Pivis slammed down, carving two deep trenches in the ground with his boots. He then shot out from beside a nearby building as if sprung from a coil, joining Balomon.

The fourth Peak Master to appear before their eyes was a human. He was clad in a brown monastic robe, holding a golden lightsaber, his thick white hair cascading behind him. A look of grim determination settled on his aged face as he fixed them with an intense gaze, radiating an overwhelming pressure.

From a distant rooftop observation point, Yang Ying recognized him instantly: the Peerless Master of the Psionic Monastery who was permanently stationed in the Asteroid Belt—Merlin.

Master Merlin had first come to the Asteroid Belt when Helas caused trouble. To counter the pirate fleet Helas had assembled and to ensure the smooth flow of logistics between the front lines and the rear, Master Merlin had come to the Ceres Base, providing security for the base and guaranteeing the success of the mercenary joint fleet’s campaign to eradicate the pirates.

Although the pirate joint fleet had long since vanished, Helas still roamed the Asteroid Belt, which was why Master Merlin had never returned to Earth, remaining instead at Ceres Base.

“Merlin, what business do you have in Paradise City?” Helas demanded, pointing his light staff at the master.

“The reason for my arrival is obvious; it is you who shouldn't be here.”

Master Merlin swept his lightsaber. “The message Nabu released did not spread far, but he made sure that all who heard it truly heard it. I was among them. This entire Asteroid Belt is my patrol zone. How could I stand idly by while the Peak Masters of your Ancient Legion clash in my domain?”

“This is internal business for our Ancient Legion to deal with a traitor! Are your Psionic Monks intending to interfere?!” Balomon roared.

“Balomon, you appear here as well. Are you acting under Hadak’s orders?” Master Merlin directed the tip of his sword toward Balomon.

“Silence! How dare you speak the Legion Commander’s name directly! You will pay the price!” Balomon instantly erupted in fury, his eyes flashing dangerously, radiating astonishing killing intent.

“Agon.”

Helas suddenly turned toward Agon, who was diligently tending to his wounds, and questioned sharply, “Are you choosing to unite with the Psionic Monks against your own race?”

Agon looked up. “I never wanted to oppose the Legion. All I have ever wanted is to stay far away from this endless war, to live out my life quietly in a place where no one notices me. Yet, you have been hounding me from the start. I have been hiding for so many years, only to be found by you now. Since things have come to this pass today, what choice do I have?”

“No! You do have a choice!”

Balomon stepped forward, his gaze sharp. “There are two paths before you! One: continue being a traitor, hunted by the Legion until death.” He held up one finger, then a second. “Two: join us, kill Merlin—he conveniently delivered himself here for death—and take his head back with us. Helas and I will plead your case before the Legion Commander!”

At these words, the atmosphere in the clearing seemed to grow strangely taut.

Yang Ying, witnessing this, also felt that Master Merlin’s prospects looked grim. There were four Peak Masters on the battlefield, three of them Ape-kin. Even injured, if three fought one, they held a significant advantage.

However, judging by Master Merlin’s expression, he did not seem concerned about that possibility.

And indeed, things did not develop in that direction. Agon shook his head. “If the second option were viable, I would have chosen it decades ago.”

Balomon and Helas exchanged a glance, then simultaneously roared, “Stubborn fool!”

The two Apes flashed forward, their light staves sweeping toward Agon with boundless momentum. During the delay caused by the conversation, their injuries had healed by ninety percent. The regenerative capability of a Peak Master’s body was truly extraordinary!

Balomon blinked instantly in front of Agon. The staves of the two Apes collided heavily. Agon used the force to retreat, simultaneously whirling his staff into a blur. Supported by the wind generated by his movements, his body drifted like a phantom leaf, unpredictable, darting left and right. Their light techniques clashed intermittently, each impact unleashing a soaring shockwave akin to a bomb exploding.

Helas, who was halfway through his charge, was intercepted by Master Merlin.

Master Merlin wielded his lightsaber with joyous abandon across a wide arc. His moves flowed seamlessly, a single sword seeming to transform into a hundred, attacking Helas’s defensive perimeter from every angle in an instant.

Helas roared, swinging his light staff so tightly that not a drop of water could penetrate. The sound of clashing sword and staff was like a sudden deluge against banana leaves, shattering the ground beneath them and sending debris flying everywhere.

Yang Ying couldn't help but rub his eyes, focusing more intently.

To discern the movements of Peak Masters remained no easy task for him. He could only observe to the best of his ability. Sometimes, just as he managed to grasp the essence of a technique, they would have already executed ten more moves.

