Chapter 975: Whose Brilliant Strategy?
Chapter 975: Whose Brilliant Strategy?
The duel on stage continued, and the witches and wizards brave enough to participate in the Dueling Competition were no lightweights. As long as the matches weren't one-sided, the tournament was thrilling and well worth the price of admission.
Enthusiastic cheers filled the entire stadium, especially when a Dark wizard was defeated. The crowd went wild, short of calling for the defeated Dark wizard to be killed on the spot.
Of course, those who dared to participate in the tournament despite being labeled as Dark wizards were usually powerful. Most of them had bounties on their heads, and it was rare for them to be eliminated in the first round.
After all, once the tournament ended, it would be easy for bounty hunters or Aurors to target them.
After defeating his opponent, Albert returned to the waiting room for Zone 3 contestants. He also needed to draw a number for the second round to determine his turn.
As for the losers, they had already left through a separate passage and would have to leave the stadium immediately if they hadn't bought tickets.
There was no such thing as a free ride.
Albert tossed his previous number into a box and drew a new one—56. He would probably have to wait a long time for his turn again.
Unfortunately, contestants couldn't temporarily leave the waiting area to watch the matches, so Albert could only patiently wait for the second round to begin.
To be honest, the waiting was boring.
Albert bought a magazine and, under the pretext of reading, contacted his house-elf back home to get an update on the situation.
No Death Eaters had been spotted yet.
Of course, the list of Death Eaters was provided by the ever-helpful members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Sensing someone looking at him, Albert folded the top of the newspaper with his fingers, narrowed his eyes, and glanced in the direction he was being watched from. He saw a black witch looking at him with surprise, seemingly astonished that young Albert had made it through the first round.
Since they couldn't watch each other's matches, the contestants didn't know much about their competitors.
Albert's youthfulness surprised not just the black witch but many others as well. Unfortunately, being too young implied that he had just graduated or was still in school—an inexperienced wizard who was likely to be more naive and easier to deal with than more seasoned opponents.
Several other witches gave him curious glances, and Albert even spotted a few faces from the Far East. It was an international wizard dueling tournament, after all, so it wasn't unusual to have participants from all over the world.
Just as Albert was about to continue reading his newspaper to pass the time, a young witch who seemed to be around his age approached him and, surprisingly, spoke in Japanese. She then switched to Spanish and English, trying to communicate with Albert, but he responded with a smile and spoke in French.
She pointed to the Spanish newspaper in her hand, obviously not believing that Albert, who could read the newspaper, didn't understand Spanish.
Albert put down the newspaper and showed her a French magazine he had.
He spread his arms helplessly in front of the witch and then continued reading the magazine.
"Aren't all the newspapers and magazines here in Spanish and English?"
The young witch muttered in confusion.
As time passed, the number of witches and wizards in the Zone 3 waiting room gradually decreased. The first round had taken nearly three hours, and the matches were ongoing in a continuous rotation.
Albert wondered if they would even finish the three rounds of eliminations before daybreak.
The only good news was the absence of any sign of Death Eaters. Everything seemed peaceful, but Albert remained vigilant. He bought himself a cup of the energizing drink provided by the tournament organizers for the contestants, which was several times more expensive than drinks sold outside. Many contestants grumbled about the price but still paid up to avoid dozing off and affecting their performance in the subsequent matches.
When contestants number 54 and 55 left through the passage, Albert knew his turn was coming up soon. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands and wand before moving to the edge of the passage to wait.
His opponent was a middle-aged wizard with a receding hairline who exuded a sinister aura. The man's cold gaze made Albert's expression turn strange, as if his opponent didn't consider him worth his attention—a mere insignificant opponent.
This seemed...
Albert suspected he had drawn a "lucky" lot. The man before him was likely a Dark wizard.
His suspicion was soon confirmed.
Shortly after the balding wizard entered the arena, the referee gave him a stern warning.
This warning was not just for them but also a reminder to all Dark wizards in the tournament: they were here to compete, not to kill their opponents. Defeating and subduing their adversaries was enough.
