Psychics don't die from gunfire

Chapter 883 [Square Stone]

Step, step.

The military boots landed with a deep, reassuring thud.

Taber Dobing stared at the ground beneath his feet. Perhaps the word "ground" doesn't quite capture the reality, but beneath the man's feet lay a flat, wide road, large enough for two armored vehicles to pass side by side.

There is only one problem: it is not made of asphalt and cement.

Taber Dobin slightly raised his eyes. The road was paved with white bricks, each one perfectly straight and flat, without the slightest crookedness or misalignment. They continued forward until they reached the horizon, not disappearing, but turning around and climbing higher—this was a mountain road.

The dry wind blew up the long hair tied behind her head.

Taber Dobing has been to many places and experienced many winds, but this place will always be unique. There is no dampness, no salty earth, and not even any smell of vegetation.

It was just dry, like the wind brushing against my cheeks, like eroded porphyry flakes.

Taber Dobing turned his head and gazed into the distance—

The white mountains are reflected in my eyes.

It's not the "white" of snow under the winter sun at dawn and dusk, but the "white" born from bricks and stones. The mountains, which should be rugged and uneven, have been transformed into man-made structures made of bricks and stones.

Each mountain is like a building block; roads, rock walls, slopes, cliffs—everything in sight has been smoothed and polished into the shape of flat bricks and stones, and then rebuilt into the mountain with a solemn attitude.

Some of the bricks are very large, resembling the heads of dragons, while others are so small that they can be picked up with one hand. Without exception, they are all piled together to form the mountains here.

If one stands a little closer and observes carefully, one can discover that the bricks are not actually white. Over countless years of wind and sun exposure, their color has darkened and become dull, exhibiting a yellowish texture and mottled marks.

However, when viewed from a distance, those slight blemishes will naturally disappear, transforming into a vast expanse of pure white. They remain sacred, standing solemnly and dignified.

—"White Stone Mountain", Ansos.

The Vanpusta Empire, the birthplace of Fangshi, one of the Six Pillars of Knights!
Everyone who joins the Stone Order, including knights' squires and reserves, receives this task: to choose a spot in the mountains of Ansos and polish it into smooth stone.

It would accompany them throughout their lives. If it became eroded by rain, they would carefully repair it; if it became stained with dirt and dust, they would wipe it clean by hand. More than one knight of the [Stone], upon returning in triumph, did not first claim his due reward, but instead rushed to inspect and tend to his own stone.

For over a thousand years, even the [Stone] Knights have not been able to withstand the passage of time. They have undergone more than one transformation, and have been cleansed and reorganized, but only this habit has continued to this day.

The mountains of Ansos, in the hands of generations of members of the [Fangshi] guild, have been transformed into "White Stone Mountains." Every inch of the land has been polished, and the piled-up bricks and stones, forming the mountains themselves, have become the only sight here.

Even though times have changed and "White Stone Mountain" has lost its former military defense function and become a simple wonder, in the hearts of the members of [Fangshi], it is still an extremely sacred place, second only to His Majesty the Emperor's imperial carriage.

No matter how prestigious or powerful a [Stone] knight may be, when they arrive at White Stone Mountain, they will all walk up step by step.

Taber Dobin had also personally polished such a brick. As one of the key new generation of the [Stone] Knights, although he couldn't compare to the most prominent ones, he was still a rising star of the Knights. Theoretically, at this point in time, he should be fighting bravely on the front lines, bringing glory to the Empire, rather than suddenly appearing at [Stone] headquarters. Awaiting secret orders.

Taber Dobin slowly stroked the greatsword. He certainly couldn't plunge it into the ground; that would be a grave disrespect to [Square Stone]. He held the broad, two-handed greatsword in one hand, placing it steadily against his chest, while his other hand caressed the blade.

The secret order has not yet been issued.

But he knew perfectly well what was going on.

—Disaster.

His Majesty the Supreme Emperor has ventured into space to subdue the "Three Thousand Illuminations" Ming Xianyuan. The struggle between the two deities remains unclear, but in the stillness of the night, the Empire's astronomers can clearly see two stars shining brightly and colliding in the distant heavens.

Problems arise.

The highest level of psionic entities is equivalent to the fifth ring, the "True Spirit," the ultimate achievement of psionicists, the "King of Calamities." This entity is inextricably linked to both the overt and covert aspects of the Empire. Throughout history, they have extended their reach into the mortal world, causing all sorts of horrific atrocities—until this emperor ascended the "Throne of Gods."

His mere existence was enough to suffocate several "Kings of Calamity," forcing them to cower in fear and dare not act rashly. Following the "Crown of the Holy," he was the second [God Throne] of the Vanpusta Empire, a [God Throne] who surpassed the "Crown of the Holy" and was even stronger.

When His Majesty was in power, everything was naturally safe and sound. But now that His Majesty has gone to outer space, the “King of Calamities,” which has been suppressed for so long, is starting to stir and is sharpening its claws, dangerously lurking around the present.

Especially after the outbreak of the Second Seven Earth War, the Empire gradually tightened its domestic order, requiring every part of the nation to contribute to the Holy War. Material things were linked to the spirit, which caused a lot of people's hearts to fluctuate—and in turn affected the [Disaster Realm], which was showing signs of boiling over.

The situation is becoming increasingly unsettling.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be a problem. With His Majesty absent, the Empire still has the Six Pillars of Knights, the Inquisition, the Meddney Organization, the Silent Order, and the various dukes and marquises. With their combined efforts—no, even without their combined efforts—they can suppress the [Disaster Realm] completely.

However, under the holy war, a large number of troops were dispatched, resulting in a serious shortage of troops in the empire's homeland. At the same time, those sinister cults, heretics, and traitors who were like rats in the past seized the opportunity to resurface. After several twists and turns, they actually caused several tragedies!
Thinking of this, Taber Dobin felt his chest burning and his killing intent boiling. He took a deep breath and stroked the greatsword several times before he could calm down.

Therefore, we were transferred back to our homeland and ordered to suppress the rebellion and wipe out the disaster.

His eyes were deep and thoughtful. He wasn't a top-tier talent in [Fangshi], and there were several other top contenders for the Grand Master position in the [Fangshi] Knights. However, even these individuals paled in comparison to "Holy Judgment" Renata Clemens.

Based on his life trajectory, the other party was almost certain to become the next Chief Judge of the [Court of Judges]. However, things don't always go as planned, and this "Holy Judge" fell in a glorious duel.
If she were still alive, she would probably have already achieved the [True Spirit] level. With a fifth-ring Grand Inquisitor around, our strategic deployment would be much easier!
The communicator vibrated.

Taber Dobin opened it, glanced at it, and found that the contents of the secret order were largely as he had imagined.

The knight of Fangshi sheathed his heavy sword, his face solemn, and bowed to the mountain peak.

"—This body and this soul are both extensions of His Majesty's being stored within."

(End of this chapter)