Bang!
The sound of shattering bricks echoed through the entire tower. Then, tremors rose from below, causing lamps to light up one by one in the Ravenclaw common room.
Ravenclaw students sleeping in their beds climbed out, either coming to the windows or simply leaving the common room, craning their necks to look below.
Although they didn't know where this loud noise and tremor came from, such a commotion in the castle late at night still made them intensely curious.
"What's going on?" Professor Flitwick walked out of his quarters in pajamas. His expression had become deadly serious, but the pajamas combined with his small stature still looked somewhat comical.
After listening briefly to the commotion downstairs, Professor Flitwick pointed his wand at his throat and spoke loudly:
"Everyone stay put and return to your dormitories. I'll go down and check!"
Then he left the common room, turning back to move the eagle aside, ensuring no overly curious young wizards could run out, before rushing down the stairs.
He looked troubled because, even separated by four floors, he could hear the commotion from below. The school had silencing magic, especially at night when the silencing spells were activated at maximum strength. For such loud sounds to still penetrate under these conditions, there was only one possibility.
Someone was fighting in one of Ravenclaw Tower's classrooms and fighting fiercely—even breaking through the classroom's silencing magic. Professor Flitwick's expression grew grimmer as he hurried down as fast as he could with his short legs.
At times like this, he really wished Apparition could be used in the school. After all, his body type really wasn't suited for such intense running.
After running for half a minute, Professor Flitwick already felt winded. He slowed his pace, looked at the window beside him, and his eyes suddenly brightened.
At the same time, spell after spell exploded in the classroom below the tower. A silver-white arc flashed as Evans suddenly appeared behind the casting Umbridge, stepped forward, and air currents surged behind him.
Seeing this action again, Umbridge's pupils shrank. She instantly abandoned the spell she was preparing to release and dodged to the side.
After all, she'd already suffered from this magic once before—that large hole in the floor not far away was the best proof.
Seeing Umbridge dodge, Evans also withdrew his foot about to stomp down.
In Hogwarts, this magic wasn't so useful because the castle's floors and walls basically all had very strong protective magic attached. The Re'em's talent effects of tremor and destroying buildings couldn't manifest at all.
Honestly, the fundamental reason he'd tried that stomp was because he'd wanted to use the Re'em's talent in the castle for ages.
He hadn't dared when he was a student, and after becoming a professor he hadn't had a reasonable excuse—until just now, when he finally found an appropriate opportunity to stomp once.
Honestly, it felt pretty good.
Although the talent's power was reduced by more than half in the school, this rebellious feeling was captivating.
Plus, finally realizing a dream from years ago gave Evans a kind of intoxicating pleasure.
But for now, he still needed to stop these two people.
Stop them, but not kill them—that still required some skill.
Withdrawing the preparation for the heavy stomp, Evans flashed again, appearing beside Lockhart not far away.
Since the battle began, this Lockhart controlled by a soul fragment had been looking for opportunities to escape, but Evans obviously wouldn't give him that chance.
"Stupefy."
Red light flashed. Lockhart could only turn again to block with a Shield Charm. The spell collided with the barrier, and cracks spiderwebbed across Lockhart's Shield Charm.
He'd already expended considerable energy from the previous battle with Sir Podmore. Combined with this body's extremely low magical power reserves, his Shield Charm was barely able to block this young man's attacks.
This couldn't continue. Tom (controlling Lockhart's body) anxiously observed his surroundings, searching for an escape route.
If this dragged on, they might all end up here.
He could be certain that after that large crater appeared, this classroom's silencing magic definitely couldn't function anymore. If so, that level of commotion could probably be heard clearly by half the school.
In less than two minutes, other professors might come check what happened. If it were some Arithmancy professor or the like, it would be fine, but their current location was Ravenclaw Tower!
That "Dueling Champion" wasn't so easy to deal with, not to mention they currently had no way to defeat this young man.
Moreover, since seeing this young man, he'd been calling that basilisk, but until now it still hadn't appeared.
This couldn't continue!
Cruelty flashed in his ghastly green eyes. Tom glanced at Umbridge not far away, who was casting spells, having successfully drawn that young man's attention again, and a decision formed in his mind.
He couldn't stay in this school anymore. He had to leave, taking this still-controllable body with him.
Although leaving like this meant those two Horcruxes would definitely fall into Dumbledore's hands, as long as he remained outside, even if the diary serving as a vessel was destroyed, he wouldn't immediately perish.
Of course, after losing the Horcrux, his abilities would gradually weaken, but as long as he had enough lives and souls to supplement, even a soul fragment could survive!
Perhaps after absorbing enough souls, enough lives, and becoming strong enough, he could even become the dominant one.
After all, after the soul was split into seven parts, which part was actually dominant wasn't certain.
As for that cup—he would avenge it.
Having made his preparations, Tom suddenly dodged, avoiding the pouncing Swooping Evil. Then, while that young man was entangled with Umbridge, after casting a Shield Charm behind himself, he pointed his wand at himself. A light breeze flowed past as he resolutely crashed toward the nearby window.
From the corner of his eye, catching that one of his targets planned to smash through the window and escape, Evans casually released a spell, but it was blocked by the previously cast Shield Charm, only shattering that semi-transparent barrier.
Watching Lockhart about to burst through the window, silver-white light arced beside Evans, preparing to pull him back.
But just then, something strange flashed in his eyes, and the arc of light beside him dissipated again.
The feeling of exhausted energy surged toward Tom's mind, but he, controlling Lockhart's body, had already smashed through the window, the body falling downward.
The wind of freedom blew past his ears. He felt his soul becoming pure in this wind. Next, he just needed to activate the Cushioning Charm on his body, then float into the Forbidden Forest. Such a large forest—no one could possibly find him!
Ah! Freedom! Beautiful freedom!
But just as the soul fragment was thinking this, a sharp voice suddenly came from overhead.
"Huh? What just fell out? Professor Lockhart? Are you here to help too?"
"You look like you're out of energy... Wingardium Leviosa!"