The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 93

The Earl’s Scumbag Is a Genius – Chapter 93 (93/200)

Chapter 12: Subjugation: Scumbag with a Gun

The first Druid to appear on the Arnia Continent a thousand years ago manifested before my eyes.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t surprised, but in a way, it was understandable.

Merlin had divided the World Tree fragment into seven pieces when he sealed the Heavenly Demon, and in the process, he also divided his soul into the same number.

In other words, the Golden Branch contained a fragment of Merlin’s soul.

That’s why I had to take tests based on Merlin’s memories every time I absorbed the Golden Branch.

Therefore, it was more reasonable to see Merlin before me not as Merlin’s main body, but as a part of his soul, an avatar.

“I have a question.”

[I will answer any questions from my descendant.]

“Grand Elder Richard attempted a war with humans through a mass baptism. But the result was the mutual destruction of both humans and elves.”

[So?]

“Did Merlin manipulate Grand Elder Richard?”

This part had been bothering me since earlier.

Grand Elder Richard seemed to regret his choice right before his death.

It was as if he had proceeded with the baptism against his will.

Merlin shrugged and nodded at my question.

[That’s right. I manipulated the Grand Elder.]

So that was the case.

Like the enhanced warriors, Grand Elder Richard also seemed to have been possessed by Merlin’s soul.

Moreover, since he always carried the Golden Branch, he must have been more deeply controlled by Merlin than anyone else in the Elven race.

Many unfortunate things had happened.

“Why did you do such a thing?”

[What do you mean?]

“Why did you put the elves, who were living well, in danger of extinction, and cause pain to the humans who were just minding their own business?”

Merlin tilted his head with a dumbfounded expression at my question.

[You’re strange, descendant. You should be on my side, if no one else is.]

“I wonder why I should be.”

[If you really don’t understand, let me ask you one thing. You’re a half-elf Druid, aren’t you?]

The faces of Rosalyn and Philip flashed through my mind.

Besides, countless people who treated me like a scumbag and ignored and despised me in the early days after I fell into this world swirled in my consciousness and disappeared.

[Or do the elves welcome you?]

I haven’t spent much time with the elves.

However, I realized how much the elves pursued pure-bloodedness while experiencing the war in Moltke.

This race, which had been trapped in a closed forest for a long time, did not want outsiders to mix with them.

[Now, here’s a question! Where should half-elves like you and me, who have been abandoned by both elves and humans, stay and settle down?]

Silence.

Merlin, who had already anticipated my answer, wore a crooked smile on his lips.

[The answer is a world without both humans and elves. That’s the utopia for us mixed-bloods.]

“So you aimed for the mutual destruction of humans and elves?”

[Of course. Why should I bother caring about those who reject me?]

It was a very extreme and radical way of thinking, but strangely persuasive.

“Now I understand what you’re saying, Merlin.”

I glimpsed Merlin’s memories while taking the Golden Branch’s test.

Friends who deliberately dropped him into the troll’s nest and the villagers who harassed his mother.

In the end, even the Grand Elder who killed his mother.

It was perfectly normal for him, as a sentient being with emotions, to feel infinite hatred towards the Elven race.

[Right? Isn’t it? I knew you would understand.]

I watched him take an elated attitude, then slowly shook my head.

“But I can’t sympathize.”

If I were the original Henon, not a transmigrator, I might have been moved by Merlin’s logic.

However, I was someone who had learned about the countless wars caused by ideologies, religions, and personal greed on Earth.

I knew very well how many people had been sacrificed and suffered in the process.

Above all, there was a crucial difference between Merlin and me.

Marquis Lloyd, Sebastian, Sasha, Coco, Rakan, Aiden.

Finally, Zion and Campbell.

Even at this moment, I was surrounded by people who followed and cared for me.

Among them were elves, humans, and even dragons.

For them, the fact that I was a half-elf was more of an advantage than a disadvantage.

Merlin frowned and furrowed his brow at my answer.

