Defeating Merlin?

"I have to defeat you?" Zayn blurted out, pretty sure that he had misheard things.

However, Merlin's gleaming eyes and his head that nodded in affirmation were more than enough of an answer.

"Of course. If you cannot defeat me in my current state, how will you fare against the Chimera? It crippled me but that was only possible because I was still able to wield the powers granted by my God," Merlin clarified with burning passion in his voice. "If you want to defeat the Chimera, you have to fight and defeat me first!"

If Zayn didn't know better, he would have actually believed that Merlin was excited and impatiently challenging him to a duel to figure out how much of an improvement his student had acquired in a period of four months.

Merlin had only one arm right now, but he was still a capable B-rank Adventurer. Furthermore, he had two completed Soulrings and the soulframe of his Soulring was already completed.