A Wizard's Secret

by Stayrr

Anyone who could construct a stable Spell Model could become a Wizard — that was the Wizards’ ultimate secret! Having been given a new life as the son of an aristocrat and armed with a super quantum computer from his past life, Spell Models came as easily as breathing to Merlin. With this overwhelmingly huge advantage, would Merlin become the greatest Grand Wizard of all time?

32. 991

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Chapter 991: Defeat in a Single Blow!

Doomsday's information was very detailed indeed. Before Doomsday turned twenty-eight, his life was ordinary. He had a mid-tier almighty beast bloodline called the Fantasy Hawk.

Although this Fantasy Hawk was a mid-tier almighty beast bloodline, unlike a mid-tier almighty beast bloodline its ability was of little value as it was very weak. Therefore, Doomsday was just like countless ordinary people before twenty-eight and used his almighty beast bloodline to become a bodyguard of an aristocrat.

Initially, Doomsday's life might have gone on in this manner right up until his death, but in the year he turned twenty-eight, something had happened. The aristocratic lord to whom he was loyal had erupted in a clash with another lord. Both armies of the two territories ruthlessly killed each other.

In the end, the lord who Doomsday was loyal to was defeated, and the entire territory was slaughtered until there was nothing left.

At that point, Doomsday seemed to vanish without a trace. Even the information of Phantom's Intelligence Team had no records of this period at all. Only after a full decade, Doomsday suddenly appeared once more.

No one knew where Doomsday emerged from, but once he did, the first thing he did was to massacre everyone within that aristocratic lord's territory; even the young children. No one was left behind and the aura of death soared to the skies.

With this as a prologue, the entire Holy Dragon Empire was shaken up. The ruling powers of the empire's royal family declined year after year, no longer powerful enough to constrain the numerous, massive territories of the empire. Therefore, the turmoil of the Holy Dragon Empire soon arrived.

Rivers of blood ran in every place Doomsday passed by. The royal family had once sent three full-shifting formidable existences to punish Doomsday, but he easily killed them in the end.

After that, the name of Doomsday was gradually born and indicated that wherever he went, it was as if doomsday had arrived. The place would fill with a frightful, bloody carnage.

"Disappeared for ten years!"

Naturally, Merlin took note of Doomsday's greatest secret, which must have been those ten years when he vanished. From a mere inheritor of a mid-tier bloodline, he had become one of the top-level existences of the whole Holy Dragon Empire in one leap. Doomsday merely had used a decade for that, which was really unbelievable.

There was no doubt that Doomsday had done something in those ten years he disappeared. It very likely involved an enormous secret, one which belonged only to Doomsday himself.

In truth, it was not just Doomsday. Amongst those leaders of the rebel armies, which one did not have a secret? Each of them seemed to have appeared from thin air and became the most top-level existences all at once. It was precisely due to these mysterious and powerful rebel army leaders that the Holy Dragon royal family was not as powerful as they wished to be because they were only able to put up with the present chaos of the empire.

"Deputy Minister, you did not guess wrongly. Those ten years in which Doomsday had vanished must surely involve some momentous secret. It's just that other than Doomsday himself, no one would know about this matter."

Merlin bobbed his head and put down all this information on Doomsday. As for the contents of this information, he had already memorized everything. Merlin even told the members of the Intelligence Team, "Keep a close eye on Doomsday, and in particular, pay extra attention to those ten years when Doomsday disappeared. If there are any updates, you must tell me at once."

Merlin became more and more interested in the ten years when Doomsday had disappeared. Back then, Doomsday had nearly forced Merlin to expose his Illusory World, which would destroy Merlin's foundation. Merlin was not someone who would forgive so easily.

"Haha, Leon, you're here indeed!"

Suddenly, a tall and muscular man came from the outside with many people following behind him. Merlin turned around and frowned slightly. This muscular man was the Combat Team's Team Leader, Hert the Ursus King.

This Hert approached Merlin purposefully and his tone did not sound too courteous. No matter what, Merlin was now his immediate superior. However, Hert still dared to call out Merlin's name so frankly. This in itself was provocative behavior.

"Hert?"

"Leon, back then you were the Deputy Team Leader of the Combat Team. Even if you've become a full-shifting contender, you're still a Deputy Team Leader! The Minister made an exception in promoting you to Deputy Minister. I have an objection to this. We're all members of the Combat Team, so let's use the methods of the Combat Team to settle this. How about that? I myself want to see, now that you're a full-shifter, how powerful you are. Killing that idiot Black Gorilla King isn't much of a feat, you know."

It turned out that Hert the Ursus King was not happy that Merlin, from being one of his subordinates, had become his superior. Nonetheless, this was the Minister, Farron's decision. Hert had always respected Minister Farron very much, so he dared not oppose Farron directly. Even so, he ultimately felt that, even if a Deputy Minister had to be elected, he was the best candidate and not Merlin.

In Hert's plans, he could become the Deputy Minister while Merlin became the Combat Team's Team Leader. Only then would this be a win-win solution. Therefore, he was full of discontent and immediately vented this towards Merlin.

Merlin smiled. All of their burning stares were fixed upon him. In fact, many people did not understand why he had become Phantom's Deputy Minister. Even if he had slain the Black Gorilla King, could he actually compare to Hert the Ursus King? It should be known that Hert had also killed a full-shifting contender before. Moreover, it was an accomplishment of killing a full-shifter with a mid-tier almighty beast bloodline.

Only Iza, Shiya, and the rest were not concerned. Conversely, they were worried about Hert. "The Team Leader is too reckless. Still, although he's more approachable, he's actually very proud too. How could he tolerate Leon becoming Deputy Minister? Perhaps only a fight would calm the Team Leader down."

It was not just the Combat Team. Even the members of the Intelligence Team, the Logistics Team, the Research Team, and so on, had received the news and all came here, staring at Merlin and Hert. This was the most fighting force amongst all of Phantom's various teams so far.

"Alright, Hert. Let's do this right here. You may attack," Merlin spoke evenly. He knew that if he did not face this challenge today, he would surely not have much dignity left as a Deputy Minister in Phantom from then onwards.

"Right here? Are you trying to destroy the Intelligence Team?"

Hert knitted his brow and laughed coldly.

"That won't happen. Attack."

"Alright."

Hert did not waste more time chatting and let out a roar. Instantly, he shapeshifted fully, becoming an enormous Blackbear and exuded a fearsome force. This was his true shifted form, the Ursus King!

The black Ursus King extended its massive claws, and without any hesitation, swiped at Merlin as it whistled through the air. This swipe had the force of nearly two hundred tons, and even the air itself was compressed, emitting sounds of escaping pressure.

This strength was definitely greater than the Black Gorilla King!

"As expected of the Team Leader of the Combat Team. The strength of the Ursus King is truly greater than the Black Gorilla King! However – a match of strength?"

Merlin laughed. With his current form, would he be concerned about a match of strength? Perhaps only some Supreme Talents would make Merlin feel slightly apprehensive.

Of course, that would be mere apprehension!

"Boom."

Merlin lightly reached out with a hand, after which his arm swiftly shapeshifted, forming a massive paw. He stretched it out, turned it over, and smacked it down. Instantly, a rumbling sound boomed incessantly in their ears. Moreover, that frightening power was something that would make everyone remember this blow.

Furthermore, this was merely a casual strike from Merlin. He had only shapeshifted one arm.

"How is that possible?"

As Hert the Ursus King stared at that gigantic paw, he felt almost suffocated. This was not a Supreme Talent. As a full-shifting fighter himself, Hert knew very well that this was definitely not a Supreme Talent. Just like him, this was the purest strength!

"No, no, Supreme Talent, Enhance, let me break out!"

Hert unleashed a furious cry as his body expanded by an additional size. His muscles bulged, containing terrifying power. It turned out that Hert had activated his Supreme Talent, and his Supreme Talent just so happened to be strength itself, able to upgrade his physical attributes twice over. This was a rather fearsome Supreme Talent, as it would amplify his physical attributes.

It was by relying on this Supreme Talent that the Ursus King had steadily occupied the position of the foremost contender amongst Phantom's various teams, second only to the enigmatic and formidable Farron. His Supreme Talent had played a part in this. Thus, after sensing Merlin's threat, Hert at once unleashed his Supreme Talent, exploding with his mightiest strength.

Nonetheless, Merlin's eyes merely flashed an admiring look, but his gigantic paw did not change at all and still smacked down directly and viciously towards Hert.

"Bang."

There was an immense crash as Merlin's blow seemed to have struck everyone in their hearts which made them feel a sinking sensation.

Dust and smoke filled the air. Hert the Ursus King that was so full of extraordinary vigor a moment ago was now lying pathetically on the ground. His body force had not vanished, but he had been ruthlessly smashed past the ground's surface.

Only Hert knew that Merlin had been holding back. Otherwise, this blow would have immediately crushed him to death. Merlin's strength was unbelievably formidable. Hert had only felt such a terrifying force from Minister Farron.

Just from this blow alone, Hert knew that Merlin and himself were both in completely different leagues. Merlin was a contender that could be placed on par with the mysterious and powerful Minister Farron who was one of the most superior existences in the entire Holy Dragon Empire!

"Hert, let's end this here. How's that?"

Merlin's arm had returned to its original appearance. Before that, Merlin had merely used the strength of his shapeshifted arm, perhaps not even mobilizing a tenth of his power. Not even Merlin understood how strong he really was now.

"Cough cough… Deputy Minister, I accept defeat wholeheartedly!"

Hert the Ursus King struggled to stand up. Just one shapeshifted arm of Merlin's was enough to defeat him. This made him understand profoundly that Merlin was a great existence on the same level as Minister Farron.

"Alright, it's over now. Everyone, head back to your teams."

Merlin waved his hand and the surrounding people immediately dispersed. After this battle, Merlin's position in Phantom was especially solid. He could even rope in some factions to contend against Minister Farron in the future.

However, Merlin thought that there was no need for so much trouble. He could defeat Farron directly and be done with it.

Defeat Farron; if someone learned of Merlin's intention, they would think he had gone mad. Farron had managed Phantom for decades, and his position had always been steady as a mountain. No one had actually defeated him. Of course, no one knew how strong he really was either.

"Honorable Deputy Minister, Minister Farron is asking for you."

Suddenly, a man from the Intelligence Team reported timidly to Merlin.

"Minister Farron?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of Merlin's lips as he fell silent for a moment. "Let's go and pay the Minister a visit then."

Following that, Merlin trailed behind this person from the Intelligence Team, heading into the depths of Phantom Headquarters.

Phantom Headquarters was exceedingly complex. The various sorts of mechanisms and secret passages were endless. Although Merlin had become the Deputy Minister of Phantom, he had only been part of Phantom for a short time and did not understand the layout of Phantom Headquarters.

After passing one secret passage after another, Merlin came to a stone room. The man who had led the way now stopped and stood outside the door, pointing towards the room. "The Honorable Minster is waiting inside."

Merlin had no doubts. Who else would have such a clear understanding of this place other than Minister Farron?

Soon enough, Merlin walked into the secret chamber. This space was rather dark, but even in the darkest night, Merlin could see the situation clearly within the room.

"Splash."

There was a sudden sound of flowing water. Merlin looked over with a steady gaze. There was an immense blood pool and it was still boiling over. What was terrifying was that, in this boiling blood pool, Farron was silently immersed in its midst.

"Deputy Minister Leon, come in."

Farron languidly stood up from the blood pool and casually draped a blue robe over himself. After seeing Merlin coming in, Farron smiled and said, "Within this blood pool is the blood of all the rebel army leaders I've killed. Most of these are fourth-form shifters, as well as a few occasional full-shifting contenders. At a level like mine, it's hard to improve my strength. I was hoping that this blood pool might be somewhat useful."

Although Farron's voice was calm, Merlin felt a chill spreading throughout the secret chamber. Perhaps the blood pool did not only belong to those rebel army leaders, but also those who opposed Farron or the royal family. They too would ultimately become a part of this blood pool.

"Deputy Minister Leon, you've just defeated Hert?" Farron asked breezily.

"Ah, it's just a fluke," Merlin's emotions were calm as well as he replied mildly.

"Oh? That was no fluke. Hert's strength is greater than the Black Gorilla King. For you to defeat him so easily is actually very astonishing to me. It looks like I've somewhat underestimated Deputy Minister Leon in the past. Still, this is good. The stronger you are, the better it will be for our Holy Dragon Empire. Even if you surpass me in the future, I can even yield this position of Minister."

Merlin did not know what Farron really meant. He was somewhat in the dark.

"Minister, you've asked me to come here. Do you have any orders?" Merlin asked respectfully. At least for now, Farron was still the Minister and one with the highest authority within all of Phantom.

Farron gave Merlin a deep look and was silent for a long while before he slowly spoke, "Deputy Minister Leon, Her Highness the Princess Royal is also a member of the royal family who ultimately serves His Majesty."

Farron's voice was deep. This was practically a warning to Merlin. It looked like His Majesty the King was not too happy with the actions of the second prince, the Princess Royal and so on. He had not yet abdicated the throne and was still the king of the Holy Dragon Empire's royal family. As for how the Holy Dragon Empire had practically fallen apart under his rule, His Majesty the King did not think that it was his fault.

Farron was on the king's side. There was no need to doubt this. Farron's words, on some level, represented the king's stance.

Merlin could join the king as well but he would not gain many benefits in doing so. Moreover, the Princess Royal would share her authority with Merlin, even share everything. Could the king do that?

After a moment of thought, a smile crossed Merlin's face and he said calmly, "Minister, I'm devoted to the empire. The Princess Royal can attest to that. Her Highness had done me a favor, so I simply helped her out with some small favor. I believe that His Majesty the King wouldn't find fault in this."

Merlin's words instantly caused the atmosphere to become tense.

Now the king was even more afraid of the Princess Royal, for no reason other than the fact that she had obtained Merlin's support. Initially, Farron had thought that Merlin could be controlled, maybe even become a powerful assistant under him.

However, now it seemed like Merlin had refused completely. There was even a vague feeling of confrontation. Merlin's force was faintly discernible, but it made Farron feel as if frightening energy would explode at any time.

In this period, Merlin must have grown stronger significantly!

Farron was silent for a long while before finally heaving a long sigh. "Marquis Leon, the Holy Dragon Empire is currently plagued by external and internal strife. We all serve the empire. That's the most important thing. You must remember that the king represents the empire! Alright, you may leave. Henceforth, you'll still be in charge of the Combat Team. As for the other teams, they'll report to me directly. In the future, when you're familiar with the various teams in Phantom, I'll let you take charge of other teams."

Merlin stood up and ceremoniously bowed to Farron, then left right away. The final arrangement that Farron had made regarding his duties was actually a limitation.

A lofty Deputy Minister, only in charge of the Combat Team; this was totally unusual. This time, it was assumed that Merlin had broken off with Farron and the king. From then on, there was a possibility that Merlin might face more obstacles within Phantom.

Nonetheless, this was nothing much. As long as he had formidable abilities, Merlin could establish a faction belonging to him within the Combat Team, acting as the Princess Royal's most faithful support.

"The royal family is really bogged down by conflict…"

Merlin shook his head and immediately left the secret chamber.

Within the secret chamber, Minister Farron's face gradually turned cold and the entire room seemed shrouded in a chilly layer of ice.

"The Princess Royal is really willing to invest her capital, allowing Leon to enter the secret chamber with the Sacred Lion Beast. Has Leon broken through or not? Based on his appearance, he still had not broken through to his Supreme Talent, yet there's still a dangerous feeling about him…"

Farron's expression was grave and uncertain. He had no authority to prevent the Princess Royal from entering the place with the Sacred Lion Beast. Not even the king could stop her. This was the royal family's encouragement towards their descendants. Only those whose bloodline was especially concentrated, who had made special contributions to the royal family, could enter.

The Princess Royal met all these conditions, so she could bring Merlin in.

Nonetheless, Farron did not sense that Merlin possessed any powerful Supreme Talent, but Merlin had easily defeated Hert. In addition, Merlin had exuded a faintly discernible force of danger just now which made it hard for Farron to determine the truth.

"Oh the royal family, still caught in this adversarial, deadly struggle. Father and son, father and daughter, sibling and sibling, everyone's in open and secret conflict. If they were to gather all their strength, what would Doomsday amount to?"

Farron could not hold back a sign. He had an unparalleled understanding of the situation within the royal family. Still, he was loyal to the king and would never betray him. Therefore, even though he was unwilling at times, he could only obey.

Perhaps in the not-so-distant future, Farron had a premonition that between him and Merlin, only one could live…

"To think that the young fellow back then had grown to such a stage. I don't know if this is good fortune or a disaster."

Farron entered the blood pool once more, quietly shut his eyes, and steeped himself in the blood pool.

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Chapter 992: Assassination!

After leaving Phantom, Merlin boarded the carriage and said evenly, "Go to Count Altadin's castle."

The carriage driver did not ask anything, simply brandished the whip and urged the carriage on towards Altadin's manor.

In the carriage, Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly. The current situation was getting more and more strange. In other words, things were becoming clearer as well.

The king, the second prince, the Princess Royal, were now similar to three different legs of a tripod. In fact, the king's influence was not as scary as one would imagine. The power held by the princes and princesses within the royal family was actually fearsome as well.

As an example, the army that now protected the palace completely was actually in the hands of the second prince and the Princess Royal. The second prince had slightly more authority. Still, by now the Princess Royal had Merlin's support, and the situation might reverse soon.

Once the tide had turned, it would disrupt the balance. This was sure to rouse some conflict. Perhaps, following this, Merlin would have to get ready to face these abrupt conflicts.

"The biggest possibility is the second prince. Perhaps he will make his move…"

Merlin's mind did not stop analyzing. Once the balance was disrupted, one side would surely make a move. Merlin had never crossed paths with the second prince and only knew that the second prince also had a few full-shifting contenders under his command. These were the contenders of the army.

The army, the palace, and Phantom were actually three factions. Initially, the king controlled Phantom, the second prince controlled the army, and the Princess Royal controlled some forces within the palace. Nevertheless, the second prince's influence had been very overpowering, having reached a hand into the palace, and the Princess Royal suffered defeat after defeat.

Fortunately, the Princess Royal had acted decisively and immediately stopped at nothing to rope Merlin in. In that case, currently by relying on Merlin, the Princess Royal's influence had extended into Phantom. It was because Merlin had gotten involved with the king's power that the king had sent Farron to deliver a warning.

The matters of this royal family could be said to be simple, but it could also be said to be complicated.

"Creak."

Soon enough, Merlin noticed that the carriage's jolting was slowing down, then it stopped. Merlin pulled the curtain aside. It turned out that, without realizing it, he had already reached Count Altadin's castle.

"Wait here for me."

With that, Merlin leaped off the carriage and walked towards Count Altadin's manor.

…

Within a lavish room, candles were lit, and a faint and subtle fragrance drifted throughout the room.

In the room, a handsome man sat steadily in a chair, his eyes revealed a cold glint. He was listening to the report from the three middle-aged men standing before him.

"Your Highness, it looks like the Princess Royal had indeed roped in the new Deputy Minister of Phantom, Leon. This Leon had killed the Black Gorilla King and was later hunted down by Doomsday, but he was saved by Farron."

The middle-aged man spoke in a low voice.

"Heh, that old fellow had saved this Leon, initially wanting to earn his service, but what's the outcome? In fact, it made things easier for that good elder sister of mine. Tsk tsk, my good sister, your influence is expanding so fast, and you're even dipping your finger into Phantom. I don't believe that the old man would be unconcerned about this?"

This young man was actually His Highness the second prince of the Holy Dragon Empire who wielded authority over the army. The three individuals before him must have been the commanders of the army that he most valued. These were all full-shifting, formidable existences, not weaker in the slightest than the Team Leader of Phantom's Combat Team, Hert the Ursus King.

As for why the second prince could control the army, this was connected to his mother. Within the royal family of the Holy Dragon Empire, his mother was a direct descendant of the most well-reputed military clan. It was just as shame that, as the empire fell into chaos, the army's influence was not as dominant as before.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid His Majesty will simply bear it in silence. Currently, the situation is not as before. The royal family must think of a way somehow to bring in some powerful individuals. This Leon is impressive indeed. According to rumors, he's also a Host. By relying on Leon, it would still be a significant achievement if the Princess Royal were to gradually control Phantom, even though Farron may be in the way and Leon could only control a portion of Phantom's power. The Princess Royal's influence would immediately surpass ours."

This commander of the army spoke somewhat worriedly. In regard to the Princess Royal's prowess, although they had never personally experienced her methods, they had heard that she was not to be underestimated.

The struggles within the royal family were sometimes even more ruthless and scary than any other matter.

"That's right, my dear beloved sister. I've really underestimated her. Now that her influence is not yet fully consolidated, we must act at once. In terms of Leon, we can send someone to give him a warning. He'll understand. Naturally, it'll be best if he can come over to my side. If he won't, well, after my beloved sister is dead, no matter how strong he is, it won't be of any use.

"Therefore, both of you, immediately send someone. The main thing is to deal with Lisa – she must die!"

A cold force was exuded from the second prince, and there was a faint murderous aura as well.

"Your Highness, the members of the royal family must not resort to killing each other. Doing so is rather improper," a middle-aged man replied after some hesitation.

"Humph, the rules set by those old fellows aren't really that significant in usual times. Now that the empire is in such an unstable situation if I kill Lisa and also wield main authority over the army, would those old fellows really sentence me to death? Rest assured, the old man and those old fellows would reprimand me sternly at most. They would not act rashly against me."

The second prince's eyes were filled with a wild light.

The three middle-aged men were silent for a moment before they finally nodded. "Full-shifting contenders would be too easily exposed. The intelligence division of the Princess Royal had learned everything they could about the full-shifters in our army a long time ago. Therefore, we mustn't send a full-shifter. Otherwise, we'll be found out before we even get close to the Princess Royal."

"If we can't send a full-shifting contender, fourth-form shifters would be too weak. Could they manage to kill Lisa? Although that sister of mine isn't very powerful, she has a top-tier almighty beast bloodline and is a fourth-form shifter! Moreover, there will surely be full-shifters by her side who would be protecting her in secret."

The second prince knitted his brow. Trying to ambush and kill the Princess Royal was challenging indeed. They could not send a full-shifting contender. Once they did, their plans would be exposed.

"There's still someone who's surely up to the task. If he's involved, the ambush would most likely work!"

The second prince's eyes brightened as if he had thought of someone. He said softly, "You're talking about Shadowthorn? He wants to come into close contact with the Sacred Lion Beast though. That's really too greedy."

"Your Highness, as long as he kills the Princess Royal, Shadowthorn won't be useful anymore. At that point, whether we bring him to the Sacred Lion Beast is entirely up to us!"

The three middle-aged men burst out laughing. That was right. No matter how formidable Shadowthorn was, he was merely a fourth-form shifter. As long as it was not an ambush, Shadowthorn was not much of a threat.

In the end, the second prince could even make plans to murder Shadowthorn.

"Very well. We'll go with this then. Inform Shadowthorn that I've agreed to his conditions. As long as he kills Lisa, I'll bring him to touch the Sacred Lion Beast in close range at once!"

A look of anticipation grew over the second prince's face. He had been waiting for this day for a long time…

…

Within Count Altadin's castle, Altadin was looking at Merlin warmly. In truth, Count Altadin knew a little about Merlin's situation, being someone of his rank and position.

Of course, secret developments like Phantom's Deputy Minister would not be known to him. Nonetheless, Merlin's beheading of the Black Gorilla King had already spread around the upper echelons of the aristocrats. Almost everyone knew about this.

Therefore, of course, Count Altadin would know as well. Right now, his gaze towards Merlin was filled with fervor and eagerness.

"Leon, you've really become a full-shifter?" After a long while, Count Altadin could not help himself anymore and asked softly. By his side, even Baratha batted her wide beautiful eyes as she stared at Merlin steadily.

"That's right!"

Merlin nodded softly. He had personally acknowledged this.

"Phew…"

Count Altadin let out a long sigh, but his eyes twinkled with an excited look. A full-shifter – a great contender at this level, only one had reached this stage amongst Count Altadin's ancestors.

Furthermore, Count Altadin remembered clearly that Merlin was also a Host. A host that was a full-shifting contender was really unimaginable.

"Leon, is that Bead of Infamy still with you?"

Seeing that Altadin inquired about this, Merlin could only bring out the Bead of Infamy, shaking his head powerlessly. "I'm really sorry. Because of me, the almighty beasts' wills sealed and suppressed within the Bead of Infamy had all vanished."

Naturally, Merlin would not speak about merging the almighty beasts' wills. This was now his greatest trump card. He would not reveal this if it was not a crucial moment. After all, having fused together countless almighty beasts' wills, the increase in his strength was far too terrifying.

Yet, Count Altadin did not seem concerned at all and simply waved his hand. "It's better if you keep the Bead of Infamy. I know that it's able to seal and suppress almighty beasts' wills. Maybe you still have use for it. If my ancestor knew that, by relying on this Bead of Infamy, a Host who is a full-shifting contender could be born once more, he'll be very gratified."

Currently, Count Altadin's attitude towards Merlin might be even more affectionate than his daughter.

"Oh right, Leon. Previously I've made an agreement with your father. We've missed the date of the wedding for you and Baratha, due to various reasons. However, never mind that. We can discuss this matter anytime we like now. From my perspective, it would be good after a month. What are your thoughts?"

"And there's also Lady Reese."

Merlin had not forgotten Reese, the young woman he had seen when he first arrived in this world.

"Very well. If there are no objections, how about if I take care of the matters of the wedding?"

Count Altadin seemed extremely enthusiastic, but this suited Merlin's wishes as well. He had no energy to prepare for these various chores. Naturally, it was best if Count Altadin could take care of things for him.

"Everything as you wish, Count Altadin."

Count Altadin appeared to be overjoyed and kept Merlin chatting for a long time. Only until the sky outside was somewhat dusky that Merlin was able to free himself and left.

"Hoo…"

As soon as he went out, a cool wind blew past which made Merlin feel as if his mind had cleared up. When he thought about Count Altadin's enthusiasm, Merlin felt very helpless.

Nevertheless, the matter had been settled at last.

After Merlin boarded the carriage, he said at once, "Return to the castle quickly."

The carriage driver nodded and instantly raised his whip, increasing the speed as they whizzed back towards the castle.

Under the gradually darkening sky, there were only a few stray people walking in the streets. Moreover, there were also some lights that illuminated the somewhat dim path.

Merlin lazily leaned back in the carriage. He was not thinking about anything for once, his mind a total blank.

No one noticed that on the bluestone pavement ahead, a dark figure silently leaned against the wall. When the carriage was passing by, the figure suddenly swelled up all at once and transformed into a frightening almighty beast.

"Bang."

As the almighty beast snarled, its fist smashed into the carriage. This carriage could not put up any resistance, including the carriage driver, who was reduced into a pile of mangled flesh.

"Roar…"

Suddenly, an enraged roar rang out, and a gigantic paw appeared from the midst of the carriage's wreckage. It seemed to block the entire sky as it smashed down upon that almighty beast.

"Crack."

The almighty beast's body instantly split open, its blood gushing out at an incredible speed.

"Bang."

The pressure built up within the almighty beast until it exploded into smithereens. Flecks of flesh sprinkled through the air, turning into specks of bloody rain. It was a ghastly sight indeed, and even the air was stained by the thick stench of blood.

Merlin's figure loomed out from the dust and smoke. A mere fourth-form shifter actually came to assassinate him. Was that not a suicide mission?

'Who could it be? Farron? He had just warned me recently, and would not need to use such methods at all. Moreover, sending a fourth-form shifter to his death – this was not a true assassination attempt, but a warning.'

"A warning? Currently, in Holy Dragon City, I'm closest to the Princess Royal. If it really was a warning, it must be connected to the Princess Royal. Could it be the second prince?"

Merlin's mind was immediately analyzing the various possibilities. At last, he concluded that there was a huge possibility that this was a warning from that second prince whom he had never met.

"If it really was a warning, why pick this moment? Don't tell me that…"

Merlin's heart suddenly throbbed as he thought of a possibility. At once, he turned around abruptly and raced towards the palace in large strides. Within Merlin's current physical attributes, even if he had not shapeshifted, his full-speed run was much faster than the carriage by leaps and bounds.

"Boom."

Suddenly, the palace seemed to tremble slightly. An almighty beast of incomparable size emerged from the palace. Moreover, its mighty presence contained a streak of unbridled fury.

"Oh no, it's the full-shifter by Lisa's side!"

When Merlin saw this almighty beast, the uneasy premonition in his heart grew more intense. Even the full-shifting contender by the Princess Royal's side had exploded with this terrifying power, revealing their true full-shifted form. This meant that the Princess Royal was surely in danger.

With this in mind, Merlin's speed was further increased as he raced towards the Princess Royal's palace.

…

As usual, the Princess Royal had left the palace, ready to head to the king's palace to pay her respects. This was an act of etiquette the Princess Royal had to perform each day. On this point, she was much better than the second prince.

However, this time, when she had merely reached the garden on her way there, a black shadow suddenly approached the Princess Royal silently. There was a white flash from his hands. The Princess Royal merely felt a slight pain, following which she was no longer conscious of anything.

"Rip."

That white flash came from a small, sharp knife. In one slice, the Princess Royal's head had fallen off before she could even react in any way.

"Shadowthorn? You dare to kill the Princess Royal, die!"

There was a full-shifting contender by the Princess Royal's side. When he saw the Princess Royal's body crumpling to the ground, this full-shifting contender even felt rather humiliated.

Under his protection, the Princess Royal had died without a cry. This was the work of Shadowthorn. Only he could have such a capability, his target dying before they could even react.

"Bang."

The full-shifted bodyguard unleashed a mighty roar, practically crushing the entire palace into pieces. Nonetheless, Shadowthorn's figure had vanished without a trace, as if he had never appeared at all. This was Shadowthorn, who had never slipped up, let alone caught. No one had ever seen Shadowthorn's true face before.

"D*mn you, Shadowthorn. You must die, show your face!"

This full-shifting contender seemed to have lost his mind, wildly destroying the palace. This enormous commotion was certain to attract the attention of the adepts within the palace.

"Swish."

Finally, Merlin hurried over. When he saw the Princess Royal's body lying on the ground, without a head, his heart was gripped by an unquenchable murderous rage.

That full-shifter who had gone mad was frantically destroying his surroundings and did not even notice Merlin. His massive fist smashed down at once, and the whistling wind even produced an explosive sound.

"Scram!"

Merlin growled loudly, and his arm instantly shapeshifted. A fist flew out, and that full-shifted almighty beast broke out into a pained expression. Its gigantic bulk was actually sent flying by a quick blow from Merlin's fist.

"Boom."

The colossal body of the almighty beast crashed heavily into the ground. The full-shifting contender only then noticed that it was Merlin, but his eyes were filled with a look of reverence.

No wonder the Princess Royal would value Merlin so much. Previously, this bodyguard had thought that this was not right, but now a mere fist from Merlin had sent him flying. It would be a piece of cake for Merlin to kill him, not even taking much effort.

"Who killed the Princess Royal?"

Merlin's eyes had turned red through and through. Regardless of whether he was using the Princess Royal, or the Princess Royal was using him, they were indeed bound to each other for the moment.

Furthermore, only with the Princess Royal's support would he be able to share in her authority over the empire. To Merlin who wanted to rely on the power of the empire to better understand this world, this had been the best option.

However, the Princess Royal was dead now and Merlin's plans were all in ruins. One might well imagine the fury burning in his heart.

Faced with Merlin's cold, detached stare, the full-shifting contender felt a tremble in his heart and said hurriedly, "It was Shadowthorn. He assassinated Her Highness. Moreover, although Shadowthorn isn't on the second prince's side, he has a close relationship with the second prince. There's a high chance that this affair is incited by the second prince."

"The second prince, hmm?"

Merlin slowly stood up. Despite his calm gaze, his body exuded a piercing, icy force. Still, one would shudder not from the cold, but from fear.

"Marquis Leon, you… What will you do?" Even this full-shifter seemed to feel afraid as he asked timidly.

"Of course I'm going to kill someone!"

Merlin turned and was about to leave when the full-shifting contender clenched his jaw and seemed to come to a decision. He said softly, "Marquis Leon, in truth… In truth, Her Highness hasn't died!"

"Swoosh."

Merlin swiftly spun around, his gaze as sharp as blades, fixed steadily upon this full-shifter.

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Chapter 993: A Royal Storm 1

"Huh? What did you say?"

Merlin's force remained terrifying. Although he seemed calm, his calmness seemed like a volcano that was about to erupt. This made the full-shifting contender very alarmed.

