Chapter 40 – Battle of the Dark Night (Part Three)

Suddenly, without a sound, a pitch-black figure abruptly materialized from the air behind Punk, while another identical figure appeared simultaneously behind Kane!

“Three enemies?” In that split second, Punk’s mind raced at lightning speed, sapphire magical radiance swirling like miniature vortices in his pupils!

“No! It’s not—it’s a skill—Shadow Clone”!

Punk almost instantly arrived at this accurate conclusion. Had there truly been three enemies, both he and Kane would have died during the first ambush, leaving no opportunity to ponder enemy numbers at all!

Just as Punk reached this realization, the two pitch-black figures moved with lightning speed, their slender curved emerald daggers slicing toward Punk and Kane’s throats! Though the death-bringing green blades drew closer by the moment, not a trace of panic showed on Punk’s face.

The Shadow Clone technique utilized shadow energy to create and manipulate a phantom nearly identical to the original for attacks and other actions. However, being merely an illusory shadow, the clone possessed no substantial offensive or defensive capabilities—its sole purpose was to deceive enemies rather than inflict harm.

Now, through System analysis, the energy flow in the shadow before him showed slight disorder and redundancy, indicating an 80% probability it was an illusory clone. Yet Punk unhesitatingly released the “Minor Shield” spell he’d prepared. While both System analysis and logical deduction—that the enemy should prioritize attacking Kane who stood closer to protect their companion—suggested the assailant before him was merely a phantom, who could guarantee the enemy wouldn’t exploit conventional thinking by disguising their true self as a clone? Punk wasn’t willing to gamble with his life.

This time, however, the enemy employed no tricks. The dagger gleaming with eerie green cold light dissipated into mist-like shadows upon contacting the pale blue shield Punk conjured—it was indeed just a clone!

“Then…” Punk turned his gaze toward Kane. Without question, the shadow-wreathed dark figure assaulting Kane was the enemy’s true form.

As a knight, Kane specialized in charged assaults. His sharp but overly long lance proved ill-suited for close-quarters combat, and while his enchanted armor provided formidable defense, it also reduced his agility. Thus, being closed in by a nimble Stalker placed Kane at a severe disadvantage.

But Kane was no pushover. With thunderous speed, he abruptly arched backward while his blazing lance—wreathed in intense Battle Aura—executed an upward diagonal thrust against the enemy. In that moment, Kane had not only avoided instant death but also mounted an effective counterattack. Should the enemy persist in pursuing the kill, they might stand a fair chance of slashing Kane’s throat, but would inevitably be cleaved in two by the lance in return.Trapped in the pit, Kane failed to notice the first Stalker’s unusual behavior initially. Faced with the sudden assault from this second Stalker, though he hadn’t preemptively defended like Punk, Kane still opted for the survival strategy with the highest odds—a gamble!

He was betting that the enemy wouldn’t dare to perish together with him!

The outcome proved his gamble successful. The second Stalker lightly stepped mid-air, and as faint shadowy ripples spread from the point where her toes touched nothingness, her figure drifted away like a petal carried by a gentle breeze.

“Shadow Step”—this agile skill granting Stalkers the ability to tread without leaving traces—allowed the second Stalker to effortlessly evade Kane’s attack, but she also lost her final chance to eliminate him!

Kane erupted with Battle Aura, instantly launching a Charge while his body nearly scraped the ground. Almost grazing the earth, he burst out of the pit and, after several rolls to dissipate momentum, stood beside Punk.

By this time, both enemy Stalkers had vanished into stealth once more. Across the night-shrouded, fissured land, everything returned to a state of “as if nothing had happened,” yet everyone knew a grave crisis was silently brewing in the darkness…

Punk’s face was pale, and Kane’s was no different. Pute, already terrified stiff by the lethal, rapid-paced combat, trembled so violently he couldn’t even stand!

Victory now seemed utterly unattainable; retreat (or flight) was the only viable path. However, the night offered immense advantages to their foes, and escaping under the noses of two Stalkers clearly outranking them was easier said than done!

With little time to deliberate, Punk immediately cast a costly Apprentice-Level Conjuration spell—Mage Armor. A gray, circular shield dotted with sparkling blue motes enveloped him. Facing enemies who could strike from any direction at any moment, a 360-degree defense was crucial. Kane, disregarding the damage to his armor, saturated it with radiant Battle Aura. Now, he stood motionless like a golden-glowing statue, gripping his Lance tightly!

This could be considered their most comprehensive defensive posture. Even if the two Stalkers attacked with full force, not only would they fail to breach these layered defenses, but they’d also expose their positions.

However… there was one significant… drawback that couldn’t be ignored—the immense energy drain.

Both Punk’s Mage Armor and Kane’s Battle Aura infusion required continuous output of mana or aura to sustain. Even without intense attacks further depleting their energy, given Punk and Kane’s Apprentice-Level soul capacities, they could maintain this state for only a few minutes at most. Once their mana and aura were exhausted, the two, stripped of their “turtle shell” protection, would face even slimmer chances of survival!In truth, given Punk and Kane’s speed, if they fled at full capacity—no, made a full retreat—they stood a fair chance of success. After all, Stalkers, skilled in concealment, lacked the vast stamina of warriors or the convenient speed-enhancing spells of mages. Thus, Punk and Kane were like antelopes trying to shake off a cheetah’s pursuit: if they could evade the initial burst of the cheetah’s full-speed charge, they could easily outpace the exhausted predator by maintaining their velocity over time.

But the problem was… how could they maximize their chances of dodging the initial pursuit of these two exceptional Stalker cheetahs?

Punk subtly glanced toward the distant, now faintly visible Konola City. With the System’s analysis, the answer quickly emerged: based on the enemies’ mobility displayed in the previous battle, their peak speed could only be sustained for about fifteen seconds!

However, during those fifteen seconds, Punk and Kane were in grave danger. No one could guarantee that the enemies wouldn’t have some secret technique to explosively increase their speed, and while fleeing at full tilt, the two had no capacity to counterattack!

So… if there were a method to temporarily hinder the enemies’ pursuit, it would significantly boost the safety of their retreat (escape). Ideally, something that forced the enemies to stop and deal with a nuisance, buying time until… they had already fled far away!

And this method… was actually quite simple!

A faint, bone-chilling smirk curled at the corner of Punk’s lips.

(End of Chapter)