Chapter 958: The Quintuple Kill
Chapter 958: The Quintuple Kill
On the other side of the maze, Barty Crouch Jr. lowered his wand and quietly observed the unconscious Harry Potter on the ground, a smirk playing on his lips.
Harry Potter had been diligently practicing magic for the third task.
And yet, here he was.
Using the Disillusionment Charm to conceal himself, he stood quietly at the exit of the passage, waiting for Harry Potter to emerge. As soon as Harry stepped out, he silently cast the Stunning Spell on him from behind.
There was no fierce resistance, nor could one say there was any resistance at all. The renowned Harry Potter had been subdued so easily that he didn't even know what had happened before he collapsed to the ground.
It was as if all of Harry's efforts in the past few days had amounted to nothing but a joke.
"If you had stayed put and waited, I might have had to put in a bit more effort." Barty Jr. took out a scarf he had prepared beforehand from his pocket. He waved his wand and cast a spell on the scarf, transforming it into a door key, which he then securely tied to Harry Potter's arm.
Then, Barty Jr. stood by and took out a pocket watch from his pocket, glancing at the time before starting the final countdown.
"...Three...two...one, time's up!"
Barty Jr. snapped the pocket watch shut, and the Harry Potter in front of him suddenly vanished.
"If only that Mudblood were as easy to deal with as you." Barty Jr. gazed at the spot where Harry Potter had disappeared, heaving a sigh of relief. Finally, he had completed the crucial task given to him by the Dark Lord. Now, all that was left to do was to buy as much time as possible for the Dark Lord's resurrection! It would be best to eliminate all the champions so that there would be more than enough time.
Of course, Barty Jr. was aware that Albert Anderson was not Harry Potter, and such a sneaky attack probably wouldn't work on him. But that didn't diminish his desire to kill that Mudblood.
Moreover, Barty Jr. was well-prepared! As Barty Jr. turned to search for Albert, his heart skipped a beat. To his surprise, the Mudblood was already approaching the center of the maze, and in just a few minutes, he would undoubtedly reach the trophy and end the tournament.
Although he had tampered with the Triwizard Tournament trophy so that it would teleport anyone who touched it abroad, that Mudblood undoubtedly had the ability to return to the school quickly. This was certainly not a situation Moody wanted to see.
After successfully completing the important task assigned by the Dark Lord, Barty Jr. would not allow anyone to interfere with his master's resurrection.
He would not let that happen.
Fortunately, Albert had been delayed by the five-way fork in the road, with only one path leading deeper into the maze and the remaining four being dead ends. This delay allowed Barty Jr.'s ambush to come into play and gave him enough time to rush over and prevent the Mudblood from claiming the championship trophy.
"It seems my luck isn't too bad," Barty Jr. muttered as he hurried toward the center of the maze, breathing heavily. Unfortunately, he was still in Moody's form, hobbling along with a cane, unable to pick up the pace.
If he knew that someone was complaining about his slow walking speed, he didn't know if he would be so angry that he would want to smash the other party's head with his cane.
Albert stared at the slowly moving ink blot representing Barty Crouch Jr. on the map, muttering, "It's really a hassle for a cripple to rush like this."
That guy was heading in his direction.
However, what was up with this Miss Fleur?
Albert's expression turned strange as he noticed that Fleur Delacour was actually lying in wait for him at the exit of the passage.
When did she get there?
Albert hadn't noticed that at all.
But was she really expecting to ambush him so easily? This kind of trick would probably only work on reckless people like Harry Potter! Okay, Albert admitted that without any preparation, many wizards might fall for such an ambush, but that certainly didn't include him with his X-ray vision.
"Is she planning to sandwich me between the front and back of this passage?" Albert frowned slightly as he saw through her malicious intentions.
"This won't do!"
Even with adequate preparation, it was never a good idea to passively wait for the enemy to come to him.
The prey would never have the advantage over the hunter.
"The advantage is mine."
The Felix Felicis was telling Albert that he had the upper hand, so he should take the initiative to strike and disrupt Barty Crouch Jr.'s plans instead of walking into the trap that had been set for him.
