Chapter 315: The Short Fight

Merlin leaped into the arena with confidence and composure.

He walked to the center of the arena and looked at Nysera casually.

“Let’s begin.”

Instantly, the atmosphere became tense. The top ten contestants, except for Catrine and Liora, who were still inside the arena, quickly moved away.

They had seen how chaotic the arena had become during Nysera’s previous fight. So, they didn’t want to get involved and instead chose comfortable viewing positions.

After only Merlin and Nysera remained in the arena, a magical barrier appeared and surrounded it.

The students watching looked extremely excited. They had long wanted to see Merlin Clay’s abilities. Now, they finally had the chance to witness them.

Nysera rubbed her fists and said enthusiastically, “There’s only one rule—whoever loses consciousness first loses. Do you agree?”

Ronald and the other professors were stunned. The rule was extremely dangerous.

If Merlin or Nysera were too stubborn to admit defeat when they were already helpless, their lives could be in danger.

A young female professor wanted to intervene, but Ronald stopped her.

“Vice Principal, why are you stopping me?” she asked irritably.

The others also looked at Ronald with dissatisfaction.

However, Ronald was not affected and gave them a reassuring look.

“Don’t worry. Didn’t I tell you that the Academy Master is here and watching everything? Why are you all so anxious?”

His words surprised them all. They had just remembered that Linda was watching the fight.

A sigh of relief escaped the female professor’s lips. Even so, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t worried that one of them might get hurt.

“The fight begins!” Ronald’s voice broke the silence.

Nysera bent her knees and clenched her right hand, which had turned into a silver claw.

“Don’t disappoint me, Merlin Clay!”

Whoosh!

Her figure vanished and reappeared in front of Merlin at great speed.

She raised her claw and punched at his face.

Boom!

A huge explosion rang out, and shockwaves spread in all directions.

No one dared to take their eyes off the arena. They wanted to see whether the punch was strong enough to hurt Merlin Clay.

Surprisingly, when the dust and smoke cleared, Merlin Clay remained standing with a calm expression.

His arms were folded across his chest, while a slight smile bloomed on his lips.

“What?” Nysera was shocked. She then realized that her fist had hit an invisible barrier only five centimeters away from Merlin.

She quickly composed herself, raised her left fist, and punched Merlin again.

Boom!

Unfortunately, the result was the same—the shield was completely unaffected by her powerful attack.

Unwilling to give up, Nysera spun around and kicked Merlin in the face.

Boom!

Boom!

Each attack was no weaker than the last, and the powerful blasts shook the arena.

“What the hell is that? Is Merlin Clay using magic?” a student asked in surprise.

“No, it’s not magic. I don’t sense any mana fluctuations,” Caelith replied with a serious expression. “But the composition of that shield is similar to magic. Could he be using an artifact?”

“An artifact?” The students around her were surprised. Using artifacts was not prohibited.

But in an arena battle like that, it was somewhat inappropriate. Of course, those who felt that way were the poor ones who lacked high-quality artifacts.

After all, wealth was a form of power, so there was nothing wrong with using it.

“This fight is becoming one-sided,” Luna remarked with a long sigh.

She wasn’t worried at all that Merlin would lose. She had known the boy for more than two years.

Although his sudden rise to the Fourth Spirit Core was completely unexpected, Luna was sure that even if Merlin hadn’t reached that level, he would still be unbeatable.

Catrine, Margaret, Liora, and Monica nodded in agreement. They felt that Merlin would only toy with Nysera.

Boom!

Nysera continued to attack with all her might, but it was futile.

Feeling annoyed, she scolded, “Are you just going to keep hiding like a coward? Fight me now!”

Boom!

Merlin chuckled softly and nodded. “All right. In that case, I’ll get serious.”

After saying that, his invisible protection disappeared.

Nysera’s eyes lit up, and without hesitation, she raised her right claw and aimed it at Merlin’s face.

Just as she thought her attack would hit Merlin, something unexpected happened.

Her fist was caught by Merlin’s left hand. Nysera tried to pull it back, but she couldn’t.

It felt as if Merlin’s hand were an extremely strong iron clamp.

Suddenly, Merlin raised his left hand. A faint red light appeared around his fist as he whispered, “You’ve been attacking me this whole time. Now it’s my turn!”

“[Ding! Dragon Empress Authority: Soul Punch activated!]”

