Cough, cough, cough. Such immense strength. Merlin staggered to his feet, his eyes burning with rage as he glared at Will, who stood not far away.
Will remained still, his gaze shifting uneasily between Merlin and General Lei. He understood that both men were formidable opponents, and any lapse in his focus could prove deadly.
Meanwhile, General Lei stood motionless, watching the exchange between Merlin and Will, his mind torn with conflicting thoughts. If he did not assist Merlin now, the sorcerer would surely exact his revenge later. Yet, with Will's sudden appearance, a rare opportunity had arisen. He could use Will to dispose of Merlin, shifting all the blame onto him.
No, General Lei silently thought, I cannot let Merlin die now. If he does, the United Nations will undoubtedly hold Arus accountable. With that, Lei drew his sword, preparing to strike at Will.
"General Lei, stand aside and watch. I have no desire to accidentally harm you," Merlin sneered.
"Merlin, do you truly think you can handle this?" General Lei asked nonchalantly.
"Of course," Merlin replied, smugly.
Hearing this, General Lei sheathed his sword with a sigh of relief and stepped back, positioning himself to observe the ensuing battle.
"Boy, what is your name? I must know whom I am about to kill," Merlin taunted.
"I am Will Gibson. You'd better remember it, for I'll be the one to kill you," Will retorted, his voice seething with anger.
"Hmph, such arrogance!" Merlin sneered, extending his finger toward Will. In an instant, a jet of black energy shot out, targeting Will.
"Ah!" Will cried out in agony as the destructive beam pierced his right shoulder, blood pouring from the wound. His short sword slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground.
"Tch, missed! But next time, I won't miss," Merlin chuckled darkly, savoring Will's pain.
Will knew the power of this attack all too well—just a month ago, it was the very same beam that had claimed Sir Leon's life.
Grimacing in pain, Will clutched his wounded shoulder with his left hand. He lowered his gaze, testing his right hand, attempting to move it. He needed to know if it was still functional.
"Destruction!" Merlin cried once more, seizing the opportunity when Will momentarily lost focus. Another black beam shot toward Will's chest.
Sensing the danger, Will acted swiftly, crouching and grabbing the short sword that had fallen to the ground with his left hand. He rolled forward, narrowly evading the destructive beam.
"Ah, good reflexes," Merlin remarked sarcastically, before releasing another beam at Will.
Will sprang to his feet, nimbly dodging to the left, narrowly escaping the attack. He then gripped the short sword in his left hand and charged at Merlin.
"Ah, speed as well, impressive," Merlin feigned admiration, yet he remained unfazed, standing his ground with a wicked grin.
With a fierce yell, Will raised his left hand and swung the sword at Merlin. But Merlin made no attempt to avoid the strike. Instead, with a dismissive sneer, he conjured a short sword made of ice in his right hand, lifting it to deflect Will's attack.
"What?" Will could hardly believe his eyes. This sorcerer, small in stature, possessed such incredible power.
"Where did your strength go? Is it because your right arm is injured, and your left hand lacks the power to strike? Heh heh heh," Merlin taunted cruelly.
As Merlin had surmised, Will, accustomed to using his right hand, found it difficult to wield his left with the same force, despite his immense strength. He struggled to summon any real power.
Just as the two were locked in a deadlock, Merlin's left fist clenched tightly, and he ruthlessly pummeled Will's wounded right shoulder. The wound, which had begun to coagulate, reopened, blood flowing freely once more. The excruciating pain caused Will to stagger back, his strength beginning to wane. He collapsed onto the ground, struggling to maintain his composure.
Seizing the opportunity, Merlin lifted his foot and kicked Will in the abdomen, sending him sprawling. Without hesitation, Merlin charged forward, aiming his ice sword at Will, who, still on the ground, raised his short sword to block the attack.
With a sharp clang, the ice sword shattered Will's weapon into pieces, cutting a deep gash into the chest plate of his armor.
"Heh heh heh. It seems you've lost your weapon now."
"Die, you arrogant fool!" Merlin shouted as he lifted the ice sword high, aiming it at Will's exposed chest.
Defenseless and weaponless, Will had no means of stopping Merlin's strike. He closed his eyes, instinctively raising his hand to shield himself.
Just as Merlin's blade was about to pierce Will's body, a fireball suddenly streaked through the air from the distant woods. Merlin noticed it immediately, halting his attack and slashing at the fireball with his sword, splitting it in two. However, in the process, his ice sword melted into a puddle of water.
Merlin looked up toward the direction from which the fireball had come. In that instant, another fireball flew toward him. Without his weapon, Merlin leaped back, easily dodging the attack.
"Who dares?" Merlin growled, his fury palpable.
From the woods emerged Lysa, her hands raised as if ready to launch a third fireball. She surveyed her surroundings carefully before making her way toward Will.
"Will, are you alright?"
"Lysa? I can't believe you're here to help me again. I must be useless," Will murmured, his voice laced with self-reproach.
"You fool. You can't take on Merlin alone right now. We'd better retreat for the moment."
"Impossible. He killed Sir Leon, he caused Eddie to lose an arm, and he's slaughtered so many of the Paladins. This revenge must be taken today," Will said through gritted teeth, struggling to rise to his feet despite his injuries.
"Alright then, I'll help you," Lysa replied, resolute.
"Ah, it was you who interfered with my spell, wasn't it?" Merlin sneered, pointing a finger at Lysa.
"Disruption spell. Just a little trick," Lysa replied smugly.
"How dare you disrupt my magic! I'll kill you for that!" Merlin's fury erupted as he lunged toward Lysa.
However, before he could strike, a shadow appeared behind Lysa. It was General Lei, his movements so swift that neither Lysa nor Will could react in time. He seized Lysa by the throat, preventing her from casting any more spells.
"Little girl, they agreed it would be a one-on-one fight. So you can just watch, like me," General Lei said coldly, as Lysa struggled in his grasp, gasping for air.
"Ha ha, I have no problem with a two-on-one fight," Merlin laughed, confidence dripping from his every word.
"Hmph. I fear you may not survive this, Merlin," General Lei said dismissively.
"Merlin, come!" Will stood firm, his gaze fixed with burning intensity on the sorcerer.