Listening to the righteous words spoken by the false Baker, the invisible Avada couldn't help feeling a touch of emotion. Had he lacked Magical Perception, had he not known about the matter of Horcruxes, he might truly have felt a moment's pity for the soul fragment standing before him.
Unfortunately for the impostor, he understood Horcruxes all too well. He knew that Horcruxes—like the diary—were indeed capable of autonomous action and thought, yet were still nothing more than fragments of their creator. And with Magical Perception, he could plainly see the spiritual and magical voids within Professor Baker's body, all showing an unmistakably "incomplete" state that matched the true body slumbering inside the crystal orb.
In other words, the false Baker was like an artificial intelligence—capable of thinking and interacting with the world according to fixed programming (that is, its memories), but lacking true self-awareness. Moreover, everything he was doing now represented, to a certain extent, what the real Professor Baker would have done and said under the same circumstances.
All the more reason to focus on helping Professor Baker return to his true body.
With that thought, Avada's hands never slowed. He fired off the most practiced spells he could manage—silently or in low whispers—against the false Baker, using nearby cover and constant movement to prevent spellcasting from revealing his location. He paid no mind to the rapid drain on his stamina.
Elsewhere, Baron Shafiq—who had been lazily casting minor jinxes and spared from attack due to the false Baker's attention—silently observed every one of the impostor's movements.
Is it coming? That moment…
Suddenly, the false Baker's expression went pale mid-air. A flash of clarity shot through his eyes. He whipped his head toward a spot on the floor and sharply raised his wand!
It's here!
"Incarcerous!"
Almost the instant the false Baker lifted his wand and aimed, Baron struck first, releasing a spell far superior to any he had cast earlier. But the false Baker dodged it with uncanny precision, tilting his head as though he had eyes in the back of it.
He shot Shafiq a faintly amused glance before snapping his wand like lightning toward another direction—unleashing a brilliant streak of red light. Even more than ten meters away, Baron felt fatigue crash into him from a mere touch of its glow, leaving him groggy and lethargic—that was unmistakably a devastatingly powerful Stunning Spell!
Now!
Suddenly, the false Baker's body trembled. The suspension ropes firmly affixed to the ceiling all detached at once, leaving him with no support. He plummeted instantly—and the misdirected red beam struck empty floor, bursting apart in a shower of dissipating sparks.
"Impedimenta!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
In the same instant the ropes released—and before the false Baker even had time to cast a Levitation Charm—two spells struck him with perfect accuracy. The Impediment Jinx shattered his Head-Bubble Charm, and the Body-Bind Curse froze him in place. Even with his formidable strength, the effect lasted only a few seconds—but he was falling.
A moment later, the false Baker crashed onto the ground from over five meters up, landing with a heavy thud.
[Under these conditions, I need an invisible opponent to apply pressure—preventing me from quickly neutralizing the poison and curses. That would force me to use a Sensory Exaltation Charm.]
[The Sensory Exaltation Charm is practically designed to counter Disillusionment. When used, a wizard's senses become incredibly sharp, able to gather every detail in the surroundings. Detecting the slightest disturbance—and thus locating the invisible opponent—becomes effortless. But the spell has a flaw: the overwhelming flood of information places tremendous strain on the mind, so it can only last a few seconds.]
[When the spell ends, the sudden relaxation of the mind creates a perfect opportunity for an attack. Of course, I know this weakness well. So before I actually end the spell, I will pretend to have found the enemy and react accordingly—tricking them into wasting the strike they planned for my opening. Only then will I truly end the spell and counterattack.]
[Therefore, all you need to do is prepare a Slippery Jinx on the ceiling beforehand, then activate it at the exact moment the spell truly ends. I'll fall with no warning, creating an even larger opening. Your mental link allows you to seize that moment together—using Incarcerous or a Body-Bind Curse to restrain me, preventing me from softening my fall, and allowing the other to break my Head-Bubble Charm…]
[That way, not only will I suffer serious impact injuries, but I'll lose my protections and once again be exposed to poison and curses.]
"Professor Baker is really ruthless… to himself," Avada muttered as he watched the false Baker's limp body slam into the floor. He dispelled his Disillusionment Charm and revealed himself, firing a Stunning Spell at the prone impostor.
"Ken?!"
Even gravely injured, bones broken, and wracked with pain, the false Baker was still an immensely experienced combat master. He rolled aside, dodging the spell, then caught sight of his attacker's true face—and gasped in utter shock.
As his full attention locked onto Avada, Baron silently cloaked himself in a Disillusionment Charm and slipped into hiding.
[By this point, I would already be severely injured, my condition drastically weakened. So I would begin trying to leave the Room of Requirement to seek help from another professor. The real me would then manipulate spatial magic to hide the location of the door, leaving me with no choice but to fight seriously. Under these circumstances, Ken—once revealed—has only one task: defend with everything he has. Even gravely weakened, I am not someone Ken could defeat head-on right now.]
[However, once I see that the person who revealed himself is my own student, I won't use lethal spells or anything too destructive. Combined with my weakened state, Ken will have little trouble defending—he just needs to maintain a solid Shield Charm, ignore all my tricks, and steadily drain my remaining strength.]
[Next, it will be Mr. Shafiq's turn to strike while invisible, and then…]
Just as Professor Baker had predicted, the false Baker—after patching up his external injuries and bone fractures while fending off Avada's attacks—began retreating, trying to approach the Room of Requirement's door. When he discovered the door had vanished, Avada's pressure was immediately amplified.
An army created through Transfiguration, a waterfall appearing from thin air above, flames bursting from the ground, curses capable of bypassing Protego, and the endless barrage of powerful magic from the false Baker's wand… Avada felt as though he were being besieged by dozens of wizards—not facing a single opponent. The attacks were too varied, too omnidirectional. His Shield Charm showed signs of buckling after only moments, and whenever he attempted to recast it, a curse that bypassed shields—either from below or through remote effect—would strike at him, leaving him scrambling.
Fortunately, his Magical Perception allowed him to sense every precursor to a spell's activation—letting him dodge or defend with near-precognitive precision. That significantly reduced the pressure on him, enough that he even appeared somewhat composed amid the false Baker's wild assault.
No more words were exchanged—only spells. The false Baker no longer wished to question anything; he wanted only to defeat the student before him and unravel everything afterward. Meanwhile, Avada quietly counted down the steps…
Their gazes met across the battlefield of flying spells—unblinking, unwavering.
(End of Chapter)