Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 351: Technology Also Has Its Uses
Above the dome of the arena.

A golden halo slowly rotated.

It was as if the Eye of Anubis was watching everything.

The air was filled with the mixed scent of spices and blood, and the ground was paved with black basalt, each stone brick engraved with ancient hieroglyphs that shimmered with a faint luster.

In the center of the arena, Ian stood quietly, his black robes fluttering gently in the breeze, wand in hand, but his eyes were unusually calm. He looked around and realized that this was no ordinary trial ground—it was more like a vessel of time, an illusion sealed by the gods, specifically designed to test intruders.

Here, one can summon heroic spirits that have existed in history. Whether they have died or reincarnated, the Trial Grounds can always summon them as if summoning historical projections.

Ian recalled a similar supernatural technique described in a mystery novel he had read. It wasn't about summoning real people, but rather the traces of those people left behind in history.

While he certainly wasn't as powerful as the real person, he still possessed the essence and skill of a real one. Just as Ian was observing his surroundings, Anubis's voice rang out again. He appeared on the judges' platform, draped in a golden cloak, his face concealed by a jackal-head mask, revealing only a pair of deep, abyss-like eyes.

"The first trial: challenging the heroic souls of history."

"The second trial is to challenge an immortal like yourself among the wizards."

"The third trial—a challenge to my will."

"Now, your first trial officially begins... Good luck, child." Anubis's voice echoed through the arena, deep and solemn, like the hammer of judgment striking the soul. As his words fell, the black fence at the other end of the arena rose with a roar, the heavy iron chains rattling loudly.

From the depths of darkness, a tall figure slowly emerged.

That was a warrior from ancient Egypt.

He was clad in linen armor inlaid with gold patterns, his bare arms were muscular and bulging, and his bronze skin was adorned with the battle emblem of the Eye of Horus. In his left hand he held a bronze round shield, the face of which was engraved with the emblem of the sun god Ra; at his waist hung a curved sword—the sword Kahesis, the shield itself bearing the totem of the sun god Ra.

These are all symbols of ancient Egyptian warriors.

The warrior's face was resolute, his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and his steps were as steady as a mountain, each step seemingly treading on the echoes of history.

in the audience.

The illusory "spectators" of the dead instantly erupted into a frenzy, shouting deafeningly.

"Seti! Seti! Seti!"

"He is an invincible war god!"

"He once single-handedly killed a hundred people on the banks of the Nile!"

Countless spectators erupted in celebration, cheering and welcoming the warrior who emerged—Seti, one of the greatest warriors in ancient Egyptian history, who single-handedly repelled the invasion of the Hittite Empire and was hailed as the "Lion of the Nile." His legend, like King Arthur's in Britain, is an eternal spirit in the hearts of Egyptians.

Seti raised the sword of Kahesis, and the cheers from the audience grew even more frenzied. Seeing this, Ian raised an eyebrow, glanced around, and a slight smile played on his lips.

"You're very popular, I need some popularity too."

He raised his wand.

With a light wave of the wand—

“Fictus Spectatores!” (Phantom Audience)

As Ian's voice faded, silver-gray magic swept across half of the audience like a tidal wave, replacing the illusory shadows of the dead with a group of lifelike "audience members".

A pale purple light streaked through the air, instantly covering half of the audience area. The next second, a group of "virtual spectators" dressed in modern wizard robes, wearing glasses, and holding magical cameras appeared out of thin air. Some held up banners that read "Ian will win," while others waved glow sticks shaped like magic wands.

Some people even started whistling loudly.

They look incredibly lifelike, but this isn't the creation of life; they're just virtual "data" based on reality, which can be seen as a kind of illusionary magic.

For a legendary wizard, creating such magic was no difficult task. Driven by Ian's vanity, half the audience was replaced by his conjured virtual spectators, who began chanting praises of Ian, rising in unison to drown out the voices supporting the ancient Egyptian warriors.

"Ian! Ian! Ian!"

"A genius wizard from Hogwarts!"

"Potion Master! Alchemist!"

He changed the world with magic!

The voices of these audience members drowned out the voices of those on the other side.

After all, the dead need to actually shout their support for their idols, while virtual viewers are just emotionless parrots, constantly repeating the lines that Ian "set up".

It's not even the 21st century yet.

AI has already begun to replace human assistants in the wizarding world. It has to be said that Ian is the most innovative person. These virtual audiences have greatly satisfied Ian's vanity.

at the same time.

Anubis stood on the referee's platform, the jackal's head tilted slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in its golden pupils. His previously indifferent expression faltered slightly.

