“You think I’m afraid of you?”

  Malfoy leapt onto the cssroom ptform, prompting the surrounding students to scatter.

  “Keep those words for yourself.”

  Agea retorted as she jumped onto the ptform as well.

  Professor Melers folded his hands into his robe sleeves and stepped forward, positioning himself between Malfoy and Agea. He spoke calmly:“I have never opposed students resolving conflicts in the standard wizarding way. However, in duels held within the school, there is one rule: stop when the point is made.

  As the arbiter, my decision will be final and unchallengeable. Do either of you have any objections?”

  Both remained silent, shaking their heads.

  Professor Melers continued, “According to traditional dueling protocols, you are allowed to choose two assistants each. These assistants will repce you if you fall, and the duel will be decided in a best-of-three format. Viotions result in elimination.”

  Without hesitation, Agea turned to Hoffa and Miranda. Miranda shrugged and stepped to stand behind her on the left.

  Seeing Agea’s piercing blue gaze, Hoffa knew she was serious. She wanted him as her assistant in this duel.

  He silently moved to Agea’s right, narrowing his eyes.

  Hoffa had a hunch that this Malfoy wasn’t like the useless Draco Malfoy he’d heard of in another time.

  Abraxas Malfoy spun around, his green robe sweeping dramatically, and pointed at Tom Riddle and another tall Slytherin.

  “You two, with me!”

  The three strode confidently to the opposite side of the cssroom.

  Tom Riddle smirked faintly, though his gaze lingered on Hoffa’s face.

  At that moment, every wizard in the cssroom stood up. Regardless of their house, they solemnly drew their wands and sshed them downward in unison, as if performing some kind of ritual.

  Hoffa whispered to Agea, “Are you sure about this? If not, let Miranda or me take your pce.”

  He was being truthful. Malfoy didn’t seem incompetent at all, and while Agea knew a lot, her ck of real battle experience put her at a disadvantage compared to him or Miranda.

  Agea frowned. “Shut up. Unless I fall, neither of you is to step in.”

  As soon as she finished speaking, the students around them sshed their wands downward heavily, shouting in unison—a formidable and awe-inspiring scene.

  Hoffa gnced at the students, their expressions solemn as they pointed their wands at the ground. Then he noticed the Gryffindor headmaster, meticulously recording everything on parchment.

  He realized this duel wasn’t the lighthearted spectacle he’d initially thought. This wasn’t like the duels 50 years ter, where onlookers treated it as mere entertainment.

  These wizards respected tradition and adhered strictly to the rules.

  They honored the art of dueling.

  On the ptform, Agea and Malfoy had quieted down. Both wore serious expressions, their focus evident.

  “Three, two, one—begin!”

  “Serpent Spirit!”

  Malfoy was the first to act, sweeping his wand forward.

  A translucent serpent suddenly materialized behind Agea, lunging to bite her.

  Agea agilely rolled aside to evade. “Storm of Ravens!”

  She spread her arms wide, and countless ravens emerged from her robes, fpping furiously as they swarmed toward Malfoy.

  Malfoy smirked as he watched the ravens approach. “Is this all you’ve got, Delraces?”

  With that, his eyes widened, radiating sharp focus.

  A razor-sharp mental force field sliced through the air.

  The raven swarm abruptly changed direction, turning back toward Agea.

  Miranda crossed her arms, slightly impressed. “A severing spell? He cut the link between Agea and her magic. Not bad.”

  Hoffa’s expression grew more serious. Developing a personal mental field at this age was no small feat; anyone capable of this was far from ordinary.

  Agea hadn’t anticipated this outcome. Her face turned pale, and she instinctively stepped back. But the ravens moved faster, and in an instant, they engulfed her, pecking at her face with sharp, relentless beaks.

  The scene was utterly horrifying.

  Despite the dramatic scene unfolding, none of the wizards present, including Professor Melers, Hoffa, or Miranda, made a move. Even Malfoy gripped his wand tightly, staying on high alert.

  Bang!Agea, wrapped in a swarm of ravens, vanished on the spot.

  It was a duplication spell, a trick she had mastered earlier.

  The next moment, she reappeared less than two meters in front of Malfoy, raising her wand: “Expelliarmus!”

  Malfoy, prepared for such a move, retreated three steps and swiftly waved his wand. “Protego!”

