Pillars of Ita

Chapter 1288 First Star VII
It's Lifegard!
Fang Zheng never expected that the Dark Dragon King would appear here after parting ways with Idus.

Lord of Dragons, King of Sin. There are countless legends about Lifgard, but the one most familiar to people is that in a distant era, a group of dragons betrayed Bahamut, causing the dragon god to perish in a war that overthrew the throne, just like the other gods.

That war actually took place at the end of the Sinister Age.

At the moment of the Platinum Dragon King's demise, he cast a curse, causing all traitors to shed their magnificent scales and lose the power of the dragon language magic that the dragon race is so proud of.

From then on, they could only resemble skeletons walking in the fires and smoke of hell, emaciated and skeletal, only knowing how to use brute force and fire, only being feared by people, and no longer respected.

He looked up and saw those scorching golden eyes that seemed to engulf him. A sea of ​​fire swept in, dragging him into that boundless illusion.

The Dark Dragon King's cold laugh was like a knife, churning in his mind. The enormous difference in power made him feel as if he had fallen into an abyss in an instant.

His teacher, Anlosser, had said that he was particularly bad at dealing with mental attacks. Normally, it was fine when Miss Tata was around, but against an enemy of Livegard's caliber, even if Miss Fairy was there, it wouldn't make much difference.

However, he did not expect that Livegard would see through his weakness at a glance and pull him into the illusion right away.

But just as Fang Zheng was about to fall completely into that abyss, someone suddenly pulled him back, and then a voice full of anger seemed to come from the surface of the water:
"What are you daydreaming about again, sir alchemist?"

The muffled voice suddenly became clear, and Fang Zheng was almost jolted awake from his dream. His forehead was wet and his face was pale.

He looked up and saw Loren's pair of gleaming eyes, which appeared to burn with fury through the gaps in his mask:

"This is on the battlefield, alchemist."

"Thanks."

Fang Zheng said weakly.

"what?"

Just as the boy was stunned, a dark shadow flew over from a distance.

But as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he turned around and blocked the dark figure with his sword. The thing flew out with a loud clang and stuck into the wall; it was a burning spear.

As the ice and snow gradually melted under the sunlight, it eventually turned into a blurry image.

Fang Zheng recognized the spear and realized that the knights had dispersed into the city, and the enemies ahead were armored undead surging from all directions.

Shadows and purple flames roamed over these empty suits of armor; it was agile and seemingly inexhaustible.

Fang Zheng recognized that these things were related to the Shadow People, but Lifegard's power was of the same origin as that of the Shadow People, and the Wanderer Alter had once demonstrated similar power.

The knights, somewhat overwhelmed, were forced to retreat into a narrow alley. Meanwhile, layers of 'undead' writhing in purple flames surged from the surrounding rooftops, unleashing a barrage of spears in their direction.

The knights raised their large shields, and short spears burning with purple flames clattered against the tower shields. Occasionally, a few strayed spears would fly into the gaps between the shields, and some would be wounded, letting out low groans.

Fang Zheng asked weakly, "Where is this place? Where is that evil dragon?"

"What evil dragon?"

Fang Zheng was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but raise his head.

But there was no enormous dragon carcass at the summit of Vor-Salastir; there was only a dilapidated temple standing there from ancient times, with a large hole in the vault on one side of the temple, as if something had once struck there.

The corpse of Livegard that he had just seen lay prostrate above the cave entrance, its eyelids tightly closed, its tattered dragon wings hanging down from the sanctuary. At this moment, everything that had happened before seemed like an illusion.

Is it an illusion?

A strange thought churned in his mind—no, it couldn't be;

Livegard recognized him, and their meeting was at least three hundred years before this era. He had witnessed Livegard's soul escape, and it must have returned here.

This is where Livegard fell.

A deep light flashed in Fang Zheng's eyes.

He had already understood the cause and effect—

The Dark Dragons originated from the reflections in the waters of Aetaria—that fallen world—and are the dragons' nemesis.

These evil dragons became minions of the saints at the end of the first age, and returned with the calamities of the second age.

Afterwards, the elves burned the Twin Trees, and the mortals completely defeated the combined forces of the Dark Dragon and the Giants on the Clover Plains.

