The Construct Behemoth lacked the flexibility of a true mind. It prioritized only the enemy engaging it in direct combat, which meant that this "big brute" completely ignored Punk, who was preparing his spell, and focused all its attacks on Bahanger, making the battlefield a chaotic mess.
With Punk and Bahanger sharing the pressure, the metal shards chasing Kang Kai slowed down considerably, giving him a moment to catch his breath. The healing potion had already sealed most of his wounds, and before long, he would recover enough combat power to rejoin the fight.
A few seconds later, Punk's spell was completed. This was the first time he had ever used this particular official-level spell in battle. Originally designed for mundane purposes, it was by no means lacking in technical complexity—so much so that he had even failed twice before successfully casting it.
As the saying goes, there are no useless spells, only useless wizards. Even a formal-level spell invented for handling life's trivialities would soon prove invaluable here.
Official Summoning Spell – Vegetable Garden Destroyer:
Summons hundreds of Chirada Rabbits capable of rapidly devouring organic matter.
Note: Each Chirada Rabbit possesses an innate magical ability—Lesser Swift, usable once per day.
This spell had virtually no combat value. While the rabbits' rapid devouring of organic matter could be a nuisance to trainee-level creatures, it was entirely ineffective in formal-level battles.
True to its name, this spell was originally invented by Grandmaster Chirada for his apprentices to clear magical vegetable gardens. Punk had no idea where his cheap parents had found such a bizarre spell, but in his view, its main value lay in the research of large-scale summoning spell models. After all, even useless spells created by grand arcanists were bound to have some hidden merits.
What he hadn't expected was for these little rabbits to become the stars of today's battle.
"Quack? Quack, quack, quack..."
The moment the summoning was complete, a mysterious gray summoning circle silently appeared in Punk's hand, and one after another, gray-furred rabbits leapt out.
Within moments, the cavern floor was filled with them. These rabbits looked just like ordinary gray rabbits—red eyes, three-lobed mouths, soft delicate fur. The only strange thing was their cry:
"Quack?"
The moment they landed, the little creatures began twitching their noses, sniffing around impatiently. True to their reputation as "vegetable destroyers," they displayed an admirable level of dedication to their task.
But Punk hadn't summoned hundreds of noisy rabbits for their cuteness.
He quickly ordered them to activate their innate spell—Lesser Swift.
Immediately, the rabbits blurred into motion, transforming into dozens of gray streaks zipping across the battlefield. At the same time, the magical fluctuations triggered by their talent spells caught the attention of the metal shards.
These fluctuations weren't particularly strong, but they were sufficiently chaotic.
The shards, previously locked onto Kang Kai, suddenly hesitated mid-air before violently dispersing, each choosing a different rabbit to pursue.
"Kang Kai! The shards are weakened when they split up—destroy them now!" Punk called out.
"Got it! No problem!"
Without hesitation, Kang Kai stopped running and activated his combat techniques—Whirling Saw and Oscillating Blade.
In an instant, his figure became a blur, leaving behind dozens of afterimages as he tore through the scattered shards. Though the enchanted metal pieces weren't completely shattered, the oscillations disrupted their energy circuits, leaving them trembling weakly in midair before they fell to the ground, lifeless like ordinary scraps of metal.
"As expected—their strength is significantly reduced when separated. If they hadn't scattered, it would've been impossible to break through their enchantments purely with kinetic energy."
Punk analyzed the situation carefully.
He hadn't attacked immediately. Instead, he had urged Kang Kai to take the initiative, using him to confirm his hypothesis. Now that Kang Kai's success had proven the validity of his tactic, Punk was certain—the Chirada Rabbit Decoy Strategy was a resounding success.
However, he still had lingering doubts about the metal shards and the Construct Behemoth.
"The difference between these two things isn't just in their 'style'… A heavily armored frontline construct with assassination-type support weapons? That could be chalked up to the designer's eccentricity. But the sheer inconsistency in their technical quality… there's no way this was intentional."
Punk strongly suspected that the Construct Behemoth and the metal shards had been created by two different people. Their coordination was crude at best—disjointed and ineffective. The Construct Behemoth's intelligence core was clearly incapable of keeping up with the speed and precision of the shards, which explained why the latter relied entirely on an automatic targeting system rather than any true intelligence.
"Whatever. I can figure that out later. First, let's deal with the enemy in front of us."
Although Punk suspected this strange construct puppet had ties to the legendary artifact in Tishachar's possession, he didn't have the luxury of time to investigate further.
Kang Kai's progress in clearing the metal shards was slow, but the shards weren't exactly efficient at eliminating the Chirada Rabbits either.
Meanwhile, Bahanger's battle against the Construct Behemoth was becoming increasingly strained.
The dwarf was still hammering away, his strikes heavier with each blow, but the construct's energy reserves seemed inexhaustible. By contrast, Bahanger's battle aura was running dangerously low.
Despite shouting—
"Come on! This is nothing! I'm barely even tickling it! How boring!"
—his true thoughts were painfully clear.
His enchanted armor, once gleaming with brilliance, was now dulled and cracked. Even his war hammer showed signs of wear.
Yet, the Construct Behemoth's onslaught remained relentless. Every one of its attacks created shockwaves that rattled the battlefield, and raw energy seeped like mist from the gaps in its alchemical plating.
"Dammit, Punk! Haven't you handled things over there yet?! I'm a warrior, not a fortress! I can't hold out forever!"
Bahanger spat in frustration, his patience wearing thin.
He had already suspected Punk wasn't taking things seriously, but now he was sure of it. If he hadn't agreed to keep the Construct Behemoth occupied, he never would have willingly engaged in such a disadvantageous battle.
And in truth…
Punk had been stalling.
His spell had been ready for some time now, but he deliberately pretended to struggle with constructing the spell model.
He knew that both Bahanger and Kang Kai still had hidden trump cards. There was no way two warriors who had survived for centuries didn't have last-resort techniques.
His original plan had been to force them into revealing those cards. After all, they were destined to become his enemies eventually.
But now, it seemed he had to abandon that plan—if he delayed any further, his intentions would become too obvious. The team still needed to present a façade of cooperation until they had dealt with Tishachar.
So, responding to Bahanger's complaints with a half-hearted remark, Punk finally began releasing his spell.