My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

"What do you mean—" Before Merlin could continue, an incredibly terrifying Chaos Power aura suddenly emanated from Leon's body, slowly enveloping the entire field inside the barrier with menacing pressure.

The aura's emergence caused the space within the barrier to warp, threatening to shatter it, leaving Merlin wide-eyed in shock and breaking out in a cold sweat, struggling to breathe.

"Such a terrible aura..." Merlin panted, fear etched on his face.

Under the pressure of the aura emitted by Leon, Merlin felt an overwhelming sense of death and despair—emotions he had never experienced in his entire life.

Not even the aura of the Demon Emperor, Her Majesty Liliana, the strongest he had ever encountered, had inspired such gripping fear in him.

With an expression full of terror, Merlin looked up at Leon, who was still smiling, a purplish-black aura radiating and condensing around him.

"Who are you? Tell me! How can you possess such terrifying power!?" Merlin exclaimed in horror, his face turning pale as he instinctively retreated a step.

As a Demon General, Merlin had extensive connections and knowledge of the powerful figures in this world, such as Demon Emperor Liliana, Dragon Empress Athena Hellness of the Dragon Empire, and Leon Kruger, the Sword Hero of Mankind, who had died in the Desert of Chaos.

However, the man standing across from him was completely mysterious, possessing terrifying powers that Merlin had never heard of or seen before, filling him with extreme fear.

Listening to this, Leon simply shook his head and replied nonchalantly, "I told you, you don't need to know who I am. However, one thing is certain—I know you very well."

After Leon uttered those words, his figure suddenly vanished with astonishing speed and reappeared right in front of Merlin, his expression indifferent.

With his right palm open, coated in the power of chaos, Leon charged straight toward Merlin's chest.

Faced with Leon's sudden attack, Merlin felt the specter of imminent death and instinctively raised the Gramory Demon Sword in his right hand as a defense.

*Boom!*

As Leon's attack clashed against the Gramory Demon Sword, Merlin's eyes widened. In an instant, he was hurled backward like a bullet, crashing heavily into the barrier.

*Boom!*

"Pufft!" The forceful impact and collision with the barrier caused Merlin to immediately cough up blood, and his face contorted in agony.

"Argh..." Merlin groaned in pain, clutching his chest with a pale expression, resembling someone who had lost a significant amount of blood.

Although Leon's attack was successfully withstood, the aftermath was truly horrifying. He felt his organs shift from the impact, eliciting a pained groan.

Yet, before he could recover, Leon suddenly teleported and twisted in mid-air, aiming a left-footed kick at Merlin's neck.

"Not good!" Merlin exclaimed, swiftly moving into a defensive stance with both hands.

*Boom!*

Once again, Leon's powerful attack sent Merlin hurtling like a bullet, crashing into the opposite side of the barrier with an explosive impact that made the magic barrier tremble, as if on the verge of collapse.

"Pufft! Cough! Cough!" Merlin lay on the ground, looking visibly embarrassed.

His handsome face, usually vibrant, now appeared unusually pale, with blood continuing to trickle from his mouth, and his arms, bearing the brunt of Leon's assault, seemed broken.

Additionally, his gray eyes, usually sharp, now looked pale and weary, threatening to close at any moment.

Leon's attack had left his entire body paralyzed, rendering him immobile.

Moreover, he felt not just displacement but destruction of his internal organs this time.

Had he not been determined to stay conscious, he might have succumbed to unconsciousness long ago.

On the other hand, observing Merlin's condition, Leon ceased his attacks and approached with a mocking gaze.

"Why do you look like you're ready to keel over? Weren't you always so arrogant with me? Or was that all just an act, and you're actually this weak?" Leon sneered coldly, arms folded across his chest.

Leon's mockery caused a slight flush of anger and embarrassment to spread across Merlin's pale face.

To him, pride and self-respect were sacred, never to be insulted. Leon's words and relentless taunting felt like salt rubbed into an open wound, igniting fury and hatred within him!

"Arghhh! I can't bear this... I can't!" Merlin shouted, gripped by relentless pain.

However, he paid no heed to the pain; this time, he had truly lost, an outcome he found unbearable.

Furthermore, this defeat occurred in front of the person he admired and loved most, who was watching him now!

*Boom!*

As if ignited by his fury, suddenly, an incredibly potent surge of Demonic power erupted from Merlin's body like a terrifying tsunami.

The demonic power continued to emanate relentlessly, instantly clouding the once-clear sky.

"I can't lose... I can't..." Merlin, previously motionless and covered in wounds like a dying man, struggled to his feet, his gray eyes slowly turning red.

As Merlin's red eyes locked onto Leon, an intense aura of killing intent radiated from him, as if his gaze alone could crush Leon into pieces.

Meanwhile, Leon, witnessing Merlin's sudden transformation, felt both surprise and curiosity.

This was the first time he had seen Merlin undergo such a change; even in their countless battles on the battlefield, Merlin had never transformed like this after being defeated by him multiple times, leaving Leon somewhat astonished.

