The overgrown cemetery was silent. Tonight, Voldemort had returned, and having regained his body, he was still overwhelmingly powerful.
Voldemort quickly subdued the raging giant fiery serpent and controlled it to pursue Sirius and Eda as they tried to escape. As a merciless killer, how could he possibly allow the two of them to slip away right under his nose?
The fiery serpent raised its head high and ruthlessly spewed flames. Everything in its path was set ablaze, and its enormous head crashed toward the gravestone where Eda was hiding.
Danger had arrived, and Eda had no time to worry about anything else. She rose from behind the gravestone, intending to confront Voldemort head-on and seek survival in the face of death.
Eda raised her right hand, the one holding her wand, and the fiery serpent was suddenly struck as if by a whip. Its descending head lifted from the pain, and its entire body became considerably smaller.
Bang!
On the other side, Sirius had no intention of surrendering either. Even though Harry's wand was not suited to him, he still bravely resisted Voldemort. Sirius also left the safety of his gravestone and used spells to distract Voldemort, preventing him from focusing entirely on Eda.
Many proud people have one particular flaw: arrogance. Voldemort was no exception. He was a proud man, and in his eyes, dealing with two opponents at once was an easy task.
Boom!
Voldemort casually waved his wand and blocked Sirius's attack. Then he sent another dazzling green light shooting back, forcing the fool who dared attack him into a miserable retreat.
At this moment, Eda also broke free from the fiery serpent's attack.
Eda simultaneously pressed down with her right hand holding the wand and her empty left hand.
Woosh!
The fiery serpent was suddenly forced against the ground. The tremendous impact directly dispersed the giant serpent, sending waves of scorching air rolling outward.
The waves of heat came rushing over, and even Voldemort had no choice but to stop. He held his wand horizontally in front of himself, and a barrier resembling black mist immediately appeared before him, withstanding the impact of the heated air.
The Death Eaters behind Voldemort were not nearly as composed. Those who reacted quickly drew their wands to defend themselves. Those who were slower, such as Crabbe, Goyle, and Fowley, were swept away by the waves of heat, tumbling through the air several times.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sirius also escaped the danger and hid again.
It was not because Sirius was cowardly. Rather, the effects of the Polyjuice Potion were wearing off. His body was returning to its original form, and not only was the wand ill-suited to him, even his robes no longer fit properly.
After the waves of heat passed, the cemetery returned to silence.
Voldemort did not continue pursuing the two of them. He stood where he was, his scarlet eyes sweeping across his surroundings. Voldemort was arrogant, but he was not foolish. He ordered, "Kill him."
Hearing their master's command, Barty Crouch Jr., Lucius Malfoy, Avery, and Macnair quickly rushed toward where Sirius was hiding.
Voldemort was not afraid of fighting two people at once, but he knew that he needed to end the battle quickly. There was no point playing cat and mouse with these two. Since the other side had substituted someone else for Harry Potter, it meant they had been prepared in advance. This was no time to linger in battle.
"It seems Dumbledore has taught you a few tricks, hasn't he, Esmeralda Twist?" Voldemort said softly, his red eyes gleaming in the darkness. His voice carried a hissing quality, like a venomous snake.
When he had first been brought here by the Portkey, Voldemort had been in poor condition, and the cemetery was pitch-black, so he had not immediately recognized Eda. But when Eda had just jumped out to save Sirius, Voldemort recognized her.
The girl who had prevented him from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone, the girl with exceptional magical skills, and now, the champion of the Triwizard Tournament. If Voldemort still could not recognize her, he really ought to make an appointment at St. Mungo's.
"Come out. Hiding is meaningless. It cannot stop your death," Voldemort continued. "The great Lord Voldemort will mercifully give you the chance to duel me one-on-one."
"That's exactly what I had in mind."
Eda walked out from her hiding place, some dust clinging to her usually fair cheeks. This was all Eda could do to help Sirius. Whether he could escape would depend on Sirius himself.
Since entering Hogwarts, Eda had only lost to two people: Dumbledore and Fowley.
There was nothing much to say about Dumbledore. That had been a lesson, not a life-or-death battle. The only person she had truly lost to was Fowley, but at that time Eda had been practicing magic for less than a year.
