I narrowed down available bikes at my local shop that I want to try and landed with 2:

XC/trail https://www.merida-bikes.com/en/bike/5762/ninety-six-xt

all-mountain https://www.merida-bikes.com/en/bike/5754/one-forty-7000

I'm currently on a hardtail and budget manitou fork is flexing af under my >100kg when braking. Is this concern still valid with FOX 34 and should I move to Lyrik or it won't matter?

I'm more keen on the XC bike (lighter and another toy for me - wireless derailler) but I'm afraid of trashing the fork. As I understand, the carbon frame and handlebar is nowadays not anymore problematic, I don't have to by crying about scratches there. Should I expect more maintenance from the XC bike than all-mountain (tighter specs regarding allowed trails)? I'm not that much into jumps, but sketchy terrain and high speed and vibrations happen.