For the next four hundred years, mortals used the holy sword to fight against these minions of darkness, entering a long dark age until the dawn broke, the evil dragons perished, and this continues to this day.

And in the war that has raged on to this day, among these dragons there is one that is the most powerful, the most cunning, and the most evil.

That is the Dragon King Livegard.

It was not as violent as the Tongue of Hell, nor as cunning as his daughter Margaret, but it was always the most formidable of the dragons.

The Dark Dragon only fell apart after it died by Moa's sword.

Historical records about the death of this Dark Dragon King are vague, and even the whereabouts of the Moa Holy Sword remain unknown after that.

It was only in the underground of Aimo Castle that the members of the Seven Seas Brigade learned for the first time that the Holy Sword had already perished together with the Dark Dragon King.

It perished here.

At the end of the Age of the Two Trees, the Elves ambushed and trapped it there, and later a hero of the Oathkeeper race wielded the Holy Sword and slew it there.

The holy sword shattered into a thousand pieces.

The foul-smelling blood of the evil dragon flowed freely, and the curse of the dragon's blood haunted the descendants of the hero for thousands of years.

The tragic story here is exactly the same as that in the Istanya Sands; the curse that has been passed down in the bay for thousands of years is not some evil curse of Lebos.

Instead, the swordsman drinks dragon's blood, while hatred lingers endlessly within his bloodline.

This is the fate of those who keep their oaths.

The Children of the Bay are descendants of the ancient Oathkeepers, and the Flame Tower on the Golden Flame Plains was also established by the ancient Oathkeepers, which is why they came to this place together.

But since that's the case—

This dreamlike realm of time and space has a rich history.

Fang Zheng turned around and said, "Loren, go and inform the others that we need to change our destination."

The aftereffects of the psychological attack hadn't worn off yet, and his voice sounded somewhat weak.

"What on earth are you talking about, Mr. Alchemist?" Loren turned around angrily, looking Fang Zheng up and down as if considering whether to punch him in the face.

To make this guy more aware.

If it weren't for the fact that this guy was the target they were escorting, and that even Ms. Beryl treated him with great respect, he would have done it long ago.

"You're not backing out, are you?" He sheathed his sword and gave Fang Zheng a disdainful look.

He had seen plenty of hypocritical people in Rotao who appeared righteous and awe-inspiring in public, but were actually all show and no substance. He had clearly seen them everywhere else as well.

Fang Heng weakly shook his head, not intending to waste words with the other party—he looked in the direction from which the monsters emitting purple flames were surging, and raised his hand:
To the boy's astonishment—or rather, shock—two enormous, overlapping magic circles appeared in the air.

In the center of the magic circle, a platinum gauntlet emerged from one side of the wall and struck the other side with a bang.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, the entrance to the alley was completely sealed off. This sudden turn of events stunned all the knights, who couldn't help but turn around.

Fang Zheng severed his connection with the Eternal Emblem, looked at the group of knights, and the power of the White Knight turned into rock. "To make a long story short."

He began, "The plans have changed, everyone. We need to find a different destination."

The knights exchanged bewildered glances, momentarily unsure whether Fang Zheng was friend or foe. But Loren, realizing what was happening, spoke with disbelief:

“…We…we can’t make this decision, Mr. Ed.”

“We’ve gotten separated from the captain, and none of the remaining people have the authority to change Ms. Beryl’s original plans.”

"Who is the commander left?"

"I'm."

A slightly younger knight stepped forward. He hadn't yet figured out what was going on, but the undead were now blocked on the other side of the alley, and it seemed that the other side was friendly rather than hostile.

But these people were just free knights, to put it bluntly, squires who followed the Ancient Order of Knights. They were only following orders and had no right to make their own decisions.

In particular, as Ms. Beryl had said beforehand, their mission was of utmost importance.

“The important thing is me,” Fang Zheng said. “The core of this plan is to seal that evil dragon, and you should listen to my judgment.”

The knights looked at each other. They didn't understand what a seal was, but they understood commands. But what if the commands conflicted with the will of the target?
The ancient knights hadn't told them what to do.

A rustling sound came from within the smoke and dust; the undead emitting purple flames had clearly found a way to bypass the blockade.

