"Awoo!"
Seeing that the lightning was about to strike Professor McGonagall, Milo used all of his strength to appear by her side as if teleporting, tackling Professor McGonagall to the ground.
After missing its target and piercing through the covered bridge, the lightning struck again, aiming for Professor McGonagall and Milo.
Now everyone could see clearly that it was actually a spiraling longsword wreathed in lightning.
"Milo!"
Nina slid the brown suitcase along the ground toward Professor McGonagall. Milo caught it and immediately opened the case, allowing Seth the Horned Serpent to slither out.
"Clang!"
Amidst the sound of clashing metal, Seth knocked the longsword away with its horns. At the same time, a short figure leapt from its back and landed on top of Seth's head.
"Swish, swish, swish..."
Evele the Pukwudgie calmly fired a barrage of arrows, continuously striking the tumbling longsword and pushing it into the air.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Lucy the Thunderbird, acting in perfect sync, summoned lightning. Bolts of thunder crashed down from the sky, striking the longsword to the ground.
Professor McGonagall looked at the now red-hot longsword with lingering fear. With a flick of her wand, the stone tiles of the bridge surged like flowing water, pinning the restless longsword underneath.
"Whew~ That was truly dangerous!"
Rubbing Milo's head vigorously, Professor McGonagall let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Nina, and these little ones."
"I'm just glad you're alright!"
Nina ran over to help her up, then had Lucy return to the suitcase with Evele and Seth.
Lucy the Thunderbird had not yet fully grown, and summoning lightning without a storm had left her somewhat exhausted.
There was no water on the covered bridge, so Seth the Horned Serpent couldn't utilize its full strength, and besides, one of its horns had just been clipped.
As for Evele the Pukwudgie, considering there was still a Basilisk hiding in the shadows, it was best for this eagle-eyed archer to withdraw from the battle.
By this time, the dust from the explosion spell cast by Professor Flitwick had cleared, leaving only three Dark Wizards fighting against the lion pride.
Upon realizing that the magic sword had not only failed to kill Professor McGonagall but had instead been contained, they were clearly growing anxious.
"Reducto!"
One Dark Wizard used a blasting spell to clear a path, while the other two charged onto the covered bridge.
"Diffindo!"
"Sandstorm Blast!"
"Whirlwind!"
The three Professors acted in perfect unison, instantly shattering the Dark Wizards' Shield Charms and disrupting their offensive.
"Avada Kedavra!" x 2
"Expelliarmus!" x 3
"Boom!"
The sickly green light and the crimson light collided on the covered bridge. The violent explosion destroyed the entire bridgehead, and a raging shockwave swept in all directions.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Nina, climbing up from the ground, wiped the blood from her lips and pointed her wand at Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Sprout, who were disheveled and covered in dust.
"Blessing of the Moon Goddess! Nature's Gift!"
A soft, moon-white halo and a vibrant, life-filled emerald glow appeared on the Professors, healing the injuries they had just sustained.
After nodding at her, Professor McGonagall looked with a grave expression at the two Dark Wizards who were now critically injured and dying.
"Who exactly are these people?"
"Who knows? But I can be certain that even among the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic, you wouldn't find many characters as formidable as these."
Professor Flitwick scratched his head, feeling that his decades of teaching had caused his dueling skills to regress. If it were in the past, he wouldn't have been in such a sorry state.
"But fortunately, there is only one Dark Wizard left—though, of course, there are also these Acromantulas."
Watching the large number of magical plants being torn apart by the swarm of Acromantulas, Professor Sprout felt deep heartache.
"I'll go finish him off!"
Just as Flitwick was about to call for Milo the Wampus to join him, Nina stopped him.
"Dean! Look! The Basilisk is here!"
The three Professors looked toward the Forbidden Forest, where a large number of Acromantulas were crawling out.
Under the moonlight, they could clearly see a large snake coiled around a giant Acromantula in the center.
"Professor Heller, are you sure?"
Looking at Karl OLaughlin and Dumbledore with suspicion and uncertainty, Elvis Heller's heart sank abruptly.
Could it be that they were prepared again? But... how was that possible?
In Elvis Heller's original plan, besides luring Dumbledore away from Hogwarts, he had made other arrangements to prevent the school's Professors from interfering unexpectedly, especially Snape, who didn't like him.
That was to use the Basilisk to subjugate the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest and to use hunger to fuel their brutal nature.
While he opened the magic circle and collected the spirits, the Basilisk and the Dark Wizards under his command would lead the Acromantula swarm to attack Hogwarts Castle, distracting the school's Professors.
Very few people entered the depths of the Forbidden Forest, let alone the territory of the Acromantulas; even Hagrid wouldn't go there.
So... how did they find out?
Even if they could avoid the patrols of Hagrid and the Centaurs, the dangers in the Forbidden Forest were enough to stop any Little wizards who didn't follow the school rules.
"You had countermeasures ready? Why?"
Elvis Heller roared maniacally at first, but then quickly calmed down.
"Forget it. It's come to this, so the 'why' doesn't matter anymore. You forced me to do this."
"I want to see if you can survive the hand of that great lord, even if it is just a weapon tainted with a shred of his divine might."
Before the words had even faded, Elvis Heller quickly reversed his long spear and, without hesitation, pierced through his own body.
Karl: (⊙o⊙)
Huh? What on earth? Committing suicide?
"Watch out, Karl!"
Dumbledore put away his smile and held his wand horizontally across his chest. Invisible winds swirled around him, blowing his robes with a snapping sound.
Elvis Heller, pierced by the long spear, did not fall. Ominous blood-red light bloomed from the wound, more intense and dangerous than ever before.
"Ah! Kill, kill, kill! Roar!"
Accompanied by inhuman roars, his body became deformed and twisted, his bizarre appearance truly terrifying.
One eye sank inward, while the other protruded significantly, filled with several pupils emitting a blood-red light.
His head was abnormally huge, his hair stood up like hog bristles, his mouth split open to his ears, and long fangs filled his bloody maw.
Karl: (#°Д°)
Is this guy mutating?
"Kill!"
Elvis Heller stomped and shattered the plaza, charging over like a sharp arrow.
Good grief! Did you walk onto the wrong set?
While Karl complained in his heart, he opened his palm, and a group of monsters formed from Fiendfyre appeared, roaring and charging.
However, Elvis Heller wielded his long spear with wide, sweeping motions, cutting through the Fiendfyre monsters while enduring the burning heat amidst the crisscrossing blood-red light.
Seeing this, Dumbledore swung his wand down, and a violent gale began to howl.
"Roar!"
Elvis Heller held his long spear horizontally in front of him, resisting the infinite force that was assaulting him.
As the long spear bent nearly to his chest, he suddenly exerted force and shattered Dumbledore's spell.
Instantly, the plaza collapsed, stones flew everywhere, and the back-swirling wind slapped Karl in the face.
Dumbledore stroked his beard indifferently, tapping his wand lightly, causing the floor tiles of the plaza to flow and reshape.
Rows of heavy cavalry raised their spears, charging toward Elvis Heller with the momentum of a Staggering Blow amidst a dull, thundering sound.
Karl's thoughts shifted, and he coated the heavy cavalry in a layer of Fiendfyre.
Then, he shielded Dumbledore and watched this duel between masters with rapt attention.