"Obviously, he'll be tortured to death!" Merlin replied reflexively.
She had already mapped out the future—publicly shaming Romani, exposing Nameless, all while she watched the chaos unfold from the shadows, living her best life.
Then,
Merlin froze.
Who had spoken?
She was alone here—even her ally Tamamo-no-Mae hadn't been invited.
A chill ran down her spine, mirroring Romani's terror under her illusion.
The voice continued, laced with curiosity: "Oh? How exactly do you plan to torture Nameless?"
"You…"
Merlin suddenly turned her head, staring blankly at the figure before her.
It was none other than Nameless—the very person she had been plotting against!
How the hell had he managed to sneak up on her without her noticing?
Damn it!
She was the world's greatest illusion master.
The illusions she crafted were nearly indistinguishable from reality.
Hadn't she just been toying with the so-called King of Mages, Solomon, using her illusions?
But now…
This guy had somehow slipped right up to her, undetected—an utterly unimaginable feat.
Wait, this was Presence Concealment—Assassin-style!
Merlin suddenly remembered that he had once trained under King Hassan, learning the pinnacle of assassination techniques.
That Grand Assassin, during the Sixth Singularity The Divine Realm of the Round Table,
had practically treated the Ramesseum Tentyris as his own home, lurking there as he pleased.
He'd even lopped off the Sun King's head with a single strike, leaving Ramesses II completely unable to track him down!
But here's the thing—
Even if Nameless had mastered King Hassan's absurdly powerful Presence Concealment, he shouldn't have been able to find her.
Her current location was the boundary between the dream world and reality—
a bizarre space akin to imaginary numbers.
Only beings like her, a child of the incubus, or Outer Gods like Cthulhu could enter this place!
"Oh? What's wrong? Surprised to see me?"
Souma's blood-red cape fluttered behind him as he grinned at her.
He noticed the massive illusory screen beside the troublesome dream demon, displaying Dr. Roman's torment within the illusion.
That shut-in doctor, who had been so excited to be invited by his favorite idol, had instead been confronted by a terrifying version of "Big Brother Jie,"
who then proceeded to harass him—enough to give the poor man serious psychological trauma.
It was brutal.
So brutal that even Souma couldn't bear to watch.
Well, guess he'd just have to take it out on Merlin instead.
"Yeah, 'surprised' is one way to put it…"
Merlin was speechless.
Surprised? She'd nearly had a heart attack!
Without hesitation, she replied, "I've got things to do. See ya."
Bzzzt—
In a flash, her figure vanished from sight.
As a child of the incubus, she could freely traverse dreams, completely unafraid of being pursued.
That was her trump card against Nameless.
No matter how strong he was, no matter how terrifying his attacks—
he still had to actually hit her!
If he couldn't land a blow, she could toy with him all she wanted.
Merlin slipped through the dreamscape, instantly putting distance between them.
Once she returned to Academy City, she planned to discuss countermeasures with Tamamo-no-Mae.
Nameless was even more terrifying than she'd imagined.
The fact that he could track her down in the dream world filled Merlin with a deep sense of dread.
Merlin urgently said, "Fox, Nameless has probably met Scáthach by now. He knows about our connection and will definitely come for you."
"Oh? And why would he do that?" Tamamo-no-Mae asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"To threaten you, obviously! And to use you to find me!"
Merlin shot her a disdainful look. "Don't tell me you actually think he trusts you after what you pulled in the Lostbelt?"
This fox, once all nine tails were gathered, was a genuine Beast-level threat.
Back then, she had gleefully sought to destroy humanity, only to be utterly defeated by Nameless.
Now that she had manifested as a Servant, did she really think he'd just let her off the hook?
"You shouldn't need my help to find me anymore, should you?" Tamamo-no-Mae replied calmly.
Just as Merlin was feeling puzzled,
Then,
She saw the other party suddenly rise from the office chair and strike an extremely peculiar pose.
Flickering crimson light erupted wildly from their hands, coalescing into a blood-red glowing cloak.
Tamamo-no-Mae casually draped it over her shoulders, where it billowed dramatically despite the absence of wind.
Though she was a fox spirit who could enchant all living beings, at this moment she exuded an indescribable air of dashing elegance and majesty.
"You???"
Merlin stared dumbfounded at the other.
Wasn't this cloak the signature attire of Nameless?
She instantly realized something was terribly wrong.
Merlin glanced around and saw all the men and women serving the fox spirit suddenly manifest the same crimson glow in their hands.