[That’s strange.]

“Isn’t it Merlin who is too biased in his thinking and has clouded his judgment?”

[Me?]

“Yes. I understand your negative feelings towards the two races a hundred times over, but that is not a reason for the entire two races to be annihilated.”

The horror of war is beyond description.

The screams of a mother who lost her child.

The sorrow of a widow who lost her husband.

The young men who lost their limbs and even their hope.

Neighbors who were exhausted from hunger and starvation and ate each other, and the plague of death that spread like ink.

It was cruel for the whole world to endure such a disaster because of one person’s desire for revenge.

Yet, Merlin’s avatar was pushing everyone into the abyss of pain because he was having a hard time.

“I’m not saying revenge is meaningless. But with your abilities, you should be able to punish only those who have committed evil deeds. Why did you extend the target of revenge to people who have nothing to do with you?”

Merlin’s avatar hesitated for a long time at my question, then opened his mouth after a while.

[It seems that you and I don’t agree.]

“If you continue to insist on the same argument, I will think so too.”

[It doesn’t matter anyway. I can just swallow up an impudent descendant and become one with him.]

Merlin’s avatar, who had been polite all along, finally revealed his true colors.

His gleaming eyes were full of white, and greedy saliva dripped from his mouth.

[I smell a strong World Tree scent from you. I will absorb you and make that power mine.]

“Yeah. Why couldn’t you have come out like this from the beginning? Let’s throw away the clumsy bullshit philosophy and have a good fight.”

[Kuhahaha!! In this respect, you and I are alike.]

“I forgot to say something earlier. Stop trying to find common ground. It’s disgusting.”

I drew the Heavenly Demon Sword.

Emerald sword energy swirled around the sword.

I charged towards him with the intention of cutting him down.

I had briefly experienced his power a while ago.

He used the same Druid skills as me, but the destructive power was clearly different.

He was definitely a higher level Druid than me.

But it was too early to be disappointed.

I had not only Druid skills, but also the Heavenly Demon Swordsmanship that I had been diligently practicing since I fell into Zion Like.

In particular, Druids had a fatal weakness of being vulnerable in close combat, so all I had to do was approach and cut him with a sword.

In the end, this was a fight between whether I succeeded in closing the distance and killing him, or whether Merlin killed me with Druid skills before that.

[Shall I discipline my junior?]

Merlin’s avatar, in the form of Grand Elder Richard, raised his hand.

Then, tree roots wriggled like snakes from the cracked ground, trying to bind me.

They were of a different dimension than the trees I summoned, and even had sharp thorns between the roots.

[Wood Control]

[Bind]

First, I summoned tree roots in the same way to fight back.

The result was not good.

They were eaten or crushed by the opponent’s tree roots and couldn’t exert any strength.

Still, it had the effect of preventing the tree roots from surrounding me from entering to some extent.

[It’s no use. Accept your fate.]

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over my head.

When I looked up, five Stone Golems and ten Wood Golems surrounded me, making threatening gestures.

Fifteen in total were emitting murderous intent to kill only me.

[Wood Golem Summon]

[Stone Golem Summon]

In response, I also summoned golems.

One Stone Golem and three Wood Golems, a total of four, came out, but compared to the opponent’s number of golems, it was a drop in the bucket.

The 15-to-4 fight was one-sided.

Because I couldn’t approach Merlin due to the numerical disadvantage, I had no choice but to take charge of the opponent’s Stone Golems.

-Right square

-Left and ankle side

-Strike down with a fist from behind.

The Heavenly Demon Navigation was working normally and telling me the direction of the attack, but I was barely able to evade it.

Even that was becoming increasingly difficult.

In a short time, all the tree roots I had summoned were suppressed.

Merlin’s tree roots, which had nothing to do, targeted me and slowly narrowed the siege.

-Kid, the situation is not good.

The Heavenly Demon is right.

At this rate, I will definitely lose.

I sensed that it was time to use all the means I could.

