Punk sneered as he watched the stalker retreat into the Plane of Shadow. The Dust of Revelation spread through the air, dyeing every leaf around them gold. The shimmering powder crossed spatial and dimensional barriers, clinging to the two enemies like phosphorescent markers and making them glaringly obvious despite their attempts to hide.
A cruel smile flickered across Punk's cold face.
"So, you really underestimated a prepared wizard."
A small, ominous gray sphere hovered above his palm, pulsing with unstable energy. In just two seconds, the two unfortunate stalkers were forced back into reality.
In truth, they didn't even last the full two seconds. The corrosive shadow energy overwhelmed them almost immediately, repelling them from the Plane of Shadow. But now—coated in the Dust of Revelation, golden specks clinging stubbornly to their bodies—they were glaringly conspicuous. The tight-fitting outfits meant to blend them into the night had instead become a beacon, rendering their once-perfect concealment useless.
The moment one of the stalkers reappeared, Punk struck mercilessly.
She barely had time to react. Gathering as much shadow energy as possible, she formed a barrier around her upper body. It was a desperate attempt—shadow energy was never meant for defense—but it was all she had.
It made no difference.
The destructive power of Punk's Lesser Disintegration spell far exceeded that of ordinary apprentice-level magic. Even a heavily armored warrior would have suffered severe injuries from such an attack. Against a stalker with flimsy protection?
The result was… unsightly.
The dense gray energy flashed once—
—and her upper body disintegrated into a spray of minuscule fragments of flesh and bone.
Blood gushed from her ruined corpse, staining the earth beneath her still-standing legs. In the eerie stillness of the night, the sight was grotesquely vivid.
Her partner stood frozen.
She watched, wide-eyed, as her companion was torn apart before her.
Tears welled in her eyes, catching the golden light like shattered glass. Then, as grief twisted into fury, her face contorted into something feral.
"BASTARD!!! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Her voice cracked, raw with rage.
She no longer cared about stealth. Shadow energy surged into the twin daggers in her trembling hands, staining the blades a deep, menacing black. Her nails dug into her palms, drawing fresh blood that dripped down the dark steel.
There was nothing left to say. No more tactics. No more hesitation.
She lunged.
Burning her life force, she activated Shadow Rush at full overload. A suicidal attack. She no longer cared whether she survived—only that she inflicted as much damage as possible.
She was a viper with its tail cut off, striking with nothing left to lose.
Her daggers, now devoid of reflection, seemed to devour the very light around them. Like fragments of the abyss itself, they cut through the night, aimed directly at Punk's heart.
"DIE!!!"
Punk didn't flinch.
Behind the translucent sheen of his Mage Shield, he watched the stalker charge like a rabid beast. The sheer absurdity of the situation almost made him laugh.
Just days ago, this same woman had ambushed him with smug confidence, declaring, "I won't miss this time!"
Not long after, she and her partner had coldly slaughtered the last two remaining soldiers right in front of him.
And now?
Now that the tables had turned, she shrieked as if she were the victim of some great injustice—as if only she had the right to kill, and anyone daring to kill her companion had committed an unforgivable sin.
Utterly ridiculous.
"You have no power. No knowledge. No right to act like some self-righteous fool. It's disgusting."
His voice was quiet, but filled with unmistakable contempt.
The enraged stalker crashed into his Mage Shield, her daggers screeching against the barrier as energy flared violently upon impact. Shadow energy clashed against mana, sending shockwaves through the air. Blue sparks and fragmented shadows scattered, carving deep cracks into the ground beneath them.
But it was pointless.
Punk sighed. He had lost interest in this farce.
With a simple command, his Mage Shieldshattered—not from an enemy attack, but from his own deliberate detonation. The resulting explosion of concentrated magical energy blasted outward, slamming into the stalker with brutal force.
She staggered, completely unprepared.
The backlash from her disrupted Shadow Rush struck her like a hammer. A mixture of shadow energy and mana fragments tore through her insides, shredding her organs apart. Thick, dark blood gushed from her mouth, carrying chunks of ruptured flesh. Half her face was slick with red.
Her knees hit the ground.
Yet even now, barely clinging to life, her hatred burned brighter than ever.
She glared up at Punk, her trembling fingers reaching for her fallen dagger.
But her strength was gone. The weapon slipped from her grasp, clattering uselessly against the blood-soaked earth.
Still, she refused to submit.
With the last dregs of her life, she pushed herself up and screamed.
"You killed Yunlianna! You killed my only family! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY! I SWEAR IT! I SWEAR!!! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!!!"
Her shrill, maddened shrieks echoed into the silent night.
Punk simply stared, expressionless.
"Pathetic."
With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed Force Bolt.
The spell flew straight toward her forehead—merciless, swift, and final.