Chapter 157 – The Destroyed Happiness

“Wonderful! We’ve saved so many people!”

In the mist-shrouded dawn, inside a residential house in Doleiz City, Dichiduo happily said to Bilan.

Five days had passed since the turmoil in Doleiz City. Under Kangkai’s forceful “mediation,” all the nobles reluctantly agreed to forgive the refugees’ actions, while all the refugees promised to wholeheartedly assist in rebuilding Doleiz to redeem themselves.

The dozen or so remaining Apprentice-Level Priests from the Church quickly prepared the antidote based on the original solution provided by Kangkai. By two days ago, the Gray Bone Plague had been completely declared over!

Bilan nestled in Dichiduo’s embrace, enjoying the rare warmth like a little kitten. Kangkai had already promised her, Dichiduo, and Lotalan that he could take them on as apprentices, guiding Dichiduo and Lotalan onto the path of righteous rangers.

“Everything has gotten better now.”

Bilan whispered softly.

Dichiduo suddenly tightened his embrace around Bilan, speaking tenderly yet with contained nervousness:

“That’s right, everything has gotten better. I love you, Bilan. From the first day we met, I fell helplessly in love with you……”

But before he could finish, Bilan gently kissed Dichiduo.

After a long while, their lips parted. Bilan widened her dewy eyes and softly said to the flustered, blushing young man:

“You fool, why did it take you so long to confess? Don’t you know I’ve been waiting for you for ages!”

“Bilan”……

Dichiduo’s voice trembled with excitement. In this humble little room, he had finally obtained the love he had long dreamed of.

Had no one disturbed them, this would have been a heartwarming scene—the heroes who saved tens of thousands of refugees in Doleiz finally united as lovers……

But……

From the dark corner of the room, three ill-timed claps shattered all the warmth.

“Quite touching, quite touching. The world is saved, evil is defeated, the prince and princess live happily ever after… Sounds like a fairy tale, doesn’t it?”

In Bilan’s fear-widened pupils, she saw a figure in black Mage Robes emerge from the darkest corner of the room. Crimson energy patterns slowly flowed on the robes, while the hood’s shadow obscured most of the wearer’s face, leaving only a pair of icy, azure blue eyes that glowed with ghostly terror.

Those eyes were all too familiar to Bilan—so familiar that she woke from nightmares because of them every day.

She even screamed aloud:

“Mentor Punk?”

“It seems you still remember me.”

Punk looked playfully at the still-embracing young couple, then said in an icy tone:

“These matters are irrelevant now. You are no longer my apprentice. Currently, I believe you should come with me. There’s another lady waiting to keep you company there. As for your little lover here, Mr. Dichiduo……”

Without giving the stunned pair time to react, Punk extended his Mage Hand toward Bilan.

With the sound of the rapidly extending Mage Hand cutting through the air, the young girl was about to be firmly captured.

“Dichiduo, run! Quickly tell Mentor Kangkai!”

At that moment, Bilan suddenly unleashed all her magical power to cast a spell.Apprentice-Level Conjuration Spell—Swiftness Spell

Propelled by this apprentice-level spell, Bilan narrowly slipped through Punk’s carelessly closed Mage Hand, then drew a small dagger and lunged at him.

Her face was filled with the resolve to succeed or die trying, along with a barely perceptible plea.

“Swiftness Spell? Isn’t that the spell I taught you? And now you dare use the magic I imparted to resist me?”

Seeing Bilan recklessly employ a spell—one he himself had taught her—Punk couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.

“Watch, foolish apprentice! This is not how spells are used!”

Punk declared loudly, then casually instant-cast an apprentice-level “Lesser Energy Disruption” to dismantle Bilan’s Swiftness Spell.

Immediately after, he targeted Bilan with another apprentice-level spell—Lesser Pain.

“You dare use my teachings against me? Do you even realize you’re facing a Formal-Level mage?”