First, I took out an acorn from the subspace gourd.

Crunch!!

[You have consumed an acorn]

[Passive skill is enhanced]

[Stamina greatly increases]

[Mana regeneration greatly increases]

[Effect only applies to Druids]

[Time limit: 3 hours]

It was the first acorn I had consumed since I was promoted to Intermediate Druid.

Perhaps that’s why the effect duration increased from 1 hour to 3 hours.

The effect was also greatly increased compared to before.

My body was overflowing with power, and my empathy increased so much that I felt like I was connected to the sky through the top of my head for a moment.

“The second half begins. Let’s go again.”

[Wood Control]

[Stone Control]

[Wind Control]

I used every Druid skill at my disposal.

I’d keenly felt in the North how much the acorn enhanced my skills. Now, as an Intermediate Druid, the skill enhancement was on a completely different level compared to when I was a Novice.

[Summon Wood Golem]

[Summon Stone Golem]

Three Stone Golems and seven Wood Golems materialized, a majestic display. Considering I could only summon four before eating the acorn, ten was a significant improvement.

It went from a 15-to-4 fight to a 15-to-10 fight; the balance had shifted, at least somewhat.

Kwakwakwakwang!!

The entire sanctuary trembled from the golems’ battle. Stone and wood limbs flew everywhere.

However, unless their core was destroyed, the golems would continue to repair themselves with surrounding materials. This fight was shaping up to be a long one.

[Bind]

A thicker branch intercepted Merlin’s Bind skill, which was approaching like a swarm of grotesque snakes.

The plant war was brutal. Tree roots entangled, squeezing each other, breaking apart, sometimes sucking up nutrients until they withered – a blood-curdling spectacle.

After eating the acorn, our sizes were roughly matched, but I was still being pushed back. Even though it was an incarnation and not his main body, Merlin’s experience as a Druid, accumulated over many years, was immense.

I had to finish Merlin off while the golems and tree roots bought me time.

[Quick Step]

The movement technique I learned from Karina had never been so useful. I kicked off the air, rushing toward him.

The distance rapidly closed. Holding the Heavenly Demon Sword horizontally, I prepared for Divine Sword Fusion and declared,

“This is the end.”

I aimed to finish him with a horizontal slash, but it didn’t go as planned.

The Heavenly Demon’s urgent voice echoed in my mind.

-Dodge!

I used Quick Step to change direction mid-air. A colossal fist slammed into the spot I’d just vacated.

The ground shattered with a deafening roar.

Kwakwakwakwang!!!

My eardrums rang. A moment later, and I would have been crushed by that unidentified fist.

Instinctively, I turned to identify the attacker.

And I was horrified.

It was a being I’d never encountered before.

An endlessly hard, jade-colored mineral reflected the sunlight, showcasing its beautiful form. It stood at least 7-8 meters tall – a giant.

“Could it be a Crystal Golem?”

[You have a good eye. You’re right. It’s the ultimate secret weapon to end this fight.]

Crystal Golem.

Neither stone nor wood. Its hardness was obviously insane.

*Can you summon such a monster if your Druid level is high enough?*

[If you can, try breaking through the Crystal Golem and come to me. But that’s unlikely. Keh heh heh!!!]

Merlin, confident in his victory, spread his arms and laughed wildly.

*I’ve never fought a Crystal Golem before.*

Even without combat data, I had no choice. My golems were being defeated one by one by Merlin’s golems, and the tree trunks were gradually devouring them. Time was not on my side.

I had to end this quickly.

“Haaat!!”

I shouted, swinging the Emerald Mana Sword vertically downwards, aiming to cleave its head in two.

The golem crossed its arms, blocking my attack.

Jjeooeong!!!

I’d been cutting through stones like tofu with the Mana Sword, but this only scattered debris; it didn’t collapse easily.

*So this is a Crystal Golem.*

Now that I’d drawn my sword, it was too late to stop. I relentlessly poured out attacks enhanced by the acorn.

