"D*mn it, Shadow King, it's up to you now. My skills aren't really useful here!"

The Phantom King roared furiously. When he saw the remaining half of the Sacred Lion Beast's head, he immediately seized it which let the Shadow King stop Merlin.

"Hehe, leave it to me! If I wish to leave, who can stop me?" The Shadow King stated confidently.

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere today!"

Merlin's gaze sharpened. He could not handle the Candora Magic Mirror that could travel through space. Was he really unable to deal with the Shadow King and the rest as well? Currently, Merlin was at his peak form. Even if he encountered Doomsday, he would not fear the Soul of Light because he could tangibly perceive the Almighty Beast World's will. Even the strongest Soul of Light would be unable to baffle the present Merlin.

"Swoosh."

After the Phantom King grabbed half of the Sacred Lion Beast's head, the Shadow King instantly exhibited his Supreme Talent that blanketed the Phantom King and the Liberator, turning them into a large stretch of shadow.

This shadow was just like anyone's shadow, indistinct and faint within the dim secret chamber. It was impossible to guard against. Just as the Shadow King had said, there was truly no one who could stop him if he wanted to leave.

In terms of self-preservation, the Shadow King's ability was the most formidable.

Nonetheless, Merlin was a different person after he had successively consumed the flesh of the Nine-lives Werewolf and Doomsday. He could detect the Almighty Beast World's will, so naturally, he was able to detect even more subtle things. Therefore, in this world, there was almost nothing that could escape Merlin's senses.

"Gotcha."

Merlin's colossal body immediately bore down upon a stretch of shadow.

"Boom."

The fearsome force nearly destroyed the secret chamber. Merlin's huge foot had stomped on a subtle shadow. Even after close observation, one would not see anything. However, after Merlin's stomp, this shadow exuded water-like ripples that shuddered outwards in numerous rings.

"Swoosh."

A few figures came out from the shadow and appeared miserable within the secret chamber. It was the Liberator, the Phantom King, and the Shadow King.

Currently, the Shadow King's face was incomparably downcast while he glared furiously at Merlin as if he could not believe this.

"How did you discover me? Even Farron could not possibly notice me. If I wish to leave, who can stop me?"

The Shadow King was proudest of all, but Merlin still ended up seeing through him. He was astounded in the depths of his heart.

"It's child's play!"

Merlin's eyes flashed with a piercing gleam and his massive bulk leaped forward without warning, galloping straight towards the Shadow King. The Shadow King knew of Merlin's prowess and instantly turned himself into a shadow.

Nonetheless, Merlin could still see every movement Shadow King made and casually smacked a shadow on the ground. The Shadow King immediately let out a cry of pain and was forced to reveal himself. The Shadow King was injured from Merlin's attack at that point after he discovered him once again.

By now, the Shadow King truly believed that Merlin could sense him. He roared in fury as his Supreme Talent unleashed to its maximum. The entire secret chamber was engulfed in an enormous layer of shadow.

"Bang bang bang."

Sounds of attacks suddenly erupted within the shadows. One black tentacle after another burst from the shadows, viciously pounding on Merlin's body. Even so, this bit of attack was unable to stir Merlin at all.

"Too weak, far too weak!"

Merlin shook his head slightly. He shook himself all over. He could neutralize these attacks through just his strength. Following that, he exploded with all his energy. The entire sweep of shadow seemed unable to withstand Merlin's power and rapidly disintegrated.

"Come on out."

Merlin reached out and grabbed, seizing a fistful of shadow firmly in his hand. After that, the shadow gradually transformed into the Shadow King's actual appearance, but he was unable to free himself from Merlin's grasp. Currently, Merlin did not even know how strong he was.

"Leon, let the Shadow King go."

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out beside Merlin's ear. Merlin carefully looked over and saw that it was the Princess Royal. However, the current Princess Royal wore a slack expression. Clearly, she was being controlled.

"Marquis Leon, let go of the Shadow King quickly."

Other than the Princess Royal, the king was being manipulated as well.

Merlin's eyes turned icy and instantly knew who was behind this.

"Phantom King!"

"Haha, not bad, it's me indeed. Leon, if you don't let go of the Shadow King, I'm afraid that the Princess Royal and the king will die because of you." The Phantom King threatened.

The Shadow King might be the best at self-preservation, but the strangest, most slippery one was actually the Phantom King. He had a myriad of transformations and was difficult to capture. Just like at that moment, he had controlled the king and the Princess Royal which caused one to hold back to prevent the harming of innocents.

To deal with the Phantom King, it was crucial to locate his real body. Only then could one directly deliver a fatal strike. Otherwise, the Phantom King would be very troublesome to deal with; with a myriad of transformations. He was the scariest too. He could wipe out the Holy Dragon City by himself.

Merlin breathed in deeply. He did not care about the king, but the Princess Royal being held hostage was indeed forcing Merlin to hold back from attacking. He could only loosen his grip and toss the Shadow King to one side.

"Swoosh."

The Shadow King instantly turned into a shadow. He vanished from the secret chamber and brought the Phantom King and the rest with him. Merlin knew that they had left the room, and the king and the Princess Royal recovered their senses after being controlled.

As they stared at the underground chamber that was in ruins, the king and the Princess Royal were blank with bewilderment.

"Leon, where's the Shadow King and the rest?" The Princess Royal asked anxiously.

"Both of you were controlled by the Phantom King and taken as hostages to threaten me, so I let them go," Merlin answered honestly. In truth, they did not take much with them. What he needed was the Candora Magic Mirror. It was just a shame that the Magic Mirror had the ability to travel through space, so even Merlin had no way of seizing it by force.

As for the Shadow King and the rest, Merlin did not care.

The king wore a look of sorrow as he stared at the barren secret chamber while he mumbled in an anguished voice, "It's gone, the Sacred Lion Beast's head is gone. The royal family's foundation of a thousand years is going to collapse. I am truly a failure of a king."

Having lost the Sacred Lion Beast's head was the biggest blow to the royal family. This was because, like the Candora Magic Mirror, the Sacred Lion Beast's head was the core of the royal family, but now they had lost even this core.

"Your Majesty, this time, it's good enough that we could protect the royal family. As for the Sacred Lion Beast's head – the royal family had studied it for so long, but what has come of it? Plus, the most significant blood of the Sacred Lion Beast was gone long ago. It's merely a symbol of the royal family."

Farron came to the king's side. Upon seeing the king's desolate manner, Farron could only pacify him. Farron knew that this king had always harbored lofty ambitions deep in his heart. Now that the royal family had fallen to this point, the king's heart was naturally filled with remorse and self-blame.

"King Father, the royal family would come to such a point not just because of your actions alone. The whole royal family is responsible."

The Princess Royal breathed deeply. The royal family was nearly annihilated. Now, the Princess Royal finally understood that the royal family as a whole. Even her greatest aspirations would amount to nothing if the royal family was gone. Some of her previous thoughts and behavior seemed like a joke from the current perspective.

The king glanced at the Princess Royal, then looked towards Merlin who was behind her, and suddenly let out a long sigh. A bitter smile crossed his face. "Maybe, Lisa, it's best if you act as king. You have more drive than your father!"

After the king spoke, he slowly closed his eyes, as if he had come to a decision in his heart, a decision that would change the fate of the whole Holy Dragon Empire…