He then chuckled softly, a hint of approval in his voice: "Not bad, your control over illusion is exquisite. But a wizard cannot simply know how to wave a wand; the real test is a contest of wisdom and will. That is why, in the first round of the test, you are only allowed to use magic three times."

"Think carefully about how you can win in three moves." With that, he raised his scepter and slammed it heavily on the ground. A jet-black runic chain shot out from the tip of the scepter, heading straight for Ian's body, attempting to seal his magic. However, the moment the light touched Ian, it vanished like water into sand.

Yes.

The influence of divine power on Ian vanished without a trace.

Anubis was clearly taken aback.

"You... are a demigod?" The voice of the ancient Egyptian god of death carried a rare hint of uncertainty, his brow furrowing slightly as if he found it hard to believe.

Ian shook his head gently, his tone calm.

“No, I am not a god, nor a demigod, I am just a wizard.” He corrected calmly, then paused and added, “Besides, you don’t need to seal my magic—because I don’t need to use magic at all.”

Such a confident statement.

It doesn't sound like something a young, underage wizard would say.

Seti and the ghosts in the audience were all stunned.

Anubis remained silent.

The "virtual fans" in the audience immediately cheered.

"Ian doesn't need a wand! He uses his brain!"

"He fights with knowledge!"

"He lets history speak for itself!"

These virtual spectators were Ian's mouth doubles. Anubis and the spirits were all curious about how a wizard could fight a warrior without magic.

“I come from Hogwarts. I not only know how to wield a wand, but I also know how to use a sword.” Ian chuckled, and then reached under his robes and pulled out a weapon—a forty-meter-long cleaver made entirely of silver-white metal, its blade gleaming with a cold light.

The blade was covered with ancient runes.

Each rune contained the secrets of alchemy and potion-making. The moment the greatsword appeared in the arena, the air seemed to tremble.

Seti: "...?"

Audience: "...???"

Anubis: "…………"

Death's jackal mask nearly gave way. The "real audience" in the stands gasped in unison, and the shouts of "Seti!" abruptly ceased.

The arena fell into a brief silence, as if time itself had frozen for this moment.

"No, isn't this weapon a bit too much of a cheat?" Anubis stood on the judge's stand, his deep eyes widening slightly beneath the jackal-head mask.
"He calls this broadsword a sword?" The ancient Egyptian warrior's eyes widened, his shield trembling slightly. He couldn't help but speak, his voice hoarse.

It is clear that it has been greatly impacted by intellectual challenges.

How is this still playing?
"A forty-meter-long sword like that." "No one has ever said I can't have a weapon this long, has they?" Ian grinned, swinging the forty-meter-long sword with one hand, the tip pointing directly at the ancient Egyptian warrior.

"Ok?"

Seti gripped his sword, his bronze muscles taut, his eyes fixed on Ian—or rather, on the forty-meter-long cleaver in Ian's hand.

This is not finished.

The warrior gripped his shield, muscles taut, ready to meet Ian's forty-meter-long cleaver. But just as he was about to charge,

Ian made an unexpected move—instead of drawing his shield, he took out a set of silver-gray, all-metal, electrically powered armor from his pouch.

The armor was a full-body suit; as it unfolded, the metal components instantly and automatically fitted into his body with a click. The entire suit of armor fit perfectly, as if it were a second skin. His fur cloak fluttered in the wind, its sheen reflecting off the metal, making him look like a warrior from the future.

"This..." The warrior's eyes widened. "What is this?"

"This...this isn't the rule, is it? Are they even going to let people fight?" He couldn't help but turn to look at Anubis on the referee's bench, his voice tinged with accusation.

"Is it allowed to sell this thing as a tin can?"

Anubis's jackal mask twitched slightly, and a rare hint of hesitation appeared in his golden pupils. Normally, gladiatorial combat tests a warrior's courage and skill, but Ian's equipment... was indeed beyond the comprehension of ancient Egyptian warriors. Just as Death was considering how to respond, Ian kindly came to his rescue.

"Oh, my warrior."

His voice, tinged with laughter, came from beneath the armored visor.

"I am not a tin can."

"I am a flying tin can."

—Click! Clang!

The metal shield on the back of the armor suddenly unfolded, and six miniature jet engines started simultaneously, spewing out blue and white flames! The jet engines carried Ian into the sky.

There was no magic, only technology, which gave these ancient people a Muggle-like shock.

boom! ! !
Ian leaped into the air, hovering above it, and swung his forty-meter-long sword in a circle above his head, creating a gust of wind that ripped up the sand and dust at the edge of the arena.

The audience was silent.

