Merlin Vs Genius Joker— The Battle Of Minds

The air in the isolated battlefield was eerily silent, disturbed only by the soft rustling of pages.

Merlin adjusted his glasses, gripping his ornate staff tightly. Across from him, Genius Joker stood calmly, holding an old, leather-bound book.

Unlike the other Jokers, this one wasn't laughing.

His piercing gaze analyzed Merlin with cold intelligence. His sharp, well-kept suit contrasted the chaotic nature of his existence. His glasses gleamed under the dim light.

"Merlin, was it?" Genius Joker finally spoke, his voice smooth and calculated.

Merlin narrowed his eyes. "You already know my name. Let's not waste time."

Joker chuckled, flipping through the pages of his book. "Ah, but time is the essence of intelligence. The true measure of a strategist is how long they can survive against the unknown."

Merlin twirled his staff, the symbols carved into it glowing faintly. "I don't just plan to survive. I plan to win."

Joker smirked. "Then let's see how brilliant you truly are."

The battle began.

Joker attacked first.

He snapped his book shut. Instantly, the words from the pages manifested into the air, forming glowing glyphs that transformed into a barrage of floating quills.

Each quill shot toward Merlin like razor-sharp darts.

Merlin countered immediately, spinning his staff and conjuring a rotating barrier of golden symbols. The quills struck the barrier, fizzling out before reaching him.

Joker adjusted his glasses. "A basic counter. Expected."

Merlin grinned. "You expected that, huh?"

Without hesitation, he slammed his staff into the ground, sending a wave of magical energy toward Joker. The ground beneath Joker rippled like water, distorting reality.

Joker remained calm.

He opened his book again. This time, the words leapt off the pages, creating a massive chessboard beneath his feet.

Joker stepped aside, and the magical wave vanished upon touching the chessboard's tiles.

Merlin's eyes widened slightly. "He neutralized my magic?"

Joker smiled. "This battlefield is now mine."

The chessboard expanded, covering the entire arena. The sky darkened, turning into a massive library, filled with floating bookshelves.

Joker clasped his hands behind his back. "Now, let's play properly."

Merlin launched an attack first this time.

He raised his staff, summoning a golden sphere of arcane energy. The sphere split into multiple copies, each one rotating in midair.

They shot forward in random patterns—

Joker reacted instantly.

He tapped his book, and a grid-like pattern appeared in the air.

Each of Merlin's projectiles froze in place, suspended like captured pieces in a game.

Joker smirked. "Predictable."

Merlin clicked his tongue. "Not quite."

He twisted his staff sharply, and the projectiles shifted positions in a spiral formation.

The magic broke free from Joker's grid and shot toward him from multiple angles.

Joker's eyes narrowed.

Instead of dodging, he flipped his book open again.

"Gravity Shift."

The moment the spell was cast, the entire battlefield turned sideways.

Merlin's attacks veered off-course, spiraling away into the sky.

Merlin quickly adjusted, landing on the chessboard as if he were on a wall.

Joker landed effortlessly as well, standing on the side of a floating bookshelf.

Joker sighed. "You're competent, I'll admit. But this is a battle of minds. And in that battle, I am unmatched."

Merlin grinned. "Funny. I was thinking the same thing."

Merlin planted his staff into the chessboard. "No more testing. Let's end this."

Joker smiled, closing his book. "Agreed."

Both of them attacked at full force.

Joker snapped his fingers.

The bookshelves around him flipped open, and thousands of pages swirled like a hurricane. Words became weapons.

Swords made of text, chains crafted from sentences, lances built from paragraphs—all flew toward Merlin.

Merlin responded instantly.

He twirled his staff, summoning a massive wall of ancient scripts that intercepted the incoming attacks.

The two forces clashed—pure intellect versus magical knowledge.

Merlin then took the offensive.

He channeled his most powerful spell, inscribing glowing runes into the air.

"Equation of Balance."

The battlefield froze.

Every spell, every word, every effect—ceased moving.

Joker's eyes widened. "What did you—?"

Merlin grinned. "I calculated your moves three steps ahead. And I just canceled them all."

The frozen spells shattered into harmless light.

Joker stumbled back, his book flickering. His chessboard world began collapsing.

Merlin stepped forward, lifting his staff. "Checkmate."

Joker exhaled. Then, he laughed.

"Amazing."

The chessboard beneath him crumbled.

As his body faded into ink and pages, Joker smiled. "Perhaps intelligence is sometimes… dangerous."

Then, he vanished.

Merlin sighed, pushing his glasses up. "That was exhausting."

The battlefield returned to normal.

He took one last look at the empty space where Joker had stood.

Then he turned.

The others were still fighting.

It was time to regroup.