Getting the invitation sent through the D'Arcel estate, Charlotte prepared.
Unlike her usual hoodie and sweatpants, she now adorned a purple-laced hoodie and a pair of slim, fitted pants that emphasized her figure.
Unlike Aster, the original, she was impossible to overlook.
He was the kind of person who blended into the background without effort—someone even his own boss once forgot during salary distribution back in his office days as a software developer. Charlotte, however, could never be ignored.
Her features were soft, almost delicate, and with her flowing black hair, she would easily be mistaken for someone out of place in the world she now stood in.
Yet within that presence, the usually aloof Aster could finally express himself properly. Her garments were not ordinary purple fabric. They were enchanted.
Aurora could feel it immediately. An overwhelming pressure of mana overflowed from the cloth itself. To the Barebloods, the entire outfit could easily be considered a holy artifact.
Supreme defense. Enhanced spell output. Resistance to magic.
All engraved directly into Charlotte's clothing. And that wasn't all—Aurora and Theodore had received their own as well.
But they were confused.
What Charlotte handed them were only accessories. For Aurora, an ice-crystal-shaped hairpin. For Theodore, a bat-shaped brooch meant to be pinned onto his clothing.
Before Theodore could even ask, Aurora stepped forward and channeled mana into hers.
Instantly, she realized it wasn't just an accessory—it was a creation medium. A construct anchor engraved with a Create Item spell.
Aurora froze as mana settled around her. Her clothing manifested fully. A coat of crystal blue draped over her shoulders, sharp and clean like frozen glass. Beneath it, a fitted inner layer of white and silver traced her form—flexible, yet structured as if it had been designed with precision rather than fabric. It didn't reflect light. Rather It refracted it. Subtle glimmers shifted across its surface like frozen shards under a pale sky. Cold gathered around her—but it did not overwhelm her. It stabilized. Refined. The garment enhanced her affinity with ice, reducing the strain of Absolute Ice-like spells while increasing their precision, as if every spell she cast was being corrected mid-formation. And above her ear rested the hairpin.
Clear. Intricate. Fragile in appearance.
But within it— Something stirred. Iskaryon, compressed and merged with the artifact, remained dormant. His presence was reduced to a quiet hum only Aurora could feel. Not sealed. Not suppressed. Simply waiting.
"Cool, right?" Charlotte said proudly. "It holds your partners, and you can equip or remove your assigned clothing whenever you want. Just flow mana into the accessory." She grinned.
"My disciples need proper uniforms, after all."
Seeing Aurora already dressed in her new form, Theodore quickly followed.
He channeled mana into his brooch.
His clothing shifted. A dark aristocratic ensemble formed over him—a long black coat lined with deep crimson, tailored perfectly to his small frame. Gold-thread accents ran along the seams, not decorative, but structured—guiding mana flow like engraved circuits.
It resembled the old noble attire of vampire bloodlines, designed to reflect status, discipline, and lineage. The moment he moved, the outfit responded. His circulation stabilized. His Hemomancy became smoother, more precise. Even the smallest manipulation of blood felt refined, as if the garment itself assisted in shaping intent.
But of course, it could not fix his core flaw. His slow blood regeneration. That limitation still remained. That was where Lilith came in.
Resting near his collar was the crimson bat-shaped brooch.
Elegant. Noble. Quiet.
And within it— Lilith resided. A living reservoir hidden in plain sight.
Charlotte looked at both of them and nodded in satisfaction.
"There," she said. "Perfect."
She takes a photo with her phone to commemorate her disciples in their cute attire.
As the feel their garments, they could feel it too—the enchantments humming through their bodies, amplifying everything they were capable of.
And then—
Charlotte raised her hand. A massive portal opened above them. Unlike her usual gates, this one did not simply connect space.
It swallowed the Lunarium entirely.
When Aurora and Theodore looked outside, they were already above Nocturne—the underground heart of the Witching Hour.
Witches and supernaturals had gathered in overwhelming numbers, drawn by the announcement of the duel.
But what they did not expect—
was Charlotte's arrival.
A floating geode of amethyst descended from the sky, its surface layered with structures that seemed to grow organically from its crystal frame.
The crowd went silent.
Then erupted.
In the prepared arena below, Edith Panthera stood with her favored disciple, surveying the construction. A voice called out.
"Ma'am!" Edith turned slightly.
