Merlin looked at him coldly.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
"I, I..."
With his small eyes frantically darting around, Shrek crawled a few steps forward, his face full of terror and servile flattery.
"I wouldn't dare, sir, I only ran because I had no choice. Those damned humans—oh no, those damned Campbell barbarians are just too formidable! And they don't play by any rules, they just attacked out of nowhere. I had to strategically retreat to preserve my strength... Once I bring reinforcements from the Dimension Desert, I'll return and retaliate!"
Merlin looked down at this disgusting creature reaching its filthy paws toward his boots, his eyes nearly overflowing with disdain.
He really wanted to crush this rat's head underfoot, but considering this guy still had his uses, he held back.
"Preserve strength?"
Merlin sneered, with a flick of his index finger, a burst of magic light "bang" sent Shrek flying away, rolling several times on the ground before stopping.
