"Using my own spell against me, how amusing..." Snape sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. As the creator of Levicorpus, he was intimately familiar with its limitations and flaws.
Suspended mid-air, Glenn's agility was significantly compromised. To Snape, Glenn—hovering with his upward momentum nearly exhausted—was nothing more than a helpless target.
Snape had no intention of holding back. He was already poised to cast Sectumsempra.
As the creator of Sectumsempra, Snape was confident in his ability to cut Glenn to the brink of death and still restore him to perfect health afterward.
With his target in the air, Snape had no concerns about collateral damage.
"Sectum..." Invisible ripples began to gather at the tip of Snape's wand, triggering a sharp sense of danger that pierced Glenn's mind.
There was no way to evade.
Glenn closed his eyes.
"Mage's Eye."
When he opened his eyes again, Glenn's pitch-black pupils were now streaked with blood-red. The violent force of the Obscurial he was desperately suppressing filled his gaze, and dark mist began to seep out from beneath his mask, enveloping his entire body in an instant.
Glenn unleashed the maximum level of Obscurial power he could withstand. This was the first time he had used this spell against a human, and the target was none other than Snape. He wasn't sure if it would work.
Glenn's gaze locked onto Snape.
"Ugh..." Snape let out a muffled groan as the magical circuits that had been restructured within his body were disrupted by the influence of the Mage's Eye. The magic that was about to surge forth became chaotic. Even though it was only for a moment, the forced interruption of the spell caused a backlash that left Snape feeling intensely uncomfortable. In the end, Sectumsempra was not cast.
Snape looked at the now-falling Glenn with a mix of shock and suspicion, his mind reeling.
"What kind of spell is that?!"
Before being affected, Snape had felt no indication or seen any trace of magic forming.
The only anomaly—or perhaps clue—was the black mist now slowly dissipating around Glenn's body.
"Even if it's wandless and wordless magic, it shouldn't be completely devoid of any magical traces."
"I've never seen or heard of such a peculiar spell..."
Snape forced himself to adapt to the discomfort caused by the magical disruption within his body. His gaze grew colder and more serious.
"Who would've thought... you little brat actually held back..." Snape raised his wand, aiming at Glenn's landing point.
"Confringo."
A violent explosion of fire engulfed the black mist falling from the sky.
Snape, however, did not let his guard down despite Glenn being caught within the range of the Blasting Curse. He swung his wand again, casting several wide-area Shield Charms to cover all possible escape routes around the blast zone.
As expected, amidst the flames and smoke, a figure shrouded in black mist burst forth, heading straight for Snape.
"Stupefy! Expelliarmus!" Almost simultaneously, Snape's Stunning Spell and Disarming Charm struck their intended target, sending the black mist flying back into the explosion.
"...Terra Shift." Snape paused for a moment, surprised by how easily his spells had hit their mark. But he instinctively ducked and tilted his head, aiming his wand at the ground beneath his feet to cast Terra Shift.
As the name suggests, Terra Shift—incantation "Terra Shift"—causes the ground at the wand's target point to move, taking any objects on it along for the ride. Wizards often use it for short-distance rapid movement.
This spell is particularly useful in battles within Hogwarts Castle, where Apparition is not possible.
As Snape felt the Terra Shift take effect, he also sensed a sharp gust of wind graze his cheek, leaving a bloody scratch. A few drops of blood and strands of hair scattered into the air.
"Human Reveal!" Without hesitation, Snape raised his hand and cast a Revealing Charm toward his predicted target location, forcing Glenn, who had been concealing himself, to reappear.
In Glenn's left hand was a dagger glinting coldly, its blade still stained with a trace of blood.
Professor Flitwick was utterly stunned, completely forgetting his role as commentator.
This was a student?
You're telling me this is a student?
Are you kidding me?!
Professor Flitwick was dumbfounded. Unlike the clueless young witches and wizards in the audience, he was acutely aware of the skill level displayed by both duelists in those few seconds.
Leaving aside the speechless Professor Flitwick and the slack-jawed, bewildered students and Lockhart, Hermione was clearly not fazed by such a battle.
She had seen similar scenes countless times before when Glenn privately sought Snape for instruction.
Taking over Professor Flitwick's role, Hermione earnestly muttered to herself while analyzing the events on the platform for everyone.
"The moment the Blasting Curse took effect, Glenn activated Protego..." Her eyes remained fixed on Glenn's movements, but her mind had already placed herself in his shoes, replaying the events. "...After blocking most of the explosive force, Glenn manipulated a large chunk of debris on the ground, using a Banishing Charm to launch it at Snape."
"At the same time, he used the explosion's momentum to activate a Concealment Charm, hiding himself while exploiting the blind spot created by the flying debris in Professor Snape's line of sight to swiftly approach his side..."
"...Using the momentum from the explosion and the counterforce from landing, he launched a swift and decisive attack with the dagger he had concealed."
Hermione couldn't help but marvel.
"What a pity... Professor Snape must have anticipated this and dodged the attack."
"But Glenn was still amazing. I'll have to praise him properly afterward!"
The young witch was well aware of how difficult it was for Glenn to make such split-second decisions before the Blasting Curse took effect. Although she could follow Glenn's thought process, she knew that replicating his actions herself...
Emmmm... No need to think about it. It was impossible.
Back on the platform, Glenn's Concealment Charm had been broken, and his Protego couldn't fully withstand Snape's Blasting Curse. His black cloak now bore several noticeable tears, and his quick decision to launch a surprise attack had been evaded by Snape.
But Glenn was undeterred. Refusing to give Snape, who was now within close range, a chance to recover, he charged at him again, dagger in his left hand and wand in his right.
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