Pillars of Ita

Chapter 1290 First Star IX
"Ed, we've arrived."

The dilapidated gate made a sickeningly loud noise, crashed backward, and kicked up a cloud of dust.

The cat-man sheathed his holy sword, twirled it, and slung it over his shoulder. The patterns on the sword gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, reflecting off the heavy mist like a spear of light piercing into the marble floor.

There seems to be a clear boundary between the inner courtyard and the hall—sunlight divides day and night here, withered thorns crawl out of the darkness, and the sharp thorns of the vines pierce into every crack in the courtyard.

The lion paladin stopped here, his beard and hair hanging down, the clasps of his robes jingling in the breeze. Before him lay a world already on the brink of death.

Time seemed to stand still, frozen a thousand years ago—Lifgard's minions stormed into the building, and the defenders fought desperately, the former being either Numelin elves or humans stationed there.

Until the moment the time-space lock is activated.

"...The overwhelming etheric flood swept over everything, leaving visible marks on the walls, like the flow of water, here and there."

The soldier's metal chain gloves brushed against the wall, leaving clear dents. Luo Hao clicked his tongue and turned around.
"Tsk... It's almost impossible to see pure ether interact with the material world like this under normal circumstances, but here, they seem almost tangible."

The hall looked as if it had been flooded, with water leaving marks on the walls as if a long period of time had passed—but that was not the case. The moment the magic array was activated, the torrent of ether formed the laws of spacetime, freezing history in time.

At that moment, an immense power erupted directly.

Its primary target was Lifgard, located in the city center, but the aftershocks of the magic were enough to annihilate both sides into dust, turning them into elementary particles, leaving not even the tiniest fragments behind.

In the darkness, only a layer of floating dust floated on the marble floor, creating a somber atmosphere—for thousands of years, the stillness of time has anchored everything from a thousand years ago here.

On the dark marble slab, silver-gray patterns on the ground grew inward, forming a sacred tree of silver. Fang Zheng gazed at the sprouting branches, as if he could see many, many years ago, when the dwarves of Alteri crossed the frost winds, invited by the elves to come to this place, carving grooves into the stone slab with hammer and chisel.

The foundry then poured the flowing mithril into the ground.

It was here that they received the Dawnlight Sword, and the elves also gave them a crown—not the one that came later, but the Crown of Dawn's Oath, il-Thor, which later became a symbol of dwarven royalty.

Luo Hao turned around, looked at everyone with a serious expression, and said, "He wasn't lying. Apart from the Numerin elves, I can't think of anyone else who would do something like this."

"Perhaps that Magic Emperor?" said the short Paparallan.

"No, even the Imperials would find it difficult to do this without the aid of philosophy."

But Fang Zheng shook his head, confirming Luo Hao's statement.

As the group entered the center of the hall, the cast mithril formed symmetrical fractal geometric patterns, with layers of magnificent designs that seemed to grow outwards from the inside.

Half of the wall above the right side of the hall was broken, and the roots of a giant tree grew from there, extending all the way to the ground. Sunlight shone through the hole onto the area where everyone was, revealing that the magic array was damaged.

Loren and his knights dispersed from the center of the hall, and the boy turned around, looking at them with a complicated expression.

"This is the main body of the magic circle. It has not been used for many years, and most of the ether that was originally solidified on it has been lost."

In Fang Zheng's opinion, his condition was already quite good. No one could remain calm about the fact that they were just an illusion. Luo Hao originally advocated not telling these knights the truth, but the big cat man refused.

"Since you want them to participate in this plan, you should tell them the truth," Reid said to the young warrior, putting down his holy sword.

He pointed to the young man's chest. Even if these people were just shadows, it didn't matter who they were, but rather your inner perception of them.

Luo Hao frowned, not entirely accepting the offer. He glanced at Aitila and Siesta beside him, noticing that they both seemed indifferent.

