Chapter 597: Lumos
A thick, foul-smelling smoke seeped from the entrance. Wade waved his wand, muttering a quiet incantation under his breath, summoning a gust of wind to sweep the stench away.
From the entrance came a chorus of shrieks and curses:
“You did this, didn’t you, Wade Gray? You’re dead! You’re dead!”
Amina jumped up and down, furious.
Wade had expected them to charge in immediately, but after a long pause, only a few stepped forward—without a word, they unleashed a barrage of spells:
“Petrificus Totalus!” (×5)
The beams of light struck an invisible barrier and ricocheted violently, blasting holes of all sizes into the walls.
Only then did Wade get a proper look at them—
They’d clearly cleaned each other with a Fresh Water Spell, soaked to the bone, their faces pale and drawn, especially Amina and Fleur, who looked utterly drained.
But their eyes burned with hatred—directed squarely at him, as if he were the one who’d caused the Ghoul to explode.
Wade sighed, slowly rising to his feet. “Why did you even cook the Ghoul?” he asked, calm and deliberate. “The smell of that thing burning was worse than fermented Giant Excrement. I’m pretty sure it’s in the books.”
“Gh—gag—” Fleur doubled over, retching uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face as she twisted in disgust. “Shut… shut up… Intervene!”
A volley of spells tore through the air from multiple angles—
Even without Mastery of Silent Spell, they’d trained the skill of whispering incantations with speed and precision. The light trails were so close together, it was impossible to tell what spell was what.
But Wade didn’t need to know.
He moved his lips silently, then swept his wand sharply upward. The vines coiled around the Ghoul’s body shot up like venomous serpents, intercepting every spell mid-flight.
“Boom!”
As the vines exploded, Wade flicked his wand again, voice clear:
“Vadiwasi!”
The scattered debris on the ground erupted upward like bullets, striking each of their wrists. A chorus of yelps rang out—two wands flew from their hands entirely.
Their spells veered wildly off course. Wade hadn’t even needed to cast a Shield Charm.
In the stands, Sirius Black slammed his palm on the seat. “Ha! Told you! Prank spells can be artistic!”
Remus Lupin chuckled. “True… but hitting six people with that kind of precision? That’s not easy—especially not simultaneously.”
On the field, Wade didn’t pause. He advanced with the relaxed, unhurried stride of a man taking a walk in a garden, wand flicking with swift, practiced motions.
The chain binding the Ghoul suddenly whipped forward like a lash—snaking out from behind the group and catching Digo off guard. He cried out in pain as he was slammed into the wall.
Meanwhile, Asada Chika tried to dodge, but her lack of coordination caused her to collide with Ryan, who was also trying to escape. Both were caught in the chain and tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud.
In that instant, Amina dropped to the ground and transformed into a cheetah in a flash, roaring as she lunged at Wade, claws gleaming with cold light.
Just as her claws were inches from his face, Wade suddenly said, “Lumos!”
“What?!” Ryan, still struggling against the chain, looked up in shock—only to see the tip of Wade’s wand erupt in a blinding burst of light, like a tiny sun detonating in the dark Chamber of Secrets.
“Ah—!”
Several people screamed in pain, instinctively raising their hands to shield their eyes—yet still felt as though their vision had been permanently scorched.
The cheetah, with her heightened senses, was hit hardest. She let out a guttural roar, instantly reverting to human form, collapsing to the ground, clutching her eyes in fury and despair.
“Wade Gray!”
Wade didn’t stop. He flicked his wand repeatedly—spells erupting in rapid succession.
“Boom!”
A moment later, the screams cut off abruptly. Six figures lay sprawled across the floor, eyes red and swollen, tears still glistening on their cheeks.
Their wands were in Wade’s hand. He instinctively reached to break them—then paused, remembering this was a tournament.
He stopped mid-motion, staring at the wand in his palm, then gently set it down.
The wand clattered to the ground. Wade turned toward the empty corner of the Chamber of Secrets and asked, voice calm:
“I can’t give them another chance to counterattack. Could you please take them out?”
The hidden Auror: …?
Was he… talking to me?
How did he know I was here?
According to the rules, I shouldn’t be revealing myself yet…
He hesitated—then saw Wade raise his wand again, aiming at the fallen, eyes still fixed on the spot where the Auror stood.
“Or perhaps…” Wade added, politely, “you only take them out after they’re seriously injured? If that’s the rule, I suppose I can abide by it.”
“Wait!” The Auror couldn’t help but speak. “This is enough! They’ve been eliminated. I’ll take them away now.”
The rule was death, not injury. The people were alive.
If he let them see, right under the eyes of their own headmasters—
a group of students, unconscious, bloodied, and broken—
being treated like prisoners being tortured…
Wade Gray might walk away unscathed—his actions didn’t violate tournament rules.
But the Ministry of Magic of Britain would be in absolute chaos.
As the unconscious opponents were carried away one by one—especially Fleur Delacour, her silver hair scattered across the dust—Wade returned to sit beside the Golden Egg, one hand resting on his chin, the other idly swinging his wand, waiting for the next challenger.
Suddenly, he lifted his eyes and stared at a blue bird perched on a jagged rock above the chamber.
He watched it for a moment—then, as if nothing had happened, turned his gaze away.
…
When those gray eyes locked onto the camera lens, the entire stadium fell utterly silent.
No one could explain the feeling—only that, in an instant, their hearts seemed to freeze in their chests.
After Wade looked away, many people exhaled unconsciously, as if surfacing from deep underwater.
The brief silence was broken by Madam Maxime’s cold scoff.
“That little brat… Dumbledore, did you brew some ancient aging potion and accidentally give it to one of your old friends?”
“Hahaha, Olim, you’re a riot!” Egilbert from Ilvermorny laughed heartily. “But seriously—this kid’s magic control is incredible!”
Karkaroff sneered. “Ilvermorny just lost two students in one go, and you’re still laughing?”
“Why not?” Egilbert spread his hands. “My students gave everything. Losing is fine. But Karkaroff—pray your Viktor doesn’t meet him next.”
Karkaroff’s face darkened. He opened his mouth to retort—then thought better of it, worried that if Krum lost, it would be even worse for his pride.
“Mind your own business,” he muttered. “You’ve only got one student left.”
Durmstrang hadn’t lost a single one yet.
Before Egilbert could reply, Karkaroff suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He turned—and saw Cavallo, the headmaster of Castrobsche, staring at him, eyes icy, as if peeling him apart piece by piece.
Karkaroff: …
He realized with sudden shame—Ilvermorny still had one student left.
But Castrobsche? Completely eliminated.
He forced a nervous smile. Embarrassing… If I were in his shoes, I’d pack up and leave right now.
Karkaroff turned back to Krum, who had already reached the compass. His expression hardened.
Near the Golden Compass, several more challengers had just entered, breathing heavily, watching Krum emerge from the tunnel.
“Oh? Looks like our star player’s in trouble,” said Adeso, headmaster of Wagadoo, grinning. “Hope he makes it through as smoothly as Wade Gray did.”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