  Cng!An iron barrier descended from above, erecting a shield to block the spell.

  However, when Agea’s spell struck the shield, it caused no reaction—not even a sound.

  Malfoy’s expression darkened. Another illusion.

  The real Agea appeared behind Malfoy, her face filled with disdain, and unleashed a Bat Spirit Curse.

  In the critical moment, Malfoy forced himself to remain calm and gnced at the tall Slytherin standing near Tom Riddle. The tall Slytherin immediately stepped forward, preparing to cast a spell.

  But at that moment, it was as if time slowed. Both Malfoy and the Slytherin moved sluggishly, their actions resembling those of someone lost in confusion.

  The tall Slytherin froze completely, unable to react, while Malfoy’s expression seemed to solidify.

  The Bat Spirit Curse hit Malfoy squarely, sending him tumbling to the ground. He rolled several times, his body covered in bats as he clutched his chest, furious. He stood up, roaring, “You’re cheating!”

  (Hoffa, sensing something was off, turned to Miranda and asked, “Was that you?”

  Miranda, tilting her head slightly, murmured, “A slow ray.”

  Hoffa raised an eyebrow.

  Miranda sighed softly. “She still cks experience in magical combat. In a duel, you have to guard against more than just your opponent.”)

  On the ptform, Agea snorted and pointed at the tall Slytherin. “Who’s cheating now?”

  Malfoy gnced at the silent Professor Melers, then stood up with a cold expression, flipping his robes dramatically.

  “Don’t get cocky. So what if you win this round?”

  Agea ughed haughtily, her disdain and triumph blending seamlessly. “Get lost. Even if someone paid a million Galleons, you’d still be useless!”

  Malfoy gritted his teeth and turned to Tom Riddle behind him, waving angrily. “Riddle, your turn!”

  Tom Riddle showed little emotion. He tilted his head slightly to gnce at Malfoy before calmly stepping forward. He drew his yew wand, approached Agea, and gave her a slight bow before bowing again toward Professor Melers.

  Professor Melers nodded slightly.

  Agea, now brimming with arrogance, tilted her chin up and sneered at her new opponent. “You, Riddle?”

  “Indeed. Please, do your best,” Riddle replied politely in a low voice.

  “Bring it on,” Agea said smugly, twirling her wand between her fingers.

  Without wasting time, Riddle pointed his wand at Agea. “Death Needle Barrage.”

  A curse shot from his wand, transforming mid-air into a dense cluster of steel needles.

  Agea, unimpressed, raised one hand. “Talicos Skita.”

  A fmingo-like shield materialized before her.

  “Apologies,” Riddle said with a faint smile from across the dueling ptform.

  Reversing his yew wand, he knelt on one knee. His eyes turned pitch bck, his expression contorted with malice, and he pressed his hand to the ground.

  In that instant, an eerie wave of magical energy spread outward, making the hair on the back of Hoffa’s neck stand on end.

  A shadowy force shot out from beneath Riddle’s palm, darting rapidly toward Agea and coiling around her entire body.

  Her expression shifted drastically as her arm went limp, causing her shield to vanish. Her entire body seemed to colpse as if all her bones had been drained. The steel needles, now mere inches away, loomed ominously in the air.

  Miranda gasped. “This is bad—cursed magic! Hoffa, go!”

  Before she could finish, Hoffa had already vanished from his spot the moment Agea’s shield disappeared.

  The next second—

  Boom!A massive broadsword plunged into the ground, intercepting all the needles.

  The sound of cttering echoed endlessly as the steel needles dissipated. Hoffa pulled the broadsword from the ground and turned to look at Agea.

  Agea y on the ground, pale, her lips turning blue as she bit her lip tightly.

  “Don’t get distracted,” Riddle hissed softly.

  “Chain Bind!”

  Boom!

  Three glowing violet chains shot from Riddle’s wand, whipping through the air toward Hoffa.

  Hoffa turned slightly, kicking Agea aside before vanishing again.

  The chains smashed into the ground, breaking through the floor. Riddle retreated swiftly, his movements sharp.

  In the shadows, Hoffa moved even faster.

  He activated the life-transformation spell, and when he reappeared, he was already standing in front of Riddle.

  The sharp sword hovered less than a centimeter from Riddle's forehead, cutting off several of his strands of hair.

  The crowd gasped in unison.

