Battle Becomes Duel

Hermes had expected this to be a closely fought wizarding battle, or at least one where the difference in strength would be apparent.

Wand against wand, spell against spell, Dark Arts against Dark Arts.

He prepared several tactics and countermeasures, and even thought about how to gracefully admit defeat if he couldn't win.

But Regulus used a Stone Spike to tell him that none of his thoughts were true, and that if a fight broke out, he wouldn't even have a chance to make a move.

This stirred even more complex emotions within Hermes.

Part of it was resentment; he had practiced Dark Arts for so long and mastered so many damaging spells, yet he didn't even have a chance to use them against Regulus.

Part of it is admiration; the gap is so huge, you can't help but be impressed.

Another part was excitement. Seeing that level of power, and the application of Magic that was completely beyond his comprehension, ignited Hermes's deep-seated desire for power.

He wanted to know just how strong Regulus was, and how long it would take him to catch up, even if he could only see his back.

So he suppressed all his emotions, raised his head, and said in a deliberately calm but still slightly trembling voice, "Like a wizard's duel."

Avery burst out laughing beside him, Alex tried to hold it in, but couldn't help it; a smile crept onto his face.

Hermes ignored them, his eyes fixed on Regulus: "Formal, bow, then begin."

Regulus readily agreed, nodding, "Alright."

The two walked to the center of the Training Ground and stood five meters apart.

Hermes bowed first, his movements precise, his back straight, his head bowed, and his arms hanging naturally at his sides.

Regulus returned the greeting with a smaller gesture, but his demeanor was impeccable, revealing the elegance that a Pureblood families had been trained in since childhood.

Unfortunately, it was done for a blind man.

As he rose, Hermes' wand was already raised to his chest, the tip slightly down—a standard dueling stance.

He didn't launch an attack immediately; he did something else first—

"The Bubble-Head Charm."

A transparent bubble emerged from the tip of the wand, rapidly expanding to cover his head.

The bubbles adhere closely to the skin, without obstructing vision or breathing, but they can isolate the skin from external air.

He remembered the feeling of suffocation in his Dormitory last semester. No matter what method Regulus used to disable the air, the Bubble-Head Charm at least ensured that he could breathe freely.

Transfiguration didn't work either!

He practiced it specifically!

Regulus looked at the bubble, almost laughing, but didn't.

He held his wand in his right hand, letting it hang by his side, while raising his left hand, palm up, in a gesture of "please".

Avery stood by the wall, cleared his throat, and said, "Ready, go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hermes took two steps to the left and simultaneously swung his wand. "Impedimenta!"

The spell was aimed at Regulus's chest, not intended to achieve any damage, but simply to force Regulus to move or defend.

Regulus did not move; his right hand remained hanging down.

The spell flew to a meter away from him, collided with something unseen, exploded with a crack, and dissipated into tiny Light Point.

Hermes frowned, and continued moving, circling around to Regulus's side, his wand flashing repeatedly.

"Leglocker Curse!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Rictusempra!"

Three spells shot out from different angles, each a different color, and all moving very fast.

But the result was the same: they all crashed into the invisible barrier a meter in front of Regulus, exploded, and dissipated.

Regulus didn't even turn around. When Hermes circled behind him, he was still facing forward, head slightly bowed, eyes fixed on the ground.

The barrier is all-encompassing, covering all directions—front, back, left, right, up, and down—leaving no blind spots.

Hermes stopped in his tracks, his breathing rapid from tension and excitement, the bubbles on his head expanding and contracting with each breath.

He had anticipated that the basic spells wouldn't work, so he decided to use something more powerful.

He took a deep breath, raised his wand, and began to chant a long and oddly sung incantation, something he excelled at.

"Blood Boil!"

It was more refined and malicious than the competition for the Head of New Students, faster, and more powerful.

It was clearly extra practice done on purpose.

A beam of dark red, almost black, light, radiating an aura of coldness and pain, shot fiercely toward Regulus.

Unlike last time when the barrier was fully visible, this time only Silver Light appeared at the point where it met the spell.

Moreover, the erosion rate is slower.

Hermes gritted his teeth, increasing his Magic Power output. The dark red beam thickened and deepened in color, becoming almost completely black.

The spell's structure began to falter, shooting outwards in lightning-like streaks of light. Cola —focused on providing the most comfortable experience—fell to the floor, sizzling and leaving corrosive scorch marks.

The barrier began to appear, but not completely; only a small portion of a solidified, Crystal- like silver barrier emerged behind them.

