Chapter 304: Another Battle
"Stan Watson!" The moment this name reached his ears, Ross Merlin suddenly erupted in fury, his voice low and hoarse as he roared, "Sooner or later, I'll crush him underfoot. I want all of you to know that I, Ross Merlin, am a hundred times stronger than Stan Watson!"
"What's going on?" Leon, however, seemed not to have heard a thing. He didn't even spare Ross Merlin a glance, just tilted his head slightly and asked William Merlin with a hint of curiosity.
"He was traumatized in the past..." William Merlin replied, not bothering to be discreet—his voice was just loud enough for Ross Merlin to hear.
"William, shut up!" Just moments ago, Ross Merlin had seemed calm and collected, but now he was like a raging lion—his fists clenched, eyes bloodshot, and when he glared at William Merlin, there was genuine murderous intent in his furious gaze.
For Ross Merlin, the name Stan Watson was a true taboo.
It was an open secret in the Merlin Family, though few dared mention it in front of Ross Merlin...
Three years ago, Ross Merlin ventured deep into the Blazeforge Realm, single-handedly stormed the Crimson Fortress held by over a thousand Blazeforge Orcs, and fought a bloody battle for seven days and nights without rest—ultimately shattering the orc army and seizing the fortress.
After that battle, Ross Merlin's status in the Merlin Family soared. From a minor branch member, he became one of the family's core figures—ranked alongside Leon Merlin and Owen Merlin as the three prodigies of the Merlin Family, and even earned a seat on the Elder Council.
And yet...
Just when Ross Merlin was at the height of his glory, the Watson Family joined the fray for control of the Blazeforge Realm...
It was Stan Watson's first time taking part in a realm war.
This young prodigy of the Watson Family shone brilliantly in his debut, leading the Watson realm legion to crush three Merlin Family legions—hundreds of Merlin scions fell to Stan Watson, including Ross Merlin's own younger brother...
In the end, the two young geniuses, both basking in glory, faced off beneath the Crimson Fortress.
That battle caused a sensation throughout Auckland. Countless people flocked to the Blazeforge Realm just to witness their showdown.
And yet...
That long-hyped duel ended almost as soon as it began.
Stan Watson, already a Sixth-Tier Mage, crushed Ross Merlin—who was stuck at the Fourth Tier, just shy of reaching the fifth—in only ten minutes.
The battle left everyone disappointed.
All it did was reaffirm the iron law of the fifth-tier threshold. The legend of the Endless Spring was shattered, and Ross Merlin fell from grace. For three whole years, he lived in hatred of Stan Watson, consumed by thoughts of revenge and reclaiming his honor...
But no matter how hard Ross Merlin tried, whenever he looked up, all he could see was Stan Watson’s back, always just out of reach...
Day after day, year after year...
Now, Stan Watson had become Ross Merlin’s nightmare.
Any mention of that name could send Ross Merlin into a frenzy...
"Heh..." William Merlin just chuckled.
William Merlin knew exactly why Ross Merlin hated Stan Watson so much...
But what Ross Merlin didn’t know was that William Merlin hated Stan Watson even more than he did.
In the entire Merlin Family, only William Merlin and his father knew the real reason why...
Earlier, when William Merlin and Leon left Hoffland Merlin’s study, William had mentioned he once had a sister—who died in the Blazeforge Realm.
Leon hadn’t said a word at the time.
But William Merlin knew—Stan Watson was as good as dead.
"About that Dragonfire Spell earlier—why did you waste your Rune Shield?" Leon ignored Ross Merlin’s rage and William’s pettiness, his face stern as he questioned William in a tone of utter disbelief.
"I..." William Merlin froze, his face going blank.
"Don’t you know that in mage duels, it’s all about how you use your Rune Shield? Whoever gives up their shield first is one step closer to defeat. So tell me—what were you thinking at that moment?"
"I just..." Moments ago, William Merlin was all sarcasm, but now he instinctively lowered his head, his voice barely audible: "I just thought I couldn’t counter that Dragonfire Spell..."
"Dragonfire Spell is only a fifth-tier spell!" Leon sneered coldly.
"But his Arcane Sigil is the Endless Spring..."
