Alone and Infinite

Too many relatives, friends, and clansmen have died at the hands of the other side; once they meet, there is no need for many words.

Just as the stone bullet said: "Either I die, or you die!"

Li Xia continued running along the canyon, his upper body clothes already torn and tattered.

His strong body was covered with all sorts of scars, the marks left by Kobis's twin blades.

Without Robbie's long-range support, Kobis found it increasingly difficult to land powerful, full-force strikes on Li Xia while running at high speed, unlike at the beginning.

Besides the knife wound, his left shoulder had a peculiar shape, and his left arm was twisted outward in an unconventional way.

This is the wound left by Braum's Greatshield.

Li Xia had no time to repair himself. Once he stopped running, the two pillars and the hundreds of eagle riders could easily surround and kill him, as he was already exhausted both physically and mentally.

Beyond the shimmering tundra lies a mountainous landscape, where the choice of contact points for the bedrock is quite deliberate.

Each of the three points is a crucial choke point in the surrounding terrain.

Aowu and Heitan nervously gave Li Xia directions in the team chat.

After passing the sheer cliff in front of us, we came to another canyon, with the mountain peaks on both sides curving inward, looking like a bowl with a crack in the middle.

Before the only canyon passage, an extremely burly figure stood with his arms crossed.

One of his legs was empty, leaning against a thick stone pillar inserted into the soil.

Li Xia didn't linger for a moment and rushed past him into the canyon.

The robust stone figure also remained silent, merely staring at the sacred object tied to Li Xia's waist, something seemed to be brewing within its lifeless gaze.

Bron's eyes immediately became fixed on the stone figure.

He grinned, revealing an extremely bloodthirsty smile, and his massive shield was planted in front of him.

Slowly tilting his head, with a hatred that seemed to want to crush the other person into mincemeat, he greeted them:

"Long time no see, Stone Wall!"

His gaze fell on the stone figure's empty leg, and his smile deepened.

I really like the leg you gave me!

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

I won't describe the fighting during the interception; I'll just mention it briefly.

I'm feeling a bit unwell, so I'm posting this now and going to sleep.

Chapter 318 Spark and Hope

Kobis was shocked to discover that his once-luxurious pursuit team had unknowingly dwindled to just himself and his Eagle Riders.

Like the maggot below, which is fleeing in a sorry state, it is covered in wounds but still doesn't fall down.

And it runs very fast.

The maggot's body was harder than that of a normal stone man. It was alright, but the arrows that the Eagle Knight usually used were almost useless.

Only the armor-piercing spikes specifically designed to deal with stone golems are effective.

The armor-piercing cone was heavy and required momentum to strike, but the maggots were extremely agile and had a keen sense of danger.

In addition, the environment below was complex, and he often had to travel through the caves carved out by the stone men, making it difficult to seize an opportunity to attack.

Kobis stared coldly at the figure below, watching him disappear into the cave once again, and waved his hand to stop the Eagle Rider from giving chase.

"Just flip over, we'll block him from the front."

This land, being a frequent frontline of war, is familiar not only to the Stone Golems.

Griggs was also familiar with the area; beyond these mountains lay a valley, the only way through.

There was no cover there.

The wind in the valley is cool and carries the fragrance of grass and trees and the moist air.

This is Kobe's favorite scent, and soaring through this sky is also his favorite activity.

Only at this moment did he feel free, and the sky was his limit.

The jet-black eagle wings shimmered, and wisps of mist swept across the wingtips, leaving clear trails.

Even the anger over Scarpo's death and the anxiety from the pursuit had lessened considerably.

He finally spotted a familiar figure atop the last mountain range before the canyon.

A figure so familiar it's almost unforgettable.

Kobis raised his hand, and the eagle riders behind him, like a dark cloud, all stopped and circled in the air.

He slowly descended to the mountaintop, looking at the stone figure holding a stone pencil, constantly writing and drawing on the stone slab.

This stone figure looks completely different from the other stone figures; its skin appears much whiter.

Even the stone figure's unique markings were unusually faint, and it was much shorter than a normal stone figure.

His face was unusually gentle; in short, he was a completely different kind of guy from a normal stone figure.

But Kobis didn't relax at all; on the contrary, his vigilance was instantly raised to the highest level.

He stared at him as if facing a formidable enemy.

Ge Zhuo was also called a 'painter' because he liked to write and draw things on stone slabs that the stone men couldn't understand.

Legend has it that he was an undeveloped stone embryo among the stone men, while another legend says he was the offspring of the stone man and Grigg.

But Kirby believed the second theory was pure nonsense, because it was absolutely impossible for Grigg to marry a stoneman.

