"You," Haddock laid him the acute eyes. Heading towards the fake Merlin, he summoned Jubilant Jay and gave his broom friend the freedom to absorb all the vitality of that "decrepit" mage.
Merlin barely moved. He raised his hand and "split" the hungry conglomerate broom! But he did not downright split it. Merlin simply applied his Reality Bending spell to Jay, splitting it in two as it shot towards the abbot, then the broom reunited as it passed him. Jubilant Jay hit the wall due to uncontrollable speed.
"You're an absolute twat," Haddock began to become violent.
"I advise you to restrain your anger. It will cloud your concentration," said Merlin in a calm manner.
The Grand Magus threw expressions of sarcasm at him. "Wow, How great is your impersonation! You sure are wise, like the real Merlin."
Jay kept attacking the First Grand Magus back and forth. The result was nil. Since Merlin's magic was embedded in it, the broom somehow could not lay any attack on him.
"I told you, I have lived for a thousand years."
Jubilant Jay came from the left, took aim at Merlin's head, then split into four—separated as they moved in a vortex then merged again before it darted to the right side.
"...And I am Merlin, Your Honourable Grand Magus," added Merlin again.
Knowing the magic broom was useless in overcoming Merlin, Haddock asked Jubilant Jay to return to the pocket dimension under his long coat.
"I am so amazed at you. How can you 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, call yourself the Great Camelot Wizard with that presentation? You need to have your head examined in the asylum! Our medical technology is more advanced than yours in Danhar."
"Why do I need to be ashamed of my identity?"
Haddock meant to blaze Merlin's face with magical fire—which he then brushed away. Then the Grand Magus' hand was grabbed by Merlin himself. Haddock retracted his hand and rotated, this time displaying his wand drawing a blade—the 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴 spell—preparing to slash the monk's right leg. But Merlin lifted his leg and spun along, then lunged at Haddock with the same leg. Pushed Haddock a few inches away from him.
"I see, you like to play games, apparently," Haddock joked again, "Do you also love to toy with the people of Chixian Shenzhou like that? Claiming to be the 'Sage Merlin', who will wipe out the entire empire in one fell swoop? Is that the reason Danhar became a separatist and bombarded by war? All of that because of your doing?"
"You may be the foremost Grand Magus in the world of thaumaturgy, but you understand nothing about Danhar's problem. All the immoral acts that Chixian Empire has committed, all that my people have gone through!" Merlin said.
"Danhar? Your people?" Haddock did a scornful chortle. "What a disappointment, so Camelot is no longer yours? Wait, it never is!"
The increasingly furious Grand Magus approached again, this time several shots of 𝘖𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘮 enlivened the atmosphere. Merlin also kept turning himself into broken glass every time the white light hit him.
"You! Just! A random man! Who happened! To study Sorcery! With Protos particles! You don't even! Have! Your Camelot accent!" Haddock kept firing him every time his sayings paused.
"Hah. Not new, Grand Magus! How I don't care if you don't believe me!"
Getting closer, Haddock clashed with Merlin once again. He wanted to point his wand straight at the head monk, while Merlin himself—with his head still cold—directed it the other way with all his might. Their rigid feet danced in response to one another. Both thrust into each other.
Haddock muttered, responding to Merlin's words just now, "Of course, no one does, old man! Merlin lived a thousand years ago! He's dead! Then look, he suddenly came out of the grave, wearing the shabby clothes you call monastic fashion, practicing eastern magic, and then looking for quarrels with other countries! You really think people would believe in your fable?"
"Why do you love dictating one's life, young man? I am who I am. If Merlin in your mind is a bearded man in a cloak and pointed hat, carrying around with him a tree twig he calls a wand… bad news, I cannot give you the grandeur clothes part. But if you insist, pay attention to this…."
Out of nowhere, a dark brown wand resembling a tree branch was grasped from his hand!
"𝘉𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘮!"
The spell did not come out of Haddock's mouth. Haddock had not even had time to react to the wand's appearance from Merlin's fist!
That was because a large enough explosion separated the two of them in an instant. Haddock slammed away from Merlin. Fireless the explosion was, but the boom was no less loud. Loud enough to divert everyone to them. Both the wizard and sorcerer groups gaped at the sight of Merlin holding a wand. The wizards gaped even more, intimidated by him. The sorcerers, on the other hand, become truly amazed.
A puff of dust filled the place where Haddock fell. He tried to get up while coughing. "Ah, 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴! What the…."
Haddock took his wand. "𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘴!" he exclaimed.
