"...Aah~!!"
The researcher in the white lab coat let out a terrified scream, trembling all over.
General MacArthur rushed over at the sound, violently grabbing him by the collar and demanding, "What the hell are you barking about?!"
"The IP address... we found it."
The white-coated researcher nervously swallowed.
"What?!"
General MacArthur froze.
The many geniuses also gathered around the researcher in shock.
Earlier, these elite professionals had cast aside their pride and joined forces, yet they had still failed to breach Merlin's firewall.
That bastard was as elusive as a divine dragon, unfathomable and mysterious, without even the slightest trace to follow.
And now...
They had actually broken through?
"Yes~"
The researcher gritted his teeth nervously and shouted as though risking everything, "We found it... Merlin's Twitter IP address is at 36 degrees north latitude and 144 degrees east longitude!"
General MacArthur had been somewhat delighted at first, but his expression quickly changed in fury and horror.
"Wait..."
"Isn't that location in the Pacific Ocean?!"
The moment he finished speaking, he stared fearfully at the beautiful figure on the television screen.
This time, they had truly tracked down a god.
"Who are you?!"
Above the Pacific Ocean, a king clad in black questioned him in a deep voice.
He clutched his bleeding shoulder, his brows drawn tight.
Drops of bewitching and magnificent True Ancestor blood fell into the sea. Their surging vitality nourished the creatures within, breeding even more vampires.
He was clearly an ancient being, radiating an emperor's bearing. As the ruler of the War King domain, countless years had tempered him into a majestic and heroic figure.
He was Kayn Juran Balada.
Bearing the title of True Ancestor, his strength was infinitely close to the Sixth Order.
Only he dared to snatch food from a tiger's mouth under the pressure of that terrifying oni god.
However.
Faced with such solid and terrifying pressure, the other person seemed somewhat unconcerned.
"Yoho~, I'm Merlin. What can I do for you?"
The silver-haired beauty smiled faintly, utterly unconcerned.
With that smile, heaven and earth seemed to lose their color in an instant, as though all splendor had been stolen away.
All over the world, countless young girls and married women cried out, unconsciously pressing their legs together.
For a time, people young and old alike were intoxicated and captivated by him. He was beautiful beyond anything human... no, more precisely, Merlin was not human. He was a Mixed Nightmare, a charming creature most skilled at toying with human hearts.
In ancient times, he would have been a demon capable of bringing down nations, an evil spirit that led people into madness.
In modern times, if he debuted as an idol, he would become a global idol!
At this very moment, countless men, women, young, and old were wildly hammering their keyboards, shrieking and roaring in excitement as they vented their emotions hysterically, expressing their admiration and affection for the silver-haired beauty.
This was the living, breathing Merlin!!
"Merlin?"
The First True Ancestor recalled something and frowned. "I've seen him before. He was a white-haired old man."
His tone was certain, yet it carried a questioning uncertainty and suspicion.
Anyone capable of severing one of his arms with a magic staff might even be stronger than him. There were not many demons, monsters, ghosts, or humans on Earth who could reach such a realm, yet throughout his long life, Kayn Juran Balada had never encountered this person.
That was practically impossible!
How could a powerhouse of this level lie dormant for thousands of years just to fabricate a lie?
"I came from a Parallel World. I built a tower in Avalon, where I neither aged nor died, eternally gazing upon the human world."
Merlin smiled calmly. "I saw hell, so I came."
"Where the Magus of Flowers stands, there is only land overflowing with hope."
"Are you here to drive back this brutal fiend?" Kayn Juran Balada frowned, gazing at the oni god that had fully descended into the human world below. "Or are you... planning to take my sword?"
One sentence,
Yet two questions of entirely different natures.
He seemed more inclined to believe Merlin's words and readily accepted the theory of Parallel Worlds.
"Both."
The silver-haired man's smile was radiant. "A correction: this is not your sword. It is King Arthur's sword."
"There's no room for negotiation?"
The True Ancestor frowned even more deeply.
Unless it came to the very end, he did not wish to fight either the oni god or the mysterious Merlin.
Both were beings on the same level as himself.
A War King did not fear battle, but he did not wish to start a fight he had no certainty of winning.
