"Wait… what happened to you? Why are you so scared of me?" Merlin asked hesitantly.

Calystron shook his head and stammered, "You… you… Are you that person?"

Merlin frowned in surprise. "That person? What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! Your face looks exactly like his! You're the one who appeared in my nightmare!"

Merlin fell silent, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. He didn't understand what the Golden Dragon meant.

'That person? A nightmare? What does all this mean?' he wondered.

"[Master, I think I've found the crux of the matter.]" The system's voice echoed in his mind.

"Oh? Please explain."

"[You may not know this, but it's possible your actions in the past have affected the reality of the future. Do you remember what happened in the final battle between Gabriel Solayne and your future self?]"

"My future self?" Merlin thought hard. "No… I don't know. My memory is very vague. As far as I remember, I was in a dark place, with no one else but me."

Before waking from his coma, he remembered nothing else—only that endless darkness.

The place felt similar to when he had fainted after drinking a potion that pushed his physical limits during training with Linda.

"[That's understandable. I'll explain it to you.]"

After that, the system began describing in detail what had happened when future Merlin defeated Gabriel and Calystron so decisively.

Merlin felt his heart begin to race.

"Am I really that strong in the future?" He swallowed hard.

"[Yes, you are, Master. That's why you can't afford to be careless. Otherwise, the future self who appeared at that time may never become your true future. After all, the future is mysterious—every action you take can change its course.]" the system reminded him.

Merlin took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

"You're right. Don't worry. I'll do my best to make sure that person truly becomes my future," he said confidently.

If his future self was that strong, what level had he reached?

Beyond the first stage of the spirit core? But wasn't the first stage the peak of this world?

No matter how much Merlin thought about it, he still couldn't imagine it.

"In that case, System, do you think I can control this Dragon of Light?" Merlin asked half-jokingly, glancing at Calystron, who was floating about twenty meters away.

"[Control him? What do you mean?]" the system asked, sounding confused.

"Simple. I'll make him do whatever I want. If he resists… well, I'll just threaten him. What do you think?"

"[Wow! Master, you're clever and ruthless! It wasn't for nothing that I accompanied you for these two years!]" The system praised him excitedly.

Merlin rubbed his nose, feeling a little embarrassed. "Don't praise me like that. Alright, let's begin."

Suddenly, his expression turned cold, indifference flashing in his eyes.

"Hehehe… So, you're Calystron, huh? Long time no see," he said coldly.

Calystron grew even more frightened. "Wait! Don't kill me! I didn't do anything wrong! That stupid Gabriel did it, not me! I was just following his orders! Believe me!"

His voice trembled, filled with horror and trauma he could barely conceal.

More than a month ago, while he had been fast asleep, he experienced the worst nightmare of his life in this world.

In the dream, he and Gabriel fought a mysterious man with white hair and a handsome face.

The man was incredibly strong—no, the word "strong" barely scratched the surface of how terrifying he truly was.

He was the embodiment of a god, a being that should not exist in this world.

Even Gabriel, who had reached the First Stage of the Spirit Core and was assisted by him in physical form, was completely unable to leave even a scratch on the man's robe.

More terrifying still, the mysterious man possessed a red dragon with a bloodline far purer than his own.

Calystron was utterly crushed by that red dragon until he finally met a miserable death.

His body was devoured, and his power was absorbed by the red dragon.

The next moment, he woke from the nightmare, his face pale with fear.

Although it was only a dream, it had been deeply etched into his mind and was impossible to erase.

And now, that same mysterious man stood before him in a smaller form, instantly awakening the memories he had tried so desperately to bury.

"Why are you afraid of me? Haven't we met before?" Merlin smiled playfully as he stepped closer.

Calystron backed away again, his massive head shaking violently.

"Wait! Don't come any closer! I-I'll grant all your wishes! Just don't hurt me again!"

Merlin stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath.

'Is the trauma really that severe? Just how strong am I in that future?' Merlin chuckled softly.

If Vargan and the rest of the royal family saw this scene, they would be utterly shocked.

Just imagining it made Merlin feel excited.

"I won't come any closer, so don't worry. However, you have to help me," Merlin said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Help?" Calystron looked surprised. "What kind of help?"

At the same time, he studied Merlin closely. Come to think of it, his appearance was slightly different from the one in his dream.

