Clang!

Two figures vanished and reappeared in midair at incredible speed. One attacked with sharp precision, while the other parried effortlessly, as if he had anticipated the move from the start.

Suddenly, the defender spun around and drove his foot into his opponent’s stomach.

In an instant, the man was sent flying and crashed to the ground. Dust billowed up, obscuring the view.

A few moments later, the dust slowly settled, revealing the figure on the ground—Geran.

“Ahem…” Geran coughed and clutched his aching stomach. “How is this possible? Just how strong is Merlin Clay?”

His attack hadn’t looked particularly impressive, but the impact was excruciating.

It felt unbelievable for a first-year student to possess such overwhelming strength.

Meanwhile, the professors watching the fight wore stunned expressions.

From the beginning, Geran had seemed to dominate. He had even looked close to victory.

But in a single decisive moment, the tide turned completely. Merlin struck once, and Geran was knocked down instantly.

To them, the sight was shocking and hard to believe. But then they remembered who Geran’s opponent was—Merlin, the first person in the first batch to reach the Fourth Spirit Core stage.

He was also the one who had defeated Nysera at her strongest.

With that in mind, an outcome like this was only natural.

“Damn… just how strong is Merlin Clay?” one of the students exclaimed in horror. “Even Senior Geran was defeated that easily. He’s a complete monster!”

The other students nodded in agreement. At first, they had thought Merlin would struggle, but reality proved otherwise.

They had underestimated him far too much.

“So, is that all you’ve got, Senior?”

Merlin landed in front of Geran with a mocking smile.

He hadn’t used much of his power, yet Geran had already been defeated so easily. It truly disappointed him.

Geran’s face darkened at the insult. However, he didn’t dare act recklessly again. Merlin had already proven his strength—he was not someone to underestimate.

Geran slowly got to his feet and brushed the dust off his uniform.

“Don’t get cocky yet, Merlin Clay. I haven’t even shown my true power,” he said coldly.

Merlin rolled his eyes. He had heard that cliché line hundreds of times.

How boring.

He swung his sword to the side, then pointed it forward.

“Stop talking. Men prove themselves with their strength, not their words!”

Whoosh!

His figure vanished, then reappeared right in front of Geran. His left foot stepped forward as he slashed his sword toward Geran’s neck.

Geran didn’t dare to be careless. A red aura erupted from his body. His gaze sharpened as he swung his sword up to block the incoming strike.

Clang!

The two blades collided, producing a loud, ear-piercing sound.

Merlin didn’t stop. He spun his body and threw a punch toward Geran’s face.

Geran raised his arm to block but quickly realized it was only a feint. Merlin’s real target was his stomach!

Thud!

Geran was sent flying backward once again. But Merlin wasn’t finished. His figure vanished, then reappeared right behind him.

He bent his knees and drove his fist toward Geran’s back. However, Geran wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

“Sword Technique: Demon Severing Slash!”

He twisted his body and swung his sword straight at Merlin’s fist.

Boom!

The clash triggered a loud explosion. Black smoke billowed out, swallowing their figures and obscuring everyone’s view.

A moment later, two silhouettes burst through the smoke and collided again.

Their battle grew fiercer with every exchange. The students held their breath, as if even the slightest sound might disturb the fight.

“They’re both amazing,” Monica murmured in awe.

Although he had been at a disadvantage at first, Geran showed no signs of backing down. On the contrary, he grew stronger with each passing second, even managing to keep up with Merlin.

Meanwhile, Merlin refused to be outdone. He stood his ground, never once giving up his advantage.

“They’re both impressive. But Geran’s position isn’t good. In a few more minutes, he’ll lose his momentum—and the fight,” Catrine remarked calmly.

She could tell that Geran’s struggle resembled someone who had already lost all hope.

It was as if he were forcing out every last ounce of strength just to defeat her brother.

But in reality, it was pointless. Catrine glanced at Merlin, who still looked calm, effortlessly parrying every one of Geran’s attacks.

“You’re right.” Luna nodded slightly as she adjusted her glasses. “Geran is definitely going to lose.”

“Huh? Since when have you been wearing glasses?” Liora asked in surprise.

Luna gave a faint smile. “Just recently. Seeing Merlin wear glasses made me think we’d look great wearing the same style. What do you think?”

She pressed the bridge of her glasses and looked at Liora and the others with hopeful eyes.

