Chapter 309: Merlin’s Action

“M-Merlin!?”

Liora was shocked when she saw Merlin appear beside her.

“What are you doing? No, wait—hurry up and leave!”

Realizing her question was wrong, Liora quickly got up and tried to push him away, but it was too late.

Boom!

Nysera plummeted from the sky, triggering a massive explosion.

All the students raised their arms to shield their faces and stumbled back a few steps.

After a moment, they lowered their arms and looked toward the arena.

There stood Merlin, holding Nysera’s massive claw with a single hand. His handsome face remained calm and composed, as if it were nothing.

“Merlin Clay!?” Luvis was stunned. “What is he doing there?”

It wasn’t just him; everyone there was just as confused. They had no idea when the boy appeared or how he did it.

Nysera’s attack was extremely powerful. Even the geniuses from the first wave wouldn’t dare claim they could withstand it.

Yet Merlin stood there calmly, holding her massive claw.

“Ughh!”

Nysera groaned in pain as she tried to pull her claw free from Merlin’s grip.

Strangely, she couldn’t move it at all. Frustrated, she opened her mouth, and a fireball formed between her jaws.

Of course, Merlin didn’t just stand there. He clenched his left fist and slammed it forward.

Boom!

The fireball exploded inside Nysera’s mouth, and her massive body was blasted into the sky.

Her regenerative power quickly healed her. With a deafening roar, Nysera flapped her wings and lunged at Merlin once more.

“Wait here a moment,” Merlin said indifferently.

He bent his knees and charged toward her.

Just as their bodies were about to collide, Merlin suddenly disappeared and reappeared above her head.

He twisted his body, using his weight for momentum, then kicked Nysera in the head.

The silver dragon was instantly slammed into the ground, cracking the arena floor before it finally shattered.

Roar!

Nysera let out a furious roar and was about to attack again, but Merlin had already landed on her head and pinned her down with gravity magic.

Gravity magic was an evolution of earth magic. No one else could use it except him.

It was his own creation, born from modern knowledge combined with earth magic.

“What kind of magic is that?” Crystal frowned in confusion.

A purple light emanated beneath Nysera’s body, rendering the dragon completely immobile. In all her life, she had never seen magic like that.

“I have to ask him about it,” she whispered, a burning enthusiasm rising within her.

She was a magic maniac. If there was magic she didn’t know, she would search for it until she found it.

Although her relationship with Merlin had been somewhat strained before, she didn’t care. With her beauty, she was confident she could charm him.

“Pressure magic? No, its power is stronger than that. What is it?”

On the stage, Leina wondered in amazement. She had never heard of this kind of magic before.

Curiosity rose within her, but she quickly suppressed it. After all, she could ask Merlin about it later.

Roar!

Nysera continued to struggle against the pressure of the gravity magic, but she couldn’t break free.

Merlin placed his palm on her head and commanded, “Be quiet!”

“[Ding! The Authority of the Dragon Empress has been activated!]”

“[Description: The Authority of the Dragon Empress is an innate ability possessed by the master of the Primordial Dragon Lyserra Ardenis. This ability allows the master to suppress dragons of a lower rank.]”

Badump!

Nysera’s heart pounded as an indescribable fear rose within her.

It felt as if her bloodline was being directly suppressed by Merlin.

Though she initially tried to resist, Nysera eventually went still, her expression turning blank.

Merlin nodded in satisfaction. He withdrew his hand and muttered, ’That authority is very useful.’

He had obtained that ability a few days ago from Lyserra. The little dragon said their bond as master and guardian spirit had grown very close, and their trust in each other had deepened.

As a result, previously hidden abilities began to awaken one by one. One of them was the Authority of the Dragon Empress.

Merlin jumped down from the dragon’s body and walked toward Liora.

“All right, you’re fine now.”

Liora let out a breath of relief and bowed her head to him.

“Thank you for your help, Merlin. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would have happened to me,” she said gratefully.

Her strength and mana were depleted. If she had continued fighting Nysera, she would have been the one to fall.

Merlin smiled and waved his right hand. “It’s okay.”

