The morning light rippled across the vast wilderness, its golden brilliance stretching over the Vera Grassland in the northern reaches of the Lush Forest. The morning mist thinned, and dew clung to the blades of grass, magnifying their emerald veins.
The grassland had just awakened from its slumber, its whispers carried on the breeze, its gentle swaying a sign of lingering drowsiness. Silence draped over the fields, disturbed only by the shifting mist drifting with the wind.
Then—
In an instant, three figures streaked across the plains.
Insects, just roused from their rest, scattered in panic as the tranquil expanse was torn apart.
This was a three-man team—a mage, a warrior, and a ranger—all of them official-level powerhouses. In Dolazi City, they were the highest-tier combat force that could be mobilized.
The mage was Punk.
The warrior, Bahanger.
The ranger, Kang Kai.
Punk advanced like a thunderbolt, cutting through the grassland like an arrowhead. He carried Golem One alongside him, the force of his passage sending shockwaves through the air and ripping apart the grass beneath him.
Kang Kai moved differently.
Wrapped in his wind-attribute battle aura, he was like a passing breeze—swift, quiet, barely disturbing the trembling blades of grass.
Bahanger, however, was a force of nature unto himself.
Like a cannonball, he propelled forward with sheer brute force, his every step leaving craters in the earth. The ground shuddered beneath his charge, and with each stride a deafening boom echoed across the plains.
Punk, leading the charge, couldn't help but feel speechless at the dwarf's antics.
With Bahanger's presence, stealth was a non-factor.
Running away in the face of danger?
Impossible.
Not when your ally announced your location with the force of a battlefield cataclysm.
Yet Bahanger cared little for such concerns.
His mind was consumed by a single thought—
speed.
His footfalls grew heavier, his pace faster, his movements more reckless. Even when a stone blocked his path, he didn't bother dodging—he simply smashed through it, sending fragments flying.
This operation had been initiated by Punk himself.
By afflicting Gorat with the plague, he had effectively forced Bahanger to join their cause. Kang Kai, dedicated to saving Dolazi City, had agreed without hesitation, bringing them to the first target—
a perfume factory tied to Tishachar's church.
The Huofu Farm.
According to Hutt's confession, over a dozen noble households were connected to the Tishachar Church. Punk's prophecy spells had confirmed the intelligence.
Their current objective was clear:
Storm the "factory strongholds" of the cult and root out any information.
If Tishachar was hiding in one of these locations, they would flush her out.
If she had sought refuge among the noble estates, their allies in the city—church priests and paladins—would handle the purge.
The city's church members had been reluctant.
They didn't trust a plan crafted and led by Punk, and many suspected they were being used as cannon fodder.
But with the momentum already in motion, they had no choice but to comply.
As the sun rose over Dolazi City, the battle was set to begin.
The three-man team surged forward at full speed, their destination approaching rapidly.
Kang Kai hoped that Tishachar would reveal herself in the city, so their fight would take place in the open fields rather than amidst the urban sprawl.
A battle in the city could lead to countless casualties—something he was determined to avoid.
To Punk, this arrangement was equally beneficial.
He had no interest in exposing his legendary equipment to prying eyes.
Thus, he had readily agreed to Kang Kai's plan and even provided specific battle guidelines for the church's forces.
Of course, those guidelines also included a hidden directive—
to eliminate the elite priests as soon as possible.
The last thing Punk needed was for a pious fool with talent to uncover the presence of legendary artifacts and sacrifice their soul to notify their god.
As for Bahanger?
The dwarf's priorities were simple.
So long as he could kill Tishachar, he didn't care whether the battle took place on the mortal plane or in the depths of the Abyss.
Yet even as they moved forward, Kang Kai's gaze never left Punk's back.
The ranger had no illusions about his "ally."
This mage, cloaked in his black-and-red robes, was far more than he appeared.
Kang Kai was no fool.
He understood that Punk knew far more than he revealed.
And the fact that both Lord Gorat and Kescarther had fallen ill at the same time?
That was no coincidence.
But now was not the time for confrontation.
Dolazi City couldn't afford internal conflict, and Bahanger would be of no help if a dispute broke out.
For now, Kang Kai had to push aside his doubts.
"I just hope I'm being paranoid," he muttered under his breath.
But if he wasn't…
If this mage had a larger scheme in motion…
the consequences would be disastrous.
Kang Kai loosened his grip on the dagger in his palm, exhaling slowly.
At this moment, Punk was still an ally.
And the ranger would not betray his companions over mere suspicions.
The Huofu Farm was close now.
On the surface, it appeared ordinary.
Simple wooden houses, grazing cattle, and vast fields of golden crops stretched across the land.
But the moment they laid eyes on the farm—
none of them were deceived.
The area was shielded by a concealment spell—one that might fool apprentice-level mages, but not an official-level powerhouse.
To Punk, the dense magical fluctuations radiating beneath the farm were unmistakable—
clear as a beacon in the night.
This was no ordinary farm.
This was a stronghold of the Tishachar Church.