The mage armor was filled with glowing mana. It was slowly rotating around Punk. Simultaneously, Kane's golden battle qi emanated from his body, illuminating a small area around him in the midst of the dark night. Just when it seemed like this tranquil and silent atmosphere was going to last indefinitely-
"Ding!!"
From the distant darkness, a slender but very sharp blade flew over. The tip of the short blade that had been dyed black by shadow energy slammed into Punk's Mage armor and made a crisp trembling sound! The light of the mysterious runes circulating in the mage armor trembled faintly, and the attack was easily bounced off by it without sustaining any damage.
Punk's mind surged with activity, and, accompanied by a low, mysterious chant, he successfully executed the 'secondary sonic blade' spell in just a mere second. Out of nowhere, dozens of translucent blades, vibrating at an intense high frequency, materialized outside his mage armor. These ethereal, light-white energy blades emitted a harsh, tinnitus-like noise. As Punk completed the casting, all of them were launched towards their intended target, leaving fan-shaped afterimages in their wake as they sliced through the profound darkness.
Ultimately, the barrage of blades struck the empty ground, resulting in numerous neatly severed soil and stone fragments. The energy blades then submerged into the ground and continued to vibrate at a high frequency, which instantly turned the surrounding hard rocks and soils into debris that was then flung into the air.
However, there was no result; the spell struck empty space and became a waste of mana. Even though the enemy briefly revealed their position during the attack, Punk and Kane couldn't risk pursuing them, as there was still another Assassin who was hiding in the gloomy night, waiting for an opportunity to attack!
As Punk sensed his dwindling mana reserves, he knew that the robust defensive barrier wouldn't hold for much longer.
In that moment, Kane, shining like a bright light bulb, suddenly turned to Punk, looked at him, and then wore a subtle but unmistakably grim smile.
"I say~Brother Mage! I heard...that those who are usually weak and cowardly will explode with incredible power at the moment of life and death~ ~~what do you think about this!"
"At least that's how it is written in knight novels"!
Punk answered without even looking at Kane. But he knew that both of them were thinking the same plan. But it was not that unusual as there were very few options in front of them at this moment.
But in Punk's mind, such a cunning plan wasn't something to boast about. So, when Kane made this statement, Punk merely gave his broken staff a gentle stroke and remained mostly silent. The depths of his eyes now harbored only an unyielding coldness.
"I suppose then today we can test the reality of those knight novels," Punk replied.
Kane's eyes instantly lit up with excitement and madness as he sneered, his mouth curling in a sinister grin. Swiftly, he spun around and drove the Lance in his hand, gleaming with dazzling radiance, into Putt's lower abdomen, without a moment's hesitation or mercy. The battle qi-infused Lance inflicted a grievous wound on Putt's abdomen, causing a ample amount of blood that rapidly dyed the grass beneath Kane and Punk's feet a deep shade of crimson.
Ignoring Putt's unbelievable eyes, Kane put on a near-perfect "brother next door" gentle smile and injected a lot of battle qi into Putt's body through the Lance, temporarily enhancing Putt's physical strength.
Putt fell on the ground, which was wet with his own blood. He didn't scream or cursed, and there was only a confused expression on his face... This only meant that he still couldn't believe it, or he didn't want to believe that his trusted "comrade" suddenly attacked him for no reason.
Kane pulled out the Lance from Putt's stomach, and a splash of blood gushed out and stained half of his body armor. The blood that was still left on Kane's Lance slowly started to fall on the ground, drop by drop, along its tip. Kane's silhouette became glowing red as the radiance of his battle qi came through his bloody armor...
Punk cast an indifferent glance at Putt, who now holding his wound tightly, trembling uncontrollably. He had to admit that Kane had executed the attack quite effectively. The sudden, brutal assault left Putt, who possessed only a handful of spells, lose the ability to take any action, and then forcefully injected battle qi that ensured Putt's would survive and stay conscious even if he lost most of his blood. Simultaneously, he deliberately severed vital arteries, ensuring that Putt would meet a swift demise as soon as the battle qi Kane had injected into him was depleted. As Assassins, the enemy lacked healing methods comparable to those of priests, leaving them with a lifeless body instead of a living, talking individual.
Kane carried the Lance on his shoulders and turned his head slightly toward Punk, which obviously meant-
"I have done this for us. You should show some sincerity."
Punk, like always, didn't pay attention to Kane. He looked at Putt, who was still in shock, but he didn't feel any emotion. He didn't have the guilt and sadness of his companion dying in an cunning scheme, and he also didn't have Kane's "my scheme succeeded" excitement. In his mind, there was only one very simple thought-
"Oho---, another living thing is now dead."
Punk lightly shrugged at Putt, which was a form of sympathy and ridicule at the same time. Then Punk cast a 'Secondary mage armor on Putt and several other protective spells. Of course, this was not Punk's kindness, but he just wanted Putt to resist the enemy's attacks a few extra times, So that it could delay the enemies as much as possible!
Even though Punk and Kane's actions were complicated and carefully planned, they executed them in just a few seconds. After finishing the arrangement, they immediately stowed away their expensive defensive measures and unleashed their spells and combat skills with great intensity. They began sprinting at full speed toward Konola City in the distance, leaving the disregarded Putt behind. He was now curled into a ball, writhing in agony, and started to groan from the excruciating pain that coursed through his body.
Now with Putt lying on the ground, the enemies would never dare to chase them and leave their back vulnerable. Because, although everything happened in front of their eyes, no one could be sure that, this cowardice Putt was not just pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, and Punk and Kane's ruthless display wasn't deliberately performed to confuse them.
Now, with Putt lying on the ground, the enemies wouldn't dare to pursue Punk and Kane, for fear of leaving their backs exposed. Although everything unfolded right before their eyes, nobody could be certain that Putt's cowardice wasn't just a act like a pig to eat the tiger, and Punk and Kane's brutal performance wasn't a calculated act meant to confuse them.
So If they don't want to suffer a sudden pincer attack as soon as they turned around, they must first solve the problem that was now lying on the ground, the seemingly helpless Putt who has lost combat ability.
"This world is very cruel, and unless you are detached from the world or so powerful that no one can challenge you...you are at the Marcy of someone else."
...
The moonlit surroundings transformed into a blurred oil painting in Punk's sight due to his high-speed. Punk was now wrapped in a transparent force field that eliminated air resistance, enabling him to rush across the ground quickly, despite the strong wind pressure brought up by his extreme speed. The stems and leaves of the tender grass and flowers were ruthlessly broken. Their roots were also crushed, and now there were only fragments of broken leaves left in the original green ground.
...
Putt was obviously not the protagonist of a novel. Although Punk and Kane had provided him with some protection, he had no thought of resistance after he fell on the ground. His mind was filled with fear and surprise.
As a result, the two Assassins swiftly subdued him in just a few moves. Right up to the very last moments before Putt's demise, he remained bewildered about why the "chivalrous and gentle" brother knight who once said that he would cover his back, suddenly attacked him and why the "cold-faced and warm-hearted" senior Punk not only didn't stop him but stood aside with an indifferent expression.
But it was a pity that he would never get another chance to unravel this mystery.
Suddenly a sharp and terrifying crashing sound abruptly echoed in the night sky, then the Westland under the moonlight once again became quiet and calm!