The aerial dogfight lasted for several minutes. Its intensity grew so fierce that Lupin was even forced to resort to Dark Magic like the Fiendfyre Curse, conjuring a towering wall of flames across their path to interrupt the enemy's pursuit.
His flying broomstick continued forward across a considerable distance. It was only when the lingering sense of the Anti-Disapparition Jinx faded from his mind that Lupin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He raised his wand, preparing to cast Disapparition to escape, but at that exact moment, a plume of dark smoke materialized abruptly beside him.
Without relying on any flying apparatus, the figure flew through the air as effortlessly as smoke, riding the wind.
Within the dark smoke, a stern, ice-cold face had its eyes locked firmly onto him.
Lupin started in shock, instinctively whipping his wand toward the enemy. Yet before he could even see a incantation or spell movement, a wave of immense force struck him violently, blasting him backward through the air.
Spinning out of control, Lupin felt the world whirl wildly around him, leaving him completely unable to discern up from down or left from right. In his panic, he could only raise his hand to cast a Cushioning Charm on himself first to keep from plunging to his death.
Fortunately, the Cushioning Charm took effect, and he finally slowed to a stop less than two meters above the ground.
Dispelling the charm, Lupin tumbled onto the muddy forest floor with a heavy thud.
It was only then that he registered a sharp, excruciating pain shooting from his left arm. Glancing down, he saw his left arm bent at a bizarre, unnatural angle—the bone was almost certainly broken.
Lupin struggled to his feet. Now was hardly the time to tend to his injuries; the most pressing matter was to find a safe place to hide before the enemy caught up with him.
Before he could take a single step, however, a series of sharp whistling sounds cut through the air.
Six black figures, moving at breakneck speed through the woods, leaped high off the tree branches and landed on a flat, massive boulder a short distance in front of Lupin.
Aside from all wearing black robes embroidered with red clouds, these six individuals shared a very peculiar feature in common.
Lupin had never seen eyes like these before. Set within pale purple irises were concentric, ripple-like rings. Such eyes were rare enough on a single person, yet all six individuals before him possessed the exact same eyes.
Just what kind of connection existed among these six people...
"Pain's Six Paths, present and accounting!"
Pain's Six Paths... what kind of strange name is that?
Lupin was thoroughly bewildered for a moment, but this was no time to be dazed.
His purpose in coming to Albania was to gather intelligence. Seeing that the enemy didn't launch an attack immediately, Lupin was in no hurry to strike either; instead, he covertly channeled his magic to heal his broken left arm.
Ever since Kyle introduced military training at Hogwarts and selflessly shared his methods for mastering magic control with all the teachers and students, the professors had all become capable of wandless magic.
While they couldn't clap their hands together and summon whatever they wanted like Kyle, Lupin could easily perform basic Healing Charms or other fundamental spells like the Aguamenti Charm or Levitation Charm completely wandlessly.
While stealthily mending his arm, Lupin didn't forget to stall for time.
"Pain... as in suffering?" Lupin still found the name peculiar. "Who on earth are you people?"
Sensing that the Anti-Disapparition Jinx had been raised once again, Black Zetsu was in no hurry to have Deva Path capture him immediately.
He even had the leisure to answer Lupin's question.
"Pain is the collective designation for the six of us."
After Deva Path offered this offhand response, Black Zetsu had no intention of letting Lupin delay any further, manipulating the Asura Path to raise its arm.
The Asura Path's arm suddenly split open, revealing a miniature missile compartment within.
A tiny missile launcher slid out from the open compartment. Half a second later, the flames spewing from its thruster propelled the ex-wife missile flying straight toward Lupin.
Seeing the enemy attack so directly and relentlessly, Lupin's heart sank to the very bottom.
Disapparition was restricted once more, and this time, six full enemies had arrived.
Among the six, the person who had just answered his question was also the very same individual who had caught him off guard during the aerial dogfight.
Though it had only been a brief encounter, Lupin could sense that this opponent's strength was on an entirely different level compared to the three he had initially fought.
That made things exceptionally troublesome.
If he didn't use that, he might very well leave his life right here.
Before the ex-wife missile could reach Lupin, he detonated it mid-air with a Blasting Curse.
Taking advantage of the moment when the dust and smoke from the explosion obscured the enemy's vision, Lupin swiftly transferred his wand from his right hand to his barely functional, newly healed left hand.
Reaching into his robe pocket with his right hand, he pulled out a small potion vial.
Uncorking the vial with his teeth, Lupin gulped the potion down in a single swig.
Retreating rapidly, Lupin raised the wand in his impaired left hand high into the air and launched a spell straight up into the sky.
A colossal orb of light rose steadily above the forest canopy. Lupin's action instantly put Pain's Six Paths on high alert.
Through Deva Path's field of vision, Black Zetsu, holding court in the center of Amagakure, observed the massive sphere of light in the sky.
By its appearance, it didn't seem to pose any threat to Pain, but Black Zetsu wasn't careless enough to simply ignore it.
A beam of searing light shot forth from the palm of the Asura Path, aiming straight for the orb of light in the sky.
To Black Zetsu's surprise, however, the Asura Path's laser beam passed right through the orb of light without affecting it in the slightest.
Seeing this, a subtle smile touched the corner of Lupin's mouth. There was actually nothing special about that orb of light—it was merely a modified variant of the Lumos Charm.
What effect could a conventional attack have on a pure sphere of light?
Seeing the attack fail, Black Zetsu had no intention of dragging things out with Lupin any longer. He manipulated Pain's Six Paths to spread out, surrounding Lupin from six different directions.
Yet under the shining radiance of that orb of light, a sudden, violent transformation erupted.
A low, terrifying growl burst from Lupin's throat. His head began to elongate at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his body underwent a similar mutation.
As Lupin's shoulders slowly arched, tufts of wolf fur sprouted across his face, arms, and entire body, while his hands gradually curled into sharp claws.
Lupin was undergoing lycanthropic transformation!
Staring at the orb of light suspended high in the sky like a radiant full moon, Black Zetsu, sitting at the center of Amagakure, was completely dumbfounded.
This familiar magic...
How on earth was there a second person in the wizarding world who knew this kind of spell?
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