Fortunately, Yang Ying possessed the ability of photographic memory, so forgetting the techniques he witnessed was not a concern.

As the two parties were locked in fierce combat, Yinmi and Daozang suddenly appeared, blinking in from a distance before joining the fray. Seeing this, Helas erupted in a towering pillar of fire that forced Master Merlin back.

The pillar of fire then fragmented into dozens of fireballs. With a sweep of his light staff, Helas sent the fireballs scattering in all directions. The combat group instantly separated. Yang Ying clearly saw that two other Psionic Masters, one wielding a silver lightsaber and another a blue one, had appeared beside Master Merlin.

Yang Ying observed closely. He did not recognize the two Masters with the silver swords, but the one with the blue lightsaber was someone he knew well.

Master Pang Qian! He had also arrived in Paradise City!

“Ha!” Balomon laughed menacingly. “The party crashers truly come one after another. Merlin, it’s no wonder you were so fearless earlier, allowing us time to heal, unafraid that Agon might turn against us. It turns out you had backup.”

“It’s not just the backup; it’s because I understand Agon, which is why I trusted he would make that choice. He just needed a moment to clear his head. Otherwise, if I, a mere human, rashly entered the fight between you two, it might have caused him some trouble,” Master Merlin said, glancing toward Agon.

Agon considered Master Merlin’s words and nodded, but then added, “Merlin, thank you for your consideration, but I did not ask for your help, nor do I wish to be involved in the conflict between our races.”

Master Merlin chuckled. “I apologize, but the assistance offered by the Psionic Monastery was proactive; it requires no repayment from you.”

For the Psionic Monastery, an existence like Agon held value. Even if he did nothing, he could at least divert some of the Ancient Legion’s focus.

Agon paused, then said, “Merlin, since you are here, if possible, I ask that you keep Balomon occupied, allowing Helas and me a private opportunity to settle our past grievances. I owe you one. If I survive this day, I will perform three favors for you in the future concerning matters unrelated to the conflict between our races.”

At this moment, the battlefield configuration was: Helas and Balomon stood together, maintaining a distance of fifty meters from Master Merlin. Agon was also about fifty meters from Master Merlin, clearly keeping his distance.

The three forces formed a perfect equilateral triangle.

It was worth noting that just a few minutes prior, this area had been a street over ten meters wide, lined with houses and buildings on both sides. But these few minutes of fighting had completely leveled the area spanning several hundred meters around them. Some buildings had completely collapsed; others were half-destroyed. Small and large debris littered the street, making it look like a pitted, uneven plaza.

“Three favors…” Master Merlin answered without hesitation. “Agreed, I will hold off Balomon for you!”

With that, Master Merlin pointed his lightsaber, and along with the two silver-sword wielding Masters, charged toward Balomon. Master Pang Qian did not advance but raised his hand and hurled a white sphere of light. It shot out almost instantly, landing precisely between Balomon and Helas, exploding with a resounding bang.

A biting cold instantly spread out, coating the ground within a radius of over ten meters with a layer of white frost. Helas flashed with red light, repelling the chill from his body, while Balomon nonchalantly waved his light staff, deflecting the cold air.

However, this move was clearly only a cover for Master Merlin’s group. After batting the cold away, Balomon immediately bent his staff, bracing against Master Merlin’s impact. Simultaneously, he used the other end of his staff to block one Psionic Master, then spun around, evading the silver sword of the other.

Master Merlin seized this opportunity. He thrust his empty left hand onto the ground between Helas and Balomon. Instantly, a ripple seemed to emanate through the air, vanishing quickly, though the light passing through it exhibited an unusual refraction.

By this time, Helas was already entangled with Agon.

Earlier, Helas had considered swapping positions with Balomon, but Pang Qian’s white sphere of light had interrupted that. Seeing the ripple now, he cried out that it was bad news. He had seen this technique before; it was similar to the force field wall Agon had erected. While it lacked the amplification from mental power gear and wasn't as strong as the previous wall, it was certainly not something that could be broken easily.

Helas raised his hand, pointing the particle cannon ring at Master Merlin. A red light flashed from the ring as the particle cannon net prepared to fire, but Agon struck, interrupting the action. If Helas hadn't pulled his hand back, his entire arm likely would have been severed.

Helas slanted his light staff, clashing with Agon. Agon, in turn, summoned another extremely violent gale. Simultaneously, he exerted his full power, combining it with the immense wind pressure to push Helas back.

Aided by the raging winds, Agon transformed into something like a locomotive, dragging Helas hundreds of meters, crashing through several buildings, and carrying him far away from the battle cluster involving Balomon and Master Merlin.