“What a flawless strategy,” Daliena remarked. “Though I’m unsure when you laid these traps, I must still offer you a warrior’s respect.”
Having endured his recent attacks, Daliena shed her earlier underestimation of Merlin, recognizing him as an opponent worthy of her full power.
“Are you finally getting serious?” Merlin asked. “Good. I suppose I’ll put in a little more effort myself.”
“Speed, amplify.”
This time, it was Merlin’s turn to initiate the attack. He erupted with astonishing speed, appearing before Daliena in the blink of an eye. A hammer of light materialized in his raised hand, descending swiftly.
*Boom!*
The ground cratered deeply where the hammer struck, the shockwave instantly killing all nearby enemy minions. Yet, Daliena herself was nowhere to be seen, having vanished without a trace.
“Was it this way?” Merlin questioned, swinging his light hammer to the right. Still, he failed to catch sight of Daliena.
*Thud!*
Daliena reappeared to Merlin’s left, and in the very instant her hand moved, Merlin was sent flying. The light hammer slipped from his grasp, dissolving back into raw magical energy.
“That hit felt like it nearly shattered my bones.”
Merlin’s arm had just taken a direct blow from Daliena’s ‘Unity of Heaven and Man’ punch. Had that strike landed on anyone else, they would have instantly lost consciousness, at best losing their combat ability, and at worst, dying on the spot. Yet, Merlin seemed utterly unfazed.
*Wham!*
In that very same instant, Merlin abruptly darted a dozen steps to the left. A palm print seared itself into the ground where he had just been, a truly close call.
“Good heavens, the Divine Palm of Tathagata!”
Merlin was startled by Daliena’s palm strike from a distance. He knew that once a warrior activated the ‘Unity of Heaven and Man’ passive, their attack trajectories became undetectable, and their power multiplied a hundredfold. A distinct pressure settled upon him, especially if he couldn’t activate other class passives.
*Gasp!*
Merlin had only been momentarily distracted, yet in that brief lapse, Daliena materialized directly before him. Her palm slammed into his chest at close range, sending him hurtling hundreds of meters away in an instant.
“Cough, cough~ That’s terrifying. It’s nothing like the ‘Unity of Heaven and Man’ from the games.”
With only his Priest passive active, Merlin found himself on the defensive, unable to seize the initiative. Even if he could, it was uncertain whether he could turn the tables.
‘How can I, a dignified Level 500 Priest, be bullied by a warrior barely Level 100?’
“How infuriating!”
Despite enduring Daliena’s devastating blow, Merlin not only stood up unscathed but also began flinging objects around as if nothing had happened.
In the spectator stands, Scheffiel, Goliath, Lucy, and Hootga watched in stunned disbelief. Goliath, especially, understood the immense power behind Daliena’s strike, yet she found it impossible to believe Merlin had taken the full force of it without a single scratch.
Scheffiel: “Just who exactly is he!?”
Hootga: “That boy is practically an unkillable monster.”
Goliath: “I am genuinely intrigued by this Merlin. Dean Hootga, can you give him to me?”
Lucy: “No! He’s my guest!”
Hootga: “Young lady, is that any way to speak to Princess Goliath?”
Goliath: “It’s fine. She seems quite protective of her own, much like our Scheffiel. But rest assured, I won’t snatch him away. If I truly did, our Scheffiel would be displeased.”
Helen: “Princess Scheffiel, wasn’t that the magic circle Lord Merlin cast back then?”
Scheffiel: “Indeed. What exactly is his relationship with Merlin?”
“Since that’s the case, I won’t hold back anymore.”
A sprawling magic circle erupted beneath Merlin’s feet, while ten golden rings hovered in his hands.
“You’ve gone all out, so wouldn’t it be terribly impolite if I didn’t do the same? What do you say, Teacher Daliena?”
The magic circle beneath Merlin’s feet was a Priest’s special skill: Sacred Domain Barrier – Absolute Territory.
Sacred Domain Barrier – Absolute Territory was, in the game, the strongest support magic for a Priest, without equal. Within its expansive range, allies gained full sensory perception, pseudo-invincibility, continuous attribute growth, and constant health regeneration. Conversely, any foes who dared to step into the domain would suffer from reduced attributes, decreased speed, weakened defense, constant health drain, and magic suppression.
Inside this domain, Merlin was an absolutely invincible entity. Unless an attack could shatter the defense value granted by the Sacred Domain, harming Merlin within its boundaries was impossible. Furthermore, should Daliena enter the territory, her attributes, defense, and speed would all be severely weakened, leaving her utterly at Merlin’s mercy.
Faced with the unknown, a warrior’s innate sixth sense would always warn them of impending danger. Daliena was no exception; her sixth sense screamed at her, signaling not just danger, but *extreme* peril ahead.
“Welcome to my domain. You are only the third person to force me to use this skill,” Merlin declared, his voice resonating with power. “I must admit, your talent is truly exceptional, but unfortunately for you, you’ve crossed paths with me. You stand no chance of victory.”
Merlin floated effortlessly in mid-air, golden, ethereal wings of magic unfurling from his back. He clutched a magnificent staff, also forged from magic, and gazed down imperiously at Daliena, who stood just outside his domain.
After a moment of hesitation, Daliena chose to stake everything on a single gamble, stepping directly into Merlin’s domain. The very next second she crossed the threshold, a torrent of weapons rained down upon her. Swords, spears, halberds—an endless, glittering barrage, as if from a golden treasury.
Within the domain, Daliena found herself severely hampered. Not only was her speed drastically reduced, but her body grew increasingly heavy, disrupting her breathing. Approaching Merlin, who stood at the domain’s heart, became an impossibility.
Inside the arena, everyone collectively held their breath, completely mesmerized. Even through the screens, they could feel the oppressive aura emanating from Merlin’s domain. It was almost impossible to fathom how Daliena, trapped within, could endure such pressure.
“This is like facing an ancient deity!” Hootga exclaimed, cold sweat beading on his brow. “Just who *is* this Merlin!?”
He had never imagined that the person Lucy had so adamantly brought in would possess such terrifying power.
“Is this… the true power of a Priest?”
Lucy was utterly captivated by Merlin within his domain, lost in profound enchantment.
“The feeling he gives me right now is akin to facing my elder sister or even Father Emperor.”
Scheffiel turned to Goliath, who nodded in agreement. In that instant, both their hearts quickened. They had once witnessed the battle between Agamemnon and Alicia, and this confrontation between Merlin and Daliena evoked the very same awe.
“Big Brother is super cool!”
Perhaps Hilya was the only one in the entire arena who could still maintain such optimism. Xiao Qing, of course, was also unaffected, though that was merely due to her general lack of emotional fluctuation.