Lockhart hurriedly jumped down from the stage himself, quickly picked Ken and Baron out of the crowd, and without giving them any chance to object, dragged them forward and put them on display atop the platform—
"Everyone, take a look—take a good look at these two!"
Maintaining his trademark smile, he shouted loudly, "The heroes who, back in their second year, joined forces to eliminate the Dark Lord—and they just happen to be in the same year! Is there anyone more suitable to serve as a demonstration? Perhaps I should invite Mr. Harry Potter as well, but he's a year below Mr. Ken and Mr. Shafiq, which would seem a bit unfair… though I'm certain the Chosen One's strength is in no way inferior to these two!"
"Hmph."
Snape let out a dissatisfied snort, but finally put his wand away. As he examined the two students, a trace of curiosity appeared in his eyes.
Avada, Baron: ...
Avada subtly moved his fingers and established a mental link with Baron, asking over their private channel:
[My injuries aren't fully healed—I can't really go all out. How about we just put on a show?]
[Fine.]
Baron's reply was succinct. After a brief pause, another message followed:
[What level do we show—fourth year or fifth year?]
[Fifth year is basically going all out. Let's keep it at fourth year.]
Avada rolled his eyes inwardly.
Without using Dark Magic, magical perception, spatial spells, or mental magic, his current standard combat strength was roughly on par with a top fifth-year student—about the same as Baron. Now that he was injured and weakened, his stamina, coordination, and reaction speed were all reduced. In a straight-up confrontation, he wouldn't be able to beat Baron, and there was even a real possibility of being suppressed.
From the very beginning, what Avada excelled at had never been frontal combat, but preparation. No one seriously expected him to overpower Voldemort head-on back in second year, did they?
"Alright then—please take your places in the center of the platform…"
Lockhart wore a smile that looked like relief after a narrow escape as he positioned the two of them opposite each other.
"Everyone below, pay close attention. According to duelling etiquette, both sides must first present their wands and raise them to chest height—but be careful not to point the tip at your opponent. That's considered a serious provocation…"
Following his instructions, Avada and Baron performed the motions precisely, then inclined their heads toward each other in a shallow bow.
"Very good. Now turn around, walk to the edge of the platform, assume your stances, and wait for the signal…"
Avada quickly reached his position and turned back. Baron's pace was slightly slower, deliberately elegant. Once Baron also reached his spot and faced forward, both of them assumed the most standard fencing stance.
Their level had not yet reached the point of forming personal duelling styles—using the most basic posture was the optimal choice.
"When I count to three, you may begin. Remember: unless someone voluntarily concedes or both sides agree to a draw, the duel ends only when one party is disarmed, knocked off the platform, or loses the ability to continue. Now then…"
"One—two—three!"
In an instant, Avada raised a stone wall in front of himself, rapidly reinforced the platform beneath his feet, and summoned a ring of flames that revolved around his body.
To the audience below, Baron appeared to be doing exactly the same thing.
Their actions were perfectly synchronized, creating an oddly harmonious scene.
This was no coincidence. Through long-term training, both of them had inherited Professor Becker's combat philosophy—before engaging, first establish the field. Only after grasping the opponent's rhythm and tendencies would they begin targeted counterattacks.
Although they had trained under the same professor, their spell specializations differed, leading to divergent styles. And with their magic deliberately restricted to a fourth-year level—unable to use advanced spells like the Disillusionment Charm or Shield Charm—their unfamiliarity with each other's limits became even more pronounced.
The next moment, two sharp explosions rang out.
The stone walls before both duelists were shattered by traps they had laid themselves. Two red beams crossed in midair, missing cleanly as both moved to evade.
Suddenly, a python burst from the ground several meters away from Avada and lunged toward him—only to be effortlessly destroyed by a counterattack due to the distance. Reinforcing the ground had been precisely to guard against this tactic.
Seeing Baron's focused expression, Avada let the corner of his mouth lift slightly and swung his wand sharply. Thick white smoke instantly engulfed the entire platform—only to be blown away in the very next second by a powerful gale summoned by Baron.
Baron knew this well: Avada possessed an unusual sensitivity to mental fluctuations, granting him a decisive advantage in blind engagements.
Yet to Baron's astonishment, in barely a second, Avada's presence vanished entirely from the platform.
"Dig three feet deep!"
Without hesitation, Baron unleashed an earth-splitting spell at the ground, causing the surface to rupture—but beneath it lay nothing at all.
"Tch."
He snorted and transfigured his sleeve into a rope, firing it toward the ceiling and pulling himself up off the ground.
As expected, the next instant the platform transformed into over a meter of water, which then froze solid almost immediately. Had Baron not taken to the air in time, he would have been frozen waist-deep in ice.
"Impedimenta!"
From the very section of ground Avada had reinforced, a hand clutching a wand suddenly thrust upward, accompanied by a loud incantation from below. Baron hastily summoned a shield and seized the moment to swing his wand again, calling forth another violent gust—
Before he could follow up, the rope suspending him snapped without warning, and the ice beneath him turned into mud.
Recording Charm + Severing Charm + Transfiguration.
Several upper-year students had already pieced it together. Avada had prepared a Howler-like spell in advance, storing the word "Impedimenta" inside it, releasing it while cutting the rope to disrupt Baron's judgment.
"Hiss…"
Rapidly casting three spells in succession strained Avada's mind, sending a sharp stab of pain through his head. And in that brief lapse of focus, Baron didn't fall into the mud pit—instead, he dropped directly above Avada's position and hurled a flurry of ground-piercing attack spells at lightning speed.
"I get it!"
Someone in the crowd shouted excitedly. "Baron saw through the plan from the start! That shield was bait—the real follow-up was the wind!"
"That gust swung him forward! When the rope snapped, he wasn't disadvantaged at all—he was propelled straight toward Ken!"
"He's got this!"
Before the cheers could finish, a massive torrent of water erupted from the hole Baron had opened, slamming into him and violently forcing him backward.
By then, he was already at the edge of the platform.
Unsurprisingly, he was blasted straight off.
On the opposite side, the ice had reverted to flowing water. With a soft plop, a dripping head emerged. After confirming the outcome, Avada surfaced and raised his wand with a faint smile.
The moment Baron summoned the gale, Avada had understood his intent. He dug a tunnel connecting to the ice layer and waited until Baron's attention was fully drawn to the platform's edge. Then he reverted the ice back into water, dove beneath the surface, and subtly increased the pressure within the tunnel.
Thus, when Baron shattered the surface and exposed the passage, it instantly became a high-pressure water cannon—catching him completely off guard and blasting him off the platform.
(End of Chapter)