He could only shake his head. "Fine, it's the same whether they're here or not."

The big cat-man smiled and said no more.

Fortunately, the Ancient Order of Knights was very disciplined, and although the Sword of Duro was not yet a formal Templar Knight, no one deserted.

Most people were skeptical of what Fang Zheng said, but as long as they didn't back down, the knights remained silent. Some expressed their doubts to Loren, but the boy just shook his head silently.

This is also one of the benefits of the Knights' strict discipline; when separated from the Ancient Knights, they automatically regard the Great Catman as the highest in status.

Therefore, Fang Zheng ordered them to follow Loren's command, and none of the knights objected, including several of the older ones.

Fang Zheng, however, felt a little guilty at this moment. He looked at Loren and asked, "Are you alright?"

The boy shook his head. "On the contrary, if what you say is true, either we are already dead here, or we returned to Rotao after the war ended."

"The fact that this evil dragon is still around three hundred years later at least shows that our mission has failed. We came here to kill it. Since you think there is still a chance, why not try again? Consider it as making up for our regret."

He looked at Fang Heng, "And if what you're saying is false, then naturally we can put everything aside, but in that case, you'll have to face our wrath."

“Well,” Fang Zheng sighed, not knowing how to comfort the other party for a moment. This was just a shadow of history, but the figures in the shadow seemed to have their own consciousness.

“Let’s talk about your plan first,” Loren said, much more candid than they had expected. “You’ve already told us about Selgios’s plan. Lady Beryl’s plan is to use this illusion lock to slow down the dragon—you say it’s Lifgard?”

Luo Hao nodded.

"In short, as long as the magic array can bind that dragon king for a moment, it will be enough to buy the archbishops enough time to activate the holy artifact and then use it to kill the opponent."

“The Holy Relic cannot kill Livegard.” Fang Zheng shook his head.

Only a holy sword stained with dragon blood can kill the dark dragon, not to mention the dragon king Livegard. After Livegard was beheaded by Moa in history, only the Holy Sword of Moa could kill him.

"But the Holy Sword of Moa has shattered into thousands of pieces, so theoretically, unless we can repair the Holy Sword by physical means, we have no way to kill Livegard."

“So you have to use that plan that I didn’t quite understand to design Livegard, and that plan also requires you to use this magic circle and your ‘creation magic’,” Loren asked. “But if that’s the case, why don’t we just go directly to the central magic circle?”

Fang Zheng replied, "Because the central magic array has likely been tampered with. I'm not sure about Toragothos—this one is a henchman of Livegard. What were its original plans? But our arrival has clearly given it a better option."

"Are you sure it's Selgios?"

“Uncertain,” Fang Zheng shook his head. He only gradually understood everything after Livegard revealed his identity, but would Livegard be that stupid?

It might be hoping to be prompted, because Alter and Toragotos, these people or dragons who have turned to the darkness, are fickle by nature, so how could they be loyal to their original masters?
Alte had already proven his ambition, and Toragotos was just another dark wanderer. How could they resist the temptation of power once they had embarked on this path?

The Dark Dragon King is trapped in this labyrinth of time and space, his power so weak that it is not even enough to help him escape. Faced with such a defeated master, how much loyalty does Toragothos still have?

If these assumptions hold true, then looking back, the most suspicious, or rather the only, foreign object in this illusion of space and time is the mysterious star tracker in Selgios's hand.

The origin of that star tracker is a mystery. According to Selgios, he has seen outsiders at least four or five times in this illusion, the earliest of which should be traced back to 140 years ago.

So by then he should have already obtained the star tracker.

But can the layout of Torragottos be traced back to such an early time?

Fang Zheng couldn't possibly recount everything that had happened in Corin-Ishurian over the past one or two hundred years, let alone something related to the Hill of Giant Trees. He shook his system, but unfortunately, it didn't have any search capabilities.

But that's not surprising.

