Chapter 190: He Won

At that precise moment, the fierce spark dominating Albert’s eyes lost much of its former intensity, though he had not calmed down completely.

More importantly... his conscious mind was rapidly resurfacing.

No longer moving purely on primal instinct, he was now capable of analyzing his surroundings and calculating his next move with sharper logic.

While Amelia had used a verbal bluff to halt his momentum moments prior, Albert did not fall for the same trick twice.

He stood before her for a split second, then lunged forward once more.

Yet this time, something strange occurred mid-advance.

His form blurred.

Then, a duplicate materialized right beside him.

Then, a third.

The three illusions paused for a fraction of a second, each locked in a slightly different posture, before scattering and surging toward Amelia from divergent angles.

Amelia’s eyes widened slightly.

Cloning magic?

She was well aware that Albert had previously studied this technique, though he had only managed a rudimentary grasp of its execution. Yet in his present state, tapping into that spell seemed exponentially easier for him.

The execution was far from flawless.

However, the sheer number of duplicates and their wide distribution proved more than enough to make pinpointing the real Albert an irritating task.

Amelia raised her hand.

Spheres of star magic condensed in the air, shooting forward in a rapid barrage toward the three forms.

Boom!

The projectiles struck the illusions simultaneously, erupting into a dense cloud of smoke that billowed across the courtyard, utterly obscuring normal vision.

Amelia halted where she stood.

She didn’t require ordinary eyesight. Her eyes possessed the rare ability to penetrate obfuscation, allowing her to sweep through the smoke to locate the real Albert.

Yet... movement flickered.

Then another.

And another.

Amelia’s gaze froze.

Out from the smoke surged an overwhelming number of figures.

Ten.

Ten distinct duplicates of Albert, every single one bearing identical draconic scales, razor-sharp claws, and glowing feral eyes.

All ten charged toward Amelia simultaneously.

Claws slashed inward from every coordinate: from the right, the left, above, and directly ahead.

"Annoying..." Amelia stated calmly.

Activating her vision to its fullest, she read the trajectories of the incoming attacks a split second before they arrived. Her small body maneuvered between the razor claws with astonishing fluidity.

She ducked.

She pivoted.

She retreated.

Then, she leaped.

The talons grazed past her by the narrowest of margins. She managed to evade the vast majority of the onslaught, yet the sheer volume of strikes rendered continuous dodge maneuvers increasingly unsustainable.

She resolved not to wait for the rest to reach her.

Planting her feet firmly upon the earth, she unleashed her mana.

Boom!

A violent shockwave erupted outward from Amelia in all directions. The courtyard trembled as grass and soil exploded into the air.

One by one, the duplicates shattered, their forms dissolving into thin air as though they had never existed.

As for the real Albert...

He was propelled backward with immense force. Rolling across the ground, he finally came to a halt.

A few seconds passed before he placed his hand on the earth and forced himself up. He panted heavily for air, the scales covering his skin bearing the severe marks of her prior strikes.

Yet he stood once more.

Amelia observed him in absolute silence, a cold realization dawning within her.

Her mana reserves were running dangerously low. She had expended a substantial amount of energy maintaining this defense; if Albert continued to press his attack at this pace, it was only a matter of time before her reserves hit absolute zero.

I must bring this to a definitive end.

Before she could execute her plan, however, Albert surged forward again.

There was zero time to calculate.

Acting on pure, refined reflex, Amelia raised her hand and unleashed a dense, high-velocity volley of small magic blades. The mana slashes tore through the air straight toward Albert.

He attempted to evade.

One blade missed.

A second missed.

A third missed.

Yet the volume was simply too overwhelming. He couldn’t dodge them all. Several blades pierced through his scales, cutting into his flesh in multiple places and spraying droplets of blood onto the grass.

Still, Albert did not halt.

He continued his forward momentum. The physical agony was plain across his face, yet he refused to let it stall his advance.

"Stop!" Amelia commanded, stepping back.

Albert didn’t stop.

He reached her.

He raised his talons.

At the ultimate second, Amelia shifted laterally. The talons grazed past her shoulder as Albert’s momentum carried him past her form, his body skidding along the grass until he came to a halt several meters behind her.

Amelia remained standing in her spot.

She turned to look at him.

Albert’s vessel was covered in lacerations, blood dripping from several wounds as his chest heaved with heavy, desperate breaths.

For a brief moment... Amelia felt a wave of relief.

It was over. Even with Albert’s absurd stubbornness, his physical body had reached its absolute limit. He was no longer in a condition to continue.

She prepared to declare her victory.

Then... she froze.

She felt a faint moisture on her cheek.

Raising her hand slowly, she touched the spot with the tips of her fingers. Bringing them back into view, she stared at a tiny red speck.

Blood.

Her eyes widened. Absolute silence fell over her mind.

She raised her gaze to look at Albert. He remained standing a short distance away, panting heavily, his claws lowered limply at his sides. He didn’t even appear to realize what had just transpired.

Amelia, however... understood the reality instantly.

She recalled the exact condition she herself had set. She hadn’t stated that he needed to overpower her. She hadn’t stated that he needed to land a decisive blow.

She had said... a single touch meant her defeat.

Amelia raised her hand to her cheek once more.

He had touched her.

However minor, however faint... he had done it.

A heavy silence reigned over the courtyard.

Amelia exhaled a slow, measured breath.

No...

Albert hadn’t defeated her through sheer strength. He had defeated her by capitalizing on the very condition she had imposed upon herself.

Amelia lowered her head for a brief moment.

Then, she spoke in a calm, quiet tone carrying a trace of resignation:

"I lost."

Albert raised his head. He couldn’t process what he was hearing at first.

Then his eyes widened. "Truly?"

Amelia looked at him. "Yes."

She pointed to her cheek. "You touched me."

Albert stared at his hand, then back at Amelia, as the realization finally registered in his mind. Despite his bleeding wounds and exhausted body, a brilliant, wide smile broke across his face.

He had won.

In a manner even he hadn’t anticipated.

Amelia could only observe him in silence. She had been entirely confident in teaching him a stern lesson about raw power and experience.

In the end... she was the one who walked away with a very simple lesson.

When setting a condition for a child determined to win at all costs, make sure you remember your own rules first.