"Why? You scared?"

The man acted disrespectfully but his gaze turned incredibly piercing.

By this time, Merlin had a good guess of his opponent's identity. There was only one person similar to a full-shifter in the Combat Team. It was Blackbear Hert, the Team Leader.

"Hehe, why, are you afraid? You managed to kill Blackbat after all. Come on, you were appointed as Deputy Team Leader out of nowhere. Unless you spar with me, your subordinates won't respect you properly."

Merlin did not know the rules of the Combat Team, but he knew that they were a group of unruly people. These people faced death on a daily basis, so naturally, they would be harder to defeat.

It seemed like a spar with Hert was his entrance exam for the Combat Team.

After pondering on it, Merlin did not refuse and nodded in acceptance. "Then, I will witness Team Leader's Ursus King almighty beast!"

Hert's almighty beast bloodline was from the famous Ursus King. It was considered one of the top bloodlines among the mid-tier almighty beast bloodlines. It was more fearsome than Count Stanwin's Deinosuchus bloodline, and also far beyond Blackbat's capabilities.

No matter where it was, the Ursus King was a monstrous existence. Therefore, Merlin was curious to find out the true extent of combat power in this world too.

Therefore, Merlin stepped onto the platform and faced Hert. This platform was constructed out of special materials, so it was able to withstand a gigantic impact. However, none of them moved. They simply stared at one another.

Unconsciously, many people began to gather around the platform. Even those who were sparring on the other platforms stopped and looked with a hint of excitement in their eyes.

"Team Leader is throwing his moves again. I wonder who the unfortunate victim is this time?"

"I've never seen this person, is he a newcomer?"

"He doesn't look like it. This person may seem young, but his aura is quite impressive. However, he's unlucky that he has to go against the Team Leader."

In the crowd, there was one person whom Merlin was rather familiar with. It was the bewildering woman, Iza.

"Iza, you've engaged this Leon before, what do you think about him?"

Standing beside Iza was a beefy man who looked like a barbarian. He exuded a ruthless aura. No one was willing to stand near him.

Iza glanced at Merlin on top of the platform. A serious look appeared on her face as she replied calmly, "He's very strong, but Team Leader should be able to handle him just fine!"

"Oh? If even Iza acknowledges him to be strong, he must be something. It looks like he didn't just kill Blackbat with sheer luck. Hehe. Anyway, he will suffer at the hands of the Team Leader."

This ruthless man grinned.

"Boom".

While the crowd was still trying to guess his identity, Merlin made the first move. He wielded the Fourth-form instantaneously and shifted into a terrifying ancient almighty beast. His fierce aura rolled in every direction of the room.

However, it was the wings behind Merlin's back that was truly astounding. A rare and ancient aura leaked into the air, causing those with lower-tier bloodlines to feel slightly suppressed.

"Bloodline suppression? Looks like it's a high-tier almighty beast bloodline… No, you're a Host, so it must be a high-tier almighty beast will!"

Hert licked his lips and revealed a malicious smile. Then, his body also expanded and a more terrifying aura appeared.

Hert transformed into a vicious black bear. This was an Ursus King, the king of bears, the top existence among the mid-tier almighty beasts. Since Hert was a full-shifter, his head had shifted, so he could wield a hundred percent of the King Ursus' abilities.

Merlin did not show any sign of weakness. He let out a huge dragon roar that could almost tear a person apart. Subsequently, he attacked. With a flap of his wings, his speed was enhanced.

"Haha, good!" Hert laughed. With a thunderous clap of his bear paws, his body grew even taller than before. He then rushed towards Merlin with massive strides.

"Bang".

This was a hard impact. Merlin was an existence similar to a full-shifter, but he was only comparable to a low-tier almighty beast bloodline full-shifter. Compared to Hert's Ursus King, Merlin was still lacking.

Therefore, this impact affected Merlin greatly. His entire body trembled, as though he would fall apart at any time. Even the Blood-eyed Dragon's will inside his Awareness stopped roaring. It had obviously sensed the formidableness of its foe.

"Crack."

The platform, which was supposed to be exceptionally sturdy and could not be damaged no matter how much the Fourth-form shifters attacked it, actually snapped upon the first direct impact between Merlin and Hert. It looked like the platform would not be able to withstand a second hit, which testified to the power of both men.

Meanwhile, the people gathered around the platform had been stunned into silence upon witnessing the direct impact. This was the true prowess of full-shifters. It made them feel a sense of powerlessness.

At this moment, no one was smiling and no one dared to underestimate Merlin, because none of them could have withstood Hert's attack.

"Haha, yes, that felt good! It has been a long time since anyone could block my attack. I'm eager for you to achieve the level of a full-shifter. Seeing as you have the will of a high-tier almighty beast, if you become a full-shifter, I most likely won't be the one who would be able to compete against you. Leon, welcome to the Combat Team as Deputy Team Leader!"

Hert seemed to have given Merlin his stamp of approval. Both of them resumed their original appearances and leaped down from the platform. Most of the crowd dispersed, seemingly afraid of Hert. Only a few people remained, including the ruthless-looking man and the petite woman.

"It's you? Iza?"

Of course, Merlin was able to recognize her with a single glance. This was the woman who had ambushed him for no reason, and after being injured by him, managed to recover quickly and escaped. That had astonished Merlin to no end.

Now, he finally met Iza again. He gazed at her in an assessing manner, but she looked completely unscathed and there were no signs of injuries.

"What, Leon, you've already met Iza?"

Hert raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing, there was some misunderstanding before this," Merlin replied casually.

"Haha, Iza went to cause trouble with you? I'm sure she did. You were suddenly named as our Deputy Team Leader out of thin air, many of them were disgruntled. Iza probably went to test your abilities on behalf of someone else. Firstly, her abilities are quite strong, and secondly, due to her natural talent, she's not afraid of getting hurt."

"Not afraid of getting hurt?"

Merlin was curious. He looked at Iza and looked back at Hert uncomprehendingly.

"Iza's almighty beast bloodline is the rare Snow Rabbit. This type of almighty beast does not possess strong attacking powers, but their life source is extremely tenacious and they heal at an accelerated rate. Therefore, as long as they don't die, they can recover in the shortest possible time. She has completed many missions, and most of the time, she uses this talent to escape alive." Hert explained to Merlin.

"I see, no wonder when I injured her, she was able to recover so quickly…"

Merlin stared at Iza with amazement. He did not expect that her almighty beast bloodline was so unique and possessed such a tenacious life source. In addition, her rate of recovery was incredible. As long as she was not killed with a single hit, she was able to recover in the shortest possible time. Such a natural talent was indeed powerful.

"Deputy Team Leader is impressive as well. If you had unleashed the full extent of your power before this, I might not have been able to withstand that hit. I, Iza, will be your first supporter when you take up the position as Deputy Team Leader!"

Iza smiled sweetly. She might look like a sweet and innocent girl, but in the Combat Team, no one dared to provoke this fearsome woman.