Chapter 185: Humiliating Merlin
"Pfft, my friend! Your words are utterly disrespectful and repulsive!"
Upon hearing the voice, Merlin's gentle smile froze in an instant.
Turning his gaze, he beheld an extraordinarily handsome man with hair as black as the night sky and eyes of exquisite gold.
The man sat with his legs crossed and arms folded across his chest, glaring at him with a look of disdain.
"Who are you?" Merlin's expression turned cold, radiating an aura of indifference.
Previously, he had paid little attention to this man, as his focus had been solely on Her Majesty. However, he did not expect this man to mock him so boldly, causing his anger to nearly ignite.
Leon smiled slightly, leaning back in his chair and maintaining his look of disdain.
"Who am I? That's none of your concern," Leon remarked in a casual, somewhat arrogant tone before continuing, "But your disrespectful attitude toward your Demon Emperor truly disgusts me."
"Asking for news? Damn it! Is your Demon Emperor such a weakling that you need to inquire about her well-being?"
If Leon's disgust for Merlin had previously been at a ten, it had now skyrocketed to a hundred.
It wasn't just Merlin's shameless nature that infuriated him, but also the audacity of this man to flirt with Liliana, his woman, right in front of him!
As the most handsome and powerful sword hero, how could he tolerate such insolence?
Across from him, Liliana couldn't help but chuckle at Leon's mockery of Merlin. She hadn't expected Leon to be so adept at this sort of thing.
However, she had to admit that she felt overjoyed and excited watching Leon confront Merlin, as it made her feel protected and defended.
'This feels so sweet...' Liliana whispered to herself, a beautiful smile blooming on her lips.
Meanwhile, Merlin, whose disguise had been instantly torn apart by Leon, couldn't help but feel deeply embarrassed. His handsome face flushed with anger as he glared at Leon.
"You..." Merlin gritted his teeth as a black, demonic aura suddenly erupted from his body.
*Boom!*
The demonic aura emanating from Merlin caused the once serene and beautiful palace garden, bathed in the bright morning atmosphere, to transform into a gloomy place filled with an ominous sense of death.
Observing Merlin's unusually potent demonic aura, Leon remained unfazed.
He maintained a relaxed and composed demeanor as he leisurely sipped his tea.
In their past encounters during the wars between the Holy Empire of Elysium and the Demon Race, Leon had emerged victorious over Merlin numerous times, with Merlin never achieving a single victory.
Now, armed with the power of chaos bestowed upon him by the Great Sword of Chaos and the enhanced strength of his holy power following the events of the Transcendent Night, he found no reason to be afraid.
Leon smiled slightly as he began to channel his chaos power, intending to suppress Merlin's demonic aura.
However, before he could act, suddenly, an incredibly potent red aura erupted from Liliana's body.
*Boom!*
This red aura immediately darkened the once-clear sky with explosive black lightning.
It also shattered Merlin's demonic aura, causing him to vomit blood and collapse to the ground under its relentless pressure.
"Merlin, how dare you manifest your power in my presence? Do you underestimate me?" Liliana's chin rested on her right palm, her blood-red eyes flashing with murderous intent as they bore into Merlin. Embark on a quest at m-vl-em,py-r
Under the chilling tone and the immobilizing pressure, Merlin's face was drained of color, fear etched across his features.
"Your Majesty, I apologize. I didn't intend—" Merlin attempted to explain, but Liliana's pressure intensified, constricting his throat.
He could only gaze at Liliana with desperation, rendered speechless by the tormenting force bearing down on him.
Liliana cast a brief, indifferent glance at him before withdrawing her aura, granting Merlin the relief to breathe heavily once more.
"Hah~ Hah~ Hah~" Merlin lay on the ground, his breaths rapid and labored, the pain still clutching at his throat.
For the first time, he experienced the full force of a demon emperor's power, leaving him overwhelmed with despair and feeling utterly insignificant in comparison.
"I hope you won't repeat such actions again." Liliana's voice suddenly pierced his thoughts, snapping him out of his reverie.
Slowly rising to his feet, despite the lingering pain in his body, he bowed respectfully to Liliana, his demeanor now devoid of the overbearing or domineering attitude he had displayed upon his arrival.
"I understand, Your Majesty Liliana," Merlin replied, his handsome face concealing the anger brewing within him.
This marked the first instance he had experienced such humiliation, and it was utterly intolerable to him.
As the foremost demon general and the strongest among the eight, when had he ever endured such indignity?
Yet he harbored no resentment towards Her Majesty Liliana; he recognized his own fault in disrespecting her. His ire was directed solely at the man seated before Her Majesty, driving him to lose control once more!
Raising his head slightly, he noticed the man leisurely eating grapes, his gaze filled with mockery directed at him.
This sight fueled Merlin's hatred, causing him to grind his teeth in frustration.
'This man is asking for trouble!' Merlin seethed inwardly but refrained from taking any impulsive action, as he had done previously.
Observing Her Majesty's demeanor and the equal footing on which they sat, Merlin discerned that this man held a special relationship with her.
However, he couldn't quite grasp the nature of the relationship between the two.
He hoped fervently that it wasn't a romantic bond; if it were, he swore to obliterate the man's very existence a thousand times over, regardless of the consequences.
Her Majesty belonged to him alone, and he couldn't bear the thought of anyone else laying claim to her!
A ferocious expression briefly flashed across Merlin's pale face before he quickly concealed it.
"So, what brings you here? If you utter any more nonsense, you'd better leave and never show your face before me again." Liliana's voice resounded in his ears, prompting him to take a quick breath to steady himself.
As he raised his head, Merlin gazed at Liliana, feeling his grievances and hatred towards Leon dissolve instantly at the sight of her beautiful and alluring face.
However, he refrained from speaking as he once did, fully aware that such words would result in his complete expulsion by her.
Given her well-known reputation for coldness, indifference, and sternness, he hesitated to take any risks.
Taking another small breath, the expression on Merlin's handsome face shifted instantly to stern as he once again lowered his head.
"Your Majesty Liliana, I have come here for one purpose—to lodge a complaint!"