Norton gently smoothed Wendel's messy hair and said, "From the very beginning, his goal in attacking Beauxbatons has always been me. So in a little while, I'll face him alone. It'll be a hard, brutal battle. But that's fine. At least you Beauxbatons students, who were dragged into this by the Imperius Curse I cast on you, will survive."
At that moment, although Wendel had already covered his mouth and nose, the mist of the Imperius Curse continued to seep through the gaps between his fingers.
It left him without even the strength to argue.
He could only stare with bloodshot eyes.
Fortunately, Norton seemed to understand what he meant.
He smiled and continued, "You mean he won't let you go? Ha! Do you remember what I told you before? Link Flamel is far too proud. So proud that he doesn't even see you as worth noticing, let alone as any kind of threat."
"What's more, what he wants is me. Once he gets what he wants, he'll naturally follow the steps I've laid out for him and spare you students who were led astray."
"Oh? You want to know more?"
"But unfortunately, I really can't tell you anything else. Those matters are too dark. They're not something you should know."
"Otherwise, your pure hearts would be stained!"
As he spoke, Norton suddenly grew excited.
Laughing loudly, he hugged Wendel tightly, leaned close to his ear, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Remember this, Wendel! I want you to remember it! Never make an enemy of Link Flamel for the rest of your life! You're no match for him! He could crush all of you into dust with just his little finger!"
"So! Live well! Find yourself a wife, have a few children, and spend the rest of your life in peace!"
"And if you can!"
"I also hope you'll rebuild Beauxbatons Academy of Magic!"
Norton's impassioned voice still echoed through the Great Hall.
Yet Norton himself had already let go of Wendel and strode toward the entrance hall exit.
He looked like a noble attending a banquet,
yet also like a slave gladiator walking toward his death.
Elegance and madness coexisted within him.
Without anyone to support him, Wendel collapsed onto the floor.
He stretched out his hand with all his strength, trying to stop Norton.
But the Imperius Curse gas flowing endlessly into his body had already stripped away most of his control.
A simple, foolish smile spread across his face.
Yet his eyes were filled with anxiety.
The contradiction twisted his expression into something grotesque.
Finally, the entrance doors slammed shut.
Norton's figure disappeared completely into the darkness.
And inside the Great Hall, the honest, joyful smile unique to the Imperius Curse finally took complete possession of Wendel's face.
———
[Outside Beauxbatons Castle]
The teleportation array in the sky had fully formed.
Thousands of Aurors from magical nations all over the world rode broomsticks of every shape and style, pouring out of the array like a swarm of locusts.
At the same time, the British Ministry of Magic's combat force, which was attacking Beauxbatons Island head-on, intensified its offensive.
Together with the international Auror coalition descending from the sky, they launched a three-dimensional assault on the entire island.
Yet Link and the others, who served as both the overall commanders and the strongest combat force in this battle, did not launch an attack immediately.
Without the slightest hurry, they established a temporary command post on the tidal flats outside the island and quietly watched the battle unfold before them.
"Those Aurors gathered from all those different Ministries are really awful! Just look at them! Compared to our own troops, they're like city folk out on a picnic!"
Old Klie mocked the poor performance of the International Confederation of Wizards' forces without restraint.
The moment he spoke, a burst of laughter filled the temporary command post.
Only a handful of Ministry members from other countries, who had been sent to assist with command, wore unpleasant expressions.
Even so, none of them could offer a single rebuttal.
Because it was true.
Compared to the British Ministry of Magic's own troops, their Auror units performed like complete garbage.
"Don't put it that way. These coalition Aurors are really just lacking experience. It's fine if they're weaker for now. I'm sure once they've gained some real combat experience, they'll improve. That's the whole point of bringing them here to attack Beauxbatons, isn't it?"
Link's gentle voice sounded.
The laughter inside the command post gradually subsided.
The expressions of the Ministry members from other countries also eased considerably.
Still, everyone understood perfectly well.
This attack on Beauxbatons was indeed a training exercise arranged by Link.
But to say these coalition Aurors could truly grow through this opportunity and eventually reach the level of the British Ministry's main force...
That was absolutely impossible.
Because what the British Ministry possessed wasn't just superior personal strength and combat experience.
It also had confidence and soaring morale.
Those were things the coalition Aurors would never have.
That said, looking at the battlefield around Beauxbatons, even Link had to admit that Beauxbatons' artillery line and defensive barrier were exceptionally well arranged.
Faced with the coalition Aurors' and the British Ministry's nearly saturated three-dimensional bombardment, the seemingly ordinary defensive barrier hadn't developed even a single crack.
Its strength and durability were astonishing.
The artillery line displayed tremendous destructive power as well.
Although its shells weren't especially dense, they were extremely accurate.
Time and again, they intercepted the dragon-hunting ballista shells fired by the British Ministry.
Every now and then, they even shot down one or two unlucky Aurors.
With a defensive system like that, if they had been facing any other force, Beauxbatons might truly have been untouchable.
Unfortunately for them, today they had run into Link.
Following Link's orders, the coalition maintained its three-dimensional assault for nearly half an hour.
After operating under such an intense load for so long, the sound of artillery fire coming from Beauxbatons Castle finally began to thin out.
That was inevitable.
Even with alchemy and magic enhancements, these magically enhanced cannons still couldn't ignore the laws of physics.
After firing continuously at such a high rate for so long, even if the barrels hadn't overheated and exploded, their ammunition reserves were almost certainly close to running out.
