Collision in the Dark

Regulus didn't stop. He tapped his wand against the hem of his clothes. A flash of light appeared, the corrosion stopped, but the loss of Magic Power did increase.

He fired a silent Disarming Charm, its red light concealed, emerging from the edge of the mist and aimed directly at Orion's chest.

Orion dodged to the side, his wand pressing down with the momentum. "Relashio!"

A blue light Accio, Regulus dodged it with Sidestep Charm. The blue light struck the Wooden Dummy dummy behind him, and the dummy immediately fell to the ground.

As he landed, he flicked his wand upwards. "Shattering Curse!"

The Reducto hurtled towards Orion 'Orion upper body, causing him to lean back as the spell flew overhead and struck the ceiling, illuminating the protective Rune.

Taking advantage of the brief pause after Regulus Spellcasting, he pointed his wand forward. "Petrificus Totalus!"

The Petrifying Spell was incredibly fast; Regulus only had time to shift half a step to the side before the spell grazed his left shoulder.

His Left Arm stiffened instantly. He immediately used Magic Power to forcefully break through the petrification effect, but he was still a beat too slow.

Orion seized the opportunity, sealing off his retreat with three consecutive Slowing Charm, while simultaneously raising his wand. "Stupefy!"

The Stunning Spell emitted a blinding red light, its trajectory perfectly straight.

Regulus was trapped between translucent walls formed by the Slowing Charm, his movement restricted.

He didn't panic, and pointed his wand downwards. "Earth Sink!"

The stone slab beneath his feet suddenly sank, and his body sank with it, while Stunning Spell flew overhead.

He took the opportunity to jump out of the pit. His Left Arm was still numb, but he had regained his mobility.

Orion was pleased with the mobility Regulus had displayed.

He recognized those Locomotion Charm — Sidestep Charm, Swift Charm, Levitation Charm, and Sprint Charm —as being from the Ministry of Magic's Auror training manual.

But when Regulus used it, the transitions were as smooth as breathing, and he could maintain spell output while moving. This level of skill cannot be achieved by talent alone.

That would require a lot of practice, and the cooldown time, Magic Power cost, and movement trajectory of each spell would need to be etched into the body's memory.

Regulus said there wasn't much progress, but now it seems there has been a lot.

In terms of direct combat ability, aside from some specific high-level Magic, Regulus has already approached the level of an elite Auror, two years earlier than he had predicted.

Moreover, he knew that Regulus was hiding many other things: the Three Unforgivable Curses, the Fiendfyre Curse, the Patronus, Space Magic, and Natural Magic —none of which had been used yet.

Orion's thoughts drifted for only a moment before he immediately brought them back.

Even Regulus, now, can no longer afford to be distracted.

On the field, Regulus discovered the problem.

Currently, the situation between him and Orion is a typical high-defense, low-attack scenario. Both sides have very strong Shield Charm, making it difficult for conventional spells to penetrate them.

They are very mobile, making them difficult to lock onto and hit.

If this continues, it's a battle of Magic Power reserves and stamina, and he definitely can't outlast Orion.

A breakthrough is needed.

One of the characteristics that makes the Unforgivable Curses unforgivable is that it is undefendable.

The Shield Charm is ineffective against the Cruciatus Curse, and even less so against the Killing Curse.

Of course, the Cruciatus Curse can be endured by willpower, and the Killing Curse can be blocked or avoided by objects, but at least it can ignore that silver barrier.

After another Confringo, Regulus subtly flicked his left index finger.

A thin, scarlet line shot out from his fingertip, Silencio disappearing into the flames and smoke of the explosion, heading straight for Orion's chest.

The Cruciatus Curse.

Orion frowned.

His figure suddenly disappeared.

Regulus quickly analyzed and identified that it was neither Disillusionment Charm, nor high-speed movement, nor Space Magic.

Orion truly vanished; even the Magic Fluctuation vanished instantly.

At the same moment, the Training Room was plunged into absolute darkness.

Vision is still intact, not obscured, but the light has been completely swallowed up.

The protective Rune on the walls went out, the flames on the torch stand disappeared, and even the faint Magic Power glow remaining at the tip of Regulus's wand was swallowed by the darkness.

The darkness was so intense it seemed to have a physical form; you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face, and you couldn't even see your own body.

Regulus was surprised, but reacted quickly, activating the Sidestep Charm, shifting his body five feet to the left and landing silently.

He raised his left hand. "Lumos!"

The powerful version of the Lumos: a ball of light condenses in the palm of the hand, bright enough to illuminate the entire Training Room.

However, after the sphere of light took shape, the light only spread to half a meter in front of him, as if he had hit a black wall.

