Strictly speaking, there was nothing wrong with Punk's plan. Tishachar was firmly restrained by Bahanger, and if she had any hidden means left, she would have used them by now. Her desperate struggles only confirmed that she had run out of options.
Punk's strategy was flawless—striking Tishachar from behind with a high-damage spell before finishing Bahanger off with the high priest's dagger. As for Kang Kai, he wasn't a concern. Everything was proceeding as planned.
Even with some uncertainties, Punk had no alternatives. If this battle alerted the gods, it wouldn't just be a risk—it would be certain death.
But he had overlooked a crucial detail—Tishachar was a lunatic!
The moment he materialized behind her, bursting forward with all the speed granted by Swiftness, she went mad without warning.
"You heretics! Even if you've shattered my hopes, so what? If I die, you all die with me! Hahahaha!"
Cackling hysterically, Tishachar's bloated abdomen began to swell like an inflating balloon, her body trembling as horrifying energy converged within her.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! This is bad!"
Punk hadn't expected her to self-destruct so decisively—or rather, he hadn't expected her to do it now.
Realizing the imminent catastrophe, he frantically activated his final Any Door.
"I hope it's not too late!"
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted, unleashing searing heat and an overwhelming shockwave. The concussive force condensed into a solid sphere of destruction, expanding outward with unstoppable momentum. Kang Kai barely had time to blur again—his expression revealing that this was his last use of the ability.
The explosion's sheer force distorted the stone chamber, warping its dimensions as the extreme heat liquefied the rock walls into molten crystal. The vibrations were so violent that they triggered an earthquake of at least magnitude five.
The self-detonation of an official-level powerhouse was nothing short of terrifying!
Cough… Are my lungs destroyed?
Punk groaned as he crashed into a distant corner, his body battered by the residual shockwave. Even though he had escaped through Any Door, half of him had still been caught in the blast.
For the first time, he had suffered such a serious injury. His master-grade robes remained intact, and his defensive spells—Chaotic Cloak, Slanting Displacement, and Advanced Wizard Armor—had deflected most of the shrapnel. But the concussive force had pulverized the muscles and bones on one side of his body!
"Careless… Blinded by greed…"
Spitting blood, he rapidly constructed a healing spell while reflecting on his mistake.
His injuries were severe enough to kill an ordinary creature dozens of times over, but for him, they were merely a serious wound. Within twelve magic hours, he was confident he'd be fully recovered—but for now, he was immobilized.
"Greed… it clouds reason, it erases caution, it invites death. The ancients never lied."
Grimacing, he tore open his robe's collar with his still-functional left hand, reminding himself never to make the same mistake again. Then, he spat out the last of the blood pooling in his mouth and chuckled bitterly.
But deep down, he knew his nature wouldn't change. The madness he kept carefully restrained was part of who he was.
Right now, his priority was restoring mobility—primarily to guard against Kang Kai. After all, thanks to Bahanger unwittingly playing the role of a meat shield, Kang Kai had emerged as the one in the best condition.
With effort, Punk propped himself up, reached into his torn abdominal cavity, and began removing the ruined organs—shredded lung lobes, necrotic tissue, even his damaged heart. He discarded them all before activating a spell.
[Official Summoning Spell—Simulated Internal Organs]
Summons half-energy organs capable of functioning for 24 hours(excluding the brain).
This spell was specifically designed for emergencies, but prolonged use would negatively impact vitality. Still, it would be enough to sustain him until he reached Dolazi City—where he could extract life force from ordinary people to regenerate his real organs.
"Well, at least Tishachar is dead. Now I just need to find a way to snatch my legendary equipment back from Kang Kai."
Staggering to his feet, the first thing Punk saw was Kang Kai cutting into Tishachar's charred abdomen with his dagger. Moments later, the ranger pulled out a wooden box, shoving it into his pocket with a look of shock.
Punk sighed. He wasn't too disappointed. Kang Kai lacked the ability to identify legendary equipment, so he would most likely take the box to a temple of Obai. Fortunately, there was no such temple in Dolazi City. As long as Punk made his move before Kang Kai left, there was no need for a desperate battle while still injured.
If nothing else, the explosion had made him more cautious.
After pocketing the box, Kang Kai turned to another pile of scorched remains—the charred wreckage of Bahanger.
Punk, however, hadn't forgotten about his other valuable asset—Golem One.
Walking over to a collapsed heap of stone, he wasn't particularly hopeful. His golem had no exceptional defensive abilities. Between the corrosive green mist and the explosion, it was likely reduced to little more than a few scraps.
But to his surprise, the situation wasn't as bad as he had expected.
Using Mage Hand, he carefully brushed away the debris, revealing what remained of his creation.
Golem One had lost most of its body—only about one-third of its upper torso remained, the structure riddled with deep fractures. The transformed soul within had been wiped out entirely.
However, its magic core was still roughly 80% intact.
That meant its Devour and Recover function was still operational. Given enough material—perhaps thousands of human corpses—it could slowly regenerate. Certainly, that was better than crafting a new one from scratch, especially since Punk lacked sufficient demonic flesh.
"This is good news. The soul will need to be replaced, though…"
His thoughts drifted to the little girl. She would be a suitable candidate.
Shrugging, he used Mage Hand to lift the shattered remains of Golem One before striding toward Kang Kai. He had already lost his primary target, but there were still plenty of other valuable spoils left to claim.