Faced with Merlin's inquiry, this full-shifter stood up hurriedly and looked around before saying secretively, "Marquis Leon, in fact, this is a body double of Her Highness. The Princess Royal had always been very cautious and prudent. She had many body doubles to guard against the unexpected."

"Body double?"

Merlin carefully looked at the corpse on the ground; he did not know the Princess Royal very well. Even after that intimate encounter, he was merely able to identify some aspects of her presence. Nonetheless, this corpse on the ground had the same force as the Princess Royal. It was unbelievable.

"Where's Lisa now? Bring me there!" Merlin said in a low, urgent voice.

"Marquis Leon, please follow me. However, to prevent the people of the second prince from discovering their error, I must conceal this truth."

Therefore, with this full-shifter covering up the truth, almost all of the palace learned that the Princess Royal was killed by an assassin. Conversely, Merlin was led by the full-shifter back to the Princess Royal's palace.

As soon as he stepped into the palace, Merlin saw a familiar face. It was the Princess Royal.

"You're really not dead?"

Merlin carefully looked at the Princess Royal. She looked rather the same, and her force had not changed. Still, after knowing that the Princess Royal had many body doubles, Merlin was even starting to suspect whether the one whom he had intercourse with was the real Princess Royal.

"I'm so lucky. I'm really not dead. I've never thought that brother of mine would resort to such underhanded means, but how efficient it was. If that was really me, I would have been dead by now!"

The Princess Royal had learned about everything that happened within the palace, and her voice had an icy edge to it.

"Lisa, how many body doubles do you have?" Merlin asked coldly.

"Body doubles? I do have a few. In a precarious situation like this, of course, I need plenty of body doubles, but Leon, don't worry. That day, it was the real me! If you don't believe me, you may check for yourself."

With that, Lisa wound both hands around Merlin's neck, her fragrance drifting into Merlin's nose. This time, there was no aphrodisiac. Merlin could have held back, but at this moment, he did not wish to do so.

Therefore, he swiftly swept the Princess Royal up in his arms and entered the inner chamber. At that point, moans began to sound.

After a few hours, Merlin stared at Lisa who still wore a playful, taunting expression, and shook his head. This Lisa was enchanting indeed. Merlin did not feel much love for her, only pure lust. Although Lisa was not someone with absolute beauty, the scent of her body was astonishingly tempting to the senses.

"Lisa, tell me, what are you going to do?" Merlin asked in a calm voice.

"That good little brother of mine had gone against protocol. However, we're not in a rush. I'll see how King Father's side reacts. If he exploits this chance to sort out that good brother of mine, of course, that'd be ideal. If he's unwilling, humph, then don't blame us if we break the rules too!"

Merlin could sense murderous intentions coming off Lisa. This ambitious woman would be vicious and merciless once she intended to kill; not softening in the slightest.

To avoid suspicion, Merlin did not stay on in the Princess Royal's palace for long and quickly left the place.

…

"Swish."

A pitch-dark shadow appeared before the second prince without making a sound. The second prince had not even noticed, nor did the three full-shifters from the army. Only until Shadowthorn spoke did they realize his presence. They swiftly moved to shield the second prince and hissed. "Shadowthorn, what are you trying to do?"

These three full-shifters, despite having heard about how strange and powerful Shadowthorn was, only now discovered that Shadowthorn was right beside them. They had not even sensed him in the slightest. This was too scary. The thought of it was enough to induce fear.

A smirk crossed Shadowthorn's lips as he glanced at the three full-shifters, following which he settled his gaze on the second prince and said evenly, "The Princess Royal is dead. When will you bring me to the Sacred Lion Beast's head, so that I can look at it closely?"

"What? The Princess Royal is dead? You… You've really succeeded?"

An astounded look appeared on the second prince's face as if he dared not believe this. He had only made the agreement with Shadowthorn a few days ago. Plus, the Princess Royal was guarded by full-shifters by her side. How could she be killed so easily?

Nonetheless, when they thought about how Shadowthorn appeared before them noiselessly, the second prince could somewhat believe this. If Shadowthorn had made a move instantly, the second prince had no assurance that he would be able to evade Shadowthorn's assassination.

"This… Shadowthorn, I have to determine the truth of this. If we ultimately determine that the Princess Royal has died, I'll let you know," the second prince calmed himself down and replied serenely.

"You have three days to ascertain this. I'll return then!"

Shadowthorn's gaze would cause one to tremble with dread. Clearly, Shadowthorn was not even a full-shifter, but he still inspired fear in full-shifters.

"Swoosh."

Shadowthorn quickly vanished from the second prince's sight without a sound. The three full-shifters cautiously inspected the surroundings. After making sure that Shadowthorn had left, they heaved a sigh of relief.

"D*mn it, that Shadowthorn is really too arrogant and bold."

The three full-shifting contenders felt that Shadowthorn had disregarded them, and their hearts naturally were filled with rage.

Even so, the second prince appeared placid and said softly, "Forget about Shadowthorn for now. Go at once and find out if the Princess Royal is truly dead."

Since he thought about the numerous benefits that would come of the Princess Royal's death, the second prince who had always remained composed could not help his excitement.

"Your Highness, we'll find out immediately. However, at this time, stay in the palace as much as you can, in case anything happens."

The second prince nodded. He knew that at this moment, anything could happen. His safety was the priority.

…

The king of the Holy Dragon Empire was currently feeling slightly agitated. There was only one person standing before him, and that was the mysterious Minister Farron who controlled Phantom.

Farron did not say a word and only stood silently before the king.

After a long while, the king stopped his pacing, his brow still tightly knitted. He growled. "Farron, Lisa is dead. That second son of mine is really too brazen. He has disdained the rules of the royal family, and me as well!"

Farron still did not say anything. He knew that the king was venting, but this matter could not be resolved by getting angry.

At last, after the king had gradually calmed down, Farron ventured to say, "Your Majesty, I think that priority now should be to explain things to the Princess Royal's people, especially that Leon!"

"Explain? What's there to explain? Lisa is dead. I'll take back all the authority she held. Moreover, Farron, go and give the second prince an admonishment, then spare no effort to capture Shadowthorn. We can't let him live. As for Leon, now that Lisa is dead, he has no other choice."

At this time, the king's first thought was to regain his power. As a king, he was rather aggrieved. His own authority was not even as great as his own children.

Farron was inwardly calm. In the royal family, there was no affection to speak of. Power would always be the focus of everyone's struggle, without exception.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I'll deal with this matter properly."

With that, Farron took his leave. In his view, the king was about to reduce this problem into a small matter, then nothing. He was only seizing Shadowthorn, which meant he was sparing the second prince.

"I hope that this Leon can see the situation clearly!" Farron mumbled softly. He did not know why, but he had always felt an ominous premonition towards Merlin. In so many years, Farron felt that Merlin was the greatest threat other than Doomsday.

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Chapter 994: A Royal Storm 2

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Merlin who had returned to the castle felt unprecedentedly relaxed. In those few days, he did not go to Phantom, nor the palace and simply stayed within his castle.

"Swish."

Suddenly, a shadow swiftly vanished from the castle. When Merlin looked up, there was a note on his table. He reached out to pick it up and carefully read its contents.

After reading it, Merlin used the candle's flame to burn the slip of paper to ashes, his face falling into a contemplative look.

"The king had made the decision to quickly gain control of the power vacuum left after the Princess Royal 'died' and he's indifferent towards the second prince, merely sending out the order to seize Shadowthorn. As for Shadowthorn, I wonder if there are dozens, or more than a hundred, of his wanted posters."

Merlin shook his head. Although he was in the castle and did not go out, he still knew everything about the palace and even the whole Holy Dragon Empire. This was the advantage of having intelligence.

As the Deputy Minister of Phantom, Merlin's position was not meaningless. Using the fortune of contribution points he had received from the previous mission, he had let Iza, Shiya, and the rest operate things. Now, he had gradually infiltrated every department of Phantom Headquarters.

Of course, the most important target was the Intelligence Team. These reports were sent by members of the Intelligence Team who had been converted. Whatever intelligence Merlin wished to learn about, it would be delivered endlessly from the Intelligence Team.

Currently, Merlin was like Farron and the King. Even if he did not go out, information on anything that happened at that time was still made known to him. Merlin only controlled a very small part of Phantom for now but the more he understood, the more he realized Phantom's fearsomeness. No wonder the King who merely controlled Phantom was able to suppress the second prince and the Princess Royal.

"I wonder what Lisa will do."

Merlin slowly got up to leave the castle and walked towards the palace.

Soon enough, Merlin reached the palace and went to the Princess Royal's place. Currently, the palace was dead silent, with only the Princess Royal alone inside.

"Lisa, what have you decided? What will you do?"

The Princess Royal stood up, her beautiful face as cold as frost. She said coolly, "That Father King of mine must be a dotard. Since he paid no judgment to that good little brother of mine, I don't have any reservations. Leon, are you confident in facing Second Brother's full-shifters? They're much stronger than the Black Gorilla King."

The Princess Royal exuded a harsh aura.

Merlin's expressions remained calm as he slowly replied, "I'm only worried about one person – Farron!"

"Farron?"

The Princess Royal was silent. If Farron was involved, this thing would be hard to carry out. Nonetheless, Merlin continued, "In truth, I wish to have a go at Farron myself. Back then, he saved me. I still haven't found the chance to repay him. If he interferes this time, I'll stop him!"

Merlin's words were resolute and firm, revealing no room for questioning. Even the Princess Royal felt a slight shiver in her heart. She did not expect Merlin to have grown to a point where he could truly threaten Farron.

At least, Merlin had the courage to face Farron. In the royal family of the Holy Dragon Empire, ] no one was brave enough to face Farron other than a few old fellows who lived in seclusion.

The Princess Royal drew in a deep breath, made a decision, and said softly, "Very well, we'll do this then. This time, that good brother of mine won't be so lucky. Come on, I want to give him a big, big surprise."

A trace of excitement flashed through the Princess Royal's eyes for once. Perhaps this was something she had always looked forward to.

…

Within a secret chamber of the second prince's, he and the three full-shifting old men were discussing how to handle Shadowthorn.

"Everyone, the three days are up. Shadowthorn can't possibly locate this secret room. How confident are you three in confronting Shadowthorn?"

The second prince's face was ashen. In truth, they had discussed this three days ago, but the three full-shifting old men dared not guarantee they could kill Shadowthorn. This had infuriated the second prince. High and mighty full-shifters who were relatively powerful than other full-shifters, and they could not even deal with Shadowthorn?

The three full-shifters exchanged glances and finally came to a decision. They said in a low voice, "Your Highness, as long as Shadowthorn shows himself in the main foyer, we'll spare no effort in killing him. Moreover, to prevent him from getting suspicious, we must not arrange for secret backup and only have the four of us. Only then can we get Shadowthorn to really let down his guard."

"That's right. As an assassin, one who's even ambushed full-shifters before, Shadowthorn isn't simple at all. We must not let him become suspicious in the slightest. Otherwise, if he turns into a shadow, it'll be hard for us to kill him."

These old men analyzed the method to kill Shadowthorn. He could turn into a shadow, which was strange indeed. They could not guarantee that they could fully deal with Shadowthorn. Still, as long as he appeared, they still had some confidence.

"A mere Shadowthorn – if I can't even kill him, how can I accomplish anything greater? Humph, the Princess Royal is already dead. This Shadowthorn dares to threaten me. D*mn him! After killing him, my forces will be consolidated. I'm sure Father King will perceive the overall situation clearly."

The second prince had already decided to kill Shadowthorn today.

"Let's go. We'll wait in the main foyer. Once Shadowthorn shows himself, we'll strike!"

The second prince stood up. Once he had made up his mind, he had to carry it out even if it was difficult. Furthermore, if he dealt with Shadowthorn, who was a headache to the royal family, the second prince would have made the first step in gathering his forces.

Killing Shadowthorn was the first step in the second prince's seizing of the throne. He could already see himself leading, quelling the rebellion in the Holy Dragon Empire. The hundreds of millions of people of the Holy Dragon Empire would pay attention to his name.

…

Within the well-lit foyer, a black shadow appeared without anyone realizing and gradually turned into a black-attired, masked man. He carried a slender sword on his back which induced a chilling sensation.

"Your Highness, the three days are up. Have you given it any thought?"

Shadowthorn was as elusive as a spirit. No one had found out how he appeared, nor where he came from. His voice was also incomparably cold and made them feel a bone-cutting chill.

"Shadowthorn, since I've promised you, I'll fulfill my promise. Alright, follow me but you're not allowed to bring any weapons."

The second prince stared steadily at Shadowthorn.

Shadowthorn thought about for a moment, then flung off the sword on his back. He knew that the head of the Sacred Lion Beast was the royal family's greatest secret, their most important place. There must not be any errors.

"Very well, follow me."

The second prince slowly stood up. Seeing that Shadowthorn had truly let down his guard, a barely subtle cold smirk flitted over his lips.

"Boom."

Suddenly, the three old men shapeshifted instantly, exploding with unparalleled strength. They formed a circle and trapped Shadowthorn within.

"Kill him!"

Without any more chatter, the three full-shifting contenders ruthlessly aimed their strongest attack at Shadowthorn directly.

At this time, although Shadowthorn had recovered his senses, it was too late to escape when faced with the attacks of the three full-shifters.

"Shadowshift!"

Shadowthorn let out a shout. Immediately, his entire person transformed into a shadow. However, faced with the attacks that filled the air, coming from all directions, this was not enough.

"In so many years, you're the first ones to learn my secret. In fact, I'm no longer a fourth-form shifter, but… A full-shifter!"

"Boom."

After Shadowthorn spoke, a huge swathe of shadow emerged. The whole foyer seemed to darken, blanketed in a layer of gloom.

"Supreme Talent?"

The three full-shifters were astounded. They did not expect that Shadowthorn would hide his secret so well. He was already a full-shifting contender and had a Supreme Talent.

It appeared that this Supreme Talent was very formidable.

"Bang bang bang."

Three mighty attacks smashed heavily into Shadowthorn. Although he had Shadowshifted and was a full-shifter, he still could not fully withstand it and was instantly injured grievously.

However, he was not dead and just heavily injured. His Shadowshifting technique was powerful indeed with the ability to reduce the damage to its lowest impact.

"Second prince, what you've given me today, I'll return the favor tenfold someday!"

Shadowthorn's figure vanished without a trace, leaving only his cold voice echoing in the main foyer.

The second prince's face changed greatly. Shadowthorn was actually so hard to handle. They had been ready, and three full-shifters had attacked at once, but he still escaped in the end.

As the second prince felt a chill gripping his heart at the thought of Shadowthorn's terrifying ability to approach anyone silently.

"No, we mustn't let him escape. Kill, kill him!"

The second prince roared in fury. It was too bad that they had not brought other full-shifters other than the three most powerful full-shifting contenders because they were worried about Shadowthorn finding out rousing his suspicions.

One of the full-shifters, despite feeling unwilling, still said powerlessly, "Your Highness, it's futile. Shadowthorn has already fled. It'll be hard for us to catch up to him."

The second prince was in a terrible rage and yelled, "How did you guys prepare? Didn't you say that once he appears, you were confident in killing him? Why did he manage to escape just now?"

"Your Highness, this Shadowthorn had hidden his secret too well. Who would know that he's actually a full-shifter already? Plus his Shadowshifting technique is too much. We couldn't kill him in one blow. To actually kill him would be too hard. According to Shadowthorn's personality, I'm afraid we must be careful at all times. Your Highness, you'd better stay within the palace. Don't just go out as you wish."

The three full-shifters were somewhat helpless. A troublesome character like Shadowthorn would be monitoring them at all times once he escaped. They were restricted in everything they did.

However, they could only do this for now.

"I don't care what method you use. You must kill Shadowthorn!" The second prince spoke coldly. He had not expected that in the heights of his lofty aspirations, he had failed at the first step just as he was about to seize the throne.

"My good brother, it's merely Shadowthorn. How about if Elder Sister helps you solve the problem?"

Suddenly, a sweet voice came from outside the foyer. The second prince and the three full-shifters felt their expressions changing into looks of disbelief. They stared bewilderedly out of the foyer.

"Bang."

The doors of the foyer were thrown open and a figure came flying backward from outside, crashing heavily into the ground. This figure's face was deathly white, appearing to be at his last gasp.

"Shadowthorn?"

They saw that this person on the ground who put up no resistance was Shadowthorn, whom they were so helpless against just now. Nevertheless, now Shadowthorn was sent flying by someone straight into the foyer, completely without the strength to retaliate.

"Swish."

The second prince stood up abruptly, not even glancing at Shadowthorn who was on the ground. His piercing stare was fixed firmly on a familiar figure who was sauntering in from outside the hall.

"Lisa!"

The second prince lowered his voice and growled coldly.

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Chapter 995: A Royal Storm 3

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Dear brother, are you surprised to see me?"

A few figures slowly appeared from outside, led by the Princess Royal who was claimed to be assassinated. Behind her followed Merlin and a few others, all full-shifters.

Besides Merlin, there were four other full-shifters who were the Princess Royal's hidden forces. Although on the surface, the Princess Royal's forces could not compare to the second prince's; in reality, both the Princess Royal and the second prince had hidden forces.

These four shifters were the Princess Royals forces, which even surprised Merlin.

The second prince's expression was ashen. He glanced at the shocking scene on the ground and his face gradually became solemn.

"Dear brother, this Shadowthorn dared to be disrespectful to you, meaning he has disrespected the whole royal family. Although you're prejudiced against me, this Shadowthorn has committed lèse majesté and has to die! I simply took care of it for you."

Then, a full-shifter behind her directly pummeled Shadowthorn into a pulp on the ground with an invisible fist. Immediately, the entire hall was filled with the stench of blood.

The three full-shifters behind the second prince grew nervous. Earlier, the three of them had failed to hold Shadowthorn back and was only able to injure Shadowthorn.

Although the Princess Royal was suspected to be acting out of her own interest, to be able to kill Shadowthorn so easily was not something that a regular full-shifter could do. They all knew that the full-shifter who killed Shadowthorn was not the real problem. The truly terrifying one was the person who severely injured Shadowthorn earlier and sent him flying to the second prince.

"Lisa, my dear sister. I wonder which powerful gentleman it was who helped me deal with Shadowthorn?" The second prince appeared calm and asked evenly.

Lisa looked at Merlin and said, "Marquis Leon, it seems like my dear brother wants to thank you."

"Marquis Leon?"

The second prince's expression twitched. He knew that the Princess Royal recently recruited a strong person who was also the deputy team leader of Phantom's Intelligence Team.

He had originally thought that Merlin was just slightly stronger than a regular full-shifter. However, it seemed that Merlin had gone far beyond the category of an ordinary full-shifter. Perhaps he had already caught up to the mysterious Minster Farron.

The second prince's face became increasingly unsightly. After a long while, he said with a heavy voice, "Lisa, I've investigated clearly. Shadowthorn, who assassinated you before, dared to sneak into my palace to assassinate me. Thankfully, he did not succeed. You came just in time to kill Shadowthorn."

The second prince was able to come up with a solution in such a short amount of time. Since Shadowthorn was dead anyway, he could not refute no matter what accusations were pinned on him.

The smile on the Princess Royal's face gradually disappeared. She glared at the second prince and suddenly sneered. "Hehe, brother dearest, you're so cruel that you even raised your hand against me! Furthermore, Father did not even punish you. Haha, the royal family doesn't care about family ties at all. In that case, I have nothing to worry about."

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."

With a wave of her hand, the four full-shifters behind the Princess Royal stood in four directions and formed a circle, trapping the second prince within.

"Lisa, what are you doing?" The second prince's face paled as he shouted sternly.

The Princess Royal continued to sneer. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm simply doing to you what you did to me."

At that moment, the second prince finally felt 'fear.' Even the King had to be wary of him ever since he took authority but the second prince began to be afraid when he faced the situation before him.

The second prince's forces were not limited to three full-shifters but because he had to deal with Shadowthorn today, he only arranged for three full-shifters to accompany him as he did not want Shadowthorn to be suspicious. Everyone else had been assigned somewhere else. He did not expect that his plan would land him in a very dangerous situation.

"Kill!"

With the Princess Royal's command, the four full-shifters immediately shapeshifted into fierce almighty beasts and charged towards the second prince.

The three full-shifters under the second prince were not to be outdone and also shapeshifted, doing their best to resist. At that time, the entire hall began to shake, as if it could not bear the battle shockwaves of seven full-shifters.

With this, the second prince also calmed down a little. He sat in the large chair and stared at the battle between both sides. The four full-shifters the Princess Royal had brought were as strong as the second prince's three full-shifters but the Princess Royal had one additional person, which gave them a quantitative advantage.

The strength of both sides was similar. Therefore, the side with the numerical advantage immediately gained the upper hand and suppressed the three full-shifters under the second prince.

The battle between the almighty beasts was very fierce and the shockwaves were enough to destroy the entire hall. However, the second prince burst out laughing. "Haha, Lisa, even I could only use Shadowthorn, but you're trying to kill me foolishly and out in the open. Once your actions here are discovered by Father, would you still stand a chance?"

The second prince looked at the palace that was constantly shaking and regained his confidence. After all, he was the second prince and held true authority. If the king knew what was going on here, he would certainly intervene immediately.

As long as he did not die, he could take advantage of this opportunity to launch an all-round attack on the Princess Royal, which would suppress the Princess Royal's power. That would allow him more opportunities to compete for the throne.

"Is that so? Do you think I would act without making preparations? Absolute Divine Realm!"

The Princess Royal took out a crimson orb and injected her blood into it. Then, the orb began to emit a strange Divine Realm, which shrouded and dissolved the seven full-shifters who were fighting within in. No movements could be seen from the outside.

This was a very practical and powerful treasure and was one of the most precious treasures the Princess Royal possessed. Clearly, it was used this time to thoroughly deal with the second prince.

The second prince's expression paled again. The Princess Royal was incredibly well-prepared. It seemed that he really was in danger this time.

In the scene of the battle, although the Princess Royal's four-shifters had the upper hand, it was still very difficult to defeat the three full-shifters under the second prince in a short time.

Therefore, Merlin finally asked, "Lisa, do you need me to act?"

The Princess Royal hesitated. She knew that one Merlin stepped in, there would be no doubt that the second prince would die which was why she still hesitated.

However, it was only for a moment. Soon, she gritted her teeth and said, "Leon, do it. Be sure to kill the second prince. There is no compromise between us!"

Indeed, now that things had developed to this point, there was no more compromise that could be achieved. One of them had to die.

Merlin nodded and looked up at the second prince. The second prince's gaze also happened to meet Merlin's and immediately, the second prince understood that Merlin was going to step in.

"Am I really going to die today?"

Seeing Merlin's eyes, the second prince suddenly had a feeling that he would not be able to escape the calamity today.

"Sigh, Princess Royal, Your Highness, why must it come to this? Your father would be heartbroken if he finds out that you're killing each other…"

Suddenly, a light voice sounded from outside the hall. Even the Absolute Divine Realm could not stop this sound.

Merlin, who was just about to act, raised his eyebrows and immediately stopped. A smile appeared on the corners of his mouth as his gaze fixed outside the hall. He calmly said, "You've finally come…"

Merlin did not seem surprised at the arrival of this mysterious person.

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Chapter 996: A Royal Storm 4

"Swoosh."

The Absolute Divine Realm could not hold back this person's arrival. Seeing this figure, the second prince was overjoyed and cried out, "Minister Farron, you arrived just in time. The Princess Royal seems to have misunderstood me. Please explain to the Princess Royal for me, or let Father come and judge it for himself."

Originally, the second prince had already despaired. He was an ambitious man, but when his life was threatened, it did not matter how big his ambition was. What he wanted now was the let the Princess Royal leave as soon as possible and save his life.

Farron's appearance represented that the King was beginning to intervene. Everyone knew that outside, Farron was the King's shadow and represented the King's position.

"Princess Royal, the second prince and you are siblings who share the same blood. Why are you fighting each other? His Majesty the King is deeply saddened by this. You should let your subordinates leave quickly. His Majesty will let bygones be bygones."

Farron's voice spread clearly to everyone's ears. Even the four full-shifters under the Princess Royal seemed to be somewhat shaken.

After all, no matter how powerful the Princess Royal's authority was, the King was still the supreme ruler of the royal family. The king was the one who truly held the greatest power in the royal family.

The Princess Royal's face turned ashen. She never expected that the King would suddenly intervene in their affairs. Farron's move destroyed her plan.

At this time, the Princess Royal looked at Merlin. Out of everyone here, perhaps only Merlin's strength was similar to Farron's.

Merlin's mouth was still fixed in a smile. He took two steps forward and said to Farron, "Minister Farron, I've admired the Minister from Phantom for a long time. However, the Minister is always very busy and I've never had a chance to learn from you. However, we have an opportunity now. I wonder if the Minister would be willing to give me some advice?"

"Advice?"

Farron suddenly laughed, but his expression immediately became cold. Farron was not an indecisive person. On the contrary, as the King's left and right hand, Farron's unceasing murders had frightened the King's enemies.

"Marquis Leon, it seems that you've made a choice. Very well. Princess Royal, I'll test Marquis Leon's true strength."

With that, Farron fiercely stomped.

"Boom."

The whole ground shook. At the same time, the surrounding space seemed to distort. Merlin felt a white fog appear and begin to envelop him.

In the white fog, Merlin could not see anything outside. He could only see Farron's figure standing still at the same spot in the white fog.

"A Supreme Talent?"

Merlin looked around curiously. The thick white fog did not seem to be an ordinary white fog and was filled with hidden dangers, giving him a strong sense of threat.

"Leon, now I regret saving you from Doomsday. That's because I never intended on having to kill you after saving you," Farron said calmly from the white fog, as if killing Merlin was an insignificant thing.

"Even though we've already climbed this high, there are still many things that we cannot help. However, Minister, I'm no longer the same as when I was hunted down by Doomsday. I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to kill me."

"Boom."

After saying that, Merlin immediately shapeshifted. His body rapidly expanded and grew, and became almost three times as large as the previous full-shifted Blood-eye Dragon.

The incomparably huge body carried an oppressive force that seemed to squeeze aside the surrounding white fog.

Moreover, Merlin's shifted form was no longer the Blood-eye Dragon. Although there was still a terrifying vertical eye and a pair of wings, and looked very similar to the Blood-eye Dragon, it was definitely not the Blood-eye Dragon.

"You're not the Blood-eye Dragon?"

Seeing Merlin's shifted form, even Farron who had seen many things, felt surprised. That was because he had never seen such an almighty beast before. Merlin's body had scales all over and there were even bony protrusions growing out like a hedgehog.

However, even in the ancient era, there had not been such a large hedgehog. Furthermore, he even had a pair of wings. In short, Merlin's shifted form was very strange and unlike anything Farron had seen before. It was also incredibly ugly.

"No matter what you are, today, you'll die!"

Farron's voice dropped as his figure disappeared completely, leaving behind a vast expanse of white.

"Hum."

Suddenly, the white fog began to move, constantly rotating and vaguely forming a squall and it also became extremely corrosive.

"Chi-chi-chi."

The white fog madly corroded the scales on Merlin's body, but at that moment even the scales on Merlin's body could not be removed which greatly shocked the hidden Farron.

Even against powerful full-shifters, they were powerless against his white fog's corrosion. This move alone would render most full-shifters helpless unless they had powerful Supreme Talents. However, people like that were very rare. After all, Farron already stood at the peak of the Holy Dragon Empire.

"Strangle!"

Since the corrosion did not work, Farron used Strangle. The white fog began to surge up again and turned into countless swords which formed a storm that whirled wildly and trapped Merlin within.

"Roar…"

Merlin finally reacted. He clenched his fists and performed a simple punch.

"Boom."

Just the pure strength of this one punch alone was too powerful to imagine. Even if the white fog swords were incredibly dangerous, they could not break past Merlin's surface defense.

"How is this possible? The Blood-eye Dragon is not this powerful!"

Farron's shocked voice sounded from the fog. He was well informed and naturally knew the strength of the Blood-eye Dragon. However, under the condition that its Supreme Talent was not enhanced, the Blood-eye Dragon was limited in strength and was no match for Farron at all.

Still, Farron could not do anything to Merlin.

Seeing that Farron had used two killing moves at once, Merlin slowly grew calm. Although his Supreme Talent did not improve at all despite devouring so many almighty beasts' will, he had embarked on another path instead, which was to continuously strengthen the almighty beast's body.

The strengthening of the almighty beast's body could actually reach this point. Perhaps he could not break Farron's white fog, but Farron was unable to hurt him either. Once his body became strengthened to this extent, nothing would be able to kill Merlin.

"Why can't I kill you?"

Farron's expression gradually became grim. He hesitated for a moment before making a firm decision. The white fog immediately started to roll and boil, and emitted a greater aura.

Farron was about to use his final move. He did not believe that he could not kill Merlin, whose Supreme Talent had not increased at all.

The white fog covered the heavens, and there seemed to be faint roars from almighty beasts. Each almighty beast condensed by the white fog began to roar loudly. It did not seem like an illusory almighty beast, but an almighty beast that possessed a powerful attack.

The heads of mid-tier and even high-tier almighty beasts all appeared as fog in front of Merlin. Their numbers started at a dozen and continued to increase.

Merlin could feel the power of these fog almighty beasts.

After a long while, Merlin said slowly, "I finally know your Supreme Talent. Minister, your Supreme Talent is Mirror. This fog of yours is actually a mirror image. It's no wonder you could save me from Doomsday. It's no wonder that Doomsday immediately left after seeing you. Mirror is not weaker than Doomsday's Soul of Light at all. In a sense, they're both a little similar."

Merlin observed for a long time and finally figured out Farron's Supreme Talent. It was Mirror. Perhaps it was mixed in with some other abilities, such as confusion, but the main one was Mirror.

This ability was quite terrifying. Farron could re-manifest any almighty beast or powerful existence he knew through the Mirror Supreme Talent. They would have more than 50% of their real fighting capacity, or perhaps even stronger. Merlin would have to give it a try in person.

This Supreme Talent was very powerful. Even Doomsday was unwilling to fight with Farron. Once cast, Doomsday's Soul of Light would not be able to trap so many almighty beasts from Mirror.

A smile appeared on Farron's lips. He seemed to be full of confidence after seeing so many 'mirrored' almighty beasts. He said calmly, "Yes, Leon, your guess is right. My Talent is indeed Mirror. You're the first one besides the royal family and Doomsday to have guessed my Supreme Talent. Now, you'll have a good taste of the ancient almighty beasts' impact, haha…"

Farron laughed, and with a wave of his hand, the dozens of mirrored almighty beasts charged wildly towards Merlin. Their power made it seem like they really were the ancient almighty beasts.

Merlin seemed to have returned to the ancient era. The strange almighty beast he shifted into also gave out a loud roar. Whether it was the Blood-eye Dragon's will or the new almighty beast's will that was formed by the fusion of the Blood-eye Dragon and others, it seemed to become full of fighting spirit as if provoked, and roared loudly in his Awareness.

"Kill!"

Merlin's shifted form depended entirely on the strength of his body. It was a completely different path that Farron and Doomsday walked. The path of strengthening an almighty beast's body was one that only Hosts could walk, and perhaps Merlin was the only one who did not fear being devoured by the almighty beast's will.

"Bang bang bang."

Merlin was the most ferocious of the ancient almighty beasts. Under his impact, no almighty beast was able to block him. The spikes that covered his body were his most powerful weapon. Only a slight touch was needed to completely pierce these mirrored almighty beasts.

Merlin combined the wills of many almighty beasts before such a strange appearance was born. It seemed like it was made for battle. Every part of its body was a terrifying weapon.

In just a short amount of time, Merlin smashed dozens of mirrored almighty beasts and turned them back into white fog. These almighty beasts could not threaten Merlin at all.

However, there was no trace of a smile on Merlin's face. On the contrary, his expression became grim because even after he just smashed dozens of almighty beasts, the white fog quickly gave birth to dozens more with no end in sight.

"Merlin, it's no use. This is my Mirror's space. It doesn't matter how many almighty beasts you kill, because the power here is cycled and endless. If you continue killing like this, even I won't be able to do anything against you. I'll only be able to let you tire yourself to death, haha…"

Farron's laughter seemed to come from every direction.

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Chapter 997: A Royal Storm 5

"Tire myself to death?"

Merlin looked at the white fog around him. Indeed, in the unending white fog, it did not matter how many almighty beasts he had killed. Only by finding the weakness of Farron's Mirror Talent would he be able to break it. That was the correct way to win the battle.

As a result, Merlin stopped attacking. Although killing dozens of almighty beasts would only consume a little of his energy, that amount would slowly build up. He stopped moving and let these mirrored almighty beasts attack him.

