Chapter 467 – The Curtain Falls

The Mage Hand, carrying a brilliant azure radiance, forcefully breached the barrier created by the shockwave under the propulsion of immense mana. Under Kane’s furious gaze, the energy-formed hand directly seized the Legendary Equipment along with a large chunk of solid ground.

“Bastard, that belongs to me!”

Roaring loudly, even as kinetic fragments bombarded his Battle Aura armor, Kane thrust his Lance toward the Mage Hand from a distance.

At this moment, the knight, his eyes bloodshot, no longer cared whether he would be attacked. It was clear that he intended to withstand Punk’s spell to intercept the rapidly retracting Mage Hand.

Kane knew that if the Legendary Equipment fell into Punk’s hands… he would have no chance of reclaiming it. From this perspective, Kane’s deliberate neglect of defense was a strategic sacrifice—he was intentionally exposing a weakness to lure Punk into attacking. If Punk took the bait, Kane might still have a chance to seize the Legendary Equipment.

But… Punk was not going to fall for the knight’s trick.

If there were a real opportunity to kill Kane, the cautious Punk would undoubtedly prioritize eliminating the troublesome knight over securing the equipment. However… facing a knight as formidable as Kane, Punk lacked confidence in achieving a kill. He couldn’t even be sure whether Kane’s exposed weakness was a cunning trap. After all, Punk had nearly exhausted his trump cards, while it was uncertain whether Kane still had hidden ones.

Observing Kane’s Battle Aura armor, which showed little sign of weakening, Punk, after a brief moment of contemplation, abandoned the idea of pursuing Kane.

This expedition to the Raging Wave Desert had already yielded substantial gains for Punk. The Legendary Equipment was too crucial to risk. Ensuring the secure retrieval of the crimson necklace, now within his grasp, was paramount. As for Kane, a truly dangerous foe… what benefit was there in fighting him to the death? Just for that average-quality Master-Level Lance in his possession?

Thus, Punk calmly ignored Kane’s provocation. To counter any interception attempt with Kane’s Lance, he even expended additional mana to cast a reinforcement spell on the Mage Hand:

Master-Level Enchantment Magic—Arcane Enhancement.

Instantly covered in glowing runes, the Mage Hand dramatically increased its retrieval speed. Under the spell’s enhancement, the purple energy hand shot back toward Punk at tens of times the speed of sound. This sudden acceleration not only rendered Kane’s interception futile but also caused visible ripples in Punk’s defensive barriers as substantial kinetic energy impacted them.

And along with the rapidly retreating kinetic energy came… the crimson gemstone necklace.

“Boom”!!Grabbing the necklace that flew toward him faster than a sniper bullet, Punk felt his hand bones crack and shatter from the impact. Yet as his reddened fingers tightly clenched the massive ruby on the necklace, overwhelming joy surged in his heart.

He had it! This necklace that could grant the wearer extensive protective spell enhancements and contained the solidified “Legendary Spell—Blink”; this very artifact that had allowed Ovakain to dominate the peak of Level 19 was finally in his grasp! Now, without a doubt, even Kane lacked the ability to snatch this trophy from Punk’s hands. This precious and powerful Legendary Equipment now belonged to Punk.

After deliberately acting calm and tucking the crimson necklace close to his body, Punk slowly raised his head to cautiously observe Kane, who stood frozen in place.

The current situation left Punk no choice but to be cautious, for Kane’s expression… was truly as terrifying as a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey. In those golden pupils, molten lava seemed to boil and flow, while the lance gripped tightly in his hand was enveloped by a high-pressure Battle Aura swirling like an energy vortex!

Kane’s mood was easy to understand… after all, this knight had been terribly unlucky. As an evil-chaos aligned professional, it was already quite difficult for him to restrain himself from going berserk until now.

Consider this: compared to Punk’s bountiful gains, Kane’s circumstances could only be described as “suffering a double loss after a failed attempt.” The unfortunate knight had first received erroneous information from who-knows-where, then risked danger to venture deep into the Raging Wave Sand Sea, only to encounter Punk—a formidable mage known for “leaving no blade of grass untouched and plucking every feather from a passing goose.” Later, he even fought fiercely against a monster like Sorsend over a target born entirely from misunderstanding.

The most tragic part was that after the hard-fought battle, Kane gained absolutely nothing. Even the flashy armor he had worn earlier turned to ashes in the terrifying aftermath of the combat.

Having endured such a streak of misfortune, how could Kane not erupt in fury? By now, he was practically seething with rage!

It was precisely because he understood Kane’s state of mind that Punk, who had been in high spirits all along, had to remain wary of the silent knight. Logically, Kane shouldn’t recklessly attack an Level 18 mage like Punk now, but… looking at the knight’s icy, unmasked expression…

To be honest, if the knight standing at the crater’s center were to raise his lance and charge into a desperate fight, Punk wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

However, having already secured nearly all the spoils to the maximum extent, Punk had no desire to risk a full-blown confrontation with Kane. In fact, fearing he might provoke the nearly explosive knight, Punk—though somewhat tempted to mock the flashy knight—ultimately chose to retreat slowly with an expressionless face.

Punk’s stance was clear: I won’t stir up trouble, but if anyone wants a fight, I’ll absolutely oblige!

So… would Kane lose control and turn hostile?

The answer was… no!

As Punk gradually stepped back, Kane, his pupils brimming with intense killing intent, slowly withdrew the Battle Aura coiling around his lance.Kane was indeed a knight of chaotic evil alignment, but he hadn’t descended into complete irrationality. No matter how unwilling he felt, Kane clearly recognized that what he faced wasn’t a severely wounded dying prey, but a powerful spellcaster whose remaining capabilities remained unknown.

Fighting Punk was unwise. Just as Punk would find it difficult to stop Kane from escaping, if Punk decided to retreat wholeheartedly, Kane had no means to prevent it. Moreover, there was a significant possibility he might not be able to defeat Punk at all – being slain on the spot would mean utter ruin.

After weighing these considerations, Kane finally suppressed his impulse to charge forward desperately. Facing Punk’s icy blue pupils, the knight whose eyes burned with intensity ultimately chose to retreat silently.

Thus, this final confrontation concluded in an anticlimactic manner.

Both Kane and Punk cautiously retreated step by step until sufficient distance separated them. Then simultaneously, they burst forth at their maximum speed flying in opposite directions.

At this point, within the vast desert of the Raging Wave Sand Sea, the hatred originating from the Hoth Mountains, the Nightmare Cult’s schemes, and the mutual calculations between Punk and Kane… all came to a complete end.

Apologies for the delayed updates due to numerous matters during the New Year period! But rest assured there will be no interruptions or reductions in updates.

(End of Chapter)