  Then, the entire room fell silent.

  Riddle's face was pale with a hint of coldness, but he remained calm. He put his wand away, stood with his hands behind his back, and sneered:

  "Transfiguration? Interesting. But, Hofar, has your defense magic deteriorated to the point where you can't even cast a simple shield spell?"

  The people below were stunned and began whispering.

  Hofar paid no attention to Riddle's taunts. The sword transformed back into his wand, and he stepped back to Agia's side, kneeling down.

  Agia's eyes were bloodshot, her breathing bored, and her body was twitching uncontrolbly.

  "What did you do to her?" Hofar asked.

  "What's wrong? Do you want me to expin every spell to you on the duel field, Hofar Bach?"

  The Slytherins burst into ughter.

  "Quiet." Professor Meles's calm voice silenced the ughter immediately.

  He walked up to Tom Riddle, scrutinizing him with a strange gleam in his eyes.

  "I can hardly imagine that you've mastered such obscure and profound dark curses. Truly worthy of a descendant of Sazar Slytherin. But can you break the curse? If not, I think you may find yourself in Azkaban."

  "Watch closely."

  Tom smiled slightly, raised his hand, and clenched his fist.

  A dark shadow detached from Agia's colpsed body.

  With a swift motion, his wand pointed at a nearby potted pnt on the cssroom windowsill. The shadow immediately wrapped around the pnt, and it withered away, drained of all life, and died on the spot in a bizarre dispy.

  Agia finally began to recover. She colpsed into Hofar's arms, drenched in cold sweat, gasping for breath, though her breathing slowly steadied.

  Professor Meles cpped his hands together. "Very good, extraordinary talent. I haven't seen a young person like you in many years."

  He then slowly walked over to Hofar, his face showing a hint of regret. "Your reflexes were textbook-perfect, and your transfiguration was commendable. But unfortunately, you broke the rules of the duel."

  Professor Meles's tone was regretful.

  "Though your reaction time was fast, this isn't a Transfiguration css. In my assessments, only dark magic and defense spells are allowed. So, you both failed this exam."

  With that, Agia violently pulled away from Hofar’s arm, staggering to her feet. She kicked a nearby chair aside and stumbled out the door.

  Hofar and Miranda exchanged gnces and quickly followed her.

  After chasing her for a while, they finally caught up to Agia.

  In a corner on the balcony, she clutched the railing tightly, her lips pressed together in frustration and despair.

  Hofar looked at her, knowing that she had likely fallen into the lowest point of her life.

  He whispered to Miranda, "You shouldn’t have let me take over. If you had used your spells, we might have had a chance."

  Miranda shook her head. "You reacted faster than I did. Even if I had gone, it wouldn't have mattered. Once he used that spell, Slytherin's group had already won."

  Hofar furrowed his brow and asked, "Then what exactly was that spell?"

  "His other spells were quite ordinary, just standard attack curses. But the one he cast on Agia…"

  Miranda's face paled as she bit her lip, remaining silent.

  "The Slytherin Curse."

  Agia's hoarse voice interrupted them.

  "It’s a dark magic curse created by Sazar Slytherin himself, one of the most powerful curses in existence. It can drain the victim’s life and magic, weakening them to the point where they can no longer cast any spells."

  "That powerful?"

  Hofar was stunned. That shadow was actually a rare curse, one created by Sazar Slytherin himself.

  "Is there no way to break it?"

  "Almost impossible to break," Agia continued. "Once it's cast, there are only two ways to counter it: one is to transfer the curse to another life, and the other is to kill the caster and destroy their source of magic. Otherwise, the curse will follow the victim until they are weakened to the point of death."

  Hofar gasped. "Doesn’t that make Riddle invincible?"

  "Not quite invincible." Miranda sighed. "Any extraordinary magic comes with an extraordinary price, especially curses, which have significant side effects. It has a huge backsh on both life and reason.

  Legend has it that Sazar Slytherin himself went mad in his ter years due to casting this curse and eventually left the school. But that's just a legend; whether it’s true or not, no one really knows."

  She fell silent, and the three of them were quiet for a long time.

  After a while, Agia finally began to pull herself out of the shadow of failure, sneering as she spoke:

  "However, I think that, at least for a while, that Slytherin student, Mavolo, will enjoy his moment in the spotlight."

  (End of chapter)

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