"Bang bang bang."

Each of these mirrored almighty beasts was incredibly powerful and was equivalent to eighty percent of the almighty beast's power. That was already extremely terrifying. With these dozens or so almighty beasts, they could easily destroy city after city.

However, Merlin remained motionless. He wanted to know where the limit was after fusing so many almighty beasts' will. Every impact seemed to be very powerful but none of them caused him any damage. His defense could not be broken at all. He was like a giant mountain. No matter how great the attack, it would not affect him.

"So, I'm already this strong… Perhaps, there's only a handful left who can cause damage to me in this world. Farron, your Supreme Talent is indeed strong and brilliant, but you can't hurt me either."

Merlin revealed a smile between the corners of his lips. He finally knew how terrifying his body was now. Not even high-tier almighty beasts could harm him, much less mid-tier almighty beasts. His current body's strength was just too frightening.

It was even more terrifying than the top-tier ancient almighty beasts and was infinitely close to the legendary Sacred Beast.

The Sacred Beast was extinct and no matter how powerful one's bloodline was, it was impossible to become a Sacred Beast. However, as a Host, Merlin continuously fused almighty beast wills. Perhaps one day, he could be a terrifying existence comparable to a Sacred Beast. After all, for the current Merlin, as long as there was an almighty beast's will, he could continue to improve. There seemed to be no limit.

With no limit, it represented an infinite future and an infinite space for improvement!

The almighty beasts charged wildly toward Merlin as if they would engulf him in the stampede. However, no matter how many almighty beasts gathered, Merlin did not feel threatened at all and simply let them attack him.

He shook his head and said, "Farron, it's useless. I can't break your Mirror fort, but you can't hurt me either. You'll just end up trapping me here forever."

Merlin was very calm. He had wanted to test his limits and see how far he could go by fusing the almighty beasts' will. He wanted to know if he could surpass Farron and the others.

Now, it seemed like this path was completely different from Farron and Doomsday's. Perhaps no one besides Merlin had walked on it before. No matter the strength, Merlin's extremely strong body could not be harmed.

"Hoo…"

Gradually, the white fog began to dissipate and finally disappeared completely, and Farron appeared beside Merlin again. Farron's gaze at Merlin had become somewhat complicated.

"Marquis Leon, saving you was perhaps the biggest mistake of my life!"

Saying that, Farron turned and left the hall without turning back.

"This…"

Both the Princess Royal and the second prince were stunned. They did not expect Farron to leave so willingly. The second prince reacted quickly and shouted, "Minister Farron, how could you leave? The Princess Royal is trying to kill me. How could you leave at this time?"

The second prince's expression paled. No one on the outside could see the battle between Farron and the second prince, so no one knew what the result was.

However, seeing Farron leaving now and Merlin still in good condition and unscathed, he could tell that the situation was not good. Could Merlin compete with Farron?

Thinking about this, the Princess Royal felt ecstatic. She had never thought that Merlin would grow so fast and become someone comparable to Farron.

"Brother dearest, no one can save you now! Marquis Leon, do it. If those three stand in your way, then just kill them."

The Princess Royal's eyes were cold as she said in an icy tone.

Merlin nodded. He did not even reveal his shifted form and instead, merely stepped forward and stepped gently.

"Boom."

The entire hall began to shake. Merlin's arm began to shapeshift, turning into a colossal palm.

This huge palm completely enveloped the three full-shifters. Merlin was planning to deal with all three of them alone.

"You're mad. One against three? You think you're stronger than Farron and don't even need to use your Supreme Talent?"

Seeing Merlin using his half-shifted form, the three full-shifters also grew indignant. They seemed to feel like they were looked down upon. Even Farron needed to use his Supreme Talent when going against them. However, Merlin did not intend to use his Supreme Talent.

Therefore, in their anger, the three immediately revealed their full-shifter form and transformed into three terrifying ancient almighty beasts. They roared and were about to tear Merlin's large palm into shreds.

However, when the palm pressed down on them, they felt a slight panic. The power contained in this palm was so terrifying that they all felt the stench of death as if nothing could stop it.

"No, no, how can someone's body be this tough? How can someone be this powerful? It's impossible…"

The three full-shifters screamed mournfully but it was useless. None of them could escape. With one press from Merlin's large palm, the shrieks completely disappeared and a strong stench of blood filled the hall.

"Blood-eye!"

The crimson vertical eye on Merlin's forehead shot a beam of light and completely devoured the three full-shifters' blood. Before this, Merlin did not fuse the almighty beasts' will and the power of the Blood-eye Dragon had reached the limit, so his body could not grow stronger. Therefore, the large amounts of almighty beast blood in the Blood-eye he had devoured was turned into blood crystals and stored in the body as a backup source of energy.

However, Merlin's body was like a bottomless pit now. No matter how much energy there was, it could be completely devoured. After devouring the three full-shifters, Merlin gradually felt his body become stronger. However, Merlin did not know to what extent it had increased.

What he needed to do now was use the Blood-eye to devour the blood energy of almighty beasts. At least more than half of an almighty beast's power was in the blood.

He could also devour and merge some almighty beasts' will to improve his strength. In short, Merlin just had to devour madly for his strength to naturally improve.

Perhaps when he had reached a certain level, he would not need to be so passive when facing Farron again.

"Swoosh."

Merlin looked at the second prince again but this time, the Princess Royal had turned around and said coldly, "Leon, come to my palace when you've finished."

Then, the Princess Royal immediately left without turning back.

At this time, only the second prince and Merlin was left in the hall. The second prince could feel his heartbeat. He seemed to have felt the aura of death.

"Leon, whatever you want, I can give you. It's fine that those three trash are dead. If you let me go, I'll give you anything you want! What the Princess Royal gives you, I'll be able to give you more!"

At this point, the second prince only hoped to use benefits to persuade Merlin.

"Oh? What can you give me?"

A strange smile appeared on Merlin's lips.

"I'll give you…"

The second prince pondered but could not think of anything. Merlin was a Host who had reached Farron's level. What could move Merlin?

"Nourishment Pond formulae? I have lots of Nourishment Pond formulae!"

All Hosts hoped to have a Nourishment Pond formula. However, Merlin shook his head. Currently, Nourishment Pond formulae were useless to him. Even with one hundred Nourishment Pond formulae, it might not be as good as consuming a mid-tier almighty beast's blood.

"I… I can offer you many beauties!"

The second prince seemed to recall a rumor that Merlin and the Princess Royal had a warm and ambiguous relationship. However, Merlin shook his head again and slowly approached the second prince. A heavy aura enveloped the second prince.

"N-No. That's right, I know where there are lots of almighty beasts' will. You're a Host. Rumor has it that Hosts can undergo mysterious changes by fusing almighty beasts' will."

Facing the threat of death, the second prince said everything he knew.

"Oh? A large number of almighty beasts' will? Where is it?"

Merlin stopped and asked.

Seeing Merlin stop, the second prince, who had broken out in cold sweat, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. However, he still appeared very cautious. He was not sure if Merlin would let him go but it seemed that Merlin was interested in almighty beasts' will. Perhaps this chip could save his life.

"Marquis Leon, I know of a place where there are many almighty beasts' will. As long as you let me go, I'll take you there."

The second prince tried hard to calm down. He was putting up his last stand.

"Let you go?"

Merlin suddenly laughed. He gently reached out and shapeshifted and instantly grabbed the second prince. The terrifying strength seemed to crush the second prince.

"If you don't let me go, you'll never find the place."

The second prince knew that his hope at survival was to protect this secret to the grave.

"There's no need to. You'll tell me yourself later."

Merlin's mouth revealed a strange smile. Then, the second prince felt the passing of a life force and his will became groggy as if out of his control.

"Tell me, where's that place?"

Merlin used very little of his Mind Power. Therefore, only if the second prince was toeing the line between life and death and his willpower was depressed would Merlin be able to achieve results.

Under the control of Merlin's Mind Power, the second prince's eyes gradually grew dull.

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Chapter 998: A Royal Storm 6

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Tell me, where's the place of the many almighty beasts' will?"

Merlin's voice was calm and it entered into the second prince's mind. The second prince was now completely controlled by Merlin's Mind Power and would obediently answer anything Merlin asked.

"There are many almighty beasts' will in the royal family's treasure vault."

The second prince answered Merlin's question without hesitation.

Merlin frowned. He knew a little about the royal family's treasure vault. Rumor had it that the royal family's treasure vault was the most precious to the royal family apart from where the Sacred Lion Beast was.

Most of the royal family's resources as well as thousands of collections were kept in the royal family's treasure vault. There were countless treasures of all kinds. However, the treasure vault was guarded by some ancient and powerful beings and even the King could not enter it.

Knowing this, Merlin knew that the second prince was only stalling for time for Merlin to let him go.

Merlin looked at the glassy-eyed second prince and slowly held out his hand. His pale fingers gently pressed on the second prince's forehead.

"Spurt."

A bloody arrow shot out from the back of the second prince's head. The second prince's dull eyes immediately cleared but dimmed thereafter. Without even a groan, he fell to the ground.

Merlin did not look back. He turned around and disappeared from the palace, leaving behind a bloodstain and a strong stench of blood.

…

In the quiet palace, there was incense burning, emitting a strong aroma.

"Whoosh."

A figure quietly fluttered from outside of the palace and stood in the hall soundlessly.

Seated in a chair, the King immediately raised his head. He appeared anxious as he quickly asked, "Farron, how did it go? Did you stop them?"

Farron raised his head and looked at the King. Although it was covered, there seemed to be more wrinkles. It looked like the King had aged even more than a few decades.

Perhaps the King was old!

"Your Majesty, unfortunately, I couldn't stop them. His Highness the Second Prince, is dead!"

"What did you say?"

The King was in disbelief. His second prince had died just like that. He had been so powerful that he almost threatened the King but now, he had died quietly and by the hands of his own daughter, the Princess Royal, Lisa.

"How's that possible? Farron, even you couldn't stop them? Who was it that you couldn't stop?"

The King's eyes grew red. There were times where he was unreasonable but the second prince was his son after all, so he felt grief upon his son's death. Just like when the Princess Royal "died" before, he had also felt grief. Only later did he begin to accept the authority left behind by the Princess Royal.

"Your Majesty, it's Marquis Leon whom you've conferred! Although his Supreme Talent hasn't been strengthened, he seems to have found a way to continuously enhance his almighty beast's physical strength. I can't kill him…"

Farron's tone was bitter as he spoke. It was the first time that he had felt so helpless. Even if it was against Doomsday, as long as he retaliated, Doomsday would retreat.

This was the only time where he retreated in defeat!

"Marquis Leon? Has he grown so strong? He's not loyal to me but to my ambitious eldest daughter, Lisa."

The King narrowed his eyes and no one knew what he was thinking about at the moment. Perhaps the second prince's death made him sad but it was only momentarily. He had many children and familial love in the royal family was thin.

What he faced now was a grim choice. Once the second prince died, there was no one to pin down the Princess Royal. Moreover, the Princess Royal's power would expand dramatically. The Princess Royal would force him to abdicate the throne even before it was time for him to step down.

"Farron, have we grown old?"

The King had mixed thoughts. He felt exhausted and overworked. Even the pride he had felt when he first ascended the throne no longer existed.

With the chaos and splitting of the Holy Dragon Empire, he may be evaluated the worst among the Kings of the Holy Dragon royal family. However, it was not due to his incompetence.

At times like these, the King seemed to feel "old".

"Your Majesty, what do you think should be done about the Princess Royal?"

The King's expression turned cold at the mention of the Princess Royal, and he answered, "Don't do anything about Lisa for the time being. I'm afraid Leon will have an all-out fight with you in Phantom's Intelligence Team. Phantom's Intelligence Team mustn't lose."

Phantom's Intelligence Team was the royal family's strongest force. Even if the Holy Dragon Empire was now in chaos, as long as Phantom was around, the royal family still had a chance to control the situation.

If the King wanted to maintain his supreme authority, then he must naturally hold onto Phantom. Originally, the King relied on Farron to control Phantom. Farron's strength was the greatest, and he stood at the top of the royal family. With him around, the King could control Phantom.

However, now, there was Merlin who was evenly matched with Farron. It was no longer Farron who dominated the entire Phantom Intelligence Department.

"Your Majesty, the greatest threat now isn't the Princess Royal but Leon. Do you want to consult some of the elders?"

Farron hesitated for a moment. He was very fearful of Merlin. He had always felt that Merlin's potential was too great. Moreover, since they were walking on different paths, he could not see Merlin's strength.

Farron alone could not deal with Merlin nor could he contain Merlin. However, Farron knew the royal family's secrets. The royal family did not just have powerful people on the surface. They had many full-shifters as well.

Moreover, the most frightening part was that there were a few unfathomable elders in the royal family guarding the treasure vault. They were the safeguard of the Holy Dragon City and even Farron was not sure if he could deal with them.

These elders in the royal family were ancient and mysterious. Even the King did not know how powerful they were. If these elders intervened, Merlin would not be able to resist no matter how strong he was.

However, the King shook his head and said, "The elders won't easily act if it's not a matter regarding life or death for the royal family. What's more, Leon is relying on the Princess Royal, who's also a child of the royal family. The elders wouldn't interfere with someone loyal to the royal family."

For the elders of the royal family, they protected the interest of the entire royal family, not the rights of a single King. Even if the Princess Royal tried to remove the King from the throne, the elders would not intervene.

For them, it was fine as long as the empire was still ruled by the royal family.

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Chapter 999: Grand Wedding!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Lights were blazing in the Princess Royal's palace and all the subordinates under the Princess Royal commanded the people to celebrate. The second prince was dead and the Princess Royal's biggest rival was gone. Next was to wait quietly.

However, Merlin felt that the Princess Royal was getting ambitious. She no longer wanted to wait several years to become King.

"Authority…"

Merlin shook his head helplessly. He had no feelings for authority. In the Void Zone, he was even the person with the highest authority of a huge civilization but what use was that? The strong could destroy a huge civilization in an instant.

Authority was merely how the weak hoped to control the strong. Real strength did not have any interest in authority at all. For example, the elders in the royal family as well as Farron had no special preference for authority.

Even Doomsday had entrusted his subordinates some affairs to manage. When the strong stood at the peak, which one of them would lust after authority?

However, the Princess Royal was not strong. Even if she inherited the royal family's top-tier almighty beast bloodline, reaching the fourth-form was her limit. It was impossible to make a breakthrough and become a full-shifter.

That included the current King. He was also a fourth-form shifter and could not reach the level of a full-shifter. After all, full-shifters who had top-tier almighty beast bloodlines were quite terrifying even if they just became a full-shifter. They would be second only to Farron, who had developed his Supreme Talent to the limit.

"Leon, tell me. Who else can stop us now?"

The Princess Royal's lips were smeared in red. In the dim candlelight, it looked scarlet and alluring. However, Merlin saw the desire for power and authority in her eyes!

"Stop us?"

Merlin shook his head. Now, the only one who could pose a threat to the Princess Royal was Farron. Although Farron could not hurt Merlin, Merlin could not hurt Farron either.

"Lisa, I think you should calm down for now. At best, I can only be evenly matched with Farron and his prestige in Phantom is currently higher than mine. If we fight for real now, our chances of winning aren't very good."

Merlin felt that it was necessary to burst the Princess Royal's bubble.

The Princess Royal smiled thinly and calmly said, "Don't worry, Leon. I've waited for so many years, so what's a little longer? Farron has been Phantom's Intelligence Team's Minister for many years. Moreover, his potential has reached its peak and he can't make any further progress. However, you're different. You still have a lot of room for growth. Leon, tell me. What do you need to continue to grow in strength and completely suppress Farron?"

The Princess Royal seemed to have made up her mind. All her hopes were pinned on Merlin.

Merlin frowned. The Princess Royal seemed to trust him a little too much but when he thought of how the King had trusted Farron in the same way, he felt at ease.

"The royal family won't worry about outsiders usurping power or threatening the royal family because they have great power themselves. Perhaps, those hidden elders are even stronger than Farron!"

Merlin was surprised. The royal family did not seem to be very strong on the surface but they still controlled the key departments and authority despite the current chaotic situation of the empire. This already demonstrated that the royal family was extraordinary.

Currently, there was no trouble in the Holy Dragon City. This was the manifestation of the royal family's control.

Merlin pondered. Perhaps he could use the Princess Royal's forces to obtain some almighty beasts' will, especially the ones sealed in the royal family's treasure vault as mentioned by the second prince.

"I only need almighty beasts' will now and a large number of them. If possible, I heard that there are a large amount of sealed almighty beasts' will in the royal family's treasure vault."

Merlin told the Princess Royal truthfully that he needed almighty beasts' will to strengthen himself. Perhaps Farron had already guessed it. It would no longer be a secret in the near future.

"A large number of almighty beasts' will? That's somewhat difficult. I can't enter the treasure vault even if I'm king in the future, much less now. It's guarded by the elders of the royal family. No one in the royal family is allowed to enter until a special period."

Merlin was slightly disappointed although he already knew the answer. The Princess Royal could not enter the treasure vault even if she became king.

Seeing Merlin's disappointment, the Princess Royal hesitated for a moment before saying, "Although I cannot take you into the treasure vault, I can order my men to look out for some almighty beasts' will and inform you as soon as they find anything."

Merlin nodded. That was all they could do for now.

Then, Merlin bid farewell to the Princess Royal and left the palace.

…

Since the second prince's death, the palace had been strangely quiet and calm. Nothing was happening but Merlin knew that under this peace, a terrible storm was brewing.

However, Merlin appeared to be very relaxed and was even happy. He would be married today with Count Altadin's daughter, Lady Baratha as well as Lady Reese.

This was a marvelous occasion in the entire manor. Many families who did not follow him from Boulder City even came from afar.

"Who would've thought that Leon would be a Marquis now. He even seems to have a high status in Holy Dragon City."

"If I had known, I would've followed Leon and the others to Holy Dragon City, so I didn't have to suffer in Boulder City."

"It's too late. We couldn't leave our property in Boulder City…"

These people were full of remorse. In the beginning, they did not follow Count Stanwin to Holy Dragon City and chose to remain in Boulder City. Although Merlin later took Boulder City back, they were no longer people who could enjoy the core benefits of the clan. They had become the subfamily.

"Her Highness the Princess has arrived!"

Suddenly, someone recognized the Princess Royal from outside. Although the Hilderbrandt clan knew that Merlin was extraordinary, they did not expect that even the Princess Royal would personally come to congratulate Merlin on his marriage.

"Marquis Leon, congratulations!"

The Princess Royal's attire today was very solemn and noble, making people feel inferior and afraid to approach her. However, when she looked at Merlin, she always seemed to adopt a "playful" look.

Merlin was somewhat helpless but bowed respectfully to express his gratitude. Then, he took Lady Baratha and Lady Resse and began the formal wedding ceremony.

The ceremony was complicated but everything went smoothly. From then on, Merlin's formal wives were Baratha and Reese.

After the ceremony was over, the Princess Royal met Merlin alone. A smile appeared on the Princess Royal's lips as she said, "Marquis Leon, your two wives are very beautiful. You must cherish them well. Originally, I didn't want to disturb you today but this item might be very important to you. You can consider it a big wedding present from me to you!"

Then, the Princess Royal took out an oval reddish stone.

"What's this?"

Merlin frowned. He did not see anything special about this reddish stone but if the Princess Royal was so serious when giving it to him, it should be rather valuable.

"Use your almighty beast's will! It's rumored that only Hosts can know the secrets of this stone."

The Princess Royal shrugged. Even she did not know the specifics of the stone.

"Could there be a sealed almighty beast's will inside?"

Merlin guessed upon seeing the mysterious smile on the Princess Royal's face.

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Chapter 1000: The Calm Before the Storm

Merlin did not scrutinize the strange stone in the public's view. Once he had tucked it away securely, he invited the Princess Royal into the castle. The Princess Royal cast a cryptic look at Lady Reese and Lady Baratha who were standing next to Merlin and her lips quirked into a faint smile.

Merlin's expression did not waver. He continued to welcome his guests. Besides the Princess Royal, the King had also sent his representatives. Of course, it was not Farron. No matter what, Farron was still the Minister of Phantom, which was not commonly known. Farron's identity was still considered a quasi-secret. Instead, the King sent a few representatives from the palace. They presented Merlin with a magnificent jade carving which was almost as tall as half a person and absolutely breathtaking. This gesture made all guests to question Merlin's importance, seeing as even the King had especially sent him a gift.

"It seems like Leon isn't just ordained as a Marquis. Otherwise, His Majesty the King wouldn't send such an elaborate gift."

Some members of the Hilderbrandt clan had made up their minds. They must establish good relations with Merlin and move from Boulder City to Holy Dragon City as soon as possible. Here, with Merlin around, their lives would be much better compared to Boulder City.

Merlin did not know what these clan members were thinking. Today was his grand wedding with Baratha and Reese. Naturally, he did not want this festive atmosphere to be interrupted. Therefore, according to formal etiquette, from now on, Merlin's official spouses were Lady Baratha and Lady Reese.

The castle was very lively but the Princess Royal did not stay for long. She only stayed for a short time and then got up to leave. As soon as the Princess Royal left, the people in the castle broke out in cacophony. Count Altadin, in particular, was ecstatic. It seemed that the best decision he had made in his life was to marry his daughter to Merlin.

Once dusk approached, most of the guests had left the castle. The exuberant vibe in the castle finally settled down. In a spacious room, Merlin was gazing at the two unfamiliar young women, whom were his wives now.

"Baratha, Reese, both of you probably know that I'm a Host. Currently, the situation in the Empire is very tense. It's possible that one day, an ill fate might befall me as well. Should that ever happen, naturally, the butler will send you back to Boulder City."

As soon as Merlin finished speaking, Reese and Baratha exchanged looks with one another. Then, the slightly bolder Baratha spoke. "Leon, the Empire's situation is very tense. Several lords and aristocrats have suffered terrible fates. However, now that we've married you, you don't have to worry. We'll make sure that the Hilderbrandt clan continues on. We won't allow the bloodline of the Hilderbrandt clan to cease."

After speaking, both of them appeared shy. Although they were both aristocratic young ladies, they have been well-educated. Nevertheless, saying such things aloud to a recently-married unfamiliar man was not appropriate.

Merlin shook his head helplessly. It seemed like no matter which world he went to, bloodlines were regarded with much importance. In that case, Merlin would not change anything. This would only span a few decades anyway. Accompanying them throughout this short period was not too difficult.

Thus, Merlin threw both of them on their backs and blew out the red candles. The entire room was filled with assorted moans…

…

Merlin's grand wedding did not cause much commotion in Holy Dragon City. This was because Holy Dragon City was very large, and Merlin was merely the Deputy Minister of Phantom. Moreover, in the eyes of the public, he was only a Marquis.

Considering the huge aristocrat population in Holy Dragon City, Merlin was not worth mentioning at all.

However, to those who had insider information, Merlin was a key figure concerning the throne in the royal palace of Holy Dragon City.

Following the second prince's death, Merlin's reputation had gained a life of its own. Perhaps, to an average person, Phantom Intelligence Department was an unknown name. Nevertheless, to the high-level aristocrats who held real authority, Phantom Intelligence Department was the most powerful force under the royal family's control.

Currently, the most powerful force in the hands of the royal family was in danger of being split into two. Merlin, who was supported by the Princess Royal, against Farron, who was supported by the King.

There were also rumors that Farron was completely unable to defeat Merlin. Therefore, for a good many days after the grand wedding, there were still people coming in and out of Merlin's castle. All of them were trying to forge good relations with Merlin.

Of course, Merlin would not pay any attention to these people but passed the responsibility to his two wives. Surprisingly, both Baratha and Reese were sociable. Furthermore, they have kept the castle organized, putting Merlin at ease.

Merlin was alone in the secret chamber of his castle. Lately, both the royal palace and Holy Dragon City as well as the rebel armies throughout the Holy Dragon Empire had been extremely silent. Such calmness felt abnormal to Merlin.

It was the feeling of the calm before the storm. Merlin wanted to improve his abilities to a point where he could even suppress opponents such as Doomsday and Farron. Only then would he be able to tilt the balance of the war.

Merlin's current abilities were sufficient to tilt that balance and yet, he could not turn the situation around. He needed to get stronger so that even Farron and Doomsday would have to look up to him.

Perhaps, for anyone else to have such thoughts would be completely preposterous but Merlin was formerly the most invincible existence in the Void Zone. In the end, even the will of the Void Zone was unable to kill him. Why would a great existence such as Merlin worry about not being able to surpass Farron and Doomsday?

Merlin was not too concerned about the legendary sacred beasts too.

In the secret chamber, Merlin flipped his hand over. Inside the palm of his hand was the odd stone which the Princess Royal had passed to him on his wedding day. Back then, Merlin did not examine it closely.

The stone was cool to Merlin's touch. Regardless, this was not the main point. More importantly, Merlin's Awareness hastily extended into the stone. There was a massive subspace in it.

"Roar…

Upon entering this stone, Merlin immediately sensed the growls of countless almighty beasts. This meant that the stone contained a large number of almighty beasts' will.

"There are many almighty beasts' will. Who managed to seal and suppress so many of them?"

Merlin was astonished. Previously, Merlin at least knew the origins of the Bead of Infamy. On the other hand, he was completely in the dark regarding this stone. Most probably, even the Princess Royal who obtained this stone, did not know of its exact origins.

Nevertheless, the Princess Royal probably knew that the stone was related to the almighty beasts' will. She must have spent a lot of effort to find this stone. Otherwise, she would not have gifted it to Merlin as his wedding present. The Princess Royal spared no effort for Merlin's abilities to be enhanced as soon as possible.

Merlin took a deep breath and reined in his excitement. Then, he examined the almighty beasts' will in the stone. There was a large number of almighty beasts' will – about thirty or so. Although not as many as the Bead of Infamy, it was still a considerable number.

However, sadly, there were only two mid-tier almighty beasts' will. The rest were low-tier almighty beasts' will. In this regard, it could not compare with the Bead of Infamy.

After all, the Bead of Infamy was left behind by Count Altadin's ancestor who was a full-shifter Host. It was incredibly difficult for Hosts to achieve the level of a full-shifter. Perhaps, this stone was also left behind by a Host. Otherwise, no one would spend so much effort to seal so many almighty beasts' will.

Although Merlin was slightly disappointed at these low-tier almighty beasts' will, finding them was already a challenge. Therefore, Merlin mobilized his Awareness to draw out the almighty beasts' will from the stone.

"Devour and merge!"

Merlin's enormous will exerted itself on these almighty beasts' will. Presently, Merlin's will could terrorize any almighty beast's will, including high-tier almighty beasts'.

Under the suppression of this terrifying will, Merlin had devoured the thirty or so almighty beasts' will. The almighty beast's will which was nestled in his Awareness roared furiously as it underwent frenzied transformations.

His scales became tougher and his spikes became sharper. The almighty beast's body also expanded another fold. Anyone who saw him would feel threatened.

"My Supreme Talent hasn't improved!"

Merlin frowned. He initially thought that as he continued to devour more almighty beasts' will, eventually, he would undergo a truly "qualitative" transformation.

However, until now, he seemed just like a bottomless pit. No matter how many almighty beasts' will he had devoured, there was no "qualitative" transformation.

"I'm still lacking something… I'm looking forward to seeing a qualitative transformation. I wonder, to what extent can a Host transform? Will I become a sacred beast?"

Merlin was very much looking forward to it. According to his speculation, although he had yet to undergo any transformation, as long as he continued to merge with the parasites, he would eventually succeed.

However, before the transformation succeeded, Merlin could only enhance his body strength. His defense was sufficiently hardy now. Regardless of Farron's attacks, he was unable to cause Merlin any significant harm.

So, even if Merlin became more powerful, it would only make it more difficult for Farron to break through his defenses. It still would not help Merlin defeat Farron's Supreme Talent.

"Farron's Mirror Talent isn't infallible. As long as I can find its loophole and break through his Mirror Talent, Farron is no longer a threat!"

Merlin creased his forehead. He knew the Supreme Talents of powerful existences such as Farron and Doomsday were truly durable. It was very difficult, perhaps even impossible, to break through their Talents.

As for loopholes, those were even trickier. If the loopholes were easily discovered, then Farron and Doomsday would not have become so powerful.

Though Merlin could not discover any loophole for now, he would not give up. Instead, using Mind Power, he simulated Farron's Mirror Talent over and over again in his Awareness. This was another use of Merlin's remaining Mind Power.

Nonetheless, this was a very drawn-out process which, in the end, might turn out to be futile…

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Chapter 1001: Candora Trio-Lords!

Doomsday City, despite its name and Doomsday's presence, did not contain any aura of bloodshed. On the contrary, it was a peaceful city with bustling trade.

Currently, the biggest castle in Doomsday City had a tense environment. Here, there was not a single guard in place. The entire castle seemed almost deserted.

There were five strange men in the castle. Anyone familiar with Holy Dragon Empire's rebel army forces would be astonished because these five were the strongest rebel army leaders.

Among them, Doomsday was seated at the top. Below him were the Phantom King, the Shadow King, the Liberator, and the Nine-lives Werewolf. These top five rebel army leaders controlled most of the rebel forces. Their combined force was immensely powerful and posed the most prominent threat to the Holy Dragon royal family.

Moreover, all of them were top-level full-shifter existences. Their Supreme Talents had been honed to the utmost limit. Each of them was evenly matched with Farron.

Seeing that these five people had gathered in Doomsday City, they must be discussing a major issue.

Doomsday was the first to speak. "Everyone, I'm honored that you came here today. Now, the time has come. We've conquered the entire Holy Dragon Empire, some small territories notwithstanding. Only Holy Dragon City hasn't been conquered. Holy Dragon City is the essence of the Holy Dragon royal family. Just one or two of us wouldn't be able to conquer Holy Dragon City. Therefore, only by joining forces and working together, we'll have hopes of conquering Holy Dragon City. If we succeed, everyone will get what they wish for. Furthermore, the Holy Dragon Empire will be divided into five sections. For the next hundred years, there mustn't be any conflict between us. What do you think?

Doomsday voiced out his proposal. The reason he had gathered the five main rebel army leaders was to discuss the final battle. As long as they could conquer Holy Dragon City, the Holy Dragon Empire would be their dominion in the future.

Thinking of the prospect, the five rebel army leaders were somewhat excited. This was because as long as Holy Dragon City remained standing, it was a potential threat to them. All of them knew that the Holy Dragon royal family was not as weak as they seemed on the surface.

Nevertheless, the five main rebel army leaders knew the royal family's true strength. Hence, the glamorous-looking and androgynous-sounding Phantom King spoke shrilly, "Doomsday, hehe, who doesn't know that the Holy Dragon royal family is hiding the head of the Sacred Lion Beast? Tsk, there are also those old folks who are kept under wraps by the royal family – none of them are half-assed opponents. If we're not careful, we might even be in danger."

Although the Shadow King was not well-liked, his words were on-point. The royal family had never been docile. All of them knew the royal family's prowess. It appeared that the royal family, too, had been amassing their strength. As soon as they had sufficient strength, they would possess utterly crushing abilities.

"Gentlemen, the royal family is indeed difficult to deal with but to be fair, we don't know what the royal family is up to. We only know that the royal family seems to be amassing their strength. If we wait for them to finish amassing their strength, it could be potentially disastrous for us. Moreover, this attack won't just be comprised by the five of us."

When Doomsday finished speaking, everyone had a look of surprise. Among the rebel armies in the Holy Dragon Empire, only the five of them had reached the same level. As for the ordinary full-shifters, regardless of number, their presence was inconsequential.

"Three of you, please come out."

As soon as Doomsday spoke, three men in long golden robes emerged from behind the main hall. However, if one were to look closely, they would be baffled to discover that all three of them looked the same.

These three identical men exuded an imposing aura that, even without saying a word, inspired foreboding in the hearts of those present.

"Candora Trio-Lords? I didn't expect that even the Candora Empire would intervene!"

The white-robed Liberator, who had not spoken previously, gazed sharply, almost as if there was a tinge of resentment and dissatisfaction.

The men known as Candora Trio-Lords smiled. "Liberator, you also originated from the Candora Empire but there were some unfortunate mishaps. The royal family expresses our regrets."

The Liberator came from the Candora Empire. Most probably, there was some conflict between him and the Candora royal family.

"Hehe, Candora Trio-Lords, if the Candora Empire is intervening, then we'll have to be more careful."

The Shadow King replied acerbically. The rebel army leaders were not very fond of the Candora Empire. After all, during the Holy Dragon Empire's most glorious era, its power was almost enough to dominate the Candora Empire. Many conflicts had erupted between the two empires and there was even a "blood grudge" between them.