Even if Griggan and the Stone Man had a brief period of good relations, they could not possibly marry.

And can Griggan and the Stone Man produce offspring?

But none of that matters. What matters is that the 'painter' possesses wisdom and strategy that ordinary stone figures lack.

In the war between the two races, Griggan also experienced defeats and even crushing losses, although local battles did not affect the overall situation.

But these crushing defeats still made Griggs remember a stone man.

'The Painter' Ge Zhuo!

The stone man, who can create miracles even in extremely unfavorable situations, is even the reason for the current standoff between the two races.

Otherwise, according to the previous strategic plan, the Stone Golem race should have been completely wiped out.

Legend has it that the painter is dead, but unexpectedly he appeared here.

Kobis looked at the artist intently drawing on the slate and said in a low voice:

"Did you plan this theft of the sacred relic? You should know that stealing the sacred relic is pointless."

This will only hasten the destruction of the stone men!

He was extremely wary of the painters, and the greatest defeat of the entire Griggs Air Cavalry was a gift from them.

Even if the painter were standing right in front of him right now, seemingly someone he could kill with a flick of his wrist.

Kobe still doesn't dare to attack directly; there must be a trap involved!

This is the painter's illustrious reputation!

"Do not--"

The painter finally stopped what he was doing, stood up, and smiled at Kobis:

"I didn't plan this operation, but I was in charge of the second half of the evacuation plan."

He counted on his fingers and said, "There are four pillars in the entire Southern Territory. The Imperial Sword, Scapo, is the strongest and most cautious."

If the situation turns unfavorable, in order to maintain stability, they will definitely invite the other three pillars to come and help.

However, the special domain of the sacred relic rendered a large number of ordinary soldiers useless.

Therefore, only you, as the vice commander of the Sky Cavalry Legion—Wings of the Empire—have led your strongest Eagle Knights to this place.

First, you are fast and agile enough.

Secondly, your individual strength is sufficient to barely resist the domain of the sacred artifact.

The painter held nothing back, revealing his thought process in its entirety:

"Poison Arrow Robbie seemed the calmest, but he was an anomaly; his beloved adjutant was killed by a stone bullet."

Because they are different, their love is all the more precious.

Upon seeing the stone bullet, he would disregard everything, seeking only to avenge his adjutant.

The Imperial Wall, Bronn, was the most prudent. He knew how much failure to hold off the stone wall alone would affect the pursuit.

Finally, it's you—"

The painter touched Kobe with his brush:

"When you find that the area is full of caves and it is not convenient to pursue them, you, who hate trouble the most, will choose to cross the mountain range and block them in that valley."

So I'm waiting for you here.

Kobis suppressed his shock. The painter's words were simple, but there was definitely more to it than that.

Even the possibility of him appearing here is very small.

His murderous intent grew stronger, and he even began to consider whether, disregarding everything, his men could break through the painter's arrangement.

Kobes was also somewhat worried about whether he and these people were—

"Are you thinking of giving everything, even yourself and the Eagle Knights, to replace me?"

The painter's voice remained calm, even carrying a hint of amusement.

Was this really within his calculations?

Corbis gripped his weapon tightly. The painter was right; he was an extremely averse to trouble, or, from another perspective, an indecisive person.

He was able to become one of the Ten Pillars because his family background and talent were so good that he didn't need to work hard. He could easily become one of the Ten Pillars by simply relying on the pair of eagle wings passed down in his family.

"Corbis—"

The painter sat down, pushed a cup of tea towards him, and poured himself one, as if he were saying something that couldn't be refused:

"I'll give you a chance."

"Say"

"You stay here. Your eagle riders can continue the pursuit. That's all I want."

Kobis stopped talking, a fierce struggle beginning in his heart.

Stay behind for yourself?

That maggot was no match for hundreds of eagle riders.

Even the strongest Imperial Pillars could only flee in defeat when faced with several hundred Eagle Knights whose strength ranged from centurion to chiliarch.

"Who knows if there's a trap behind you, trying to ambush and kill my Eagle Knight?"

"No, this wasn't originally an operation by the Stone Clan. If it were, it would have been an operation launched by us with all our might."

Your holy land is gone, and what awaits you is not us alone, but the final strength of the stone men.

The painter shook his head, looked at him, and said:

"So this is an opportunity, a gamble between us. You stay here, and the Eagle Rider continues the chase."

This is the condition for continuing.

"Not the actions of the stone men?"

Kobe sneered:

"Then why are you here? Was the theft of the sacred relic also an individual act?"

"Is this just a transaction?"

"A trade? What are you trading? What will you get in return? I've already said that there's no point in stealing the sacred artifact anymore."