Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

Cedric chose a highly targeted countermeasure in an instant, demonstrating a level of skill in Transfiguration that clearly surpassed that of the vast majority of students.

This move earned him applause from most of the audience.

After casting those two spells, Cedric began to unleash a spell that looked extremely complex in front of everyone.

Harry, standing next to Eric, saw this and his eyes lit up. "That looks like the spell you used when you dueled with Eric, that huge fireball. Cedric is starting to fight back."

“No, it’s not that simple,” Eric said.

Harry and the others were shocked to hear Eric say that, and their initial joy for Cedric vanished instantly.

As soon as Eric finished speaking, Clement, who was chanting the incantation, stopped and said expressionlessly, "You think this will make it safe?"

He swung his wand sharply, and the already powerful storm expanded even further, kicking up countless pebbles. The wall that Cedric had conjured was shattered, and the storm hurtled toward Cedric at high speed.

Using such destructive magic indoors would certainly have a significant impact.

For a moment, the auditorium was filled with the cacophony of howling winds, so loud that it was hard to keep one's eyes open.

Upon seeing this, the professors present stepped forward and used their magic to stop the storm from spreading further towards the audience.

The storm was moving slowly, and by the time it passed the center line of the duel arena, it had grown to the height of three people.

But in that short period of time, Cedric's transformed stone knight had firmly established himself.

The knight held his giant shield upright on the ground, standing with his entire body weight on it.

Cedric's wand continued to cast silver light over the knight, imbuing him with a hardening spell that unleashed his full magical power.

The stone knight's armor gleamed, making him appear even more majestic and imposing.

The knight roared and charged resolutely into the oncoming storm, shield in front of him, and rammed into the storm.

A tooth-grinding tearing sound rang out, and the knight's shield was nearly destroyed by the storm the moment it made contact.

The gale at the center of the storm was as sharp as a knife. The upper half of the knight's shield disappeared, and the lower half turned into thin strips of iron that swayed in the wind.

The knight's armor shattered completely, turning into dirt and being swept into the center of the storm.

The knight roared in despair, but did not flinch. He stood firm against Cedric, preventing the storm from advancing any further.

The massive storm swept through everything in its path, yet it could not shake the shield-wielding knight who seemed insignificant in comparison.

At this moment, Cedric, who was behind the knight, suddenly stopped casting a spell, and his whole body exuded a soul-shaking pressure.

Chapter 111 The God of Fire Opens the Way

After Cedric completed his magic, everyone present felt a strong burning sensation coming from the air.

It was as if someone had suddenly sucked the air away.

Temperatures are also soaring rapidly.

Even though it's already December, many people can clearly feel that they are sweating.

Cedric said, "This magic was originally meant for Eric, but I never expected to have to use it on you now. Vulcan, clear the way!"

Unlike the fireball Cedric used on Eric at the Quidditch pitch.

This time, although it was still a raging fire and required a long preparation time, Cedric's magical power was completely different from before.

A massive fireball, roughly the size of a storm, suddenly appeared above Cedric's head, instantly illuminating the entire auditorium.

A thick, scorching aura erupted from Cedric's position.

Cedric's wand began to spin continuously in a peculiar rhythm, and the fireball above his head began to spin slowly in sync with this rhythm.

In an instant, the fireball transformed into a long, thick fire serpent, flicking its tongue at the approaching storm.

Cedric swung his wand forward, and a wave of heat surged forth from the fire serpent, hurtling straight toward the storm.

The overwhelming pressure emanating from the two individuals left everyone who witnessed the scene in disbelief.

Because both Cedric and Clement demonstrated a level far beyond that of the other students.

Apart from Eric, probably none of the students could withstand the two spells they used.

Harry, Hermione, and the others stared in disbelief at the fireball above Cedric's head, their expressions mirroring those of the other spectators.

Wood looked tense; he knew he had no chance against Cedric's attack.

Of all the people here, aside from the professor, there is probably only one person who could withstand Cedric's attack head-on.

Wood glanced at Eric beside him and, sure enough, saw that Eric's expression hadn't changed. He was resting his chin on his hand, seemingly deep in thought.

In the stands, Dumbledore stood quietly in the professor's seat, unable to hide his surprise when he saw Cedric use the Hellfire Spell.

"I never expected that Cedric would improve so much after just spending some time with Eric," Dumbledore remarked to those around him.

Snape's eyes hardened as he stared at Dumbledore, his face turning ashen. "I don't care about Diggory. Did you see the magic that Clement used?"

“Of course, don’t rush, Severus.”

“Don’t be in such a hurry?!” Snape’s tone became sarcastic. “Don’t you know what this magic means? Why don’t you stop it? In a little while, this magic might destroy the entire castle.”

Snape's concerns were not unfounded.

When Cedric and Clement went all out, their magic couldn't possibly not affect others.

Moreover, they are indoors now.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, each leading several professors who help maintain the Duel Club's operation, stood on either side of the dueling arena, using magic to stabilize it.

The professors raised their wands, pointing to the four corners of the dueling arena, and stood at equal intervals.

A semi-transparent wall rose from the four corners of the arena, connecting with each other to block the power unleashed by Stormball and Fire Serpent.

