Upon hearing Silan's words, Snape turned around without hesitation and waved his wand to cast a Shield Charm.
A black skull emitting green smoke slammed into the invisible armor in front of Snape, turning into a malevolent green mist that lunged at him once more.
The surrounding young wizards were so frightened that they backed away.
This fog looks poisonous.
Snape waved his wand, summoning a whirlwind that carried poisonous mist toward Lockhart.
Lockhart simply raised his wand, and the poisonous fog instantly dissipated.
His power has increased?
Furthermore, this Dark Magic is extremely profound... how could he possibly learn it?
Snape thought to himself, feeling a mix of relief and satisfaction.
If it weren't for Prewett's reminder, I think I would have been at a disadvantage.
Lockhart just used extremely advanced Dark Magic, and the poisonous mist that followed was extremely insidious.
If he hadn't had such a deep understanding of Dark Magic, he probably would have fallen victim to it too.
With a puzzled look, Snape frowned and slowly walked to the front of the group, staring intently at Lockhart.
What he saw next made him even more alarmed.
Lockhart seemed like a completely different person at this moment. Despite being bruised and battered and in a sorry state, his expression and demeanor were unusually calm and composed.
Strangely, the expression on his face kept changing wildly.
One moment he's grimacing in agony, the next he's calm, collected, and nonchalant.
He was even talking to himself.
"I am the greatest wizard... I am the king of the world..."
"I am Gilderoy Lockhart..."
"I am..."
"Alright, be quiet for a bit, you idiot!"
"Look what you've done! Useless Lockhart, in the end I had to step in!"
Lockhart's expressions kept changing, and his tone of voice became incoherent, making him seem like he was suffering from schizophrenia.
But no one found it strange.
Because now everyone understands: Lockhart has completely gone mad.
Snape stared intently at Lockhart, then shouted without turning his head.
"All students, follow the Prefect's instructions and return to your respective lounges."
The Prefect of all four colleges immediately sprang into action.
With Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall absent, Snape is qualified to take over the command, both in terms of his status and personal abilities.
Lockhart's sneak attack missed Snape, so he immediately changed targets and rushed towards the students.
"Don't even think about hurting my students!"
Professor Sprout rushed toward Lockhart and threw a greenish blob at him.
The cabbage-like thing, once it left Professor Sprout's palm, displayed its sharp teeth in mid-air, making a clicking sound.
It's Chomping Cabbage.
Lockhart glanced at the Chomping Cabbage flying towards him out of the corner of his eye, merely turning his body slightly but not stopping.
The Chomping Cabbage bit him hard on the left arm.
Once bitten by Chomping Cabbage, it's difficult to get rid of it.
The sharp teeth of the Chomping Cabbage tore at Lockhart's arm, leaving it a bloody mess with blood streaming down his face.
Lockhart's face contorted in pain, and he screamed in agony.
"My arm! Damn it..."
"Shut up, you piece of trash!"
Lockhart's expression changed; the pain vanished completely, replaced by indifference and cruelty.
Ignoring the Chomping Cabbage had nearly bitten off his arm, he swung his wand, unleashing a beam of green light that struck Snape.
Avada Kedavra!
Snape fell to the ground, flying several meters into the air to dodge the attack.
He was somewhat shocked.
Lockhart, that good-for-nothing, knows the Killing Curse?
As one of the Three Unforgivable Curses, Avada Kedavra is not some common Spells, nor is it a magical little spell that can be used casually as a basic attack.
This kind of Spells wouldn't normally be included in the school curriculum, and it's even harder to learn outside of school.
Most wizards don't even have the opportunity to come into contact with the Killing Curse, let alone learn how to use it.
But now Lockhart has not only learned it, but its power is considerable, enough to take a wizard's life in an instant.
That's very strange.
But the situation was urgent, and Snape didn't have time to investigate further. After regaining his footing, he quickly launched a counterattack.
"Sectumsempra!"
His Spells was swift and deadly, aimed precisely at Lockhart's neck.
If hit, it could shave his head off.
Since Lockhart has even used the Killing Curse, it's already a life-or-death struggle.
He no longer needs to hold back.
This time, Lockhart didn't cast Spells to defend himself; instead, he dodged while raising his left arm to block, and at the same time, he continued to attack the students with his wand.
"The Sectumsempra cannot be blocked by an arm."
Snape snorted and muttered "idiot" under his breath.
The air trembled, and several invisible blades shot straight at Lockhart.
Instantly, several gaps appeared in the wall behind him, and the Chomping Cabbage on his left arm, along with his forearm, was severed.
A pungent, scorching spurt of blood gushed out, filling the air with a sweet, fishy odor.
Lockhart just laughed wildly, glancing coldly at Snape with a mocking smile.
Snape's pupils contracted, and he instinctively felt uneasy.
His initial goal wasn't himself at all; it was simply to force himself out!
Just now, when facing the Sectumsempra, he didn't release any protective Spells, simply to free up his hands to attack the students.
This is a life-or-death fighting style.
"A madman, a complete madman!"
Snape cursed through gritted teeth.
But it was all too late.
Avada Kedavra!
A green light shot out again from Lockhart's wand, heading straight for Harry in the group of students.
Scarhead are easy to spot even in a crowd.
Lockhart, or as we might say now, Tom Riddle, watched with glee as the green light hurtled toward Harry, imagining him falling to the ground.
Through his conversations with Lockhart, he gradually learned some of what was happening now.
He knew that they had met twice, in Harry's past and his own future.
But he failed to kill Harry both times.
This made him very curious: if another Killing Curse were cast, would this lucky Scarhead boy actually die?
He didn't care about the physical pain.
He is currently occupying Lockhart's body and does not feel any pain, which is why he dares to use Lockhart's body without restraint.
He could withstand the unstoppable attack of Sectumsempra without batting an eye; even if he lost an arm or a leg, he wouldn't care, because he wouldn't even feel the pain.
As for Lockhart?
Since he's going to die anyway, we might as well make the most of him and squeeze every last drop of value out of him before he dies.
Tom, now in Lockhart's body, looked at Harry with excitement.
The damned little guy pulled out his wand and stared resolutely at the green light.
Tom was quite annoyed that he didn't get to see Harry so terrified that he was completely disoriented and soiled himself.
Isn't this ugly Scarhead afraid at all?
This made Tom extremely annoyed.
That shouldn't be happening!
Shouldn't you be even more afraid of this green light that killed your parents?
Shouldn't you be so terrified that your legs go weak and you kneel down begging for your life?
How dare they pull out their wand to fight back?
But... that's fine too, you'll die even faster that way.
Tom's cruel smile appeared on Lockhart's face.
Harry stared intently at the green light Accio towards him, and a flood of distant, fragmented memories rushed back to him.
This caused him to instinctively feel a sense of fear.
But in the end, his courage overcame these fears in his heart.
Harry pinched himself, raised his wand, and prepared to strike.
But someone was faster than him.