Passive defense and counterattack would put him at a disadvantage and expose him to greater risks.
Albert sighed. Why hadn't he thought of this earlier?
It would take Barty Jr. at least a few minutes to get here, hobbling along with his cane. That was enough time for Albert to deal with the two disposable opponents, and then he could turn back to find Barty Jr. He was confident that the other party wouldn't just run away.
With that thought, Albert sprang into action.
Anyway, he wasn't going to keep up the act anymore.
He waved his wand and passed through the hedge as if it wasn't there.
If it had been before, Albert might not have had a good solution for these hedges, but ever since he had perused the Headmaster's notes on Transfiguration, his proficiency in Transfiguration spells had improved rapidly. Naturally, he understood the principle behind these hedges and could pass through them without having to forcibly create a hole. Albert suspected that the reason Fleur was able to reach his front so quickly was because of this.
Sneaking up to the other side of the hedge next to Fleur, Albert raised his wand and cast a spell on the hedge in front of him. Before Fleur could react, the hedges around her seemed to come to life, sending countless vines to entangle her, easily subduing her before she knew what was happening.
Albert looked at the bewildered expression on Fleur's face and smiled as he said, "You've been waiting here to ambush me for so long. Take a break now!"
After that, he stunned Fleur with the Stunning Spell and casually hooked his finger at her wand on the ground, temporarily confiscating it.
Without a wand, most wizards were no different from Muggles.
"Accio wand."
After confirming that there were no extra wands on Fleur, Albert couldn't help but mock himself. "That's true. I suppose not many wizards would carry two wands on them."
Albert didn't have to wait long before Viktor Krum rushed over, panting heavily. This Quidditch star was not polite at all. As soon as he saw Albert, he raised his wand and sent a Killing Curse straight at him.
The dazzling green light was blinding, but fortunately, Albert was prepared. A large rock appeared in front of him, acting as a shield, and was blown to smithereens by the Avada Kedavra curse.
"That's a nasty move, pulling out Avada Kedavra right off the bat." Albert waved his wand, sending a forceful blast that knocked the breath out of the unfortunate Krum and sent him flying.
As he bound his opponent with spells, he added a Stunning Spell for good measure.
"You've had quite the run to get here and die. Good job." Albert remarked as he took away Krum's wand, looking at the unconscious Quidditch star.
"That guy won't just run away, will he?"
Albert frowned slightly at the stationary black dot on the map.
Albert's swift maneuvers had truly stunned Barty Jr., who initially thought he was setting out to ambush the Mudblood. In the blink of an eye, not only had the bait he set up been easily dealt with by the Mudblood, but he had also become the hunted instead of the hunter.
How did this even happen?
Barty Jr. snapped out of his brief daze, his face still reflecting his bewilderment at the huge turnaround.
Had he been played by that filthy Mudblood?
Indeed, he had been made a fool.
Barty Jr. clenched his fists, his teeth grinding.
This was humiliating.
From the start, that Mudblood had seen through him. From the beginning, that Mudblood had treated him like a fool. From the outset, that Mudblood had been waiting for him to walk into a trap.
"You despicable, lowly Mudblood, how dare you..." Barty Jr. hurled every insulting word he could think of at Albert.
"Get out of here immediately."
This was the first thought that came to Barty Jr.'s mind, but he quickly rejected it, feeling ashamed and humiliated.
He was actually afraid of a Mudblood.
This was no laughing matter.
Kill him! Only by killing him could he wash away the shame.
Only by killing him would all his problems disappear.
He still had two accomplices, and with three against one, he would surely succeed. That Mudblood was definitely doomed.
Barty Jr. was confident that the Mudblood stood no chance against the three of them.
However, Barty Jr. failed to notice that his plans, now rudely disrupted by Albert, had made him hasty and anxious.
His mind was in disarray.
Just as Barty Jr. raised his wand and shot green sparks into the sky to summon Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, who were surrounding Albert, a loathsome voice suddenly rang out, "I knew something was off about you. Let me guess, is it Peter Pettigrew?"