This is a spell that requires many wizards to cast in concert. It uses a similar principle to armor spells and is very effective against wide-range magical attacks.

If the professors hadn't intervened in time, the curse of these two might have really destroyed the entire auditorium.

Of course, this still doesn't stop the dueling arena from now being completely fragmented.

Fragments of gravel and bricks were swept into the storm, forming a small tornado that looked extremely terrifying.

Seeing this, Dumbledore said, "No, Severus, if you've been observing carefully enough, this situation doesn't require us to come out and stop him."

Snape sneered and said, "The same as before? What are you going to do if Flitwick and the others don't help? Don't tell me you're trying to force Clapton to take action again."

Dumbledore laughed and said, “Not only that, I’m actually more interested in seeing what Cedric can do. If he really can’t hold on, then it’s not too late for us to show up. These children are all valuable assets. Severus, we must give them time and environment to grow. Right now, they seem to be doing really well. Although it takes a long time to prepare, the fact that they were able to use Vulcan to clear the way has already proven Cedric’s aptitude.”

Snape said, "Is this why you allowed Clapton to run wild in the castle? You must have been overjoyed to see Potter like that yesterday, right?"

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head, neither confirming nor denying.

Snape cautioned, "Clapton has only been in contact with Porter for less than six months, and he seems to be much more successful than you."

“Oh, don’t worry, Severus, that’s not how it works. Eric and I are trying to do things in different directions.”

This time, Snape didn't refute it, but changed the subject, saying, "The Vulcan's path, that can also be considered black magic."

Dumbledore looked at Snape: "So what if it's dark magic? Magic itself doesn't have the attributes of evil or good; it all depends on the person using it. If we were to judge a person based on whether or not they use dark magic, then neither of us would be forgivable."

Snape looked away from Dumbledore, avoiding eye contact, and instead looked at Clement in the stands. Clement's face was flushed and veins were bulging; maintaining the Gale of Hatred was nearly exhausting all his strength.

Without needing to be spoken, Dumbledore understood Snape's meaning and said, "I understand. I haven't seen anyone use this spell in years..."

Snape said, "You should know very well what that means: they're back."

Dumbledore smiled calmly: "Isn't this exactly what we wanted to achieve by starting the Duel Club? Now we finally understand who's been trying to manipulate things behind the scenes. Can you help me get rid of the person hiding behind Clement? I'm sure he's still in the castle."

Snape turned and left without a word.

Dumbledore ignored Snape's attitude and turned to continue watching Cedric and Clement's duel.

The raging storm and the giant fire serpent formed by the blazing heat, under the respective command of Cedric and Clement, finally collided violently with an unstoppable momentum.

Chapter 112 Storm and Fire

The heatwave, the rolling heatwave, filled the entire auditorium with an intense heat that seemed capable of baking one dry.

Even the translucent wall partitions erected by the professors with magic were useless.

Because even the professors were starting to find it unbearable.

Defense is always more difficult than offense.

The defensive magic released by the professors was already quite difficult to stop the storm from spreading due to the limited space inside the auditorium and the influence of the environment. Now, with the addition of a giant fire serpent, the heat inevitably began to break through the semi-transparent walls and surge outwards.

Before the match, no one expected that the duel between these two would cause such a huge stir.

The Vulcan's path is definitely not the kind of magic you see everywhere. On the contrary, just as Snape said, this magic has some dark magic characteristics.

The user decides the specific form and power of the summoned giant flame.

Given Cedric's magical abilities, simply casting this spell had already exhausted almost all of his stamina.

Nevertheless, he only summoned flames and did not fully unleash the power of the magic.

But as a student who is still studying, Cedric has already accomplished a remarkable feat.

Eric was certain that no other student besides Cedric would be able to master this magic.

The auditorium was already filled with howling winds due to Clement's storm.

The fire serpents that Cedric summons now blend perfectly with the storm.

The flames and heat met the strong winds and spread rapidly in all directions.

Some students have already begun to suffer from heatstroke and faint. They didn't even have time to appreciate what could be called the most exciting duel so far before they were knocked down by the aftershocks of the magic.

Just then, the fire serpent summoned by Cedric, in a slow but powerful motion, crashed directly into the storm.

Clement was not to be outdone. The moment the fire serpent struck, the storm surged again, covering a much wider area than the fire serpent.

The loud noise that everyone expected did not occur. Some spectators were even prepared, lowering their heads and covering their ears, as the intense light emitted by the fire snake made it impossible for them to look directly at it.

The fire serpent opened its mouth wide, swirling with the storm as if to swallow it whole.

Upon contact, a low, muffled thud was heard at the point of contact, as if someone had lightly kicked a door with the sole of a heavy shoe; the expected explosion did not occur.

The next moment, to everyone's astonishment, the fire serpent and the storm began to slowly wrestle with each other.

The fire serpent's mouth expanded to its limit, biting horizontally onto the surface of the storm cluster. The sharp fangs formed by flames were embedded in the outer ring of the storm cluster, making a teeth-grinding drilling sound, but it remained on the surface of the storm cluster, unable to go any further.