It was also a cautionary message to the Dark wizards' opponents: if you can't win, surrender immediately to avoid injury or even life-threatening situations. Your opponent is a dangerous Dark wizard.
"You can advise him to surrender."
The Dark wizard spoke indifferently in Spanish.
"Your opponent is a Dark wizard. Do you want to give up?" the referee asked routinely. "These Dark wizards are dangerous. More than half of the injured contestants in this tournament were sent to the hospital by them. Sometimes, there might even be life-threatening injuries. I'm not exaggerating."
"No, thank you," Albert declined politely and even gave a slight nod to his opponent.
The balding wizard's face turned even gloomier, annoyed that his young opponent didn't know what was good for him. He was already thinking about which curse to use to send this young man to the hospital or ruin his handsome and annoying face.
Albert could also sense the malicious intent emanating from his opponent, who clearly didn't take the referee's words to heart.
Amid the crowd's cheers, Albert stepped onto the stage. Many spectators shouted excitedly, hoping he would defeat the Dark wizard and teach him a lesson.
Of course, there were also those who disliked Albert and hoped he would lose.
As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, Albert took action.
Using the same move and strategy, he began with a simple disarming spell to take the initiative.
His opponent, a seasoned Dark wizard, was startled by Albert's incredible casting speed but quickly turned defense into offense. After blocking Albert's attack, he smirked contemptuously, as if mocking Albert for only knowing such inferior spells.
Just as he was about to launch a dangerous piece of Dark magic at Albert, an explosion suddenly occurred not far from his feet.
"What?"
Before the balding wizard could figure out what was happening, a second explosion went off between his legs, scaring him so much that he stumbled backward. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew toward him, and the middle-aged wizard, caught off balance, was unable to defend himself in time. The gust of wind swept him off his feet and sent him crashing into the wall on the opposite side.
This sudden turn of events startled everyone, especially the spectators on Albert's side of the arena. They hadn't even realized what had happened before the Dark wizard was defeated.
Not only the audience but also the middle-aged balding wizard himself was bewildered, as he had expected an easy victory.
"How could I possibly lose?" The slightly balding man's face twisted with rage as the effects of the Hurricanium spell wore off.
Just then, another spell hit the balding wizard, causing him to lose his grip on his wand.
"Look, our youngest contestant has once again easily defeated his opponent, the infamous Dark wizard, Bower. Who would have thought that our young contestant would best him so effortlessly?" The referee, acting as the commentator, exclaimed excitedly, "Without a doubt, our dark horse has proven to us once more that you don't need powerful Dark magic to defeat your enemies. Let's give him a round of applause!"
As the youngest contestant who had defeated a Dark wizard, Albert naturally became the center of attention in the tournament.
"I'm sure he'll easily win the third match and advance to the Top 64," the commentator continued to hype up the crowd. "I'm going to bet all my pocket money on him winning the championship!"
As the commentator for the Dueling Competition, he certainly knew how to stir up the atmosphere and spark the interest of others in placing bets.
Of course, that was also one of the tasks assigned to him by the organizers.
To say that Albert could become the Dueling Champion, not many people would believe it. After all, youth could sometimes be a disadvantage. If Albert were ten years older, many would bet on him to win the final championship.
Albert left the stage amidst the cheers of the crowd.
The third round was progressing faster than expected. Albert drew the number seven and his opponent was a female witch from Africa. She wasn't very old, but she was undoubtedly in her prime.
African wizards were known for their expertise in wandless magic and Animagus transformations.
As soon as the match began, the African witch released her wand and leaned forward, transforming into a black leopard that charged straight at Albert.
It was indeed an unexpected move.
Then... the leopard rammed into a shield and was forcefully bounced back.
Actually, the sneak attack was quite successful. The leopard was fast, and it all happened in the blink of an eye.
However, this African witch who was skilled in Animagus transformations had picked the wrong opponent. If it had been an ordinary wizard, seeing a fierce beast charging at them would definitely startle them.
But Albert, being a prudent person who valued his life, was adept at using protective barriers in combat. This move was very effective, except when facing the Avada Kedavra curse, and was generally quite useful.
