"Forgive you? Are you kidding?" Lyserra snorted coldly. "You attacked my master with intent to kill. Now accept your punishment!"

There was no way she would forgive Calystron so easily. She likely couldn't kill him, as Merlin still seemed to need his help.

However, that didn't mean she couldn't make him suffer until he realized his mistake.

Calystron slowly forced himself to his feet. His wounds were beginning to heal, though the process was painfully slow.

"I don't want to be enemies with you. Let's just forget what happened earlier," Calystron pleaded once more.

He didn't want to stand against Lyserra. She was far too powerful, and he knew he couldn't defeat her.

"Don't be a coward. Fight me with all your strength!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Lyserra shot toward him.

Realizing that persuasion was useless, Calystron had no choice but to use all his power to fight back.

Before Lyserra could strike, a golden shield formed around Calystron.

Boom!

Lyserra's blow was so heavy that it shook the shield violently.

Faint cracks appeared, spreading across its surface like a spider's web.

"What? My shield is breaking?" Calystron panicked and tried to dodge, but the space around him froze.

"Impossible!" he shouted as he struggled desperately to escape, but it was futile.

Boom!

The shield shattered. Lyserra's strike smashed into his face, sending his teeth flying from his mouth.

Whoosh—Boom!

His massive body was launched like an arrow and slammed into the barrier Lyserra had created.

Calystron felt a sharp pain. Although his skin was thick, the power behind Lyserra's attack was overwhelming.

To make matters worse, the space itself was strange and oppressive.

His dragon power was sealed, preventing him from using his innate strength.

"Don't just stand there, you fool!"

Lyserra appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye and drove her fist straight into his face.

Bang!

Calystron's face was crushed, golden blood spraying in all directions.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Lyserra continued her assault, blow after blow, until Calystron could no longer react or dodge.

In a different timeline, she had absorbed all of Calystron's power and made it her own.

As a result, her bloodline grew stronger and purer.

Her strength had increased dozens of times compared to before.

Now, facing Calystron felt no different from beating down an insignificant child.

Bang!

When the final blow landed, Calystron's body was completely destroyed, reduced to a disgusting pile of flesh.

Lyserra wiped the golden blood from her hands, her expression filled with contempt.

"That's all the strength you have, yet you dared to attack my master. If I showed no mercy, you would already be dead," Lyserra said coldly.

Although Calystron appeared destroyed, he was not completely dead.

After all, Lyserra had never intended to kill him.

"Ugh… ugh…" Calystron groaned hoarsely. His face was crushed, including his mouth and ears.

All he could do was make those indistinct, broken sounds.

'This woman is terrifying… I want to run away!' Calystron thought in fear.

In his entire life, he had never been afraid of anything in this world.

Even Arthur and Gabriel had never been enough to instill fear in him.

However, ever since the memories from that timeline surfaced, his life had become chaotic and no longer peaceful.

The mysterious man continued to haunt him, leaving him unable to sleep properly.

That was why he immediately intended to kill the boy—his past self.

Unexpectedly, the boy and the red dragon, who turned out to be his guardian spirit, also possessed those memories.

He was foolish for not realizing it sooner.

And now, he had ended up like this, suffering so miserably that it filled him with shame and even greater fear.

His body slowly regenerated, and his face returned to normal.

However, the fear in his eyes could not be hidden.

"Enough… I give up! I'm sorry—I promise I won't do it again! I beg you… Please don't torture me anymore," Calystron pleaded in a trembling voice.

He didn't want to endure this torture any longer. He no longer cared that begging like this shattered his pride.

"Forgive you?" Lyserra smiled playfully. "All right. I'll forgive you. I'll even stop this punishment."

Calystron's eyes lit up. He was about to speak when Lyserra's voice rang out again.

"However, that will only happen after I'm satisfied with punishing you."

Lyserra's smile widened, making her look utterly terrifying.

Calystron: "…"

***

"Father, did you feel it?"

Outside the hall, Charlotte looked at her father with a worried expression.

Just now, she had felt a faint vibration, as if an earthquake had occurred.

"Yes, I felt it too," Vargan replied in a heavy voice. "But what exactly is happening? Did something happen to Merlin Clay inside?"

He didn't know whether Merlin had managed to contact the Dragon of Light.

Still, he was certain the boy should have succeeded.

After all, Merlin was the child of the prophecy. Even so, there was no guarantee that the Dragon of Light would accept him.

It was possible that he could be rejected—or worse… killed.

'No… that's impossible! There's no way the Dragon of Light would do something like that.'

It was hard to imagine the Dragon of Light committing such an act.

"Father, should we go in and check? I have a bad feeling," Charlotte said weakly, her voice filled with anxiety.

Vargan fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, don't go. We don't know what's going on. Maybe Merlin is receiving a blessing from him. We have to think positively," he assured her.

Charlotte opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she swallowed her words.

"I understand. I hope what you said is really happening inside the hall," she said, lowering her head.

Her face showed a mix of sadness, anxiety, and confusion.

Vargan could only sigh softly as he rubbed her head.

"Hopefully that's true…"

***

"Ugh…" Merlin groaned softly as he slowly opened his eyes. "What happened to me?"

He rubbed his head, which throbbed with dull pain.

"[You're finally awake, Master!]" The system's relieved voice echoed in his mind.

"System?" Merlin looked startled and quickly sat up. "What happened? Why did I faint?"

"[Eh? Don't you remember?]" The system sounded surprised.

"No. My memory is blurry. It feels like mild amnesia," Merlin replied with a long sigh.

"[I see. Alright, I'll explain. Earlier…]"

Merlin listened carefully. When the system finished, he finally understood what had happened.

Shocked, he exclaimed, "So it was Calystron who did that to me?"

"[Yes. The Dragon of Light was responsible. Fortunately, I activated the automatic recovery in time. Otherwise, you might have died.]"

Merlin fell silent, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a playful voice came from beside him.

"Are you awake yet? I was starting to get bored playing with him."

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