Merlin swung his fist toward Nysera. There was nothing special about the punch—it looked completely ordinary, at least to the onlookers.

However, to Nysera, the punch felt terrifying. An enormous red dragon appeared behind Merlin.

The dragon spread its wings, bared its fangs, and stared at her with a piercing, cold gaze.

Nysera’s heart pounded wildly as cold sweat drenched her back. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t.

It felt as if an invisible hand were choking her neck, preventing her from uttering a single word.

Whoosh!

Merlin’s fist stopped right in front of Nysera’s eyes.

He smiled slightly and tapped Nysera’s head with his forefinger.

“You lose.”

Without saying anything else, he turned around, put his hands in his trouser pockets, and jumped down from the arena.

“Let’s go,” Merlin said as he walked out of the arena area.

Luna, Margaret, Catrine, Liora, and Monica were confused by the result. Merlin clearly hadn’t finished the match, yet he just left.

Wasn’t that against the rules?

Despite their confusion, they didn’t think much about it and hurriedly followed him.

Meanwhile, the students were also puzzled and exchanged surprised glances.

Merlin Clay had left the arena without defeating Nysera. It was the same as declaring that he had given up.

“Vice Principal, what happened? Why did Merlin Clay just leave?” a professor asked hesitantly.

The other professors were also confused and looked at Ronald curiously.

Ronald furrowed his brow and stared in the direction Merlin had left.

His gaze then fell on Nysera in the arena, and he was instantly shocked.

Without saying a word, he jumped down from the platform and landed beside her.

He checked her body and was dumbfounded. Nysera was unconscious.

Although her eyes were open, she couldn’t move at all.

“This… what happened?” His heart pounded.

Just then, the professors hurried down and landed beside him.

One of them noticed Nysera’s unusual state and asked worriedly, “Vice Principal, what happened to Nysera?”

Ronald bit his lower lip and replied weakly, “She… has lost consciousness.”

“Unconscious? How is that possible? Nysera clearly opened her eyes,” a middle-aged professor said in surprise.

The others nodded slightly, as if agreeing with him.

Ronald sighed softly and explained, “Even though her eyes are open, her consciousness has disappeared. She is nothing more than an empty shell.”

His words shocked the professors and students present.

Leina suddenly stepped forward, waved her hand in front of Nysera’s face, and then touched her forehead.

“She really is unconscious. Her consciousness has disappeared,” she muttered in amazement.

The other professors didn’t want to be left behind and hurriedly examined Nysera. After confirming that the dragon girl was indeed as Ronald had said, they finally believed him.

“What exactly happened to her? How did she end up like this?” a female professor asked with a trembling voice.

“Most likely, Merlin Clay’s earlier blow caused this,” another professor replied.

“But how is that possible? Merlin Clay’s attack didn’t even hit her, did it? I saw it clearly,” the female professor argued.

A debate broke out between them until Ronald’s voice silenced them all.

“Enough!”

He stared at them coldly and scolded, “Now is not the time to argue. Take Nysera to the treatment room and ask Leona to check on her. If it’s really serious, I’ll ask the Academy Master to intervene directly.”

The professors didn’t dare to object and immediately carried out his orders.

Ronald dismissed the students, and after everything had quieted down, he sighed deeply.

’It was a really bad idea to let Nysera challenge Merlin Clay. If I had known, I wouldn’t have allowed this to happen,’ he muttered regretfully.

Merlin’s abilities had exceeded his expectations. Nysera, who could suppress Catrine, was easily defeated with a single blow.

In fact, the blow didn’t even hit Nysera. Yet the impact was terrifying—Nysera had turned into a statue, completely devoid of consciousness and spirit.

Now, he understood why Linda favored Merlin Clay so much. The boy’s abilities were indeed extraordinary.

…

“Brother, is it okay to leave the arena like that? Aren’t you afraid your reputation will be ruined in the eyes of the students and professors?” Catrine asked hesitantly.

She didn’t want her brother to be labeled a coward by the others. That would be the same as insulting her.

Margaret, Luna, Liora, and Monica naturally turned to Merlin to hear his answer.

Merlin just smiled and said, “Don’t worry. They won’t think that way after seeing what happened to Nysera. I can guarantee it.”

His ambiguous words left them even more confused.

“What happened to her?” Margaret asked instinctively.

Merlin glanced at her, pressed his index finger to his lips, and replied playfully, “That’s a secret…”

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