Charlotte realized that merely deceiving him like this wasn’t enough.
Even though Charlotte held a slight advantage in mana transference, if this deadlock continued, no matter how abundant his mana was, it would eventually be squandered away by him.
When that time came and his mana was depleted, Ryan would still have Fighting Aura—he himself would be as helpless as a newborn chick.
Although Charlotte could only use the divine artifact once in a short period, that single use was reserved solely for defending against the most powerful spell.
He needed to lure Ryan into casting his strongest magic.
In his heart, he called out, “Aifel, have you slept enough? It’s time to wake up.”
Aifel responded, sounding as though she’d just awoken, “What is it? Ran into trouble?”
Charlotte said, “You’ve had two or three days to recover. It’s about time you did something useful.”
Aifel, having slept for a long while, was not only full of energy, but also in a very good mood. “Hmph, I knew you’d need me.”
“Enough with the chatter. If you say another word, I’ll end up as an ice sculpture in a minute.”
“Yes~ at your command, my master!”
A faint glow flickered on the ring Charlotte wore, and immediately, both the speed and strength of his spellcasting rose sharply.
Charlotte poured out his mana with reckless abandon. As long as he could make Ryan feel that things could no longer be delayed, he would win.
Not long after, Ryan’s expression changed completely as he watched Charlotte relentlessly wield Dark Magic.
He could sense that Charlotte’s mana was not being exhausted; instead, it grew ever more overwhelming as the fight continued.
When he saw that Charlotte could still respond with ease to every move, he understood: Charlotte truly was a genius.
With only the foundation of a third-tier mage, using pure magic technique alone, he already gave Ryan trouble.
And beyond that, he possessed a unique advantage—Ryan had never seen a third-tier mage with such immense mana reserves.
At last, he made his decision—to invoke the Karen Family’s ultimate magic. Ryan was ready to put an end to this farce.
“Still holding back?” Ryan also stopped chasing. Charlotte’s current state seemed to make him sense a trace of danger.
Charlotte, too, stopped running, standing face-to-face with Ryan.
“It seems that if this goes on, there will be no winner. I have to admit, you truly are a genius, Charlotte. But today, your undefeated record must end. Let me offer you my respect—by shattering your pride.”
The longsword in Ryan’s hand flared with a blue-green radiance, Fighting Aura and blue mana entwining instantly around the blade.
The brilliance that burst forth was dazzling—almost an extension of the blade itself, with chills and pressure of wind emanating from it without pause.
Ryan raised his longsword vertically before his chest, the glow growing ever more concentrated.
Charlotte watched the scene before him, yet did not move at all. Instead, he let out a sigh of relief.
Aifel, seeing the situation unfold exactly as Charlotte had described those nights before, shuddered a little.
“Charlotte, I’m starting to feel sorry for those you’ve toyed with. You’re truly terrifying.”
Charlotte’s face was calm, as if this were nothing out of the ordinary. “Thank you for the compliment, but the real test is just beginning…”
He knew Ryan would hold back, since this was only a duel. But if Charlotte failed to defend properly, he would still be gravely injured…
In the stands, the two mage spectators exchanged glances, beginning to reinforce the Barrier with their mana.
Ryan’s next strike could shatter the shield, so another layer of protection was required.
Both guardian mages simultaneously crushed the Warning Crystal in their hands, and faint golden Protective Runes began to emerge on the outer layer of the Barrier—they understood better than anyone how terrifying the power Ryan was about to unleash.
For the first time, Lilia saw her father looking so serious.
She couldn’t help but feel afraid—afraid that Charlotte, standing opposite, might really die by her father’s blade.
“Father! Stop! Do you really mean to kill Marquis Charlotte?”
But Lilia’s cry came a moment too late.
“In the name of Ryan Karen, I summon the power of the Blue Rose!”
As his longsword struck the ground, ice crystals erupted from the sword as the center, spreading madly outward.
Petal-shaped blue rose ice crystals blossomed in the air, each petal exuding a chill that could freeze blood.
The two mages in the stands poured all their mana into the shield, which now shimmered with a wavering white glow under the extreme cold.
[Five-Tier Ultimate Magic: Blue Rose Domain]
Effect: A domain spreads out from the caster, entwining all living beings within with ice roses and absorbing their mana.
Ryan knew he had won.
But in the next instant, his heart skipped a beat.
Because Charlotte suddenly smiled—that expressionless Charlotte, the corners of his mouth now turned up in a way that filled Ryan with fear.
The first clear expression Charlotte showed in the entire battle made Ryan inexplicably uneasy.
But he was sure Charlotte couldn’t withstand this attack, so he greatly reduced the spell’s power.
“Hmph… You’re underestimating me…” Charlotte clearly realized that the power of this Five-Tier Magic was far from its peak.
Even so, he dared not let down his guard. He had to win—and win beautifully.
If he wanted to earn Lilia’s and Ryan’s trust, he had to demonstrate superhuman strength.
Charlotte slowly raised his hand. The ring blazed suddenly bright. “Aifel, draw the sword!”