Dragons have long lifespans, and when the Green Dragon of Fenris manifested in Fenris in his holy name, it was at least before humans began to move in the North. Although it rarely left Fenris Island, it had never even once or twice ventured to the Hills of the Great Trees and the Bay region, not to mention that it had human followers and dragon worshippers to exploit.

“Besides, it doesn’t matter if we guess wrong,” Fang Zheng said. “The original plan can still be used to kill Livegard. It’s just that we’re adding another layer of insurance.”

"So what do I need to do?"

Loren knew that the Holy Son wouldn't have brought him here for no reason.

"I think you've understood—the cursed dragon blood flows, the flames cursed with blood will never die, and when the old king passes away, a new king will inevitably be born—"

"To kill Livegard, someone needs to bear the bloodline transferred by the Creation Spell, and this person cannot be anyone who exists outside this timeline."

"Because once they absorb the power, the newly born Dragon King will immediately break free from the timeline, transform into a terrifying demon king, and descend upon the world, going to the future hundreds of years later."

"And it can't be Lifgard himself, because that would mean a brand new monster would be born from the body of the Old King, which would be Lifgard himself. At that time, the illusion of time and space would no longer be able to bind it."

Loren asked, "So it can't be you, and it can't be Toragothos?"

Fang Zheng nodded, adding in his mind, "There's also a wanderer named Arte lurking in the shadows. He doesn't believe that the mastermind behind the dragon witch would be indifferent to the reappearance of Vo-Salastiel."

The other party might have already infiltrated this island, just like Toragotos.

He looked at Loren and said, “I’m sorry, I know this is very unfair to you, but I really can’t think of a better option right now. Because the real you no longer exist in this illusion, and the power of creation that comes into your bodies will only disappear along with this illusion.”

“No, it’s fair,” the boy shook his head with relief. “We came here for this very reason, and we were prepared to make sacrifices before we came. What I’m truly afraid of is not failure itself.”

His eyes, as clear as the sky, looked at Fang Heng and the others. "But according to you, we have already failed, yet there is still hope for compensation after failure. What could be more generous than that in this world?"

The boy drew his sword, held the tip, and handed it over, saying, "In that case, let me succeed, Holy Son from the future."

Duro's sword knows no fear, only glory.

Fang Zheng fell silent for a moment, and even Luo Hao, who was standing next to him, shut his mouth. He didn't really trust outsiders and had another plan. That plan wasn't very safe, but at least it could serve as a backup.

The cat-man, having anticipated this scene, nodded. He always trusted the wind from the wasteland, just as he trusted the goddess and the sword in his hand.

The knights of freedom pursue the glory of freedom; fate has already revealed everything to them.

Aitila remained calm, while the maid was immersed in her own world from the beginning. Even though she had rediscovered her origins in the Empire, her daily life had not changed much.

Fang Zheng nodded, a burning passion rising within him. "Then let me tell you my plan. To help me better repair the magic array, Lady Beryl had me study the map of this fortress before entering the city—"

He had carefully analyzed the giant labyrinthine structure within the fortress.

It consists of a central magic array and twelve nodes. These nodes do not need to be fully occupied to barely activate the central magic array; the minimum requirement is seven nodes.

"Even though Toragotos has tampered with the central magic array, the core magic array still has room for manipulation with the support of the nodes—"

"Because the real power of this magic circle lies in its ability to project a much larger system of illusions above the fortress. Once the projection is complete, we can redraw it."

"Redraw, wait?"

Loren wasn't a novice either. "You mean, we plan to dismantle the outer node hubs, then redraw a series of magic arrays, and reorganize the central core magic array?"

The education of paladins also includes elements of esoteric rituals. The knights of Duro have their own set of traditions that accompany them as they grow, until they become true guardians of the temple.

Their understanding of ether was not as profound as alchemy, but they were very familiar with magic circles and rituals.