Punk mercilessly hurled a green spark onto Bilan.

Deprived of the Swiftness Spell, Bilan collapsed to the floor. Struck by Punk’s magic, she couldn’t even process his subsequent words.

Now, Bilan’s slender body writhed and struggled violently, like a live fish on a hot iron. Her consciousness was consumed by a single word—pain!

“Painpainpainpainpainpainpain!!!”

The extreme agony made Bilan wish for immediate death. She felt as if every inch of her marrow was being gnawed by countless worms, every blood vessel trembling in torment.

Although Punk had used only an apprentice-level spell, enhanced by Formal-Level mana, its power had multiplied at least several times over. If the spell weren’t canceled, Bilan would undoubtedly be tortured to death right there.

But that wasn’t the outcome Punk desired. With a crisp snap of his fingers, Bilan was finally released, drenched in fragrant sweat and freed from the pain.

After enduring a “Lesser Pain,” Bilan couldn’t even hold her dagger anymore. She lay on the floor, gasping for breath, her impressive chest heaving rapidly, while the aftershocks of the severe pain caused every muscle to spasm.

“Damn you, I’ll fight you to the death!”

Seeing his beloved suffer such torment, Dichiduo, eyes bloodshot, raised a stool and charged at Punk.

But he had barely taken a step before vines suddenly sprouted throughout the room, binding him tightly like a zongzi, rendering even futile writhing impossible.

“Master, Great Master, I beg you, please spare Dichiduo… Please, it’s all my fault… Let Dichiduo go, how did it come to this, I’m begging you… Please release him… I implore you…”

Seeing Dichiduo ensnared layer by layer in vines, Bilan struggled to her knees, weeping and pleading. Large teardrops streamed down her snow-white face.

Bilan had never felt such despair. The power of a Formal-Level mage was utterly beyond her resistance. In that moment, she recalled the tragic “experimental subjects” in Punk’s Basement, and those slaves who had been skinned alive before her eyes.

She was truly terrified—afraid that Dichiduo would be killed by Punk, or worse, subjected to a fate more miserable than death.

She was also utterly heartbroken. Just when a happy life seemed within reach, now, all that “happiness” had been ruthlessly shattered.

“Shattered, everything is shattered………”In Bilan’s heart, a voice seemed to whisper, filled with despair and bitterness.

The desperate Bilan pleaded like a child, even though she knew her tearful begging was meaningless. Now she was willing to pay any price just to ensure Dichiduo could survive.

But Punk completely ignored her.

He calmly disregarded the tear-streaked Bilan and turned his gaze thoughtfully toward Dichiduo:

“Mr. Dichiduo, I suggest you seek help from your new mentor. I believe a righteous ranger wouldn’t stand by while innocent maidens fall into evil hands, would they?”

“What do you want with my mentor, you bastard?”

The bound Dichiduo gave up struggling. He glared at Punk with eyes burning with hatred and shouted his question.

Dichiduo might be naive, but he wasn’t stupid. When Punk suggested he seek Kang Kai’s help, he realized Punk’s true target was his ranger mentor—Kang Kai.

But Punk didn’t answer Dichiduo’s question. Instead, under the youth’s furious gaze, he calmly summoned an “Arcane Cage” and threw the sobbing Bilan, who had collapsed to the ground, inside.

Finally, he activated the “Anywhere Door.”

“Remember, young man, I’ll be in the White Tower of Nielan Town. Your beloved and Miss Lotalan have two days to live. At dusk tomorrow, I’ll extract their bone marrow. If you and Kang Kai don’t show up… I always keep my promises…”

After speaking, Punk disappeared into the colorful light door. He had already sensed Kang Kai rapidly approaching, but no matter how fast the ranger might be, he could never catch up with someone traveling via the “Anywhere Door.”

In other words, if Kang Kai wanted to save them, aside from going to the White Tower to meet Punk, he had no other choice!

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(End of Chapter)