https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-344-The-Eyes-That-See-Through-the-Past/13460316/
Chapter 345: Stalemate and Injury
Chapter 345: Stalemate and Injury
Black Mist swirled around Sherlock.
The dozen or so Iron Armor Charms he had cast earlier were now reduced to just a few thin layers, having been eroded by the Black Mist and already heavily depleted from the previous chase.
Sherlock was now struggling to hold his ground against Voldemort's relentless attacks.
In the highest-level Wizard duels, Transfiguration plays an increasingly crucial role.
Spells remain the key to defeating an enemy, but an opponent won't stand still and let you hit them. The best way to restrict an enemy's movements is through the application of Transfiguration.
Voldemort, with his profound mastery of dark magic, was well aware of this.
However, few of his enemies had ever forced him to use this level of magic, and for certain reasons, he had a strong aversion to Transfiguration.
But Sherlock had broken that taboo today.
Sectumsempra, a dark magic spell invented by his most talented former subordinate, Severus Snape, was one Voldemort had undoubtedly seen before.
Snape's Sectumsempra was powerful but highly limited. However, Sherlock's use of it was a full 180-degree, no-blind-spot horizontal slash, which was unprecedented.
The moment Sherlock cast the spell, he sensed something was wrong. He quickly Transfigured a wall in front of himself to buy time and swiftly ascended into the air, narrowly avoiding the Invisible Magical Blade. Nevertheless, the hem of his robe was still sliced off.
The magic attached to the blade instantly shredded the piece of fabric into countless fragments, which were carried away by the Black Mist and fell to the ground.
Surrounded by the Black Mist, Voldemort, who was floating in mid-air without any aid, grew increasingly grim-faced.
Sherlock hadn't inflicted any significant damage, but even this minor setback was a humiliation. Voldemort lightly tapped his wand, pointing it in Sherlock's direction, and without uttering a spell, he waved it simply.
Yellowish-red flames flowed from the tip of his wand, cascading to the ground like a stream. The flames then transformed into a giant python, even larger than Nagini, and slithered toward Sherlock's position.
The intense heat, even from a distance, felt like it could turn a person into a charred corpse. Sherlock, without even seeing the flames, immediately recognized the dark magic Voldemort was using.
The Fiendfyre Curse, one of the most evil and uncontrollable dark magic spells.
At the beginning of the semester, Sherlock had used this very spell to destroy Fawkes' Crown.
Later, it took the combined efforts of five people, including Sherlock and Professor Mcgonagall, to extinguish even a small patch of what seemed like a "trivial" Fiendfyre.
Now, Sherlock quickly saw the massive, inferno-cursed python charging toward him!
With no intention of standing his ground, he turned and rapidly retreated, simultaneously controlling his floating wand to split into dozens of pieces. They fell from the sky like swords, their tips piercing the ground and forming a barrier in front of the Fiendfyre.
"Finite Incantatem!"
A bright blue light illuminated the wands embedded in the ground. The moment Sherlock cast the spell, a substance that resembled the flames but felt completely devoid of heat shot up into the sky!
A wall of blue flames formed between Sherlock and the fire serpent, thin but incredibly sturdy, blocking the advance of the Fiendfyre.
The fire serpent seemed to have a life and consciousness of its own. Its flame-composed vertical eyes stared through the wall at Sherlock, then slowly opened its massive mouth, revealing two sharp fangs!
Bang!
Red and blue flames collided violently, the point of contact sparking like the clash of iron.
The Fiendfyre Curse was locked in a stalemate with the counter-curse, and Voldemort continued his relentless assault on Sherlock.
"He is my subordinate, and I will use Severus's Spell as well."
A cold voice echoed above Sherlock, followed by a spell cast without emotion.
"Sectumsempra!"
A massive, invisible blade formed in mid-air, aimed directly at Sherlock's position. It descended like a guillotine from the Middle Ages, targeting his neck.
The moment Voldemort cast the spell, Sherlock knew it was too late to dodge.
The greatest advantage of Sectumsempra wasn't its lethality, but its unmatched casting speed and stealth. The time it took for the invisible magical blade to form and strike its target was less than two-thirds of that of a Killing Curse.
Knowing it was too late to evade, Sherlock made the safest choice.
Apart from the dozens of wands embedded in the ground, entangled with the Fiendfyre, over a hundred other wands gathered above his body.
He used silent transfiguration, and the wands linked together to form a massive iron chain net!
With no other material available in the air, Sherlock had to use his own wands.
The magical blade and the iron chain net clashed violently upon contact, but the stalemate lasted for only a fraction of a second before the wand-transformed net shattered with a loud boom!
The wands, forced out of their transfigured state, splintered into countless fragments that drifted down from the sky.
Despite the loss of over fifty wands, Sherlock did not manage to block Voldemort's Sectumsempra, but he bought himself enough time to dodge.
He rolled to the right, and just as he had moved less than a foot, the Sectumsempra that had pierced through the net struck!
Sherlock managed to avoid all vital areas, but his left arm was still grazed by the edge of the Sectumsempra. His sleeve tore, and a gush of crimson blood spurted from the wound!
He clenched his teeth; the sudden, intense pain made his mind momentarily foggy. The wands floating in the air and the counter-curse struggling against the Fiendfyre trembled involuntarily, almost slipping from his control.
The wound on his arm was not a major issue, but the most insidious aspect of Sectumsempra, invented by Snape, was the dark magic that invaded the wound, causing excruciating pain that seemed to pierce his soul.
Sherlock winced in agony.
Fortunately, Sectumsempra had a counter-curse, which was recorded in the notebook Snape had given him.
Without using a wand, he directly employed wandless, non-verbal magic to cast the counter-curse on his arm. The wound, however, would not heal immediately.
(End of Chapter)
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