With an earth-shattering roar, a massive figure burst out of the cave. Its hard alchemical armor crashed through rock walls, sending echoes reverberating through the tunnel. The sheer force of its roar created shockwaves that blew dust and gravel into the air.
Standing before Punk was a monstrous construct, towering at least seven meters high. Its small head was inlaid with four glowing green eyes, each flickering ominously. Every inch of its body was covered in enchanted alchemical armor, pulsating with magical energy. Its razor-sharp claws gouged deep trenches into the ground as easily as slicing through tofu. But the most terrifying aspect was its sheer mass—this monstrosity weighed at least ten tons, yet it barreled toward them with the velocity of a fighter jet.
As the behemoth charged, a shimmering shield composed of dozens of interlocking energy bricks materialized in front of it, blocking its vulnerable vision modules. Golem One, aiming for its eyes with an acid spray, found the attack utterly ineffective.
"Damn it! Bahanger, aim for its head!"
Without hesitation, Punk unleashed the "Kinetic Energy Suppression" spell he had prepared in advance. Thanks to his precise systematic analysis, the spell engulfed the construct entirely, dramatically slowing its charge. Seizing the opportunity, Bahanger launched himself into the air, his heavy hammer brimming with battle-hardened vindictiveness.
"Let me teach you how to shut up!"
Boom!
With a thunderous impact, the hammer crashed into the behemoth's shield. Cracks spread like shattered glass, sending shockwaves through the cave. The surrounding rock walls splintered under the sheer force of the collision.
The behemoth staggered, momentarily halted. But almost instantly, a surge of energy coursed through its body from an unknown core, and the fractured shield began regenerating at an alarming rate.
Punk narrowed his eyes. He swiftly fired five or six consecutive "Kinetic Energy Burst" spells, but to his frustration, the construct evaded half of them with surprising agility. Even when it was hit, its barrier replenished faster than expected.
"Damn it, this is going nowhere."
The construct's defensive capabilities were monstrous. With its unnatural recovery rate and superior computational processing, it was perfectly suited to stall them. Even though it lacked overwhelming offensive power, its regenerative shield and sheer durability meant it could keep them trapped here indefinitely.
The best strategy was clear—cut off its connection to the energy core. Fighting it head-on was a last resort.
Punk called out to Kang Kai, who was stealthily surveying the area from above.
"Kang Kai! Have you located the core or at least traced its energy conduit?"
But Kang Kai's response was grim.
"No luck! The legendary energy interference here is too strong—I can't detect anything."
"Damn it! Why the hell does Tishachar have no problem sensing things? She's been cursing at us through projections nonstop!" Bahanger roared in frustration, hammering away at the construct's shield. Despite his relentless assault, the barrier absorbed every blow, cracking momentarily before repairing itself. The sight of this endless recovery only fueled his anger.
Neither Punk nor Kang Kai had an answer. Punk had his suspicions—Tishachar likely possessed legendary-tier equipment granting her enhanced perception—but he kept that to himself.
For now, all three of them focused on one objective: break through this construct and stop whatever twisted plan Tishachar was enacting.
With no alternative, they resorted to brute force.
Without exchanging further words, they synchronized their assault—Punk bombarded the construct with kinetic energy bursts, Golem One pounced with razor-sharp claws, and Kang Kai darted through the shadows of the cave, launching vindictive energy blades whenever he found an opening. Meanwhile, Bahanger circled the beast's massive frame, hammer swinging relentlessly.
At first, the construct struggled to keep up with their coordinated attacks, relying mostly on its regenerating shield. Occasionally, it reared back and slammed the ground in retaliation, but it remained largely on the defensive.
Then, suddenly, it adapted.
Without warning, the behemoth unleashed a counterattack.
Punk's eyes narrowed—this thing wasn't just reacting; it was analyzing their tactics. Its combat module wasn't just advanced—it was at the level of a master-tier construct.
The monster raised its head and let out a piercing, ethereal wail.
A spell was activated—Official-Level Conjuration: Mind Roar.
This was a devastating area-of-effect attack. Though it lacked the piercing lethality of "Mind Scream" or the sheer destructive power of "Secondary Mind Blast," it covered a massive radius. There was no way to avoid it—Punk, Bahanger, and Kang Kai were all caught in its range.
Punk reacted instantly. His "Mental Barrier" flared to life, absorbing the brunt of the psychic shockwave. The invisible shield rippled violently, but held strong. He immediately followed up, ordering Golem One to unleash another acid spray at the behemoth.
Once again, the acid proved useless against the rapidly regenerating shield.
Bahanger and Kang Kai, however, weren't as fortunate.
The dwarf, shielded by his battle-hardened vindictiveness, recovered in mere tenths of a second, shaking off the psychic assault. But Kang Kai…
Kang Kai had been caught completely off guard.
His body went rigid mid-air. For a single, fatal moment, he was paralyzed.