Hearing Harry's worried words, Draco hurriedly looked back.
Sure enough, the fierce battle was still raging.
The older students had failed to take Shawn down after all this time, and they could hear the whispers and mocking laughter from the people nearby.
After exchanging glances, several of them unleashed powerful spells together.
"Diffindo!"
"Incendio!"
The protective barrier from Shawn's brooch flashed blue a few times before collapsing, its blue shield shattering piece by piece.
He had no choice but to start defending himself actively.
"Protego!" "Protego!" ...
Shawn cast several Shield Charms in succession while scrambling to reposition himself. His earlier effortless poise was gone.
Several blue shields appeared one after another, barely managing to block the older students' Diffindo spells.
Shawn narrowed his eyes. If he did nothing but defend, his already limited magic would run out first sooner or later.
But he absolutely could not lose this fight! His plan to become everyone's darling depended on it.
Gritting his teeth, he reached into his pocket with his left hand, pulled out five alchemical playing cards, and tossed them into the air.
The five cards arranged themselves in a triangular formation above his head. Once activated by his magic, red and blue halos swirled around them, and brilliant golden light flooded the corridor again.
The next instant, the older Slytherin students saw countless golden birds swooping viciously toward them, filling their vision. Every Avis spell this time was unquestionably stronger than the ones Shawn had casually cast before.
Terrified, they all fled for their lives, knocking over quite a few spectators in their haste.
In the end, seven or eight unlucky students were still caught in the attack. Several more figures lay twitching in the corridor, their clothes scorched black and torn.
"Whew."
Looking at the results, Shawn let out a long breath, thoroughly satisfied. Beating people up really did feel great.
The Avis spells activated through the cards were indeed stronger. After all, he had inscribed them in his spare time and could pour more magic into them.
Fortunately, Avis was primarily a distraction spell. If it had been a spell meant purely for attacking, there would probably have been casualties everywhere.
The spectators farther away stared in shock at Shawn, who stood brimming with confidence amid the battlefield.
They had never expected this year's new student to be so fierce. He had practically beaten his way through Slytherin single-handedly.
If he joined their house, wouldn't they be invincible? They could bully anyone they wanted...
With a cheer, Draco took the lead and ran toward Shawn, stepping on several students who were still lying on the floor playing dead and making them yelp.
But one girl was faster than Draco. Hermione threw herself onto Shawn's back.
"Shawn, you were amazing! You really are my idol!"
Helpless, Shawn reached back and peeled the little girl off, then blocked Draco's attempt to cling to his arm.
Didn't these people know to keep their hands to themselves, whether they were girls or boys?
"Don't celebrate yet. This isn't over."
Draco asked in confusion.
"Haven't you already beaten them all down or chased them off?"
Having calmed down, Hermione pointed at the students who had been the first to flee and gave a rational assessment.
"They probably won't give up until they're all down for good. They must have noticed that Shawn's tools are all ruined, so..."
Draco looked back. Sure enough, those sixth- and seventh-years were getting restless again, and they had rallied several older students who hadn't taken part in the fight.
It was hardly surprising that the Slytherin students refused to let it go. If they failed to take Shawn down today, Slytherin would never be able to hold its head up at Hogwarts again.
Seven or eight sixth- and seventh-years approached with solemn expressions.
The capable-looking young man leading them even gave a polite bow.
"Shawn, you're certainly strong, but you relied on alchemical tools to win just now. We aren't convinced by that defeat. Besides, this is no longer a personal dispute. The honor of Slytherin House is at stake, so we formally challenge you to a duel."
Draco spoke anxiously.
"Montague, Shawn's a pure-blood! He'll be joining Slytherin too. We're all on the same side!"
Hermione followed with an angry huff.
"You ganged up on him before, and you still have the nerve to say you aren't convinced? Have you no shame...?"
Shawn pushed the two of them aside and spoke with unusual seriousness.
"Stand back. There are things you don't understand. Don't worry. I can win!"
They opened their mouths, but when they saw the resolve in Shawn's eyes, they could only retreat silently to one side.
Shawn looked at the Slytherin student named Montague.
"I accept your challenge. You can all come at me together again."
Montague was a seventh-year and currently the strongest student in Slytherin. He hadn't joined the earlier fight, but now the honor of the entire house had forced him to step forward.
His expression darkened at Shawn's arrogant words, yet he wasn't confident he could beat Shawn one-on-one.
Nor could he bring himself to say they would gang up on Shawn, leaving everyone at an impasse.
It wasn't that Shawn didn't want to strike first. He was drawing prizes.
He knew his own limits perfectly well. His cards and brooch were ruined, and with Dark Magic off-limits, his actual strength would probably only let him fight one seventh-year to a draw.
And now there was a whole group of them.
So if he couldn't beat them, he would cheat. Wasn't that standard practice for someone who had transmigrated?
Nearly fighting his way through Slytherin just now had earned him quite a lot of faith value.
He had even gained over ten points at level 2, clearly contributed by Gryffindor students who had long resented Slytherin.
Together with his previous savings, he now had over 4,000 points of level 1 faith value and 112 points of level 2 faith value.
Hmm, let's warm up with four draws first.
Light flashed four times within the system, accompanied by notification chimes.
Ding! Congratulations! You have received 1 talent point. Ding! Congratulations! You have received 1 talent point. Ding! Congratulations! You have received level 3 Incendio. Ding! Congratulations! You have received a level 3 Disillusionment Charm.
Not bad. Especially the Disillusionment Charm. Perfect for sneaking around at night.
Should I put those two talent points into Transfiguration or Potions? I'll have to think about that.
After briefly considering how to use the rewards, Shawn stopped hesitating and decisively began a level 2 draw.
He was a little nervous now. He had no idea what a level 2 reward might be. It had to be a powerful spell, or all his boasting would blow up in his face.
Suddenly, even one second felt unbearably long.
Ding! Congratulations! You have received level 5 Water Prison.
Shawn froze for a moment when he heard the notification.
"Water Prison... That name sounds familiar. I think it's mentioned in the same breath as a certain someone's blue gas stove."
"Holy shit, this is Dumbledore's signature spell! Aside from Fire God Clears the Way, Water Prison is the Old Beekeeper's strongest move. I think he used it when he fought Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic."
Shawn lowered his head and muttered to himself, his face slowly breaking into a delighted grin as he carefully absorbed the information about the spell.
Then he raised his head, his gaze turning razor-sharp.