Chapter 183: Unexpected Betrayal
Chapter 183: Unexpected Betrayal
The number of attackers far exceeded Liam's expectations. He felt that this couldn't be explained by a simple infiltration. After ruling out all the impossibilities, the only possibility left was that there was a Mole in the Cartero Brochure.
Thinking about the Mole, Liam felt like he had forgotten something. After meditating with his eyes closed for a while, he suddenly opened them: Professor Ferdinand was the problem.
Everyone here, whether it was Professor Sprout or the students, had been around for a long time. When Liam recalled each of them, none seemed out of the ordinary. Only Professor Ferdinand, despite his refined demeanor and normal actions, including his habit of occasionally stroking his mustache, which hadn't changed much since before the school year started, always seemed slightly forced and unnatural.
This was why Liam had felt something was off on the way, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. The only way to sense this subtle difference was to assume the worst and suspect that Ferdinand was indeed the problem.
If one were to think in terms of a conspiracy, this Professor Ferdinand was likely a substitute who had taken the Polyjuice Potion. Given his ability to fluently answer the Hogwarts students' questions in English, the impersonator was probably a highly educated Wizard from a noble house. Since they had been sent in to infiltrate, they were likely a key member of the opposing side.
Narrowing it down, the only possible candidate was a former Saint of the Chimera Society. With this in mind, Liam gripped his wand in the sleeve of his robe and slowly approached Professor Ferdinand.
Several students were gathered around Professor Ferdinand, who was comforting them. Liam waited for a moment when the students were asking questions in a cacophony and spoke up, "I heard that a group called the Chimera Society ambushed us this time. Have you heard of them, Professor?"
"I naturally..." At this point, Professor Ferdinand's face suddenly changed. He realized just as he started to speak that Liam had asked the question in German, a language the real Professor Ferdinand did not know.
Once Liam confirmed the impostor's identity, he was about to raise his wand to cast a Stunning Spell to capture and interrogate the fake professor. However, a large sixth-year Slytherin boy, seeing Liam raise his wand, suddenly grabbed Liam's right arm and pulled it to the side, shouting, "What are you going to do to the professor?"
Oh no, a clumsy teammate at the worst possible time. Liam was extremely frustrated and wanted to take care of this meddling guy. Because of this distraction, he had lost the initiative, and the situation was slipping out of control.
Sure enough, realizing he could no longer remain undercover, the fake Professor Ferdinand suddenly bared his teeth in a snarl. He reached out to grab the nearest second-year Ravenclaw girl, Alicia, intending to take her as a hostage. But Hermione suddenly rushed out from the side and pushed Alicia away. In the process, Hermione tripped and was a split second slower, allowing the impostor to grab her instead.
This was exactly what Liam feared. The situation had completely spiraled out of his control. Just as he was about to take action, the impostor threw Hermione's wand aside and then tossed a small ball at Professor Sprout, who had just raised her wand. The ball hit the ground and quickly released a dark green smoke.
Under the cover of smoke, the impostor tapped the ground with his wand, and a hole over a meter in diameter appeared. He dragged Hermione down the hole with him.
As soon as he jumped, the hole began to close, and the others, distracted by the smoke, didn't notice what had happened. Liam had already shaken off the bulky Slytherin. Seeing the hole slowly closing, he decisively jumped in after them.
It was pitch black at the bottom of the hole. Liam could only feel the wind rushing past his ears. Suddenly, he heard a splash from below.
It seemed there was a body of water down there. With this in mind, Liam adjusted his body position and fell toward the source of the sound.
— Splash. With a thud, Liam felt himself plunge into a pond. The water was icy cold, and he couldn't help but shiver.
Just as he was about to surface to start searching, a pair of hands suddenly wrapped around his neck from behind. Liam could feel the webbed fingers on the hands that were choking him.
This must be some kind of human modification. It seemed the lunatics from the Chimera Society weren't afraid to go to extreme lengths, just like Voldemort, who had even removed his own nose.
But it was clear that such modifications were highly advantageous for underwater combat. The impostor quickly grabbed Liam's wand hand and tried to push his head underwater with the other. Liam attempted to punch him, but the man's body was covered in hard, slippery scales, making his punches ineffective.
If Liam were an ordinary wizard, he would have been at a severe disadvantage. Once the hand holding the wand was controlled, most wizards would lose their fighting ability. However, Liam was different. He had a backup plan. After mastering the Purple Mist Divine Art, he could hold his breath for seven to eight minutes underwater.
So, during the struggle, Liam pretended to be running out of oxygen, his movements slowing down. As Liam's resistance weakened, the impostor gradually relaxed his guard.
Soon, Liam's body movements came to a halt. Seeing this, the Chimera Society mole slipped his hands under Liam's armpits and started swimming toward the surface, apparently intending to drag him ashore.
Liam seized the opportunity, activating the Purple Mist Divine Art. His arms suddenly gained strength, and he clamped them around the mole's arms. At the same time, he triggered the trap on the Hidden Blades on his wrists.
The Hidden Blades shot out and Liam thrust them backward and upward with all his might. Thanks to his martial arts training and the Purple Mist Divine Art, he could bend his wrists in ways that a normal person couldn't, allowing the Hidden Blades to strike the mole's vital points directly.
The impostor sensed the danger and tried to pull away, but with his arms pinned by Liam, he couldn't escape.
The enchanted Hidden Blades easily penetrated the mole's scales. As Liam felt the blades sink deep into the man's body, he twisted his wrists with all his strength.
Wizards might be much more powerful than Muggles in individual capabilities, but their bodies were just as vulnerable. While the impostor had used magic to modify his body like Voldemort, he hadn't undergone the same radical changes. The organs protected by the scales were still as fragile as those of a normal person.
Soon, the impostor, with his liver and spleen severely damaged, stopped moving and began to float to the surface. Liam followed, ready to assess the situation.
(End of Chapter)
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