Only three hours had passed since the Arcane Bureau agents left.

The snow outside Merlin's town had settled as the sunlight gave a little bit of warmth… However, twelve Chaos Immortals suddenly appeared at the edge of the town's perimeter, cloaked in dark energy.

Their presence distorted the air, warping the snow below them.

They didn't speak at first as they observed the surroundings… They were searching for any traps or formation circles and waiting for any reaction from Merlin.

After confirming that there weren't any Formation Nodes, they looked far beyond the town's edge…

It was another Chaos Immortal observing their movements.

He positioned well outside the range of any Formation Circle or spell. He was the observer, tasked with confirming whether this was a trap. His aura was muted, his Chaos Energy suppressed to avoid detection.

After giving a signal, the twelve advanced slowly.

They didn't rush or take any provocative actions yet…

One of them stepped forward, approaching the central house where Merlin lived.

He observed the surroundings for a brief moment before he spoke.

"Why are you living alone in such a large town?"

There was no answer from Merlin. The town was still quiet…

The Chaos Immortal frowned at this as he could tell that someone was inside the house and it was definitely an Immortal. There was no doubt that it was Merlin, the Overseer...

"We will come in."

As he said this, there was a hint of hostility coming out of him…

But this time, a voice replied from within.

"Why have you come here?"

Merlin then came out and stood at the doorway. His robes were simple, as he wasn't an Immortal but an old man living in seclusion.

The lead Immortal didn't hesitate. "We've heard you possess three Arcana. We're not here to rob it from you. But to exchange them with these Divine Crystals that you'd need. You might even obtain a younger physique if you use these Divine Crystals…"

As he said this, he swiftly took out a pouch with Divine Crystals.

"Bring the Arcana out, so we can take them. This will be yours."

Merlin didn't move and looked at the Divine Crystals with disdain. He then sighed and shook his head.

"They're mine. I won't be trading them to you."

"They're not yours to keep," another Immortal said. "You're just an old man sitting on power you don't understand."

Merlin's gaze sharpened. "You assume I don't understand?"

The lead Immortal stepped closer. "We don't care what you understand. We need them."

Merlin tilted his head. "Why?"

The question hung in the air.

The Immortals didn't answer. Merlin stepped forward, just enough for the wind to catch the edge of his sleeve. "You've been searching for this old man's Arcana… There must be a reason… Maybe you attacked the major factions because of that? Since you failed, you are targeting the isolated. Why?"

Still no answer.

Merlin's voice lowered. "You don't have to be shy... I might let you borrow it if you're truly in need of it. "

The lead Immortal's expression darkened. "You ask too many questions."

Merlin sighed. "Then I suppose you won't leave."

The Immortal raised his hand. "We gave you a chance."

Chaos Force surged forward… It was raw energy that was aimed directly at the house. It was not a Spell at all. It was simply an overwhelming wave of energy!

However, Merlin didn't move.

The blast struck Merlin's invisible shield of energy…

There was no explosion or any loud impact.

This incredibly potent defense surprised the group. After all, they didn't feel any Divinity coming from Merlin just now.

As they planned to test the old man a few more times, the ground beneath them shifted.

Runes lit up across the town… Suddenly, an extremely thick energy of Death leaked out of the snow!

Well, Vale had extracted a lot from the Death God before. Aside from obtaining Divinity, Evolved Spell Light, Spell Models, and many Stat Points, he also obtained a lot of Death Essence…

It was something he could also transfer to certain people, one of them was actually a Dark Spirit!

Whom~

The Formation Circle was activated…

The kind that pressed against the soul. Merlin then stepped back into the doorway.

"You probably think I'm alone here… But I'm not..."

Suddenly, a shadow moved behind him…

It was a figure of a woman! Without a doubt, it was Yvaine!

She emerged from Merlin's shadow with her form still half-wrapped in mist…

The Chaos Immortals felt it instantly.

Their bodies slowed, and their energy seemed like it was being suck into the void!

It wasn't just the Formation Circle, it was the Dark Spirit!

Yvaine had received enough Divinity over the years to anchor herself between realms. She wasn't as strong as Lotus, but she didn't need to be.

Here, in Merlin's territory, with the Circle active and her connection to the Spirit Realm intact, she was more than enough.

The Immortals realized now why Merlin didn't think of escaping or why he acted so confident in front of the 12 of them!

One dropped to a knee as he could barely access the Divinity within his core…

Another gasped as his Chaos Energy began to be pulled somewhere else... As if their souls were being dragged elsewhere!

"What is this?" one of them shouted.

Yvaine raised her hand and the mist around her thickened.

At this time, the observer from afar also felt the edge of the Formation reaching him.

"Not good! This is another trap!"

Just like that, he turned and vanished instantly.

Inside the town, the twelve Chaos Immortals vanished… They didn't die, but Merlin knew that they were sent to the Spirit Realm.

***

In the meantime, the observer returned to Krogas City, where Mennena's temple was located.

He had escaped the edge of the Formation Circle just in time, but the others hadn't.

Twelve Chaos Immortals had vanished, and he wasn't even sure if they were dead already.

Soon, he delivered the report personally.

As soon as Kent heard the news, he immediately felt furious…

Nothing was going according to their plans!

"Merlin was alone," the observer said.

"At least, that's what we thought. But there was an entity we have no records about that helped him."

Kent couldn't just let it be and decided to deal with Merlin himself!

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