Aifel answered, “At your command, my master!”
A mist appeared instantly in Charlotte’s right hand, which he grasped and shaped into a longsword.
“Harmonizer, it’s your turn!”
The mist-shrouded longsword formed in his hand.
The energy coursing through its blade was neither magic nor Fighting Aura, but an indescribable pulse.
This was Divine Power—strength beyond human limits!
As the tide of blue rose ice surged toward him, Charlotte made no superfluous movement.
He simply swung his sword at the icy tide rolling in like a wave.
There was no earth-shaking roar, only a near-invisible arc of energy that split the ice tide.
Time seemed to stop in that moment.
Then a violent explosion erupted.
Mist enveloped the entire arena…
The military Barrier shimmered with ripples, mana striking it and leaving scattered ice marks—the shield was under tremendous strain.
Everyone waited quietly for the duel’s outcome, eyes fixed as the thick fog dissipated…
“Charlotte, I hope you learn the meaning of humility…” Ryan gathered his mana and swept away the fog.
Just as he was about to lower his sword, his eyelid twitched—because he saw a figure still standing tall.
“What?!”
The spectators gasped—how could Charlotte still be standing?
Lilia covered her mouth. Just moments ago, she had been worried for Charlotte.
Now he stood as though nothing had happened, while her father had begun to tremble slightly.
Before Charlotte, an arc-shaped patch of ground was clear.
While everywhere else was overtaken by ice pillars and blue roses, the spot where he stood was untouched.
Charlotte lightly brushed some ice shards from his cloak, replying calmly, “Duke Ryan, I have received your respect.”
“Duke Ryan, you call yourself a genius, but that is only because you were born in an age without me. Let me tell you, the arrogant one—is you!”
Charlotte stepped forward slowly. With each stride, an ice pillar ahead of him shattered—he was releasing his own mana, his aura nothing like that of a mere third-tier mage.
“I’ll show you why I’m called a genius.”
Charlotte declared with confidence, “Now, let me return your respect!”
With the help of wind magic, Charlotte rose into the air, arms outstretched like a god overlooking mortals.
Behind him, two immense, ornate Magic Arrays flashed to life—the left array flowing with molten red light, the right condensed with glacial indigo.
At the edge of the arrays, ice and fire elements entwined in streams of energy, eternally perishing and reborn.
“Song of Desolation: Icefire…”
Charlotte’s tone was light, but his words seemed etched into the minds of all present.
Ryan stared wide-eyed at the magic arrays before him, suddenly sensing a fatal threat!
In a flash, he looked to the magic Barrier, already on the verge of collapse. If Charlotte released his spell, Lilia would be in danger!
But he was helpless—he could only watch as, within the array, a gigantic sphere of fire-wrapped ice slowly fell at Charlotte’s fingertip.
“Are you insane, Charlotte Wuyue! Stop! The Barrier won’t hold!”
Ryan frantically poured Fighting Aura into reinforcing the shield, but he could only watch as the entwined sphere of ice and fire crashed down.
He closed his eyes, awaiting the shattering of the Barrier and Lilia’s scream—
Boom…
Blinding light swallowed everything…
Ryan resignedly closed his eyes—what a madman…
But after a while, he heard no scream, nor felt any pain.
As the glare faded, a wave of air—searing and frigid—rushed over him, scattering pebbles and ash.
Ryan found himself unharmed.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the once-smooth testing ground—now fractured with spiderweb-like chasms, the deepest wide enough to swallow half a man.
Their edges gleamed with a thin layer of ice, under which burned a deep crimson heat.
At the center of the field, where the Icefire energy sphere had struck, a concave crater over ten meters wide had formed.
The pit’s bottom was covered by a shell of ice—melted, then refrozen—laced with scorched cracks.
From time to time, tiny sparks leapt from these fissures, only to be frozen instantly into specks of ice.
At the field’s edge, the Magic Test Stele was now nothing but fragments.
The once rune-engraved monument was shattered into dozens of pieces, the larger blocks marked with burn and ice scars—as if gnawed by both flame and frost; the smaller shards were scattered everywhere, rattling softly as they struck the intact crystalline blue Barrier.
Only the crystal blue shield Charlotte had set remained untouched, like a transparent dome separating the ravaged field from the outside world.
“Is this something a third-tier mage can do?” Ryan stared in a daze at the scene.
Such transcendent power, accomplished by a third-tier mage.
Ryan admitted from his heart—Charlotte was a genius.
Throughout history, perhaps no one would ever surpass him in magic!
He wasn’t a genius… he was a monster!
After all this, Charlotte’s mana was spent.
The energy he’d burned fighting Ryan had left him utterly exhausted, and he collapsed straight down.
“Marquis Charlotte! Father…” a clear female voice called out, but to Charlotte, it sounded muffled, as if through a layer of water.
Hearing that voice, Charlotte knew he’d won his gamble once again, and a faint smile curved his lips.
Ah… His body seemed at its limit. Time to sleep for a while…