Chapter 207: The Betrayal

"I want the Pandora Mana you carry."

Laiseen's voice was cold, and as he spoke, a spell scroll had somehow appeared in his hand.

*Boom.*

The scroll emitted a faint yellow glow as dense earth elemental energy rapidly condensed, forming into a spear.

"Earth Spear!"

The spear spun violently, vibrating the air around it, and in an instant, it flew straight at Merlin. Although it didn't appear particularly powerful, Merlin sensed an intense threat.

"Guardian Monument!"

With a loud shout, Merlin summoned a series of stone slabs in front of him, glowing dimly. This was his *Guardian Monument* spell, cast in rapid succession three times to fortify his defense.

However, when the Earth Spear made contact with the monuments, it tore through them as if they were nothing, leaving Merlin feeling suffocated by its razor-sharp momentum.

"This isn't a level-three spell… it's level-four!"

Merlin quickly cast another *Guardian Monument*, this time strengthened by his amplification tool. The enhanced version could match the power of a level-three defensive spell, making it Merlin's strongest defense.

*Crack.*

The Guardian Monument cracked under the force of the Earth Spear, briefly holding it back before shattering entirely.

*Thud.*

Pain surged through Merlin's chest as he was hurled backward, crashing heavily onto the ground. He gasped in pain, the impact having shattered most of the spear's strength before it struck, but even so, his chest was left a bloodied mess, his flesh torn and bleeding. He was barely holding onto life, his body nearly paralyzed by weakness.

"Laiseen!" he growled, his face twisting with fury. Though critically injured and immobilized, his mind remained sharp, and he quickly directed his mental power toward Laiseen.

"Mana Art, Finger of Frost!"

With a final burst of strength, Merlin raised his right hand, cold energy gathering at his fingertips as it shot toward Laiseen. His hand dropped limply to the ground afterward, his chest rising and falling as he gasped for air.

"You're still alive?" Laiseen's face showed a flash of terror. He was all too familiar with the devastating power of Merlin's Finger of Frost, so he hastily commanded his alchemic creature to stand in front of him.

*Crack.*

The creature instantly froze as the icy energy enveloped it, covering its body in thick frost. The chilling energy even spread to Laiseen's arm, freezing it solid.

Without hesitation, Laiseen drew a large blade from his ring and, gritting his teeth, swung it down.

*Slash.*

The blade severed his half-frozen arm, sending a spray of blood onto the ground. He looked at his severed limb, now reduced to shards of ice, with a pale face. Laiseen's heart raced as he recognized the terrifying force of Pandora Mana up close. The ice quickly spread over his creature as well, its form cracking and shattering into fragments that scattered across the floor.

Laiseen's expression turned dark. He had thought everything through carefully, even preparing a rare level-four spell scroll to strike Merlin unawares after obtaining the Pandora Mana. Everything had gone according to plan until Merlin's resilience and Pandora Mana allowed him to counterattack.

"What a shame. If I'd managed to kill you and take your Pandora Mana, I would possess two forms of it," he murmured with regret. But with Merlin lying motionless and unable to continue, Laiseen saw no reason to linger close to him.

Determined, Laiseen turned to the stone wall near the doorway and pressed a concealed mechanism.

"It's over…"

He knew the ancient tower's layout well. A heavy grinding sound echoed as he activated the secret lever, causing the stone door to slide shut.