"What?" General Lei asked, bewildered, turning to Merlyn.
"What you've done to Arus is exactly what I desired—hatred, chaos, destruction. This is what I wanted to see. I merely sacrificed an ant," Merlyn laughed maniacally.
"Tch!" Jin, standing beside General Lei, clicked his tongue. In an instant, Jin darted towards Merlyn with incredible speed and lifted his leg, aiming a swift kick at him.
However, no matter how hard Jin tried, his kick couldn't reach Merlyn. It was as if an invisible barrier in the air stopped it, preventing him from touching Merlyn's body, no matter how forcefully he struck.
Merlyn slowly extended his hand toward Jin, who screamed in pain. His body convulsed before being lifted off the ground, floating helplessly in the air.
"Hehehe..." Merlyn's wicked grin widened. He raised his hand slowly, and Jin's body followed, levitating above him.
"Ha ha ha! You're fast, aren't you? You've even surpassed General Lei in speed. Someone with such speed in Arus must be from his family. You must be his brother," Merlyn sneered, staring up at Jin, now floating above him. Jin's face contorted in agony, his limbs splayed, completely unable to control his body.
"Merlyn!" General Lei suddenly roared in fury. In a flash, he rushed toward Merlyn, clenching his fist and striking with all his might at Merlyn's head. But, like Jin, his attack couldn't harm Merlyn. It was as though an invisible shield enveloped Merlyn, protecting him from all angles.
"General Lei, I have no time to play with you right now. Hehehe..." Merlyn's gaze remained fixed on the floating Jin, indifferent to Lei's assault.
"Damn it!" Frustrated, General Lei continued to strike at Merlyn's head with powerful punches, but no matter how many times he attacked, Merlyn remained unfazed.
"Sigh, I suppose I have no choice but to teach you a lesson." Merlyn smirked and, with a swift motion, raised his hand again. Immediately, Jin shot upward toward the sky.
"Jin!" General Lei and Lisa cried out in unison as they watched Jin soar into the air.
"Where are you looking, General Lei?" Merlyn taunted, his voice dripping with malice. He extended his hand toward Lei, and a burst of white energy shot out, striking the unguarded General Lei.
"What?" General Lei exclaimed in shock, hastily raising his arms to shield himself. But the force of the white shockwave was overwhelming, sending the powerful General flying, crashing into the palace wall. Meanwhile, Jin, having reached a certain height, began to plummet rapidly back toward the ground.
Elsewhere, Lisa and Will, who had been sent flying earlier, slowly regained their footing.
"Lisa, are you alright?" Will asked, struggling to stand.
"I'm... I'm fine," Lisa replied, also rising from the ground.
"Thank goodness you cast that shield in time, or we would both be finished," Will said, relieved.
"Merlyn's power has been greatly amplified by that cursed stone. Even behind the shield, we were still thrown so far," Lisa explained.
Suddenly, there was a loud thud, and in front of them, Jin crashed into the earth, creating a massive crater.
"Jin!" Will and Lisa shouted in unison, rushing toward him.
"Hmph, only you two are left." Merlyn's voice echoed, cold and mocking, as he slowly advanced toward Will and Lisa.
"Now, I'll show you the true power of the cursed stone," Merlyn declared, placing the stone against his chest. Slowly, the stone began to float, as though alive. Merlyn murmured an incantation under his breath, and the stone began to emit a purple glow. He directed it toward the ground, and a beam of black-purple light shot from the stone, forming a circle on the ground.
"Hehehe, rise, my warrior!" Merlyn bellowed. From within the circle, a soldier clad in full armor, wielding a massive broad sword, emerged.
"This... is impossible!" Will gasped in disbelief.
"Teleportation magic. It's a variant of the teleportation spell, one that the dark magicians favor most," Lisa said gravely, her eyes locked on the summoned soldier.
"Teleportation magic?"
"Yes. Originally, it was a spell used to transport people from one place to another, but dark mages have twisted it into a means of forcibly summoning demons and undead from the depths of hell," Lisa explained.
"Demons? Undead?" Will asked in shock.
"Yes. The soldier in front of you is no longer human. He is an undead from hell," Lisa said, her expression grim.
"Undead... does it have any weaknesses?" Will asked in a low voice, gripping his holy sword Durandal.
"I don't know. This is the first time I'm facing one as well," Lisa replied quietly.
"Are you only now deciding how to deal with it?" Merlyn sneered at the two, a wicked smile curling on his lips.
"Does this worthless creature really need us to make a plan?" Will shouted, trying to maintain his composure.
"Hmph, go, my warrior!" Merlyn roared.
As Merlyn's words left his mouth, the undead warrior began to move toward Will and Lisa. Its gait was unnatural, as if it were an empty shell, devoid of a soul.
The undead soldier took a heavy step and swung its broad sword toward the two, its movements brutal and uncoordinated.
"Move!" Will shouted, shoving Lisa aside just in time. He raised his holy sword Durandal to block the heavy blow.
The undead warrior's strength was immense. Even with his giant-like power, Will struggled to hold the sword steady, his hands trembling under the pressure.
'Damn it! What is this force? Has my giant strength failed me?' Will thought as sweat poured down his face from the effort of blocking the attack.
"Ah, you managed to block the undead warrior's attack? The strength of the giant's power is truly remarkable," Merlyn observed with a sinister grin.
"What?" Will exclaimed in shock.
"What's this expression? Surprised I know about your giant strength? Hahaha, after I returned, I conducted a thorough investigation into you, boy," Merlyn laughed, gloating.
"Tch!" Will clicked his tongue in disdain.
"If that's the case, can you still block it?" Merlyn taunted, raising the cursed stone in his hand. A beam of purple light shot from the stone, striking the undead warrior. The warrior let out a beastly roar, and purple light flickered from the seams of its armor.
"What... what's happening?" Will muttered, his confusion growing.
Before he could finish, the undead warrior swung its sword again, and this time, its strength had grown even greater. Will barely managed to block the strike, but the force sent him flying.
"Damn it... it's gotten even stronger," Will muttered through gritted teeth, struggling to rise after rolling several times on the ground. His hand, still gripping his sword, trembled uncontrollably. Pain coursed through him as he slowly lifted his head. In front of him stood the undead warrior, ready to strike again.