Chapter 982: The Beginning of a Legend
Chapter 982: The Beginning of a Legend
Albert remained unmoved by the others' well-intentioned pleas. Since he had already made up his mind, he wasn't about to change it now.
If he wasn't going to give it his all, he might as well give up now. Any hesitation would only add risk to his duel with Voldemort.
In fact, if it weren't for various reasons, Albert would have liked to let Dumbledore take his place against Voldemort. That would certainly be interesting.
Unfortunately, the situation didn't allow for it, and it was clear that Dumbledore couldn't take his place in completing the panel task, so he could only think about it.
"Wait... that's not a bad idea." Albert looked in Voldemort's direction, a strange light shining in his eyes.
Ignoring the malevolence emanating from Voldemort, Albert smiled and pulled out some candies from his pocket, offering them to those around him.
Dumbledore also stopped trying to persuade him and took a candy, unwrapping it and popping it into his mouth. He chewed a couple of times, narrowing his eyes as he examined Albert's unwavering expression, and said with a smile, "It's quite good."
The referee beside them looked bewildered, glancing between Dumbledore and the candies in Albert's hand. With a soft sigh, even he took one.
"The finals will begin in ten minutes. You still have a chance to back out," the referee said, turning back to add, "There's no shame in forfeiting. Pohsor has already lost all face. Dumbledore, please try to convince him one more time. It would truly be a waste to die in this duel. And thank you for the candy, it's delicious."
"Are you confident?" Dumbledore asked after the referee had left.
"Are you regretting that we didn't have a match back then?" Albert asked, popping a candy into his mouth as well.
"If I had known it would come to this, I definitely would have..."
"There are no 'what ifs' in this world. No one owes anyone anything. I'm just glad you're here," Albert said, closing his eyes as he felt the effects of the Felix Felicis taking hold. "This moment was always going to come. If I don't show my strength now, troubles will keep coming my way. Moreover, with you here, my safety is guaranteed to the highest degree."
"Is it also an opportunity for me?"
"That guy wants to kill me, but it won't be that easy." Albert suddenly laughed, "Look, his attention is fully on you now."
"It is indeed an opportunity, but the success rate is not high."
The match soon began, and the two left the passageway and entered the finals arena. Compared to the initial lively atmosphere, the heartbroken audience had little faith in the last match, or rather, they had little faith in Albert.
"I'm surprised you didn't surrender or run away," Voldemort said, having thought his plan would fall through, especially when he saw the group trying to persuade that Mudblood to concede. He had almost been certain Albert would surrender, but he hadn't.
"While I knew this day might come, I didn't expect it to be so soon," Albert said calmly, looking at the blond male witch before him. "As for you, the so-called Dark Lord, disguising yourself like this is truly surprising."
"You know?" Voldemort's expression turned gloomy.
"I'm a Seer. My divination showed that I would win," Albert said.
A terrifying killing intent washed over him, but Albert was unfazed. "Guess what will happen if your identity is exposed? Do you think Professor Dumbledore will join me in attacking you?"
"Don't bother with your boring little tricks, they're useless," Voldemort said expressionlessly.
"You know the outcome," Albert said, a slight curve to his lips.
Both raised their wands, bowed to each other, and the duel began.
Without hesitation, Albert, with the assistance of the Felix Felicis, swiftly summoned his magical powers, conjuring several iron shields. One of these shields intercepted the jet of black magic flying towards him and shattered upon impact.
Amidst the deafening explosion, Albert waved his left hand forward, sending the shards and smoke from the blast towards Voldemort. He himself then fired several Stunning Spells in quick succession at Voldemort.
As the fragments of the iron shield enveloped Voldemort, another shocking explosion followed, causing even the ground to tremble as if a cannon had been fired at Voldemort's feet.
The spectators in the stadium stands were stunned by this scene. They had never imagined that Mr. Anderson, who was known for his dislike of Dark Magic, could be so ruthless, attempting to kill his opponent from the start?
Not only were the spectators shocked, but Dumbledore was equally astonished. The Stunning Spells Albert had cast were not only fast and accurate but also angled in a tricky way that almost completely sealed Voldemort's options for dodging.
He had truly underestimated him.
The swirling smoke was suddenly pierced by a spell that hit one of Albert's iron shields, creating a large hole in it. However, Albert had anticipated the danger and dodged in time.
