Chapter 829: Rozier's Choice
Chapter 829: Rozier's Choice
"Petrificus Totalus!"
In the forest, Kyle swiped his wand behind him, but his target was not the pursuing Vindero Cicer and others. Instead, he aimed at the sturdy trees.
By first softening the trees with a spell and causing them to fall across the path, and then turning them into stone, he could create a sturdier barrier that would buy him a few seconds against his pursuers...
Kyle had originally thought that his pursuers were a group of elderly people in their seventies and eighties, frail and slow, and that shaking them off would be easy. But he soon discovered how wrong he was.
His pursuers didn't need to run at all; they simply flew like ghosts in the air. As long as they had enough magic power, age was not a hindrance.
To be honest, this was one of the most challenging battles Kyle had faced in years, and he found it difficult to mount an effective counterattack.
More importantly, the combat awareness of these people was on a whole other level compared to the Death Eaters he had encountered before; their reaction speed was just too fast.
Kyle tried various tactics, but he couldn't gain the upper hand. Apart from the initial sneak attack that reduced their number by two, he had also used the Venomous Leopard to set a trap, luring one of them in.
It was quite effective, as the fastest wizard among them rushed ahead without knowing Kyle's tricks and fell straight into the poisonous mist, falling into a deep sleep... But that was the extent of it.
The others didn't hesitate for a second. Noticing the abnormality with their companion, they immediately changed positions and spread out from both sides. The one at the back even used the Bubble-Head Charm and charged into the poisonous mist to rescue their fallen comrade... Their movements were clean and swift, as if they had rehearsed countless times.
As they drew closer again, Kyle threw away another twenty Mandrake plants in one breath. Although it pained him to use such precious resources, the effect was surprisingly good. The sound range of the Mandrakes was even larger than that of the poisonous mist, successfully taking out two more pursuers... As for whether they were still alive, Kyle didn't know, but he was aware that there were now three fewer people chasing him.
As for the Biting Kale... it was useless against people who could fly, so Kyle didn't bother wasting it.
Up to this point, it seemed that the only trump card he had left was the Snake Monster, but there were still five people left on the other side, including the most powerful, Vindero Cicer.
She followed patiently in the middle of the group, maintaining a steady pace.
Kyle didn't even think about trying the same trick again with the Mandrake plants or the poisonous mist. Given how they had reacted so far, they probably wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
Once again, he heard the rustling of clothes and the sound of leaves being brushed aside—sounds he had become all too familiar with. It meant that his pursuers had caught up again.
Without hesitation, Kyle turned around and pointed his wand behind him.
"Sectumsempra!"
Three invisible wind blades sliced through the air, cutting everything in their path into two halves, including two trees and a wand-wielding arm.
At the same time, a hazy silver-white light flashed to his left, forming a shield that blocked a Stunning Spell that had been speeding toward him.
The silver shield flickered a few times before instantly reappearing behind him, blocking another spell. But this time, it shattered into tiny silver specks of light.
Taking advantage of this gap, Kyle turned and mounted his broomstick, fleeing once more.
Weaving through the forest, the Firebolt couldn't reach its top speed, but Kyle dared not fly too high, lest he become an easy target in the open sky. So, he traded some speed for the cover of the trees.
"Shit!" someone swore. "How many times is this now? What a troublesome spell. Does his armor's protection not require conscious activation?"
"Probably not," Rozier narrowed her eyes. "Tinos, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine, just lost my arm," the wizard named Tinos picked up his severed arm and, gritting his teeth against the pain, stuck it back onto the stump. He then bit out a healing spell.
A blue light appeared at the wound, and it slowly began to heal.
"Are all British wizards like this these days... He's how old, twenty? And he's pushed us this far—a group of twelve!"
"And his magic is weird, too. Almost all Ancient Runes magic, completely unfair."
"It's probably not all British wizards. Just him," Rozier said, "A magic genius, that's probably why Dumbledore sent him to Newmont College."
"Do you think he's more talented than Credence?"
Rozier thought for a moment. "There's no comparison. Credence is an Obscurial, one of the very few who could live and skillfully wield an Obscurus. His very existence is a miracle and nearly impossible to replicate."
"But if we're just talking about magic, he's probably not as good as this Hogwarts student. If you factor in resourcefulness and wit, the gap widens even more." Rozier shook her head. "How's it going?"
