"Who are you?" Mr. Leon shielded himself from the incoming blizzard with one arm, forcing his eyes open to peer at the figure before him—Merlyn.
"Merlyn!" Lisa exclaimed, her voice tinged with grief and fury. Standing at the rear of the formation, she gazed upon Merlyn just a few steps away. Her body began to tremble involuntarily, like a rabbit frozen in terror before a starving wolf.
"Lisa, is that really Merlyn? The infamous Mr. M?" Will whispered.
"Y-yes," Lisa replied, her voice quivering. Her eyes were locked on Merlyn, who stood calmly at the vanguard.
"Greetings, Mr. Leon. I am Merlyn, a mage representing the United Nations. And beside me is General Lei of the Arus Empire." As Merlyn spoke, the sudden blizzard gradually began to subside.
"The assassin from earlier… He was one of yours, wasn't he?" Leon asked with a sneer, his disdain evident. To him, Merlyn and General Lei were nothing more than trifling threats.
"Heh heh… That was merely a warning. Should you continue your advance, I promise not one of you will leave this place alive," Merlyn said with a manic gleam in his eyes, his tone both deranged and menacing.
"Hmph! You cannot intimidate the warriors of the Holy Order. We shall not retreat until we have defeated you!"
"Oh?" Merlyn, who had already turned away, halted and slowly turned his head back, a twisted grin spreading across his face.
"Enough, Merlyn. Let's go." General Lei, sensing Merlyn's rising fury, stepped in swiftly to de-escalate the tension.
But Merlyn paid him no heed, and General Lei, in truth, made no earnest effort to stop him either. The two men stood face to face, locked in a deadly glare. The air around them thickened with murderous intent so intense that neither dared to make the first move.
"Damn it… That fool Leon, he's provoked Merlyn," Lisa whispered behind the lines to Will.
"But Mr. Leon doesn't look weak at all," Will responded.
"This isn't about strength. To Merlyn, the lives of everyone here—save his own—are utterly meaningless. He sees them all as fuel for destruction."
"So that means…"
"It means we're all in danger. Look after yourself—I don't have the luxury of protecting you."
"Hey, hey! Since when did I ask for your protection?" Will shot her a helpless glance.
"You, Cleric, shall pay dearly for your insolent words," Merlyn suddenly roared, raising his hand toward the heavens.
The moment his words fell, everyone—including General Lei—turned to follow the direction of Merlyn's outstretched hand, their faces contorted in terror.
High above, a massive, flaming meteor was hurtling toward them at incredible speed.
"Look! What is that?" some of the clerics shouted, pointing skyward.
"Will, get ready to run," Lisa murmured to him.
"Huh?"
"That… That's a meteor!" someone cried out in horror.
Panic erupted. The clerics scattered in chaos, some abandoning their weapons in a desperate bid to flee.
With a deafening roar, the colossal meteor crashed into the clerics' formation. An inferno exploded upward as the impact unleashed a wave of searing flames that devoured everything in its path.
Screams—agonized, desperate, and harrowing—filled the air. The once-quiet forest path was now a blazing hellscape. Some clerics were crushed to death; others, ablaze, writhed on the scorched ground in torment. A five-hundred-strong battalion had been obliterated in mere seconds.
"This… this is hell itself," General Lei muttered, eyes wide as he stared at the inferno before him.
"Merlyn… You're a demon incarnate!" General Lei's voice trembled with revulsion.
"Heh heh heh… Why, thank you," Merlyn replied, glancing back over his shoulder. Both he and General Lei stood unharmed amid the sea of fire, protected by a magical barrier Merlyn had conjured between them. The flames passed them by like water around a rock, unable to touch them.
In time, the thick black smoke began to dissipate. Merlyn stepped forward into the charred wasteland, surveying his handiwork with satisfaction.
Corpses. Everywhere. Burnt, crushed, dismembered. The land had become a graveyard. Suddenly, as if spotting a rare treasure, Merlyn darted ahead.
"Oh? Mr. Leon, the man too blind to know his place. I didn't expect you to survive."
Leon was crouched on the ground, clinging desperately to his shield. A golden aura radiated from it—his spiritual energy, the very force that had preserved his life. As Merlyn approached, Leon rose slowly. Though battered and broken, his golden armor torn and scorched, he raised his shield and gripped his longsword tightly. There was no fear in his eyes.
"How valiant," Merlyn mocked, sneering at the bedraggled cleric.
"Come then, demon," Leon growled, lifting his shield above his head, ready to strike.
"Hmph. Very well. I shall grant your wish."
"Disintegrate!" A beam of dark energy erupted from Merlyn's fingertip. It pierced Leon's shield—then his skull.
Blood splattered.
Leon fell, his body still poised in a combat stance, his shield raised even in death.
"Pathetic," Merlyn sneered.
"Merlyn, do you not realize this will only deepen the hatred between Arus and Paralar?" General Lei said sternly.
"It matters not. Arus will soon become a vassal of the United Nations. We'll assist you when the time comes," Merlyn replied smugly.
"Hmph. You speak too soon."
"Do you truly believe you have a choice?" Merlyn, small in stature but towering in menace, looked up at General Lei, his gaze twisted and unhinged, burning with the madness of destruction. General Lei, unnerved, dared not answer.
"Now then, General. For now, we're allies. I suggest you remember that." Merlyn raised his hand and traced a glowing circle in the air. A radiant portal shimmered into existence. Without another word, the two stepped into the light and vanished.