Draco had just turned around, his tense fighting expression easing slightly, and was about to speak to the still-shaken old woman beside him, asking if she was alright.
However, before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened!
Suddenly, the night sky was torn apart, and a thick, bright purple beam of light, like a divine thunderbolt, slammed into the ground a dozen meters in front of everyone.
"Boom!" A deafening roar followed.
The powerful shockwave shattered the rocks, sending fragments flying like bullets in all directions, instantly filling the air with dust and smoke.
" Reducto!" A sharp red light pierced through the air.
Protego Maxima!
Draco reacted with lightning speed, shouting sharply as his wand traced a perfect silver arc in the air.
In an instant!
A semi-transparent spherical shield suddenly opened up around him, protecting Draco and the other two.
The incantation slammed into the light barrier, producing a piercing buzz and causing the light to flicker violently before returning to calm.
Before the smoke had even cleared, the attacker had already appeared.
The man wore a long black and red overcoat, the hem of which was embroidered with red snake patterns, and his top hat was pulled very low.
With a scarlet brim like blood, a snake-head mask on his face, and black sunglasses covering his eyes, he looked like a quirky gentleman straight out of a Victoria horror story.
"I'll enjoy the process of killing you all..." Her voice carried a mocking, cat-and-mouse tone.
"I've seen too many people like you. Unfortunately, you all have one thing in common... even when you're about to die, you're still the most stubborn," Draco mocked.
Upon hearing this, the woman in the top hat sneered, and a bright red defensive shield instantly appeared on her body.
Hermione and the old woman quickly went into battle mode, wands in hand, ready to respond to any attack.
" Ventus!"
The woman in the top hat swung her cane fiercely, and a gust of wind carrying sharp sand and gravel howled out, rushing straight towards the three of them.
Draco reacted swiftly, shouting, "Jump!"
The three nimbly leaped in different directions, avoiding the direct impact of the raging wind. The instant they landed, Nora and Hermione almost simultaneously uttered, " Protego!"
Two silver-blue light curtains lit up in front of them, blocking out the remaining sand and gravel.
Draco Cleansweep his wand, adding an even stronger layer of group defense, " Protego Totalum!" Golden light swirled, connecting the three's defenses into an impenetrable wall.
Just as the gust of wind struck the shield, Nora, under cover, decisively counterattacked, pointing her wand directly at her opponent. " Expelliarmus!"
A beam of red light shot towards the woman in the top hat like an arrow.
The opponent twisted their body, their red clothes fluttering, easily avoiding the Disarming Charm.
But as soon as she landed, the door behind her opened wide, and Draco's figure suddenly blurred as he used his superb " Apparition ".
The next second, he appeared behind the top-hatted woman like a ghost, the cold tip of his wand pressed firmly against her carotid artery.
"The game is over," Draco said. "You're clever, but my magic is faster."
After saying that, Draco flicked his wrist and precisely snatched the wand from the other party, then followed up with a " Stupefy " spell.
A beam of red light struck the woman in the top hat in the back, and she collapsed limply without even uttering a sound.
Without the slightest hesitation, Draco pointed his wand at the other's brow. " Obliviate!" A white light entered her mind, completely erasing her memories.
Just then, a strong gust of wind suddenly arose from behind!
" Expelliarmus!"
A hidden red light sneaked in, aiming straight for Draco's back. Hermione cried out, "Watch out behind you!"
The old woman was even more anxious, but there was no time to help.
Draco didn't even lift his eyelids, and activated " Apparition " again. His body turned into a distorted cloud of air and disappeared from the spot, allowing the spell to strike the afterimage.
He appeared next to the attacker the next second, but the attacker also vanished into thin air in an instant.
Only a faint ripple remained in the air.
"It's the Disillusionment Charm!"
Hermione quickly assessed the situation, scanning her surroundings warily.
" Protego Maxima!" Draco didn't hesitate. His wand spun around him, and the spherical shield unfolded again, forming a complete defensive circle that protected him.
Almost at the same time,
A violent shockwave rippled through the air as an invisible " Reducto " slammed into the shield.
Boom! The shield trembled violently, flashed white light, and sparks flew, but it still firmly blocked this unexpected attack.
Seeing that his attack had missed, the attacker knew that his whereabouts had been exposed and that he could not break through the defense. He immediately strengthened his Disillusionment Charm again, trying to blend back into the background and slip away quietly.
"Trying to run? Specialis Revelio!"
Draco pointed his wand at the ground, and a ripple of white light spread outwards from him.
Every inch of the surrounding air was swept away, and two distorted human figures suddenly appeared in the air.
It turns out that more than one person disappeared; there was an accomplice lurking nearby all along!
When the two realized their whereabouts had been discovered, and having witnessed Draco's unpredictable teleportation and indestructible shield,
Knowing they had no chance of winning, they were filled with fear. They exchanged a glance and turned to run away.
"I didn't expect there would still be some who slipped through the net." Draco sneered, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
The two hurriedly turned around, frantically raising their wands. " Protego!" Two faint beams of light appeared in front of them, as if in a final desperate attempt.
But this meant nothing to Draco.
He used " Apparition " repeatedly, leaving two afterimages in the air, and instantly appeared in the blind spot behind the two of them, his speed too fast for the naked eye to catch.
" Stupefy!" Two beams of red light struck precisely, and the two men who were trying to escape didn't even have time to scream before they fell straight to the ground, unconscious.
Draco stepped forward and, with practiced ease, cast " Obliviate flash of white light erased their memories, completely wiping them out.
The battle ended cleanly and decisively.
Hermione stared, her mouth slightly agape.
For a brief moment, she couldn't even get a word in edgewise; she could only watch Draco teleport, defend, counterattack, and clear the area—his composure was terrifying, and his efficiency was frightening.
The old woman standing nearby looked on with admiration and praised:
"Amazing, truly amazing."
"To have such profound control over magic and combat instincts at such a young age, and that series of defenses and counterattacks just now was so smooth and fluid, even I, an old woman, was stunned."
"If it weren't for your intervention, we would likely be in Elphias Doge."
Draco nodded, his expression returning to its usual composure, but a barely perceptible hint of smugness appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He waved his wand, pointed it at the three people lying on the ground in the distance, and shouted, " Accio!"
With a radiant hand, he grabbed the woman in the top hat and her two accomplices from the ground and dragged them together like dead dogs.
" Incarcerous!" Draco raised his staff again.
Thick ropes appeared out of thin air, automatically and quickly wrapping around the three men's hands and feet as if they were alive, tightening and binding them tightly like rice dumplings.