Chapter Summaries

Punk recognized that Kane planned to exploit Smile’s unstable state by saving Gollania and eliminating the Redstone Kingdom’s elite, which would leave Smile’s church dangerously stronger. He refused to join Kane’s scheme, insisting that their upcoming ruin exploration mattered more than provoking a conflict with Smile.

• Punk understood that Kane intended to save Gollania and wipe out Fisk’s kingdom forces, expanding the Red Sands Cult’s influence while endangering Smile.
• Punk assessed how Gollania’s survival and potential growth could make her impossible for Smile to sacrifice as an insignificant believer.
• Kane urged Saian to help Smile by saving the Saintess and destroying her enemies, disguising his scheme as an act of kindness.
• Punk warned that Smile would retaliate and said their ruin exploration was too near for infighting.
• Punk rejected Kane’s plan and declared that he was determined to win the ruin exploration.

Kane persuaded Punk to let him secretly spare Saintess Gollania and conceal her survival from Smile until the adventure ended. Punk stopped opposing the plan, deciding that a later conflict between Kane and Smile could benefit him while he explored the ruin.

• Kane argued that Smile lacked the power and awareness to turn hostile during the adventure and explained how he would hide Gollania from her.
• Punk challenged Kane’s strength as the knight’s battle qi gathered around his lance.
• Kane refused to back down and asked whether Punk thought he was rational enough to restrain his madness.
• Punk warned Kane that he would explore the ruin alone if Kane and Smile came into conflict, then decided not to interfere with the scheme.
• Punk stepped aside and left Kane to the altar scene, still uncertain whether Kane was truly rational.

Gollania completed her sacred dance on the altar as kingdom soldiers launched a barrage meant to kill her, and the resulting explosions appeared to destroy her. The dust cloud suddenly burst apart, revealing a dazzling golden figure who greeted the stunned crowd.

• Gollania danced and prayed to the God of Red Sands, welcoming the chance to sacrifice herself.
• After Fisk ordered the kingdom army to kill Gollania, the freed professionals fired more than ten battle-aura attacks at her.
• The concentrated barrage shattered the altar and engulfed its center in a massive cloud of dust, leading the soldiers and cultists to believe Gollania had died.
• A sudden gust blew apart the mushroom cloud and exposed a radiant golden figure at the center of the altar.
• The golden figure greeted the crowd and called the appearance a grand entrance.

Kane arrived in Altar Canyon as a Legendary powerhouse and rescued Saintess Gollania, freezing the battle with his overwhelming soul pressure. He began a cruel game in which Gollania could point at anyone to have them killed, leaving the helpless soldiers and cultists at his mercy.

• Kane's sudden arrival in Altar Canyon shocked Fisk and everyone else on the battlefield with his overwhelming power.
• Kane protected Saintess Gollania, while his soul pressure left the soldiers and cultists unable to move.
• Kane laughed at the terrified crowd and announced that he wanted to play a game with their lives as the stakes.
• Kane told Gollania she could point at anyone present and he would kill them instantly, turning the altar into his playground.

Kane rescued Gollania from the battle in Altar Canyon and demanded that she choose an enemy for his spectacle. Gollania pointed out General Fisk, and Kane prepared to unleash another attack.

• Kane appeared beside Gollania and protected her from the explosion with a Battle Qi Shield.
• Gollania thanked the God of Red Sands in prayer and ignored Kane, her rescuer.
• Kane interrupted Gollania's prayer and forced her to look at him.
• Gollania called Kane a blasphemer and pointed at General Fisk as her chosen target.
• Kane aimed his lance at Fisk, and another wave of shockwaves swept through Altar Canyon.

Punk destroyed the believers in Altar Canyon with a kinetic shockwave, ending Kane’s planned amusement and forcing him to hurry with his scheme. Kane dug a hiding place for Saintess Gollania beneath the altar as the New God of Red Sands was expected to arrive soon.

• Punk unleashed a pale-violet shockwave that reduced the canyon’s rocks and inhabitants, including Fisk, to dust.
• Punk put Gollania to sleep and told Kane to stop playing and finish the Blood Sacrifice plan.
• Kane abandoned his entertainment after Punk erased his intended targets and realized Smile might arrive within minutes.
• Kane drilled a person-sized hole beneath the altar with his lance and stored the excavated soil.
• Punk identified Kane’s use of Repulsion Law, but Kane dismissed the question and continued hiding Gollania.

Kane hid the unconscious Gollania in a deep cave, using Particle Manipulation and a vast supply of Vitality Extraction Fluid to preserve her life. Punk questioned Kane’s motives for leaving her a powerful dagger, but Kane avoided answering and prepared for Smile’s arrival.

