The standoff continued between Antonio and Voldemort, their eyes blazing with an unspoken fury as they stared each other down.
"It seems that you have some help, Lord Olario," Voldemort remarked, the corner of his eye shifting toward Minerva. "But if you think that it will be enough, then you are grossly mistaken. You will need much more than that to protect yourself and your friend out there."
As the words left Voldemort's mouth, he too let loose his magic. It was just as it had been when Antonio released his own. As if a dam had been broken. A monstrous dam.
A wave of enormous magical prowess erupted from Voldemort, colliding with and pushing against Antonio's magical presence. In a matter of moments, Antonio's magical wave was pushed back significantly until the two reached a stalemate. Both of their presences were heavy and powerful and were trying to push against each other, but no one was gaining any advantage. It was impossible to tell which of them was more dominating and which one was on the losing side. They both were on equal footing.
By this time, the Wizengamot had almost emptied. Barely anyone remained on the floor of the council. The members had retreated and were now trying to peep into the hall through the doors of the antechamber. A few of the Lords, who were more curious than the others, had arrived in the spectators' gallery. They were assuming and hoping that the visitors' gallery would remain safe for them.
"Antonio Olario," Voldemort's calm yet screeching voice echoed in the hall. "The time has finally arrived to put on a show."
The Dark Lord gave one last smirk before he whipped his wand in one fluid, smooth motion and jabbed it toward Antonio Olario.
At first, it looked as if nothing had happened. The spectators raised their eyebrows, wondering if the Dark Lord had misfired his very first spell. Was even this possible? But Antonio remained cautious and wary, his body tense and his wand ready in his hand.
And then it happened. A dark, grayish coloured spell erupted from Voldemort's wand and whizzed toward Antonio at a blinding speed. It took only the blink of an eye to reach him. Antonio did not even have enough time to cast a counter for that spell. At the last moment, before the spell could strike his chest, he was barely able to sidestep.
The spell passed a hair's breadth from his body before it struck the rows of wooden tables and chairs behind him.
It was as if a hot knife were cutting through butter. The grayish spell pierced through rows and rows of wood. It finally stopped only after colliding with the thick, sturdy, and magically enchanted walls of the Wizengamot, but not before it had produced a small dent even in those stones.
The spectators were stunned and horrified. The spell had traveled so fast that very few people had been able to trace its movement. For most of them, it was as if the spell had erupted at the tip of Voldemort's wand and then had appeared striking against the wall.
But the destruction it caused was there for everyone to see. It went without saying that had it struck or even grazed Antonio, he would have most likely died or been very gruesomely injured. It had been an extremely powerful spell and what followed it was a horrifying silence.
The horrifying silence of the hall was broken by a malicious chuckle from Voldemort.
"Indeed, Antonio," he said. "You are not only talk, but also some substance. To be able to dodge that spell is indeed commendable. I appreciate it."
Meanwhile, Antonio gulped as he realized how close he had been to death. The lingering sensation of the spell passing so close to his body remained, and though he hated to admit it, he had felt a trace of fear shiver down his spine. It was the first time he had felt such a sensation since transmigrating into this new life.
He turned back and again stood facing Voldemort directly. The fear coursed through his body for only a few moments before it was replaced by an overwhelming sense of excitement and a rush of adrenaline. This was the kind of adventure he had craved his entire life. And it was right in front of him.
"You will soon know my actual substance," Antonio responded to Voldemort's remark with his own laughter.
Voldemort welcomed this challenge with a smirk as Antonio raised his wand and whipped it. No. Not in the metaphorical sense, but a literal one. He literally whipped his wand.
Following his whipping motion, a red flash emerged fromAntonio's wand. The flash looked as if it were imbued with a few sparks of lightning.
Neither the Dark Lord nor the spectators had time to dwell upon it, as the red flash was already descending toward the Dark Lord's head.
Though not as fast as Voldemort's grayish spell, Antonio's was much faster than any ordinary magic. The Dark Lord cleaved his wand in a rising diagonal motion, and a line of magic erupted from it. It was a form of a shield spell, and the red flash cracked against it like a physical whip.
There was a standoff for a couple of moments before the shield shattered into pieces, and the red flash continued to descend toward the Dark Lord.
And there was no time for him to cast another spell. He had been caught completely off-guard by the sheer power behind the attack. He had not expected Antonio's magic to be so potent and powerful and thus had not used his full power to counter it.
Voldemort hastily tried to get out of the way, and he was successful. The spell barely grazed past him, smashing against the floor. The floor of the Wizengamot was made of the same sturdy stone and was magically enchanted, yet it cracked like a spiderweb for some distance from the point of impact.
The spectators were shocked. Voldemort has had a reputation for power and invincibility. And while his spell had shocked the onlookers, it had still fallen within the lines of expectation. But this power from Antonio, that they had not imagined.
Certainly, Antonio's magical presence had rivaled that of both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore, but to actually imbue his spells with such raw power was another matter entirely. It required extreme and precise control over one's magic, and it seemed that Antonio possessed these qualities in abundance.
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