I AM A MAGE BUT WITH MILF SYSTEM

Chapter 826: The aftermath

“Elara, watch out!” Vanessa’s voice cracked from beyond the barrier, but it was already too late to matter.

The phoenix dove.

BOOOOOOM.

The impact was catastrophic. Flame met water in a detonation of light and pressure that sent a visible shockwave rippling outward. For a single, terrible instant, the barrier meant to contain the entire duel groaned under a strain it was never built to hold. Cracks spread like spiderwebs across its shimmering surface, and then, with a sound like the world tearing in half, the barrier shattered.

CRACKKK!!

Shards of raw magic scattered outward in a blinding shower, and screams erupted from the crowd as nobles stumbled backward, shielding their faces from the sudden burst of heat and light that spilled unchecked into the open courtyard.

“The barrier!” the Duke shouted, already moving.

He did not hesitate. Mana surged from his outstretched palm, and thick golden magic spread through the air. Beside him, the Count followed quickly, his own magic burning just as bright. The two moved in perfect sync, rebuilding what had been destroyed.

Between them, a new layer of protective wards slowly formed. It began thin and fragile, struggling against the overwhelming force still pouring from the clash at its core.

“Stop it! Stop the match, now!” the Countess screamed, her voice raw and cracking as she lunged toward the railing, only to be caught by Olivia’s firm grip on her arm. “She is going to get hurt! Do you not see what is happening in there?”

The Count did not so much as glance her way. His eyes remained fixed on the reinforced barriers.

“The defense will hold,” he said, though his voice was tight with the effort of keeping them stable. “Elara can withstand this. She would not thank us for stopping her now.”

“She could die in there!”

“She will not.” His tone left no room for argument, though a thin bead of sweat traced down his temple that betrayed just how much effort the reinforcement was truly costing him.

**

Inside what remained of the barrier, the situation had only grown worse. With the barrier patched back in place, nearly eighty percent of the heat that should have dispersed harmlessly into the open air instead had nowhere to go. It condensed inward instead, turning the enclosed space into something closer to the inside of a volcano than a courtyard.

SKRIIII!!!

The phoenix shrieked again, it wings beating slow and gracefully. Each pulse sent another wave of searing heat rippling outward.

The Water Guardian was still towering above Elara but was visibly diminished now. The cry of the phoenix made her stagger backwards and her once smooth, flowing form began to thin at the edges.

“No, no, hold together,” Elara whispered, her voice barely audible even to herself.

Her hands trembled as she poured every last drop of mana she had left into the guardian’s core, but it was like trying to hold water in cupped hands. No matter how tightly she closed her fingers, more slipped through with every passing second.

Julian, for his part, was not unscathed either. The Phoenix Dance was among the most demanding techniques Kraven knew. Maintaining it within a space this confined, with the heat reflecting back on him from every direction, was taking its own brutal toll. His breathing had grown ragged, his shirt soaked through, and there was a faint tremor in his hand that was still raised toward the burning shape above him.

He was not losing control. Not yet. But he could feel the edges of his own reserves fraying.

“Impressive,” he managed, forcing the word out through gritted teeth, “but I don’t think your guardian can take much more of this.”

He was right.

The Water Guardian’s shoulders melted first then dissolved into thin streams that hissed and vanished into vapor the instant they left her main form. Then her hair turned into droplets that evaporated before they even touched the scorched ground. Her once beautiful, ethereal face began to blur.

“No,” Elara breathed, watching helplessly as her strongest summon (the technique she had spent years perfecting) came apart around her piece by piece. “No, please, just a little longer, I need you to hold, just a little longer.”

But mana could not be argued with, and neither could heat of this magnitude. The guardian’s chest (the last part still shielding Elara from the worst of the heat) finally gave way and dissolved into a final burst of scalding steam that rolled outward in a thick white wave.

That was enough.

BAMM!!

Elara dropped to her knees on the cracked, blistering stone, fully exposed now. She was gasping uncontrollably from the sheer heat still radiating from the phoenix above.

Sensing that there was no way out of this, her hands moved on instinct, weaving the final gesture to fully dismantle what remained of her summon.

The last wisps of water sighed away into nothing, and heavy silence settled over the ruined courtyard.

Julian, too, raised a hand, and with visible effort, the phoenix folded its wings inward and its flames dimmed rapidly until the towering, blazing shape shrank down to a small glow that finally winked out entirely.

For a long moment, no one spoke. The situation had been that serious, and the weight of it still hung heavy over the ruined courtyard. No one, not even the nobles who had gathered expecting nothing more than a simple exhibition, had thought a duel meant for entertainment would ever escalate to such dangerous heights.

Then, breaking the silence, Elara chuckled softly and forced herself to stand.

“I accept my loss, Lord Kraven.”

She dropped into a proper curtsy despite her trembling legs.

“And I am sorry for being so selfish, and for pushing the duel into such dangerous territory. I let my pride get the better of my judgment.”

Julian offered a small, genuine smile and returned her bow with equal formality.

“It was entertaining to fight you, Lady Elara.” He straightened, studying her with something closer to respect than mockery now. “Your summon caught me by surprise, more than I would like to admit. It pushed me to my absolute limit.”

Before either of them could say anything further, the Countess reached them at last, breathless and wild eyed, having sprinted the moment Olivia’s grip finally slipped. She pulled her daughter into a fierce embrace, not caring of the ash and grime still clinging to Elara’s skin.