“Yes, I’ll leave that to you,” Fang Zheng nodded and replied. “We need to dismantle at least three nodes to disable the central array, and then I will rebuild an array based on the Creation Technique.”

He looked at Loren, "In this way, whatever Toragothos or Livegard did to the central magic circle, it will be of no use."

“But that’s the Numerin elves’…ancient alchemical array,” Loren said incredulously. “Your Holiness, can you…really do it?”

Fang Zheng raised his head, his gaze passing through the damaged area on the dome, and nodded slightly.

He was no longer the craftsman's apprentice Kapka; he had traveled from the Traveler's Rest to Elpashin, from Elpashin to Fenris, and from the northern lands of Corin-Ishrien all the way to the southern border.

From the tower at the summer solstice to the winter solstice and the dawn of spring, from the empire, from the hill of giant trees, from the debate over the technological paths of three geniuses, to the secret of the fairy dragon knight.

From the branches of the sacred tree to the conflicts of the Gray Realm, from the secrets of the elves to the inheritance of the Creation Technique, he has come a long way and is no longer the same person he once was.

Fang Zheng looked at the clouds above the sky. The clouds could not completely block out the azure sky. The young alchemist's eyes revealed strong confidence—let's see what he can do, Livegard and Lady Alessa.

The knights dispersed. Designing barrier spells was the most intricate system among alchemists, but dismantling the array base was simply a matter of physical labor.

While Fang Zheng still needed time to make arrangements, Luo Hao went to the giant cat-man first. Looking at the lion-man paladin leaning against the gate, staring blankly at the high winds, he finally asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time:

“I don’t think Loren is simple at all. Don’t tell me that paladins like him are everywhere in Rotao. If you do, I’ll have to wonder if the Holy White Plains is the place that inherited the ideal since the era of the Silver Helmet Guards and the Light Chasers.”

“Isn’t that so?” the cat-man smiled slightly. “It seems you have a prejudice against the land where I was born, Luo Hao. The wind that blows over that holy white plain is full of glory.”

"The Ancient Knights wouldn't have said that when they stole the Eternal Mark," Luo Hao, as a forum warrior, scoffed at these legends and ideals. He was well aware of the sordid dealings among the ancient people.

If humanity hadn't been torn apart after the war of the giants, Corin, the Hill of the Giant Trees, and Rotao would never have been established; the conspiracies and schemes within them are so numerous that they could fill an entire room with books.

History is never just about grandeur and epic moments, and Luo Hao knew this very well. Besides, after the elves retrieved the Eternal Symbol, the Rota'o people accused them of being the thieves.

Of course, Autumn Woods wasn't much better, otherwise the Eternal Emblem wouldn't have abandoned them later.

The Númelin elves left four sacred artifacts for mortals, but these artifacts caused mortals to turn against each other, thus tearing the mortal world apart and causing numerous conflicts.

The cat-man also stopped smiling and nodded. "Loren Stoneskel, the practitioner of the Earth Path of the Twelve Paths, but he is known in history by another name, Serwyn—the Sword of the Rock."

"Wait a minute," Luo Hao's eyes widened, "He's the Earth Knight of Rotao, and one of the previous Twelve Monarch Knights? Big Cat Man, didn't you figure that out a long time ago?"

Reed nodded with a wicked grin. "It seems that this Monarch Knight got along quite well with Ed when he was young, didn't he?"

Luo Hao suddenly realized, "No wonder. If it were Serwin, he would certainly make such a choice at this time. He is known as the bravest knight in Rotao, and also the most unconventional knight."

He looked at the Lion Paladin and said, "You already knew, which is why you let him command these people. With this monarch knight here, the plan is almost guaranteed to succeed."

“It’s not a sure thing. He became a monarch knight a long, long time from now,” the big cat-man shook his head. “Before that, he was just a novice knight, Duro’s sword. But heroes often show certain qualities when they are young, as you can see, don’t you?”

Luo Hao remained silent.

……

(End of this chapter)