Chapter 398 – Demonic Insect

It turned out that many people truly lacked self-awareness, and the Minotaur Shaman who called himself “Kulong” was a prime example.

Just as Punk was about to withdraw from the battlefield and leave the mess to Kane, the old shaman—who was controlling the enraged ancestral spirit in battle against Kane—immediately shifted his target without hesitation. Under Punk’s somewhat stunned gaze, this shaman whose combat prowess largely relied on the ancestral spirit actually abandoned it with a fanatical expression and began casting spells at Punk.

“Kekekekeke, you ignorant trash, now witness the power bestowed by my great master!”

Ignoring the ancestral spirit that had lost control and fallen into a mindless frenzy, the Minotaur Shaman with a severely contorted face cackled wildly while tearing a small clay pot from his belt.

The moment the shaman clawed off the lid, a dense buzzing sound erupted from his position. Amid his hysterical laughter, thick crimson mist began pouring out of the small pot. In less than a second, the terrifying “mist” coalesced into a writhing scarlet cloud, while the chaotic buzzing reached a crescendo—an irritating noise like countless flies swarming in the sky.

“Is this… the shaman’s Witchcraft Swarm?”

After the Minotaur Shaman released cloud after cloud of “blood mist,” Punk quickly noticed something peculiar: what appeared to be mist was actually a swarm of millimeter-sized flying insects. Thanks to the eclectic knowledge left by his cheap parents, Punk soon recognized the shaman’s witchcraft. However… these Witchcraft Swarms now charging menacingly toward him had clearly undergone significant changes.

Typically, a shaman’s Witchcraft Swarm served as a supplementary combat method—the mist-like insects mainly harassed enemies, drained their protective spells or Battle Aura, and created openings for the ancestral spirit. But corrupted by Abyssal energy, the swarms had transformed. They grew more frenzied and vicious, like a horde of starved locusts. These little monsters, now sporting fierce bone spikes, even attempted to devour space itself. Wherever the crimson “clouds” passed, vegetation and earth were gouged out, with many insects continuing to gorge until their bellies burst.

Undoubtedly, these swarms had become outright “demonic insects.” Their chaos—so extreme they would cannibalize their own kind and even their flesh—made Punk wonder if the Minotaur Shaman could still control them.

But this question would remain unanswered, for the shaman seemed unconcerned with control. He merely released swarm after swarm from the clay pot, herding the demonic insects toward Punk while roaring with laughter.”Cackle cackle cackle, run, cry, die! Use your wails of despair to amuse the supreme demon god, cackle hahaha.”

“Abyss-energy-infested demon insects? While their offensive power appears significantly enhanced, releasing them in such a brainless swarm… the destruction they can cause probably can’t even compare to ordinary Witchcraft Swarms.”

Facing the dark, wave-like swarm of demon insects crashing down like a tidal wave, Punk’s expression remained as calm and icy as ever. Before a single demon insect could fly close to him, Punk’s spell had already been completed.

“Master-Level Advent Magic – Greater Protection from Evil.”

Metamagic – Dualcast.

“Master-Level Conjuration Magic – Omnidirectional Arcane Barrier.”

With flashes of white and blue magical light, a circular cyan energy barrier instantly enveloped Punk completely. Moreover, across the surface of this cyan barrier, layers of white energy threads began wrapping around it like silken filaments.

In the very next second after these two protective spells were completed, the smoky wave of demon insects formed into a ferocious giant hand that slammed violently toward Punk.

“BOOM!”

Accompanied by spatial tremors, the giant hand dispersed upon impact with Punk’s protective spells. All the demon insects rapidly converged on their target—Punk. In an instant, the swarm surrounding him even formed a swirling vortex, spinning at high speed. Countless demon insects swarmed onto the energy barrier, frantically biting and gnawing. The friction of their Abyss-energy-infused teeth created a continuous, rustling noise.

However… the two complementary layers of magical protection were not so easily broken. As these Abyss-tainted demon insects arrived, the white energy threads on the Arcane Barrier suddenly began to writhe and dance. Upon contact with these threads created by the Greater Protection from Evil spell, the Abyss energy on the demon insects surged violently like boiling water. In the fierce conflict between the evil-saturated Abyss energy and Greater Protection from Evil, the fragile bodies of the demon insects were effortlessly torn apart into bloody dust.

“Fearless, undaunted by death, and under such dense biting conditions, these demon insects managed to deplete over ten percent of the Arcane Barrier in just a few seconds. This proves their offensive power is somewhat decent. But compared to true offensive spells, this level of attack is still merely average. Their weakness is far too obvious—the impure Abyss energy is severely countered by the Protection from Evil series of spells. When facing a mage, these insects’ combat effectiveness is inevitably greatly diminished.”

Watching swarm after swarm of demon insects explode into fragments upon contact with the white energy threads yet still charge forward relentlessly, Punk’s expression remained as unreadable as still water. Thanks to the highly Abyss-countering Greater Protection from Evil spell, these barely adequate demon insects couldn’t hope to get even a step closer to Punk. They were firmly blocked outside the barrier, harvested in groups by the dancing white energy threads.”As expected, a mad shaman couldn’t create anything remarkable. The only annoying thing about these bugs is their endless noise.”

Silently glancing at the swirling cloud of magic insects that refused to disperse, Punk murmured nonchalantly to himself.

He had quickly deciphered the Minotaur Shaman’s witchcraft. Now, in Punk’s eyes, these seemingly terrifying insects were no longer a threat, but “tools” he could utilize! So now… where could these generally low-attack “tools” be deployed?

The answer came to mind without even needing to think!

Coldly eyeing the distant knight who appeared to be “locked in intense combat, evenly matched” with the ancestral spirit, Punk instantly and decisively cast his newly prepared spell toward Kane’s direction:

“Kane… since you’re so good at fighting, why not help me clear out these bugs while you’re at it”!

“Master-Level Conjuration Spell—Kinetic Hurricane”!

(End of Chapter)