This time, the Holy Dragon Empire was strife with internal conflict. The empire was severely fractured and was currently at its weakest state. For the Candora Empire to intervene now meant that they were trying to infiltrate the Holy Dragon Empire amid the chaos. So, even if the rebel army leaders succeeded in conquering Holy Dragon City, they might have to face the Candora Empire's army next.

Hence, these rebel army leaders were unhappy about the Candora Empire's participation.

"The Candora Empire only wants the head of the Sacred Lion Beast! We will not touch the rest of the bounty such as the royal family treasure chest. Moreover, we promise that we won't invade the Holy Dragon Empire within a hundred years. How about that?"

The man who appeared to be the leader of the Candora Trio-Lords spoke.

"The Candora Empire truly has an enormous appetite. Right at the beginning, you've already demanded the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. Of all the empires on the mainland, only the Holy Dragon Empire has the head of the Sacred Lion Beast! You're snatching the most precious treasure just like that. How can that be?"

The Liberator was the first to object, followed by nods of agreement from the other rebel army leaders. All of them coveted the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. After all, the head of the Sacred Lion Beast would allow them to level-up and decipher the secrets of the sacred beasts.

At their level, the only valuable reference material to help level-up was the legendary sacred beasts. Even though the Holy Dragon royal family had not been able to decipher the secret of the sacred beast despite possessing it for so many years, and the chance was only one in a million, these rebel army leaders would not give up.

The Candora Trio-Lords furrowed their brows. They had already expected that it would not be easy.

"Since all of you disagree, then we'll do it this way. First, we conquer Holy Dragon City and wipe out the Holy Dragon royal family. Then, we'll each rely on our skills to determine who gets the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. How about that?"

The Candora Trio-Lords seemed extremely confident to suggest such a proposal. After all, the five rebel army leaders held an advantage in terms of numbers.

Doomsday finally said, "Gentlemen, I think this is a good proposal. With the addition of the Candora Trio-Lords, we'll have eight ultimate contenders in total. Even if Holy Dragon City has those old folks under wraps, they won't be able to do much. Holy Dragon City must fall!"

Doomsday categorized all the contenders at their level as ultimate contenders because they no longer had any room to move forward. Each of them had reached their ultimate limits. The only competition was in terms of Supreme Talents.

Doomsday's statement enticed the rebel army leaders. All of them were very confident in their abilities and were convinced that they would not lose. As long as they got rid of the ultimate contenders from the Holy Dragon royal family, the entire Holy Dragon Empire would collapse in an instant. Then, they would each cut-up a territory and establish five smaller kingdoms.

Perhaps, if they were lucky, they could even get their hands on the head of the Sacred Lion Beast to be studied further. Then, like the ancestors of the Holy Dragon royal family, they could use the head of the Sacred Lion Beast to dominate the entire Holy Dragon Empire!

Seeing the fiery heat in the eyes of those present, Doomsday and the Candora Trio-Lords smiled. They knew that no one could resist the temptation…

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Chapter 1002: Prelude

In the Holy Dragon City palace, anxiety plastered across the King's face as he read Farron's updates. His brows furrowed deeper.

"Farron, have Doomsday disappeared along with Shadow King, Liberator, Phantom King, and Nine-Lives Werewolf? All of them disappeared at the same time. What are they trying to do?"

The King's tone turned slightly frosty.

"They're going to go berserk…"

"Berserk?"

The King's face darkened. He knew that these five people were the strongest forces among the rebel armies in the Holy Dragon Empire. The five of them practically represented all the rebel armies.

"Just the five of them? They're too reckless. The Holy Dragon Empire has been passed down for a thousand years. Would it be so easy?"

The King scoffed. These five were too reckless. True, the Holy Dragon Empire had not been stable in recent years. Although the number of strong contenders achieving the "ultimate limit" continued to grow, most of them had became rebels.

Meanwhile, in the royal family, other than the old folks who were kept hidden, none of the younger generations had managed to produce an ultimate contender. As time passed, the gradual weakening of the royal family became apparent.

Nevertheless, just because the royal family had weakened, it did not mean that they could be "toppled" by five ultimate contenders.

Looking at the confident glint in the King's eyes, many thoughts flashed across Farron's mind. Even though Farron held the King's absolute trust, he did not know how many old folks the royal family had hidden away, especially those who had achieved the "ultimate".

This so-called ultimate simply meant that they were on par with Farron and had cultivated their Supreme Talents to the utmost limit where it could no longer be further enhanced. Everyone belonged at the same level, so the only comparison hinged on the respective effects and strength of their Supreme Talents.

Such "ultimate" contenders were truly formidable. They were the pillars of an empire. If not for these ultimate contenders, the Holy Dragon Empire would not have been passed down for a thousand years.

"The royal family probably have two, maybe three or even up to four ultimate contenders!"

Farron could only guess. If there were three or more ultimate contenders, plus Farron and Holy Dragon City's accumulated experience, they had nothing to fear from those five rebel army leaders.

"However, will it be so simple?"

Farron still felt slightly uneasy. Suddenly, a familiar figure flashed across his mind.

"Perhaps, he'll be a variable…"

Although this person was a potential variable, Farron was no longer able to eliminate him.

…

In the castle on the outskirts of town, Merlin was simulating Farron's ability repeatedly in his mind. He had run this simulation over ten thousand times and had exhausted all kinds of methods and almost every possibility.

Nevertheless, Merlin still failed to find Farron's weakness. It was almost as if he was flawless. Merlin did not believe that there was any person in this world without a flaw. The only reason Merlin could not find the flaw was simply because he did not know his opponent well enough.

Particularly regarding Farron's Mirror Talent, Merlin's understanding was too lacking. How would it be possible for Merlin to find a flaw with such a limited understanding of the talent? It was completely impossible!

However, this did not mean that Merlin was defeated. His physical form was still the most powerful. Merlin was unafraid of any attack from other ultimate contenders. On the other hand, if Merlin had inadvertently discovered the flaw of an ultimate contender's Supreme Talent, his opponent was doomed. This was Merlin's most terrifying aspect.

Regardless, only a handful of people knew of Merlin's true prowess.

"Honorable Marquis, the Princess Royal has sent someone to summon you."

Suddenly, the butler's voice sounded outside the secret chamber. Previously, Merlin had instructed that no one should disturb him, except for matters of utmost importance. In that circumstance, the butler was allowed to report to him.

"The Princess Royal?"

Merlin took a deep breath. He had a premonition that something big had happened. Otherwise, had the Princess Royal become impatient so soon? Nonetheless, Merlin still had no confidence in defeating Farron at this stage.

Merlin did not continue guessing. He stood up and left the secret chamber. In the hall of the castle, a blond-haired man was standing respectfully. Upon seeing Merlin, he bowed and said, "Honorable Marquis Leon, the Princess Royal has a very important matter to speak to you about."

"Lead the way."

Merlin did not doubt that this blond-haired man was one of the Princess Royal's guards. Merlin had seen him many times before, so he held no suspicion toward the guard. The fact that the Princess Royal had sent this guard to fetch him meant that something serious must have happened.

Soon, Merlin entered the Princess Royal's palace. Currently, the Princess Royal's brows were tightly furrowed as her face expressed worry. When she finally saw Merlin, her expression evened out gradually.

"Leon, sorry for disturbing you and your wives but this matter is truly important. Doomsday and some other rebel armies – a total of five ultimate contenders – are getting ready to attack Holy Dragon City!"

As soon as the Princess Royal saw Merlin, she informed him immediately.

"Doomsday and four other rebel army leaders are coming to Holy Dragon City? Why didn't I receive any news from Phantom?"

Merlin's face changed slightly. In the past, he would receive intelligence from Phantom at first instance but in the past few days, there had been no such news forthcoming.

It was impossible that Phantom did not receive the news. As the Holy Dragon royal family's most powerful Intelligence Department, Phantom was always the first to receive new information. It was infallible. Merlin was well-aware of Phantom's powerful abilities.

"Leon, the reason you haven't received any news is probably due to Farron reinforcing control over Phantom!"

The Princess Royal's reply made Merlin's heart sink slightly. Indeed, he had underestimated Farron. No matter what, Farron had been the Minister of Phantom for decades. His influence had far surpassed someone like Merlin who had appeared out of nowhere. Perhaps, before this, Farron had deliberately facilitated Merlin's "smooth journey" in Phantom Intelligence Department but at the most critical moment, Farron could easily regain complete control over Phantom Intelligence Department.

"It looks like I've miscalculated Farron's foundation. Nonetheless, Doomsday and the others' arrival in Holy Dragon City shouldn't be our concern but rather the King and Farron's."

Merlin knew that the royal family's foundation was very well-established, especially the old folks of the royal family. There were at least three or more ultimate contenders and each of them was at least as powerful, if not more powerful than Farron!

As long as these old folks of the royal family were still alive, trying to conquer Holy Dragon City was nothing more than a joke.

However, the Princess Royal's expression remained tense. She did not relax the slightest. She did not believe that the five main rebel army leaders would come on a whim. The rebels' knowledge of the royal family was very thorough, so it was impossible for them not to know the royal family's foundations.

"I still feel that it won't be as simple as it seems. Doomsday is usually very meticulous, otherwise, he would've conquered Holy Dragon City a long time ago. Therefore, this time, the five of them must possess some degree of confidence!"

The Princess Royal was still a member of the royal family. If the royal family's rule was toppled by the rebel armies, then her huge ambition would amount to nothing.

Merlin nodded. "I understand. Lisa, what do you want to do?"

The Princess Royal paced back and forth, one possibility after another flashed across her mind. The ambition in her heart grew. Perhaps, this time, the royal family was truly in danger but at the same time, there were hidden opportunities amid the danger.

"Leon, maybe, this will be our chance!"

Looking at the Royal Princess' ambition-fueled gaze, Merlin realized that the situation would become even more complicated. Nonetheless, the Princess Royal had made up her mind.

"Lisa, this will indeed be a chance but it won't be easy to grasp it…"

"We'll only know if we try. Moreover, Leon, I believe in you!"

The two of them smiled at one another. The Princess Royal might be ambitious and longed for power but she had absolute confidence in Merlin. This much was enough for him!

Merlin took a deep breath. He suddenly looked forward to Doomsday and the others' siege into Holy Dragon City. Perhaps, thereafter, a new era would begin…

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Chapter 1003: Tempest Stirring I

Holy Dragon City was as its usual calm and quiet. In the morning, it was still shrouded in mist. The sun had just appeared and had not managed to dispel the thick mist but the weather was pleasant.

"Swish."

No one noticed that a few dark shadows had slipped quietly into Holy Dragon City. No one knew what technique it was either. It seemed like these people merely consisted of shadows.

Yes, shadows. Even if they stood right in front of someone, they would not be seen. All people could see was a dark shadow. This was none other than the Shadow King's formidable technique.

The Shadow King's Supreme Talent was forming a shadow that blended perfectly with the surrounding environment and impossible to find.

Therefore, the Shadow King's stealth attacks were extremely horrifying, even more so than Shadowthorn. With the Shadow King's help, Doomsday and the others were able to slip into Holy Dragon City without any problem.

"Holy Dragon City, pfft, what's the big deal about it? We thought that they would've some advanced techniques but we've managed to slip in quietly and the royal family has yet to find out…"

Amid the darkness, a disdainful voice piped up. No one knew which ultimate contender it was but his tone was certainly scornful.

"By the way, why didn't the Candora Trio-Lords show up?"

The Shadow King asked gruffly.

"They have their way of entering Holy Dragon City, so they won't come with us."

Doomsday replied, unruffled.

"Hehe, more like they're trying to take advantage of us? The Candora Trio-Lords are certainly not to be trusted."

These ultimate contenders were all wary of the Candora Trio-Lords.

"Doomsday, you're most familiar with Holy Dragon City. Where should we go now?"

Doomsday thought deeply. Based on his knowledge of Holy Dragon City as well as his thorough understanding of Farron, Doomsday did not believe that Holy Dragon City did not know anything.

"You'd better not underestimate the royal family. Perhaps, while we were getting ready, the royal family already knew that we're coming… There might be an ambush but what can they do? Pitted against absolute strength, all their schemes won't amount to anything. Let's go directly to the palace. The head of the Sacred Lion Beast is also in there."

The corners of Doomsday's mouth gradually morphed into a sinister smile. They had prepared for this for a long time. Doomsday was very knowledgeable about the royal family. Besides, he knew that Phantom Intelligence Department's intelligence-gathering ability was far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Doomsday knew that most likely their whereabouts had been tracked by the royal family, who were currently waiting for them to "spring the trap".

However, it was difficult to tell who would ultimately have the last laugh.

"Haha, yes, directly to the palace. What kind of shady tricks could stump us? Besides the ultimate contenders, who else can stand against us?"

The Shadow King laughed. Then, he manipulated the shadows and slinked silently toward the palace.

…

In the magnificent palace, the King was seated on a big chair. Currently, he was surrounded by many unfamiliar but powerful contenders. These were the full-shifters in the palace. They were not comparable to the ultimate contenders but could still guarantee the King's safety for at least a short time.

Standing before the King was Farron. Currently, Farron appeared calm as he reported softly, "Your Majesty, they've arrived. For now, we've only discovered five people. They're Doomsday, Phantom King, Shadow King, Liberator, and the Nine-lives Werewolf respectively."

Upon hearing these names, the King sneered in derision. "Hmph, I see they're all here. Good, very good since they're seeking their deaths by coming to Holy Dragon City. Get ready to attack. If all the five main rebel army leaders are dead, it'll just be a matter of time before we quash the remaining rebel forces."

The King's eyes seemed to be glowing with zealousness. Farron was reminded of a scene many years ago when the King had just ascended the throne.

Back then, the King was full of zeal. The Holy Dragon Empire was far from any turmoil and the King planned to bring the Holy Dragon Empire into a more glorious era.

However, it was only after he became King that he realized the Holy Dragon Empire was a dried-up husk. The aristocrats had grown too powerful to be controlled. Many aristocratic rulers disregarded the royal family's authority. Coupled with the gradual weakening of the royal family's descendants and the lack of talented individuals, the royal family's authority began to decline.

Later, the rebellions erupted and quickly spread throughout the entire empire. Although the Holy Dragon Empire was at risk, it also presented an opportunity for the royal family.

The influences of the aristocratic rulers were too widespread. Within their respective territories, the aristocratic rulers' words had overshadowed the royal family's orders.

However, after this rebellion, the number of aristocratic rulers had been whittled down ten to one. This was akin to a new beginning. For this reason, the King had given the rebellion some leeway.

Nevertheless, there would always be unexpected developments such as the birth of five ultimate contenders. This caught the royal family by surprise and had complicated the situation.

Right now, these five rebel army leaders even dared to come to Holy Dragon City and attempt to overthrow the Holy Dragon royal family. This made the King maniacally furious.

"Hmph, these ignorant rebels, do they think that the royal family is so weak? Oh well, the empire has been chaotic for quite a long time, so now's a good time to put an end to it."

The King's zealous aura made Farron smile. This was more like the King from his memory!

…

Meanwhile, many powerful contenders had gathered in the Princess Royal's palace. The Princess Royal had recruited these full-shift contenders.

The Princess Royal was wearing a grave expression. Softly, she asked Merlin, "Leon 1, have you investigated the matter about Phantom Intelligence Department? What happened to your subordinates?"

Merlin had already investigated it. Looking poised, he whispered, "Yes, Farron had used some means but it's alright, they just can't come out for a while. Once everything is over, I'll go to Phantom Intelligence Department to resolve the issue."

Merlin had learned about circumstances surrounding Shiya, Iza, and the others. Indeed, Farron had done something to them. Nonetheless, they were not in danger, which meant that during this critical period, Farron simply wished for Merlin not to create trouble. Farron had not completely severed ties with Merlin yet.

The Princess Royal nodded and did not say anything. Her expression was extremely solemn. Although they no longer had Phantom's intelligence, the Princess Royal still had other means to know what was happening.

"Swish."

Suddenly, a black shadow appeared in the main hall. This person was completely wrapped in black silk and wore a mask, so his or her face could not be seen.

"Your Highness Princess Royal, although we still haven't found any trace of Doomsday and the others, I'm afraid they've already entered Holy Dragon City."

The mysterious black-cloaked person reported.

"Entered Holy Dragon City? How is that possible?"

The Princess Royal was doubtful. Holy Dragon City was under careful surveillance. Anyone who entered Holy Dragon City would be discovered in no time.

After a long moment, Merlin said, "The Shadow King. Allegedly, he can move around undetected. Unless he deliberately shows himself, no one can find him."

Merlin's words struck a chord in the Princess Royal. Indeed, she now recalled the intelligence collected on the Shadow King. However, it used to be mere rumors. She did not expect that the Shadow King possessed such an ability.

"It looks like I've underestimated the Supreme Talents of the ultimate contenders. It'll be difficult to predict their abilities based on ordinary logic."

The Princess Royal took a deep breath. She now knew where her attention should be.

"Go, pay attention to King Father's palace. Once there's any movement, report to me immediately!"

Once the Princess Royal finished speaking, the black shadow in the main hall disappeared once again, almost like a ghostly spirit.

Merlin turned his gaze outside the hall. The sun had gradually dispelled the mist in the air. He knew that today was destined to be an extraordinary day…

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Chapter 1004: Tempest Stirring II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the palace, the King was surrounded by many full-shift contenders. It seemed like a great enemy was approaching. All of them were extremely vigilant. Although Farron stood below where the King was, it was still five ultimate contenders they were dealing with. So, even the full-shift contenders dared not let down their guard.

Every ultimate contender possessed some strange and unfathomable talents. Generally, all full-shifters possessed Supreme Talents but compared to the ultimate contenders, their Supreme Talents were almost negligible. They were not as powerful as the full-shift ultimate contenders.

Other than the full-shifters, there were also a few Fourth-form shifter guards. They were the backup. Thus, the entire palace was tightly-packed with people.

"Creak."

Suddenly, a slit appeared on the palace door as it was pushed open from the outside. Everyone held their breath and stared at the door.

However, when the door opened, they saw that it was only a palace maid carrying a cup of tea. She was coming to freshen the King's tea.

"Phew…"

Everyone relaxed slightly. The palace maid respectfully brought the teacup to the King. Just as she was changing the teacups, a guard ran in hurriedly.

"What happened?"

The King furrowed his brows.

Perhaps, the guard felt nervous seeing so many powerful contenders. In a trembling voice, he replied, "Your Majesty, the guards in the outer periphery did not find any traces of Doomsday and the others."

"They did not find them?"

The King did not seem surprised. It would be stranger if they were discovered by the external guards.

"Alright, you may go."

The King waved his hand and dismissed the guard.

The guard lowered his head. No one noticed that at the moment he stood up, his eyes suddenly became vacant.

"Boom."

The guard's body shifted in an instant and turned into a huge black wolf. Before anyone could respond, he darted straight for the king.

This sudden development was unexpected. Most people did not respond in time. Before their eyes, the guard's huge wolf-form was about to rip the king's body.

Finally, a few contenders with quicker responses wielded their shapeshift forms. The full-shifters used their bodies to physically block the huge wolf's attack.

"Chi."

The wolf's sharp claws dug into the full-shifter who stood before the king. Fortunately, he was a full-shifter, so his body was immensely tough. The claws only managed to cause a minor injury that healed quickly.

"Die!"

Many other full-shifters also regained their senses and wielded their shapeshift forms. They lunged toward the huge wolf and in an instant, it was easily killed.

The thick stench of blood filled the palace. The atmosphere was very tense and even somewhat awkward because no one dared to say anything. No one knew why this guard would suddenly attempt an assassination.

"Swish."

Amid this tense atmosphere, the king was completely incensed. He did not notice that the palace maid beside him had pulled out a dagger from her sleeves. Then, she stabbed the king.

"Roar!"

The palace maid's strength was not great as she was just an ordinary person without any almighty beast bloodline. Upon being stabbed, at the most critical moment, the king had shapeshifted and roared at the palace maid. She was sent flying into the air and shaken to death.

The palace maid's attempted assassination did not cause any harm to the king but it gave him a flicker of fear. He did not understand why an ordinary palace maid would try to kill him.

"What's the reason? Why are these people trying to assassinate me?"

The king's voice was low but contained depths of murderous intent. Two consecutive assassinations without any rhyme or reason were simply preposterous.

"Rumble rumble rumble."

Suddenly, the Third- and Fourth-form shifters who were hiding in the dark wielded their shapeshift forms and rushed toward the King at the same time. By their looks, they were filled with murderous intent toward one person – the king!

All the full-shifters beside the king wielded their full-shift forms and killed these Third- and Fourth-form guards. The entire palace turned into a bloodbath. Every corner was filled with the pungent stench of death.

"What in the world is happening?"

The king looked around. He was beginning to doubt his surroundings. Even he was suspicious at these full-shift contenders beside him. No one knew who would be the next person to assassinate the king.

"Your Majesty, are these people spies for the rebel armies? Perhaps they've deliberately infiltrated the palace just for this opportunity. This time, they've received orders from the rebel army leaders to launch an attack on Sire at all cost."

Some of the full-shifters came to this conclusion after a "careful analysis".

"Spies? That's ridiculous. Some of these guards have worked for me for several decades. Back then, the rebel armies haven't even exist. How can they become spies?"

The king almost snarled. He did not believe that these people were spies. He was not a fool. When he first became king, he had great ambitions. Therefore, he was certain that this incident was not as simple as it appeared.

"Perhaps…"

"Thump."

Before the king completed his sentence, the previously unmoving Farron stood up and stomped his foot firmly onto the ground. The sound reverberated clearly throughout the now-silent palace.

Everyone turned their eyes to Farron. They knew that Farron was the king's true confidante and also a powerful ultimate contender.

"Farron, do you know something that I don't?"

The king squinted. He had absolute trust in Farron.

Farron closed his eyes momentarily. Then, he spoke slowly, "There's no need to guess anymore. Your Majesty, I know what's going on. They've arrived!"

"Who? Doomsday?"

The king's expression shifted dramatically along with the numerous full-shifters around him. After all, they came prepared to fight Doomsday. The original plan was for Doomsday and the others to spring their trap but now, they did not even realize that the opponents had arrived.

However, after a flurry of panicking, they immediately checked their surroundings. They did not detect any trace of Doomsday or the others. If not for Farron's unmistakable authority and infallible logic, some of them might have been tempted to reproach Farron.

Instead, only the king frowned and said, "Farron, are your senses mistaken? Where's Doomsday?"

Farron did not answer at once. Loudly, he growled into the surrounding. "Doomsday, since you're here, why don't you show yourself? The Phantom King is indeed powerful. You've given us a massive gift right under our noses!"

"The Phantom King?"

At this moment, the king and the others had finally realized that Doomsday's group also included the Phantom King.

It was rumored that the Phantom King had hundreds of thousands of phantom duplicates, which could catch people off guard. However, it was difficult for those who had never confronted the Phantom King to understand his true ability.

Farron's words echoed in the palace. For some time, no one responded.

Just as everyone was feeling overwhelmed and anxious, the corpse of a guard who had just been killed slowly stood up. His empty eye sockets sent chills down everybody's spines.

"Hehe, outstanding as usual, Farron. You've discovered us so soon. Even so, what can you do? As long as you can't find us and can't circumvent the Shadow King's Supreme Talent, get ready to enjoy endless terror! Haha!"

The laughter emitted by the corpse caused goosebumps among those in the palace. This was a dead body yet it could stand up and speak.

Despite knowing that this was the Phantom King's Supreme Talent, it was difficult to suppress the growing terror in their hearts.

Soon, other than this corpse, more corpses on the ground began to stand. Their eyes were hollow and they were emotionless.

Even the full-shifters sucked in a breath of cold air. They did not know what kind of terrifying Supreme Talent this Phantom King had that allowed him to "control" these corpses.

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Chapter 1005: Tempest Stirring III

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Seeing the corpses becoming "alive" again caused many full-shift contenders to feel their blood run cold. Nevertheless, Farron merely sneered. "Phantom King, foolish trick!"

After Farron huffed contemptuously, he wielded a shapeshifted arm and slammed down. A terrifying aura descended and mashed the corpses into a sludgy flesh mix. This way, no matter how powerful the Phantom King was, it was impossible to manipulate a pile of sludge.

"Hehe, it's indeed Farron. Doomsday, Farron is your old friend, I'll leave him to you."

The Phantom King's silky voice resounded. Following that, a black shadow appeared in the great hall as if "walking out" of the void.

Farron fixed his sight. This was the opponent whom he had battled several times before – the so-called "old friend", Doomsday!

Doomsday was here. Farron looked behind Doomsday. There was no one there but Farron knew that the Shadow King must have concealed himself once again. The Shadow King's strange ability it difficult to track where he was.

"Hehe, leaving already? Since you dare to enter the palace, you'll never leave…"

Suddenly, a taciturn but faintly elderly-sounding voice resounded. An old man with a head full of white hair and bursting with energy emerged from behind the king. A murderous aura flared from the old man.

"Show yourself!"

The old man snarled. His body gave off a white light that shrouded the entire great hall. At the same time, a dark shadow appeared not too far away from the king.

"Found you!"

The old man jeered. This shadow was most likely the Shadow King. He was trying to approach the king but his plan was foiled when the old man revealed his whereabouts.

The old man immediately shapeshifted. His entire being seemed to be shrouded in a layer of holy light. However, this holy light seemed to be burning. The brilliance drove a violent slap at the shadow.

"Crash."

There was a loud noise as the shadow was broken. Four people appeared in the great hall. They were the Shadow King, the Phantom King, the Liberator, and the Nine-lives Werewolf.

The Shadow King narrowed his eyes. "It's the old folk hidden away by the royal family. Impressive, truly impressive, he managed to break my Shadow Incarnation!"

The so-called Shadow Incarnation was the Shadow King's shadow form. No one could detect his tracks so he could lay an ambush or escape unnoticed.

Right now, however, the Shadow King's Shadow Incarnate had been destroyed by this mysterious old man.

"Hehe, no matter how impressive he may be, it's four against one. Kill!"

The person who spoke was the Liberator. His most powerful skill was his arm. Even his Supreme Talent was contained in this arm.

"Liberate!"

The brilliant rays in the air formed a huge arm that could draw people from the deepest abyss. A tremendous pressure immediately descended on the old man.

Each member of the royal family, upon becoming an ultimate contender, was extremely formidable. This was because they possessed a top-tier almighty beast bloodline. Nonetheless, this top-tier almighty beast bloodline was one that was forcefully induced from the the Sacred Lion Beast's head a long time ago.

Compared to other full-shifters, they were almost invincible but compared to the ultimate contenders, the royal family had a fatal disadvantage. Since their bloodline was birthed by force, their Supreme Talents, even at the ultimate limit, were not far superior to ultimate contenders from high-tier almighty beast bloodlines.

Their Supreme Talents might even be a little worse off than some of the ultimate contenders who had a more unique high-tier almighty beast. This was the natural balance of strength and weakness present in all creatures. Prior to becoming the ultimate contenders, the royal family had an absolute advantage over everyone else. However, after becoming ultimate contenders, they no longer gained any edge.

"Bang."

The Liberator and the old man from the royal family collided violently. For an instant, the entire palace shook as if it would collapse at any time. The collision between ultimate contenders was truly fearsome.

"Haha, old pal, can't hold on anymore? I guess both of us still have to chip in."

Behind the king, another two old men emerged – both ultimate contenders as well. The auras emanating from these two old men seemed to complement the first old man.

The three ultimate contenders of the royal family was confronting the four rebel army leaders.

"Today, none of you will escape!"

Although the three old men were outnumbered, the auras on their bodies complemented each other. The radiance on their bodies seemed to merge.

"Hum."

Suddenly, a frightening aura arose in the air. A layer of light shrouded the entire Holy Dragon City. Every person in the city was suppressed, and in the air, an apparition of an enormous head appeared.

"This… This is the Sacred Lion Beast's head?"

Instantly, all the rebel army leaders' heart sank. They might have underestimated the Holy Dragon royal family.

…

In the Princess Royal's palace, following the emergence of a trepidation aura, Merlin jumped to his feet and looked at the enormous head hanging in the sky.

"An apparition of the Sacred Lion Beast's head? It looks like the battle has begun…"

Merlin mumbled under his breath. He did not know why an apparition of the Sacred Lion Beast's head would appear but he knew that Doomsday and the others must have arrived.

"So, the rumor is true?"

Seeing the apparition of the Sacred Lion Beast's head in the air, the Princess Royal appeared shaken to the core.

"Lisa, what rumor is that?"

Merlin also gazed at the Sacred Lion Beast's head in the air. He could feel a slight suppression.

The Princess Royal pointed at the Sacred Lion Beast's head. Gently, she said, "The Sacred Lion Beast's head is the foundation of the royal family. According to rumors, the royal family has a technique that is mastered exclusively by the ultimate contenders, which are the old folks. They can mobilize a portion of power from the Sacred Lion Beast's head. Originally, I thought that it's merely an exaggeration but surprisingly, it's true."

The Princess Royal stared at the Sacred Lion Beast's head in the sky, obviously astounded.

"The battle must be in full swing now. Lisa, we should go there at once. If we're late, something might happen…"

Merlin squinted his eyes. Most probably, the situation in the Holy Dragon Empire would change drastically from today onward.

The Princess Royal considered for a moment but quickly raised her head. Her eyes were filled with conviction.

"Let's go, Leon. No matter what, I'm first and foremost the Princess Royal of the royal family. So, we should get rid of Doomsday and the others first."

The Princess Royal stared at Merlin with a pair of doe eyes. At this time, the Princess Royal was still able to sort out her priorities. The royal family must remain standing for her to fight for the throne.

If the royal family no longer existed, then her fight was meaningless.

"I understand."

Merlin nodded. Together with Lisa, he strode toward the king's palace.

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Chapter 1006: Tempest Stirring IV

Currently, the palace had descended into a chaotic battle. The place collapsed with a loud rumble. The scope of the fighting had widened immensely. Even outside the palace, one could see almighty beasts engaged in a furious battle.

Nonetheless, the current situation was not favorable for Doomsday and the rest. The five of them initially had the advantage of numbers but the three old folks of the royal family had unleashed an unknown technique, summoning an apparition of the Sacred Lion Beast's head. Their powers swelled up and they soon suppressed Doomsday's group.

"It looks like I don't have to lift a finger!"

A smirk flitted over Farron's lips as he stared at the Sacred Lion Beast's head in the sky. He could sense a stifling power and felt extremely stunned.

These were just the three elders of the royal family, who were similarly ultimate contenders. Farron was confident in taking on one or even two of them but when they joined forces, especially within Holy Dragon City, they became too terrifying. Farron knew that even if he joined Doomsday, making up six ultimate contenders, it would be useless. They could not possibly contend against these three elders of the royal family at all.

This was the royal family's trump card which had been passed down over a thousand years. How could it be that simple to overpower the Sacred Lion Beast's head?

"What frightening power. This power is far too formidable!"

"The power of the Sacred Lion Beast… This is the power of the Sacred Lion Beast. We were too careless, way too careless. We forgot that the Holy Dragon royal family had studied the Sacred Lion Beast's head for over a millennium. How could they not have learned something?"

"Doomsday, what do we do now? We're already trapped here and even the Shadow King has nowhere to run to."

In terms of fighting capability, Doomsday was undoubtedly the mightiest one among the rebel army leaders. However, in terms of escaping, the Shadow King was unreservedly the number one.

Now, even Doomsday could not flee. This was enough to show that the Sacred Lion Beast's head had such a great effect on them. With its influence, if they did not think of some other plan, they would die here.

At the thought of death, whether it was the Shadow King or the other ultimate contenders, they felt a shudder deep in their hearts. They had become ultimate contenders with a long life expectancy. Why would they wish to die here?

"The Sacred Lion Beast's head is controlled by the Holy Dragon royal family. Still, it's nothing unexpected…"

Doomsday's mouth slowly twitched into a smirk as if he was not panicking and everything was still within his expectations.

"Doomsday, do you have a plan?"

The Shadow King asked hurriedly. Even though they were now somewhat unhappy with Doomsday, at this point, they still needed him, at least until they survived this crisis.

"A plan – of course, I don't have one…"

Doomsday's words caused everyone to widen their eyes. Many of them were starting to get angry. The Phantom King said darkly, "Doomsday, you're the one who organized our mission this time. If we can't escape, neither can you!"

Thereafter, the other four even surrounded Doomsday, preventing him to use some trick to escape without bringing them along.

"Hehe, they're still fighting among themselves in the face of death!"

