Pillar of Yita

”Stop him!” The man in gray turned around and shouted.

The Blind Followers Guard present woke as if from a dream, charged out from all directions, long halberds in hand, forming a line as they rushed to kill Fang Hong.

But a Construct as massive as a colossus stepped out from behind Fang Hong, raised a right arm three to four men tall, and chopped its palm down onto the ground. Where its palm met the floor, a shockwave surged forth, and as it rolled forward it blasted the Blind Followers Guard back into the air, scattering them all over the ground.

”This is Earth Shaker – Form Seven, Mr. Knight. Its Earthquake Realm originates from the Mountain King Roaring Dragon of Aoduqi; the medium it uses to generate vibration is not limited to solids—gases and liquids work as well.”

”The last Earth Shaker is displayed in the Pillar of Stars Museum in Rotao.”

”Its old enemy used to be Fudun, first among the three great Giants.”

Irs raised his head with a look of sheer disbelief.

At his side, the tone of the man in gray was equally incredulous. ”That’s an Earth Shaker, the pride of Rotao, but I can’t tell which model...”

”But how does he know this?” Irs lowered his voice. ”He can’t possibly have been to the Pillar of Stars—no, I should say no one can go to that place!”

”Some can,” the man in gray turned back. ”The Tanro Royal Family, the faithless Knights, the Holy Hunt Guard...”

”Him?”

The counter-question was met with silence.

Irs stared unblinking. ”His Dragon Soul is very unusual—could be one that specializes in spiritual power. Only that could support a projection this enormous.”

He turned his head back again. ”But no one can control this many Dragon Knights at once—not even a craftsman. I might be able to deal with it. Don’t you have a Double Dragon Knight? Help me pin it down.”

By now a second squad of Blind Followers Guard had charged in as well. The man in gray watched this scene and nodded. He tilted his head back; in his deep brown eyes was reflected this dreamlike spectacle.

”VX-1, Imperial Blade, Judge Taan, Truth, Silver Flame Knight Sligo, Axinman Witch...”

Those Legendary Constructs whose names could be called out, and those whose names could not, strode out from the museum displays one by one like neatly ranked antiques. Yet now, they were far more intimidating than the showpieces in these men’s hands.

The key question was: where exactly had these projections come from?

The man in gray had not even considered the Dragon Soul at all.

Because a Dragon Soul was merely a provider of calculative power, a concretized Executor. No one had ever heard of—or ever seen—an Artificial Dragon Soul that possessed… imagination.

But Tata-Big Thumb-Morning Star Madam was born from a resplendent age; her title came from a project buried beneath history, and she was forever the Guardian of the Silver Tower Great Library.

Very few could discern the difference in this.

At least Fang Hong couldn’t.

”Hillofen!” Irs grew serious. After all, he too was a contender standing at the summit of the Invokers, and he swiftly regained his cool, becoming utterly focused. He lifted his head and let out a low howl in Dragon Language.

Hearing that low howl, Hillofen spread its silver wings and dove down from midair. At the same time, the man in gray stepped forward, and two Twin Stars-like Constructs appeared behind him.

Those two gray-white Constructs were tall and slender, identical in appearance, standing opposite each other like each other’s reflection. They held swords in both hands, and the metal streamers trailing behind them were like white cloaks, somewhat resembling oversized Energy Angels.

This was Fang Hong’s first time seeing the man in gray’s Dragon Knights.

This Twin Stars-type Dragon Knight, because of how hard it was to control, was still quite rare.

And he finally understood why he had been unable to see the opponent’s Dragon Knights earlier.

”Double Realm,” Tata appeared on his left shoulder, Miss Fairy fanning her wings, her gaze calm—of course, only he could see this scene. Fang Hong turned his head to watch Miss Fairy’s small mouth opening and closing. ”At least one of them is an Invisible Realm.”

She turned her head, fixing him with emerald eyes. ”Mr. Knight, do you want me to tell you how to use these Dragon Knights?”

”Share your mind,” Fang Hong nodded. ”That’ll be faster.”

Under Earth Shaker’s attack, the Blind Followers Guard were already collapsing in total disarray.

At this moment the colossus stopped, and a long eagle-cry fell from the sky. Silver feathers poured down like a bent slash of Silverlight, chopping straight down. The Gravity Domain split open the Earthquake Realm, slowing the transmission of the shockwaves through the air.

”Hillofen, attack!” Irs’ high Dragon Language rang across the square.

Before the silver Giant Eagle touched down, it gave a powerful beat of its wings, forming a hurricane beneath them. The gale struck the ground, kicking up dust; within the vortex, Wind Blades spun to life, parting the dust and lancing forward in sheets.

The colossus raised its right arm, letting those invisible blades strike its metal Shell, throwing off thin sprays of sparks.

And in that instant, the Giant Eagle gave a low cry, spread its talons, and dove straight through the billowing fog.

At the same time, the man in gray issued a command in low Dragon Language; the Twin Stars-type Dragon Knights moved left and right to block before Imperial Blade, Judge Taan and Truth, Silver Flame Knight.

His gaze swept over those motionless Dragon Knights—

On at least one point, Irs was right: even a craftsman could not control all of this at once—this was not a problem of calculative power, but of the upper limit of exchange efficiency.

Fang Hong quietly watched the three Dragon Knight Constructs attacking from left, center, and right, and behind them—the two genuine Dragon Knights of flesh and blood.

It was a fragment of time, yet within the world of thought it seemed to stretch into the Eternal.