"Make a decision quickly," Fang Zheng frowned. The White Knight's power actually came from the Eternal Emblem, but the Eternal Emblem that Quivenlar gave him was not complete.

That was, after all, the power of a dragon knight, and it was a great burden for him to use.

Especially since his mental state is currently unstable.

He looked at Loren beside him and said, "Loren, you go and command them."

"Me?" The boy hadn't recovered from the shock. The people above had told him the mission was to escort a genius alchemist from Corin-Ishriyan. But no one had told him it was such a genius.

Does such alchemy exist in this world?

But just as he was lost in thought, a rather cheerful voice came from the other side of the alley: "You should listen to him."

Upon hearing the voice, Fang Zheng's eyes lit up with surprise. He turned around abruptly and saw a tall figure appear amidst the billowing dust.

The opponent carried a greatsword that gleamed with light on his shoulder—said to be the slayer of enemies, but which was slumbering in some ancient seal—with a majestic, fiery mane, and a single emerald eye. The scar on his face, representing his battlefield experience, extended from his other eye to his cheek.

That's none other than the big cat-man.

However, Reed changed into a rather strange suit of armor, with a huge, holy white plate engraved with star patterns and edged with rose petals and emeralds.

Long scrolls of scripture lay beneath the sword on the shoulder armor, while parchment scrolls hung down the sides of the breastplate, covered with densely written prayers.

"Mr. Reed!"

"The Holy Guard of Milo?"

Loren and the knights gasped in surprise, even drowning out Fang Zheng's voice. Reid strode over, followed by Luo Hao and the maid.

Finally, the graceful elf lady arrived.

Aitila was also dressed in finery, in a rare sacred tree robe—he had only seen the elf lady wear it once before, in the White Forest, when she was presiding over the saintess's inheritance ceremony.

At this moment, Attila held an ancient oak staff, her expression solemn, and the holy aura emanating from her was almost blinding.

Where she walked, thorns and flowers naturally spread.

"The Unicorn Saintess!"

The combination of the Holy Guardian of the Pillars of Stars and the Unicorn Girl caught the knights off guard. Had the Temple sent anyone?

Reid, carrying the holy sword, approached them and addressed the knights, saying, "You should listen to him, for he is your holy son."

"what?"

No one would question the words of a Secret Guardian. Loren reacted quickly, pulling out Marlan's emblem from under his collar and showing it to Fang Zheng.

But someone reacted even faster than him; the holy emblem in his hand had already lit up with light. "The Holy Mark of Flame, he truly is the Holy Son!"

"There's such a verification method?" Fang Zheng was dumbfounded.

He looked at the large cat-woman beside him, "Ms. Koberel."

“Don’t listen to that woman,” the cat-man said, speaking as if he knew her well. “Besides, this is just a snippet, what are you worried about?”

Fang Zheng shook his head. He wasn't worried about that; he just hadn't expected such a simple method.

Aitila came to his side, looked him up and down with gentle eyes, and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Fang Zheng shook his head, "The Seven Seas Storm..." "The Seven Seas Storm is parked outside, being looked after by Parker and Gita. We rushed over immediately after we heard that you were fighting with the Flame of the Tower."

Reed answered.

"Mr. Reed, what's that armor you're wearing?"

"Hmph," the cat-man snorted coldly, "This skin is more useful when dealing with those lunatics of the Flame Court."

“It took me a lot of effort to dig them out from under the box,” the lion-man said, glancing at Attila beside him. “After all, this identity is much more useful when dealing with these people.”

Fang Zheng heard him speak so casually, but he felt a little uneasy inside.

He knew that Mr. Big Catman had a past relationship with Rotao, even some grudges. Miss Etila had mentioned it to him once or twice, and it was related to his sister.

Despite the cat-man's usual talkativeness, he never speaks of his past, which is related to the Holy Guard of Miro. He avoids such topics, and his past is clearly extraordinary.

If it weren't for his own sake, the other party would never have picked up these things again. His and Miss Etila's love for the Seven Seas Troupe has always been selfless.

He was touched, but the big cat-man could see what he was thinking and shook his head. "Don't think too much, little one. I have some past with them, but it's time to settle the score. You've become the Holy Son of the Knights, so we can't escape this."