The king felt smug when he saw this, even excited. The five great rebel army leaders controlled more than eighty percent of the rebel armies. Once they died in this palace, it would be easy to quell the chaos of the Holy Dragon Empire. This was what the king had long dreamed of.

Still, Doomsday did not seem flustered as he watched the apparition of the Sacred Lion Beast's head slowly pressing down on them. The tremendous pressure had halted their movements, making them sluggish.

At this moment, Doomsday's expression suddenly hardened as he growled, "Although I can't deal with this, someone else can!"

With that, Doomsday cast his gaze beyond the door. Currently, everyone noticed the three rays of light speeding directly toward the three ultimate contenders of the royal family. Moreover, these light rays did not seem affected by the Sacred Lion Beast's head at all.

"Die!"

"Bang bang bang."

There were loud crashes as the three ultimate contenders of the royal family were sent flying by some powerful energy before falling heavily to the ground. The Sacred Lion Beast's head in the sky also swiftly dispersed, reduced to mere specks of light.

"This…"

Everyone was stunned silent, not expecting the tide to turn so quickly. The three figures who had arrived so suddenly were three middle-aged men who looked exactly alike.

"The Candora Trio-Lords… Do you have the Candora Magic Mirror? It can eliminate all binding forces because it contains a strand of a sacred beast's will. I've never thought that the Candora Empire would get involved…"

The three elders of the royal family who were grievously injured had lost their strength to retaliate. The Candora Trio-Lords had been planning this for a long time. They would first use Doomsday and the rest to lure out all the elders of the royal family. When everyone else was pinned down, they would unleash a lightning strike.

It could be considered that they had succeeded. No one had thought that there would appear three ultimate contenders who could bypass the suppression of the Sacred Lion Beast's head. This defeat was practically a fatal one and the royal family was faced with tremendous danger.

"It looks like Candora had decided to get involved with my Holy Dragon Empire?"

The king still forced himself to remain composed at this time. The rebel armies were not the Holy Dragon Empire's biggest threat because with the royal family's strength, they would sort out the chaos within the empire sooner or later.

Nonetheless, things were less certain with the Candora Empire next to the Holy Dragon Empire. The current king of Candora was a man with aggressive ambitions, itching to annex the Holy Dragon Empire.

Even so, the previous Holy Dragon Empire was too robust, even stronger than the Candora Empire. Therefore, it could even suppress the Candora Empire, hindering its ability to launch an invasion. Candora even had a constant worry bout the Holy Dragon Empire invading them.

However, it was different now. After the internal chaos of the Holy Dragon Empire emerged, their strength had rapidly declined. The Candora Empire had schemed extensively, just waiting to take care of the Holy Dragon royal family for good. Thereafter, everything would be settled.

Of course, the most important thing was the Sacred Lion Beast's head. Although the Candora Empire had a treasure like the Candora Magic Mirror, how could it compare to the Sacred Lion Beast's head which increased the royal family's strength?

Furthermore, some people in the Candora Empire wished to use the Sacred Lion Beast's head to discover the secret of the sacred beasts so that they were one step closer to becoming mighty sacred beasts!

"Hehe, our Candora Empire had already discussed this with Doomsday and the other overlords. Your Holy Dragon royal family has controlled this empire for far too long. It's time for you to die. As long as you hand over the Sacred Lion Beast's head, perhaps a small part of your royal family's bloodline might still survive."

The Candora Trio-Lords looked exactly alike but were all ultimate contenders. They were the Candora Empire's strongest military force. They had even brought the Candora Magic Mirror with them. It was said that this was the treasure that could suppress a nation. It showed how well prepared the Candora Empire was this time, determined to win at all costs.

"Hehe, Candora Trio-Lords, what we've agreed on was that each of us would seize the Sacred Lion Beast's head by any means."

The Shadow King suddenly stepped forward with a cold smile. Furthermore, other than Doomsday, the four of them had subtly banded together. This made the Candora Trio-Lords frowned slightly, their eyes flashing with almost imperceptible killing intent.

Nonetheless, the Candora Trio-Lords could still evaluate the situation properly, so they nodded and said calmly, "That's to be expected. First, we need to make the Holy Dragon royal family reveal the location of the Sacred Lion Beast's head."

"You want the Sacred Lion Beast's head? You must be dreaming, haha. You'll never obtain the Sacred Lion Beast's head. As long as we have the Sacred Lion Beast's head, our royal family will never fall!"

The king's eyes were faintly bloodshot and his heart burst with rage. Those were the three elders of the royal family, their strongest force, but now, they were all gravely injured and faced with danger.

No, there was still one royal family elder, who was the strongest of them all! Unless it was a crucial moment of life and death, he would not appear.

"The elder who guards the treasure vault, if you don't show up, our royal family is surely done for!"

The king's heart was burning anxiously but he could not speak up. He knew that the elder must be observing them through some means. In terms of these elders, especially the one who guarded the treasure vault, even the three elders who had collapsed on the floor did not know how ancient that elder was. In short, before they had even become ultimate contenders, that old man who guarded the treasure vault was already there.

Of course, no one had seen that elder in action. Naturally, they did not know what his capability was. Nevertheless, that elder was truly the royal family's last hope.

"You won't say? No matter. We've prepared many things, enough to make you spill the beans obediently. Moreover, we have the Phantom King, hehe…"

At the mention of the Phantom King, the king's heart leapt in fright. The Phantom King's eerie abilities had made a deep impression on the king. If he was controlled by the Phantom King, he would have no way to guard his so-called secret.

"What? Still not speaking? Then, we'll take action ourselves!"

The Candora Trio-Lords snickered coldly as they strode toward the king.

"Swoosh."

Suddenly, someone appeared before the Candora Trio-Lords, blocking their way.

"Farron? I remember you're merely the Minister of the Phantom Intelligence Department? Back then, maybe the king had done a favor for you. However, it's been so many years. You must've repaid him. Today, the Holy Dragon royal family is finished. With just you alone, what plan do you have? Can you stop the eight of us?"

Naturally, the Candora Trio-Lords knew of Farron. Even if Farron was powerful, how could he stop eight ultimate contenders?

Farron eyed the Candora Trio-Lords but slightly shook his head, his expression unchanging as he said evenly, "Without His Majesty the King, I won't be here today. Your Majesty, I've said before that you've done me three huge favors. I've repaid two of them. Today, I'll pay off the third one, how's that? After this, whether you live or die, I'll leave…"

The king's expression was complex. He had never thought that Farron would still stand out at this time. This was practically suicide. Back then when he had helped Farron, it was merely a simple effort on his part.

"Alright, Farron, after this time, you can leave whenever you wish. You'll no longer owe me."

The king drew in a deep breath as he said gruffly.

Farron smiled and his eyes twinkled with an aggressive glint. He said to the Candora Trio-Lords, "Come on then, Candora Trio-Lords. Let me see how wonderful your Magic Mirror really is?"

"Is that so? You're not qualified to experience the Magic Mirror!"

The Candora Trio-Lords' bodied flashed with a murderous aura, following which they lunged toward Farron.

"It's our turn now."

Doomsday glanced at the Shadow King and the rest. When he noticed their wary looks, he did not say anything else. His body floated and he flew toward the king.

"Quick, let us attack too. Grab the king. I have a way of making him reveal the location of the Sacred Lion Beast's head."

The Phantom King said loudly. Instantly, the four of them moved at once, competing against Doomsday as they dashed toward the king at their highest speed.

"King Father!"

Suddenly, in the empty square, the Princess Royal appeared, her expression froze in astonishment.

Currently, the king had been seized by the Phantom King. The four of them were ahead of Doomsday by one step, and they seemed very fearful of Doomsday.

"Hehe, Doomsday, you must've gone over to the Candora Empire's side. However, that doesn't matter. You won't have a chance to get the Sacred Lion Beast's head."

The Shadow King spoke with an icy laugh.

Doomsday did not say anything and instead, directed his gaze toward the Princess Royal.

"Lisa…"

When the king saw Lisa, his face flashed with a complicated expression. Only at this moment did he seem like a true "King Father".

"Lisa, run away, as far as you can. Forget about revenge. Empires rise and fall. Our royal family will also have to face this day. Run away…"

The king shook his head powerlessly. Now, he only hoped that the members of the royal family could survive, even if it was just one of them.

The Princess Royal breathed in deeply. At this point, she seemed to be talking to a shadowy figure behind her as her voice steeled by a cold edge.

"I'm currently nothing more than a member of the royal family. Leon, if you can't handle this, leave. I won't go, I'll die in the palace…"

The Princess Royal's eyes revealed her willingness to die. As she saw the eight ultimate contenders, she suddenly felt her hopes turning to dust as she thought of how ridiculous her previous ambitions had been. In the present collapse of the royal family, all it took was one instant for everything to vanish.

The previous struggle now appeared so pale and powerless. Moreover, she knew that the eight ultimate contenders were beyond the range of what anyone could handle. Maybe Merlin could protect her and prevent her death but she did not wish to run away.

"Lisa, have you considered that this is an opportunity? I've said before, I'll help you fulfill your dreams, making you the most powerful woman in this world!"

Suddenly, the shadow behind the Princess Royal spoke in a low, detached voice. In the silent night sky, it sounded incomparably clear…

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Chapter 1007: Nine Lives I

From the pitch dark shadows, a tall and slender figure appeared. In the eyes of the many ultimate contenders, this slim figure could not be considered "special".

Nonetheless, his eyes shone with a tranquil light. Perhaps among everyone present, he was the only one with such a calm gaze.

"Leon, you…"

When the Princess Royal heard what Merlin had said, her face trembled as she looked at Merlin with a complicated expression. The relationship between her and Merlin was one of constant enticements.

The Princess Royal had even exploited her "sex appeal" but was later discovered. Through constant enticement, the "sex appeal" she had given up was not of much use. In a dangerous situation like this, Merlin was more likely to leave right away. After all, that would be the right decision.

However, Merlin stayed on.

"Lisa, don't worry. What I've promised you, naturally, I'll help you achieve!"

A smirk gently tugged at the corner of Merlin's lips. Suddenly, he looked toward Farron who was under immense pressure.

Farron took a deep breath and said in a self-mocking tone, "Leon, I've never thought that we'll join forces and fight one day…"

It was true that in Farron's heart, Merlin was someone he must kill. Reconciliation was nearly impossible for them as they represented different interests.

However, faced with a common threat now, both of them joined forces to hold on until the end.

Merlin swept his gaze over before it finally settled on Doomsday. His expression slowly turned icy. "Doomsday, you once hunted me down. Today, I'll return the favor."

"Boom."

Rows of terrifying spurs swiftly appeared over Merlin's body as his body expanded. An incomparably fearsome almighty beast emerged.

This was no longer the appearance of the Blood-eye Dragon but a monster that was "neither fish nor fowl". The ultimate contenders who had shown up here were all widely knowledgeable. They recognized the appearances of almighty beasts very well. They had certainly never seen a creature like Merlin. It was too strange. Moreover, after Merlin had shapeshifted, that terrifying pressure descended upon everyone.

They were all ultimate contenders. It was rather inconceivable that such a frightening pressure would take hold of them.

"What almighty beast is this? Such a terrifying presence, especially its strength. How could it be so overwhelming in just pure strength?"

These ultimate contenders had relied on their Supreme Talents to become "ultimate contenders" so they found it difficult to imagine that someone like Merlin, who, by relying on his almighty beast body and its tyrannical strength, could compare to ultimate contenders.

"Roar…"

After Merlin had shapeshifted, he unleashed a furious cry, then sped toward Doomsday in huge strides.

However, at this point, the Nine-lives Werewolf among the Shadow King's group suddenly leaped out, his eyes fixed upon Merlin's gigantic bulk. His expression shone as he said sinisterly, "Heh heh, not bad, not bad. I've finally encountered an almighty beast who has such powerful strength upon full-shifting. Leave this guy to me then. I've not met such an opponent for a very, very long time…"

The Nine-lives Werewolf's eyes brightened and he appeared very excited.

The Shadow King frowned. Initially, Merlin had been rushing toward Doomsday, which would cause more trouble for Doomsday. Naturally, they were happy to see that but the Nine-lives Werewolf had gotten worked up over the thrill of the hunt and confronted Merlin himself.

"Alright, this person is on the royal family's side after all. Since the Nine-lives Werewolf wants to, let him handle the guy. We'll focus on making the king reveal the whereabouts of the Sacred Lion Beast's head."

The Phantom King said softly. Their target was still the Sacred Lion Beast's head. This was the main factor that had spurred them to come to Holy Dragon City.

"Hehe, come on, come on. I'm too fond of strength-type almighty beasts…"

The Nine-lives Werewolf had shapeshifted too, instantly turning into a colossal black wolf of unparalleled size. It also had a pair of wings, appearing extremely sinister and frightening.

"Bang."

Force met force and the smile on the Nine-lives Werewolf's face was frozen at once. He was an almighty beast of immense formidable strength. It was because of this that the Nine-lives Werewolf was delighted upon seeing Merlin.

However, after an instant of collision, he could no longer smile. That earth-shattering, fearsome power had suffocated him. In just one collision through Merlin's swipe, the Nine-lives Werewolf's chest was ripped through and viciously torn. The Nine-lives Werewolf's almighty beast body was ripped into two.

"The Nine-lives Werewolf had died?"

"He's dead so soon?"

"Haha, Nine-lives Werewolf, you've met your match this time."

Merlin stopped in his tracks. The responses from these ultimate contenders seemed odd. No matter what, the Nine-lives Werewolf was their companion. He had died but there was no trace of sorrow nor any looks of shock.

Therefore, Merlin frowned. At this moment, he sensed something was off. The two halves of the Nine-lives Werewolf on the ground were rapidly fusing. Slowly, the flesh was remolded and another Nine-lives Werewolf appeared.

The Nine-lives Werewolf who had just appeared looked just as he did before. The force on his body had not even changed, only his murderous aura had grown intense.

"Good, very good! For so long I've not met such a meaningful opponent that could make me die once. Still, it'll end now!"

The Nine-lives Werewolf roared and lunged toward Merlin, who could instantly sense the frightening pressure. Now, the Nine-lives Werewolf's strength was much greater than before.

Even so, it was insufficient by far for this bit of strength to threaten Merlin!

"Roar!"

Merlin let out a ferocious snarl. The scary soundwaves caused the Nine-lives Werewolf to shudder until he was dizzy. Thereafter, Merlin gripped his claws into a fist and smashed it ruthlessly into the Nine-lives Werewolf's head.

"Bang."

The Nine-lives Werewolf's fate was the same as the first time. His head exploded under the impact and he died a second time.

This time, everyone in the main foyer fell silent. Everyone was staring at Merlin dreadfully. Someone who could kill the Nine-lives Werewolf twice in a row in a face-to-face attack – a contender like this had not appeared for a long time.

"What terrifying physical attributes and strength. He's more formidable than the Nine-lives Werewolf. Plus, he still hasn't used his Supreme Talent."

"An ultimate contender… It must be another ultimate contender. I've never thought that the royal family is still hiding an ultimate contender like this. He's just right for restraining the Nine-lives Werewolf!"

"This round, the Nine-lives Werewolf is in trouble! He has nine lives and each time he dies, his strength exhibits explosive growth. Who knows how many times he'll die before he can overcome this mysterious contender named Leon."

Doomsday narrowed his eyes slightly. Of course, he could tell that Merlin was different from when he had trapped Merlin. He had grown stronger to the point where even the Nine-lives Werewolf had died twice in a row.

The Nine-lives Werewolf's greatest power was his strength. In a shapeshifted form, without mobilizing one's Supreme Talent, almost no one was a match for the Nine-lives Werewolf.

Of course, an ultimate contender's best asset was their Supreme Talent. The Nine-lives Werewolf had a Supreme Talent too, which was very terrifying. The real reason he was called the Nine-lives Werewolf was that he had nine lives.

His Supreme Talent was having nine lives! If it was just that, the Nine-lives Werewolf could not be called an ultimate contender by far. What was scary about him was that each time he died, the various attributes of his body would increase one time over.

As an example, the Nine-lives Werewolf had now died twice and was resurrected. In that case, his physical attributes were twice improved. He was the strongest in his final form when his physical attributes were enhanced nine times over. This was rather fearsome. No one knew how frightening the Nine-lives Werewolf was when his physique was augmented nine times over because even now, no one had ever forced the Nine-lives Werewolf to such a situation. He had never died more than three times.

This time, the Nine-lives Werewolf knew that he had finally met an opponent who was evenly matched, who could easily kill him twice.

"Buzz."

The Nine-lives Werewolf with his "exploded head" was resurrected once again. His physical attributes were improved twice over, reaching a horrifying level.

"Kill!"

The Nine-lives Werewolf grew berserk. After coming alive, he did not say anything but immediately lunged at Merlin. His vicious force would directly suffocate anyone.

Twice over – the Nine-lives Werewolf's strength was boosted twice over. Even Merlin could detect this massive power. Nonetheless, Merlin was never afraid of strength-type almighty beasts.

"Just the thing I need!"

Merlin breathed in deeply. He did not know how strong he was at this point. In the previous test, no matter how Farron attacked, it was useless. Still, this did not mean that Merlin was invincible. After all, in terms of actual strength, Farron could not compare to the Nine-lives Werewolf physically.

Other than the Nine-lives Werewolf, no one could injure Merlin's almighty beast body. This time, Merlin was also testing his limits.

Merlin roared to the sky and spread his wings, appearing very terrifying. He mobilized his body strength and swung another fist toward the Nine-lives Werewolf.

Likewise, the Nine-lives Werewolf threw a punch, a blow without any tricks. At their level, tricks were no longer of any use.

"Bang."

The ruthless impact of pure power caused a fearsome force to spread out in all directions. One layer of the ground was viciously stripped off, exposing the soil beneath.

Nonetheless, the result was one that shocked everyone once more. The Nine-lives Werewolf had died without any resistance. In terms of strength, he was not of the same league and was killed violently by Merlin at once.

This scene was extremely astounding. As they witnessed the battle between the Nine-lives Werewolf and Merlin, a chill gradually grew in the hearts of these ultimate contenders.

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Chapter 1009: Ripped Apart!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Soul of Light? How wondrous it is. If I can mobilize my Illusory World, what would this mere Soul of Light count for?"

Merlin felt somewhat powerless. Clearly, he knew that Soul of Light was illusory but he could not locate its flaws, so he had no way to dispel it. It was like Merlin's Illusory World. Once it enveloped his opponents, even if they knew very well that this was illusory, they were powerless. This was the scary part of illusions.

Of course, compared to the Illusory World, Doomsday's Soul of Light was lacking by far. Nonetheless, with Merlin's current state where he could not mobilize his Mind Power let alone the Illusory World, wanting to dispel the Soul of Light was challenging.

Thus, Merlin might as well stand there quietly, shutting his eyes calmly. He was patiently searching for any flaws in the Soul of Light or the place where Doomsday's real body was.

He knew that Doomsday must be nearby, sure to be observing Merlin's movements closely. If only Merlin could figure out Doomsday's actual position, then even if he could not locate the flaws of the Soul of Light, he could still disperse it in one strike.

In other words, Doomsday's real body was the greatest flaw of the Soul of Light!

"Humph, do you think I can't deal with you if you don't move?"

Outside, Doomsday saw that Merlin was not moving a muscle. Thus, he further increased the strength of the Soul of Light and shot out countless piercing arrows.

"Whiz whiz whiz."

These were not an illusion but Doomsday's attack. These crimson-colored sharp arrows were frightening. Even ordinary full-shifting contenders would have to retreat strategically.

Nonetheless, Merlin did not even twitch, allowing the crimson arrows to fly toward him. Instantly, waves of arrow fell upon him like rain.

However, these crimson arrows could not even break past Merlin's most external defenses. Merlin shook his head and said softly, "Too weak, far too weak."

"What?"

Doomsday's face was gripped by shock. He had never thought that his attack could not even get past Merlin's outer defenses. At this point, only Farron was smirking to himself. In the past, he had used up all his methods but even he could not injure Merlin, let alone Doomsday.

Faced with a tyrannical existence like Merlin whose body was tough to an unimaginable extent, it was difficult to cause him harm even if he was trapped.

While Doomsday was unable to harm Merlin, likewise, Merlin was trapped in the Soul of Light with no way of harming Doomsday.

Following that, Doomsday began to wildly unleash various techniques but unsurprisingly, they did not affect Merlin at all. He did not even move and allowed Doomsday to attack. Doomsday still could not injure him.

The only one who could injure Merlin was the Nine-lives Werewolf but he was already devoured by Merlin.

"Let's pay no mind to this monster for now. Go and find out from the king the location of the Sacred Lion Beast's head."

Doomsday's face was gloomy. Not being able to kill Merlin, he felt a sense of embarrassment but under the circumstances, he could only trap Merlin for now.

The Phantom King laughed coldly then wielded his technique. He could manifest countless phantom duplicates that immediately attached themselves to the king. The king's face turned stiff and he was immediately controlled. His eyes became blank and lifeless as well.

"Tell us, where's the Sacred Lion Beast's head?"

The Phantom King asked sinisterly. Nonetheless, the current king had been controlled and could only reply frankly, "The Sacred Lion Beast's head is in the underground secret chamber in the depths of the palace."

"Are there any dangers within the secret chamber?"

The Phantom King was cautious too. He knew that most secret chambers like this would likely have some protective forces.

"There are many full-shifting contenders in the secret chamber but if one possessed the concentrated bloodline of the royal family's descendants, one could neutralize those guards."

The king spoke without reserve, revealing every detail.

"Haha, then we'll make the first move!"

When the Candora Trio-Lords heard this, they laughed loudly and flew toward the outside of the palace. Nonetheless, they did not seize the king. As for the bloodline of the royal family's descendant, they did not wish to lag behind while they were competing for the Sacred Lion Beast's head. They immediately looked toward the Princess Royal.

"We'll bring you with us!"

The Candora Trio-Lords flew toward the Princess Royal at once. These three ultimate contenders did not need to spend much effort to capture the Princess Royal, leaving behind the Shadow King, the Phantom King, and the rest who could only watch helplessly.

"Doomsday, you stay here and restrict this monster. We'll take our leave first, haha!"

The Shadow King and the rest chortled to themselves, then left the foyer, flying toward the secret chamber where the Sacred Lion Beast was. In the entire hall, only Doomsday and Farron were left, along with Merlin who was trapped by Doomsday.

In the foyer, Farron's glare hooked onto Doomsday as he asked coldly, "Doomsday, don't you sense that you're now in great danger?"

"Huh?"

Doomsday looked around at the empty foyer, then looked toward Merlin whom he had trapped in the Soul of Light. At this point, he realized that he had fallen into danger. No one cared whether he lived or died. They had all frantically chased after that Sacred Lion Beast's head.

If there was only Merlin who was trapped, Doomsday did not need to worry. After all, Merlin could not struggle out of the bindings of his Soul of Light.

However, Farron's presence now was making Doomsday very nervous because Farron's Supreme Talent could dispel his Soul of Light. In a one-on-one match, Doomsday was unafraid of Farron as both of their Supreme Talents could be nullified.

Nonetheless, there was Merlin now. Once Farron had dispersed Doomsday's Soul of Light, based on the valiant strength Merlin had displayed, things did not look too good for Doomsday.

"Farron, this monster's existence is a threat to you, right? I still understand some of the matters of your royal family. This monster is on the Princess Royal's side while you're the king's man. Today, if you save him, things won't end too well for you in the future."

Doomsday narrowed his eyes slightly and growled.

Even so, Farron guffawed, then stared at Doomsday, saying with a long sigh, "Doomsday, you still don't understand me. His Majesty's greatest wish is to make the Holy Dragon Empire flourish once more. Perhaps His Majesty is no longer the man for this job but the Princess Royal could do it!"

With that, terrifying energy exploded, shrouding Doomsday's Soul of Light. This was Farron's Mirror Supreme Talent, a power that affected the mind as well.

"Hiss."

Merlin quickly opened his eyes. He sensed that a crack had appeared in Doomsday's Soul of Light.

"Go!"

Merlin did not overthink this. Since he had found a weak spot, he had to seize this chance. Therefore, his colossal body began to move, bringing with it a fearsome strength that smashed directly toward that crack.

"Boom."

The Soul of Light shattered into smithereens in that instant. The foyer resumed its appearance before Merlin's eyes, and there were only Doomsday and Farron beside him.

Countless thoughts flashed across Merlin's mind. Of course, he knew that Farron must have acted to help him escape from Doomsday's Soul of Light, just like the previous time Farron had rescued Merlin.

However, this time, Merlin could kill Doomsday!

"Doomsday, the last time, you couldn't kill me. This time, it's your turn!"

Merlin's stare turned icy as he glared at Doomsday. The terrifying force of his body was like an immense mountain that pushed down upon Doomsday mercilessly.

At this moment, Doomsday understood why the Nine-lives Werewolf had died so soon. He could not resist at all. Without the advantage of the Soul of Light, Doomsday was merely somewhat stronger than most full-shifters. He was much inferior to the Nine-lives Werewolf.

"Die!"

Merlin's gigantic bulk reached Doomsday in one stride. His hands grabbed Doomsday's shapeshifted body and tore it forcefully.

"Rip."

How mighty was Merlin's strength? With one rip, he immediately separated Doomsday's body into two halves. Blood gushed out and the entire foyer was pervaded by the intense stench of blood.

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Chapter 1009: Ripped Apart!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Soul of Light? How wondrous it is. If I can mobilize my Illusory World, what would this mere Soul of Light count for?"

Merlin felt somewhat powerless. Clearly, he knew that Soul of Light was illusory but he could not locate its flaws, so he had no way to dispel it. It was like Merlin's Illusory World. Once it enveloped his opponents, even if they knew very well that this was illusory, they were powerless. This was the scary part of illusions.

Of course, compared to the Illusory World, Doomsday's Soul of Light was lacking by far. Nonetheless, with Merlin's current state where he could not mobilize his Mind Power let alone the Illusory World, wanting to dispel the Soul of Light was challenging.

Thus, Merlin might as well stand there quietly, shutting his eyes calmly. He was patiently searching for any flaws in the Soul of Light or the place where Doomsday's real body was.

He knew that Doomsday must be nearby, sure to be observing Merlin's movements closely. If only Merlin could figure out Doomsday's actual position, then even if he could not locate the flaws of the Soul of Light, he could still disperse it in one strike.

In other words, Doomsday's real body was the greatest flaw of the Soul of Light!

"Humph, do you think I can't deal with you if you don't move?"

Outside, Doomsday saw that Merlin was not moving a muscle. Thus, he further increased the strength of the Soul of Light and shot out countless piercing arrows.

"Whiz whiz whiz."

These were not an illusion but Doomsday's attack. These crimson-colored sharp arrows were frightening. Even ordinary full-shifting contenders would have to retreat strategically.

Nonetheless, Merlin did not even twitch, allowing the crimson arrows to fly toward him. Instantly, waves of arrow fell upon him like rain.

However, these crimson arrows could not even break past Merlin's most external defenses. Merlin shook his head and said softly, "Too weak, far too weak."

"What?"

Doomsday's face was gripped by shock. He had never thought that his attack could not even get past Merlin's outer defenses. At this point, only Farron was smirking to himself. In the past, he had used up all his methods but even he could not injure Merlin, let alone Doomsday.

Faced with a tyrannical existence like Merlin whose body was tough to an unimaginable extent, it was difficult to cause him harm even if he was trapped.

While Doomsday was unable to harm Merlin, likewise, Merlin was trapped in the Soul of Light with no way of harming Doomsday.

Following that, Doomsday began to wildly unleash various techniques but unsurprisingly, they did not affect Merlin at all. He did not even move and allowed Doomsday to attack. Doomsday still could not injure him.

The only one who could injure Merlin was the Nine-lives Werewolf but he was already devoured by Merlin.

"Let's pay no mind to this monster for now. Go and find out from the king the location of the Sacred Lion Beast's head."

Doomsday's face was gloomy. Not being able to kill Merlin, he felt a sense of embarrassment but under the circumstances, he could only trap Merlin for now.

The Phantom King laughed coldly then wielded his technique. He could manifest countless phantom duplicates that immediately attached themselves to the king. The king's face turned stiff and he was immediately controlled. His eyes became blank and lifeless as well.

"Tell us, where's the Sacred Lion Beast's head?"

The Phantom King asked sinisterly. Nonetheless, the current king had been controlled and could only reply frankly, "The Sacred Lion Beast's head is in the underground secret chamber in the depths of the palace."

"Are there any dangers within the secret chamber?"

The Phantom King was cautious too. He knew that most secret chambers like this would likely have some protective forces.

"There are many full-shifting contenders in the secret chamber but if one possessed the concentrated bloodline of the royal family's descendants, one could neutralize those guards."

The king spoke without reserve, revealing every detail.

"Haha, then we'll make the first move!"

When the Candora Trio-Lords heard this, they laughed loudly and flew toward the outside of the palace. Nonetheless, they did not seize the king. As for the bloodline of the royal family's descendant, they did not wish to lag behind while they were competing for the Sacred Lion Beast's head. They immediately looked toward the Princess Royal.

"We'll bring you with us!"

The Candora Trio-Lords flew toward the Princess Royal at once. These three ultimate contenders did not need to spend much effort to capture the Princess Royal, leaving behind the Shadow King, the Phantom King, and the rest who could only watch helplessly.

"Doomsday, you stay here and restrict this monster. We'll take our leave first, haha!"

The Shadow King and the rest chortled to themselves, then left the foyer, flying toward the secret chamber where the Sacred Lion Beast was. In the entire hall, only Doomsday and Farron were left, along with Merlin who was trapped by Doomsday.

In the foyer, Farron's glare hooked onto Doomsday as he asked coldly, "Doomsday, don't you sense that you're now in great danger?"

"Huh?"

Doomsday looked around at the empty foyer, then looked toward Merlin whom he had trapped in the Soul of Light. At this point, he realized that he had fallen into danger. No one cared whether he lived or died. They had all frantically chased after that Sacred Lion Beast's head.

If there was only Merlin who was trapped, Doomsday did not need to worry. After all, Merlin could not struggle out of the bindings of his Soul of Light.

However, Farron's presence now was making Doomsday very nervous because Farron's Supreme Talent could dispel his Soul of Light. In a one-on-one match, Doomsday was unafraid of Farron as both of their Supreme Talents could be nullified.

Nonetheless, there was Merlin now. Once Farron had dispersed Doomsday's Soul of Light, based on the valiant strength Merlin had displayed, things did not look too good for Doomsday.

"Farron, this monster's existence is a threat to you, right? I still understand some of the matters of your royal family. This monster is on the Princess Royal's side while you're the king's man. Today, if you save him, things won't end too well for you in the future."

Doomsday narrowed his eyes slightly and growled.

Even so, Farron guffawed, then stared at Doomsday, saying with a long sigh, "Doomsday, you still don't understand me. His Majesty's greatest wish is to make the Holy Dragon Empire flourish once more. Perhaps His Majesty is no longer the man for this job but the Princess Royal could do it!"

With that, terrifying energy exploded, shrouding Doomsday's Soul of Light. This was Farron's Mirror Supreme Talent, a power that affected the mind as well.

"Hiss."

Merlin quickly opened his eyes. He sensed that a crack had appeared in Doomsday's Soul of Light.

"Go!"

Merlin did not overthink this. Since he had found a weak spot, he had to seize this chance. Therefore, his colossal body began to move, bringing with it a fearsome strength that smashed directly toward that crack.

"Boom."

The Soul of Light shattered into smithereens in that instant. The foyer resumed its appearance before Merlin's eyes, and there were only Doomsday and Farron beside him.

Countless thoughts flashed across Merlin's mind. Of course, he knew that Farron must have acted to help him escape from Doomsday's Soul of Light, just like the previous time Farron had rescued Merlin.

However, this time, Merlin could kill Doomsday!

"Doomsday, the last time, you couldn't kill me. This time, it's your turn!"

Merlin's stare turned icy as he glared at Doomsday. The terrifying force of his body was like an immense mountain that pushed down upon Doomsday mercilessly.

At this moment, Doomsday understood why the Nine-lives Werewolf had died so soon. He could not resist at all. Without the advantage of the Soul of Light, Doomsday was merely somewhat stronger than most full-shifters. He was much inferior to the Nine-lives Werewolf.

"Die!"

Merlin's gigantic bulk reached Doomsday in one stride. His hands grabbed Doomsday's shapeshifted body and tore it forcefully.

"Rip."

How mighty was Merlin's strength? With one rip, he immediately separated Doomsday's body into two halves. Blood gushed out and the entire foyer was pervaded by the intense stench of blood.

