Chapter 541: Completion

Punk’s timing was impeccable. Almost immediately after he left the affected range of the “Spatial Compression Burst,” the terrifying high-compression energy sphere reached the center of the Tar Lake. As Punk effortlessly released his restraint on the violent spatial elements, the wildly churning energy under extreme pressure was abruptly unleashed all at once!

“BOOM!!”

Accompanied by a deafening roar, a visible shockwave wall abruptly expanded from the center of the Tar Lake. Everything caught in the explosion—rocks, plants, dust, and space itself—instantly turned to powder. Dense spatial fragments formed silk-like blades within the shockwave, leaving only dark spatial voids wherever the “Spatial Compression Burst” passed. The subsequent spatial collapse from the violent explosion caused the entire area around the Tar Lake to crack apart. Amid tar flung skyward like a mushroom cloud, only fragmented remains of the surrounding dense forest were visible. The raging blast winds even made Punk’s outermost “Energy Isolation Shield” flutter audibly, despite his distance from the Tar Lake.

“Rustle, rustle, rustle.”

The terrifying explosion soon subsided. Through the curtain of falling tar rain and dense spatial fractures in the clouds, one could vaguely see that the Tar Lake’s area had more than doubled from the blast. The immense pressure forcibly carved out a solid basin in the swamp, while the extreme impact hurled the lake’s tar high into the cloud layer.

This was undoubtedly an earth-shattering explosion. Due to the collapse of spatial structures and fractures in tectonic plates, the entire Tar Swamp now trembled violently in the aftermath of the “Spatial Compression Burst.” Had such an explosion occurred in a Kingdom’s city, half of it would likely have been blasted into the clouds!

The upward-directed shockwave hurled countless objects—pulverized rocks, shredded plants, and nearly all the stored tar from the Tar Lake. Among the tar… a terrifying beast also soared, its body towering eighty meters high, larger than a small hill.

Without a doubt, the enormous monster now falling from the sky while emitting weak roars was the Tar Beast King that originally inhabited the Tar Lake.

“Even after such devastating damage, it wasn’t instantly killed? The vitality of these magical creatures is generally stronger than described in the books!”

Looking up at the shrieking, descending Tar Beast King from afar, Punk’s pupils held nothing but icy killing intent.In truth, Punk had never strayed far from human settlements and thus had little combat experience against magical creatures. His knowledge of their astonishing vitality came mostly from books and the memories of Grand Arcanist Vedrasha. The only firsthand encounter he could recall was Ovakain Acidmaw, the black dragon who survived a volcanic eruption at point-blank range. So even with mental preparation, Punk couldn’t help feeling startled when he saw the falling tar behemoth—now reduced to less than half its body—still roaring in furious rage.

“This thing took a direct hit from a ‘Spatial Compression Burst’ enhanced by metamagic while completely defenseless. Any Master-Level combatant would have been utterly annihilated under the same circumstances, yet this Tar Beast King still seems capable of fighting. It appears even these brute-force magical creatures cannot be underestimated.”

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Punk watched the descending tar behemoth and began earnestly preparing a new spell. His caution remained as unwavering as ever, though in this case, he was overestimating the Tar Beast King. In reality, the creature’s condition was far worse than Punk assumed. The horrific explosion had not only torn away half its body but also visibly damaged its hidden cognitive organs. Through the gaping black wounds, copious amounts of brownish-yellow, oil-like blood were nearly drained dry, while earth and water elements stored in its flesh spilled out uncontrollably. Its state was less “severely wounded” and more “on the brink of death.” Without immediate treatment from a Master-Level healer, the Tar Beast King’s demise was only a matter of time.

Still, even in its death throes, the beast retained some offensive capability. Whether as a final resurgence or mere reflex, the hill-sized monstrosity could still muster a devastating attack.

The dying Tar Beast King noticed Punk standing in the distance. Despite its primitive intellect, it recognized the “tiny” creature as the source of its grievous injuries. Upon landing, it immediately raised its sole remaining massive arm, determined to expend its last strength in vengeance against the “insignificant pest.”

“ROOOAARR!”

True to the Qin Ren Elder’s description of its “thunder-rivaling roar,” the staggering beast’s bellow created visible shockwaves in the air. An instant later, accompanied by its terrifying cry, a giant claw sheathed in black carapace slammed toward Punk’s position.

BOOM!

The already compacted ground from the earlier explosion was torn apart by the impact, uprooting the few remaining oilwood trees in the distance. Yet… the Tar Beast King’s attack failed to strike its hated target. The moment the claw lifted, Punk had already vanished from the spot, propelled by “Super Swiftness.””Master-Level Conjuration Spell—Kinetic Blast.”

Due to the injuries from the explosion, the Tar Behemoth’s vital part—its brain, which served as its “thinking organ”—was now exposed on its body. The semi-elemental creature’s ability to conceal its core had become utterly meaningless. With no intention of expending additional mana, Punk, who was in a state of rapid motion, directly aimed at the exposed “brain” and unleashed a “Kinetic Blast.”

“Bang”!!

Brownish-yellow blood splattered from the wound on the Tar Beast King’s body. The colossal beast’s attempt to launch another attack abruptly ceased. As a massive cavity appeared where the Tar Beast King’s thinking organ had been, its six bloodthirsty crimson eyes rapidly dimmed!

Then, after standing motionless for a second or two, the enormous figure of the Tar Beast King crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact.

It was dead.

(End of Chapter)