"He's been forced to change direction..." Another person emerged from the woods. "He's back within the Anti-Apparition wards now. Crauf is still on his tail. At this rate, it'll take him at least an hour to get out."
"Good. As long as he can't Apparate away, we have time to play this game slowly.
"I'm fine, Wenzda. This level of injury won't affect me at all," Tinos said as he moved his newly healed arm. "I'll catch up with you."
"No." Rozier shook her head. "If we continue the chase, he will definitely target you as a breakthrough, and then we'll have to leave another person behind. Go join Nagel and escort the injured. Get them over here as soon as possible."
"Alright." This time, Tinos didn't hesitate. After figuring out the direction, he immediately turned back.
Rozier and the others set off again, chasing in the direction Kyle had fled.
It was already the wee hours of the morning.
Kyle weaved through the dense foliage, feeling embarrassed as he realized he seemed to have lost his way.
In his haste to evade his pursuers, he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings, and now he had no idea where he was.
"This won't do. If this keeps up, they'll chase me endlessly," Kyle fretted.
Just then, Billywig brought him some good news.
"So, there's only one person chasing me now?"
Listening to the buzzing of the Billywig, Kyle made a swift decision and abruptly stopped.
"Where is he?"
The Billywig changed direction, and Kyle immediately turned his broomstick and flew in that direction.
In less than a minute, he spotted the wizard flying in mid-air.
Without any hesitation, Kyle raised his wand.
"Sectumsempra!"
Though unsure why Kyle had suddenly turned back, Crauf, who was in charge of pursuing him, had no time to think. He waved his wand, sending a streak of red light toward Kyle.
Instead of dodging, Kyle took advantage of his opponent's attempt to dodge the Sectumsempra and pointed his wand at the tree next to him.
Crauf's Stunning Spell was blocked by Kyle's silver shield... The branches began to writhe, coiling tightly around Crauf's legs. Then, a large mouth filled with fangs appeared on the trunk of the nearby tree.
"Another ambush? Are you underestimating me?" Crauf flew into a rage, thinking of Trump's severed leg. He waved his hand and smashed the tree trunk to pieces, then turned his attention back to Kyle.
"Drill-Bone Curse!"
"Expelliarmus!"
A deep and shallow pair of red lights collided in mid-air, bursting into a dazzling afterimage like a red sun.
"Hah, Expelliarmus... What a brat!" Crauf sneered. He gripped his wand tightly, and the light ball slowly began to move towards Kyle.
Kyle's face showed panic as he frantically manipulated his magic to try and stop the approaching light ball.
However, his efforts were in vain, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the ball of light from getting closer.
"Wenzda told us to be cautious, but it looks like you've run out of tricks." Crauf cackled, "I hope you don't surrender too quickly when I interrogate you later. That way, I can take my time torturing you and avenge Trump..."
Suddenly, Crauf's voice trailed off, and his body began to convulse. He fell straight down from the tree, stiff as a board.
Without magical support, the Drill-Bone Curse instantly dissipated. Kyle caught the flying wand, walked up to Crauf, and extended his arm, saying indifferently, "You really should have listened to Rozier."
A Bowtruckle crawled out from Crauf's sleeve, holding a tiny bone needle in its hand, crafted from a snake monster's tooth.
During the magical duel with Crauf, Kyle had sent the Bowtruckle flying towards him with Billywig.
Crauf hadn't noticed this... or perhaps he had but didn't care.
After all, who would pay attention to the weak and insignificant Bowtruckles in a forest full of them?
Kyle took out his wand again and held it in his palm.
"Show me the way!"
The wand spun in his hand, and the tip pointed in a certain direction. Without hesitation, Kyle mounted his broomstick and flew off.
Soon after, Rozier and her group arrived, and there were six of them in total. This meant that they had gathered all the injured together and freed up the others who had been tending to them.
They immediately spotted Crauf lying on the ground.
One of them rushed over to check on him and then turned back, his face ashen, and said, "Wenzda, he's dead."
"I know." Rozier, or Wenzda, had a grim expression, her eyes fixed on the back of Crauf's hand, which had turned completely black, with a tiny, barely noticeable wound.
"Is it the Venomous Leopard again?" Rozier frowned and shook her head. "No, it doesn't seem so. The wound is too small to be from the Venomous Leopard."
"It might be some kind of poisonous bee." Another wizard speculated, "But in the wizarding world, is there such a poisonous bee that can kill an experienced wizard so quickly?"
