The flames on the broadsword surged upward by a meter, and with a powerful swing, the raging fire force exploded. Even Merlin, standing dozens of meters away, could feel the ferocious impact radiating from the blade.
In the face of this force, Merlin's fireball was instantly engulfed by the raging flames on the sword.
Merlin's eyes narrowed. It was his first time seeing his fireball spell neutralized in such an overpowering, direct manner.
"Your fireball is just a level-zero spell," the burly man sneered. "With my strength as a Level Three Fire Swordsman, I can completely overpower it. Young spellcaster, you will be my first mage kill!"
The man laughed wildly, his eyes gleaming with heat and madness, as if he'd dreamed of slaying a mage all his life.
Merlin retreated a few steps. His opponent clearly knew a lot about mages and their spells. As the man boasted, Merlin was indeed at a disadvantage—his fireball spell could barely scratch him.
But Merlin also understood that his disadvantage wasn't because a Level Three Elemental Swordsman was inherently stronger than a mage. Even an entry-level mage would surpass the power of most Level Two or even Level Three Elemental Swordsmen.
The issue was that Merlin's arsenal was limited; he only had one spell. If he had a binding spell to restrain his opponent, this fight would have looked entirely different.
A good spell choice wasn't always about power—it was about synergy and control. Though fireball's offensive power was substantial among zero-level spells, without a binding spell, its effectiveness was limited against this opponent's relentless assault.
Suddenly, a series of black arrows shot silently from the house, aimed at Merlin.
But Merlin's mental energy field spanned a few meters around him, and he sensed the ambush immediately. With the man in front pressing his attacks, Merlin couldn't dodge, so he used fireball again to block the arrows.
"My mana is running low; I can cast four or five more fireballs at most!"
After constructing his spell model over a month ago, Merlin could manage a dozen fireballs before exhausting his mana, and he was nearing his limit now.
"Seems I'll need to use the large fireball to finish this," Merlin thought, a steely glint in his eye. Judging by the arrows' origin, there were two more assailants with crossbows inside the house, poised to strike as soon as they found an opening.
Swift action was necessary.
Resolving to end it quickly, Merlin tapped into the red bar in his mind.
"Large Fireball!"
With a single motion, Merlin summoned a fireball nearly three times the size of his usual ones. The immense heat twisted the air around it, and its unstable core required Merlin's focus to hold it together, or it would explode prematurely.
Such a massive fireball couldn't go unnoticed.
"Impossible—is that a level-one spell?"
The burly man's face turned pale. He instantly retreated, sensing the fireball's power, which was on par with, if not exceeding, a level-one spell—something his Level Three Fire Swordsman abilities couldn't withstand.
The man had no time to question how Merlin managed to produce such a spell. He could only retreat madly, attempting to put as much distance as possible between himself and the enormous fireball.
As he backed away, he threw his broadsword with all his strength like a spear, sending it hurtling toward Merlin with blazing speed.
"Detonate," Merlin murmured, his gaze steady as he unleashed the fireball.
The massive fireball exploded with a deafening roar before it reached the burly man. The blast's shockwave was so intense that it flung him through the air, and the broadsword he'd hurled shattered into pieces in the explosion.
As the dust settled, Merlin approached cautiously. The man lay motionless on the ground, blood pooling around him.
Merlin didn't take chances; he launched another fireball at the man's back, blowing a hole through his body, exposing the bone within.
Finally assured of his victory, Merlin surveyed the area.
The large fireball spell's power had even taken him by surprise. But he couldn't dwell on it—he still had enemies inside the building.
Dashing forward, Merlin entered the dark room, where he glimpsed glints of metal—crossbow bolts. He'd anticipated this and sent two fireballs toward the source.
"Boom!"
He detonated the fireballs mid-air, and with their light, Merlin saw two figures blown backward by the explosion, crumpling lifelessly to the ground.
With the crossbowmen down, Merlin's eyes searched the room for Jia. He'd blasted her inside earlier, but her body was nowhere to be seen. The faint blood trail on the floor led to a corner, drawing a cold smile from Merlin as he followed it.
There, huddled in the shadows, Jia clutched her bleeding leg, leaning against the wall. Despite using a shield, her leg had been wounded by the blast's force.
"Merlin, spare me! I had no choice!" Jia's tone turned desperate. "With Lorin dead and our base destroyed, I could serve you, gather information, anything you need." She sat up, ignoring the pain in her leg, her eyes glinting with a mixture of fear and something else.