• Kane tossed the unconscious Gollania into a cave and bound her in a golden net using Particle Manipulation.
• Punk recognized that Kane’s Battle Skill concealed Gollania’s aura and kept her body functioning, but spotted Kane injecting large quantities of Vitality Extraction Fluid to sustain her.
• Kane encased Gollania in emerald-colored fluid and placed a disguised Master Level dagger beside her for protection.
• Punk questioned whether the dagger would hinder Gollania’s growth and suspected Kane was wary of someone watching him.
• Kane dodged Punk’s questions, told Sian not to reveal anything, and headed toward the edge of Altar Canyon as Smile approached.

Smile descended in her true body at Altar Canyon, where Kane and Punk waited as her allies. Suspicious of the empty surroundings and Kane’s interference with her perception, she questioned them, but Kane lied and Punk stayed silent, leaving her uneasy and without answers.

• Smile descended at Altar Canyon in her true body, making her divine presence felt across the Redstone Plane.
• Kane mocked Smile’s slow arrival while trying to divert her attention from the empty surroundings.
• Smile asked Kane why he had blocked her perception during the three minutes before her descent.
• Kane denied wrongdoing and claimed his battle-energy fluctuations had interfered with her perception by accident.
• Smile noticed something was wrong, but she ignored Kane’s taunts and silently searched Punk’s face for the truth.
• Punk remained expressionless and silent as Smile continued to suspect her allies.

Before the trio entered the Netheril-era ruin, Punk proposed that they disclose their abilities and combat styles so they could cooperate in a crisis. He offered deliberately limited information first, leaving Kane and Smile pressured to reveal useful details about themselves.

• Smile stopped questioning Punk about the baffling matter and turned her attention to the ruin expedition.
• Smile mocked Punk for preparing another speech, while Kane watched him with interest.
• Punk said the three needed to discuss their strengths, combat styles, and hidden trump cards to avoid hindering one another.
• Punk described himself as a level twenty-five Legendary spellcaster who specialized in conjuration and Destruction, favored defensive counterattacks, and wielded the Ruby Necklace taken from Ovakain.
• Punk privately recognized that his disclosures were mostly public knowledge and intended to make Kane and Smile reveal more valuable information.
• Kane and Smile reluctantly accepted that they had to disclose some genuine information about their abilities for the group's safety.

Kane, Punk, and Smile exchanged information about their strengths and concealed abilities before entering the ruins. Smile demonstrated her divine spell by hiding within the ground, leaving the others to assess her capabilities.

• Kane described his Repulsion Law combat style and admitted he had concealed important details, including his trump cards.
• Kane pretended to be poor and asked Punk for Legendary Level Alchemy Potions, revealing Punk's alchemy skills to Smile.
• Punk countered by threatening to take Kane's golden palace and gate if Kane died in the ruins, making Kane visibly uneasy.
• Smile introduced herself as the New God of Red Sands, described her power and stealth ability, and claimed she could fight like a Legendary rogue.
• Smile activated her divine spell and vanished into the hard ground.

Punk used a Legendary divination spell to expose Smile while she searched Altar Canyon, allowing Kane to intercept her before she could uncover Gollania beneath the altar. Smile angrily confronted Punk, and Kane’s hidden scheme remained undiscovered for the moment.

• Smile hid herself within the rocky matter of Altar Canyon and began searching for Gollania beneath the altar.
• Kane tried to keep Smile from scanning the canyon, fearing she would discover Gollania and ruin his plan.
• Punk cast the Legendary Level Divination Spell—Truth Radiance, revealing Smile’s hidden location.
• Kane rushed to Smile and seized her near the altar, preventing her from continuing her search.
• Smile broke free from Kane’s grasp and demanded to know why Punk had intervened.

Punk and Smile nearly fought after her anger over Kane’s scheme escalated, but Kane intervened to prevent the expedition and Gollania from being destroyed. Punk backed down and headed for the Netheril Ruins entrance, leaving the expedition poised to continue.

• Smile gathered divine power and threatened Punk, who prepared Protection from Divine Power and revealed a pale-yellow gemstone for Legendary Magic.
• Punk warned Smile that he would kill her if she attacked, and she backed away from the confrontation.
• Kane stepped between Punk and Smile to mediate, while secretly aiming his battle-aura-lit lance toward Punk.
• Punk decided not to fight, put away the gemstone, and walked toward an exit leading to the ruins.

Punk, Kane, and Smile approached the magic tower atop the Redstone Plane’s highest mountain and examined the Red Shadow Demon Stone defenses. They reached the damaged main entrance, where Punk planned to try exploiting the existing gap in its magic formation.

• Kane brushed away the snow and discovered that the mountain beneath it was made entirely of Red Shadow Demon Stone.
• Punk used Truth Radiance to reveal law threads covering the stone and explained that damaging them would trigger the ruin’s alarm.
• Kane released his lance after realizing that forcing their way through the mountain could activate the alarm.
• Punk led the group toward the main entrance and explained that its damaged magic formation offered a gap they could exploit.
• Punk, Kane, and Smile arrived at the entrance to the ruin.

Punk examined the damaged concealment array on the snowy peak and judged that the ruin’s defenses were likely dormant, making entry less dangerous. Before opening the gate, he warned Smile and Kane not to touch anything, though Kane remained wary that Punk would claim all the benefits for himself.

