On the other side, the sounds of fire and spells whistling through the air reached Harry and Malfoy's ears.
Malfoy trembled, but his overwhelming curiosity got the better of him. He desperately wanted to peek out and see what exactly was happening.
"Are you crazy? Get down and hide!" Harry quickly grabbed Malfoy's robes, but the boy shook him off with a jerk.
"Mind your own business, Mr. 'Potter'!" Malfoy glared at Harry. He had been a bit hesitant before, but now that Harry had told him not to look, he was determined to see the situation for himself.
His small head poked out from behind the rock. Malfoy's eyes widened as he saw Makiya, wand in hand, confronting a mysterious figure cloaked in black.
In the next second, Makiya moved. His wand was like a serpent's breath, spitting out a grayish-white 'venom.'
"Dick-Knot!"
"Enough!" Voldemort roared in a rare fit of fury. A sudden explosion of magic erupted from him, deflecting Makiya's minor hex.
The grayish-white spell vanished into the night, flying off to parts unknown.
But in Malfoy's view, the spell deflected by Voldemort grew larger and larger in his vision. Before he could react, it hit him square in the head.
Malfoy hissed, "Sss—!"
The pampered young master had never experienced such agony. His delicate face distorted instantly, but knowing Harry was right beside him, he forced himself to swallow his scream and crouched back down, trembling all over.
"Malfoy, what's wrong? What's happening over there?" Harry asked curiously. What had Malfoy seen to make him look so pained?
"...Nothing. You— hiss— see for yourself," Malfoy gritted out through clenched teeth.
Harry: "???"
He hesitated for a moment, but a natural-born Gryffindor was fearless. How could he be afraid to steal a glance? After a few seconds of hesitation, Harry also poked his head out to watch and was immediately stunned by the battle.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Reducto!"
An eerie green light shot from the mysterious figure's wand. Where the spells collided, the air seemed to tear apart, letting out a deafening roar.
On the other side, Makiya also surged with massive magical power. A blinding white light, like a raging torrent, erupted from the tip of his wand, rushing toward the mysterious figure with destructive force.
The two spells clashed, white and green locking in a stalemate between them. The sheer force kicked up a violent gale, causing nearby branches to sway wildly and leaves to dance in the air.
Makiya's wand and Quirrell's wand did not share the same core, so no magical link was triggered. After a moment of deadlock, the two fierce spells exploded, and a blinding light of destruction expanded instantly.
Boom!
The terrifying shockwave echoed through the Forbidden Forest. Harry held up a hand to shield his eyes, not wanting to blink as he stared intently at Makiya and the mysterious figure.
The two figures flickered in and out of sight as if stepping through space. One moment they were firing spells from the trees, the next they appeared in the grass. Silent casting and wandless magic were used as easily as breathing, and spells of various colors zipped through the air.
"So cool!" Harry watched in fascination, filled with envy.
Whoosh!
Makiya had just squeezed out of space when he tilted his head, letting a sickly green light fly past his ear.
He raised his hand and waved his wand; a roaring fire erupted, and a sea of flames enveloped the nearby trees.
Fire was his most advantageous environment. Benefiting from the traits of Ho-Oh Makiya, the Makiya in the Harry Potter world was likewise unafraid of fire and high temperatures.
But Voldemort was clearly superior in the art of Apparition. Coupled with his array of bizarre Dark Arts, his movements were eerie and unpredictable.
Apparition was forbidden within Hogwarts, but once past the castle gates, one could bypass the restrictions of the massive magical network and move through space normally.
"Crucio!" Voldemort flicked his wand, sending a deep green spell racing toward Makiya. Immediately after, his figure vanished, reappearing behind Makiya to release another spell in rapid succession: "Crucio!"
Two spells, one in front and one behind, pincer-attacked Makiya.
Makiya had only been studying magic for a short time, and his control and use of spells were not as refined as Voldemort's, who had been immersed in them for years. However, he was a cheater; if his spells weren't enough, he had other methods.
Clenching his left hand, the mist in the Forbidden Forest gathered. Countless ice crystals precipitated out of thin air, condensing into floating diamond-shaped ice mirrors.
Countless ice mirrors acted as his most loyal guards, rotating around Makiya to protect him. The mirrors contained a vast amount of magic, which could greatly weaken the effects of incoming spells.
Crash!
The deep green Cruciatus Curse pierced through layer after layer of ice mirrors. The once-thick spell was continuously weakened until it finally vanished into nothingness.
"Strange magic. You are truly a talented young man," Voldemort said slowly in a raspy voice. "You are Makiya, aren't you? Why linger among a group of mediocrities? Come to me. I can teach you everything Hogwarts doesn't, and I can grant you... immortality!"
