Pillar of Yita

But to what extent must one’s strength reach to have such an effect, nearly catching him off guard? Even though Fang Hong was merely an Alchemist, his level was nearly eighteen, and after the baptism of the Hall of Thousand Doors, his attributes far surpassed those of an Alchemist of the same level.

He couldn’t help but stop and frown at the bottom of the pit.

Such ’things’ he had heard of before, many World Boss Level creatures in the First World and some gigantic entities in the Second World leave behind such a powerful Ether Magic Field after death, which can linger for months before dissipating.

But the ’thing’ at the bottom of this pit was vastly different from any BOSS he knew of.

What exactly is this thing?

He instinctively glanced at Anluose beside him.

But Anluose only furrowed his brows without a word, raising his head to look in a certain direction—Fang Hong could see clearly that it was the direction of Long Lake, where a solitary moon hung over the forest—and though Summer’s End Tower was deeply embedded in the hills in that direction, it wasn’t actually far from Long Lake.

In an instant, he saw a flash of light coming from that direction. Even though it was kilometers away, Fang Hong could still feel a wave passing over the treetops, causing the nearby forest to rustle.

The flash left a blind spot in his vision, and Fang Hong opened his mouth wide, exclaiming:

”Dragon Knight!?”

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a hand resting on his shoulder.

Surprised, Fang Hong turned to find it was the hand of the Tower Guard—fair and slender, but with faint silver patterns emerging on the back.

”Close your eyes.”

The Tower Guard said softly.

The voice was peculiar, carrying a certain resonance, a sound that Fang Hong had never heard before, seemingly an echo from the Ether Sea.

A sound of starlight and ocean waves.

...

The gigantic Construct stood like a towering mountain, its form somewhat resembling Fang Hong’s Orphen Twins Stars, holding a shield in one hand and a spear in the other, much like a Knight Colossus. Few knew the origin of this Construct—it was born in the Hall of Omniscience of the Osh Empire, forged by three masters who imbued it with a Dragon Soul.

And now, the gigantic Construct, under the control of its knight, was climbing out of the hollow by the lakeshore step by step, the lake water rushing in, soon submerging the Colossus’s knees.

Its form began to blur, as if the Ether Magic Power could no longer sustain its manifestation—leaning slightly forward, letting Leiya leap from its chest area, landing between the lake water and mud.

The Female Knight Commander raised her hand, and with a ’thud,’ the Giant Shield flew down from above, landing steadily on her right arm. But when she attempted to draw her sword again, she faltered, exhausted, and fell to her knees in the lake water.

Not far away, the Messenger was faring no better than she was.

The Shadow Staff in his hand bore a crack in the Black Crystal, a Legendary Equipment now in a state of disrepair—yet it had saved his life, allowing him to dodge the most fatal blow. Besides that, the two other wounds on the Messenger were not lethal, but for a weak Wizard, it was enough to render him immobile.

Leiya’s body was also covered in scars.

The most serious was a wound on her forehead, slanting down nearly blinding her right eye, though the blood was enough to flow over her small eyebrows, streaming across the Female Knight Commander’s face.

Her armor was equally bloodstained, and even after being washed by the lake water, it left a faint red. She gritted her teeth, trying to support herself and the Great Shield to stand once more, but to no avail, collapsing back down on one knee.

From afar, the Messenger could not help but laugh at this scene: ”No need for futility, Lady Senar, haha...” He coughed before continuing: ”I never thought the Grand Commander of the Holy Word Knights wouldn’t be a match for me, though I’ve heard you have a few lives left, otherwise...”

He left the rest unsaid.

Otherwise, if he managed to kill the Grand Commander of the Holy Word Knights here, Colin Ishurian would surely be thrown into chaos, an unexpected delight.

Unless...

The Messenger hesitated, uncertain if he should use that item, but this time he had a clear purpose, and the item had to be reserved for his true target.

This thought flashed through his mind.

Yet the battle had also instilled a deep wariness of these top Holy Chosen in him; even a single Leiya nearly thwarted his efforts. And within Colin Ishurian, he knew well how many top Holy Chosens like Leiya existed.

He tightened his grip on the Magic Wand, thinking about why the plan seemed particularly crucial—

However, Leiya paid no mind to the Messenger’s arrogant taunting, clutching her Giant Shield with both hands, staring immovably at the nearby enemy—a cluster of purple flames still flickered on the lake’s surface. It was the last of three flames, the image of the Dwarf.

She furrowed her brow, vaguely recalling who this Dwarf was but didn’t speak immediately.

What worried her even more was that she had already slain this flame once, yet after eliminating the other two flames one by one, this flame rekindled, rejoining the fray.