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Chapter 1010: Magic Mirror!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

He was dead. The mighty ultimate contender – Doomsday – had instantly lost his life force. Farron wore a complex expression as he looked toward the two halves of Doomsday's corpse on the ground. In the past, he had viewed Doomsday as his greatest threat. They had fought each other for so many times but ultimately, no one could defeat the other.

However, Doomsday was now dead. This seemed to indicate that even ultimate contenders like them were, at best, slightly stronger than ordinary people. They would still die in the end.

"Blood-eye!"

The Blood-eye in Merlin's forehead immediately enveloped Doomsday's corpse. The blood which contained the majority of Doomsday's strength was absorbed by Merlin's Blood-eye.

"Crack."

At last, Merlin's body expanded by another size. The overbearing force caused even Farron to feel rather fearful.

"This sensation… It feels like the Almighty Beast World's will?"

Merlin raised his head. After absorbing the energy from the blood of two ultimate contenders successively, Merlin's body had grown to a fearsome extent. Even so, Merlin did not believe that this was the limit. He felt that there was still room to grow.

The most obvious change after his body had undergone transformation was that he could vaguely detect a frightening will pervading the surroundings. Before this will, even the greatest power was utterly negligible. Back then, Merlin had been directly attacked by the Almighty Beast World's will. Naturally, he recognized that this was the same will.

"I can finally sense the Almighty Beast World's will."

Merlin's heart relaxed slightly. Only now was he able to ascertain that the path he walked was the right one because no matter which Latitude Cosmo one was in, when one became a peak existence, one would sense that Latitude Cosmo's will.

If one could not detect the Latitude Cosmo's will, one's ability had not reached the required level. Previously, Merlin had worried that he was not a conventional inheritor of an almighty beast bloodline and he had not taken the path of the Supreme Talent. Would he be forever unable to reach the peak of this world?

However, after sensing the Almighty Beast World's will, Merlin immediately gained confidence that he was on the right path. At this point, he was already much further than many ultimate contenders. Those who could sense the Almighty Beast World's will must be rather uncommon. At least, even Farron was unable to sense the Almighty Beast World's will.

Previously, Merlin had wondered if sacred beasts represented the Almighty Beast World's will? Or maybe a portion of the Almighty Beast World's will was within the sacred beasts, which was how they became sacred beasts.

This was merely Merlin's conjecture but now it looked like he was closer to the truth. As long as Merlin continued strengthening his abilities, the secrets of the sacred beasts would not be so impenetrable.

Following that, Merlin cast a glance at Farron and resumed his ordinary appearance, asking calmly, "Farron, the king and the Princess Royal had been kidnapped to the underground secret chamber that housed the Sacred Lion Beast's head. What are you going to do?"

Farron smiled. He seemed to notice the changes in Merlin's body and said softly, "Marquis Leon, perhaps this time, I'm no longer necessary for you to handle these guys. So many people are after the Sacred Lion Beast's head. How foolish of them. Yet, you've accomplished something…"

After Farron had spoken, he immediately left. Based on where he was heading, he was going to rescue the king.

Merlin had gone to the secret chamber where the Sacred Lion Beast's head was once before so of course, he knew where it was. Nonetheless, the place required a descendant of the royal family. After some thought, he headed toward the other palace. There were some princes or princesses. With their blood, he should be able to access the secret chamber.

He casually grabbed some princes and princesses. Of course, some of them knew Merlin and they yelled and screamed about punishing Merlin. However, at Merlin's level, who could punish him?

Soon, Merlin reached the secret chamber of the Sacred Lion Beast. Farron was already waiting there. When he saw that Merlin had captured some princes and princesses, a wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "We have to trouble Your Highnesses. This relates to the fate of the royal family. I humbly request your cooperation."

Merlin was less courteous, immediately sending them forward one by one to drip their blood. Only a descendant whose bloodline was concentrated to a certain degree would be able to open the secret chamber.

After three princes had dripped their blood, there was no effect. Nonetheless, a princess' blood was able to open the chamber, revealing a dark passage that headed downward.

"Swoosh."

Merlin swiftly entered the passage. Following that, with familiar steps, he hurried to the place where the Sacred Lion Beast was. There, he saw a few dim figures which were the Candora Trio-Lords and the Shadow King's group.

However, both sides were now facing off each other. They were both competing for the Sacred Lion Beast's head. Although there were still three left in Shadow King's group, the Candora Trio-Lords controlled the most valuable treasure of the Candora Empire – the Candora Magic Mirror!

With the Candora Magic Mirror, the Shadow King and the rest were at a disadvantage. Currently, the Candora Magic Mirror had already emerged, floating and glowing with a dim light.

"Hmm? The Candora Magic Mirror contains an almighty beast's will? That's not right, it must be a sacred beast's will!"

Merlin's heart leaped. He seemed to sense a will hidden in the Candora Magic Mirror. Although this will was very faint, Merlin, who could detect the Almighty Beast World's will, was able to easily identify it.

Moreover, he even noticed that the will in the Candora Magic Mirror seemed to be connected to the Almighty Beast World's will.

"Farron, do you know of the Candora Magic Mirror's origins?"

Merlin eyed Farron beside him and asked in a low voice.

Naturally, Farron knew more than Merlin and explained in detail, "The Candora Magic Mirror is the most precious treasure of the Candora Empire that could suppress a nation. It can dispel bindings and of course, wield binding powers. It has various mystical abilities. As for why it's so wondrous, it's because the Candora Magic Mirror contains a strand of a sacred beast's will."

"A sacred beast's will?"

Merlin was shocked but then, he looked toward the Candora Magic Mirror again, feeling an unparalleled fervor. He had merged many almighty beasts' will but the only one he had not merged was a sacred beast's will.

To evolve and progress one step forward, this sacred beast's will was indispensable. With this in mind, Merlin came to a decision. Since he had encountered the Candora Magic Mirror, he was determined to obtain it.

"What, you want the Magic Mirror?"

When he saw that Merlin's gaze was fixed constantly upon the Candora Magic Mirror, Farron asked in a flabbergasted voice. Although Merlin did not affirm nor deny this, his attitude had undoubtedly made his intentions clear.

Farron shook his head powerlessly. "The Candora Magic Mirror isn't so easily obtained. The Candora Empire is willing to let the Candora Trio-Lords bring the Candora Magic Mirror out because they know that no one will snatch the Candora Magic Mirror as it can travel through space!"

"What, travel through space?"

After Merlin came to the Almighty Beast World, he knew that space here was extremely solid to an inconceivable stage. He had never seen any power that was able to break the space, much less travel through it.

"Could it be the sacred beast's will?"

Merlin suddenly recalled the sacred beast's will in the Candora Magic Mirror. Sacred beasts were named so because they had various unimaginable powers.

Based on Merlin's conjecture, if sacred beasts represented a trace of the Almighty Beast World's will, traveling through space would not be a difficult task. The Almighty Beast World's will controlled the entire Almighty Beast World. Traveling through space – what could it count for?

At this thought, Merlin was even more curious about the sacred beast's will. As a peak existence of this world, sacred beasts were the best way for Merlin to understand the Almighty Beast World.

"Regardless of whether the Candora Magic Mirror is truly that mystical, I must give it a try! I'll handle the Candora Trio-Lords!"

Merlin drew in a deep breath and shapeshifted instantly. His fearsome force swiftly pervaded the entire chamber.

"Boom."

In great strides, Merlin rushed wildly toward the Candora Trio-Lords. With Merlin's present capability, just his force alone was equipped with a suppressive advantage, causing the arrogant Candora Trio-Lords to feel immense pressure.

"How is he so strong? He seemed even more formidable!"

The Candora Trio-Lords' expressions changed and they no longer cared about the Shadow King's group. They aimed the Candora Magic Mirror at Merlin at once.

"Magic Mirror, Binding Force!"

"Hum."

As soon as the Candora Trio-Lords spoke, the Candora Magic Mirror trembled slightly. Rings of light were emitted and an invisible restrictive power enveloped Merlin.

"Hmm?"

Merlin felt his entire body stiffened. He was unable to move forward. The unseen Binding Force had restrained him. With Merlin's current formidable strength, a power that could bind him, even if only for a moment, was rare indeed.

"I'm afraid this bit of Binding Force isn't enough!"

Merlin laughed coldly, following which his body swelled again. His overwhelming strength struggled ferociously and the merged almighty beasts' will in his Awareness snarled wildly too as if unhappy about being restricted.

"Buzz buzz buzz."

As Merlin struggled, the Candora Magic Mirror started to quiver as if it would split apart at any time. This was the first time this had happened to the Candora Magic Mirror while facing an opponent.

"Oh no, even the Candora Magic Mirror can't restrain him. How's this possible? How frightening is he?"

As the Candora Trio-Lords stared at the Candora Magic Mirror which constantly quivered, their faces turned deathly white. Even the Candora Magic Mirror could not hold Merlin back. What else could the three of them do?

After all, not everyone had a Supreme Talent like Doomsday's Soul of Light which was just right to subdue Merlin. Furthermore, with Merlin's increased strength now, even Doomsday would be unable to restrict him.

"We must take the Sacred Lion Beast's head with us. Even if we can't bring the entire thing, we must take a part of it! Cut!"

The Candora Trio-Lords yelled as one and produced a flattened hand in the air, slicing the Sacred Lion Beast's head into two halves. Thereafter, the Candora Trio-Lords cried out at the Candora Magic Mirror, "Teleport!"

"Crack."

There was the sound of breaking glass. Merlin distinctly saw that space was shattered and the Candora Magic Mirror glowed with a dusky light that swiftly engulfed the Candora Trio-Lords. In a flash, they flew into pitch-black space.

Traveling through space – the Candora Magic Mirror was indeed able to travel through space!

"Humph! As for you guys, you won't be so lucky…"

When Merlin saw that the Candora Magic Mirror had left through teleportation, his face instantly darkened. As he stared at the Shadow King and the rest, his body exuded an icy, murderous aura.

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Chapter 1011: The King's Decision

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"D*mn it, Shadow King, it's up to you now. My skills aren't really useful here!"

The Phantom King roared furiously. When he saw the remaining half of the Sacred Lion Beast's head, he immediately seized it which let the Shadow King stop Merlin.

"Hehe, leave it to me! If I wish to leave, who can stop me?" The Shadow King stated confidently.

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere today!"

Merlin's gaze sharpened. He could not handle the Candora Magic Mirror that could travel through space. Was he really unable to deal with the Shadow King and the rest as well? Currently, Merlin was at his peak form. Even if he encountered Doomsday, he would not fear the Soul of Light because he could tangibly perceive the Almighty Beast World's will. Even the strongest Soul of Light would be unable to baffle the present Merlin.

"Swoosh."

After the Phantom King grabbed half of the Sacred Lion Beast's head, the Shadow King instantly exhibited his Supreme Talent that blanketed the Phantom King and the Liberator, turning them into a large stretch of shadow.

This shadow was just like anyone's shadow, indistinct and faint within the dim secret chamber. It was impossible to guard against. Just as the Shadow King had said, there was truly no one who could stop him if he wanted to leave.

In terms of self-preservation, the Shadow King's ability was the most formidable.

Nonetheless, Merlin was a different person after he had successively consumed the flesh of the Nine-lives Werewolf and Doomsday. He could detect the Almighty Beast World's will, so naturally, he was able to detect even more subtle things. Therefore, in this world, there was almost nothing that could escape Merlin's senses.

"Gotcha."

Merlin's colossal body immediately bore down upon a stretch of shadow.

"Boom."

The fearsome force nearly destroyed the secret chamber. Merlin's huge foot had stomped on a subtle shadow. Even after close observation, one would not see anything. However, after Merlin's stomp, this shadow exuded water-like ripples that shuddered outwards in numerous rings.

"Swoosh."

A few figures came out from the shadow and appeared miserable within the secret chamber. It was the Liberator, the Phantom King, and the Shadow King.

Currently, the Shadow King's face was incomparably downcast while he glared furiously at Merlin as if he could not believe this.

"How did you discover me? Even Farron could not possibly notice me. If I wish to leave, who can stop me?"

The Shadow King was proudest of all, but Merlin still ended up seeing through him. He was astounded in the depths of his heart.

"It's child's play!"

Merlin's eyes flashed with a piercing gleam and his massive bulk leaped forward without warning, galloping straight towards the Shadow King. The Shadow King knew of Merlin's prowess and instantly turned himself into a shadow.

Nonetheless, Merlin could still see every movement Shadow King made and casually smacked a shadow on the ground. The Shadow King immediately let out a cry of pain and was forced to reveal himself. The Shadow King was injured from Merlin's attack at that point after he discovered him once again.

By now, the Shadow King truly believed that Merlin could sense him. He roared in fury as his Supreme Talent unleashed to its maximum. The entire secret chamber was engulfed in an enormous layer of shadow.

"Bang bang bang."

Sounds of attacks suddenly erupted within the shadows. One black tentacle after another burst from the shadows, viciously pounding on Merlin's body. Even so, this bit of attack was unable to stir Merlin at all.

"Too weak, far too weak!"

Merlin shook his head slightly. He shook himself all over. He could neutralize these attacks through just his strength. Following that, he exploded with all his energy. The entire sweep of shadow seemed unable to withstand Merlin's power and rapidly disintegrated.

"Come on out."

Merlin reached out and grabbed, seizing a fistful of shadow firmly in his hand. After that, the shadow gradually transformed into the Shadow King's actual appearance, but he was unable to free himself from Merlin's grasp. Currently, Merlin did not even know how strong he was.

"Leon, let the Shadow King go."

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out beside Merlin's ear. Merlin carefully looked over and saw that it was the Princess Royal. However, the current Princess Royal wore a slack expression. Clearly, she was being controlled.

"Marquis Leon, let go of the Shadow King quickly."

Other than the Princess Royal, the king was being manipulated as well.

Merlin's eyes turned icy and instantly knew who was behind this.

"Phantom King!"

"Haha, not bad, it's me indeed. Leon, if you don't let go of the Shadow King, I'm afraid that the Princess Royal and the king will die because of you." The Phantom King threatened.

The Shadow King might be the best at self-preservation, but the strangest, most slippery one was actually the Phantom King. He had a myriad of transformations and was difficult to capture. Just like at that moment, he had controlled the king and the Princess Royal which caused one to hold back to prevent the harming of innocents.

To deal with the Phantom King, it was crucial to locate his real body. Only then could one directly deliver a fatal strike. Otherwise, the Phantom King would be very troublesome to deal with; with a myriad of transformations. He was the scariest too. He could wipe out the Holy Dragon City by himself.

Merlin breathed in deeply. He did not care about the king, but the Princess Royal being held hostage was indeed forcing Merlin to hold back from attacking. He could only loosen his grip and toss the Shadow King to one side.

"Swoosh."

The Shadow King instantly turned into a shadow. He vanished from the secret chamber and brought the Phantom King and the rest with him. Merlin knew that they had left the room, and the king and the Princess Royal recovered their senses after being controlled.

As they stared at the underground chamber that was in ruins, the king and the Princess Royal were blank with bewilderment.

"Leon, where's the Shadow King and the rest?" The Princess Royal asked anxiously.

"Both of you were controlled by the Phantom King and taken as hostages to threaten me, so I let them go," Merlin answered honestly. In truth, they did not take much with them. What he needed was the Candora Magic Mirror. It was just a shame that the Magic Mirror had the ability to travel through space, so even Merlin had no way of seizing it by force.

As for the Shadow King and the rest, Merlin did not care.

The king wore a look of sorrow as he stared at the barren secret chamber while he mumbled in an anguished voice, "It's gone, the Sacred Lion Beast's head is gone. The royal family's foundation of a thousand years is going to collapse. I am truly a failure of a king."

Having lost the Sacred Lion Beast's head was the biggest blow to the royal family. This was because, like the Candora Magic Mirror, the Sacred Lion Beast's head was the core of the royal family, but now they had lost even this core.

"Your Majesty, this time, it's good enough that we could protect the royal family. As for the Sacred Lion Beast's head – the royal family had studied it for so long, but what has come of it? Plus, the most significant blood of the Sacred Lion Beast was gone long ago. It's merely a symbol of the royal family."

Farron came to the king's side. Upon seeing the king's desolate manner, Farron could only pacify him. Farron knew that this king had always harbored lofty ambitions deep in his heart. Now that the royal family had fallen to this point, the king's heart was naturally filled with remorse and self-blame.

"King Father, the royal family would come to such a point not just because of your actions alone. The whole royal family is responsible."

The Princess Royal breathed deeply. The royal family was nearly annihilated. Now, the Princess Royal finally understood that the royal family as a whole. Even her greatest aspirations would amount to nothing if the royal family was gone. Some of her previous thoughts and behavior seemed like a joke from the current perspective.

The king glanced at the Princess Royal, then looked towards Merlin who was behind her, and suddenly let out a long sigh. A bitter smile crossed his face. "Maybe, Lisa, it's best if you act as king. You have more drive than your father!"

After the king spoke, he slowly closed his eyes, as if he had come to a decision in his heart, a decision that would change the fate of the whole Holy Dragon Empire…

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Chapter 1012: Real or Fake

Currently, the most important figures of the empire were gathered in the palace of the faraway Candora Empire. They were waiting to see if they obtained the Sacred Lion Beast's head from the Holy Dragon Empire.

Although it was only half, it was enough to make the upper brass of the Candora Empire mad. The Holy Dragon Empire had established the foundation of a millennium because of this Sacred Lion Beast head.

"Haha, Trio-Lords, you've done well. You've made great contributions to obtain the Sacred Lion Beast's head!"

The Candora King, who was sitting on the throne, saluted the Candora Trio-Lords. These Trio-Lords looked identical and had become ultimate contenders. It was basically a miracle.

However, they did not have any thoughts of competing with the King, and instead became the most powerful sword of the Candora Empire. The Trio-Lords, together with the Magic Mirror, had few rivals. This time, if not for the sudden appearance of the abnormality, Leon, they would have brought back the entire head of the Sacred Lion Beast.

"Your Majesty, we are really ashamed that we failed to bring back the complete Sacred Lion Beast's head," the Candora Trio-Lords said regretfully.

The Candora Trio-Lords did not know about Merlin at all but after returning to the Candora Empire, they learned that even Doomsday had died long ago by Merlin's hands. They knew that the Holy Dragon Empire would not be destroyed as long as Merlin existed. Merlin's name was destined to resound throughout the continent.

"The Holy Dragon Empire has stood for millennia, so it naturally won't fall that easily. It's already very good that you were able to bring back half of the Sacred Lion Beast's head. Now, let's take a look at this Sacred Lion Beast's head."

The King was also full of curiosity. The Sacred Lion Beast's head was the greatest secret of the Holy Dragon Empire. If not for the civil strife in the Holy Dragon Empire, it would be impossible to obtain the Sacred Lion Beast's head by relying on the Candora Trio-Lords alone.

"Bring it here."

The Candora Trio-Lords clapped and called for people to bring the Sacred Lion Beast's head in. The huge head was immediately displayed in front of everyone. Even though it was only half, anyone who saw this head would be shocked.

"This is the Sacred Lion Beast's head?"

Many core figures of the Candora Empire, including some ultimate contenders, all stared at the Sacred Lion Beast's head with intense eyes, as if wanting to see the secrets of the Sacred Beast.

When one became an ultimate contender, there was almost no difference in their boundary although there were still high and low points in strength.

No one was at a higher level.

Countless ultimate contenders had one common point of view after a long period of analysis, and that was that ultimate contenders had already developed the power of the bloodline to the limit. It was similar to the terrifying peak almighty beasts back in the ancient era.

If they wanted to go further, it would be the realm of a Sacred Beast. The next step for an ultimate contender was Sacred Beasts. However, no one had ever seen what a Sacred Beast looked like, much less how terrifying its power was.

That was because Sacred Beasts had been extinct for a long time, and no one had ever seen a Sacred Beast before. There was only a small trace of a Sacred Beast's will in the Candora Magic Mirror and was not useful at all. Even so, the Candora Magic Mirror had the terrifying ability to teleport through space, which served to show how frightening a Sacred Beast was.

Perhaps the next step for an ultimate contender was not a Sacred Beast, or perhaps if an ultimate contender could take a step further, they would really step into the realm of almighty beasts. No one knew the truth. This was all speculation among the ultimate contenders.

Therefore, the Sacred Lion Beast's head was incredibly precious because it was the real corpse of a Sacred Beast.

"There doesn't seem to be anything special about this Sacred Lion Beast's head besides its huge size. Perhaps that unique aura is different from regular almighty beasts, but has anyone else noticed that that unique aura is rapidly disappearing," an ultimate existence said after realizing something while frowning.

"An aura?"

The Candora Trio-Lords sensed carefully. Indeed, in the beginning, they sensed an aura that was completely different from an ordinary almighty beast. The domineering and vastness of the aura made them feel their insignificance.

That was why they believed that this was truly the Sacred Lion Beast's head. However, thinking about it now, how vast was the aura that they felt in the Holy Dragon City's secret chamber? It was not like this one, where it seemed like it would disappear at any moment.

"This…"

While the Candora Trio-Lords were puzzled, the unique aura on the Sacred Lion Beast's head completely disappeared and could no longer be sensed.

"Crack."

At the same time, the Sacred Lion Beast's head began to crack, and the crack spread, just like a spider web, across the head in the blink of an eye.

"Boom."

Finally, the huge Sacred Lion Beast's head crumbled with a loud noise, turning into debris and scattered all over the ground. A blanket of smoke filled the entire hall.

The next moment, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

"No… the Holy Dragon Empire, the Holy Dragon royal family, they outwitted us this time!"

At that moment, the Candora Trio-Lords finally realized that the Sacred Lion Beast's head was fake, and had been fake since the beginning. Perhaps the King was telling the truth, but the Sacred Lion Beast's head was fake. No one knew when the royal family switched out the Sacred Lion Beast's head.

The Candora Trio-Lords knelt on the ground and said lowly, "Please punish us, Your Majesty."

Not only did they end up empty-handed this time, they even used the power of the Candora Magic Mirror. Even if there was an almighty beast will, traveling through space was not a power that ordinary people could grasp. Each time the Candora Magic Mirror was activated, it cost an unimaginably huge price.

The King's eyes were cold. He looked in the direction of the Holy Dragon Empire in the distance and sneered. "The Holy Dragon Empire is indeed an ancient empire with millennia of history. This time, we'll admit defeat!"

The King also knew that with 'Leon's' appearance, the Candora Empire could not do anything even if they were furious.

Meanwhile, besides the Candora Empire, Shadow King and the others also realized that their half of the Sacred Lion Beast's head was fake. Although they were furious, they did not dare to go to the Holy Dragon Empire again.

Out of the five rebel leaders, only three remained, while the three elders of the royal family were only injured. The situation of the entire empire had changed quietly.

Perhaps, what was next were painful days for the rebel.

…

At the same time, there was a jubilant atmosphere at the Princess Royal's main hall in the Holy Dragon City. That was because the next day was the day when the Princess Royal would be crowned King.

The King had been disheartened and voluntarily abdicated and passed the throne to the Princess Royal. The Princess Royal had also deployed a force that resulted in almost all the ministers to support her ascension to the throne.

Therefore, the next day was bound to be a day that caught everyone's attention. Similarly, perhaps the entire Holy Dragon Empire would change and grow with new vitality with her ascension.

The Princess Royal wore a hastily made crown full of precious stones on her head. Under the dim light, it looked incomparably beautiful.

Soon, there was a burst of concentrated footsteps outside the palace, and Merlin marched in. No one dared to stop him. Everyone knew that Merlin was the Princess Royal's closest confidant.

Merlin walked into the palace, his eyes tightly fixed on the Princess Royal. Suddenly, he said slowly, "Lisa, I just received news from Phantom's Intelligence Team that the Sacred Lion Beast's head taken by the Candora Empire and Shadow King is fake. Did you already know?"

Although Merlin's tone was calm, everyone could feel the coldness in his voice.

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Chapter 1013: The Truth of the Sacred Beast's Head

"Fake?"

Adorned with a crown, the Princess Royal looked dignified and noble. She was about to become king. Her long-cherished wish for many years would finally be realized.

Looking at Merlin's cold eyes, Lisa shook her head and said, "How can that be? Leon, you saw King Father. When he saw how the Sacred Lion Beast's head ended up, he was heartbroken and even passed the throne to me. Did he look like he was faking it?"

Merlin thought carefully for a moment. Indeed, the King's heartbroken expression was impossible to fake. In other words, the King truly believed that the Sacred Lion Beast's head had been taken away.

If the King did not know, how did the Princess Royal know?

"Lisa, since you don't know that the Sacred Lion Beast's head is fake, what does this mean? Who has the ability to replace the Sacred Lion Beast's head?"

Merlin frowned. The Sacred Lion Beast's head would not be easily replaced. First of all, it was not easy to enter the secret chamber where the Sacred Lion Beast's head was located. One had to be a descendant of the royal family with very strong blood ties.

Besides the King and the Princess Royal, who else had this ability?

"Leon, the truth is, our royal family has a fourth elder!"

"A fourth elder?"

Merlin was shocked. In the tense situation earlier, only three elders appeared. Merlin thought that there had only been three ultimate contenders in the royal family.

Moreover, those three ultimate contenders were seriously injured.

Unexpectedly, the royal family still had a fourth ultimate contender. However, why did the fourth elder not appear earlier? The royal family had almost collapsed!

Lisa continued, "That's right, a fourth elder. That elder never shows up no matter the danger, because he represents the last hope of the royal family. Besides guarding the royal family's Sacred Lion Beast's head, he also guards the most precious royal family treasure vault. Treasures collected over a thousand years are stored there. Even if the royal family is overthrown and the Holy Dragon Empire collapses, the royal family can survive and even rise again one day as long as we have these treasures and that ultimate contender!"

The Princess Royal's expression was also a little complicated. The King had told this to Lisa, who was about to become king. She had to know about this.

Merlin took a deep breath. This was the practice of the royal family for a millennia. Even if the royal family was overthrown, it was necessary to retain its strength. As for the lives and deaths of other people, it was not important at all.

After a long while, Merlin asked in a deep voice, "In other words, it was the fourth elder who replaced the Sacred Lion Beast's head?"

"We'll find out if it was the fourth elder as soon as we ask."

There was a sly smile on the Princess Royal's face. Now, the Princess Royal seemed to be calm and collected no matter what happened.

Merlin nodded. He also wanted to meet the fourth elder of the royal family. Furthermore, he had coveted the almighty beasts' will in the royal family's treasure vault from the beginning. If he could get to it, he could probably improve again.

Therefore, Merlin followed the Princess Royal and walked deep into the palace without any royal guards.

The whole royal palace was very large and there are many hidden areas. After all, the royal family had ruled the Holy Dragon Empire for more than a thousand years. If it was not for the time when Doomsday collaborated with the Candora Empire, the Sacred Lion Beast's head would not have been taken away.

The Princess Royal arrived at an ordinary palace. There was a mechanism on the wall, and a little press made a secret passage appear on the ground.

After entering the dark passage, Merlin could feel that the passage was all the way underground. After walking for a while, a faint light appeared before them as if they had reached the end.

Soon, Lisa and Merlin arrived at a secret chamber. Inside, there was an old man with white hair and a youthful face. He looked energetic and healthy. At that time, his eyes were shut and he did not seem to notice Merlin or the Princess Royal.

"Elder."

Lisa gently saluted the old man. After all, the old man is also an elder of the royal family and the guardian of the treasure vault.

Merlin frowned and looked around. Behind the old man was a thick stone gate with many strange patterns. Presumably, behind the stone gate was the treasure vault where the royal family had stored their treasures in for a thousand years.

"Princess Royal, or should I say, Your Highness. As for the person beside you, you should be Marquis Leon, the one who prevailed over the Candora Trio-Lords and Doomsday."

The elder who had his eyes closed suddenly opened his eyes. There was a sharp color in his eyes, but it soon softened.

Although the elder had always stayed in the secret chamber to guard the treasure vault, he knew what had happened to the royal family.

"Ancestor, we're here to ask you something," the Princess Royal said calmly.

"Oh? What is it?"

The elder's eyes had always been fixed on Merlin as if he wanted to see how Merlin defeated the Candora Trio-Lords and Doomsday. The royal family had been saved by the hands of a single person.

"Elder, it's about the Sacred Lion Beast's head. You should also know that the Sacred Lion Beast's head was taken away by the Candora Trio-Lords and Shadow King and other rebels in the last revolt, but now it is said that the Sacred Lion Beast's head they had was fake. We've come to ask the elder if the Sacred Lion Beast's head was replaced by you."

After the Princess Royal finished speaking, she stared at the elder closely. Merlin also paid attention to the elder and carefully observed every change of his expression.

However, hearing the Princess Royal's question, the elder merely sighed for a long time and closed his eyes. He shook his head slightly and said, "Who could have replaced the Sacred Lion Beast's head. It has always been there."

"That's impossible. Our scouts have already found out that the Sacred Lion Beast's head obtained by the Candora Empire and Shadow King was obviously fake," Lisa said firmly.

"Of course it's fake. That's because the Sacred Lion Beast's head disappeared long ago," the elder said with a wry smile.

"What? Disappeared long ago?"

Both Merlin and the Princess Royal were shocked by the elder's words. The Sacred Lion Beast's head had disappeared long ago. In other words, the Sacred Lion Beast's head in the underground secret chamber had always been fake?

"That's right, the Sacred Lion Beast's head was defeated. About a hundred years ago, the Sacred Lion Beast's head seemed to have reached its limit. It began to break up bit by bit and finally turned into a pile of dust. We don't know the reason, and it's said that the body of a Sacred Beast would never decay, but the fact is that the Sacred Lion Beast's head really disappeared. That's why, in the past hundred years, the descendants of the royal family had become weaker and weaker, and they couldn't even become full shifters. It was because the Sacred Lion Beast's head had disappeared."

"The Sacred Lion Beast's head is the foundation of the royal family. Its disappearance represents the decline of the royal family. Of course, this news cannot be known to the outside world. Therefore, after consulting with the king at that time, several elders finally used special methods to put the fake Sacred Lion Beast's head into the secret chamber and then sealed some of the Sacred Lion Beast's head unique aura into the body of the fake head, so as to achieve the situation of falsification. Unexpectedly, the royal family ended up this way… "

Merlin and the Princess Royal looked at each other. Surprisingly, the Candora Trio-Lords and Shadow King were fighting for the Sacred Lion Beast's head, but it was actually fake.

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Chapter 1014: Royal Family's Treasure Vault

"Fake…"

Merlin was speechless. It turned out that everything was fake. The so-called 'Sacred Lion Beast's head' they guarded was just a joke.

After a long while, the Princess Royal slowly opened her mouth and asked, "Elder, can I enter this treasure vault for a while?"

The Princess Royal knew that Merlin had done a lot to deal with the Candora Trio-Lords and Doomsday, but she had not given him any benefits.

Titles and territory were worth nothing to Merlin. However, there had to be something in the treasure vault that would satisfy Merlin.

Merlin's heart moved as he immediately understood the Princess Royal's meaning. What was most valuable to Merlin were the almighty beasts' will in the treasure vault. After all, the accumulation of the royal family for a thousand years must be unimaginable.

The elder looked at the Princess Royal and stepped aside before he calmly said, "The Princess Royal is about to become the King and naturally can enter the treasure vault. However, Marquis Leon must stay outside."

This was the royal family's treasure vault. No matter how close the relationship with the royal family, an outsider would not be allowed to enter. Even Farron had never entered the treasure vault before.

Merlin nodded and watched the Princess Royal enter the treasure vault behind the elder. Then, the gate to the treasure vault closed and the secret chamber fell into silence.

"Marquis Leon, I heard you fought against the tide and killed the Nine-lives Werewolf as well as Doomsday. You even forced the Candora Trio-Lords to run away by using the Candora Magic Mirror."

The elder's eyes twinkled spiritedly. Such a major event naturally could not be concealed.

Thus, Merlin nodded his head and said, "It's just a fluke."

"It's not a fluke…"

Merlin took a deep breath and suddenly asked, "Elder, you may have been in the royal family for a long time and should have encountered the real Sacred Lion Beast's head. What's so special about the Sacred Lion Beast's head?"

Merlin suddenly understood why he did not have any other reaction when he saw the Sacred Lion Beast's head. It turned out that it was just a fake. Only some of the Sacred Lion Beast's aura was sealed in it.

It was precisely because of that that it deceived a lot of people. Even the Candora Trio-Lords and Shadow King spent a lot of energy to get to the Holy Dragon City but ultimately failed.

