Yaxley, as expected of a top student nearing graduation, managed to muster his spirits. He barely maintained a Protego to block several Knockback Jinxes, enduring the pressure until the debilitating effects of the infrasonic spell finally subsided.
Seeing that Yaxley still had the strength to resist, Alan gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. *Strong willpower. He'd make a fine soldier. Unfortunately, our stances are irreconcilable, so don't blame me for being ruthless.*
Under Yaxley's cover, the three behind him gradually regained their senses. The other seventh-year wizard pulled a bottle of Invigoration Potion from his robes and downed it, passing it to the other two. The liquid barely managed to dull the throbbing pain in their skulls.
Alan lightly touched the silver snake brooch on his chest, dispelling his own sonic repulsion charm, and calmly watched them readjust. In the opening phase of the battle, he had relied primarily on tactical surprise and equipment advantages. Now, he was prepared to break their psychological defenses head-on.
Yaxley took a long gulp of his own potion. As his focus returned, he looked at the bodies of his followers scattered across the frozen ground. A bitter taste filled his mouth. He had originally thought it was an overreaction to bring so many people to deal with one Mudblood, but he never expected a slaughter of this scale.
"Are you recovered? The second half starts now. Come on, let me see what abilities these pure-blood nobles truly possess." Alan held his wand upright in a dueling salute, bowing with mocking elegance.
"Damn you! If it weren't for these low tricks and alchemical toys, do you think you'd still be standing?" Travers spat, his face twisted with hatred.
"Heh, the winner takes all. Surely you're familiar with that principle?" Alan glanced at Travers with pure contempt. This boy hadn't made a shred of progress over the years; he was still just noise.
Travers opened his mouth to retort, but Yaxley cut him off. "He's right. This world belongs to the victors. Alan, I admit you are a respectable opponent, but for our cause, this must end today."
Alan's lips curved into a sharp sneer. He had been holding back for a long time and was eager to let loose. He instinctively analyzed the remaining opposition.
*Four left. The two seventh-years are the primary threats. Besides Yaxley, the other one still has some fight in him. The fifth-year has decent reaction speed. Travers is a non-entity—I can use him as a distraction. Understood.*
In the eyes of the four pure-bloods, Alan's gaze was as sharp as a blade, and the crazed sneer on his lips made him look like a predatory villain. The seventh-year beside Yaxley swallowed hard, whispering, "What's the plan?"
"What else can we do? If you can't find the confidence to fight four against one, you should go back to first year," Yaxley said. His expression was solemn, but he knew morale was crumbling and tried to sound nonchalant.
Travers, however, couldn't remain calm. The humiliation of the previous minutes, combined with the lingering ache from the sonic spell, pushed him over the edge.
"Impedimenta!" Travers initiated the clash, casting a binding spell that manifested as magical chains intended to shackle Alan.
"Avis."
Alan calmly flicked his wand, summoning over a dozen ravens that began to circle him. In a typical Avis spell, the birds fly aimlessly, but under Alan's mastery of control-type magic, they were an extension of his will. One raven dived like a precision-guided missile into the incoming chains. The magical links tightened and crushed the bird to feathers, but the attack was neutralized before it ever reached its target.
Yaxley and the others were annoyed by Travers's rash opening, but with the battle joined, they unleashed their own salvos.
"Petrificus Totalus!" "Stupefy!" "Serpensortia!"
They fired their most practiced spells simultaneously. They didn't dare use area-of-effect curses like the Blasting Curse or Incendio with so many of their unconscious companions lying nearby. If they accidentally killed their own, the fallout from the families would be ruinous.
Facing the volley, Alan remained composed. Two more ravens spiraled outward to intercept the Body-Bind and Stunning spells. With a sharp flick of his wrist, a targeted Finite Incantatem reduced the summoned serpent to ash before it could even hiss.
But Alan wasn't just defending. As the counter-spell left his wand, his wrist moved with the precision of a conductor. With two sharp whistles of air, he launched a dual-pronged attack. He cast Aguamenti, shaping a basin-sized globe of water that shot toward the group, followed immediately by a low-level Blasting Hex.
Yaxley instinctively raised a Protego, but Alan wasn't aiming for the shield. He detonated the water globe with the hex just before it hit the barrier.
*Bang!*
The water exploded like a liquid shotgun shell, drenching the four boys. Just as they were wiping their eyes and wondering what the point of a soak was, Alan fired a second spell at the ground between their feet.
Upon impact, the area erupted in a flash of white frost. It was deep winter, and the drenching water turned to ice instantly. The four boys were transformed from "drowned rats" into shivering popsicles. This was the "Extreme Cold Freeze," a variation Alan had developed while researching temperature-control magic.
Yaxley and his team were caught completely off guard, their lips turning blue as they shook uncontrollably.
"Impervius!" The other seventh-year reacted, casting a charm to insulate them from the freezing moisture. It stopped the spread of the frost, but they were already bone-chilled and stiff.