Chapter 189: Instinct

Upon witnessing this transformation in Albert, Amelia felt a subtle pang of regret, realizing she had perhaps overplayed her hand by sending that burst of magic directly into his face.

She had merely intended to halt his momentum and compel him to take the confrontation seriously.

She certainly hadn’t anticipated awakening the dormant defense mechanisms of his draconic lineage, driving him into a state where rational thought appeared to have completely receded.

"It seems I overdid it..." Amelia muttered under her breath, observing him with heightened vigilance.

She needed to bring this to a swift conclusion. Should this state persist, there was no telling how severely the situation might escalate.

The very next second—

Albert lunged.

Zero warning.

His form virtually vanished from his position, surging forward at terrifying speed, his eyes blazing with a lethal spark that had been utterly absent moments prior.

Not a single trace of the gentle child remained in his features; raw, unadulterated instinct had taken full command of his physical vessel.

Raising his razor-sharp talons, he swept them toward Amelia.

Slash!

The air tore violently before his claws.

This strike was exponentially stronger and faster than any maneuver he had executed with the wooden staff—so fierce that Amelia felt as though the atmospheric space itself had been severed under the force of his momentum.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Then, she moved.

Lowering her small body instantly, she ducked and executed a swift lateral slide just as the talons passed directly over her head. Had the strike connected, it possessed force enough to end her life on the spot.

Yet Amelia didn’t grant herself a single split second to dwell on the near-miss; she moved with the iron reflexes of a warrior who had lived more than one lifetime.

Albert, however, did not halt.

Pivoting mid-motion, he spun and pursued her without granting her a moment to catch her breath.

At this speed?!

Albert was no longer relying solely on his physical talons. Mana had begun pooling rapidly around his frame, surging through his limbs. His velocity accelerated, his physical power output multiplied, and each successive lunge surpassed the last in sheer ferocity.

Amelia’s features settled into absolute, ice-cold serenity.

Her smile had completely vanished.

If Albert had lost conscious control, playing around was no longer an option.

She raised her hand.

Tongues of arcane flame erupted around her, condensing instantaneously into a focused salvo before shooting directly toward Albert.

The flames made direct impact with his frame.

Boom!

Amelia stepped back, her small frame gliding backward as the flames momentarily swallowed Albert whole.

Yet she felt zero relief.

Because out from the heart of the inferno... Albert emerged.

His advance remained unbroken. He did not recoil, nor did he display a single sign of physical distress. The scales encasing his vessel had neutralized the brunt of the heat, allowing him to charge through the blaze as though it didn’t exist.

Amelia’s expression shifted.

His scales...

The issue was no longer limited to his offensive power—his defensive output was equally troublesome.

Albert continued his rapid approach. Raising his arm, he drove his talons downward toward Amelia with crushing force.

She leaped backward.

The talons slammed directly into the earth.

Boom!

The courtyard shuddered, sending fragments of dirt and grass exploding into the air.

Amelia touched down several paces away, but Albert granted no respite. Driving his feet into the ground, he launched himself anew—this time executing an aerial strike from above.

Amelia raised her palm.

A barrier composed of Star Magic materialized before her. Albert’s talons collided directly with the forcefield.

Crack!

Fissures spider-webbed across the barrier’s surface.

Amelia’s eyes narrowed.

The barrier shattered completely into dispersed mana fragments.

His physical strength is still scaling upwards...

She retreated rapidly, yet one of Albert’s claws grazed past her shoulder, cleanly tearing a section of her clothing.

Amelia halted for a split second.

She glanced down at the torn fabric on her shoulder, then raised her eyes to meet his.

Albert remained locked onto her, his gaze dominated by pure predatory instinct.

This child...

Amelia felt no anger—rather, genuine concern began to creep in.

She was the one who had driven him into this feral state. Consequently, she could not treat him as a standard hostile target. Yet at the same time, continuing to purely evade would bleed her limited mana reserves dry without yielding a resolution.

She had to break his momentum decisively.

The instant Albert surged forward once more, Amelia did not step back.

Instead, she stepped directly into his guard.

His instinctual perception was caught momentarily off guard as Amelia materialized directly beneath his extended talons. Shifting her posture, she seized his small wrist with both hands.

The technique was simple, yet executed with flawless precision.

Leveraging his immense forward momentum rather than resisting it head-on, she pivoted her entire body.

"Up you go!"

Albert’s feet left the ground. For a brief second, his body flipped through the air before being slammed directly into the earth.

Boom!

A cloud of displaced dirt erupted around him.

Yet before Amelia could seal the confrontation, Albert reacted. A violent burst of mana erupted from his core as he forced himself off the ground, twisting midair and driving himself back toward her.

Amelia raised her arm, manifesting a secondary magical barrier just in time to absorb the impact of his claws.

Thump!

The forcefield trembled under the strain, forcing Amelia back several paces. Albert anchored himself upon the grass, his talons continuing to exert relentless pressure against the shimmering barrier.

Amelia observed him from behind the translucent layer of magic.

She spoke softly, her tone resonant and absolute:

"Albert."

He offered no verbal response, continuing his unyielding pressure.

Amelia met his feral gaze directly. "Enough."

For a split second... Albert’s movements froze.

The feral haze did not instantly vanish from his eyes, yet something stirred in the deepest recesses of his consciousness.

The command was familiar.

The tone was familiar.

And the presence standing before him was no enemy.

It was Lady Amelia.

His talons receded slightly.

In that exact window, Amelia capitalized on the opening. Channeling her remaining strength, she detonated the barrier forward.

A shockwave of kinetic energy erupted, sending Albert tumbling backward across the grass before coming to a complete halt.

Amelia raised her hand, star-attribute energy condensing around her form. Yet she held her attack.

She watched as Albert slowly lifted his head. Though a fierce spark remained in his eyes, true consciousness was rapidly reclaiming his gaze.

It was in that moment Amelia realized this duel was no longer a mere test of his current combat ability.

She had uncovered something far more volatile.

When driven into a corner... this boy possessed a genuinely dangerous threshold.

And Amelia was no longer certain if this encounter would conclude in the precise manner she had originally envisioned.