Before the leopard could get back on its feet, a Stunning Spell landed on it.
The witch, having lost the chance to get up, fell to the ground and passed out in her leopard form.
"Oh my, the speed at which our young wizard casts spells is truly astonishing," the commentator shouted at the top of his lungs. "So far, he has easily defeated his opponents using only simple spells. This gives me the illusion that Dark magic is all a joke. If anyone were to cast a long and complex spell in front of him, it would surely be a nightmare. Perhaps, he might even go on to win the championship and become the youngest Dueling Champion in history."
"But before that, let's congratulate our dark horse for advancing to the Top 64. Let's hope he continues to showcase his brilliance!"
The news of Albert advancing to the Top 64 in the Dueling Competition quickly made headlines in Spain's magical newspapers. Among all the witches and wizards who had made it this far, this young and handsome wizard naturally garnered the most attention.
To further promote Albert, the Spanish magical newspapers dug up his past achievements, and he soon became the shining star of the entire Dueling Competition.
Especially after a photo of him defeating a fire dragon single-handedly was published, everyone became even more interested in this young genius with countless accolades.
In the end, all the doubts and criticisms were silenced, and Albert unexpectedly became one of the strongest contenders for the championship.
Of course, there were still some who doubted Albert's abilities and suspected that the gambling houses and newspapers were colluding to promote Albert as a favorite to trick people into betting on him.
It was an open secret that this was one of the "tricks" often employed by the gambling houses.
However, who really cared about that? There were quite a few journalists who wanted to interview Albert, but no one knew where this young wizard lived. It was as if he had vanished into thin air, and no amount of effort could locate him...
News of Albert's stellar performance in the Dueling Competition eventually reached the ears of the British wizarding world and was briefly mentioned in the Daily Prophet.
Even though the newspaper only dedicated a short paragraph to the story, the information still made its way to Voldemort.
At that moment, in Voldemort's lair...
Wormtail and Selwyn trembled under Voldemort's gaze.
"You failed to find that Mudblood before, but now she has resurfaced. Kill her, and make sure I never see that Mudblood again," Voldemort said coldly, his eyes fixed on Wormtail and Selwyn.
"Master, I have something to report," a voice piped up.
"What is it, Severus?" Voldemort turned his head towards Snape.
"Ever since Wormtail and Selwyn's plan failed, Dumbledore has suspected that we are targeting the Mudblood. The Order of the Phoenix is planning to use this opportunity to set a trap for us," Snape explained calmly, meeting Voldemort's crimson eyes without flinching. "They want to force you out of hiding."
"Are you suggesting this is a plot?" Voldemort asked, his voice turning cold.
"No, I've heard that Dumbledore is trying to convince the Mudblood not to participate in the Dueling Competition anymore," Snape said truthfully. "The Order has prepared two strategies. If they fail to convince her, they will use her as bait to set a trap for us."
"Dumbledore has been under significant pressure lately. I've heard that he is about to lose his influence in the Wizengamot. The members of the Order want you to be exposed as soon as possible to reduce Dumbledore's burden and shift the focus of the Ministry of Magic..." Snape continued, "If our plan fails and we are exposed, it might be more detrimental. Moreover..."
"Do you have a better idea?" Voldemort interrupted, his hand raised. "What about you, Lucius? Any suggestions?"
"We can send someone to assassinate her," Lucius suggested. "We can disguise ourselves as spectators and use the Avada Kedavra curse to attack her during the duel. Although it may not be honorable, it will ensure her death."
"Dumbledore has tasked me with brewing a large quantity of complex potions," Snape said softly. "I can provide you with some to ensure the secrecy of your actions. I believe we shouldn't expose ourselves yet, and we can use the Ministry to distract Dumbledore for a while longer."
Voldemort looked deeply into Snape's eyes and then addressed Lucius Malfoy. "Take your men and find a way to get rid of her. I recall that you once wanted to do the same. Wormtail, Selwyn, you will go as well. Don't fail me again."
(End of Chapter)
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