In a corner of Boulder City, two ordinary-looking men dressed in black observed the battle between Blackbat and Merlin which was not too far away. They shook their heads powerlessly. "It looks like there's no hope. What a pity. Leon had killed Orsato and disbanded the entire Python Army. Initially, he had finished his mission but had provoked Blackbat. He's a goner for sure. Come on, let's return to Headquarters to report the situation."

These two men were members of Phantom's Investigation Team who had infiltrated Boulder City. Indeed, Phantom's members were everywhere. Every single thing that Merlin had done in this period was unequivocally known to Phantom.

Even the almighty beast's will that parasitized Merlin, the high-tier almighty beast Blood-eye Dragon, its origin was known to Phantom. Phantom was extremely scary. It was not surprising that they were the sharpest sword wielded by the royal family.

These two people had witnessed the entire process of Merlin and Blackbat's fight. Merlin had no hope of winning at all. The disparity was too immense. Furthermore, Blackbat was currently restraining Merlin. After all, once Blackbat took flight, Merlin could do nothing.

"Boom."

Suddenly, just as both of them were about to leave, the situation was reversed. Blackbat's massive body was suddenly caught by Merlin's claws and dragged to the ground. He crashed heavily, causing a loud thud.

"How could this be?"

The two members of the Investigation Team exchanged a glance, noticing the look of shock in each other's' eyes.

…

Merlin's Mind Power exploded instantly. Although one could not see anything on the outside, Blackbat felt fear from the depths of his soul. When the boundless Mind Power enveloped him, he erupted with all his might to resist it. However, it was futile. Mind Power was shapeless and soundless, pervading through every pore.

Therefore, despite Blackbat's valiant struggle, it was of no use. Merlin's Mind Power had already controlled Blackbat. Following that, Blackbat was just like a puppet, and his movements halted. Merlin seized this chance and grabbed with his claws.

"Bang."

Merlin's claws tore Blackbat down as his eyes flashed with a cold glint. Even the consciousness of the Blood-eye Dragon in Merlin's mind was unprecedentedly overjoyed.

This was a formidable full-shifter, yet he was beaten by Merlin and sent crashing heavily into the ground.

Nonetheless, it was not over yet. Merlin was already itching to kill. Anyone who knew about the secret of his Mind Power must die. Thus, his claws seized the Blackbat's colossal body and strained with effort.

"Roar…"

Merlin unleashed a thunderous Dragon's Roar. With strength coursing through his claws, he forcibly tore Blackbat's body into two halves.

Dark red blood splattered all over Merlin, emitting an overpowering, bloody stench, causing one to shudder with fear.

"Dead…."

"Commander Blackbat is dead…"

At this moment, those who were watching the battle between Blackbat and Merlin were rather incredulous. The full-shifter, Commander Blackbat, had died at the hands of a mere third-form shifter like Merlin. Furthermore, he had died in such a miserable manner, torn in half instantly.

Currently, in their eyes, Merlin was a symbol of cruelty and terror. Some of the higher-ups of the Blackbat Militia had decided to flee at once. They had been coerced into joining the militia by Blackbat. Now that Blackbat was dead, naturally, no one would stick their necks out for him. With their subordinates in tow, they had swiftly fled from Boulder City.

Naturally, Merlin knew that many observers were surrounding him, but he no longer cared. Killing Blackbat would likely make many people fearful. At the same time, exposing his high-tier almighty beast's will would induce covetous desires in other powerful Hosts.

Even so, Merlin was unafraid because if he returned to Phantom this time, he would obtain many contribution points to exchange for many batches of the Nourishment Pond formula. At that point, the Blood-eye Dragon's bloodline would reach the peak of the fourth-form shifting. With a high-tier almighty beast's strength, Merlin could then truly contend against those full-shifting fighters.

"Boulder City… That's the manor where I once lived!"

Merlin looked up toward the Count's Manor in the distance. However, the present Count's Manor was already used by Blackbat as his residence. Thus, Merlin acted as if no one else was around and headed directly to the Count's Manor.

The two intelligence agents from Phantom who were hiding in a corner of Boulder City finally recovered from their shock. Although they were still somewhat in disbelief that Merlin could kill Blackbat, the truth was right before their eyes. Blackbat was directly torn into two halves.

They knew that from today onward, Merlin would truly catch the attention of the empire's higher-ups. Any contender comparable to a full-shifter would receive the focused interest of the royal family.

Furthermore, Merlin was loyal to the royal family, a member of Phantom which the royal family heavily relied upon.

"You stay here and watch Leon closely. I'll report to Headquarters!"

The two men in black broke out into smiles. With such important intelligence, the awarded contribution points would not be insignificant. It would be comparable to a few months of missions.

Thus, one of the black-clothed person's figure flashed slightly. Just like a shadow, inconspicuously, he noiselessly drifted out of Boulder City.

…

In the Count's Manor, Merlin had resumed his ordinary appearance, no longer exhibiting his shifted form. Nonetheless, no one dared to underestimate him anymore. The people in the manor had received the news and each made their escape. Currently, the manor was empty.

Some of them had not left but instead, knelt in the manor, not even daring to lift their heads. They were welcoming their new master.

Merlin came to a woman with a graceful figure, who looked to be thirty years old, and asked coldly, "Why didn't you run?"

This woman wore the clothes of aristocrats and appeared to live a noble life. She was not a servant, and her features were beautiful too.

The woman's body was trembling somewhat, but she still answered, "We were captured by Blackbat, who also destroyed our clans. We have no home to return to. In this chaotic world, where can we run to? We're better off asking for Master's mercy, allowing us to stay in this manor. We're even willing to be Master's maidservants."

Other than this woman, several other women also knelt on the ground. Some of them were slaves, and they were unafraid while others were like the first woman, having been seized from the surrounding aristocratic homes by Blackbat. Their clans had been destroyed, and they were homeless now. In this world of chaos, leaving the manor was a death wish, resulting in an even more tragic outcome.

Merlin had seen many cases like this, but he said slowly, "All of you can stay. However, you must tell me, what did Blackbat leave behind?"

The woman replied hurriedly, "I know Blackbat likes collecting treasures the most, so he's hidden them in the manor's basement. I'll bring you there, Master."

"There's no need. I'm more familiar with this manor than you are. This place was initially mine!"

With that, Merlin paid no more mind to these women, immediately striding toward the basement.