Chapter 265: The Two-Headed Infant

The vast expanse of the ocean stretched endlessly before Merlin's eyes. For the first time in this world, he stood before the boundless sea, its grandeur surpassing even the grasslands, mountains, and forests he had encountered on his journey.

Walking onto the beach, the blazing sun above brought a wave of heat, while the sea breeze tugged at his billowing black mage robe. Despite the magnificence of the scenery, Merlin found no trace of islands, let alone the Cordomansila Archipelago—a massive collection of nearly ten thousand islands that should have been unmistakable from afar.

"Could I have taken the wrong path? Is the Cordomansila Archipelago not here?" Merlin frowned, scanning his surroundings. The absence of footprints on the beach indicated how rarely anyone ventured here.

Clearly, though he had reached the ocean, he had yet to find the archipelago. Deciding to explore further, Merlin chose a direction and began walking along the shoreline.

---

"Wuuu... wuuu…"

A faint sound carried on the sea breeze, resembling the cries of an infant. Merlin froze, his heart tensing.

"An infant's cries? Is someone there?"

The eeriness of the sound set him on edge. In this unfamiliar place, he couldn't afford to lower his guard. Determined to uncover the source of the cries, Merlin carefully approached the sound's origin.

---

Behind a massive boulder on the beach, a man and a woman, both mages, huddled together, their expressions marked by fear and panic.

"How did we run into a Two-Headed Infant?" the man whispered, his voice trembling.

"This area is said to be one of the most dangerous around the Cordomansila Archipelago. Looks like that's no exaggeration. We've only just reached the outskirts and already encountered a Two-Headed Infant. I fear our chances of survival are slim," the woman replied, her voice quivering.

Both mages, despite being second-level spellcasters, were clearly terrified of the creature. Their dread was palpable, as though all hope had been extinguished.

"Wuuu... wuuu…"

The baby-like cries grew louder, sending chills down their spines. The memories of what they had once witnessed—a mage controlled by a Two-Headed Infant slicing their own flesh to feed nearby sea beasts—resurfaced vividly in their minds. It was a sight too gruesome to forget.

The man sighed grimly. "Our only chance is if someone else happens to pass through and draws the creature's attention."

"What are the odds of that? This place is so dangerous that few mages ever come here," the woman muttered, her voice heavy with despair.

But then, the man's eyes widened in astonishment. "Wait, someone's coming this way!"

In the distance, a figure in a black mage's robe could be seen running along the beach. The man's face lit up with a glimmer of hope. "If that person can attract the Two-Headed Infant's attention, we'll escape as far as possible and make our way back to the archipelago."

---

Merlin sprinted along the shoreline, his body enveloped in the shimmering energy of wind elements. As he neared the source of the cries, he finally caught sight of the creature responsible.

What he saw defied description. It was a small, grotesque figure with two oversized heads, each bearing a horrifying, infant-like face. One face had mismatched eyes—one red, the other blue—that seemed to ooze blood. The other was covered in crater-like pits, as though riddled with disease.

Merlin inhaled sharply at the sight, instinctively stepping back. The creature's appearance was far more terrifying than even Riel's eerie visage.

"What is this… a sea beast?" Merlin muttered, his curiosity piqued despite the unease.

"Wuuu... wuuu…"

The creature's cries intensified, accompanied by a surge of mental energy laced with dark elemental power. Before Merlin's eyes, vivid and surreal illusions began to form around him.

"Dark element… interesting." A faint smile crept onto Merlin's lips. If the creature excelled in illusions and dark magic, then it had picked the wrong opponent.

With his *Heart of Darkness* granting him immunity to most dark magic, Merlin wasn't fazed. He took a step forward, dispelling the illusions effortlessly with a wave of his hand.

"Impressive, but ineffective. Let's see how you handle this—*Extreme Frost Finger!*"

With a flick of his wrist, a chilling mist shot toward the creature. Startled, the Two-Headed Infant let out a piercing cry, summoning reinforcements.

A massive frog-like beast emerged from the sand, its body inflating to several times its size in an instant. It leaped forward, shielding the Two-Headed Infant from Merlin's attack.

"Crack!"

The frost enveloped the frog-like creature, freezing it solid before shattering into countless pieces. The Two-Headed Infant, now visibly panicked, turned to flee toward the ocean.

"Trying to run? Too late." Merlin wasn't about to let the creature escape. Channeling his mana, he prepared to trap it with a spell. But just as he moved, the infant let out a deafening, spine-chilling shriek.

---

"Rumble... rumble…"

The ground trembled violently. From the sea, a colossal creature resembling a living mountain emerged, its immense body casting a shadow over the shore. Simultaneously, the skies filled with massive, screeching bird-like beasts, while rodent-like creatures with blood-red eyes scurried out from beneath the sand.

"All summoned by that thing?" Merlin murmured, astonished by the sheer number of beasts. His gaze settled on the towering sea beast charging toward him. Its immense presence was a threat he couldn't ignore.

With a deep breath, Merlin raised his hand. "*Tide of Darkness.*"

A thick wave of darkness swept over the beach, enveloping everything in a suffocating shadow. The summoned creatures, overwhelmed by the oppressive energy, fell silent. Only the Two-Headed Infant remained unaffected, perched atop a beast and commanding its forces.

Merlin, unaffected by the darkness, navigated the shadows with ease. His spells rained down, cutting through the horde. Flames, frost, and bolts of lightning tore through the ranks of sea beasts, leaving a trail of devastation.

By the time the darkness receded, the beach was littered with the mangled remains of countless beasts. The Two-Headed Infant, however, had fled into the depths of the ocean, escaping Merlin's grasp.

"Damn… it got away," Merlin muttered, surveying the carnage. Though victorious, the battle had left him weary.

---

Behind the boulder, the two mages stared in stunned silence at the scene before them. The beach, once teeming with terrifying creatures, was now a graveyard.

"Who… who is that mage?" the man whispered, his voice trembling with disbelief.

The sight of the Two-Headed Infant retreating in fear was beyond anything they had imagined. Even seasoned fourth-level mages avoided the creature, yet this stranger had forced it to flee.

"Could he be… a fifth or even sixth-level mage?" the woman murmured, equally shaken.

As they speculated, the black-robed figure on the beach turned toward their hiding spot, his piercing gaze locking onto the boulder. Their hearts froze as they pressed themselves against the stone, daring not to breathe.