The Magus of Flowers chuckled. "You can leave."
"I can't leave." Kayn Juran Balada shook his head.
It seemed.
It seemed it was already unavoidable.
The True Ancestor drew a deep breath, his entire body tensing as surging power gathered in his fists.
Terrifying dense mist rose over the Pacific Ocean, shrouding hundreds of miles in an unreal haze. Mixed within it was the weathered weight of ages, proof of the countless bloody battles Kayn Juran Balada had endured!
For a moment, the sea churned and enormous waves crashed against the shore, rolling up layer upon layer of surging tides.
His fighting spirit raged!!
That terrifying aura was suffocating.
In front of televisions, viewers from all corners of the world nervously held their breath.
Could the unserious Mage Merlin really stand against such an invincible presence?
On the battlefield, the silver-haired beauty smiled and shook a finger meaningfully.
"Wait a moment. I'll deal with that unlovable little fellow down there first."
"?"
Looking at the oni god, grander than a ten-thousand-ton aircraft carrier, the entire world froze.
Kayn Juran Balada was also somewhat stunned. He looked at the savage, terrifying oni god roaring below, which was preparing to swim toward the shore... Wait, you called that thing a little fellow?
Are you serious, brother?
Suddenly.
"Mr. Merlin, do you need us to use Big Ivan to wear it down first?"
Under orders from the higher-ups, the blonde female reporter broadcasting from the fighter jet excitedly shouted toward the Pacific.
Many people unconsciously smiled.
If humanity could help Mage Merlin share some of the burden, they would feel honored as well.
After all, Merlin was about to fight two opponents alone!
"No need. Leave this place to me..."
Merlin's smile deepened. "I've wanted to say a line like that for a long time."
The world was stunned.
Why was this guy so unserious?
The next instant, a roar stunned billions of people.
"Roar roar~!!"
The reporter's shout seemed to attract the oni god's attention. It roared furiously, its howl blasting through clouds across a hundred miles. Thick, poisonous corpse water fell from the dark clouds, whipping up a terrifying tornado.
A pair of horrifying hands covered in black fur came crashing down, their heavy shadows blotting out the sky.
They were filled with the stench of decay.
As though they had crawled out of hell, maliciously seeking to drag every living thing inside.
Then, amid the reporter's scream, the camera shook violently and unstably.
The viewers' hearts clenched at once.
Damn.
Was this cute young lady about to die?
"Tsk~ Looks like I'll have to bring out my special move too."
Merlin smiled as he watched, his manner somewhat frivolous.
As his words fell, his slender hand rose, and the Sword in the Stone, its holy radiance dim, flew effortlessly into his grasp.
At this moment, the graceful silver-haired man smiled like a bright moon. The holy sword suddenly bloomed with incomparably beautiful snowy radiance, lending him an ethereal beauty beyond this world.
Of all the beauty in the world, Merlin alone claimed a full measure for himself.
At a glance, he seemed to stand at the center of the world, beautiful enough to make hearts tremble.
"Eh, eh, eh, eh...?!"
After finally coming back to their senses, people scratched their heads in astonishment.
History had never recorded Mage Merlin knowing how to wield a sword, had it?
"Whoosh!!"
A strand of snow-white radiance bloomed, its sword light extending like a comet that pierced heaven and earth.
No one could say for certain.
Whether it was truly a strand of light, or something else entirely.
Yet it was filled with holiness, nobility, passion, and righteousness...
Above the sea of clouds, the beautiful Shuten-doji excitedly leaped down from her throne and burst into a surging, bold laugh. "Come, let me, Shuten-doji, judge the power belonging to you Heroic Spirits—the immortal radiance that blooms!"
Ibaraki-doji covered her face.
Why did this woman love watching fights so much?
Hoori Town, Muramasa buzzed madly as the green-haired loli gritted her teeth, suppressing the sword's instinctive excitement.
"Stop it already, damn it!!"
She shouted in embarrassed fury.
Europe, a land of darkness...
Within the Empire of Night, countless vampires trembled, their hands and feet icy cold as they felt overwhelming terror.
Lord First True Ancestor, you have to win...