"Or perhaps it was something else." Rozier closed her eyes and waved her wand, turning the ground into a swamp that slowly swallowed Crauf's body.
"I'm going to kill that guy! I'll definitely kill him!" A wizard shouted angrily.
"Show me the way!"
The wand tip spun and pointed in a certain direction.
"Is it this way? Let's go!" Someone eagerly flew ahead for a distance.
"Yes, it's this direction; there's a broken broomstick twig here."
The others immediately rushed off.
But Wenzda Rozier didn't move. She flew to a higher spot and observed for a moment before resolutely flying back in the direction they had come from.
The forest was eerily quiet in the wee hours of the morning, as if even the insects had stopped their chirping. Rozier flew through the forest, her expression becoming increasingly grim.
The quieter the surroundings, the more her suspicions seemed to be confirmed.
Rozier sped up again, transforming into a massive golden eagle soaring above the forest.
Finally, she spotted the desolate tower and a phoenix-like creature composed of flames.
Its target was the tower...
With the eagle's keen eyesight, Rozier saw Tinos holding a wand in his left hand and the unconscious, injured people behind him.
"Stop!"
The eagle let out a shrill cry, transforming back into Rozier mid-air. She pointed her wand at Kyle, sending a blinding green light his way.
Kyle dodged just in time, and her Killing Curse hit the cliff behind him, blasting a heart-wrenching crater into it.
Rozier landed on the ground, her face grim as she glared at Kyle, who smiled back at her.
"Is this how Dumbledore does things? Taking the life of someone who's already lost their ability to fight back..."
"You insult me by saying that." Kyle shook his head. "I never had such intentions. If you don't believe me, ask this gentleman. If he hadn't been blocking my way, I would've been long gone."
Rozier looked at Tinos.
Though reluctant, Tinos nodded, "Yes, he's been targeting me all along."
"I just didn't expect you to turn back instead of chasing after me." Kyle shrugged.
"There's no way your speed could be faster than ours. Even if you found the right direction, we would've caught up eventually." Rozier said calmly, "So, the best option was to turn back.
"Although this would take more time, it would shake us off your trail and make you safer. To be honest, I didn't expect you to do that at first."
"But you came back."
"Because of the broomstick twig." Rozier said, "I didn't believe you would be so careless."
"I guess I overdid it." Kyle sighed, putting his hands behind his back. "For wizards like you, who were already famous sixty years ago, my tricks are indeed a bit juvenile."
"It's not that simple." Rozier straightened her somewhat disheveled robe, "Killing Crauf to provoke us, clouding our judgment, and then leaving obvious clues... Most of us fell for your ruse."
"Wenza... What did you say... Crauf is dead?!" Tinos' legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.
"Kill him... avenge him... avenge Crauf."
"There's no need for revenge. We made the first move, so it's only fair." Rozier said indifferently, "As long as you take us into Nurmengard, I can spare your life."
"That won't do. If you rescue him, I won't be able to explain it." Kyle said.
"Then there's no deal?" Rozier raised an eyebrow, "You should know that the only reason you're still alive is that we don't want to kill you."
"Of course, I know." Kyle said, "If you had used the Killing Curse earlier, my armor wouldn't have been able to protect me. Nonetheless, I refuse your request. But before we fight to the death, there's something I'm curious about."
"Fight to the death... with your Blasting Curse?" Rozier glanced at the wizards lying on the ground, "But since you didn't harm them, ask away..."
"Well, between rescuing Grindelwald and watching him die, which would you choose?"
"What?"
"Firemaking Spell!"
Kyle's wand, which was behind his back, suddenly spewed a golden-red flame. Under his control, the leopard made of flames also leaped into the air and merged with the flames.
In an instant, the golden-red color turned into a heart-pounding crimson.
The Firemaking Spell, composed entirely of Blasting Curses, was used by Kyle for the first time. Even Rozier was startled and subconsciously raised her wand in front of her.
But soon she realized that the flames were not aimed at her but at the tower on the cliff.
Although the Blasting Curses couldn't destroy the magic protecting Nurmengard, they enveloped everything around it, and the scorching heat temporarily turned the tower crimson.
"Make your choice quickly, Ms. Wenzda Rozier." Kyle turned around and smiled, "Mr. Grindelwald may not last much longer..."
Without hesitation, Rozier left Kyle behind and rushed towards the tower.
...
(End of Chapter)
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