For an instant, the troll froze in place.
But only a moment later, it let out a roar, the spell having barely held it. It turned its head to look at Harry and the others behind it, blinking its huge, dull eyes.
"Damn it!" Ron's face was pale. Seeing such a massive monster up close was truly terrifying.
"Ordinary magic has very little effect on it!" When Dudley saw this, he knew the spells he currently wielded were insufficient against a troll of this caliber.
"Step back," Dudley shouted. "Lure it out."
Hearing this, Harry and Ron quickly fled from the bathroom. The troll, now enraged by Dudley's magic, fiercely chased after them.
"What do we do?" Harry asked loudly.
"Damn it, why aren't any teachers coming?" Ron yelled, his face pale with fear.
"You two get out of the way," Dudley shouted. "Once I lure it away, go get Hermione out."
He unleashed his Beyonder abilities. A powerful sense of authority emanated from him, enveloping the troll. Although its intelligence was low, it could clearly feel the aura from Dudley, which made it fearful. This made the troll hesitate. For a moment, it didn't know what to do. The creature before it was tiny, something it could crush with a flick of its hand, but it sensed a peculiar aura that made it want to submit.
Seeing the troll stop in place, Harry and Ron held their breath nervously.
"Incendio," Dudley said, raising his hand and casting another spell.
A tongue of flame landed on the creature, beginning to burn fiercely.
"Roar!" The troll let out an angry roar. It had hardly any clothing, and Dudley's magic had ignited what little it had, which infuriated it. The troll roared and charged after Dudley.
"Its skin is really thick," Dudley noted. He watched the flames on the troll's body, but they had almost no effect. The troll's granite-like skin insulated it from the heat, making it impossible to inflict effective damage.
However, Dudley's objective had been achieved; he had successfully lured the troll out into the corridor.
Swish!
The troll swung its wooden club at Dudley. He agilely dodged the attack, moving to the troll's feet.
Bang!
The wooden club smashed into the ground nearby with a huge sound, shaking the floor. Dudley seized the opportunity, clenched his fist, and punched the troll's leg. The creature's body swayed slightly as it let out a cry of pain. Its skin was thick and could block some magical effects, but against pure physical attacks, its defense was not as high.
At this moment, Dudley brought his Barbarian characteristics to their fullest extent.
Immediately, the troll swung its huge, fan-like left hand, trying to grab him.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Dudley chanted the spell again. Although the troll had high magic resistance and the spell couldn't have a great effect, it could make the creature's body sluggish for a moment, and that was enough.
Bang, bang…
Dudley delivered two more punches. To unleash his powerful close-combat ability, he tossed his wand aside; it was currently as useful to him as a small twig.
Seeing the troll swing its wooden club at him again, Dudley countered.
"Lumos!"
A blinding light suddenly appeared in front of the troll, temporarily rendering it blind. Dudley had practiced his wandless magic until it was proficient. Combined with the Barbarian's close-combat ability, he could unleash fighting power far beyond his level. The Barbarian's power was the main offense, with magic as support; the two complemented each other, greatly boosting his combat power.
"My goodness, how did he do that?" At this moment, Harry and Ron had already rescued Hermione from the bathroom and witnessed Dudley single-handedly fighting the troll. The scene was truly shocking for them.
"Maybe he practiced on me," Harry whispered dazedly.
Dudley had been keen on boxing before, and Harry had been his best punching bag. But the Dudley back then only had brute strength; he could bully Harry, but it was almost impossible for him to reach the level of challenging a troll. The close-combat ability Dudley was displaying now was far more formidable than that of any boxing master. Harry felt that if Dudley had possessed such strength before, he might have been beaten to death long ago and wouldn't have lived to this day. He realized he might even owe Dudley gratitude for not killing him over the past ten years.
On the other side of the corridor, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were completely stunned. Was this what a wizard could do? Or rather, was this still a wizard? This was completely different from their impression of wizards elegantly chanting spells and toying with monsters. Dudley had practically pioneered the path of the close-combat wizard. Every time he struck, he would inflict pain on the troll, and for the thick-skinned creature to let out such miserable screams, it was clear how terrifying Dudley's fists were.
And the magic Dudley occasionally cast also rendered the troll almost powerless to retaliate. Most importantly, he didn't even need a wand. He could always use the right spell at the right moment to interrupt the troll's attacks, thereby gaining time to strike and dodge.
"Malfoy, I think we should just not provoke this guy. He's a complete Barbarian," Goyle swallowed hard, saying with difficulty.
"Exactly," Crabbe quickly agreed. "Why should we bother with a Barbarian?"
Malfoy didn't speak, but his eyes, besides fear, also held relief. He suddenly felt that being beaten last time was a mild outcome; if Dudley were to go all out, one punch would be enough to kill him.
Too terrifying. Too violent. Too bloody.
Thud!
Dudley delivered another punch. This time, the troll's legs finally gave out, and it fell to the ground with a crash. Dudley spun around, gracefully dodging the collapsing body, and came to its head.
Bang!
A final punch landed directly on the troll's forehead.
The next moment, the corridor fell silent, leaving only the sound of Dudley's heavy breathing.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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