“[Ding! Hidden Heroine Liora Aryn’s affection has increased by 10 points! Current affection: 60 points!]”

Merlin turned to Ronald and gave him a small nod.

Ronald smiled and nodded back.

Without saying anything else, Merlin jumped down from the arena.

“Brother, you’re so awesome!” Catrine praised him, her eyes sparkling.

Merlin’s movements were fast and decisive. His fighting style was very similar to hers.

Luna, Margaret, and Monica also looked at him with the same admiration.

Merlin rarely acted, but when he did, he looked incredibly handsome and cool.

“[Ding! Gained admiration from the heroines and the villainess! Reward: 10,000 system points!]”

“[Ding! Congratulations to the master for successfully completing the mission: Saving Liora Aryn from Nysera’s uncontrolled attack! Reward: 30,000 system points and 2x Level A Healing Potions! Note: Because you performed exceptionally well and earned the admiration of those around you, the system has given you an S rating! Additional reward: 30,000 system points!]”

Upon hearing the series of notifications, Merlin felt extremely pleased.

This was the first time in two years that he had received such a huge reward.

First, he earned 10,000 system points for impressing the four girls. Second, he received 30,000 system points as a mission reward. Third, he gained an additional 30,000 system points as a bonus.

In total, he earned 70,000 system points in just one day!

The result was completely beyond his expectations.

’The heroines are truly the key to my luck,’ he whispered inwardly with a laugh.

The desire to conquer all the heroines in the world of The Lost Hero novel rose within him.

However, he quickly reminded himself not to act recklessly. Otherwise, an axe might come from behind and end his life on the spot.

“The winner is Nysera!”

Ronald’s announcement restored the atmosphere around the arena.

Even so, the impact of what had just happened still lingered, and the students remained silent, their expressions complicated.

The professors came down to move Nysera’s large body. She was unconscious and would return to her human form in a few hours.

Despite the incident, the match continued as usual.

Because Liora surrendered before Ronald officially declared her defeat, she was automatically eliminated and ranked sixth.

The remaining contestants were Catrine, Elmyra, Caelith, Nysera, and Caldor.

Since Nysera was unable to fight, the next matches would be Catrine against Elmyra and Caelith against Caldor.

“We finally meet, Catrine Clay!” Elmyra said excitedly.

Catrine looked at her and carefully observed her appearance.

She was of average height, with a fairly pretty face. Her blonde hair was styled in drill curls.

Wearing a red dress, her well-developed figure was clearly outlined.

She held a hand fan in her left hand, covering half of her face.

“I’m glad to fight you too,” Catrine replied flatly. “Let’s begin.”

She took a stance, then dashed forward. Raising her fist high, she swung it at Elmyra.

Strangely, Elmyra didn’t move to dodge. She simply smiled and whispered, “You’ve fallen into my trap.”

Catrine was startled. Suddenly, her body froze midair. Two green magic circles appeared beneath her feet, glowing brightly.

“A magic formation?” Catrine’s eyes widened slightly.

Magic formation experts were a special branch in the field of magic. Those who specialized in it excelled at setting magical traps.

Earlier, she was certain that Elmyra was just an ordinary mage, as she had defeated her previous opponents using direct magic attacks.

That was why Catrine had confidently charged at her.

Who would have thought she was actually a magic formation expert?

Catrine had been completely caught off guard.

“Hehehe! Goodbye, Catrine Clay!”

Elmyra snapped her fingers. The next second, a violent explosion erupted, incinerating everything around her.

“Catrine Clay lost? How is that possible?” a student exclaimed in disbelief.

Catrine had been the favorite to win this match. After all, everyone was well aware of her overwhelming strength.

Yet now, she seemed to have been completely defeated by Elmyra, which felt impossible.

As the black smoke from the explosion slowly cleared, Catrine was nowhere in sight.

Elmyra stiffened and quickly turned around—only to find the sharp tip of a sword pressed against her back.

It hadn’t pierced through her chest, but if she had tried to move, she would have been stabbed instantly.

“You lose.” Catrine’s cold voice sounded from behind her.

Elmyra froze for a moment, then let out a slow breath. She raised both hands and said, “I admit defeat.”

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