"Hahaha! I did it! I killed him! Now I don't have to worry about that person showing up in the future!" Calystron couldn't hold back his laughter.

The shadow of the mysterious man had haunted him every day. That presence was like a nightmare that would never truly fade.

But now, there was no need to be afraid. The boy—the mysterious man's past self—had been successfully killed.

An overwhelming sense of happiness enveloped every cell of his body, making it hard for the smile on his face to fade.

Black smoke from the explosion spread throughout the hall. A few moments later, it slowly thinned before finally disappearing.

Calystron stared at the spot where Merlin had been killed, confirming the result.

The boy's body should have been blown to pieces after being hit by the energy ball he had thrown.

Even so, he needed to be sure the boy was truly dead.

As he focused his gaze, his body froze.

Merlin—who should have been dead—was still alive.

Even more shocking, a beautiful red-haired woman was holding the boy in her arms.

"What happened? Who is that woman?" Calystron became alert.

He sensed no mana fluctuations or any other power when the woman appeared.

That alone showed how terrifyingly powerful she was.

Meanwhile, the red-haired woman slowly landed on the floor and looked down at Merlin in her arms, who had lost consciousness.

'Luckily, I moved quickly. Otherwise, he would have died from that attack,' she muttered.

The woman was none other than Lyserra in her human form.

Moments earlier, while she was asleep, she had sensed a danger threatening Merlin's life.

When she rushed out, she saw a powerful ball of energy hurtling toward the boy.

With a single slap, the energy ball shattered into pieces.

Even so, the impact was strong enough to knock Merlin unconscious.

Lyserra gently laid Merlin on the floor and examined his body. Suddenly, her beautiful face turned grim.

"His injuries are fatal..."

His bones, flesh, and muscles were severely damaged. If not for the mysterious power continuously healing him, Merlin would already be dead.

She channeled her dragon power into Merlin's body.

Moments later, his wounds began to heal far faster than his body's natural recovery.

After confirming that he was safe, Lyserra stood up and turned toward Calystron.

"So, you're the culprit, huh?" Lyserra's voice was soft, yet it reached Calystron's ears like a blade, piercing straight into his soul.

"Argh!" Calystron groaned in pain as he staggered back a few steps. "Who are you? Why did you save him?"

His voice was filled with alertness and fear. From her voice alone, he could sense her strength—perhaps even equal to his own.

"Who am I? Hehehe... You don't need to know..." Lyserra said with a faint grin as she stepped toward him.

With each step she took, the floor beneath her erupted in flames that spread in all directions.

A red aura burst from her body, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.

Calystron swallowed hard. He felt a faint pressure emanating from the woman—the pressure of a bloodline.

Suddenly, his memory drifted to the red dragon that had once accompanied the mysterious man—the very dragon that had killed him and devoured his body.

"Wait… Don't tell me you're that red dragon." Calystron shouted in fear.

Lyserra stopped in her tracks, a playful smile forming on her lips.

"Oh? So you know about me? Don't tell me the memories of what happened in that era were also sent to you in the real world."

Hearing that, Calystron's heartbeat quickened.

"You… you know about it too? Wait—" His eyes widened as he realized something he had completely overlooked.

That horrific incident should have been nothing more than a dream, not something that truly happened.

Then why did that boy remember it as well?

Shouldn't he have been the only one?

'Don't tell me what I've always believed to be a memory is actually a real event… and that it happened in a different timeline?'

Traveling to the past was difficult, but not impossible.

There were several mythical artifacts capable of sending their users back in time—one of the most famous being the Grail of Time.

Although the artifact had long been declared lost, who could say the boy hadn't found it somewhere?

If not, how else could the boy possess the same memories as his nightmare?

"Alright, I won't beat around the bush anymore," Lyserra said as she clenched her right palm. "Now, die!"

Whoosh!

Her figure vanished, then reappeared right in front of Calystron.

"Wait, don't attack me! I—"

Before he could finish, Lyserra's fist slammed into his face.

Bang!

The blow sent his massive body flying backward, smashing through the wall behind him.

Lyserra pressed her palms together. In an instant, the space around her expanded dozens of times.

"Do you think I'll stop here?" Lyserra grinned, clenching her fists. "Hahaha! No way! I'll beat you until you forget how to live!"

At first, she had underestimated Merlin.

However, after learning that Merlin was the person her former master had spoken about in the past, she began to accept him as her new master.

Two years had passed since then, and she had grown used to the situation.

Merlin was kind to her. He often joked with her, talked to her, and took her out to eat delicious food.

This was far better than the loneliness she had endured in that dark hall.

She did not want to return to that place. She wanted to cherish every memory with him.

But just now, that damned golden dragon had dared to injure Merlin to the brink of death.

That was unforgivable!

She would never forgive anyone who hurt him before her eyes!

Boom!

Her red eyes flashed with an overwhelming killing intent as her aura surged many times stronger than before.

Whoosh!

Lyserra vanished and reappeared right above Calystron, who had just regained his balance.

She twisted her body and brought her heel crashing down toward Calystron's head.

Boom!

The devastating strike bent the massive body of the Dragon of Light, slamming his head into the floor and shattering it.

Lyserra vanished again, then appeared directly in front of Calystron's battered face.

Clenching her left palm, she punched him, sending his body flying hundreds of meters away.

Lyserra brought her hands together, forming a triangle.

Suddenly, a giant triangular red beam of light appeared.

From it, an incredibly powerful wave of energy erupted and slammed into Calystron.

Sensing the terrifying danger, Calystron forced himself upright and formed a shield around his body.

The energy wave struck the shield, triggering a tremendous explosion.

"Roar!" Calystron roared as he poured more power into the shield.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, the energy wave was too strong and eventually shattered the shield protecting him.

Boom!

His body was struck directly, tearing a hole through the right side of his abdomen.

Golden blood poured from the wound, and his figure grew visibly weak.

Calystron lifted his battered head and pleaded, "Forgive… me…"

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