Seti tilted his head back, his mouth slightly agape, nearly dropping the curved sword in his hand. The ghosts in the stands froze, forgetting even to cheer. Anubis's scepter hovered in mid-air, neither falling nor rising—he truly felt no magical fluctuations, yet this was clearly not something a mortal could do.

Muggle technology shocked ancient Egypt.

"what is that?"

"He flew?"

"Without wings, without spells, how does he fly?" The "real audience" in the stands were truly shocked, and the shouts of "Seti is invincible" had long since disappeared.

Instead, there were hushed whispers and shock.

And the other side.

Ian's "virtual fans" immediately erupted in cheers.

"Hogwarts Technological Revolution!"

"Technological armor, flight technology!"

"Ian is invincible!"

They are excellent virtual assistants, providing free education to the ancients that this is not magic.

"Come on, jump up and hit my knee, warrior!" Ian swung his forty-meter-long machete in mid-air, the blade whistling as it sliced ​​through the air.

He descended slowly, blade pointing at Seti, his tone laced with mockery. Amenhotep stared at the blade that could practically cleave a mountain, then at the "tin can" in the sky, completely covered in armor. His expression shifted hundreds of times before he finally couldn't help but roar in fury.

"I'm not playing anymore! This is so unfair!" Seti finally snapped out of it, his beard bristling with anger. "I can't even touch him, what's the point of playing?"

He abruptly threw down his shield and turned to leave.

Anubis paused for two seconds before slowly speaking.

"The test... continues."

This was a divine decree, one that even the spirits of legendary warriors could not disobey. After all, there were differences among legendary warriors, and this ancient Egyptian warrior belonged to the group that served the gods.

They were nowhere near as free as King Arthur.

"What?!" Seti's eyes widened, and he stopped abruptly, his face filled with resentment and anger as he glared at Anubis. "This cover-up is too obvious!"

He genuinely felt it was unfair, but unfortunately, his protest was ineffective. Anubis, after some thought, didn't believe Ian was cheating; wizards don't have just one way of fighting.

At the same time, Ian had already raised his hand, and the forty-meter-long sword came down with a whooshing sound!
"clang--!!!"

Seti hastily raised his shield to block.

The force of the impact sent him staggering back more than ten steps.

A deep dent appeared on the shield.

"Wait! I demand a different weapon!" The ancient Egyptian warrior rolled away in a disheveled manner to dodge the second blow, shouting towards the judges' stand, "I want a flying weapon too!"

Anubis: "..."

He obviously couldn't meet the other party's demands, so he silently looked away. Ian's laughter came from inside the armor: "Sorry, I don't provide after-sales service to the enemy either."

As he spoke, he swung his greatsword again, the blade flashing.

"Take this 'Holy Sword of Physics'!" Ian hovered in mid-air, the jet engine on his back humming deeply, its blue-white exhaust trails tracing dazzling paths in the dimly lit arena. He swung his forty-meter-long greatsword with one hand, the blade tearing through the air with a chilling whistling sound.

"clang--!!"

Seti gritted his teeth, his arm muscles tensed, and his bronze round shield once again took the heavy blow head-on.

The terrifying impact sank his feet deep into the sand, twisting and deforming the sun god emblem on his shield. His hands split open, and blood flowed down his forearms, dripping onto the yellow sand.

"I @#￥%&!!!"

Ancient Egyptians could bite, and their insults were incredibly harsh.

"This isn't swordsmanship...it's just swinging a sledgehammer!" the ancient Egyptian warrior roared inwardly. But what made him even more desperate was that Ian didn't give him a chance to retaliate at all.

Whenever Seti leaped into the air, or used the height of the surrounding buildings to try and close the distance with Ian, the exaggerated greatsword would sweep across like swatting a fly, forcing him to tumble and dodge awkwardly. And when he finally found an opening and struggled to throw the Hepash curved sword into the air...

"Qiang!"

The curved sword struck Ian's breastplate precisely, but only sparked a string of sparks from the thick metal surface before falling limply to the ground.

“Carrier-class composite armor, a product of pure technology.” Ian’s voice came through the armor visor, tinged with a hint of mockery. “Don’t waste your energy on weapons that aren’t enchanted.”

This is the victory of technology.

"Damn it!" Seti knelt on the ground, panting heavily. Sweat mixed with blood streamed down his forehead, and his vision began to blur. The ghosts in the stands had long since fallen silent, and even the "cheerleaders" that Ian had conjured with magic had stopped cheering. The only sound in the arena was the hum of jet engines.

Just now.

"You come from the future."

suddenly.

Anubis seemed to realize something.

He frowned and looked at Ian.

(End of this chapter)