Things had gone smoothly for her almost all the way, but tonight she had suffered setback after setback. How could Eda possibly swallow this humiliation?
Barty Jr.'s sneak attack had allowed Eda to gain something from the misfortune. She had encountered the "other self" in the depths of her heart.
It was precisely this opportunity that allowed Eda to understand her own shortcomings. She lacked acceptance of this world, and acceptance of herself.
Eda was always afraid, always worried, terrified that this beautiful world was nothing more than a dream, afraid that she was merely a fleeting spectator passing through it.
The more she possessed, the stronger this fear became.
The fear of losing what she had caused her to distance herself from this world. She truly existed in this world, yet at the same time, she remained detached from it.
How could someone who questioned their own existence ever reach the pinnacle, and how could they possibly unleash their full potential?
After speaking with herself, Eda faced her own existence, acknowledged her own significance, and accepted this world as well. This was her successful salvation from the part of herself that was constantly afraid of gain and loss.
Seeing Eda step forward, Voldemort said, "Let us bow to each other, Twist. Etiquette must be observed. Dumbledore would certainly want her student to show some grace, the last bit of grace in your life."
As he spoke, Voldemort bowed slightly, but his snake-like face remained fixed on Eda.
Eda bowed as well, her eyes also fixed on Voldemort. She was not stupid. What if Tom Riddle decided to play dirty?
Although people in the past had always been particular about etiquette when fighting, taking up their positions before beginning a battle, someone later came up with the saying, "War is the way of deception."
The two bowed at the same time and rose at the same time, but in reality, Eda was just a little faster. Without hesitation, she attacked directly, firing an Impediment Curse.
Voldemort, of course, would not be brought down by such a small trick. He waved his wand, not only blocking the Stunning Spell, but also turning defense into offense. A streak of dark light shot straight toward Eda.
The dark light gave off an ominous feeling. Eda did not dare take it head-on. With a gesture of her left hand, a gravestone flew in front of her, blocking the dark light's attack.
The gravestone was instantly blasted to pieces, sending shattered chunks of stone flying everywhere.
Eda raised her left hand to shield her eyes from the dust, while her right hand did not stop. The Blasting Curse and Disarming Charm flew from the tip of her wand one after another. Luckily, the Disarming Charm managed to trigger its double-casting effect.
However, this still failed to cause Voldemort any trouble. Instead, it made Voldemort look at Eda with new respect. At her age, with such casting speed and such offensive power, Voldemort's murderous intent only grew stronger.
Anyone who might pose a threat to him naturally had to be destroyed as soon as possible, the sooner the better. Why keep them alive and save the trouble for later?
Thirteen years ago, Voldemort had treated one-year-old Harry the same way. Thirteen years later, his intention was still the same. Even if Black escaped, he absolutely could not allow this girl to return alive!
Eliminate future troubles once and for all!
Voldemort immediately intensified his assault. His red eyes were cold and merciless, like a demon in the darkness.
No, Voldemort was a demon.
Facing the sudden increase in pressure, Eda became somewhat overwhelmed. She fought while retreating, while Voldemort pressed forward step by step.
The battle between them had changed from an evenly matched exchange at the beginning into Voldemort's one-sided suppression. Eda could only find opportunities to counterattack whenever she had a moment to spare.
Fortunately, Eda was no longer a novice. Her defense was nearly flawless. If not for the fact that the Killing Curse could not be blocked by magical defenses, she might not even have had a blade of grass touch her.
After being beaten senseless by the training dummies so many times, Eda had gained plenty of experience with defense. She simply had not yet adapted to the overwhelming pressure Voldemort exerted. The oppressive force Voldemort brought into a battle to the death was something no training dummy could ever compare to.
The reason Eda did not simply use Flash to escape was, first, because she had a bottom line as a person. Her principles did not allow her to abandon Sirius and flee alone. Second, she wanted to use Voldemort as her whetstone. There was tremendous terror between life and death, but there were also tremendous opportunities.
Fortune comes from taking risks. Eda wanted to find her own path to advancement through this battle to the death with Voldemort.
...
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