"It seems your divination skills aren't that great either. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come to this duel," Voldemort said, his voice hoarse amidst the swirling smoke. "Do you really think you can survive against me? Do you think I need to resort to schemes and plots to kill you?"
"Are you trying to make me laugh?" Albert mocked. "When you sent Wormtail to my house and had people try to assassinate me, don't say such things. It's laughable."
Voldemort fell silent, his eyes gleaming with malevolence as he dispelled the smoke around him and fired a bone-chilling spell at Albert.
Albert, however, showed no weakness and fired a lethal curse back at Voldemort. The two spells collided in mid-air and held each other in a stalemate.
The spectators in the stands stared with widened eyes, the scene before them eerily familiar. They feared Albert would suffer the same fate as Pierre.
However, after colliding and clashing in the air, the spells of the two duellists held each other in a deadlock, neither gaining the upper hand! Voldemort slowly sidestepped, reinforcing his magical power as he attempted to overpower Albert with his extraordinary strength and take his life.
As the red jet of light pressed towards Albert, the audience members all stood up, their eyes wide. It seemed as though Albert, like Pierre, was about to be struck down by the curse.
But then, the red light that had been advancing was suddenly pushed back by a surge of blue light.
"This... it's impossible! A mere Mudblood!"
Voldemort's eyes widened in disbelief as the curse was forced back towards him. He couldn't comprehend how the magical power of the one before him could be stronger than his own. Typically, Mudbloods had weaker magical powers than pure-blood wizards, yet this individual before him was an anomaly. Even Dumbledore might not possess such formidable magical power.
Not only Voldemort but even Dumbledore, who was acting as the referee, was astonished by Albert's magical prowess. Logically, Albert should not have reached the peak of his magical powers yet (usually attained around the age of thirty), yet he was overpowering Voldemort. It was incredible.
Voldemort had no choice but to reinforce his magical output once more, and the two duellists became locked in a stalemate. However, Voldemort had no intention of prolonging this deadlock.
But Albert was faster. He abruptly waved his left hand, and the debris on the ground transformed into countless stone bullets that accelerated towards Voldemort.
This move resembled a barrage of bullets, or perhaps it was one.
Facing the pincer attack from both sides, Voldemort abruptly interrupted his spell, and the Fiendfyre spewed forth from his mouth, transforming into rolling fire snakes that devoured the incoming rocks and rushed towards Albert, forcing him to abandon his previous spell.
Even if Albert was powerful, he couldn't ignore the power of the Fiendfyre Curse.
He waved his wand, shattering the fire snake in front of him and pushing it back towards Voldemort. The smile on Voldemort's face froze as he had never expected his Fiendfyre to be countered in such a way.
As the rolling Fiendfyre rushed towards him, Voldemort pulled it back with force, directing it towards the audience behind him, startling the spectators in the stands.
Fortunately, the Aurors guarding the stands reacted swiftly and extinguished the rolling Fiendfyre, preventing any innocent bystanders from being harmed.
The organizers were stunned, never expecting the duel to be so intense. Especially the referee, who had been replaced by Dumbledore; otherwise, he would likely have ended up as a corpse.
"Quick, erect a barrier!"
As the battle below intensified, the spectators in the stands watched with bated breath, and countless people cheered for Albert. However, the Aurors sensed something amiss and raised their wands, creating a milky-white barrier that enveloped the dueling arena and the two combatants within it.
"You can't escape now; it's two against one!"
Albert deftly waved his wand, and Voldemort felt a sense of unease. He quickly summoned a silver shield to defend himself.
A deep, bone-chilling sound reverberated, as if something terrifying had struck the shield.
The power of the magic was evident from the two cuts that appeared on the ground behind Voldemort.
"Nice move," Albert narrowed his eyes, suspecting that the shield might be a silver shield crafted by goblins. As for why Voldemort didn't use another defensive spell, a typical protection charm would have been shattered by Albert's attack.
When facing Voldemort, Albert dared not hold back as he had done in his duel with Professor Flitwick. Now, he was determined to finish off his opponent.
"Do you think you can take me down with just that?" Voldemort shouted, hiding behind his shield, his voice lacking conviction. "Do you have any more deadly Dark Magic up your sleeve?"
