Merlin had managed to knock away one scythe, and that only left another blade for Bryan to protect himself from the next attack. The White Mage quickly switched his grip on the staff and thrust the weapon forwards to stab Bryan's abdomen.
Bryan knew Merlin was going in for the kill and used his only blade to clash against the staff. But, by some unseen skill or force, Merlin's weapon's tip was as strong as Rina's spear, causing a slight crack on the blade before Bryan decided it was enough.
In a futile attempt, the Slayer tried to use the blade to shift Merlin's weapon away so Bryan could slip past and get back to safety. However, Merlin was not a pushover, as once Bryan tried making that move, the White Mage swung his staff around and used his leg to kick the Slayer.
Bryan was lucky to be used to physical combat as he caught the flying leg on time. But because his attention was away from the weapon, Merlin smiled as he unleashed a torrent of pink flower petals at Bryan's abdomen.
Ashley was too late to react as Merlin managed to blow a solid hole through Bryan's stomach, causing the Slayer to vomit copious amounts of blood while staggering backward. The Marksman Pillar wanted to move his body but was stopped by his limitations.
Ashley only had a finite amount of bullets he could shoot before returning to Euphoria again and didn't want to waste it now. However, seeing his junior being bullied by some grinning fool, Ashley was at his limit with being patient.
"Such a pity that the one to defeat the Knight of the Sun would be done in by little old me... Maybe it was a mistake to look for the Arks... That Valkyrie has some bad taste in picking men," commented Merlin as he swung his staff at Bryan's head.
The poor Slayer flew towards a tree, causing Ashley to flare up. The Marksman Pillar could hear ringing as he charged toward Merlin, using the butt of the rifle to slam it into Merlin's neck. The White Mage was caught off guard and did not have time to react.
The poor Mage flew through a tree, and Ashley was still not letting him off the hook as he followed the opponent through the tree. Ashley then used everything he had and swung his fist into Merlin's face, breaking the poor opponent's jaw and another tree.
Merlin was getting ticked off at the Marksman for destroying his perfect face and decided to use another trick. As Ashley blindly threw another punch, Merlin dispersed into several pink flower petals, causing Ashley to fall forwards. Merlin appeared behind the Marksman.
"I never thought I would hate on the Valkyrie's friends, but this is not how you greet your elders... Especially if you are the new generation of Mages that didn't face a dragon before," scowled Merlin as his staff prepared another beam of Elemental Energy at Ashley's back.
But the blast never came as Bryan appeared behind the White Mage, swinging his enhanced leg at Merlin's head. Instead, the enemy roared through the forest, with Bryan following behind. Merlin had no time or space to shift his body position, so he was forced to be Bryan's kicking bag.
Meanwhile, Ashley tailed behind, hoping to see an opening. Merlin managed to stop the frenzy of attacks by grabbing a tree branch and getting to higher grounds. But that didn't stop Bryan; he merely jumped from the floor and drew out his blades to strike at Merlin.
But the enemy protected himself with his staff, which was suspiciously strong against twin scythes.
"I see now... You have been given a gift to heal all wounds instantly. To think I would have Avalon turn against me... What a cruel fate," said Merlin, swinging his staff to another angle to throw Bryan's balance off.
"I guess Vivanne hates me to the core despite my teachings to her... Women can be so scary at times..." added Merlin.
The Slayer instantly backed away, and the two continued assaulting each other. As the duo exchanged a few clashes, Bryan saw an opening and grabbed hold of Merlin's staff.
By doing so, the Slayer threw his scythe towards his opponent's face and yanked on the weapon to pull his head closer to the blade. However, Merlin grinned as Bryan realized that the staff was a decoy.
"What the-" swore Bryan as he was forced to back off from Merlin.
The White Mage drew a golden longsword out of the staff's bottom and swung it upwards. That move created a colossal slash of white Elemental Energy, which targeted the Slayer. Bryan had no time to think as he crossed both scythes across his chest and hoped for the best.