Chapter 463 – Crisis

Sorsend’s escape was doomed to fail.

In fact, from the moment he hid in the sanctuary array he had created according to plan, his defeat was already inevitable. Punk possessed far more knowledge than Sorsend could have imagined. After the array was broken, Sorsend’s frantic escape, which he believed to be quite effective, became nothing more than a laughable joke.

Originally, Punk intended to use “Disintegrate” to attack Sorsend’s Blood Golem. However, considering that the spellcasting materials for this golem included Sorsend’s own blood saturated with Abyssal energy, Punk opted for the alchemical spell “Rapid Disintegration Ray” as a precaution. This spell was more suitable for dealing with semi-summoned, semi-alchemical creations like the Blood Golem.

As it turned out, Punk’s attack was highly successful.

Sorsend had no chance to run more than a few steps. A mage without enough mana to cast additional defensive spells was simply a living target. The Blood Golem, struck by the “Rapid Disintegration Ray,” crumbled instantly, just as Punk had anticipated.

Thus, Sorsend, who had always regarded himself as a hunter, finally met his end.

“What a pitiful sight. Shouldn’t facing death with composure be a basic quality for a strong individual?”

Punk watched coldly as Sorsend hobbled away, desperately trying to escape, yet his expression remained as calm and unruffled as still water.

Bathed in the faint purple light compressing at the tip of his staff, Punk resembled a traveler admiring the scenery. His serene demeanor suggested that killing a level 19 Master-Level expert was as effortless as lifting a hand for him.

Ignoring Sorsend’s chaotic curses and roars, Punk, who had remained expressionless throughout, casually raised his emerald staff.

The next moment, as the faint purple radiance tore through the barriers of space, Sorsend’s head exploded with a dull thud…

And so, Sosend Jess, who had roamed the Raging Wave Desert for millennia and had slain seven Master-Level experts (including Tandak and Zola), met his demise.

His blood splattered in the fierce wind, his bones turned to dust under the terrifying kinetic impact, his flesh and blood flowed together across the crystallized ground, and his soul vanished into nothingness amid the surge of magical energy…

Whether one is a lofty powerhouse or a destitute beggar at the bottom, when death truly arrives, their corpses are fundamentally no different. Just like Sorsend’s headless body now collapsed on the ground—for the deceased Sorsend, what difference was there between his end and that of a street urchin frozen to death in the cold wind?

“Death, nothing more than this.”

Punk murmured softly to himself as he carefully used “Life Detection” to confirm Sorsend’s true death.

To him, Sorsend’s death was merely the disappearance of an enemy, nothing more.The battle within this “Oasis” had long slipped from Sorsend’s control. Even if the instigator himself had fallen, the Demon Sub-Lord’s projected colossal claw wouldn’t vanish. For Punk, Sorsend’s demise merely meant one less dangerous enemy—his fight was far from over!

In the few seconds it took Punk to eliminate Sorsend, the Demon Sub-Lord’s projected claw had already risen high again. Clearly, this impatient Demon Sub-Lord was deeply dissatisfied with the insects’ escape and hiding. The power he now gathered grew denser and more immense, making each subsequent strike increasingly devastating.

Scooping up the grotesque staff Sorsend had dropped, Punk swiftly moved toward the corpse while carefully planning his next steps. “The Demon Sub-Lord’s projection isn’t the main issue yet—it’s stuck in place. Even taking two heavy blows would still offer a solid chance to escape.”

Reaching Sorsend’s body, he hastily stripped all magical items from it… while pointedly ignoring Kane charging toward his position. “Hmm… another troublesome problem—Ovakain and Kane won’t let this go. Especially that major headache Ovakain. Kane definitely won’t bother intercepting the black dragon anymore. That lunatic will become a serious obstacle.”

After casting “Rapid Shift” on himself, he darted leftward, snatched the unconscious Magical Raven Vector lying motionless on the ground, then immediately rolled aside to narrowly evade a massively powerful “Aurora Thrust” combat skill.

“Fine, maybe we can use the Demon Sub-Lord’s projection against that ‘saint’ Ovakain. But the real annoyance—Kane—is absolutely infuriating!”

Though covered in dust and disheveled after these rapid, fluid movements, Punk successfully claimed all of Sorsend’s “inheritance.” Yet instead of showing pleasure, his expression grew colder and grimmer as he acquired the spoils.

Under Punk’s icy gaze, an equally frosty-faced Kane charged toward him, lance in hand, radiating menace. Clearly, Kane couldn’t accept Punk’s repeated unilateral seizure of all loot. With Ovakain fixated on attacking Punk, Kane now effectively allied with the black dragon against him. With Sorsend thoroughly dead, the enraged Kane was finally reaching his breaking point.

Making no move to stop the black dragon speeding toward Punk, Kane only shouted with a grotesque sneer: “Kekekeke, old friend! So you’ve hogged the loot again? Does your conscience not ache? Am I truly so worthless in your eyes?”Without another word, Kane brandished his gleaming golden lance and launched a Charge directly at Punk, completely ignoring the Demon Sub-Lord’s Projection giant claw that was about to strike down once more. Clearly, for a knight who pursued a purely offensive path, whether he himself suffered severe injuries was of little consequence—as long as his enemy was wounded more gravely or even killed on the spot, victory would belong to him.

Thus, at this moment, Kane’s tactics were remarkably straightforward. His goal was to deprive Punk of the focus needed to defend against the Demon Sub-Lord’s Projection giant claw. In a scenario where neither could mount a defense, Kane, as a combat professional, was bound to fare far better than Punk.

For Punk, however, the most troublesome adversaries were not limited to Kane alone—there was also Ovakain, who, like Kane, had burst forth at full speed, jaws agape as he lunged to bite down on him.

At this moment, the terrifying Battlefield revealed its sinister, ever-changing nature in full. Due to Sorsend’s death, Kane and Ovakain—who had been locked in a life-or-death struggle just moments before—had abruptly joined forces. Meanwhile, Punk, who had been calmly pursuing Sorsend mere seconds ago, now found himself suddenly trapped in a perilous situation, targeted by Kane, Ovakain, and the Demon Sub-Lord’s Projection giant claw all at once.

There was no time for negotiation or deliberation. In this abrupt, fleeting instant, Punk’s crisis… had descended without warning!

(End of Chapter)