My reputation wasn't limited to humans or sorcerers anymore.
No — it stretched far, far beyond that.
Demons feared me.
Not disliked.Not avoided.
Feared.
And honestly?That part was entirely their fault.
The moment I raised the global barrier — a magical shield so vast it wrapped around the planet like a second atmosphere — the demonic population exploded into panic. Portals collapsed. Summoning spells failed. Lesser entities disintegrated on impact. More powerful ones barely forced a crack before being burned and slowed by the barrier's draining effect.
And the ones who did slip through?
Oh, I hunted them.
I hunted them relentlessly.
I hunted them with the patience of a saint and the precision of a surgeon… and the enthusiasm of someone who had way too much battle experience and not enough hobbies.
My students hunted the weaker ones, forming patrol groups. I handled the stronger ones — the demon knights, the infernal generals, the chaos spawn, the abyssal monsters.
My magic signature became something whispered with dread in the lower realms:
"The Ancient One is coming.""She kills everything.""She banished a Chaos Lord.""She eats demons for breakfast."
Okay, that last rumor was technically incorrect.Demons taste disgusting.
But I didn't mind the intimidation factor.
Fear kept the invasion rates low.
And frankly?I was too busy with my current project to care about what Hell thought of me.
Because right now?
I was building something extraordinary.
Something insane.Something only someone with my unique collection of magical knowledge, scientific genius, and complete moral flexibility could pull off.
I was cloning Merlin.
Not just cloning, either.
I was creating a female Merlin.
A "Merlin Prototype," modeled after the Fate‑style sorceress — the legendary Magus of Flowers, the fae‑touched prophet, the walking magical anomaly.
And honestly?
The project was going shockingly well.
I stood in my hidden mountain lab — one of several scattered across the planet and pocket dimensions — surrounded by glowing vats, arcane sigils, humming magical circuitry, and a collection of artifacts that would make Doctor Fate's helm twitch in disapproval.
On the main growth tank, a figure floated peacefully in pale blue fluid: long hair drifting like mist, runes pulsing softly around her slender form. Even unconscious, even unfinished, she radiated magic strong enough to make the air vibrate.
I crossed my arms, nodding proudly at the display.
"Perfect magical resonance," I murmured. "Not too wild. Not too unstable. And the fairy‑heritage balance is holding."
That was the tricky part.
Merlin, even in legend, wasn't human — or at least not entirely. His nature bent around timelines, magic, and reality itself. Trying to recreate that with raw human DNA would've ended in a corpse that exploded into stardust the moment a spell was cast.
So I cheated.
I used Morgana le Fay's fairy DNA.
That stabilized the magical framework, the lifespan, the shapeshifting potential, and the raw magical chaos that made Merlin… well, Merlin. It also gave my prototype a balanced fae‑human physiology — powerful, adaptable, and compatible with all types of magic.
Her magical reserves were already enormous.Not as large as mine — obviously, mine were a dimensional ocean — but still far beyond any ordinary sorcerer.
With a grin, I examined the control panel — a blend of mystic runes, chakra seals, and advanced bio‑tech that I built using Orochimaru's knowledge and Merlin's notes.
"Good," I said to myself. "Stabilizing properly. No collapse. No dimensional bleed. No sudden emergence of a chaotic familiar trying to eat the lab."
You'd be surprised how often that last one happens.
A pulse of demonic magic brushed the outer wards of the lab — a demon sniffing around, testing the barrier.
I flicked my fingers.
A tiny pulse of my magic rippled outward, silently, invisibly.
And on the other side of the mountain, the demon disintegrated into ash without ever realizing what killed it.
"I don't have time for interruptions," I sighed, checking the containment seals. "I'm crafting a magical masterpiece here."
Because I wasn't just creating a clone.
I was creating a weapon.A guardian.A future ally.A possible apprentice.Or maybe even something closer — a partner in magic, if her personality turned out compatible.
And the best part?
The magical world had no idea.
Everyone else was still busy whispering about my reputation. About how demons fled at the sound of my name. About how I destroyed chaos entities, outdueled ancient beings, and never aged a day.
Meanwhile, I was in a mountain lab in sweatpants, growing a gender‑bent Merlin in a tube.
You know.
Sorceress Supreme things.
I placed my hand on the containment tank, letting my magic flow gently into the swirling energy.
"Grow well," I whispered to her. "You're going to change this world… and I'll make sure you're ready for it."
The liquid shimmered in response.
Her fingers twitched.
The runes glowed.
And I smiled — a rare, genuine smile — because this was going to be something legendary.
Something terrifying.
Something beautiful.
And Hell itself would tremble when she awakened beside me.