Chapter 100: Cave Boss
“Three, two, one”!
Punk ordered Golem One to block in front of him while holding two prepared spells without releasing them. Though Punk hadn’t yet mastered the Metamagic – Dualcast technique, through long-term training he could already prepare another spell after completing one. Thus, Punk had already cast defensive spells like “Advanced Mage Armor”, “Advanced Deflection Field”, and “Greater Haste” on himself. Now, the moment to face the “final boss” had arrived.
“Raaaaaagh”!
Accompanied by Golem One’s tremendous roar, the iron door was sent flying by the flesh golem’s bone-exposed heavy punch!
Once the door’s shielding array was destroyed, a formal-level mage like Punk who made no attempt to conceal himself would inevitably be unable to remain hidden. So it was better to have Golem One create a huge commotion to attract the enemy’s attention!
The destroyed shielding array erupted in a flash of light and heat wave, then the leaking energy from the shattered array heated the dented iron door until it glowed red. The already severely twisted “iron block” flew violently into the inner room along with the scorching air current.
“BANG-CLANG-CLATTER”!
The iron door crashed heavily onto the ground. The sudden attack undoubtedly startled the enemy inside.
“Who’s there”!
The enemy reacted relatively quickly. The solidified spell – Iron Shackles that Golem One urgently released failed to capture the target. Only a hunched figure in black robes narrowly avoided the spreading mass of iron branches at the last moment, standing beside an altar!
It was then that Punk got a clear look at the enemy’s appearance!
A withered old man covered in wrinkles was staring with blood-red eyes at the doorway that now had a huge hole. The old man’s body, like the followers seen outside, had been transformed into a half-human, half-spider form. He wore ornate mage robes on his upper body, while his lower half was a withered spider body!
What surprised Punk most was the long black scar on the monster-old-man’s face – this highly distinctive scar Punk had seen in the intelligence provided by Elinka: the scar on this old man’s face was identical to the one on the portrait of Elinka’s missing grandfather!
It was said this scar was left during Elinka’s grandfather’s youthful adventures. The shadow-energy-tainted scar couldn’t be removed by Formal-Level spells, so Elinka’s grandfather had to keep this scar!
But now… the enemy bore this identifying scar… his identity was becoming obvious!
Punk stared somewhat horrified at the old man who had turned into a monster. He understood why Elinka’s grandfather hadn’t returned – the kind-looking old man from the portrait had become the current mad leader, not only physically transformed but also brainwashed!
“Damn it, why didn’t those worthless fools inform me? They are all sinners against the great Tisha Xia’er and must be granted eternal death”!
After the initial shock, the monster-old-man immediately realized his base had been completely infiltrated. The old man’s fury-burning pupils contracted irregularly, his sparse white hair dancing wildly like a madman’s!
“Enough with the pointless talk”!Though astonished that Elinka’s grandfather wasn’t dead but transformed into this grotesque form, Punk didn’t hesitate in the slightest. The moment he saw the enemy evade the Golem’s solidified spell, he immediately unleashed two pre-prepared spells!
Formal-Level Evocation Spell—Momentary Light Flicker: Create ten intense flashes with a brightness of 14.2×507 cd within one-hundredth of a second!
Formal-Level Conjuration Spell—Frenzied Muscles: Stimulate biological muscles for five seconds to unleash the creature’s potential!
The former spell was tossed into the air by Punk, while the latter was unhesitatingly cast upon the Golem.
“Ah————”
Caught off guard, the Old Man was blinded by the intense light, instantly losing his vision. Simultaneously, Punk’s Golem charged at the enemy at five times its normal speed, leaving a scorching afterimage in the air from its supersonic dash!
“Damn it! Goddess Tisha Xia’er will punish you”!
The Old Man, eyes tightly shut, roared hoarsely and cursed. Then, just as the Golem began its Charge, he activated the solidified magic in his Mage Robe!
The space behind the Old Man twisted violently, and a colorful portal swiftly opened. With a strange cry, the Old Man leaped into the gateway, while Golem Number One’s fist only managed to graze the portal’s fading afterimage!
“BOOM!!”
The rock wall struck by Golem Number One was smashed into a deep crater, erupting with a deafening roar!
“Damn it! This is big trouble”!
Punk’s pupils contracted sharply. With his inherited parental memories, he instantly recognized the life-saving spell the enemy had activated!
“Master-Level Conjuration Spell—Anywhere Door: Open a spatial gateway to any location within one hundred meters in one-tenth of a second”!
Punk saw it clearly—the Old Man had activated his Mage Robe. Once activated, the previously unremarkable black robe erupted with powerful magical fluctuations. Punk had suspected early on that this robe might be a highly advanced magical item, and now this Master-Level solidified spell confirmed his conjecture!
With a Master-Level spell solidified into it, the robe’s tier was now confirmed.
Though genuinely troubled by the formidable enemy, Punk—unburdened by fear—showed no panic. He calmly analyzed the unexpectedly powerful foe in his mind:
“The Master-Level robe is the greatest threat. From the earlier spell, it appears the solidified magic leans toward mobility with Anywhere Door. However, since the monstrous Old Man has been modified with a spider lower body, this enhances his close-combat capabilities. Thus, the enemy will likely leverage high mobility for melee assaults”!
Punk’s expression turned stern. He keenly observed that the monstrous Old Man’s half-spider modification was far superior to the outer cultists—at least there was no chaotic life energy, and his movements were excessively agile!
Facing the potential sudden melee attack, Punk didn’t dare let his guard down. He quickly prepared his next spell!
“You… will still be torn to shreds by me… the great High Priest today”!
Just as Punk anticipated, the enemy had no intention of fighting the Golem. Before being blinded by the flash, he had already set the exit of the “Anywhere Door” right beside Punk.
“Planning to bypass the Golem from the very start, huh”?Punk remained vigilantly wary of this seemingly insane and mindless High Priest; her combat experience was undoubtedly far superior to his!
With a flash, a luminous gate opened beside Punk, and a pair of ink-green, withered appendages shot out from the colorful portal, lunging at his throat with lightning speed!
“Clang————”
A crisp metallic clang echoed incessantly through the cave!
“Formal-Level Summoning Magic—Steel Shield: Summon a sturdy shield to protect oneself, offering strong resistance to physical attacks”!
Seeing his attack blocked by Punk, the monstrous old man swiftly retracted his appendages and charged out of the Anywhere Door, scaling the cave walls with incredible speed!
Punk, bracing a massive Enchanted Iron Shield, quickly retreated toward the golem to create distance, bringing their first clash to an end!
“Excellent, excellent, brat! You must be a worthy sacrifice. The great Goddess Tisha Xia’er will surely be pleased”!
The High Priest stood on the rock wall using her spider-like appendages, her bloodshot eyes rolling wildly, her hoarse voice filled with boundless madness and excitement!
“Sacrifice? My research happens to lack an excellent experimental subject—a Formal-Level mage’s soul would be just perfect”!
Dispelling the summoned iron shield, Punk retorted expressionlessly, the deep blue magical energy in his eyes swirling rapidly, with faint purple glimmers flickering in his pupils.
(End of Chapter)