The defensive barrier surrounding Beauxbatons Castle was in even worse condition.
Without artillery support, dense cracks quickly spread across its surface.
The sight excited everyone on the battlefield.
Just as everyone prepared to press the attack and finish the war in one final push, a lone figure slowly walked out of the castle's entrance hall.
He wasn't particularly tall.
Dressed entirely in black, he almost blended into the night.
Yet a unique and overwhelming presence radiated from him.
No one could ignore him.
The Aurors and Hunters at the front, who had nearly charged into Beauxbatons, all stopped at almost the same moment.
They watched him approach, tense and wary, step by step.
"That's Norton, isn't it? Is he planning to charge an army by himself?" Newland said with complete disdain. "Ha! Where does he get the nerve?"
Most of the people in the command post wore the same expression.
Even a legendary wizard, unless they had reached Link's or Dumbledore's level and possessed special abilities like Link, could hardly hope to defeat an army of several thousand Aurors by themselves.
After all, this force represented nearly the entire wizarding world of Europe and America.
Link gently shook his head, raised his wand, and said softly, "All forces, attack."
His voice wasn't loud, yet carried by magic, it clearly reached every person on the battlefield.
The British Ministry's own troops, who were the most loyal to Link, attacked without the slightest hesitation.
The coalition forces from the various countries followed shortly afterward.
It wasn't because those coalition Aurors were especially brave.
There was only one enemy before them.
Against such an overwhelming numerical advantage, even the most cowardly soldier could find the courage to charge.
Yet Norton, who continued walking forward, displayed strength far beyond everyone's expectations.
Facing the dense barrage of spells that almost covered the sky, there wasn't the slightest trace of fear on Norton's face.
Even his pace never changed.
He swung his wand.
Massive amounts of magic power burst forth.
Instead of forming spells, the magic itself attacked in its raw state.
That method couldn't bring out one hundred percent of its power.
But it was enough.
The instant the raw magic collided with the incoming barrage, violent explosions erupted,
blocking nearly every attack.
Immediately afterward, the first wave of the British Ministry's elite Hunter Corps reached Norton.
Mounted on broomsticks, the Hunters resembled miniature bombers.
With a single dive and climb, they saturated Norton's entire area with firepower.
The British Ministry's Auror Corps, arriving immediately behind them, refused to be outdone and launched the same attack.
Even the coalition Aurors, who had only recently joined and possessed almost no coordination with the Hunters or Aurors, quickly understood what to do.
As if they shared the same thought, they began systematically picking off targets inside the bombardment zone with powerful single-target spells such as the Killing Curse.
At that moment, everyone present was filled with confidence.
The commanders from the foreign Ministries, watching everything from the command post, all wore proud smiles.
After all, this was an attack capable of destroying a nation.
Under such overwhelming firepower, even the magically reinforced and alchemically enhanced ground of Beauxbatons Island had been blasted several meters lower.
A mere Norton, even at the legendary level, would surely end up either dead or severely wounded.
Of that, they were absolutely convinced.
The commanders exchanged glances.
The leaders even cleared their throats, already preparing victory speeches for this war, or rather, for this training exercise.
But before a single word left their mouths, before the fire and smoke from the explosions had even dispersed, a figure walked out of the smoke.
His posture remained unchanged.
He was completely unharmed.
Even the robe he wore wasn't wrinkled in the slightest.
It was as though he were merely a projection, his true body existing in another world, making all those explosions and attacks incapable of ever touching him.
Yet in the very next moment, the conclusions the foreign commanders had reached in shock were overturned.
The British Ministry's Hunter Corps, having completed its maneuver, had already returned to the battlefield, beginning the second phase of their tactics: high-density mobile free fire.
Their once orderly formation immediately scattered apart.
In an extremely chaotic pattern, they began firing freely.
This time, facing the sea of green Killing Curses, Norton finally launched his counterattack.
It was as though he could foresee every incoming attack.
A turn of the head.
A sidestep.
A raised arm.
A lifted leg.
With only a series of small movements, he dodged almost every attack.
As for the few spells that truly couldn't be avoided, he calmly raised his wand and deflected them with spell reflection.
From time to time, he fired different spells of his own, shooting Hunters and Aurors out of the sky.
Throughout the entire battle, his posture remained perfectly upright.
His movements remained graceful.
It was as though he wasn't fighting on a battlefield at all, but had become the greatest dancer, performing upon a stage.
Even the pace of his advance remained completely unaffected.
Bang!
Newland slammed the table and shot to his feet, ready to join the battle.
Although he had only spent a few days alongside the British Ministry's Hunters, Aurors, and Hit Wizards, he had already formed deep bonds with them.
How could he stand by and watch them walk toward death?
But the instant he stood, a broad, powerful hand landed on his shoulder and pressed him back down.
"Don't get worked up. Look more carefully. None of them are seriously hurt. They've only been knocked down."
Dumbledore's gentle voice reached him.
The anger that had just flared up inside Newland abruptly stopped.
He looked carefully toward the battlefield.
Sure enough, the Hunters who had been shot down were all still able to move.
They had merely lost the ability to continue fighting.
In a sense, doing that was far more difficult than simply killing them.
The fighting spirit of these Hunters and Aurors was extraordinary.
Unless both the power and precision of the attacks reached an unbelievable level, they would stand up and continue fighting as long as they had even a little strength left.
That alone showed just how terrifying the Norton who stood alone against thousands truly was.
"He's provoking us! He's showing off his strength to us!"
Newland clenched his fists and spoke through gritted teeth.
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