Don't move, it's a robbery!

As my best friend who's been through thick and thin with me, 'West Copper' has always made 'killing Agua' a daily routine, but this time, it really didn't mess with me.

The greatsword did not harm me when it self-destructed. The reason I lost consciousness was simply because the bound subsystem was destroyed.

Of course, these are just explanations of "West Copper." Although it cannot lie, whether these statements are entirely true remains to be seen.

But no matter what, the battle is truly over.

I searched through the ruins and found the Mist Cloak that I had taken off. I had taken it off after activating the Mist to confuse the Fire Giant, which had created an opportunity to ambush him.

"You're a big hero today too, come on, give me a toast!"

(ᖛ̫ᖛ): "Tsk tsk tsk, actually kissing his own cloak, how disgusting."

"Hey, don't be jealous! I haven't forgotten you. Come on, let's have a toast too!"

٩(´Д`;)۶: "Aaaaaah! Don't come any closer!"

Besides retrieving my weapon, I also collected loot, but after wandering around the upper city for half a day, I still couldn't find the body of the Desert God's leader.

Was it blown to pieces by my final self-destruction?

Just as I was searching, Rabbit Knife suddenly poked its head out of the bag.

I once stabbed the leader of the Desert Gods with a rabbit knife, so it remembered my scent. The fact that it suddenly poked its head out at this moment means that the other party is hiding nearby.

"Not bad, old man, you've got some real resilience."

I pulled out the three-star stick and, following Rabbit's instructions, walked with a wicked grin toward the ruins where the other party was hiding.

"Why are you hiding? Weren't you just being quite arrogant, calling for me to come out? Why are you hiding now?"

Seemingly having heard my taunt, or perhaps feeling emboldened, the middle-aged man who had previously controlled the fire giant actually emerged from the ruins.

Contrary to my prediction, this guy wasn't injured.

Not only was he uninjured, but he was also carrying a huge black stone greatsword, which was another replica of the 'Altar of Pain'.

(ﾟωﾟ): "Uh, this one isn't a copy."

Really? That's great! Finally, some loot... Just kidding!

How come the opponent is still in perfect condition after fighting for so long?

My lips twitched; I sensed that the situation was really not good.

"Elegant Glacier" is destroyed, "Tribute" has exploded, I've run out of potions, my stamina is depleted, and while my Desert Eagle ammo is full, I can't aim properly. As for the magic coins...

Oh! The magic coin hasn't been used yet! We can win!

The thought that I still had a trump card made me smile, but just as I was about to make my move, the middle-aged man opposite me spoke.

"Rogue, we've both reached our limits. I know you still have trump cards up your sleeve, but so do I."

He gently stroked the black stone greatsword, a solemn expression on his face.

"Those who are bound to the Altar of Pain can create and control elemental creatures by offering sacrifices. If you insist on fighting me to the death here, I may die, but you will never escape unscathed."

At this point, putting on airs won't scare anyone. I can sense that the middle-aged man across from me is telling the truth; he does indeed still have the strength to fight me to the death.

But, after fighting to this point, isn't it a bit disrespectful to still be fantasizing about peace talks?

My eyes lit up and a wicked idea popped into my head. Then I sighed helplessly and looked at the middle-aged man with a sincere expression.

"Peace talks are possible, but you must compensate me for my losses. Furthermore, from this day forward, the Desert God's descendants must swear allegiance to me. You...what the hell is that?!"

My face was filled with terror. I suddenly pointed behind the middle-aged man, but he didn't turn around. He just continued to look at me silently.

A gust of wind blew by, telling the story of the awkward situation before them.

"Tsk, you're not cooperating at all."

I picked up my weapon and charged straight at the middle-aged man. Halfway there, I reached out and touched the magic coin.

Almost simultaneously, a hint of helplessness appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes, and flames erupted from his entire body, clearly indicating that he had been prepared for this moment.

However, this level of change doesn't scare me at all.

It's just the Desert Spirit, isn't it? We've fought it countless times. If you're so capable, summon a Fire Giant too.

When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave one will prevail!

Even though I had reached my limit, I was still filled with fighting spirit when I looked at the enemy in front of me. Under the influence of willpower, my exhausted body burst forth with vitality, and my strength surged forth.

The final battle is about to begin!

The middle-aged man lived up to his reputation as the leader of the desert gods. His ability to control the desert spirits far surpassed that of ordinary sand bandit leaders. Under his control, the black flames transformed into a pair of jet-black wings several meters long, making him look like a fallen angel descended to earth.

He took flight.

Although we are enemies, and this is a life-or-death battle, and although I really hate this bastard, I have to admit that this guy is indeed quite capable.

Seeing the middle-aged man leap into the air, I prepared to throw out the magic coin. As soon as he launched an attack, I would throw out the coin and then, while he turned his head, launch a fatal attack with the Blood Moon Scythe.

Under my intense gaze, the middle-aged man gave me a look of disgust before turning and flying away without looking back.

They didn't even bring the 'Altar of Pain'.

It was precisely because of this that I initially thought it was a trap set by the other side, until the creature flew far away and I realized that they had really run away.

"...Damn it! What happened to fighting to the death?! Hey! Why are you running away?!"

Even though I won the battle and even got a divine artifact as a trophy, I wasn't happy at all. I started cursing at the sky until the sun rose on the horizon, and then I stopped.

The reason I stopped was not because my throat was dry, but because I realized something was wrong.

Although it was still early morning, the sand around Mogoslol was shrouded in sweltering heat.

After fighting the desert gods for so long, I know exactly what these things are; they are clearly hordes of dune monsters.

Clearly, Mogosloar is now completely surrounded by dune monsters, and judging by their posture, they seem poised to utterly destroy the city.

"Will this ever end?! We've been playing all night, can't you just stop for a second?! I was thinking of going to sleep after this! Why are you still doing this?!"

I looked around in distress, then grabbed the 'Altar of Pain'.

Given the current situation, without a powerful artifact, there's really no way to resolve this matter.

"Come on, West Copper, same as always, bind me."

(ﾟωﾟ): "Uh, I can't bind it. The previous owner is still alive and hasn't voluntarily unbound it, so there's nothing I can do."

"...That's it, we can only wait to die here."

(ﾟωﾟ): "You're just waiting to die, but I won't."

I sighed helplessly, picked up the 'Altar of Pain', and turned to walk towards the lower city.

Hopefully, those people in the city can capture one or two high-ranking members of the Desert God race. If they know how to break the 'Altar of Pain,' there might still be a solution.

Just then, 'West Copper' suddenly made a sound again.

(•ิ_•ิ): "Well, although it's sudden, I wanted to tell you that the 'Altar of Pain' was suddenly unlocked!"

"ha?"