"The sacred beast…"

The elder thought about it and closed his eyes slightly as if he was recalling it. After a long time, the elder said slowly, "The biggest difference between the sacred beast and other almighty beasts is the will in their bodies. In the beginning, although there was only the head left, there was still a vast will. It was as if it represented the whole world, and was stable. With that will, the sacred beast became eminent and distant, and it was hard to even approach it. However, for some reason, the will gradually weakened and then disappeared completely. The head of the Sacred Lion Beast gradually decayed and disappeared."

Thinking about the will in the Sacred Lion Beast's head, the elder appeared excited, as if he could not forget it after feeling it once.

"Will?"

Merlin suddenly looked up above the secret chamber, like he had seen through the secret chamber and saw the sky directly. If he guessed well, the sacred beast's will was a part of the Almighty Beast World's will.

It was a pity that the Sacred Lion Beast's head had disappeared. Otherwise, being able to feel that will or even merging with it would have an unimaginable improvement on Merlin's strength.

"It seems I'll have to make preparations to visit the Candora Empire."

Merlin thought of the sacred beast will sealed in the Candora Magic Mirror. Merlin did not covet the Candora Magic Mirror, but the sacred beast will that had been sealed in it was irresistible to Merlin and he was determined to get it.

"Marquis Leon, I hear you're a Host?" The elder hesitated but asked anyway. His bright eyes were still fixed on Merlin.

"That's right, I'm a Host!"

Merlin did not hide it. It was something that could not be concealed at all. His Supreme Talent was incredibly poor and no ultimate contender had such a weak Supreme Talent. That only proved that Merlin was a Host because only Hosts were different from regular ultimate contenders.

Still, even the elder had not seen a Host that could rival an ultimate contender. The most he had seen were full-shifters.

"Hosts really are amazing. It's said that the most powerful Host is only as strong as a full-shifter, and is far from rivaling an ultimate contender. However, Marquis Leon is an exception. You have few rivals now. You even defeated the Candora Trio-Lords. I'm afraid you are the strongest Host ever! In fact, Marquis Leon, you have created a living legend!"

The most powerful Host in history, this was not an exaggeration; Merlin truly deserved the title. In the crisis earlier, he defeated the Candora Trio-Lords and killed the Nine-lives Werewolf as well as Doomsday. This valiant accomplishment was enough to push Merlin to the top.

Merlin's achievements had not spread to the surrounding areas yet, but with the passage of time and the word of mouth from other contenders, Merlin would probably set off a storm in the whole continent as the strongest Host ever!

"A Host. Who would have thought that a Host would be so powerful? Perhaps for you Hosts, the final step is to become a sacred beast," the elder said emotionally. He had lived for a long time and had seen too many prodigies. He had seen the sacred beast's head and felt its will before.

He knows that the will alone was far from what an ordinary ultimate contender could imagine. It was like one was heaven and the other was earth, and could not be compared with at all.

It was too difficult for an ordinary ultimate contender to take the last step and become a sacred beast. There was no direction at all. In these years, where had there ever been a great existence that had reached the level of a sacred beast?

Ordinary ultimate contenders did not have such a capability, but the strongest Host in history had emerged. Maybe Merlin had the chance to take the last step.

The two continued to chat. About three hours later, the door of the treasure vault opened and the Princess Royal exited.

"Did you find it?" Merlin asked eagerly. The almighty beasts' will were what Merlin was most concerned about.

There was a mysterious smile on the corner of the Princess Royal's mouth, but she did not answer directly. Instead, she said goodbye to the elder who guarded the treasure vault, "Elder, we'll leave first. Please continue to protect the royal family's treasure vault."

"Haha, don't worry, Princess Royal. As long as I'm alive, the treasure vault will be safe."

The treasure vault was the most important place. It was originally the only important place besides the Sacred Lion Beast's head, but now that it was discovered that the Sacred Lion Beast's head had long disappeared, the treasure vault had become the most important place for the royal family.

It was no wonder that this elder had always been guarding the treasure vault and did not stop the Candora Trio-Lord and the others from stealing the Sacred Lion Beast's head in the secret chamber. He knew that the Sacred Lion Beast's head had already disappeared. Now, the most important thing to the royal family was the treasure vault.

Merlin looked at Lisa. Although she had not answered his question, her expression actually revealed a little information.

After they left the secret chamber and returned to the palace, Merlin continued to ask, "Lisa, have you found the almighty beasts' will?"

Almighty beasts' will were very important to Merlin.

There was a charming smile on the Princess Royal's face as she said, "Not only did I find it, there's also… You'll be shocked!"

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Chapter 1015: Chance

"Shocked?"

Merlin's eyes brightened. Did the Princess Royal encounter something great?

"You'll know after seeing."

After saying that, the Princess Royal took out a jade bead from her bosom. It looked round and beautiful but it was very big, around the size of a baby's fist.

"This is?"

Merlin took the jade bead and immediately felt the surging almighty beasts' will inside the jade bead. Even if they were not strong there were many almighty beasts' will in the jade bead.

Delighted, Merlin hurriedly extended his consciousness into the jade bead and suddenly saw a sea of almighty beasts' will. There were too many of them to count. At a glance, there seemed to be thousands of almighty beasts' will.

There were thousands of almighty beasts' will, it was almost unimaginably powerful. If an ordinary person immersed their consciousness into it, they would be shocked to death by these wild almighty beasts' will.

However, Merlin was very happy. It was just a pity that these almighty beasts' will were low-tier.

"Not bad. Although they're all low-tier almighty beasts' will, there is a considerable number of them."

Merlin was extremely satisfied. He did not know how far his almighty beast's body would be pushed after fusing so many almighty beasts' will. Would he come close to a sacred beast? Or perhaps he could actually become a sacred beast.

This was something that even Merlin could not predict.

The Princess Royal smiled mysteriously, and a jade bead suddenly appeared in her hand again. She said with a smile, "Leon, look again, what else is inside?"

"There's more?"

When Merlin took the jade bead in the Princess Royal's hand, his expression suddenly changed as he was stunned. He was truly shocked because there were at least two hundred mid-tier almighty beasts' will in the jade bead.

Each of the almighty beasts' will represented an almighty beast, so two hundred mid-tier almighty beasts' represented two hundred mid-tier almighty beasts. That was extremely terrifying. The era of ancient almighty beasts had been over long ago, so it was hard to imagine that so many mid-tier almighty beasts were collected.

It was no wonder that the Princess Royal called it 'shocking.' It was truly astonishing.

"Haha, Lisa, this is a great help!" Merlin laughed happily. This was the greatest benefit he had received since coming to this world.

However, the Princess Royal shook her head and smiled mysteriously. "What is this much? Leon, how simple do you think the treasures that our royal family had accumulated for a thousand years are? There's another jade bead here that might be even more useful to you!"

The Princess Royal took out another jade bead from her bosom. However, this jade bead looked a little strange. It was different from the first two jade beads. There were beautiful designs on it and it looked very unique.

Merlin's consciousness extended into it.

"Boom."

Merlin experienced the terrifying roars immediately after entering. Twenty-six extremely powerful almighty beasts' will charged madly towards Merlin's consciousness.

These twenty-six almighty beasts' will were all high-tier. Merlin had only encountered a few high-tier almighty beasts before.

"Twenty-six high-tier almighty beasts' will…"

A smile appeared on Merlin's face. The Princess Royal indeed gave him a big present. It was a gift more precious than anything else.

The Princess Royal asked with a charming smile, "How is it? Are you satisfied with this gift? If you are, stay and satisfy me as well… "

Looking at the charming and affectionate Princess Royal, Merlin did not stand on ceremony. He immediately embraced the Princess Royal and entered the inner chamber. For a while, the entire hall was quiet, left with only resounding moans…

…

In the Holy Dragon City's castle, Merlin spent some time with his two wives and dealt with some family affairs. However, what worried the two beautiful wives was that there had not been any changes with their stomachs. Perhaps it was because Merlin's body was too strong, which made it hard for them to have children.

After a period of no results, Merlin could only put this aside for now. He had more important matters to deal with like absorbing the 'gift' from the Princess Royal.

Merlin entered the underground secret chamber after telling the housekeeper that no one was allowed to disturb him. Although no one could hurt him with his current strength, Merlin still wanted to be fully prepared. He sighed in relief after the basement was completely sealed.

The reason why Merlin was so serious and cautious this time was because he was going to do something very important. He believed that this was a key step for him to take, and was likely to restore the Illusory World.

With a flick of his hands, the three jade beads appeared in his palm. The value of these three jade beads was priceless in Merlin's heart. At that moment, Merlin, as a Host, combined with his identity as a Mind Power Master, had devoured and integrated almighty beasts' will; which paved an unusual path.

However, Merlin still could not feel the limit. His goal was to restore the Illusory World, or even turn illusion into reality. His Illusory World was suppressed by this world so strongly that it was rendered completely useless.

"Titus, are you ready? Keep an eye on the Illusory World's changes," Merlin said to Titus in the Illusory World.

"Don't worry, Merlin. I'll pay attention to any changes in the Illusory World. I'm really looking forward to it. In this Almighty Beast World, your misfortune might have been a blessing which let you find the true essence of materializing using the Illusory World," Titus said with emotion.

Merlin took a deep breath, then took out the first jade bead which had thousands of low-tier almighty beasts' will sealed inside.

When Merlin's consciousness entered the jade bead, he felt the countless roars again.

"Fusion!"

Merlin roared. Suddenly, his consciousness became a whirlpool as he began to absorb and devour the almighty beasts' will. A stream of low-tier almighty beasts' will was swallowed and integrated by Merlin.

Although all of them were low-tier almighty beasts' will which may not bring any changes to Merlin, his almighty beast body gradually started to change as the number increased.

First, his body became even larger and expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye. His blood rushed as his terrifying aura spread in all directions.

Merlin felt that the Almighty Beast World had become clearer. This was a gradual process that required a lot of almighty beasts' will.

His body was constantly growing stronger and even Merlin did not know how powerful he had become. At that time, the thousands of almighty beasts' will were completely swallowed up.

"Next!"

Merlin then started to merge the mid-tier almighty beasts' will in the second jade bead.

"Boom boom boom."

This time, the Illusory World in Merlin's consciousness finally changed and grew stronger along with his body. The barriers of his Illusory World also strengthened to an unimaginable point. Even if he did not cultivate his Mind Power anymore, his Illusory World still continued to expand slowly.

Moreover, the world's core natural order was also condensing little by little. Although it was very slow, it was still a great change. Merlin would never have even dreamt of this in the past. Now, the Illusory World could recover slowly.

"Limit. I need to reach the limit!"

Merlin's heart raced as he devoured the two hundred mid-tier almighty beasts' will. His body had grown to a size too large to imagine and he seemed to be able to touch the faint but powerful will.

"The Almighty Beast World's will?"

Merlin murmured. He opened his eyes and began to devour the almighty beasts' will in the third jade bead without hesitation, which were the twenty-six high-tier almighty beasts' will.

"Fusion!"

Merlin instantly devoured the twenty-six almighty beasts' will, and the Illusory World expanded again. These twenty-six high-tier almighty beasts' will naturally were no threat to Merlin.

"Boom."

Finally, Merlin could feel the omnipresent tyrannical will. The Almighty Beast World's will was within his reach.

However, Merlin reached the limit at that moment. He knew that no matter the number of almighty beasts' will, they would not have any effect on him anymore. He needed a sacred beast will!

"It's amazing, Merlin. Do you feel it? It's incredible. The Illusory World is recovering at an unimaginable speed…"

Titus's voice sounded. The Illusory World seemed to be recovering rapidly because Merlin formed a special will. However, the world's natural order, which was the core, was forming very slowly.

Merlin's heart was calm and he said in a low voice, "I already know that the Illusory World did not form a natural order. It's very difficult to recover the power from the Void Zone, let alone fight against the Almighty Beast World. I need a sacred beast's will. Only by devouring a sacred beast's will would I understand the mystery of this world. The natural order would also form quickly. By then, it would be able to recover to its state back in the Void Zone, and hopefully even materialize illusions into reality!"

This was what Merlin came to understand after devouring and merging so many almighty beasts' will. No one knew more about the Illusory World than him.

The swiftness of the Illusory World's recovery let Merlin think of a way, which was will. The world's will!

All the almighty beasts in the Almighty Beast World was part of the Almighty Beast World's will, but they were very weak. Yet, sacred beasts truly represented a part of the huge Almighty Beast World's will.

The Illusory World itself was a world. Although it was an imaginary world, it could become a perfect world that could materialize illusion into reality. Devouring the world's will was impossible in the Void Zone because the Void Zone's will was a complete entity.

However, in the Almighty Beast World, the world's will was scattered in various places, and the sacred beast from the ancient era occupied a large part of the world's will.

This was Merlin's chance to restore the Illusory World!

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Chapter 1016: Clean Up I

"Merlin, is there really a chance for the Illusory World to recover?" Titus asked excitedly. He had despaired ever since Merlin came to the Almighty Beast World. The will of this world is strong and oppressive and it would be destroyed if only a little force was leaked from the Illusory World.

Moreover, there was no way to cultivate Mind Power, which made Merlin lose confidence in restoring the Illusory World.

However, his body had truly reached its limit with the integration of a large number of almighty beast worlds. Besides sacred beasts, Merlin was almost invincible now. There was no ultimate contender strong enough to threaten him. Despite that, he was still one step short, and that was a sacred beast will or the world's will.

The Almighty Beast World's will was scattered and incomplete. This was Merlin's chance to restore the Illusory World!

"Titus, perhaps we'll be able to leave the Almighty Beast World soon."

There was a smile at the corner of Merlin's mouth. It was the first time he felt hope in leaving. Of course, Merlin wanted to be able to use the Illusory World to materialize illusions into reality.

Only in that way could he become a Latitude traveler like Aruba and experience Latitude Cosmos after Latitude Cosmos.

"Haha, in that case, I'll wait for your good news, Merlin…"

Titus disappeared into the Illusory World again and Merlin slowly resumed his normal appearance. Now, his physical quality had reached a new level. Even if he did not shapeshift, he possessed terrifying strength that was not inferior to his power from before.

Merlin had been in the secret chamber for a few months but he had not felt the passage of time. Yet, the outside world had been turned upside down.

After he left the secret chamber and returned to the castle, Merlin listened to the direct report from Shiya of Phantom's Intelligence Team. Since Merlin defeated the Candora Trio-Lords and the others, the King abdicated, and Farron also disappeared. It was assumed that he wanted to retire and did not want to interfere in the affairs of the Holy Dragon Empire anymore.

Therefore, Merlin took over Phantom's Intelligence Team, and naturally, no one had any objections.

"Sir Minister, many things have happened in the Holy Dragon Empire. Since Her Majesty became King, she had begun to use the power of Phantom's Intelligence Team to organize several armies and use the royal family's financial resources as support to start an all-round attack on the rebels. Now, except for the three rebel leaders, all the other rebels are in a state of collapse. Half of the Holy Dragon Empire's cities are already in the hands of the empire. To be precise, they're in the hands of the royal family. The royal family did not confer any new aristocrats and lords."

Shiya slowly reported the changes of the Holy Dragon Empire in recent months. Since the Princess Royal became king, she has made large moves. The rebel forces greatly declined since two of the five rebel leaders died. As a result, Lisa launched an attack immediately, bringing half of the territory of the Holy Dragon Empire into her hands.

Moreover, there were no new lords and aristocrats, which meant that these cities would be directly controlled by the royal family. On the surface, it seemed like the Holy Dragon Empire was controlled by the royal family alone, but the truth was that it was actually ruled by both the royal family and the aristocrats. Some powerful lords and nobles could even compete with the royal family.

However, at the start when catastrophe swept over the whole of the Holy Dragon Empire, almost all lords and nobles disappeared, except the royal family, and their territories fell to the hands of the rebels; in turn, it created the best conditions for the royal family. After the royal family regained the city from the rebels, they managed it once more.

Moreover, there would not be any aristocrats in the Holy Dragon Empire in the future, according to Lisa's plan. She had built a powerful empire that was completely controlled by the royal family!

Lisa had talked about these things in detail with Merlin but he was not interested at all. If he wanted to, he could seize any empire as his own, no matter how large it was. Not even Lisa knew how terrifying Merlin was at that point.

"Lisa didn't encounter any problems?" Merlin suddenly asked suspiciously as he raised his head.

"Not for the time being. The royal family's hidden power is still very powerful. Moreover, the Candora Empire has not intervened yet. They seem to be worried about the Minister," Shiya's eyes flashed as she said that. Originally, Phantom's Intelligence Team paid close attention to the Candora Empire. The Candora Empire also took advantage of the Holy Dragon Empire's chaos to bring its army in and cause mayhem. However, the Candora Empire had no intention of intervening at that moment and the royal family gradually gained control over the Holy Dragon Empire.

How powerful was Phantom's Intelligence Team? Naturally, Shiya knew that in the first battle, Merlin defeated the Candora Empire and he had even killed two rebel ultimate contenders. Merlin's name now resounded throughout the entire continent as the number one contender.

Therefore, the reason why the Candora Empire changed its mind was that they were too wary about Merlin. Just Merlin himself caused a huge empire to worry. It was inconceivable for Shiya to imagine. After all, Merlin had just become a full-shifter not long ago.

"Still, I'm afraid Her Majesty will encounter some difficulties. The three rebel leaders have joined forces. It seems they're ready for a decisive battle."

If the three rebel leaders really decided to fight to the death, the three elders of the royal family might not be a match for the three rebel leaders even if they recovered without the Sacred Lion Beast's head's aura to slightly suppress these ultimate contenders.

Furthermore, situations change rapidly on the battlefield and no one could say clearly what would happen in the end. It would be hard for Lisa to make a firm resolution without the guarantee of victory.

"It seems that it's time for me to enter the palace."

Merlin stood up. He knew that Lisa must be very distressed at this time.

"By the way, collect all information about the Candora Magic Mirror. Remember, I want the most detailed information. It can even be exposed to the intelligence personnel of the Candora Empire. Do anything it takes!"

Merlin ordered Shiya before leaving the castle. He got into a carriage and headed towards the royal family.

…

At this time in the palace, the Princess Royal, who was now Her Majesty, was frowning. As soon as she ascended the throne, she made big advances and attacked the rebels.

However, the effect was obvious after the series of attacks. The royal family recovered half of all cities, but when they pushed against the three rebel leaders' forces, they could not advance any further. That was because the three rebel leaders had joined forces and were getting ready for a decisive battle against the Holy Dragon royal family.

The three rebel leaders could fight to the death, but the queen could not. Therefore, the queen was in distress. The three elders of the royal family had not recovered yet, and even if they had, they would not leave the Holy Dragon City. Their duty was only to protect the royal family. As for the expansion of the royal family or recapturing the empire's cities, the three ancestors would not pay any heed.

"Your Majesty, Marquis Leon requests an audience with you."

"Leon?"

The Queen was slightly shocked but soon became ecstatic. Ever since Merlin went into isolation, she had sent several people to 'invite' Merlin, but there had not been any news. The Queen even thought that Merlin was not willing to interfere in the affairs of the Holy Dragon Empire.

She did not expect Merlin to come here now.

"Quick, quick, invite Marquis Leon in," the Queen said with delight.

Before long, Merlin came to the hall and saw Lisa, who was full of energy and carried a dignified aura. He called out calmly, "Lisa, I heard you seem to be in some trouble?"

The Queen did not mind Merlin's casual address. What was a mere title worth in Merlin's position? He was able to help the Queen quickly pacify the entire Holy Dragon Empire.

"Leon, you're just in time. I went to your castle a few times to look for you, but I was stopped by your housekeeper, saying that you were in isolation and no one was allowed to disturb you."

"It's thanks to your gift. I heard that you were in trouble immediately after exiting isolation."

Lisa frowned and sighed. "It's true that I've encountered some problems. They're problems that were handed down. The Shadow King, Phantom King, and the Liberator have completely united. They want to fight me to the death, but I'm not inclined to do the same. I'm afraid we will be defeated if we fight it out with them."

The Queen knew very well that she did not have the determination to fight to the death. Once a real war started, she would probably be defeated. That was why she was in distress.

Merlin smiled and said calmly, "Last time, I let the Shadow King escape. Why don't you let me go this time? Take it as my repayment for your gift. After I finish this, I'll help you stabilize the Holy Dragon Empire. However, I'm afraid I'll be leaving after that."

"Ah? You're leaving?"

"Yes, I need the Candora Magic Mirror. It might help me make the final step!"

Lisa fell silent. Of course, she knew what Merlin meant by the last step. It was the dream of all ultimate contenders to reach the realm of the legendary sacred beast.

However, for a thousand years, no one had been able to take this step. No matter how amazing the person was, they all fell in front of this last step. Now that Merlin had made his mind up, Lisa knew that she could not stop him.

"Alright, Leon, as long as you can get rid of the Shadow King and the others, there'll be no power in the Holy Dragon Empire that can compete with the royal family.

Merlin nodded. "I want to advance as soon as possible."

"I'll arrange everything!"

After a momentary lapse of sadness, Lisa became shrewd and capable again. She was always ambitious and full of the desire for power. Perhaps, unifying the Holy Dragon Empire was just the first step for her but Merlin would not help her realize her ambition anymore. He still needed to find the last step to find a way to restore the Illusory World.

Merlin did not stay back in the palace. After leaving the palace, he soared in the sky and flew to the place where the Shadow King and the others were.

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Chapter 1017: Clean Up II

The Captain frowned tightly in the military base situated at the front line. As a full-shifter Captain, he clearly knew the importance of the city in front.

It was not the city itself that was particularly precious, but the people who were within it. This was where the three main rebel army leaders were currently situated. Only by defeating the top three rebel army leaders, would it be possible to completely eradicate all the rebel armies within the Holy Dragon Empire and restore unity.

However, defeating these top three rebel army leaders was not as easy as it sounded. All of them were ultimate contenders, which meant that, other than another ultimate contender, no one else could inflict any harm on them.

"Hold on, who is this person whom Her Majesty the Queen asked us to wait for?"

The Captain was getting slightly irritated. He recently received an order to wait for somebody's arrival. Allegedly, this person could help them defeat the three rebel army leaders.

Such an order made the Captain want to roll his eyes. Since when did the royal family have a candidate who could stand one against three and defeat three ultimate contenders?

Nevertheless, the Captain could not disobey an order from Her Majesty the Queen. Currently in the Holy Dragon Empire, the Queen had unparalleled status and influence. She had also received the support of the entire military. A mere Captain like him would not dare to disobey the Queen's order.

At that moment, a soldier came to report. "Captain, a man suddenly descended from the sky and is asking to see you."

"Descended from the sky? He must be a full-shifter contender at least. Is this the person sent by Her Majesty the Queen?"

The Captain was stunned. According to Her Majesty the Queen, this person might be the key determinant of the Holy Dragon Empire's victory.

Hence, the Captain hurriedly walked out. From afar, he saw an almost-unbelievably young man. However, despite the man's youthful looks, his eyes portrayed a ferocity that seemed almost bewitching, which caused people to heighten their guards around him.

Naturally arriving at the military base was Merlin, who had rushed all the way from Holy Dragon City. Seeing the doubtful look the Captain casted at him, Merlin merely smiled. It seemed like, his victory over the Candora Trio-Lords and the killing of two rebel army leaders was only known by the core higher authorities. This Captain did not know of Merlin's 'battle-score'.

"My name is Leon. I was sent by Her Majesty the Queen to get rid of the three rebel army leaders," Merlin stated his purpose outright.

"I see, it's Sir Leon."

The Captain appeared to be polite, although his heart was suspicious. This Merlin did not look particularly extraordinary, how could he possibly get rid of three ultimate contenders?

Thinking along these lines, the Captain felt doubtful, but he did not say anything. Since Her Majesty the Queen had sent this man here, he must have had some skills.

"Captain, tell me about the problems you've encountered so far," Merlin said without further ado. He did not want to waste too much time there.

"Problems? There are indeed a few. The biggest problem is not the rebel armies, but the three rebel army leaders. All three of them are ultimate contenders. I'm sure Sir Leon knows all about ultimate contenders. As long as those three rebel army leaders are around, we are powerless against them. We dare not act recklessly against them."

The Captain's biggest headache was the three rebel army leaders. Regardless of how many thousands of troops and horses the military had, they did not dare to act recklessly. This was because a single ultimate contender was enough to dominate the entire battlefield.

"As long as I get rid of the three rebel army leaders, are you confident in defeating the rebel armies?" Merlin asked calmly.

"Of course, as long as those three rebel army leaders are annihilated, I'm confident that we can defeat all the rebel armies. However, all three rebel army leaders are ultimate contenders, how can they be defeated so easily? I'm afraid that we'll have to convince Her Majesty the Queen to send a real ultimate contender here to control the situation."

The Captain glanced at Merlin. This man did not seem like an ultimate contender, so the Captain wondered why the Queen sent him? Was it in order to gauge the situation?

However, they could have relied on Phantom Intelligence Department if it was merely to gauge the situation. The Captain was very familiar with Phantom Intelligence Department. This Department was very formidable; nothing was able to escape its surveillance.

"Since Captain is confident, then it will be done. I'll go and get rid of the three rebel army leaders."

A faint smile appeared on Merlin's lips. Despite Merlin's calm demeanor, the Captain's eyes were wide open as he stared at Merlin without blinking.

"But… Those three are ultimate contenders. Sir Leon, you're…"

"I'm the person the Queen sent to resolve the problem. It won't take long, you can order your troops to get ready."

Merlin did not explain in detail. Instead, he flew into the sky and soon disappeared from the military camp. Looking at his direction, he was heading towards the rebel armies' city in front.

The Captain seemed undecided, before finally ordering in a gruff voice, "Go, order everyone to get ready, and observe what is happening within the city in front."

At this point, the Captain no longer thought that Merlin was joking. After all, no one would dare to risk a joke on their own lives. Nevertheless, he still did not have much faith in Merlin. Was it possible to kill three ultimate contenders?

…

Despite the large military presence stationed outside, the rebel armies in the city were obviously relaxed. The large troop outside would not dare to attack them, because three of their powerful leaders had gathered together.

However, inside an ancient castle, the three rebel army leaders wore grave looks. The recent developments had caught them by surprise.

"I didn't expect the royal family to still hold such a tremendous force. They've conquered half of the Holy Dragon Empire. Perhaps, only by combining our forces, we'll be able to hold on for a while," the Shadow King said glumly. His expression was unpleasant. The situation had developed far beyond his expectations.

Beside him was the Phantom King and the Liberator. Both ultimate contenders spotted the same grave looks like the Shadow King. Ever since they found out that the head of the Sacred Lion Beast which they obtained was fake, their moods had plummeted. Moreover, the current outlook seemed very bleak for them.

"The three ancestors of the royal family probably haven't recovered, but we should be worried about that Leon…"

Upon the Phantom King's mention of Merlin, the three of them fell silent. They were not the least afraid of the three royal family ancestors, but they were quite fearful of Merlin.

Not only was Merlin able to fend off the Candora Trio-Lords, he also killed Doomsday and the Nine-Lives Werewolf. Such a battle-score was practically unheard of, so much so Merlin could be said to be the number one contender throughout the entire land. This was because they were usually quite impaired while disparities existed between ultimate contenders. Other than a siege, it was very difficult for an ultimate contender to kill another ultimate contender.

Merlin, on the other hand, singlehandedly killed two ultimate contenders.

"Leon is protecting the royal family inside the palace. He won't come out so easily. Even if he does, surely we can compete against him with our combined forces?"

The Liberator sneered. Perhaps Merlin was indeed powerful, but with the combined force of three ultimate contenders; they were also an immense powerhouse. It would not be easy for Merlin to defeat them.

"That's right, the three of us must combine forces. During this period of time, we shouldn't act alone. Then, even if Leon comes, he won't be able to defeat us."

The Shadow King nodded. The three of them combined together was still a considerable force.

"Is that so?"

Just then, a familiar voice resonated inside the castle. Following that, without any warning, a figure walked through the front door.

"Swoosh."

The Shadow King and the others were immediately on alert. Upon seeing this figure, their faces revealed a look of horror. "Leon? You've left Holy Dragon City?"

Seeing Leon, the Shadow King and the others could not help but turn cautious. They were just discussing how to handle Merlin, but he had already silently left Holy Dragon City and came to their castle.

For Merlin to come to this castle at this time, the meaning was unquestionable. The royal family was turning on them!

"I'm just leaving the royal family for a while to deal with you. When you escaped from Holy Dragon City and lived for a few extra days, you should have known that this day will eventually come."

Merlin's tone sounded unperturbed, but his body gave off a chilling murderous vibe!

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Chapter 1018: Clearing the Obstacles

"Shadow Fort."

Without warning, the Shadow King unleashed his Supreme Talent. He did not even join forces with the other two. Instead, he transformed into a shadow and immediately tried to escape. All that talk about being able to defeat Merlin as long as the three of them combined their strengths was naught but a joke. At the moment of truth, the Shadow King fled faster than anyone else.

"Shadow King!"

The Liberator and the Phantom King's faces contorted horribly. They were furious. They did not expect that the Shadow King had no intention of joining forces with them. Instead, he was the first to escape.

"Hmph, trying to escape?"

Merlin immediately sensed the Shadow King. With his current strength, even Doomsday's Soul of Light could no longer trap him, what more the Shadow King?

Merlin stomped a foot forward. He did not even have to wield his almighty beast form.

"Boom."

The entire city seemed to quake. With a single step, Merlin shook the Shadow King out of the shadows. At the same time, the humiliated Shadow King reappeared with a stunned expression.

His shadow avatar was unable to escape Merlin's detection, so naturally, he could not escape. Stunned, the Shadow King no longer preserved his dignity. He yelled at the Liberator and the Phantom King, "Two of you, Leon has grown more powerful. The matter between us can be deferred until Leon is taken care of. Otherwise, none of us will be able to leave today."

The Shadow King knew that he was grasping at straws but currently, all of them faced a common threat. Other than a temporary pact, none of them would be able to escape.

"Hmph."

The Liberator seemed very disgruntled. He stretched out a hand and Merlin felt as though the entire world was filled with a gigantic hand that continued to grow. It was as if his entire person would be snatched up by this hand.

"Illusion? Mind Power?"

A snigger appeared between Merlin's lips. The Liberator possessed Hallucinating spell power. Moreover, it was even more realistic than Doomsday's Soul of Light.

"Roar…"

Merlin instantly shapeshifted into a ferocious almighty beast. His behemoth body was filled with oppressiveness as he smashed against his opponent. A look of horror appeared on the Liberator's face. Merlin was completely unaffected by his power.

"How is this possible?"

The Liberator seemed to be witnessing the most unfathomable scene in the world but there was no use. Merlin's huge body and oppressive aura had crushed him mercilessly.

"Bang."

A loud noise echoed. The Liberator's body turned into a bloody mist that wafted into the air. The entire castle was reduced to ruins and a thick stench of blood filled the air.

The Liberator was dead in a single blow!

The Phantom King and the Shadow King exchanged a look. In this situation, the Phantom King's advantage could not be unleashed at all, so he was only equivalent to an ordinary ultimate contender. However, such ultimate contenders were helpless before Merlin as Merlin would eventually kill them all.

At this point, the Shadow King was at least self-aware. He knew that this person before him had far exceeded the realm of ordinary ultimate contenders and had achieved an unimaginable level. They were completely defenseless against Merlin. Hence, the Shadow King shouted at Merlin, "Leon, we're willing to submit to the royal family!"

The Phantom King nodded. "We're willing to submit!"

"Submit?"

Merlin paused momentarily. Unexpectedly, at the brink of life-and-death, they would still sense fear. Although they were ultimate contenders, upon realizing that they were defenseless, why would they continue to fight? Would that not be a dead end?

Therefore, they were now begging for mercy and were willing to submit. This seemed to be the best possible outcome. Nevertheless, Merlin merely hesitated for a split second. After all, these were ultimate contenders. Currently, they would submit due to pressure but once Merlin left or was away, the royal family would not be able to suppress these two ultimate contenders.

Hence, Merlin would not leave the royal family with any trouble.

"Too late!"

Merlin sneered. He stretched out his hands and like two big mountains, pressed against the Phantom King and the Shadow King. No matter how much they struggled, it was useless. They could only howl in rage as they watched Merlin's palms press down on them.

"Boom".

The force had killed the Shadow King and the Phantom King. They were turned into a bloody mist that hung in the air. Both their auras had vanished completely.

By this time, many people had been watching the battle from afar. Most of them consisted of rebel armies. They saw that their once-invincible leaders were easily vanquished by Merlin. Fear arose in their hearts. They were afraid that Merlin would also attack them.

If Merlin wanted to, he could easily destroy the entire city. However, this was unnecessary that the three rebel army leaders were dead. These rebel army forces were inconsequential. It was simply a matter of time before peace was restored in the Holy Dragon Empire.