"Heh, he has Endless Spring, but you have your own magical abilities. Did you forget everything after becoming a mage? With just a spell amplification and a Frost Barrier, you could block at least half the damage. Then, with a quick-cast spell, neutralizing that Dragonfire Spell wouldn’t be a problem. Instead, you used your Rune Shield—do you realize that once it’s broken, you’re left without proper defense for at least twenty seconds?"
"I know, but..."
"But what? Didn’t you see the outcome? You used your Rune Shield, and then he hit you once and you were seriously injured."
"I'll be more careful next time..."
"I don't have time to wait for your next time. Go now. If I catch you using your Rune Shield recklessly again, we'll have a serious talk about you taking advantage of me!"
...William Merlin instantly went pale.
Leon hadn’t spelled it out, but William Merlin knew exactly what he meant by 'taking advantage'—it was about Stan Watson...
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After more than half a year in Seaview City, William Merlin had come to understand this young mage’s personality all too well.
Whether Stan Watson lived or died, this young mage couldn’t care less. To him, Stan was nothing but a ticket into the family ancestral grounds—a ticket, whole or broken, made no difference to him.
But if 'taking advantage' came into play...
Then things would get truly messy...
This cousin from the Mage Hall was nothing like Ross Merlin...
When Ross Merlin lost his temper, at worst he’d roar for a while, maybe injure himself...
But if this cousin from the Mage Hall got upset, then things could get truly serious.
Once, inside that vault, a Dragonblood Orc managed to annoy him.
And the result...
For half a month afterward, the Dragonblood Orc was like a lunatic—whenever he saw even a spark of fire, he’d break down sobbing and howling. The scene was so pitiful that, even now, William Merlin shudders to think of it.
"I’m going right now!" At this thought, William Merlin didn’t dare hesitate any longer—he grabbed his staff and hurried out. "Ross Merlin, you coward! Just hearing Stan Watson’s name makes you pee your pants, doesn’t it? Well? Are you crying yet? If you’re not, then come fight me again—I want to see if the Endless Spring is really that powerful!"
"William Merlin..." Ross Merlin’s eyes were already red from hearing Stan Watson’s name, but now, at these words, he looked even more terrifying, staring straight at William. "Are you looking for death?"
"That’s right! I am looking for death—so what are you going to do about it?"
"Fine, I’ll oblige you!" With those words, Ross Merlin’s entire demeanor changed. The Endless Spring erupted at full force—his vast magical power surged like a tidal wave, even the surrounding magical fluctuations seemed drawn in, swirling into a frenzy.
"Oh crap..." William Merlin was instantly dumbfounded.
It seemed that, earlier, even though Ross Merlin had tapped into the Endless Spring, he hadn’t truly fought at full strength. Now, this was the Ross Merlin who’d stormed the Crimson Fortress alone and defeated the Blazeforge Orcs. The magical energy radiating from him was nothing short of terrifying—even William Merlin, a fellow mage, couldn’t help but feel a trace of fear standing in the midst of this magical storm.
But...
It was just a trace of fear.
Compared to the young mage behind him, that fear was nothing.
Without hesitation, William Merlin gripped his staff and cast his first spell of the battle. A ball of fire began to form in his hand—a Fireball, and one he was determined to land first. William was aiming for the initiative.
All those words before were just to provoke Ross Merlin.
William figured that, in his rage, Ross Merlin would rush to attack first. By casting Fireball now, he should get some results—even if it didn’t cause real harm, it might at least throw Ross Merlin off his game.
But unexpectedly...
Before William could even release his Fireball, Ross Merlin’s Counterspell was already a step ahead.
"Damn it..." William Merlin cursed under his breath.
This Counterspell was just vile...
It hit right at the most critical moment of the Fireball.
If not for his Meditation Codex having shifted to Bloodstone, giving him far greater control over fire magic than most mages, that single Fireball might have thrown him into magical chaos.
Damn, Ross Merlin was too cunning...
Only now did William realize that, once battle began, Ross Merlin’s rage vanished. He showed no emotion at all—like a precision machine, using the advantage from that Counterspell to launch a relentless barrage of perfectly timed, infuriating spells.
For a while, William Merlin was simply miserable.
"Honestly, you’re hopeless..." came Leon’s exasperated voice from behind. "Your Meditation Codex might be Bloodstone, but it’s not just fire magic you can use, right?"
"Huh?"