Before the words had even landed, a blinding green light shot out from Barty Jr.'s wand, aiming at the direction of the voice.
"Avada Kedavra, you're ruthless, as expected of you."
The voice spoke again, laced with unmistakable sarcasm.
"Found you."
Barty Jr. blasted through the hedge, aiming a killing curse at the detestable figure hiding behind it.
Barty Jr.'s expression froze as his surefire attack was blocked by a large shield, and the Mudblood remained unharmed, safely hidden behind several shields.
Before Barty Jr. could continue bombarding the shields with Avada Kedavra, something came flying at him.
As he realized what the grassy-headed infant was, his face contorted in shock.
The piercing wails of Mandrakes filled the entire maze.
Initially, Albert had intended to use the 'Hag's Scream' against Barty Jr., but considering the aftermath, he opted to don earmuffs and pull out a pot of Mandrakes from his Undetectable Extension Bag. He yanked one out and threw it at Barty Jr.
He had the house-elves tend to quite a few of these, stuffing several pots into his bag.
If he ever encountered a group of Dark Wizards, Albert wouldn't mind letting these loose for some entertainment.
No one would expect to be attacked by Mandrake roots.
Barty Jr.'s expression froze, and even though he covered his ears as soon as the wails began, the piercing cries of the Mandrakes still affected him. Though they were merely seedlings and not fatal, they could still render someone unconscious.
Barty Jr. was now dazed and on the verge of passing out.
"Oh, I'm surprised you're still standing. Quite impressive."
That annoying voice rang out again, making Barty Jr. want to blast the speaker with Avada Kedavra just to shut them up.
"I bet Dumbledore knows you're an imposter, and his expression must be priceless." A figure stepped out from the passage, wand raised, ready to subdue the wobbly Barty Jr.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Barty Jr., his consciousness fading, removed his hands from his ears and directed a killing curse at the figure.
He couldn't hold on much longer, but before he collapsed, he had to drag this person down with him. Even if he fainted, it didn't matter, as the door key tied to him would send him away in an hour.
This was Barty Jr.'s backup plan to deal with any potential mishaps.
The Avada Kedavra curse struck the figure who had just emerged from the maze passage, and to Barty Jr.'s astonishment, the person exploded.
Indeed, they had blown up.
Before Barty Jr. could process what was happening, he fainted from the effects of the Mandrake's cry, his hands no longer covering his ears.
"That's brutal. Is this a last-ditch effort to take me down with you?"
Behind two layers of shields, Albert, wearing black earmuffs, watched the person blown to bits by the Avada Kedavra curse and muttered, "Is that it? I expected a tough fight, but this was even easier than anticipated."
"What a waste of my nerves." Albert stared at the unconscious figure, his expression peculiar.
"So this guy's pretty pathetic?"
"No, it's just that my disruption of his plans caught him off guard, that's all."
If he hadn't been so well-prepared, he might have actually fallen for it.
This was definitely an advantage that came from having superior intelligence.
It wasn't really fair to blame Barty Crouch Jr. for his lack of prowess; Albert's underhanded tactics, like throwing Mandrake roots, were truly exceptional.
Albert quickly glanced at the map, and with Barty Jr.'s green sparks, he could see that Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were swiftly making their way towards him.
After binding Barty Jr. with magic from a distance, Albert blasted a hole in the ground and buried the wailing Mandrake seedlings, silencing them.
Then, he used the Summoning Charm to take away Barty Jr.'s wand and pulled out a swaying bottle from his pocket, tossing it towards where Barty Jr. had collapsed.
A lifelike Boggart in the form of Albert Anderson appeared out of thin air.
This unfortunate Boggart was temporarily fixed in this form and would be left here as a decoy.
"What are you up to, Mr. Anderson?" Professor Flitwick asked in surprise, looking at the figure on the ground. "What happened to Professor Moody?"
However, before Professor Flitwick could react, Albert dug out the Mandrakes and pulled them out of the ground, just like pulling carrots. The piercing cries of the Mandrakes once again filled the entire maze, and the unprepared Professor Flitwick fell to the ground, unconscious.
