Chapter 504 – Crossing the River and Demolishing the Bridge

Smile only wanted the Divinity, which was acceptable to Punk since he was a spellcaster aiming to advance to Legendary. In Punk’s view, the path of divinity was nothing but a joke.

As for the Divinity… while it would indeed be valuable if sold to other gods, Punk couldn’t afford any contact with divine power before reaching Legendary and mastering the means to seal divine offices. Even if a divine office lay before him, Punk would avoid it like the plague—he had no intention of accidentally merging with a divine office and becoming a god.

Kane had chosen the same path as Punk and had no interest in godhood either. Thus, among the Crimson Sand God’s remaining treasures, the divine office was the only item that held no value for Punk and Kane—it was even dangerous to approach. Smile’s demand for the divine office as compensation hadn’t crossed the bottom line of the two powerhouses.

“Clap clap clap! So it’s settled with the little girl then. Punk, let’s discuss the division of the treasure now.”

Seeing the atmosphere grow silent, Kane proactively clapped his hands to lighten the mood. In the knight’s hand, the parchment inscribed with mysterious patterns was once again displayed before Punk.

Kane, who had twisted his stiff neck and slung his lance over his back, eagerly declared:

“Though it might seem arrogant to discuss shares before we even know if we’ll succeed… this grandpa is super~ confident right now! The adventure is calling us, keke keke keke!”

Waving the parchment while spouting chuunibyou lines, Kane never took his eyes off Punk.

As it turned out—perhaps because Punk’s ability to kill a conversation was too formidable, or because a sinister chill was gradually rising—Kane’s attempt to lighten the mood proved useless. The hall remained as silent as ever… and as time ticked by, Punk had already shifted his attention from Smile to Kane, his emotionless gaze now faintly gleaming with a sinister cold light!

“Kane Bisadas!”

The first to break the silence was the very one who had created it. When Punk spoke, the entire resplendent hall suddenly turned frigid:

“There’s still a minor issue to resolve regarding this adventure. For instance… shouldn’t we kick some useless ‘teammates’ out of the party?”

As these words left Punk’s mouth, the air in the hall instantly solidified. The terrifying aura made even Smile’s muscles stiffen involuntarily, while Kane’s armor abruptly blazed with golden light.

By now, Punk’s intention was clear. His plan could be summed up in four words: burning bridges after crossing the river!In fact, from the very beginning—after Kane explained his entire plan and brought Punk to meet the most crucial Godchild “Smile”—Punk had been contemplating the possibility of discarding Kane and monopolizing all the benefits. After careful consideration, Punk concluded that this idea was feasible. After all, the most critical “first” Godchild had already been found, and the Crimson Sand God’s Divine Kingdom had no deity presiding over it. Punk was confident he could locate it in the Astral Plane using Foul Divination; he might not even need Kane’s Summon Divine Kingdom Gate ritual.

Looking at it this way… Punk truly felt there was no need to cooperate with Kane. He could gather the Crimson Sand God’s bloodline on his own. As for the Eye of Judgment Contract in Kane’s possession… wouldn’t killing this knight allow him to obtain it?

Thus, with almost no hesitation, the moment Kane produced the Eye of Judgment Contract and confirmed he carried this precious magical artifact, Punk immediately prepared to strike. With the Magical Raven Vector’s Directional Interference spell as his trump card, Punk saw no possibility of losing in a confrontation with Kane. He was also certain that no ambushes set by Kane existed in this small town—after all, the impoverished knight couldn’t afford allies to counter Punk’s assault.

So, as his icy words left his lips, the azure magical radiance in Punk’s pupils abruptly began spinning at extreme speeds.

In less than a hundredth of a second, Punk could instantaneously unleash two formidable Master-Level spells and numerous solidified spells. His plan was to first cast two layers of protective spells on the indispensable “Smile,” then activate the Kewivo Modified Ruby Shield solidified on the Haitzita Magic Box to block Kane’s initial strike. Simultaneously, he’d command Vector to cast Legendary Conjuration – Directional Interference on the knight, while quickly using the Legendary Conjuration Spell – Blink solidified on the Crimson Gem Necklace to transport himself and “Smile” away from the Battlefield…

Finally! Punk intended to eliminate Kane within ten minutes!

This was Punk’s plan, and he nearly executed it. In that split second, his Staff of Five Woeful Hatreds was already drawn in a flash, and the magical glow in his hands shimmered with dazzling brilliance!

Leveraging the formidable spell control honed through refining magic, terrifying incantations had silently been prepared. Energy-saturated orbs condensed into near-solid forms, and the gold on the hall’s walls cracked under the violent elemental turbulence!

But… just as Punk was about to activate his solidified and prepared spells, a burst of Battle Aura erupted directly behind “Smile’s” neck—its radiance no less intense than Punk’s magical glow—releasing a sharp gleam that seemed to tear through the very air!

It was an acutely sharp, piercing cold light that, under the dazzling golden brilliance, made even the countless gold pieces in the hall appear dim and lackluster!The terrifying Battle Aura energy was erupting from a small dagger in Kane’s hand—a sharp blade pressed against Smile’s snow-white neck. The dagger was adorned with large, flashy but useless gems, along with… the newly attached, extremely sharp and dreadful Battle Aura!

This was an artistic decorative dagger, but in the hands of a Master-Level powerhouse like Kane, even a small twig could possess the sharpness to pierce metal and shatter jade. Especially when the “enemy” he was threatening was merely a small Stalker who hadn’t even reached the Formal-Level.

Now, Punk had no doubt that the tip of this delicate dagger had already touched Smile’s skin. With just a slight exertion from Kane, in less than a thousandth of a second, the furious Battle Aura would instantly tear Smile’s soul apart. By then, even if he attacked with all his might, Punk wouldn’t be able to save Smile from Kane’s grasp. Even the Magical Raven Vector’s “Directional Interference” would be utterly useless!

After all, although Vector possessed the ability to cast a Legendary Spell, it didn’t have Legendary-level casting speed. At such close range, unless a true Legendary powerhouse arrived, no one could free Smile from danger!

Seeing Punk abruptly halt his spell, a trace of madness flickered in Kane’s eyes—the very Kane who had instantly taken Smile hostage with his blade.

With a hint of hysteria in his tone and a cold sneer on his face, Kane roared loudly at Punk:

“Trying to burn bridges after crossing the river? Watch out or you’ll fall in yourself, Punk Cyan!”

Clearly, the cunning knight was well aware of the disparity between his strength and Punk’s, and he had anticipated Punk’s possible actions.

In fact, it was quite possible that from the moment he brought Smile before Punk… this cautious fellow had already been guarding against Punk’s sudden attack!

(End of Chapter)