Light and darkness merge and clash at the boundary. You can see tiny specks of light constantly being swallowed by darkness at the edge of the sphere of light, like snowflakes falling into a flame and melting away rapidly.

Regulus immediately extinguished the orb of light. The orb wouldn't allow him to see further, but it might reveal his location.

Since light was suppressed, his vision was also impaired, so he closed his eyes and activated his Magic Perception to the maximum extent.

The result was unexpected, and the range of perception was compressed to its limit.

Normally, it can cover a sensing range of tens of meters, but now it can only sense a five-meter radius around the body.

Five meters away, there was nothing but emptiness; nothing could be detected. Within five meters, perception became blurred, outlines were distorted, and details were lost.

Before I could think any further, the incantation came.

Without any warning or origin, a Cutting Curse suddenly appeared three meters to his right, a silver arc of light slashing towards his neck.

Regulus dodged to the side, the arc of light grazing his shoulder, slicing a gash in his clothes.

Before they could even get a firm footing, another Slowing Charm on their left; a semi-transparent wall rose from the ground, blocking their escape route.

He leaped upwards, activated his Levitation Charm, and briefly hovered in the air. A Incendio swept past below, the heat scorching the soles of his shoes.

Orion's spells came from all directions, appearing at completely random locations without any pattern.

One second the spell comes from the front, the next second it might appear from behind.

Regulus could only rely on his five-meter range of Magic Perception for early warning and on his Chicken-Run Tactics combination to dodge.

But that puts us in a very passive position.

He recalled the family's inherited Magic, the Shadow Trace Charm left by Cassandra Black, a 12th-century ancestor.

That spell allows one to blend into the shadows, achieving true invisibility and short-range teleportation.

The darkness before us, which suppresses light and perception, may also be a variant application of that inherited technique.

Regulus attempted to summon his Patronus.

"Patronus Charm".

A silvery-white light gathered at the tip of the staff, and the outline of the Starry Sky Kite gradually became clear.

The moment it appeared, a small area of darkness dissipated around the Silver Light disc, and the darkness within a two-meter radius receded.

Then he sent his Patronus flying to a more distant place.

But when the Starry Sky Kite flew more than two meters away, Regulus could no longer sense it, whether the connection was severed or his senses were blocked by the darkness.

He tried to recall it, but there was no response. He could only cancel the spell himself, and the Starry Sky Kite turned into Light Point and disappeared.

Darkness closed in once more.

Sirius stood at the doorway, completely stunned.

His mouth hadn't closed since the start of the fight.

The fight between Regulus and Orion was completely beyond his imagination of wizard duels.

That was far beyond the spell-slinging exchanges between students in school, and it wasn't about standing still and attacking each other until one side ran out of Magic Power or was defeated.

That was real combat: high-speed movement, tactical deception, environmental manipulation, and spell combinations.

He saw Regulus use Sidestep Charm to dodge Cutting Curse and then immediately follow up with Swift Charm to create distance. He also saw Orion use Shield Charm to withstand the Confringo and then immediately replenish his Magic Power to stabilize the barrier.

I saw the two of them using Slowing Charm, Incendio, and Disarming Charm to block each other's movements within a ten-meter distance. I saw Regulus use the Levitation Charm to fly over the wall of fire and then unleash Confringo in mid-air.

Every movement was precise, and every incantation had a purpose.

There are no unnecessary frills or flashy techniques, just efficiency and lethality.

What shocked him most was the way the two Spellcasting; many times, when the spell was cast, the tip of the wand wasn't even aimed at the other person.

Orion unleashed a Cutting Curse from his side, its trajectory arcing around Regulus's frontal defense.

Regulus unleashed Confringo aimed at the ground, using the blast to disrupt Orion's movement and the next spell.

He had never seen this kind of Spellcasting technique at Hogwarts.

Then darkness fell.

A dense, almost tangible darkness engulfed the entire Training Room.

Sirius couldn't see anything inside; even the sounds had vanished, as if absorbed and isolated by darkness.

He could only hear his own rapid breathing and heartbeat.

But he couldn't bear to look away. He stared wide-eyed, trying to see something in the darkness, even a glimmer of light or a sound.

I've long forgotten the pain under my right rib; now, only one thought fills my mind.

What exactly is happening inside?

Is Regulus finished?

What kind of Magic did Father use?

He didn't know how long the darkness lasted; time stretched out as he waited, each second feeling like a minute.

In the darkness, Regulus moved at high speed.

With his vision useless and his Magic Perception compressed to five meters, he could only rely on the warnings within that five-meter range and on probability and luck to find Orion's location.

He changed directions erratically in the Training Room, using Sidestep Charm followed by Swift Charm, immediately turning around upon landing, accelerating with Sprint Charm, and occasionally using Levitation Charm to change altitude.