Regulus finally made a move; he turned his head and looked at the point where the spells intersected.

Then, nodding in satisfaction, Hermes had made progress.

He raised his left hand, extended his index finger, and gently touched the barrier.

The barrier suddenly lit up and erupted on its own, with Magic Power surging out from within, forming a shock that spread outwards from Regulus as the center.

"Clang!"

A crisp, metallic clang rang out.

The black beam of light shattered, dissipating into Light Point, and the impact continued to spread, colliding with Hermes.

Hermes was knocked back three steps, and the bubbles of the Bubble-Head Charm shook violently, almost bursting.

He steadied himself, feeling a tightness in his chest; the impact had sent shivers down his spine.

Regulus looked at him, his voice flat. "Continue."

Hermes swallowed hard. He could feel his Magic Power being depleted. The Blood Boil Curse had consumed too much energy, and he hadn't even broken the barrier.

Where is Regulus?

He didn't even raise his wand; he looked completely at ease.

But there's another trick, an even more ruthless one!

He gripped his wand tightly in his right hand, held it forward, and placed his left hand protectively beside it, beginning to chant another spell.

This time the incantation was longer, the syllables were more difficult to pronounce, and each word had a dark, viscous quality.

The temperature in the Training Ground began to drop, the light dimmed, and Avery and Alex unconsciously hugged their arms tightly against the wall.

"Shadow Eater!"

A thick, black, writhing shadow appeared on the ground, as if it were alive.

A bulge began to rise from the center of the shadow, from which tentacle-like black stripes extended, twisting in the air as they searched for their target.

This is a summoning-type Dark Arts, a Magic Power imprint extracted from dark creatures that can summon shadow tentacles with attack patterns similar to the original creatures.

The tentacles have physical form, which can not only Restraints enemies, but also continuously drain their life force and Magic Power. Those who are Restraints will feel a bone-chilling cold and a weakness on a spiritual level.

When the shadow tentacles fully rose, they reached a height of nearly two meters, with seven or eight black stripes of varying thickness waving in the air, their ends as sharp as spearheads.

Hermes was pale; maintaining this Magic was extremely taxing, and he felt his Magic Power draining away like water being released from a dam.

But he gritted his teeth and persevered, pointing his wand at Regulus with a fierce look in his eyes.

Seven or eight black streaks shot out simultaneously at incredible speed, leaving blurry black shadows in the air as they pierced Regulus from various angles.

Then it stopped.

All the tentacles froze a meter away from Regulus; they writhed and stabbed with their tips, but could not advance an inch.

A sound came from where the shadow met the barrier, but that was about it.

Hermes' eyes widened as he saw the barrier reappear, this time even brighter.

Then the barrier suddenly opened in the opposite direction, like a giant net, wrapping around the shadow tentacles, and began to contract.

The tentacles were squeezed and Transfiguration, emitting a harsh sound like metal twisting.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the black stripe, the cracks spread and widened, and finally the entire tentacle shattered into black fragments, fell to the floor, and dissipated into black smoke.

One, two, three... all the tentacles were crushed within two seconds.

The Training Ground is bright again and the temperature is rising.

Hermes' legs buckled, and he knelt on one knee, only managing to stay upright by supporting himself with his wand.

He gasped for breath, the bubbles from the Bubble-Head Charm rising and falling violently with each breath, sweat dripping from his forehead onto the floor.

His Magic Power was almost depleted. Two Dark Arts, plus the previous probing incantation, left him with very little Magic Power.

Regulus looked at him, waited a moment, and then slowly said, "That's about enough."

Hermes raised his head.

"If I let you use Dark Arts again, things could easily go wrong." Regulus said calmly, deciding to give him some face once more.

He raised his wand for the first time. "I'll just use one spell; try to block it."

Hermes took a deep breath and forced himself to stand up.

He waved his wand, and the bubbles of the Bubble-Head Charm dissipated; after all, the spell had no effect on Regulus.

Then he began chanting the Shield Charm: "Protego."

As the Shield Charm took shape, a pale blue, semi-transparent barrier unfolded in front of him, its shape irregular and its edges undulating.

For a first-year student, being able to unleash a fully formed Shield Charm is already considered exceptionally talented, even if it's incomplete.

Regulus looked at the barrier and tapped it lightly with his left index finger.

Repelling Charm.

A beam of red light shot out and struck Hermes's Shield Charm.

The barrier shattered, exploding into countless pale blue fragments that flickered in the air before dissipating.