• Punk saw the ruin’s glowing gate and reasoned that its abundant remaining energy likely powered only the concealment array while other defenses lay dormant.
• Punk concluded that the ruin might be safer to enter so long as they avoided triggering its warning measures.
• Punk warned Smile and Kane not to touch anything inside, especially telling Kane to control his lance.
• Kane protested that he could be reliable but warned Punk not to monopolize the rewards.
• Punk ignored Kane’s complaint and turned his attention to opening the ruin’s gate.

Punk used the Eye of Illusion to inspect the concealed ruins entrance and found the key to breaking its magic array. He abruptly retreated behind Kane, leaving the knight facing a brilliant burst of radiation.

• Punk summoned the Eye of Illusion and began examining the hidden entrance in the rock wall.
• Kane teased Punk and asked whether he could use divination to investigate the nature hidden in someone's heart.
• Punk warned Kane to stop distracting him and revealed that he had found the key to the concealed array.
• Punk activated Flash from his Ruby Necklace and suddenly moved behind Kane.
• Kane realized Punk had set him up, but a blinding burst of radiation exploded in front of him.

Punk realized he could not safely decipher the ruins’ complex magic array, so he chose to trigger a controlled overload and disguise it as a malfunction. He used Cain as a human shield, leaving the explosion—and Cain’s fate—about to unfold.

• Punk judged that his limited Enchantment skills were not enough to crack the array without risking its alarm.
• Punk decided to reopen a repaired energy-circuit breach with an overload, hoping the array would mistake it for a malfunction.
• Punk secretly flooded the secondary circuit with magic power until it began to overheat.
• Punk concealed the warning signs with hidden spells while Cain mistook his actions for ordinary deciphering.
• Punk suddenly appeared behind Cain, and Cain realized too late that Punk had made him a human shield.

Punk used Kane as a shield while the damaged magic array unleashed a massive energy eruption, and Kane’s Layered Armor endured the blast. The array stabilized before any further defenses appeared, leaving Punk and Kane in the suddenly quiet ruins.

• Punk used Blink and Legendary Swiftness to stay behind Kane as they retreated from the failing magic array.
• The overloaded secondary energy circuit ruptured, unleashing a catastrophic torrent of heat, radiation, and Law Power across the Redstone Plane.
• Kane activated the Legendary Battle Skill Layered Armor and tried to shake Punk off, but Punk stayed behind him as the energy torrent struck.
• Kane’s layered Battle Qi shields endured the blast, protecting Punk from the torrent.
• The magic array activated its self-stabilization procedure, contained the leak, and brought the explosion to an abrupt end without triggering another attack.

Punk reopened the ruin’s hidden entrance and felt uneasy about how easily the magic array had been fooled. As the Legendary powerhouses’ presence devastated the Redstone Plane, Kane attacked Punk, who dodged and taunted him to strike again.

• The magic array treated Punk’s sabotage as a malfunction, suppressed the energy leak, and exposed the previously patched breach into the ruin.
• Punk watched the ominous entrance from a nearby mountain and sensed that the ruin was not as peaceful as it appeared.
• The energy eruption transformed the mountain range, solidifying the air and Aether Energy into dust and crystals.
• Kane charged out of the dust and attacked Punk with a Legendary Battle Skill, accusing him of taking advantage of him.
• Punk cast Flash to evade Kane’s strike, then taunted him to attack again.

Kane erupted in anger over Punk’s latest scheme and their long history of grievances, then charged him with renewed determination. Punk calmly met the attack, and the two Legendary powerhouses began a dangerous exchange that left the sky above the Redstone Plane torn open.

• Punk mocked Kane’s anger and hurled a Rift of Destruction at the charging knight.
• Kane’s fear during the relic’s energy leak and resentment toward Punk ignited into fury, and he vowed to show how much he had improved.
• Kane used Provoking Strike to deflect Punk’s Rift of Destruction and accelerated toward him.
• Punk launched a barrage of Rifts of Destruction while Kane deflected every spell into the sky, shattering the planar crystal wall and opening a vast hollow above the battlefield.
• Kane continued charging at Punk as their dangerous clash risked escalating beyond a display of strength.

Smile watched Punk Saian and Kane clash near Red Shadow Demon Stone Mountain, protecting the ruin from the battle’s aftershocks. Confronted with their power, she recognized her own weakness and flew out to mediate, vowing to one day stand on equal footing with them.

• Smile shielded Red Shadow Demon Stone Mountain so the duel’s aftershocks would not trigger the ruin’s alarm.
• As Punk Saian and Kane’s probing attacks shook the surrounding laws, Smile grew fearful and questioned whether she belonged on their level.
• Smile recognized that her divine power had made her proud, while the battle revealed how little true combat experience she had.
• Smile resolved to grow strong enough that neither Punk Saian nor Kane could use her again.
• Smile flew from the mountaintop to stop the fight before it escalated or endangered the expedition.