"That's not Dark Magic," Albert replied dangerously, "and if you'd like, I can show you another one! As long as you don't dodge, I assure you that you'll be reduced to ashes. Oh, and watch out for Dumbledore's sneak attack. I wouldn't mind forfeiting the match and giving him the chance to finish you off."
"As long as I can take you down, I'm sure the Headmaster won't mind damaging his reputation a bit, and your resurrection won't be so easy this time."
"I must admit, Mr. Anderson, your proposal is quite tempting," Dumbledore added calmly.
Indeed, this was Voldemort's greatest concern.
He had been tricked! Although Dumbledore was merely acting as the referee, if an opportunity presented itself, Albert knew that the old man wouldn't hesitate to strike a fatal blow, unconcerned about his reputation.
That old man was capable of anything, and this was the main reason why Voldemort felt restrained.
At this moment, Voldemort had to face not only Albert, who possessed considerable skill, but also guard against Dumbledore's sneak attack.
Damn it! He had wanted to give Albert a dignified ending.
But now?
This mudblood, Anderson, was more scheming and ruthless than he had anticipated.
"You don't seem like a good person, considering your proficiency in Dark Magic," Voldemort said, attempting to sow discord. "I'm curious, why isn't Dumbledore wary of you and keeping an eye on you?"
"No, no, I'm a good person, and I actually dislike Dark Magic. I rarely use it. Of course, when dealing with someone like you, I don't mind employing it. After all, I'm a pragmatist," Albert said, and a fireball shot from his wand towards Voldemort.
"Damn you!"
Not only Voldemort but even the spectators in the stands felt their scalps tingle, sensing that something terrible was about to happen.
Boom! The sound of an explosion filled their ears, and the terrifying aftermath of the blast shook the entire arena. Thick smoke billowed, and the spectators were horrified to see that the barrier, created by over a dozen Aurors, had been shattered by the explosion's impact. They could only imagine what had become of those at the center of the blast.
The audience was anxious, but all they could see was the rolling smoke that obscured everything below.
However, the flickering magic lights within the smoke indicated that the battle was still ongoing.
Everyone swallowed nervously, even the Aurors. If they hadn't erected the barrier in time, who knew what terrible outcome might have occurred.
The Aurors dared not take any chances and refrained from re-establishing the barrier, lest the spectators suffer any unintended consequences.
Instead of dissipating, the smoke grew thicker, indicating that someone was deliberately using the Smoke-Making Spell.
Indeed, that someone was none other than Dumbledore himself. After Albert's massive explosion, the elderly wizard had wasted no time in joining forces with Albert to take down Voldemort.
With the thick smoke obscuring everything, no one could see what was happening inside.
But what about those who couldn't see?
No problem. Albert had prepared Felix Felicis and a pair of Spectrespecs, and even Dumbledore had partaken of the potion. They relied on their instincts and intuition to pinpoint Voldemort's location.
Undoubtedly, Voldemort was the only one in the arena who hadn't benefited from the effects of Felix Felicis, and he instantly found himself at a disadvantage. He could only counter spells based on the direction from which they came.
However, one of the despicable duo used light orbs to misdirect Voldemort, causing the so-called Dark Lord to frantically dodge their attacks.
If it weren't for his ability to fly, he might have been killed by now! At this moment, Voldemort was furious, but he had anticipated that Dumbledore would intervene, and that was why he hadn't fallen for their schemes.
However, the current situation was unfavorable for him, especially when the Aurors erected the barrier again, trapping him inside.
But Voldemort had a plan.
The Fiendfyre began to burn fiercely against the barrier, attempting to consume all the smoke and dust.
The spectators in the stands could only see darkness as the Aurors' barrier failed to hold against the Fiendfyre and shattered once more.
A dark figure suddenly burst through the broken barrier and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Voldemort had escaped! It was all over.
"He got away pretty quickly!" Albert watched Voldemort's retreating figure and breathed a sigh of relief. His strategy had worked. When he saw Dumbledore taking the referee's place, he had decided against a direct confrontation with Voldemort.
Driving him away turned out to be much easier.
"At Voldemort's level, it's not easy to capture him," Dumbledore said softly. "You did well, and I'll take it from here."
"Then I'll leave it to you," Albert said, waving his wand to extinguish the surrounding Fiendfyre. He then turned to face the thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.
(End of Chapter)
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