Merli

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Merli (梅莉)
Alias(es)	Female Merlin; Merlin’s parallel-world counterpart; “Merlin big sister”
Species/Race	Nightmare–human hybrid; Succubus 426
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Sakura Matou and the Temple of Destiny, following her Contract with Sakura 242 451
Occupation/Role	Sakura’s Servant; strategist, illusionist, and self-described agent of chaos 255 288
Status	Active 481
First Appearance	Chapter 212 212

Background

Merli is a female parallel-world counterpart of Merlin. She initially approached him with an offer to help handle Morgan, then secured half of Chaldea’s coordinate information after making him swear upon King Arthur. Merlin, however, had already maneuvered her toward Sajyou Manaka’s schemes. 212

During the Sea of Stars incident, Merli allied herself with Sajyou Manaka and Morgan. Her long-prepared plan used her tower, dream magecraft, and a major Magic Power source to create a dimension-wide dream realm capable of supporting Servant summoning and concealing the Sea of Stars. 216 223

Merlin ultimately captured Merli after recognizing that, unlike himself, she had remained a “pure” Nightmare driven principally by amusement. She was handed to Sakura shortly afterward, and Sakura’s Contract with the Temple of Destiny gave Merli a lasting place among her companions. 234 240 242

Appearance

Merli is a beautiful white-haired woman with snow-white skin and an ahoge. She commonly appears amid drifting pink petals and carries a staff for magecraft. 240 287 426

• Often wears white clothing, though her outfits change dramatically with the situation. 214 255
• Uses a sweet, innocent expression and mannerisms as part of her habitual acting. 212 242
• Can conceal herself or alter appearances through illusion magecraft. 231 284

Personality

Merli is an amusement-seeking agent of chaos who treats manipulation, provocation, and elaborate acting as entertainment. She can switch instantly between tears, innocence, outrage, and cheerfulness when it benefits her, and is regarded as an exceptionally convincing actress even by those who know her well. 213 242 426

Unlike Merlin, who learned to imitate human emotions and adopted moral limits, Merli is portrayed as a pure Nightmare whose actions follow her own personal definition of evil rather than ordinary rules. She does not necessarily seek evil for its own sake, but her whims routinely endanger allies, enemies, and bystanders alike. 234

Her Contract with Sakura and prolonged association with Sakura’s group gradually gave her attachments she previously lacked. After being punished and confined for reckless actions, she became more calculating about causing trouble without harming Sakura’s side. 425 426 451 469

Abilities & Skills

Dream and Illusion Magecraft

Merli’s primary specialty is dream-based illusion magecraft. Her illusions can deceive senses, conceal her presence, create false bodies, and in exceptional circumstances interfere with reality itself.

• Creates illusory duplicates capable of distracting opponents while she hides elsewhere. 231
• Conceals herself and allies from observation, including during travel through hostile territory. 284 474
• Transformed injured Valkyries’ wounds into dreams, removing them from reality. 281
• Can use dream power to distort surrounding matter and reality, though this risks destabilizing already fragile worlds. 426
• Her illusions were ineffective against the King of the Caves’ Yahweh-empowered attacks, leaving her physically injured. 426
• Sakura later stripped Merli of her dream Authorities as punishment for recklessly polluting reality. 426

Hero Creation

Merli can grant a target the experience, abilities, and enhancements of a phantom hero through dream power.

• Greatly strengthened Zelretch with a Hero Creation empowered by Angus’s dream power. 264
• Requires substantial Magic Power when used on powerful targets. 246
• Cannot apply Hero Creation to God Slayers such as Sakura or Luó Háo. 246

Eternal Isolated Ideal Kingdom

Merli’s Noble Phantasm, Eternal Isolated Ideal Kingdom, manifests a dreamlike domain centered on her tower. It opposed Merlin’s Eternal Open Ideal Kingdom during their confrontation. 287

• Her Noble Phantasm held a two-rank advantage over Merlin’s during their clash. 287
• The tower and a powerful Magic Power source could expand her dream realm across the Sea of Stars of an entire dimension. 223
• The realm could support Servant summoning and dimension-scale concealment through the concept of dreams. 223
• Merlin temporarily overwhelmed and expelled Merli from her domain by using one of Solomon’s Ten Rings. 288

Combat Magecraft

Merli is a high-level magus with superior magical capacity to Merlin, though she is less capable in direct sword combat.

• Her documented Servant parameters list Magic Power A++, Agility C+, Strength E, and Endurance E. 214
• Fires Magic Bullets, magic cannons, and large-scale bombardments through her staff and tower. 287 288
• Generates defensive Magic Circles capable of intercepting incoming attacks. 288
• Uses a dagger for close defense; she successfully parried Merlin’s Holy Sword after gaining new resources and preparation. 287
• Relies on deception and range because Merlin’s swordsmanship gives him a decisive advantage in close quarters. 214 234

Servant Summoning and Command Spells

Merli can summon and command Arthur Pendragon through a Contract and Command Spells.