If the man in his dream looked mature, with a gentle yet deadly smile, the one before him looked far younger, with an almost innocent face.

'Could I have mistaken the boy in front of me for that person? But then, why does he remember that incident?' Calystron wondered doubtfully.

"I want to obtain your dragon's blessing," Merlin continued indifferently.

Hearing this, Calystron's doubts deepened.

'My blessing? That person was overwhelmingly powerful back then. Why would he need my blessing now?'

Suddenly, a realization struck him—the child before him was likely the past version of that man.

Most likely, the one he had fought in his dream was his future, fully grown self.

'Hahaha! I get it! No wonder he looks so much younger. If that's the case, I don't need to be afraid of him. I can kill him now and prevent him from growing stronger!'

With that thought, the fear on his face vanished, replaced by a creepy grin.

Merlin was deeply confused by the sudden change. However, before he could react, a massive explosion erupted, and dazzling golden light flooded the hall.

Merlin quickly covered his face with his arms. A few moments later, the light faded, and Calystron's figure appeared before him.

However, unlike before, Calystron had revealed his true form.

He stood forty meters tall, nearly reaching the ceiling of the hall. His two massive wings spread wide, while sharp claws extended from his four legs.

His golden eyes locked onto Merlin, filled with murderous intent.

Merlin froze, then stumbled back a few steps.

"S-System, what's going on? Why did the D-Dragon of Light reveal his true form? And… from the look of it, he wants to kill me." Merlin swallowed hard.

Instead of answering, the system's mechanical voice echoed in his mind, followed by the appearance of a red panel covered in exclamation marks.

"[WARNING! DANGER! DETECTED KILLING INTENT FROM THE DRAGON OF LIGHT, CALYSTRON! WARNING! ESCAPE IMMEDIATELY!]"

Merlin stared at the red panel in shock. His heart pounded violently as cold sweat soaked his entire body.

"What's going on with the system? Why is everything turning out like this?"

"[There's no time, Master! Run—now!]"

Merlin didn't hesitate. He turned around and leaped off the altar.

Unfortunately, Calystron had already anticipated his move and swung his right claw at Merlin's back.

Bang!

The blow struck him and sent him flying like a bullet, smashing him into the hall wall with a devastating explosion.

"Argh!" Merlin vomited blood as his body slammed heavily onto the ground.

"It hurts so much..." he groaned, writhing in pain like a worm sprinkled with salt.

Blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, nose, ears, and even his eye sockets.

"[DING! DETECTED HOST SUSTAINING FATAL INJURIES! DAMAGE: INTERNAL ORGANS, BROKEN BONES, TORN FLESH, AND MULTIPLE OTHER INJURIES! INITIATING AUTOMATIC RECOVERY!]"

The system's voice echoed inside his head. Moments later, his body began to heal on its own.

His vision blurred, then slowly cleared as he regained full consciousness.

Gasping for breath, Merlin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"System… System… Am I still alive?" His voice trembled.

The impact was so devastating that his life felt like it was hanging by a thread.

"[Don't worry, Master. You'll survive. The automatic healing mechanism is active. However, I cannot guarantee your survival against the dragon.]" The system replied weakly.

Merlin forced his head to turn to the left and saw Calystron opening his jaws wide.

Between them, a golden sphere of energy rapidly condensed.

"Damn it!"

Forcing his battered body to move, Merlin poured what little strength he had into his legs and leaped backward.

Whoosh!

The golden energy shot toward the spot where he had been standing, reducing the wall behind him to ash.

Fortunately, the hall was built from extremely durable magical material, so the wall did not completely crumble and immediately began repairing itself.

Unwilling to give up, Calystron launched more energy balls at Merlin.

Merlin managed to dodge them just in time. Even so, his breathing grew ragged, and his vision blurred once again.

"I can't take it anymore," he muttered weakly.

The system's automatic healing was far too slow. He had no choice but to use his S-level healing potion.

To be honest, he was reluctant, but he knew that if he didn't use it, he would die.

Just as he prepared to dodge again and search for a safer position, the space around him suddenly froze.

Merlin's body lifted into the air, completely unable to move.

'This is bad!' Merlin cried out in terror within his mind.

"Die!" Calystron fired an energy ball from his mouth straight at him.

Whoosh!

It shot forward like lightning and slammed into him.

Boom!

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