Professor Flitwick never expected Albert to resort to such underhanded tactics and disregard magical etiquette.
This was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and he was caught completely off guard.
After successfully dealing with Professor Flitwick, Albert breathed a sigh of relief. He planned to rebury the Mandrakes and then use the same trick on Professor McGonagall.
Suddenly, Albert felt a sense of foreboding and instinctively retreated into the passage, narrowly dodging a green jet of light that flew towards him.
It was truly a close call. Unlike Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall was unaffected by the Mandrakes' cries, as she was wearing an ugly purple earmuff.
"To be able to cast the Killing Curse at such a level?"
As another jet of green light flew towards him, Albert summoned a mirror shield to intercept the Avada Kedavra curse. Just before the shield was blasted away, he pointed his wand at the ground, and a large section of the stone wall shot up, completely blocking off the passage behind him.
"Accio wand."
Even as he retreated, Albert didn't forget to summon Professor Flitwick's wand.
Once a wizard lost their wand, their threat level decreased significantly. Although he didn't think Professor McGonagall could quickly revive the wizards knocked out by the Mandrakes' cries, it was better to be safe than sorry.
After Albert passed through the hedge and left the passage, the stone blocking the wall was blasted open, and an Avada Kedavra curse flew into the passage.
"This is getting ridiculous."
Unbelievably, instead of facing off against Barty Jr., he was now dueling with Professor McGonagall, and she was relentless with her Avada Kedavra curses.
"Don't you even use a blue spark for that?"
Using the Killing Curse so frequently was outrageous! It was truly frightening, and he couldn't afford to be careless.
Albert considered retreating and then summoning Dumbledore with his Patronus, but as he did so, he noticed a new task on his panel: Quintuple Kill.
The task offered a generous reward: 20,000 experience points, two skill points, 200 Magic World Reputation points, and most importantly, the ability to choose a designated skill from one of the five people, although the risk was quite high.
With no other choice, and seeing Professor McGonagall casting Avada Kedavra curses as if they were going out of style, he knew she was a formidable opponent.
Of course, with his prior preparations, Albert believed he had the capability to handle Professor McGonagall.
Should he take the risk?
As Albert's mind raced, his body, guided by the Felix Felicis, was already in motion. He threw two Peruvian Darkness Powder bombs, plunging the area into pitch darkness.
He then sent his disposable puppets to draw fire as he hid behind a shield and cast spells towards the passage.
One Stunning Spell after another shot into the sky like rockets, and the sparks that burst forth covered the area where Professor McGonagall was located.
With the task panel indicating completion, Albert remained vigilant. The recent incident with Professor Flitwick, who had counterattacked, was still fresh in his memory, and he didn't want to repeat that experience.
After ceasing the Stunning Spells, Albert cast a Summoning Charm. He didn't believe Professor McGonagall could cast Avada Kedavra without her wand.
Even Lord Voldemort, without his wand, would struggle to cast the Avada Kedavra curse, a highly advanced and challenging piece of Dark Magic.
Seeing the summoned wand, Albert breathed a sigh of relief. He then used the Summoning Charm again to send one of his puppets to scout the area.
Using his face as bait was certainly not Albert's style.
After triple-checking the map to ensure no other enemies were nearby, Albert emerged to clean up the mess. The first thing he did was to bind the unconscious Professor McGonagall.
Then, he tidied up the remains of the shattered puppets and shields, restoring and collecting them. He also casually erased some traces of the battle.
As for the Mandrakes, he naturally left them where they were.
They were Albert's ace in the hole for subduing enemies.
After finishing the cleanup, Albert summoned his Patronus to deliver a message to Dumbledore.
Oh, right, there was something else he needed to take care of.
He put away the items he had used one by one into his Undetectable Extension Bag, and finally, with a wave of his wand, he made the bag disappear.
"It's finally over."
Albert looked at the professors lying on the ground and felt a sense of satisfaction.
As for saving Harry Potter...
Well, that was Dumbledore's problem.
(End of Chapter)
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