The witch pointed upward. She saw it. The Lunarium hovering above the Nocturne.
And Edith smiled.
Not calmly. Not politely. But in anticipation.
She immediately ordered the construction to be finalized and flew toward the plaza alongside her disciple.
People parted as they descended.
And then—
Gracefully, Charlotte, Aurora, and Theodore landed.
Elowen remained above, guarding the Lunarium.
"Well," Charlotte said lightly, glancing at Edith, "Ain't this a warm welcome."
In the crowd, the D'Arcel and Welsch families watched in tension.
The D'Arcels looked at Theodore with confusion and disbelief.
The Welsch saw Aurora as both a disgrace and an emerging threat—especially now that she stood beside Charlotte, the Heretical Witch.
Edith guided them into a prepared lounge while the arena finished construction.
Mana pressure lingered in the air. Not hostile. But undeniable. Aurora. Charlotte. Theodore. All of them were felt. Then the duel rules were explained.
No killing.
Only victory by incapacitation or surrender.
Mistress Mildred Rossi herself enforced the Pact Magic, binding the agreement in absolute terms. No one could break it.
When Theodore was left aside, Charlotte simply had Lilith hover above him and placed him near Lucien for protection.
Then—
The duel was set.
Aurora stepped forward.
Across from her stood Valeria Panthera.
The Witch of the Blade.
Edith's favored granddaughter.
The fireball signal burst into the sky. The duel began.
Valeria moved first.
Weapons scattered into the ground like falling stars. In the many weapons scattered, she picked up a glaive.
Martial Magic surged through her body, pushing her beyond human limits.
A single slash—
BOOM.
The sound echoed across the arena.
Blocked by Aurora's Frigid Umbrella, Valeria's slash was blocked easily.
Aurora countered immediately, pushing Valeria back with an ice spike designed not to kill—but to reposition.
As she was sent back, Icicle Spears followed.
Valeria moved like instinct itself, switching weapons mid-flow, cutting through each spear as they came.
But Aurora did not panic.
Above Valeria—
Frigid Mass formed.
A building-sized mass of Absolute Ice dropped. The crowd froze. Even the Welsch held their breath.
Because Absolute Ice—
was supposed to be permanent.
Valeria braced herself. But before it could do any more damage to Valeria— Aurora disrupted it.
Dispel.
A simple but refined technique. Once a spell has been analyzed, it could be dispelled. All spells have a flow. Once that flow was disrupted in its specific weak area, the spell would be destroyed.
She wasn't as fast as Charlotte, but it was enough for her to use it for her own spells.
Dispelling the mass of absolute ice on top of Valeria, as she lay below it, struggling to move as she had to use multiple weapons just to block it.
The crowd erupted.
Not because of power—
but because she had done the impossible. Valeria was staggering.
Trying her best to move, Edith shouted from the sides.
"VALERIA! I GIVE YOU PERMISSION!"
Something changed.
Reinforcement activated fully. A spell that literally does what it's called. Though for the Arch-Witch of the Pantheras, they had made further beyond.
The simple Reinforcement turned into their signature spell, Panthera.
Her body exploded with mana pressure. Veins were showing, and her eyes were bloodshot.
In a single step, she was already in front of Aurora.
A clash.
Frigid Umbrella barely blocked it.
Valeria kept attacking nonstop and with pure instinct.
Aurora responded instantly with layered ice spike defense.
The fight was escalating.
Fast. Brutal. Beautiful.
Until Charlotte spoke.
"Enough. Use it. The Panthera's on the verge of collapsing,"
Aurora hesitated for a fraction— Then obeyed.
"Call Frost Dragon: Iskaryon."
Silence broke.
People heard it. They didn't believe it at first. But when Aurora's accessory floated and a dragon of pure ice appeared, they panicked. They saw the absolute power the third Calamity had turned into in just weeks.
Valeria tried to fight it. Treating it as a magical beast instead of a construct. As she tried to behead it, Iskaryon smacked her towards a wall, beside Edith.
Iskaryon laughed—
Then dissolved. Returning into the hairpin.
The arena went silent again. Only dust remained. Valeria knelt in the rubble, alive, but clearly outmatched.
Edith watched without expression.
Not anger. Interest.
Above, Theodore watched with wide eyes, Lilith quietly observing beside him.
Charlotte leaned back slightly. "…Nice," she murmured. "Good job."