Bang! Kwakwang! Bang!

No tree stands after ten strikes.

The Crystal Golem, repeatedly struck, cracked, and pieces fell off. However, by simply stalling, Merlin had already gained the upper hand.

Merlin, watching the situation, chuckled and mocked me.

“How long will it take you to break through the golem and catch me? By the way, the golem only stops moving when you destroy its core. I bet you don’t even know where the core is? Kehahaha!!!”

Merlin was right. I’d been searching for the core’s location while fighting, but I couldn’t sense it.

Looking back, I had only about five golems left, and Merlin’s tree trunks were closing in.

*I thought I was facing an impasse like this.*

Just then.

The Heavenly Demon’s voice echoed in my consciousness.

-Hey, kid.

“Speak.”

-While you were fighting, I grasped the flow of energy. I think I roughly know where the *dantian* [energy center] of that stone lump is.”

My mind sparked.

“Where is it?”

-Inside the right thigh.”

The Heavenly Demon was proving useful.

“Thank you.”

-Save the greetings for later. Focus on defeating that damn guy first.”

Even though it was just an incarnation, the Heavenly Demon seemed serious, facing the one who sealed him.

With his help, I stabbed the sword into the presumed core location.

Jjeooeong!!!

The Crystal Golem, which had confidently taken my attacks head-on, trusting in its solid body, dodged for the first time.

I persistently aimed at that spot, and the golem frantically focused on defense.

Merlin, seeing this, looked bewildered.

[What? You figured out the core’s location? How?]

Ignoring Merlin, I focused on attacking the Crystal Golem. Now that the core’s location was revealed, stone, wood, or crystal were all the same.

No matter how big it was, it was busy covering its vitals.

[You’re being annoying.]

Merlin supported the Crystal Golem. He gestured, creating a dozen long spears of stone that shot toward me.

It seemed to be an application of Stone Control, each spear imbued with mana, making them too powerful to ignore.

Jjeong! Jjeoeong!

As I blocked and dodged the countless stone spears, my movements became tangled, and a metallic taste filled my mouth.

The Crystal Golem, regaining its footing, switched from defense to offense.

[I was surprised that you suddenly struggled. Die like this.]

Merlin, having regained the upper hand, brushed his chest.

Enduring the stone spears and the Crystal Golem’s attacks, I decided it was pointless to continue like this.

*I have no choice.*

I jumped back, creating distance between Merlin and the Crystal Golem protecting him.

As I, who had been constantly advancing, retreated, Merlin’s lips curled into a smile.

[Have you given up? Good choice. There are enemies in the world that you can’t handle.]

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

[Acknowledging defeat is also a virtue. Just give in and become one with me. As you know, your chances of winning are zero.]

Merlin was completely unguarded.

I rummaged through the subspace pouch and retrieved the weapon that had played a significant role in Liang [likely referring to a past event or location].

The 6-shot Aura Bullet Revolver.

I didn’t want to use it because it was precious, but this wasn’t the time to save items.

“You took out your hidden weapon, so I’ll take mine out too.”

The target was the Crystal Golem’s core.

I’d done enough shooting on Earth.

Calmly, I aimed.

Slowly, I pulled the trigger.

Taah-aah-aah-ahng!!!

Birds startled by the gunshot flew into the sky.

The Aura Bullet drew a clear trajectory, accurately penetrating the right thigh where the golem’s core was located.

It was a bullet containing aura. Defense was meaningless.

[Wh-what?]

Merlin’s voice was flustered.

But it was too late.

The Crystal Golem, its core destroyed, cracked from the center, soon shattering and returning to nature.

Aura Bullet 5/6

Five bullets remained.

Now that I’d revealed my hidden weapon, there was no turning back.

I pointed the gun at the opponent, defenselessly exposed because his bodyguard had fallen.

“It’s over, Merlin.”

Taah-aah-ahng!!!!

The muzzle flashed.