He sighed. "But these people inside are at least much easier to deal with than those lunatics outside."

"At least, they haven't experienced that upheaval yet—"

The knights were completely confused, but Reid had no intention of explaining it to them.

The rustling sounds from the smoke and dust grew louder and louder, and a tattered suit of armor emerged from under the rubble, with an arm protruding from it and a cluster of purple flames rising from it.

The cat-man took a short spear from behind him and threw it in that direction. After a loud bang, everything returned to silence.

He then turned to the others, interrupting them, "Alright, enough talk, everyone," and then looked at Fang Zheng, "Ed, where are we going next?"

"Go up there."

Fang Zheng raised his head and looked at the sacred tree temple at the top of the harbor. In the past, it had been dedicated to the elven god Tririel.

But Tririel has long since perished, and her divine office has been taken over by Aimee. Now, only this building, a memorial to the past era, remains, sealed away in history along with the era of the Two Trees.

"That's... the Temple of Tririel?" The cat-man clearly recognized this relic from a bygone era. "What are we doing there?"

"Lifgard's soul is sealed in that place."

"Lifgard?"

Fang Zheng then told the big cat-man, Luo Hao, Aitila, and the maid about his experiences along the way.

They once fought the wanderer Alter in Idus and ultimately released the soul of the Dark Dragon Lord Lifgard.

But it is clear that Livegard's true place of death was not Idus; it was sealed there only because Alter brought it there.

The cause and effect are already clear—

Vo-Salastir is where this dark dragon king fell, but this elven fortress is sealed in multiple overlapping timelines.

Its out-of-control illusions appear regularly every thirty years in the Gulf region, beyond the Silver Chain Sea and the Treasure Staff Coast.

And that's the source of everything.

The wanderer Art first encountered the spirit of Lifgard here and took it out of Vol-Sarastil and towards the Coast of the Staff.

But driven by his lust for power, the young man from the Rogers family became unstoppable in his ambition. He not only exploited the Arlingland family, but also Governor Garcia of Idus.

He sealed Livegard's soul within the body of the young girl Eve through the Golden Ring of Flame, which is the origin of the later tragedy of the Dragon Witch.

Later, following the experience of the Holy Sword Galapea, they traveled south in retracing the footsteps of the Dragon Lady incident, and finally defeated the wanderer Alte in Idus.

But this also led to the escape of the soul of the Dragon King, Livegard.

After escaping, Livegard's first instinct was naturally to retrieve his body and return to the place where he had perished a thousand years ago.

It originated from here.

Vor-Sarastil-

Fang Zheng never expected that his casual agreement to Catherine's adventure would lead to such a 'big prize'.

But since the curse of Selgios and the entire Gulf region originated from the dragon blood drunk by the Oathkeepers.

Therefore, sealing or killing Livegard would be of no use.

He then fully understood why the Sons of Saltbone and the Blazing Court's plan had failed completely—because power and curses originated from the same source.

Drinking dragon's blood, killing a dragon, and becoming a dragon is like an unsolvable cycle of fate, no matter how much mortals struggle.

No one can break free from this shackle.

Sel Gios—that great explorer, as a descendant of the Oathkeepers—could not possibly be unaware of this.

So what was the purpose of his so-called plan as he reincarnated through countless cycles of time?
Is it merely about lifting the curse?

Fang Zheng scoffed inwardly.

Sel Gios is certainly not Livegard himself; in Idus, some of his power came from this dark dragon king.

Therefore, he would naturally notice when Livegard appeared, just as he had just done.

But Fang Zheng knew that besides Livegard, there were at least two other people who coveted this power.

Besides the wanderer Alter, who disappeared without a trace after Idus, there was also the green dragon Toragothos, a fanatical follower and devotee of Lifgard.

Since the upheaval in Fenris, the Fenrisian fleet has been searching for the dragon, but to no avail.

Although some claimed that the green dragon was ultimately killed by Idus, it was later proven to be a complete lie.

Three years have passed since the upheaval, but no one has ever witnessed the whereabouts of the green dragon. But what if it is hiding in this illusion?
What star tracker, what waking up from a dream.

Fang Zheng couldn't help but snort coldly.

……