tool’s Communication Crystal, now crushed into powder in his palm.

This indeed seemed like magical feedback.

He fell silent.

If there was truly a Sorcerer-Ghoul in the mine, it could easily accomplish all this, but since he dared to seek it out, he naturally wasn’t afraid of such tactics.

But should he go in?

It seemed relying on these failures isn’t enough to force the opponent to show themselves, he thought. But to enter the mine, he’d have to abandon Mountain Kou Ke, given the troll’s size couldn’t fit into the tunnel.

The ’Messenger’ only thought for a moment.

Then he raised his head, glaring coldly at the Female Mage collapsed on the ground, and ordered his Black Swordsmen: ”That failure is dead, kill her.”

Before others could react, the Skeleton Swordsman had already raised his blade, severing the other’s head instantly and extinguishing her life.

The ’Messenger’s’ cold, ruthless action nearly drove the Invokers to fury. Unfortunately, in the face of absolute power, rage held no sway.

The latter only glanced at them, then turned and walked forward.

Inside the mine.

Miss Priestess picked up a shard of broken Crystal from the remains of the two skeletons, looking up, somewhat surprised, handing the crystal fragments to Fang Hong.

”This is indeed a Twin Crystal.”

”That man implanted the transmission mark into Luce’s Communication Crystal, then used this pair of Twin Crystals to relay the situation within the cave.”

Fang Hong took the Crystal, showing no sign of surprise on his face.

”This is normal. It’s different for an Undead Wizard compared to a Combat Artisan; undead cannot transmit information limitlessly within range like a Flexible Construct can. To sense the environment through summoned undead, an Undead Wizard must have no obstacles first.”

”This is especially challenging in a cave environment.”

But this was precisely one of the opportunities he wanted to seize, as the opponent’s advantage becomes a disadvantage inside a cave.

He continued, ”So they usually compensate with other means, Twin Crystals being one of them, but like the Video Crystal on a Clockwork Fairy, these require constant magical power replenishment. So the undead couldn’t carry it alone, but by borrowing an Invoker’s Magic Guided Reactor, it would be no problem—”

Behind the group, Luce looked at his Communication Crystal, split in half, listening to the others’ description, finally understanding what had happened.

He couldn’t help but ask, ”But how did you know the person would do that?”

Fang Hong shook his head.

He certainly wouldn’t say that he had dealt with the person before—

And given the ’Messenger’s’ usual covert style, he would most likely use the ’tools’ around him — these Invokers.

Especially when cultists are inherently suspicious — because those who aren’t usually wind up on the gallows, such people wouldn’t simply believe Little Fatty’s one-sided story, even if it seemed reasonable.

Therefore, a probe was the natural choice.

”So what do we do next?” the Archer then asked.

The others mostly looked at Fang Hong too.

Now they truly had no doubt that Fang Hong was a veteran sent by the Adventurers’ Guild.

Among them all, only Gita might be chuckling secretly, amused by her captain’s disguise.

...