Voldemort spoke persuasively, billows of black smoke rising from beneath him as he floated in the air like a ghost.
"Immortality?" Makiya curled his lip, his gaze shifting to the unicorn lying nearby. "You mean surviving by drinking unicorn blood? Personally, I'd rather just die than cling to life in such a half-living state."
"This body is merely a temporary vessel." Voldemort continued to fire spells to pressure Makiya, his voice never stopping its seduction. "A mere unicorn curse has no effect on me. If you study under me, you will discover the power and beauty of the Dark Arts. Dumbledore has hidden the most powerful magic and forbidden anyone from touching it. Do you know why?"
Makiya quietly gathered his magical power, controlling the ice and fire around him while feigning confusion. "Why?"
"Because he is afraid!" Voldemort's voice reached Harry's ears, making the boy's eyes widen. "Dumbledore is afraid! He fears his students will surpass him, so he forbids everyone from touching the Dark Arts. Only in this way can Dumbledore maintain his rule over the wizarding world!"
Harry's heart leaped into his throat. He squinted through the fire and smoke at Makiya and saw that the other boy actually looked thoughtful. He immediately grew nervous. 'Don't fall for it, Makiya!'
"What's going on?" At this moment, Malfoy finally recovered, though the price was that half his trousers were wet. In this crisis, he couldn't care less and quickly grabbed Harry to ask.
The hollow in the boulder only allowed one person to peek at a time. Malfoy asked twice, and seeing that Harry had no intention of answering, he grabbed Harry's cloak and pulled hard. Caught off guard, Harry tumbled backward.
Malfoy seized the chance to take the observation spot, staring wide-eyed at the battlefield.
"Well? Are you moved?" the raspy voice asked from within the floating black robes.
On the other side, Makiya looked troubled, but finally, a smirk played on his lips. "I've thought about it, and I think I'll pass. After all, I don't want to turn into a monster without a nose."
"What?"
The surrounding flames boiled instantly, and a scorching updraft tore back the mysterious figure's hood, revealing the face that had been hidden.
"It's Professor Quirrell?!" Malfoy's eyes went wide with disbelief.
Quirrell's face was incredibly distorted. On the back of his head, there was actually another terrifying, monstrous face. Its features were blurred and gruesome; while it had a nose, it was extremely flat, leaving only two very prominent nostrils.
Countless large hands made of fire reached out from the inferno, intertwining in the air as they lunged toward Voldemort.
"Damn brat!" Voldemort roared. He waved his wand repeatedly, casting a flurry of spells that left bright streaks across the forest air.
"Imperio!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Crucio!"
Makiya fought back with equal intensity: "Reducto!"
"Incendio!"
"Ice Mirror Shield!"
Ice crystals shattered and fire filled the sky. Within the raging inferno, green spells pierced through the flames, searing brilliant marks in the air.
"Intestinal Tastebuds!"
Makiya seized the moment. As he cast his spell, he mixed in a small hex with his hand and flung it out.
This spell's specialty was its ability to ricochet. Under the veil of fire, the flickering light made the scene in the Forbidden Forest a blur.
The hex bounced between the white ice mirrors. By controlling the angles of the mirrors, the hex flew rapidly past every spot where Voldemort might appear.
Whoosh!
Voldemort used Apparition, suddenly appearing behind a thick tree trunk. By sheer coincidence, the hex ricocheted and struck Voldemort directly from behind.
Instantly, Voldemort's figure visibly hunched over. He curled into a ball, his abdomen heaving up and down.
"Bleurgh—" Finally, Voldemort retched, vomiting a large amount of undigested unicorn blood.
A strange magical wave spread out. The concentrated life magic even caused the grass on the ground to grow instantly, only to wither away under the curse.
Intestinal Tastebuds! This was the latest hex Makiya had researched in his spare time. He had originally planned to let the Hogwarts students have a taste, but he hadn't expected the first victim to be Quirrell and Voldemort.
The most important function of this magic was to make tongues grow in the large intestine, complete with tastebuds just like those in the mouth. It also belonged to the 'hard control' hex series, and from the looks of it, it worked quite well.
Even Voldemort, who could withstand the Dick-Knot with sheer willpower, was reduced to retching under this spell!
"Intestinal Tastebuds!"
Taking advantage of his vulnerability, Makiya fired off countless hexes that bounced off the ice mirrors. The area around him became a forbidden zone, preventing Voldemort from Apparating freely.
At the same time, the raging fire began to rise and condense, as if brewing some terrifying creature.
Anyone who has played games knows that after using a hard control skill, you have to follow up with an ultimate!