Seeing Glenn use his magic to neutralize the spell, Snape's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
He knew that after his continuous assaults, Glenn's magical reserves were nearly depleted.
"Sandstorm Surge." Snape flicked his wand upward, and in an instant, the surrounding debris and dust began to converge rapidly toward Glenn's position.
The Sandstorm Surge spell had two variations: an upward flick to attract, and a downward press to repel. Depending on the situation, it could be used to create different obstacles.
The repelling form was better suited for pushing back and disrupting opponents, while the attracting form was designed to trap the target within a swirling cloud of debris, obscuring their vision.
Snape was ready to end the duel. In his hand, an Expulso spell was already charged and waiting to be unleashed.
Against a slippery little eel like Glenn, wide-area spells were always the most effective.
As the immense suction force surrounded him, Glenn's movements became sluggish. The flying debris streaked through the air, heading straight for him. Yet, Glenn made no effort to defend himself, allowing the stones to strike his body. Fortunately, he was wearing a bulletproof vest and tactical pants beneath his cloak. Without them, even with his outer clothing providing some protection, his body would undoubtedly be covered in wounds by now.
"My remaining magic is only enough for one more effective attack. After casting a spell, whatever magic I have left will only allow me to put up a feeble resistance, leading to a slow defeat."
"Snape must have calculated my current state based on my actions. His next move will undoubtedly force me to waste my magic on defense."
"How to respond effectively to his next attack will be my only chance at victory."
Despite being at an extreme disadvantage, Glenn didn't stop strategizing for a win. In the dozens of duels he had fought against Snape, he had always left the stage as the loser—or been carried off it. Yet, in every subsequent duel, he continued to seek ways to win.
In duels between wizards of vastly different skill levels, only rational and decisive decisions could create a chance for victory.
Without hesitation, Glenn made his move.
At the same time, so did Snape.
"Expulso!" Snape snarled, a surge of unstable magical energy bursting from the tip of his wand. This was his all-out effort to demolish Glenn's defenses.
Professor Flitwick, serving as the referee, turned pale.
"Severus!" Flitwick shouted, instantly casting a wide-range Obstacle Spell around the dueling stage, followed by a Protego Totalum. But it was already too late.
A more ferocious explosion than before engulfed half of the dueling arena in an instant. Glenn's figure was swallowed by the flames, and the debris from the blast, barely slowed by the Obstacle Spell, hurtled toward the nearest spectators.
For a moment, the dueling arena was bathed in a pale blue glow. Screams, coughing, and cries filled the air as smoke and dust overwhelmed the Great Hall.
Professor Flitwick's face darkened. With a wave of his wand, a whirlwind swept through the hall, clearing the smoke and restoring visibility. The spectators, whether seated, standing, or sprawled on the ground, were left in a state of shock and terror, their eyes vacant and trembling from the overwhelming experience.
…
Wait. That wasn't quite the case.
Upon closer inspection, Professor Flitwick let out a long sigh of relief.
The students were unharmed. Even those closest to the dueling stage were completely unscathed!
"How could I forget about the dueling badges?" Professor Flitwick wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, patting his chest in relief.
Indeed, the blue glow from earlier was the activation of the protective charms embedded in the dueling badges crafted by Glenn. These charms successfully shielded the badge wearers from the aftermath of Snape's Expulso spell.
Not a single nearby student was injured. In fact, only a handful had even stumbled or fallen, and those were mostly due to fright.
However, while the nearby students were safe, those farther away weren't as fortunate.
Some were sprawled on the ground, others crouched or knelt, their clothes and hair disheveled and covered in dust, looking as though they had just survived a desert sandstorm.
It was a pitiful sight.
Clearly, seven paces was still too conservative a safety distance.
Professor Flitwick felt an overwhelming urge to hit Snape with a Stupefy spell.
Who could have guessed that this man would use such an outrageous spell against Glenn?
That said, a small number of students managed to avoid such a sorry state.
Hermione stood firm, shielding the younger witches around her with one arm while pointing her wand at the dueling stage with the other. The invisible barrier she had conjured was slowly dissipating, and the debris in front of her fell harmlessly to the ground.
Even though Hermione knew the magical tools she wore would keep her safe, her body had moved faster than her thoughts. And even after thinking it through, she would still have acted the same way. A well-executed combination of Slowing Charm and Obstacle Spell successfully protected her friends from the explosion's aftermath.
Driven by her protective instincts, Hermione had flawlessly performed dual casting.
"Is everyone alright?" Hermione quickly turned to check on her friends after lowering her barrier.
To be honest, even though she had anticipated what was coming, Hermione hadn't been entirely confident in her ability to shield her friends from the explosion. Fortunately, the outcome was positive—her friends were all unharmed.
The same went for some of the students at the edge of the arena. Draco and Neville were among them, as were upper-year students like Cedric and Percy, who were adept at spellcasting. While their defensive spells weren't as preemptively executed as Hermione's, they still managed to mitigate the explosion's impact on their friends.
Parvati clung to Hermione's outstretched arm in terror, while Lavender, tears streaming down her face, clung tightly to Parvati. If Hermione hadn't pulled them back in time, they couldn't imagine what might have happened!
Well, even if something had happened, Glenn's dueling badges would have kept them safe.
But the sense of security Hermione provided far surpassed that of the badges.
Feeling Hermione's presence, the two girls' trembling hearts gradually calmed.
Whether it was the safety Hermione brought or the unconscious aura of sanctity she exuded, no one could say.
The two girls exchanged glances before throwing themselves at Hermione.
"Hermione, please marry us!" Parvati and Lavender exclaimed in unison, their expressions deadly serious.
"Hey!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (90+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/DarkGolds
Happy reading, everyone!