Transforming into familiar blood-red cloaks that billowed behind them without wind.
Their eyes all held that same familiar mocking amusement, their gazes uniformly focused on her.
"But I'm under illusionary concealment! No one except Tamamo-no-Mae should be able to see me!"
Merlin felt a chill run down her spine.
The great illusion master was now directly experiencing the eerie horror of the other party's illusions.
This was absolutely terrifying!
"What's wrong? Even the great illusion master can fall into panic?" one of the maids smiled.
A guard drew his sword and pointed at her: "Even if I'm just an ordinary Master, I can still play some tricks on you."
"For example, right now, no matter where you go, I can find you, and no one else can see you!" the fox spirit added with the same smile.
Every single person spoke with identical tone and expression.
Merlin felt horror reach its peak.
I, the great illusion master, have fallen into someone else's illusion?
How is this any different from that shut-in doctor?
Hum~
Countless flower petals bloomed, suddenly transforming the space into a dreamlike fantasy as her entire figure vanished in an instant.
In this critical moment, she instinctively fled.
She wanted to return to the Tower at the End of the World where she'd holed up for fifteen hundred years.
That was her true home!
After her departure,
The Academy City Chancellor's office shattered like a mirror.
Everything had been nothing but an illusion!
A girl in a gothic lolita dress with a strange keyhole on her forehead
Shook her head gently and said: "This one still tries to struggle."
"Of course, she won't give up until the very end."
Souma chuckled and patted the little girl's head, "Thanks for your help, Abby. We wouldn't have found her otherwise."
Indeed, this time the ability to pierce through dreams and reality relied on Abby opening the door for him.
The Cthulhu Outer Gods were the absolute masters of manipulating dreams.
A mere nightmare couldn't compare before them.
And as the spokesperson of the eldritch gods, practically Yog-Sothoth's most beloved daughter, Abigail could naturally locate the target with ease.
"Just treat me to pancakes."
Abigail smiled sweetly.
As the acknowledged witch, no one except the man before her dared to be so intimate with her.
"Sure, I'll make whatever you want to eat then." Souma's smile grew even brighter.
This loli was truly adorable and so easy to please.
Simple delicious food was enough to satisfy her completely, unlike bratty kids who'd still want to spend money on gacha.
She was practically the perfect daughter choice.
Unfortunately, this belonged to Yog-Sothoth. Souma wouldn't dare compete with such an entity even if given ten times the courage.
That being was a genuine god-tier transcendent, practically the dark side of the universe itself.
As for the even more mysterious Azathoth, it existed purely as a conceptual entity—completely incapable of descending or responding.
Just as Souma was about to withdraw his hand and resume chasing Merlin—
Abigail suddenly grasped his hand with both of hers, placing it atop her head while whispering, "You can pet me a little longer~"
"...Alright."
Souma looked at her in surprise, utterly overwhelmed by her cuteness.
She was absolutely adorable—enough to slay countless "A-Weis" (a Chinese internet meme referring to people dying from cuteness overload).
Chasing Merlin could wait.
For now, he'd indulge this precious little loli.
After she'd finally had her fill, her flushed little face activated a portal.
Souma stepped through, arriving at his destination.
This time, he wouldn't let "Merlin the Heartless" escape so easily!
Avalon, the Utopia.
Located beyond the world's boundaries, its flow of time differed entirely from the inner world—a realm of eternal stasis.
Atop the Tower at the End—
Merlin finally exhaled in relief.
She could clearly sense this was indeed her familiar Tower at the End, not some horrifying illusion.
"Damn it, did that bastard recruit an Outer God?"
Panic set in.
She'd been utterly confident in her hiding place, yet he'd nearly cornered her.
Terrifying.
Only a powerful and mysterious existence could accomplish something like this.
After King Solomon lost his spiritual foundation,
she had become the undisputed Grand Caster—yet she had been pushed to such a desperate state.
But it didn't matter.
Merlin had already sealed off all entrances to Avalon.
The other party wouldn't even be able to find a way in!
Bzzz~
Just as she finally let out a sigh of relief, she suddenly sensed a ripple behind her.
A strange gate swung open, effortlessly tearing through all her hidden and defensive magecraft!
Perched on Nameless' shoulder was a small white beast she recognized all too well, tilting its head up with an unmistakable look of mockery.
Merlin's finger trembled as she pointed at it. "You… you led Nameless here?"
She was supposed to be its caretaker—she had raised the little traitor for years!
Yet here it was, betraying her and bringing Nameless straight to her doorstep!