Nevertheless, instead of fear, it filled him with excitement.

"Interesting... Very interesting. It seems Merlin hasn't been idle in his growth, as I guessed earlier," Leon muttered, a wide smile spreading across his lips.

Just as he pondered, Merlin, across from him, completed his transformation.

With the explosion of his demonic power, all his wounds instantly healed, and the aura he emitted seemed stronger than ever.

Yet Merlin was noticeably different now. His eyes burned a deep red with an intense, menacing aura.

Simultaneously, two large horns protruded from his forehead, and black armor materialized on his body, making him appear terrifying.

"Die... Die..." Merlin continued to mutter, surrounded by a reddish-black aura.

Extending his right hand to the side, Merlin summoned the Gramory Demon Sword from two hundred meters away, the blade flying back to him with startling speed.

*Whoosh!*

In a movement faster than the blink of an eye, Merlin materialized before Leon and swiftly slashed from top to bottom, aiming for his neck.

Observing the attack, Leon maintained a nonchalant expression and evaded by leaning backward slightly.

*Boom!*

Merlin's strike struck the grassy ground with tremendous force, shattering it and creating a meter-deep hole.

Immediately after, Leon pivoted his body, channeling the chaotic power into his right leg, and delivered a powerful kick straight to the side of Merlin's head.

*Boom!*

As Leon's powerful and swift attack struck his head, Merlin was sent flying for hundreds of meters before crashing hard, causing the magic barrier to instantly crack.

"Cough! Cough!" Merlin coughed up blood once again.

Surprisingly, Merlin showed no signs of pain this time; instead, his face twisted into a ferocious expression of anger, seemingly unaffected by the pain from Leon's attack.

Witnessing this, Leon was naturally surprised and a little perplexed.

"How strange. My earlier attack was potentially fatal. Yet, despite his severe injuries, Merlin isn't paralyzed as he was before," Leon muttered, intrigued by Merlin's apparent new ability.

Unfortunately, in the brief moment he had to react, Merlin vanished from sight and reappeared behind him in a flash, slashing toward the back of his neck.

Swiftly, Leon evaded and twisted his body, delivering an incredibly powerful punch to Merlin's stomach.

*Boom!*

Merlin was once again sent flying and crashed into the barrier, causing a section of it to crack.

"Ugh..." Merlin groaned in pain. Nevertheless, he showed no signs of giving up, struggling to rise to his feet despite his body being riddled with fatal wounds.

Observing Merlin's condition, Leon's eyes widened as a realization dawned on him.

"So that's it! No wonder!" Leon muttered, taking a deep breath while watching Merlin, who panted with a hateful gaze fixed on him.

Merlin's state resembled a forbidden technique that pushed one's potential to the limit.

This technique, often called the "Desperation Technique," was typically used by those on the brink of death to make a last-ditch escape.

However, it came with severe consequences, including losing one's mind and causing extensive damage to the body.

Although Merlin hadn't displayed any specific techniques yet, Leon was certain his condition was not much different.

Taking a small breath, Leon looked at Merlin, who was poised to attack again, with a pitying expression.

"This guy is really desperate," Leon muttered under his breath.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, Merlin appeared before him, wielding the fiery, red-glowing Gramory Demon Sword.

Instead of dodging as before, Leon simply raised his right hand.

*Bang!*

As the sound of an enormous explosion rang out and the red light from the Gramory Demon Sword gradually faded, an astonishing event unfolded.

Leon, with his right hand, had effortlessly blocked Merlin's attack without sustaining any injuries.

Seeing this, Merlin's red eyes widened in disbelief, and he attempted to pull the sword away from Leon.

Unfortunately, Leon's grip was terrifyingly strong, rendering Merlin's efforts futile.

"Why? Are you surprised?" Leon asked with a playful smile as his hair returned to black and his purple eyes slowly turned to gold.

"Argh!" Merlin roared, channeling his demonic power in a desperate attempt to free the sword from Leon's grasp, but it was all in vain.

Leon let out a small sigh, shook his head, and muttered, "Well, let's end this."

*Buzz!*

Suddenly, his golden eyes emitted an unusually bright white light as he stared into Merlin's red eyes and exclaimed loudly, "Hero Technique: Sword Domain!"

*Whoosh!*

Instantly, the white light from Leon's eyes enveloped the entire area within the barrier.

The light continued to shine brightly until it gradually dimmed and finally disappeared.

Merlin, who had previously lost his mind, suddenly regained consciousness, his red eyes returning to normal.

As he looked at Leon, whose eyes still shone brightly, his expression was filled with fear and horror, as if he had seen a ghost.

"That power... There's no mistaking it... Impossible... You... you are—" Before Merlin could finish his sentence, the excruciating pain from Leon's previous attack hit him, causing him to lose consciousness and collapse to the ground.

As Leon looked at Merlin, the bright white light in his eyes gradually faded, returning to normal, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"You realized it too late, fool..."