• Summoned Arthur to fight Merlin during her planned revenge. 288
• Reinforced Arthur with numerous Command Spells, often using him as a frontline pawn despite his reluctance. 288
• Withheld Magic Power from Arthur during the battle against Nalakuveran to control the pace of events for her own amusement. 460
• Can heal Arthur with Magic Power after he is injured. 288

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Staff — Merli’s principal casting focus for illusion magecraft, Magic Bullets, and magic cannons. 287 288
• White tower / Staff of Selection — A tower associated with the Staff of Selection and used as the foundation of her dream-domain plan; whether it is a replica or the genuine artifact is unresolved. 223
• Dagger — Used to block Merlin’s Holy Sword in close combat. 287
• Command Spells — Used to summon, reinforce, and direct Arthur. 288
• Hydrogen bomb — Detonated inside the Golden Hind’s cabin after her intrusion was interrupted. 425

Relationships

• Merlin — Her male parallel-world counterpart, whom she calls “Big Brother.” They understand each other intimately, but their relationship is defined by mutual manipulation, rivalry, and Merli’s long-planned revenge. 212 234 287 288
• Sakura Matou — Merli’s contractor and the person who provides her a place among allies. Sakura values Merli’s strategic insight but frequently disciplines her recklessness. 242 255 426
• Arthur Pendragon — Merli’s summoned Servant and unwilling tool in her conflicts with Merlin and other threats. 288 460
• Sajyou Manaka — A temporary ally during the Sea of Stars Holy Grail War. Manaka could manipulate Merli in turn, and Merli eventually tore up their Magecraft Contract. 214 228 233
• Morgan — A reluctant Sea of Stars ally who dislikes Merli due to her resemblance to Merlin. 216 289
• Martha — Holy Grail War arbiter who identified Merli as a principal cause of the war’s chaos; Martha was forced to protect her because Merli’s dream restrained Martha’s Human Evil. 231 233
• Koyanskaya — A frequent bargaining target. Merli coerced her into an exchange for weapons technology, then later offered materials in return for luring Chaldea to the India Lostbelt. 329 469
• Oberon — A fellow deceiver and dream-user whom Merli interrogated and gradually influenced with illusion magecraft. 451 460
• Eris — An accomplice in Merli’s attempt to incite conflict between Chaldea and the Giants. 285

Story Role / Major Arcs

Sea of Stars Holy Grail War

Merli helped construct the conditions for a Holy Grail War within the Sea of Stars, using her tower and dream magecraft to create a dimension-scale dream realm. She manipulated events from behind the scenes, summoned Servants, and evaded Martha through illusory bodies. 223 231

Martha’s Planet Revelation exposed Merli’s role in disrupting the war. Although Merli denied intending to create a Beast, her dream was simultaneously restraining Martha’s Human Evil, preventing Martha from killing or incapacitating her. 233

Merlin captured Merli after confronting the difference between their paths as parallel Nightmares. He later forced her assistance in repairing dimensional damage caused by Arthur’s Star Holy Sword. 234 237

Sakura’s Advisor and Lostbelt Companion

After contracting with Sakura, Merli became a recurring advisor and troublemaker in Sakura’s organization. She used Sakura’s potential in a scheme to prevent Chaldea’s creation and stimulate Da Vinci Lily into joining Sakura’s side. 242 255

In the Scandinavian Lostbelt, Merli healed Valkyries through dream power, tracked Merlin by his Nightmare scent, and launched her long-prepared revenge against him. Merlin only survived by invoking one of Solomon’s Ten Rings, after which Morgan removed him from the battlefield. 281 285 287 288 289

Qin Lostbelt Provocations

Merli leveraged Koyanskaya’s desire for resources to obtain technology and arrange conflict between Chaldea and the First Emperor. She then used illusion-controlled villagers to provoke Chaldea and leave evidence implicating herself, Merlin, and Koyanskaya. 329 330 331

Golden Hind Incident

Merli infiltrated the Golden Hind to interfere with Gudako’s egg, fought the King of the Caves, and detonated a hydrogen bomb inside the cabin. When the King of the Caves proved too strong, she attempted to provoke Sakura into intervening by destabilizing reality with dream power. 425 426

Sakura punished Merli by stripping her dream Authorities and teleporting her into Kurumi’s confinement. The incident became a major reason for Merli’s later caution about causing trouble that might rebound on Sakura’s allies. 426 469

Later Activities

Merli continued to support Sakura’s wider faction through illusion work, negotiations, and calculated mischief. She arranged aid for expeditions, joined groups moving through the desert and Area 51, and remained a source of concern even to Sakura’s strongest allies. 469 471 474 481

Notable Quotes

“Only an idiot wouldn't run~! Who wants to be hit by a barbarian like you!” 231

“I'm an actress! How can I not act?” 451