When Dudley saw the dark green light, every hair on his body stood on end.
Since beginning his Ripple (Hamon) training, his five senses had become far more acute than ordinary people—even elite wizards couldn't match him in this regard. Especially when it came to things touched by death.
This was a curse—and a terrifying one at that. It contained the power of death, directly opposing the life force of his Ripple energy. Compared to this, the spells cast by those little wizards at Hogwarts were like children playing house.
This was the first time Dudley felt genuinely threatened since gaining his magic resistance. A power that even his enhanced defenses couldn't fully protect against. Being hit would mean losing a layer of skin even if he didn't die.
Without hesitation, Dudley rolled to the side to dodge, while Charizard immediately spread its wings and took flight. The dark green light struck a massive oak tree, which withered at a visible rate until it became nothing but a dead, rotten log.
A hooded figure in a black cloak appeared, moving in an almost floating manner like a specter. Some kind of advanced flight charm—far more sophisticated than a simple Levitation Spell. Dressed entirely in black with an obscured face, holding a wand that emitted a faint, sickly green glow. Clearly a villain without question.
The figure immediately attacked Dudley with another powerful curse. Whatever its purpose, this was an enemy.
Dudley transformed into a blur of motion, vanishing from his original position with cheetah-like speed. The distance between them wasn't far, and within mere breaths, he had closed the gap.
Once you take away a wizard's wand, they're no different from a roadside watermelon—apply a little pressure and they'll explode like a balloon.
Caught off guard by Dudley's swift reaction, the figure barely managed to wave its wand.
"Taste my Face-Breaking Punch!"
His fist connected with the opponent without fail, but instead of the expected sensation of flesh and bone, it felt like hitting a steel plate. Protego—a highly practical Shield Charm with strong physical and magical resistance.
But while it could deflect the damage from Dudley's punch, it couldn't negate the raw kinetic force. The next second, the cloaked figure flew backward like a struck baseball with a sharp whoosh.
From the sound of splintering wood, it had probably broken several trees.
If this had been an ordinary wizard taking Dudley's punch, even with Protego, they'd be seriously injured. The Shield Charm could defend, but could it provide complete shock absorption?
However, the opponent proved that it actually could—the figure emerged from the forest like nothing had happened, floating back into position with eerie composure.
Another dark green curse came flying. Facing the incoming spell, Dudley plunged both hands into the ground, burying his elbows halfway. The soil here was harder than the muddy ground at the forest's edge.
Then he yanked upward with tremendous force.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall (Physical)!"
A massive chunk of earth was torn up like a shield, blocking the dark green curse. The cloaked figure showed a hint of disdain beneath its hood—clearly confident that mere dirt wouldn't stop such a powerful spell.
Sure enough, the dark green curse blasted through the earth chunk. If Dudley had been standing behind it, he would have been hit directly. Unfortunately for his attacker, Dudley wasn't there—he'd moved the moment he ripped up the ground.
While the curse destroyed the earth chunk, it couldn't eliminate the debris. This wasn't a cleaning charm but a pure attack spell. The earth became a rain of mud pouring down from above.
Already having poor visibility under the hood, combined with this solid mud rain, the opponent's vision was completely blocked. Vision is crucial in battle.
Just as the figure cast a spell to clear the mud and prepared to attack again, four test tubes shattered nearby. A yellowish miasma accompanied by an unimaginable stench enveloped a ten-meter radius.
Concentrated troll essence, purified and weaponized by Dudley.
"Stench is also a weapon," as Dudley often said.
The intense odor made the cloaked figure, who had been opening its mouth to cast, snap it shut immediately. Spell interrupted.
"ROAR!" Charizard let out an angry bellow. Flames poured down like molten gold, a torrent of dragonfire that would have incinerated most opponents.
The cloaked figure's wand tip flared, and an invisible barrier separated the flames. This was a very advanced defensive spell—more sophisticated than Protego. Dudley couldn't identify exactly what it was, but that didn't stop his counterattack.
He threw four more potions with practiced precision. The test tubes shattered upon contact with the protective barrier, and dark green liquid covered the entire spell, producing acrid white smoke with violent sizzling sounds.
Even the most perfect defensive spell could be broken. This potion was called Corrosive Potion (Perfect)—specifically designed to counter magical barriers. The Perfect grade made the corrosion rate reach its absolute peak.
Almost the instant the potion touched the spell, it corroded several medium-sized holes. Charizard's breath seeped through these openings like liquid fire!
The cloaked figure hadn't expected flames to penetrate its defenses. Caught off guard, its cloak immediately burst into flames. With a casual wave of its hand, it extinguished the fire and forced the dragon back with another spell.
Though uninjured, it looked somewhat disheveled for the first time.
Dudley kept looking for opportunities to seize the opponent's wand, but after experiencing his monstrous strength, the figure clearly wouldn't give him that chance. The location was too open, and it could fly.
This was the correct way for wizards to fight: Step one, maintain distance. Step two, artillery bombardment.
Charizard charged the cloaked figure again, only to be frozen in place by a counterspell. Being still immature, its physical abilities and magic resistance hadn't reached their peak—getting trapped by spells was normal for a young dragon.
Just as the cloaked figure prepared to finish off Charizard, Dudley acted.
Ranged attacks? He had those too.
He grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and stuffed an explosive potion bottle into it.
"Taste my Flying Sand and Stones (Physical)!"
Dirt plus explosive potion combination.
"Explosion is art!"
"BOOM!"
An explosion comparable to a military-grade bomb forced the cloaked figure back while completely interrupting its spellcasting. Charizard broke free from its restraints and immediately took to the air. Perhaps frightened by the figure's powerful spells, it didn't dare attack recklessly, only coordinating with Dragon's Breath when Dudley launched his own assaults.
The cloaked figure's wand rapid-fired several spells through the air. Fortunately, Dudley carried a rich variety of potions with enough diversity to counter any type of spell. Combined with his superior agility and Ripple (Hamon) enhanced reflexes, once he got close, it would mean the end.
For several tense minutes, neither could overcome the other. They were locked in a deadly stalemate.
Just then, accompanied by a commanding shout, an arrow flew from the forest with a sharp whoosh, landing mere inches from the cloaked figure's feet.
"Who harmed that unicorn?"
[Chapter Complete]
***
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