Fou looked at her with immense satisfaction:
"Fou… Fou! (Merlin, you're dead meat! You won't get away with it this time!)"
No matter what, Merlin had to die!
Fou hadn't forgotten—
how she had thrown it off the Tower of the End, condemning it to a free fall that lasted fifteen hundred years!
Fifteen. Hundred. Years.
Do you have any idea what that was like?!
That endless free fall had completely stunted its growth.
Otherwise, it wouldn't still be stuck as a juvenile beast.
Merlin had to pay!
So when Nameless asked for help, Fou didn't hesitate to guide him straight into the Tower of the End!
Merlin took a deep breath, gripping her staff as she pointed it at Nameless. "So… what exactly do you want?"
She was still the Grand Caster, after all—not someone to be trifled with.
If pushed to the brink, she could unleash a desperate, crown-shattering strike—one even Nameless couldn't withstand.
"I came for two things—to fulfill the promise I made when parting ways with the doctor."
Souma stared at her calmly. "The first was to turn you into [Magical☆Merlin]. That's already done."
Earlier, with Gilgamesh's help, he had lured Merlin out.
He had made a wager with her, with [Alaya] as the witness.
But the fool hadn't considered one thing—he was [Alaya]'s chosen representative.
Even if he lost the bet, [Alaya] could always rig the outcome!
"The second thing," Souma's voice turned icy, "is for you to feed the doctor cake—in your current form."
"Don't even think of playing tricks. Or else, I won't hold back."
A promise was a promise.
He had sworn to fulfill it—and he would.
Besides, Merlin had screwed over the doctor yet again. She had to pay a small price for that.
Making her feed Romani Archaman strawberry cake in her current state…
First, it would fulfill his promise to the doctor, mending his wounded heart.
Second, it would thoroughly humiliate this self-important Flower Mage.
Two birds with one stone.
Merlin fell silent for a moment before replying, "Let me think about it!"
She, the illustrious Flower Mage, had once been adored by countless noblewomen and ladies.
Being forced to feed cake to some shut-in otaku? That was the ultimate humiliation!
Absolutely not!
In a flash, Merlin bolted again. "Haha! Nameless, this is my escape route!"
As a child of dreams, she could vanish into the world of dreams—no one could catch her there.
Once she escaped, she'd make Nameless pay for everything she'd suffered today!
But strangely…
Nameless made no move to stop her.
Instead, he wore a mocking smile, as if watching a clown perform a ridiculous act on stage.
Could there still be a trap?
Merlin had just escaped the Tower of the End, but before she could even catch her breath—
A familiar, overwhelming presence descended upon her like a tidal wave.
A massive hand silently appeared before her, swatting her back into the Tower of the End as if she were nothing more than a fly!
"Ah, that familiar slap… Mother of Creation, you came too?!"
Merlin shrieked as she crashed through the tower's glass, her body imprinting into the wall in a spread-eagle pose.
The terrifyingly powerful Beast of Humanity had struck, leaving her utterly defenseless.
Let's not forget—
Back in the Seventh Singularity, Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, Merlin had been responsible for using illusions to lull the Mother of Creation into slumber. But when she awoke, he had been swatted to death in a single blow.
He'd had no choice but to activate his Grand Marathon, sprinting all the way from Avalon to Uruk.
And now—
She had struck again, crushing his hopes of escape with a single slap.
Merlin coughed up a mouthful of blood, trembling as he pointed at Nameless. "If you've got the guts, fight me one-on-one!"
This was just bullying!
This bastard's connections were absurd—he'd somehow roped in the Apostle of the Outer God, the Mother of Creation, and even a juvenile Beast of Humanity to help him.
With three top-tier beings teaming up, every possible escape route had been completely sealed.
Nowhere left to run!
"Not running anymore?" Souma smirked, thoroughly amused.
Once he decided to act, he wasn't about to give her even a sliver of hope.
"..."
Merlin felt utterly defeated.
Even though this was her own stronghold, the Tower of the End, she felt no sense of security whatsoever.
She wanted to escape, but with two Beasts of Humanity and an Apostle of the Outer God on the hunt—
How the hell was she supposed to get away from a dream team like that?
This lineup was overkill even for someone like Zeus, the Almighty God!
What did Merlin the Flower Mage ever do to deserve being hunted down by such an elite squad?
Merlin finally lowered his head in resignation. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll go feed that shut-in doctor his damn strawberry cake!"
PS: The trashy incubus has been caught—rejoice! Good morning, dear readers. This cat's off to bed~