"Done!"

Merlin knew that the Holy Dragon Empire's army outside would immediately know that the battle had ended. His promise to Lisa had been fulfilled. It was time for him to return to Holy Dragon City and bid his farewells.

"Swish."

Merlin's huge almighty beast body gradually receded into his original form. Then, in the blink of an eye, he flew into the air and vanished without a trace. As for the military's subsequent moves, they were none of Merlin's concern.

…

Soon, Merlin returned to the palace and reported to Lisa. When she heard that the Shadow King, the Phantom King, and the other rebel army leaders were dead, her brows finally relaxed. The preceding worries disappeared altogether.

"Haha, Leon, I knew that you'd help me out. Now that the three rebel army leaders are dead, there's no power in the Holy Dragon Empire that can stop me now."

Lisa was very excited. She knew what this signified. The chaos in the Holy Dragon Empire would finally be over. As the first Queen of the Holy Dragon Empire, she had achieved a feat that her father did not manage to achieve. She had reunified the Holy Dragon Empire and ended the chaotic situation.

With this accomplishment, Lisa would earn great respect in the Holy Dragon Empire. So, when she implemented her policies in the future, there would not be too much resistance. For example, she would not appoint new aristocratic rulers. Perhaps, there would be some challenges but with her highly-respected status, Lisa would be able to do it.

She had accomplished all these with Merlin's help. Previously, Lisa did not hold back and gave Merlin every "treasure" because she hoped that Merlin would be able to be like Farron and support her. Now, it seemed like Merlin had far surpassed Farron. He had almost single handedly helped Lisa become Queen and cleared all the obstacles in her way.

"Lisa, there should be no force in the Holy Dragon Empire that can cause you any trouble anymore. Therefore, I'm leaving!"

Merlin looked at Lisa and said calmly.

Lisa's excitement gradually recovered. She took a deep breath and gazed at Merlin contemplatively. She knew that once Merlin left, he might not return to the Holy Dragon Empire for a very long time as he would be pursuing his dream.

"Leon, what will happen to your wives when you leave?"

Merlin's two wives had not borne any sons. This was also Merlin's source of headache and helplessness.

"Maybe I won't have any sons. I trust that Lisa, you'll help take care of my clan and my castle."

Merlin said with a smile. Under Queen Lisa's guardianship, at least in Holy Dragon City, Merlin's clan would not be affected. The only two people he owed were his two wives.

After a long pause, Lisa sighed and said, "Go home and spend a few more days with them…"

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Chapter 1019: Intrusion

In the blink of an eye, one month had passed. Throughout this month, Merlin spent most of his time with his two wives and gave them a month's worth of happy memories.

Only a tiny portion of time was used to manage Phantom Intelligence Department. This was somewhat related to Merlin's subsequent move. He had mobilized Phantom Intelligence Department to investigate more about the Candora Magic Mirror.

Finally, Merlin obtained some information about the Candora Magic Mirror. This Magic Mirror had the mind-blowing ability to rip through space and teleport. At the same time, it also possessed the ability to bind its opponents. In short, it was truly formidable. It was also the Candora Empire's most precious treasure, so it was incredibly difficult to attain.

Merlin, however, might be an exception. With his current abilities, he could obtain it by force. Nevertheless, if someone from the Candora Empire were to rip through space with the Magic Mirror, then Merlin would not be able to get it.

Perhaps, the only point worth mentioning was that using the Magic Mirror to rip through space and teleport came with a very steep price. Not only did it require the bloodline of a high-tier almighty beast but the blood must be of the highest quality. Otherwise, it was completely impossible to activate the Magic Mirror.

Previously, when the Candora Trio-Lords had mobilized the Magic Mirror's power to teleport, they had harmed their cores. If they were to use it a few more times, even their lives might be in danger.

It was not surprising that this incredible mirror was known as the "Magic Mirror". It was truly magical yet horrifying.

"Although the Candora Magic Mirror's activation conditions are very harsh and require a huge sacrifice, I'm still not confident that I'll be able to forcibly seize the Candor Magic Mirror."

Merlin contemplated in his heart. While he was considered invincible now, seizing the Candora Magic Mirror by force still seemed a little far-fetched. Therefore, he could not seize it by force. The Magic Mirror was currently in the hands of the Candara Empire royal family, so he had to use other methods.

A myriad of ideas flashed across Merlin's mind. In short, no matter which method he employed, ultimately, he must get his hands on the Candora Magic Mirror. Regardless, Merlin wanted the sacred beast's will in the Magic Mirror!

"Alright. As for Phantom Intelligence Department, I'll leave it to Her Majesty the Queen. Shiya, after this, you don't have to report to me anymore. Just report directly to Her Majesty the Queen."

Merlin said to Shiya offhandedly. Shiya was now the team leader of the Phantom Intelligence Department's Investigation Team. Therefore, she immediately understood the implications of Merlin's words. Dismayed, she asked, "Minister, you… You're leaving Phantom Intelligence Department?"

"Yes, it's time to leave…"

Merlin looked toward the sky and gently waved his hand. Under Shiya's watchful gaze, he gradually turned to leave.

Merlin accompanied his family for more than a month but the bellies of both his wives remained unchanged. Most probably, due to Merlin's extreme body condition, it was difficult for him to produce an offspring. Nonetheless, he could not stay in Holy Dragon City any longer.

After making all the necessary arrangements and bidding farewell to the Queen, Merlin rose into the air and flew toward the Candora Empire.

…

Recently, the Candora Empire had not been peaceful. Although they were not prepared to invade the Holy Dragon Empire, they were watching the situation in the Holy Dragon Empire very closely. Seeing that the Holy Dragon Empire had managed to clear the situation in just a short time and also reunified the entire empire, it seemed like the Holy Dragon Empire would once again pose a threat to the Candora Empire in the future.

At this moment, the Candora Trio-Lords and other high-level figures gathered in the main hall. They were discussing the Holy Dragon Empire or more accurately, about Merlin.

The Candora Empire had been watching Merlin closely. Recently, they discovered that Merlin had left the Holy Dragon Empire and his tracks had disappeared. No one knew where he went. Thus, the Candora Empire's higher authorities were immediately anxious. Merlin could be deemed to be the number one contender throughout the entire mainland and was infinitely close to the legendary sacred beast. No matter where Merlin showed up, he would be a deadly threat.

"Everyone, Leon has once tried to seize the Candora Magic Mirror. Now that he had disappeared without a trace, we must be very careful."

"Yes, moreover, many people in the empire had inquired about the Candora Magic Mirror recently. I wonder if the Holy Dragon Empire is investigating it?"

"Regardless, the Candora Magic Mirror is our Empire's foundation. We mustn't not lose it at any cost!"

The King of the Candora Empire listened to the discussion carefully. In the end, he still shifted his gaze toward the Candora Trio-Lords. "Three brothers, how strong do you perceive Leon to be? If he tries to snatch the Candora Magic Mirror, what should we do?"

The Candora Trio-Lords were the pillars of the Candora Empire. They possessed unparalleled influence throughout the Candora Empire. Therefore, even the King had great respect for the Candora Trio-Lords.

In contrast with the Holy Dragon Empire's royal family, the Candora Trio-Lords did not "hide". Instead, they were visibly involved in the Empire' matters. Therefore, the Candora Trio-Lords held great influence on numerous matters.

After some time, the Candora Trio-Lords spoke slowly, "Leon's ability is too powerful. Not just the three of us but even if all of us were to join forces, it might still not be enough to defeat him. Nevertheless, it'll be difficult for him to seize the Candora Magic Mirror by force as he knows the Candora Magic Mirror can rip through space, which he cannot stop. Therefore, if he wants to obtain the Magic Mirror, I'm afraid he might use other means to force us to hand the Candora Magic Mirror to him."

Thinking along these lines, everyone's heart sunk slightly. True, Merlin might not be able to seize the Candora Magic Mirror by force since he was unable to prevent it from teleporting. However, Merlin could use other methods to force them to surrender the Magic Mirror.

Immediately, the entire great hall plunged into a tense atmosphere.

"Well, we don't have to be so pessimistic. Maybe Leon won't even come here…"

Someone muttered. At this exact moment, a guard rushed in from the outside. Kneeling on the floor, he reported panickily, "Your Majesty, someone came in from the outside. We've exhausted every means but couldn't stop him from entering the city. He's now rushing directly for the palace."

"Swish."

The Candora Trio-Lords shifted their gaze outside the great hall. They could sense a familiar aura looming.

"Leon…"

The Candora Trio-Lords were sporting ugly looks. No one expected that Merlin would arrive so quickly.

"Crash."

The door was broken apart. Slowly, a figure walked in. Even without wielding his almighty beast form, the newcomer exuded extremely powerful oppression that seemed to suffocate everyone in the room.

"How dare you!"

Many people stood on their feet, obviously enraged as someone dared to intrude into the palace. After so many years, this was the first time they had witnessed such brazen insolence.

However, whether it was the Candora Trio-Lords, the other ultimate contenders or even the King, their expressions turned ashen upon seeing this intruder.

"Candora Trio-Lords, we meet again!"

"Leon! In the end, you came…"

The Candora Trio-Lords stared at the intruder with shock. Previously, although they had only fought with Merlin briefly, they recognized Merlin's aura and knew his abilities.

This time, however, even before Merlin wielded his almighty beast form, the oppressive feeling was already incredibly powerful. The Candora Trio-Lords felt somewhat suffocated. How could they not know that Merlin had grown stronger in such a short time?

At their level, even the slightest improvement was immensely difficult to achieve. Merlin, on the other hand, could improve his abilities continuously. Their previous assessment of Merlin was no longer applicable.

Right now, Merlin had arrived. The entire great hall was filled with the absolute core figures of the Candora Empire, all of whom were now under Merlin's direct threat!

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Chapter 1020: Magic Mirror

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Merlin's gaze swept across everybody in the room. Previously, the Candora Trio-Lords' aura posed a slight threat to Merlin. Now, he could not sense any iota of danger from them. This meant that Merlin had grown a few times stronger in his most recent enhancement. He was now unquestionably the number one contender!

"Leon, what do you want?"

Finally, the King of the Candora Empire could no longer hold it in. Under everyone's watchful stares, Merlin appeared too calm. Ironically, the calmness Merlin projected caused the people of the Candora Empire to feel deeply insulted.

"What do I want? Simple. Hand over the Candora Magic Mirror!"

Merlin replied evenly.

"As predicted!"

"Leon came for the Candora Magic Mirror."

Everyone turned to look at the Candora Trio-Lords. The Candora Magic Mirror was kept by the three of them. However, this was the Candora Empire's most prized possession. How could they simply give it away?

"What a distasteful joke. That's the Candora Empire's most prized national treasure. Why would we give it to you just like that?"

The King replied mockingly. Although he could see that Merlin's ability was extraordinary and most probably was undefeatable in a one-on-one fight, this place was still the most important location in the Candora Empire where numerous ultimate contenders gathered. Furthermore, they also had the Candora Magic Mirror. Why would they fear this lone Merlin?

Until now, the Candora Empire had not made any move. Their collective opinion was to avoid an attack as much as possible. The best-case scenario was for Merlin to retreat.

Nevertheless, how could it be easy to convince Merlin to retreat?

"I want the Candora Magic Mirror! What about we exchange it for some other item?"

A smile appeared between Merlin's lips.

"Exchange? What item can you possibly exchange for the Candora Empire's national treasure?"

The King sneered in derision. Perhaps, if the Holy Dragon Empire had used the Sacred Lion Beast's head as currency, they might briefly considered the offer. Besides that, what else could tempt the Candora Empire?

However, Merlin's eyes revealed a meaningful glint. He said in a low voice, "How about we exchange the entire Candora Empire with the Candora Magic Mirror?"

"You…"

At this moment, the King and the Candora Trio-Lords appeared slightly angered.

"You don't believe me?"

Merlin could not be bothered to waste his time dithering. With a flash, he flew toward the Candora Trio-Lords.

"Scram!"

Seeing the Candora Trio-Lords assume their almighty beast forms, Merlin swung his fist at them. Immediately, a tremendous pressure descended upon the Candora Trio-Lords. The horrifying pressure shocked the Candora Trio-Lords to the core. They could sense that they were completely unable to withstand this punch.

"How terrifying, retreat now!"

The Candora Trio-Lords' minds were interconnected. Naturally, they retreated instantly. However, Merlin's speed was even faster. His body seemed to transform into countless punches which rained down brutally upon the Candora Trio-Lords like a torrential downpour.

"Divine Realm!"

The Candora Trio-Lords chanted in unison. Instantly, the entire great hall was swathed in a layer of white light. The Candora Trio-Lords, in particular, were tightly enfolded in its core.

This was the Candora Trio-Lords' Supreme Talent. Not only were they identical triplet brothers but all three of them were also ultimate contenders, and miraculously, had the same Supreme Talent.

The Supreme Talent of each of the Candora Trio-Lords was the Divine Realm. This Supreme Talent could even be compounded to detonate an unparalleled force. As a result, the Candora Trio-Lords were greatly respected among the ultimate contenders due to their immense power.

However, today, they were pitted against Merlin, who had devoured hundreds and thousands of almighty beasts' will and possessed powers infinitely close to the sacred beasts.

In terms of pure strength, Merlin was not at all inferior compared to the sacred beasts. All he lacked right now was the will of the Almighty Beast World.

Merlin extended his palm. Suddenly, it seemed that the great hall was filled with the apparition of Merlin's palm. Then, the palm pressed down into the void.

"Boom."

With just one press, the entire great hall seemed to be on the verge of collapse. An overwhelming surge sent the Candora Trio-Lords into the air and out of the hall. Their bodies gradually cracked and fell heavily onto the ground.

Even then, Merlin had been merciful. He did not want to antagonize the Candora Empire but merely wanted to use the most direct method to make them understand that based on the situation, they should just voluntarily hand over the Candora Magic Mirror.

"You…"

At this moment, the arrogant King's eyes slanted, a massive storm rippling through his heart. Even the most powerful Candora Trio-Lords were not able to withstand the first hit.

If Merlin so wished, everyone in this place would not be able to escape alive. Merlin's words about exchanging the Candora Empire for the Magic Mirror were a threat. Merlin possessed the ability to single handedly destroy the huge Candora Empire!

"I just want the Candora Magic Mirror!"

Merlin said steely, his tone willed with brutishness which allowed no protests.

The King's expression flashed hesitantly. He was still weighing the pros and cons if he refused to give Merlin the Candora Magic Mirror. Merlin would not be able to obtain it by force since the Candora Magic Mirror had the supernatural power of teleportation.

However, if Merlin did not get the Candora Magic Mirror, the Candora Empire might cease to exist. This was a distinct possibility. The King of the Candora Empire found himself between a rock and a hard place.

"Your Majesty, you should acquiesce to him!"

Finally, with the help of others, the Candora Trio-Lords slowly stood up. Their gazes at Merlin were now filled with a trace of fear.

"Your Majesty, the Candora Magic Mirror is only used to stabilize the royal family's rule over the empire. If the empire no longer exists, what use will the Candora Magic Mirror be?"

Indeed, the Candora Magic Mirror was just a powerful treasure at best. The only benefit it presented to the royal family was to strengthen their rule over the empire.

Therefore, if one were to choose between those two options, unquestionably, the royal family would choose to keep the Candora Empire.

However, to the Candora Empire, it was downright humiliating to surrender their national treasure under Merlin's threat. Regardless, due to the apparent gap in power, they had no other choice.

Merlin's lips quirked into a tiny smile. This was much better than snatching it by force. Right now, Merlin already represented an unparalleled "force". Even just by himself, he was much more formidable than any force.

Therefore, he was not worried that the Candora Empire would not surrender the Candora Magic Mirror.

Soon, the Candora Trio-Lords retrieved a mirror from their laps. The moment Merlin saw the mirror, he knew that this was the Candora Magic Mirror because he could sense the will of the sacred beast from within.

"Haha, yes, it's indeed the Candora Magic Mirror. Don't worry, since I've gotten the Candora Magic Mirror, I won't bother the Candora Empire any longer."

With that, Merlin reached out and took the Candora Magic Mirror. Then, in a flash, his figure disappeared along with the Candora Magic Mirror. Only the Candora Empire's royal family were left in the room, gaping at one another.

"I guess it's alright for you to leave, Candora Magic Mirror. You've resolved a crisis for us. This is also your contribution…"

Although the King was somewhat reluctant to part with this national treasure, he also knew that saving the empire was the most important priority.

…

"Swish."

Merlin left the Candora Empire's capital as soon as possible and headed to a small town some distance away. He could not wait to find a quiet spot to examine the Candora Magic Mirror.

The Candora Magic Mirror was only the size of a palm, so it was not big. The outer layer was constructed of a strange black material whereas the mirror was exceptionally shiny. The bizarre thing was that it was impossible to see one's reflection on it. Instead, the surface was fuzzy, which looked completely mysterious.

This was the Candora Magic Mirror. Only the blood of an almighty beast bloodline could activate it. Moreover, depending on the viscosity and inherent strength of the bloodline, it could unleash some of its powers.

To fully unleash all its powers, the price required was the blood of an ultimate contender's almighty beast. Only then, the Candora Magic Mirror could unleash its most potent binding ability.

Regardless, the Candora Magic Mirror had now fallen into Merlin's hands. Merlin was not at all interested in its fabled teleportation ability or binding ability. His real focus was the sacred beast's will in the Candora Magic Mirror.

Perhaps, the sacred beast's will was very weak since it was just a thin, inconspicuous strand. Most probably, it would not improve Merlin's abilities substantially but it allowed Merlin to decipher the secret of the sacred beasts and feel the essence of this world.

"Merlin, are you going to absorb and merge this will?"

Titus' voice rang out in Merlin's mind. Titus, who was in the Illusory World, certainly knew what Merlin intended to do.

"Yes, this is the only way that will allow me to understand the essence of the Almighty Beast World. Perhaps, this is also the only way for me to restore the Illusory World."

Merlin knew that it was an arduous task to restore the Illusory World. Even he did not have the confidence to do so. This strand of sacred beast's will was his only hope.

Titus stewed in silence. Finally, he nodded. "You must be careful. The sacred beast's will might contain a sliver of the will of the Almighty Beast World. If you fail to merge it and the Illusory World is discovered, we'll be in trouble. If the partially-recovered Illusory World is targeted by the will of the Almighty Beast World, the Illusory World won't be able to withstand the Almighty Beast World."

Titus' words could not have been clearer. If the sacred beast's will truly contained the will of the Almighty Beast World and Merlin failed to merge it, his true identity would be discovered by the will of the Almighty Beast World. In that case, Merlin would be in grave danger.

Therefore, this was an extremely risky move.

Nonetheless, Merlin had already made up his mind. Titus' words merely prompted Merlin to be more careful. It could not shake his steely determination.

"Come on, let's check out the real secret of the sacred beasts!"

A glint flashed across Merlin's eyes. Subsequently, he pulled mightily with his hands. The Magic Mirror cracked. On the mirror's surface, web-like streaks began to appear…

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Chapter 1021: Will of the World!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Cracks appeared all over the Candora Magic Mirror. Furthermore, they were spreading rapidly. Although the Candora Magic Mirror was constructed from very unique materials, how could it withstand Merlin's power?

Therefore, with Merlin's additional push, the entire Candora Magic Mirror shattered into smithereens.

"Crack."

The Candora Magic Mirror was finally broken. Merlin's eyes focused keenly. At the same time, a spine-tingling almighty beast's will surged into the air. Although this will consisted of just a single strand, Merlin could sense that the hundreds and thousands of almighty beasts' will it had merged before this stood no chance against it. This strand of will reigned supreme, far above any almighty beast's will!

"Leaving?"

Merlin was already prepared that the moment the mirror was smashed, this will would escape. Therefore, he quickly mobilized his Awareness and devoured this strand of will.

Nonetheless, simply devouring the will was still a distance away from merging it.

Suddenly, this strand of will appeared in Merlin's Awareness. The initially calm Awareness immediately tumbled into a chaotic frenzy. Even the hundreds and thousands of almighty beasts' will which Merlin had previously merged were trembling feebly as if they were fearful of this strand of will.

Merlin took a deep breath. He had already anticipated these changes. Merlin could sense, albeit faintly, the will of the Almighty Beast World's origin from this strand of will!

In the beginning, when Merlin had just arrived in the Almighty Beast World, he was hunted by the entire Almighty Beast World's will. Merlin still remembered that particular sensation. Therefore, Merlin was very familiar with the Almighty Beast World's will.

This was the Almighty Beast World's will!

No matter how powerful or how many almighty beasts' will there were, faced with the will of the Almighty Beast World's origin, they would certainly tremble in fear.

Merlin, on the other hand, was incredibly excited because this confirmed his speculation that the sacred beasts were inseparable from the Almighty Beast World's will. Furthermore, Merlin was ecstatic that the Almighty Beast World's will was completely disconnected. Thus, there was hope for him to swallow it.

The will of a world. If any living creature in this world tried to swallow and merge it, that would be a fool's errand. For those who were born in this world, the will would still possess the utmost supremacy regardless of how weak the will was.

Hence, regardless of how weak the will was, it could not be consumed by living creatures. Perhaps, the sacred beasts were specially bestowed the world's will or perhaps, this was a unique trait of this world.

Merlin was certainly not a living creature born in this world. Although his current body belonged to a creature of this world, his Awareness held the Illusory World.

The Illusory World was not a product of this world. On the contrary, the Illusory World was very dangerous because it had given birth to the natural order, which could destroy this world's will.

"Let's see, if I devour a Latitude Cosmos' will, what will happen to the Illusory World?"

A crazy and bold idea appeared in Merlin's mind. He was going to devour the will of the Almighty Beast World's origin. This was truly outrageous because a Latitude Cosmos' will was a unified body and could not be pulled apart. In the Void Zone where Merlin came from, its will was completely undetachable. A world's will possessed immense power, just like Merlin's Illusory World. Although the Void Zone could not destroy the Illusory World, it could expel Merlin from the Void Zone.

Back then, Merlin did not have the chance to devour the Void Zone's will. However, when he entered the Almighty Beast World, for some reason, the Almighty Beast World's will was scattered.

Especially, the ancient history of this world consisted of many sacred beasts. This meant that the Almighty Beast World's will had been divided into many parts. It was not surprising that despite how weak Merlin was, he was not killed by the Almighty Beast World's will as the will of its origin had been scattered.

Nevertheless, this presented Merlin with an opportunity!

Merlin would only find out the consequences of devouring a Latitude Cosmos' will after he had tried it. For this purpose, Merlin had waited far too long.

Subsequently, Merlin took a deep breath. The Illusory World in his Awareness suddenly expanded and transformed into bright halos that encircled the strand of will.

Upon sensing the abnormality of the Illusory World, this world's will released a huge surge of power that rocked the Awareness.

"Boom."

Merlin's Awareness shook incessantly and his face turned slightly pale. Nonetheless, sensing the continuous struggle of this single strand of will brought a smile to Merlin's lips. This meant that the Illusory World posed a real threat to the world's will.

"Devour!"

Following Merlin's growl, the Illusory World turned into a black hole that devoured the world's will. However, this strand of will would not give up without a fight. After all, it was a world's will. A Latitude Cosmos' will could not be smothered so easily.

"Crack."

As soon as this strand of will entered the Illusory World, the extremely sturdy barriers of the Illusory World seemed unable to withstand the onslaught. Cracks began to appear on the barrier as if it would crumble at any moment.

"Smother!"

Merlin took a deep breath. He knew that at this moment, he could not allow the world's will to continue to wreak havoc. Therefore, he mobilized the Illusory World's natural order.

This was a genuine world's natural order. Although only a smidgen of natural order was left, its basic structure remained intact. Thus, it was much stronger than this strand of Almighty Beast World's will. Thus, Merlin had to rely on his natural order to smother the Latitude Cosmos' will.

"Boom."

Suddenly, an inconceivable mountain appeared from within the Illusory World's natural order and smashed violently onto that strand of Almighty Beast World's will.

The Almighty Beast World's will struggled with all its might but in the face of a powerful natural order, it could not put up any resistance and collapsed. Then, it transformed into a strange force that merged with Merlin's Illusory World.

"Rumble."

Without any warning, Merlin's Illusory World began to expand rapidly. Compared to the time when he was slowly improving his physical condition, this expansion was a hundred times faster.

Besides that, the Illusory World's barriers were also strengthening. Most importantly, the world's natural order, which had been recovering at a snail's pace, suddenly recovered at a faster pace.

At the same time, Merlin did not know if it was a delusion but he felt as though the Illusory World had a tangible presence. This was purely his intuition. As the keeper of the Illusory World, he was highly sensitive to even the tiniest change in the Illusory World. Hence, he had this prickling feeling.

"It's becoming tangible? So, the Illusory World can be transformed from illusion to reality by devouring a Latitude Cosmos' will?"

An idea popped into Merlin's mind. This particular idea roused a wave of excitement in him.

"The Almighty Beast World's will… Now, only the Almighty Beast World's will can help me progress! Even if my intuition is wrong, this world's will still have a tremendous effect on the recovery of the Illusory World. I must find more and bigger Almighty Beast World's will".

A clear path gradually took shape in Merlin's heart. He did not care about becoming a sacred beast but the Almighty Beast World's will which was contained in the sacred beasts could help speed up the recovery of the Illusory World. Therefore, he would have to launch a large-scale search for the sacred beasts' will.

As for directly provoking the Almighty Beast World's will, presently, Merlin still did not have sufficient strength. Although the Almighty Beast World's will was scattered, it could easily quash Merlin, who was yet to recover one ten-thousandth of his power.

Thus, Merlin's option was limited to searching for weak, scattered strands of the world's will, which he could safely devour to restore the Illusory World. He would have to wait at least until the Illusory World was completely recovered or even stronger.

However, he needed to start searching for scattered sacred beasts' will. Just the first step was remarkably difficult because besides the Candora Magic Mirror, Merlin had never heard of any place which kept a sacred beast's will.

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Chapter 1022: Ancestor Damon!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the Candora Empire, especially the palace, the King was fuming in his heart. The Candora Magic Mirror had been snatched out of their hands yet they were completely helpless about it. They did not even dare to tell anyone about what had happened to it.

Now that they had lost the Candora Magic Mirror, the superiority held by the Candora Empire over the other empires and factions was greatly reduced.

Fortunately, other than the Candora Magic Mirror, the Candora Empire would not suffer any further damage. The Candora Empire was the true foundation of the royal family. As long as they maintained control over the empire, losing the Candora Magic Mirror was not a big deal.

"Swish."

Merlin's figure appeared once again in the empty palace. This time, he came silently and surreptitiously, so no one was alerted.

"Perhaps, by tracing the history of the Candora Magic Mirror, I can find some clues about other places which might contain the sacred beasts' will!"

Merlin murmured. This was his plan. He wanted to find the sacred beasts' will, so he would start with the Candora Magic Mirror.

Therefore, Merlin came directly to the palace. He did not alert anyone but walked toward the king's location.

The King of the Candora Empire was currently discussing the loss of the Candora Magic Mirror and its effect on the empire with the Candora Trio-Lords. Although they knew that the practical utility of the Candora Magic Mirror was not very substantial, there was still the issue of the undeniable threat posed by Merlin on the empire.

Merlin appeared in the palace. He did not hide his aura so the Candora Trio-Lords and the king noticed him at once.

"Leon, we've already given you the Candora Magic Mirror. What more do you want?"

Seeing Merlin reappearing in the palace, the king was immediately on the edge as if facing a great enemy.

Merlin grinned and opened said, "The Candora Magic Mirror? Don't try to bluff me because other than you, I'm sure others know about it. If I get different answers, the Candora Empire might remain standing but the royal family will certainly disappear."

Amid his placid tone, there was a hint of cruelty that caused the king and the Candora Trio-Lords to flinch.

"You… You'd better not overstep your boundaries!"

The king glared at Merlin with loathing. The royal family had lost its dignity before Merlin.

Merlin did not say anything. He simply stared at the Candora Trio-Lords and the king. An invisible pressure caused the Candora Trio-Lords' expression to pale.

"Your Majesty, it's probably better to just tell him."

After a moment, the Candora Trio-Lords finally spoke up. They dared not challenge Merlin's ability. At Merlin's current level, no force on the mainland could defy him.

The king's face was sullen but he knew that there was nothing the Candora Empire could do to Merlin. All they could do was fulfill Merlin's requests as best as they could, even though these requests were a humiliation to the royal family. The royal family had no dignity left.

"Very well, I can tell you the history of the Candora Magic Mirror. It was handed to us by the most ancient existence of the royal family. Only this ancestor knows about the origin of the Magic Mirror."

"Where's this ancestor?"

Merlin asked evenly.

The Candora Trio-Lords looked at the king and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, why don't you allow the three of us to bring Leon to the ancestor?"

If even the Candora Trio-Lords referred to this ancient existence as an "ancestor", the person's age must be almost prehistoric. At least, the Candora Trio-Lords did not know how long the ancestor had lived.

The king nodded his consent and waved his hand. Thus, the Candora Trio-Lords led Merlin toward the deeper part of the palace. While the Candora Empire's history was not as established as the Holy Dragon Empire, its foundation was still impressive.

Merlin followed behind the Candora Trio-Lords languidly. He believed that the Candora Empire would not dare to act rashly against him. At Merlin's current achievements, other than the Almighty Beast World's will, almost nothing could pose a threat to him.

Soon, the Candora Trio-Lords had led Merlin to the deepest bowels of the palace. They turned into a small courtyard. The fact that such a small courtyard existed in the palace was quite peculiar.

The Candora Trio-Lords cast a look at Merlin and stated calmly, "Ancestor Damon is in there."

A strange expression flashed across Merlin's eyes. Even the Candora Trio-Lords seemed to treat this ancestor with great reverence. It did not seem like this ancestor was an ultimate contender. This was because while there were some disparities between ultimate contenders, the differences would not be too pronounced. There would not be a qualitative gap.

Therefore, all the ultimate contenders stood at the apex. The fact that the Candora Trio-Lords bestowed the ancestor with such reverence proved that he was not what he seemed to be.

Nonetheless, Merlin did not feel threatened. If this ancestor was a worthy foe to him, then the Candora Empire would not have handed over the Candora Magic Mirror so easily.

Upon entering the courtyard, Merlin immediately spotted a lounge chair underneath a few big trees. There was an old man currently lounging on the chair.

"Ancestor Damon!"

The Candora Trio-Lords greeted respectfully. "This is Leon. He wants to know the origins of the Candora Magic Mirror. We're unacquainted, so we can only bring him to see you."

"Leon? Is that the person who snatched away the Candora Magic Mirror?"

The snoozing Ancestor Damon opened his eyes. His narrowed eyes seemed capable of seeing through Merlin.

Merlin's was slightly surprised. He almost felt that all his secrets were bared, including the Illusory World in his body was openly exposed. However, the feeling also seemed to be a delusion because when he peered at this Ancestor Damon closely, everything returned to normal.

"Was it a delusion?"

Merlin shook his head. At this juncture, who could pose a threat to him?

"Yes, the Candora Magic Mirror is very important to me. Ancestor Damon, can you tell me where you've obtained it?"

Merlin immediately stepped forward and stared at Ancestor Damon.

Ancestor Damon looked quite ordinary but judging from the aura on his body, he was probably around the level of an ultimate contender. However, to Merlin, there were no real differences between the ultimate contenders and ordinary full-shifter contenders anymore.

"I obtained the Candora Magic Mirror by coincidence. I got it from a merchant. As for where the merchant found the Magic Mirror, I don't know."

Ancestor Damon's reply disappointed Merlin. A merchant from goodness-knew how long ago. A merchant was not an ultimate contender, so he would not have lived for such a long time.

The clues reached a dead-end. The origins of the Candora Magic Mirror appeared to be unknown.

Thereafter, Ancestor Damon shut his eyes again, seemingly unbothered about Merlin.

The Candora Trio-Lords smiled bitterly. "Leon, we've already brought you to see the ancestor but even he doesn't know about the Candora Magic Mirror's origins."

Merlin nodded and was about to leave. Suddenly, his steps faltered and he turned around abruptly.

"Ancestor Damon, the reason I want to know about the Candora Magic Mirror's origins isn't because I need the mirror. My interest lies in the sacred beasts' will in the mirror! I believe you probably know many other things that I'm interested in. Would you tell me about it?"

Merlin's eyes were twinkling yet they became sterner as he stared at Ancestor Damon.

Ancestor Damon's entire body shuddered. He slowly opened his eyes. Although his facial expression remained unflustered, there was a slight change in his gaze.

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