Merlin heard the spell. An invitation spell for a magic battle, where both magicians mustered their life force—mana—to clash with each other to determine the winner. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘴 was not a random spell. Powerful enough, it could penetrate almost all kinds of magic spells. If one was hit, it will be ignited by another explosion that makes most of the victim's life force lost therein in one hit. Losing that much mana could bring him into a coma, and it would not necessarily be recovered within a few days of rest.
So the only way to fend off a 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘴 spell was to respond to that 'invitation'—letting out a spell of the same or similar kind to pit against. From Haddock's wand, a green glow emanated, and at the same time, a burst of red glow from Merlin's wand. In mid-air, the two beams met, producing a small beam of light with a mixture of yellow and white, like sparks! One of the intimate magic combats, both Merlin and Haddock could feel each other's strength. They competed with all their might to see whose luminescence would later dominate and eat away the whole mana turmoil!
Merlin felt his entire body tingle with the shock—the energy rushing in and out of his body. Mustering his mana, Merlin said to Haddock, "I've been through a lot, Grand Magus! You're right. I was dead. I should have died. But I don't. I cannot die. I had a dream. I'm cursed. I have to carry out the task of wading through the realm, many times. And endless search, until the dream that I experienced becomes a reality."
"No! Stop that damned 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦!"
Sparks formed from the intertwining of the two forces started moving toward Haddock. The Grand Magus was mad. His eyelashes furrowed as he looked at the spark that came at him. He seemed to be exerting everything on him through his sharp stare. But stares were mere stares—they achieved nothing but wrinkles.
"I had to travel around the same world over and over again, couldn't stay too long lest people suspect my existence. That was, until I find this mountain tribe." Merlin watched his followers fight like proud old men. "The people of Danhar. Somehow, they share the same dream as me. They await the savior and destroyer of the world of thaumaturgy. Hundreds of years! They have been smitten by difficult times for generations, but their hope remains. I learn their stories, practice their way of life. Learn their magic. All for the sake of making that dream come true!"
Merlin's magic was dominating the Grand Magus' power. As the sparks flew towards his wand, Haddock instinctively threw his wand away. The explosion occurred due to Merlin's magic contact hitting the base of Haddock's wand, sending it to air far away, vanished! A few wizards became more worried about Haddock's condition at the moment. Their morale plummeted. With the numbers on their odds, the wizards were not even sure they could defeat this group of eastern rite sorcerers!
Haddock's head was with his back to the old man, looking for where the wand had gone with a face still in disbelief. That mountain ascetic could utilise two kinds of mystic arts? That was nigh impossible! It could have been a dirty trick from that old man! Him and his black magic power! If this person was really something, Haddock still could not believe it was the true Merlin.
However, being defeated by a mountain hermit could put his power as a Grand Magus into question, not to mention when he chose to throw away his wand rather than "accept defeat". It would take away His honour. His reputation could be ruined. And the dark entities would later look down on the Magisterium of Arcane Plane. Yet, the awaiting future did not share the burden on his mind, though he was still embarrassed. To him, the safety of his life was more important than being cursed to sleep for days. In his thought as well, he still considered the elite wizards of the Magisterium, the hopeless sheeps in disarray without his presence. He must always be with them while still in office.
"...So know that I'm not joking, Grand Magus ..." Merlin called again to Haddock.
Now Haddock turned back to Merlin. Face full of anger mixed with shock. He had not given up yet, it appeared. Haddock then galloped towards Merlin. He did not care if he lost his current magic ability. He only wanted to land one punch at the "Great Merlin" in the face. One hit because his ego rose to the surface. That feeling of shame needed to be avenged!
Even Haddock, who was proficient in martial arts, could not touch Merlin's piece of cloth. Grand Magus was now just a mockery for the "First Grand Magus", who easily counterattacked, almost all of them on target.
Merlin concluded his last sentence, "… I risked coming here to fulfill the prophecy! So that the people of Danhar may be saved. The Shenzhou Empire may be saved. The entire world may be saved. So that I may finally be allowed to accept my death. I don't care what people say about me. The eternal serenity I crave was nothing compared to people's ridicule! Now, stop getting in our way!"
Merlin, just parried the Grand Magus' blow, immediately dealt a heavy jab many times. As for the finisher, Merlin launched a jump-spinning back kick in Haddock's chest! Haddock should have been thrown against the wall. But all walls were still in Merlin's Reality Bending influence, remember?
The wall that should have been the colliding spot suddenly formed a square frame that jutted inward. There was no end, like an infinite aisle. Poor Haddock entered the "wormhole", further and further distancing himself from the crowd, without ever stopping. The pull force was strong, he was as if he had fallen into an unfathomable abyss. []