The four girls: “…”

Boom!

Boom!

Explosions erupted every few meters as Geran pressed forward. His face was flushed, and his eyes burned with an intense fighting spirit.

“Why do you keep dodging!? Fight me!”

With a swing of his sword, an energy slash shot toward Merlin.

Boom!

The ground beneath them shattered and was thrown upward by the impact.

Merlin reappeared about five meters away, a playful smile curving his lips.

“Your attack is strong. Unfortunately, it’s useless against me.”

His taunt only made Geran’s rage burn hotter. A red glow spread across his blade as he swung again.

The same energy slash tore through the air, but once again, Merlin evaded it with ease.

Geran didn’t stop. He launched a barrage of rapid attacks.

Still, Merlin dodged them all effortlessly.

“Argh! You’re so annoying!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Geran’s aura erupted to its peak. The air around them turned heavy, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Ronald’s eyes widened. “Danger!”

He tried to move, but it was already too late.

“Sunburst Cleave!” Geran roared as he swung his sword forward.

A five-meter-tall energy slash materialized in the air and shot toward Merlin at terrifying speed.

Merlin’s eyes widened as the attack engulfed him in a violent explosion.

The entire courtyard was bathed in blinding golden light. The students hurriedly raised their arms to shield their eyes.

A few moments later, the light slowly faded.

They looked up to see what had happened. In the next second, their eyes widened in shock. The battle arena was in shambles.

The ground had split in two, and the grass was completely scorched.

Even the thirty-meter boundary wall had been destroyed, showing just how devastating Geran’s final attack had been.

The atmosphere grew silent and heavy. Everyone held their breath, as if they still couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“That attack was so powerful. And Merlin Clay…”

A student tried to speak, but his words trailed off.

All eyes turned simultaneously toward where Merlin had been standing. Smoke and dust still shrouded the area, leaving his condition unknown.

“Hahaha! Merlin, you’ve met your match!” Lucius couldn’t hold back his laughter.

He didn’t even bother hiding his joy.

In truth, he didn’t want Merlin to die. But if he did, that would still be fine—at least his grudge would be avenged.

And he wouldn’t need to train hard to defeat him.

Rosaline glanced at her brother with a complicated expression. Naturally, she should have felt happy to see his grudge avenged.

But strangely, she didn’t feel even a shred of happiness. That realization unsettled her.

“Is Merlin dead?” Trigard narrowed his eyes.

He knew Geran well. The man possessed several deadly finishing moves, and the technique he had just unleashed—Sunburst Cleave—was one of them.

It was a terrifying offensive attack. Anyone struck by that slash would be reduced to dust in an instant.

Even those at the Third Spirit Core, Seventh Awakening, or Seven-Star Mage level wouldn’t dare claim they could block it easily.

Thus, it seemed certain that Merlin Clay was dead.

“It seems so,” Arta whispered, nodding slightly. He closed his eyes, then added, “Geran is in trouble now.”

Ronald had clearly warned that the battle must not result in casualties, yet Geran had violated that order.

The punishment he would face would surely be severe.

As the tension peaked, the smoke slowly dissipated. Merlin stood there with his left hand extended.

A faint golden barrier shimmered in front of him, cracks spreading across its surface.

Everyone’s eyes widened in horror.

“Alive!? How is that possible!?” Lucius cried out in shock.

Merlin’s death, which he had fully expected, did not happen. Instead, the boy had actually survived.

Crack!

The cracks on the barrier spread further before it finally shattered into pieces.

Merlin rubbed the back of his hand and chuckled softly.

“Not bad. That attack was impressive,” he said calmly.

But anyone perceptive enough could sense the mockery hidden in his tone.

“You… you…” Geran stammered. He couldn’t understand how Merlin had survived his ultimate attack.

It made absolutely no sense.

“Why? Surprised?” Merlin smirked. “I’ll admit your attack was impressive. But that’s all. I’m far stronger than you.”

Those words felt like a knife piercing Geran’s heart. He was about to respond when a red magic circle suddenly appeared above him.

His eyes widened, and a look of fear and despair—unlike anything he had ever shown before—flickered across his face.

“W-Wait, Merlin Clay! I-I can explain!”

Unfortunately, Merlin was too lazy to listen. Without hesitation, he waved his hand downward.

In that instant, a fireball burst from the magic circle and slammed into Geran.

Boom!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep