Chapter 274: Leina’s Arrival

“Only a weak eight-star mage would dare act so arrogantly in front of my student? Your opponent is me!”

Merlin’s heart skipped a beat as he realized the figure was Leina. A wave of relief washed over him, and his body gradually relaxed.

Khar’s gaze fixed on Leina. His normally calm expression hardened.

“Leina… Solayne, right? So, you managed to defeat my people. Impressive,” he said coldly.

Leina straightened, meeting his stare without a hint of fear.

“They were just cockroaches—easy to crush. Enough small talk. Now, your opponent is me! Merlin, stand back!”

With that, she shot into the sky at incredible speed.

Clenching her fists, she launched a devastating punch at Khar.

Khar’s eyes widened in surprise as he quickly crossed his arms to defend.

Boom!

The attack slammed him against the hall’s ceiling.

As his body plummeted toward the ground, Leina appeared in front of him.

With a swift pivot, she struck his back with a powerful kick.

Khar recognized the danger and immediately shifted into a defensive stance.

Boom!

The kick connected, and though he managed to absorb most of it, the force pushed him faster toward the ground.

Merlin watched in awe. Khar, an eight-star mage, was being hit so easily. The difference in their power was staggering.

“As expected of the king’s sister—truly incredible!”

Merlin almost wanted to applaud right then and there. Having someone as powerful as Leina by his side was a huge advantage.

If he faced a tough opponent, he could simply call on her to finish the fight.

“Cough!” Khar coughed as he slowly got to his feet, rubbing his arm in agony.

Leina’s punch hadn’t just been strong—it had struck the nerve points in his arm, sending stabbing pain through it as if it had been crushed.

He glared at Leina, fury blazing in his eyes, and spat coldly, “Leina Solayne… you’re asking for death! I won’t let you get away with this!”

Thud!

He brought his palms together, and a massive wave of energy erupted, surging outward in all directions.

Leina’s eyes narrowed. She stepped back, pulling Merlin with her.

The two landed about a hundred meters away, their faces tense.

“Auntie, what’s happening? Is Khar about to use his strongest technique?” Merlin asked cautiously.

Leina nodded slowly. “I’m not sure, but it seems like it. Be careful. If he really unleashes it, run as fast as you can. Leave everything to me. Got it?”

Her eyes glinted with a sharp warning.

Linda’s purpose in sending her, Jason, and Victor to bring Merlin along had been training him all along.

But if Merlin got hurt—or worse, died—Leina was certain Linda would be furious and punish them severely.

Not to mention, Merlin’s status as a prospective son-in-law of the royal family made him even more valuable. Her brother would definitely demand accountability.

“I understand,” Merlin replied shortly.

Boom!

A deafening explosion erupted from ahead. Khar’s body suddenly grew to over two meters tall.

At the same time, strange monsters appeared on either side of him.

They were grotesque—wolves with human faces, bears with two horns on their heads, and others of bizarre, unnatural shapes.

Merlin trembled unconsciously. He had seen various monsters outside the gates of Droswen and during the previous test, but these were on a whole different level.

These creatures were the very definition of “monsters.”

“Leina Solayne!” Khar roared in fury. “I will not forgive you! I will feast on your flesh and that child’s, then offer my body to the demons!”

His face was red, and white smoke hissed from his nose and mouth as he braced himself and charged toward Leina and Merlin.

Leina raised her left palm, and a white magic staff instantly materialized in her grasp.

She twirled it effortlessly and commanded, “Merlin, take out all those monsters. I’ll handle him. Got it?”

Merlin nodded eagerly. “Got it, auntie! Leave them to me!”

Without a word, Leina vanished from her spot and appeared right in front of Khar.

She raised her magic staff and shouted, “Holy Magic: Ice Rain!”

Whoosh!

Blue clouds materialized from the hall’s ceiling, spreading across the entire area.

Moments later, icy rain began to pour down at blistering speed.

Khar clenched his right hand. The ground beneath him trembled, and a giant hand emerged to shield him from the attack.

But Khar had clearly underestimated Leina’s holy magic. The hand only held for a moment before cracking and shattering under the assault.

“What?” Khar gasped, attempting to retreat, but Leina left him no opening.

She tapped the tip of her staff on the ground. Instantly, massive green roots shot up, wrapping around Khar and binding him tightly.

Panic flashed across Khar’s face, but there was nothing he could do.

Screak!

The sound of tearing flesh echoed sharply, sending chills down anyone’s spine.

Yet Leina remained perfectly calm, as if the scene didn’t affect her at all.

’He’s… weak,’ she murmured. ’Could it be that his Eight-Star power isn’t from talent or skill but the result of forbidden potions?’

If Khar were truly an Eight-Star Mage, he would have stopped the attack—or at least dodged it. But now, struggling like this, he only fueled Leina’s suspicion.

Meanwhile, the ice rain covering the arena began to dissipate. Soon, Khar’s figure came into view.

But his condition was pitiful. Only his head and skeletal frame remained; his arms, legs, and other flesh were completely gone.

“Is he dead?” Leina frowned, uncertain.

Scrrrk!

Khar’s lifeless body slowly rose, and his destroyed flesh regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“Sure enough—he’s not dead,” Leina said with a soft chuckle.

She felt no fear. In fact, she had been waiting for him to recover. Only then could she analyze all his abilities and turn them to her advantage.

Meanwhile, Merlin faced the monsters. They looked terrifying, but their strength was no greater than the dragon he had fought before.

He pointed the tip of his staff at one of them.

“Fireball!”

Buzz!

A fireball shot from his staff, striking the monster.

Boom!

It exploded in flames, roaring as it tried—and failed—to put out the fire.

Merlin spun through the air and landed lightly on the ground.

Almost instantly, three monsters, each two to three meters tall, leapt toward him, cutting off his path.

But Merlin remained unfazed. Sparks of electric lightning crackled around his legs, and under the monsters’ furious gaze, he vanished and reappeared directly above them.

The three monsters collided, toppling onto one another.

Seizing the moment, Merlin raised his right palm and shouted, “Advanced Magic: Blue Fire!”

Buzz!

A three-meter-tall blue flame descended from the sky, engulfing the monsters and reducing them to ashes.

Merlin landed beside the scorched remains, casually brushing his hair aside.

“That was too easy.”

…

Boom!

Jason hit the ground hard. His body dropped, but he quickly regained his balance and landed safely.

He waved both hands, brushing away the dust in the air, then scanned his surroundings with alert eyes.

“Where am I? Did I reach the place that man was talking about?”

His brows knit together. The surroundings were shrouded in darkness.

Aside from the faint light coming from above, there was no other source of illumination.

Jason closed his eyes, relying on his senses to navigate.

Soon, about sixty meters ahead, he sensed several doors lined up neatly.

“There’s a way,” he murmured as he opened his eyes.

Without hesitation, he moved straight ahead, maintaining his awareness.

Moments later, he reached the row of doors. There were three in total—two on the right and one on the left.

He opened the door on the right and froze.

“A sacrifice room?” His brows tightened as anger surged within him.

Inside stood only a small altar and several headless corpses scattered nearby.

The stench was so foul it nearly made him vomit.

He stepped inside and inspected the room carefully. After confirming there was nothing unusual, he exited and moved toward the next door.

When the door opened, he found a bathroom. Feces were scattered across the floor, and the stench was no less unbearable than that of the sacrifice room.

Jason quickly shut the door, drew a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

After calming himself, he turned to the door on the left. He twisted the knob and pushed it open.

Behind it was an empty room, containing nothing but a straw mattress.

Jason closed the door and looked ahead. The passage stretched onward, branching to the right and left.

He walked to the end, paused in thought, then chose the path to the right.

As he moved forward, he kept his senses sharp, scanning the passage.

Suddenly, he stopped. His expression hardened.

“There’s someone there,” he muttered.

He felt no fear and instead quickened his pace. The presence wasn’t moving toward him—it entered a room instead.

As he drew closer, Jason slowed and came to a halt.

Before him stood a golden door, nearly two meters tall. He carefully peeked inside.

In an instant, his eyes widened in horror. Inside were countless mysterious tubes, each containing women, men, and children.

There were many—at least forty or more. But what truly shocked him wasn’t their number. It was the sight of someone he knew… Victor!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep