"Petrificus Totalus!"
In the forest, Kael swiftly flicked the charm behind him, but his target was not Vinda Rosier and the others pursuing him, but rather the sturdy trees.
First, using the Softening Charm to fell the trees across the road, and then turning them into stone would create a more solid barrier, potentially hindering his pursuers... for a few seconds.
Kael originally thought that his opponents were a bunch of elderly folk, struggling even to walk, and losing them should be easy, but soon he realized how wrong he was.
They didn't need to run at all; they flew straight through the air like ghosts. As long as the Magic Power was sufficient, age was no issue.
Honestly, this was the most strenuous battle Kael had experienced in years; he could hardly launch an effective counterattack.
More importantly, their combat awareness was on a completely different level compared to the Death Eaters he previously encountered, responding with astonishing speed.
Despite Kael's multitude of tactics, he still couldn't gain the upper hand. Aside from his initial ambush that reduced their numbers by two, he also set a trap using a Nundu, trying to lure them in.
It was indeed effective since they were unfamiliar with Kael's tactics. The fastest Wizard couldn't react in time and rushed directly into the toxic mist, collapsing into sleep... but that was all.
The others didn't hesitate for even a second; noticing their comrade's anomaly, they immediately changed positions, spreading out from both sides, while the Wizard at the rear voluntarily used the Bubble-Head Charm, charging into the toxic mist to rescue... the movements were clean and precise, as if rehearsed countless times.
Afterwards, when Kael was about to be caught, he threw twenty pots of Mandrakes, which pained him but worked surprisingly well. The sound covered a wider area than the toxic mist, successfully affecting two of them... Whether they're still alive, Kael didn't know; he only knew there were three fewer people chasing him.
As for the Chomping Cabbage... they were flying, so it was useless, and Kael didn't waste them.
So far, the only trump card Kael seemed to have left was the Basilisk, but the opponents still had five people remaining, including the strongest, Vinda Rosier.
She was methodically lingering in the middle of the group, with ample patience.
Kael didn't consider repeating the same trick with Mandrakes or toxic mist traps; judging from their performance, they probably wouldn't fall in the same spot twice.
The sound of rustling came from behind again, the noise of clothes brushing past leaves, familiar to Kael. When hearing these sounds, it meant they had caught up.
Kael didn't hesitate, directly turning around, aiming his wand behind him.
"Sectumsempra!"
Three invisible wind blades sliced through the air, cutting everything ahead in two, including two trees and a hand holding a wand.
At the same time, a hazy silver-white glow flashed to his left, transforming into a Shield to block a Stunning Spell rapidly coming from the left.
The Silver Shield flickered a few times, appeared instantly behind him, blocking another charm, but this time it shattered, turning into small silver light spots.
Taking advantage of this gap, Kael swiftly mounted his Broomstick once more and escaped.
In the forest, the Firebolt couldn't reach its original speed, and Kael didn't dare fly too high. Otherwise, he would become a target in the open sky, forcing him to reduce speed for cover.
"S***!" someone cursed, "How many times is this? That troublesome Magic, doesn't his Protego Totalum require active control?"
"Probably not," Rosier squinted her eyes, "Tinos, how are you?"
"I'm fine, just careless," the Wizard named Tinos picked up his arm, pressed it against the wound enduring severe pain, gritting his teeth as he uttered a spell.
A blue glow emanated from the wound, beginning to heal slowly.
"Are all British Wizards like this now... He's only what, twenty? Yet he managed to push twelve of us to this point!"
"Also, his Magic is bizarre enough, almost entirely Magic Text Magic, truly unreasonable."
"Not everyone, only he is like this," Rosier said, "... a Magic prodigy. That's probably why Dumbledore let him come to Nimongard."
"Comparing Grindelwald and him, whose talent is stronger?"
"They're incomparable." Rosier pondered, "Grindelwald is an Obscurus, one of the rare few to survive and master Obscurus, his existence is a miracle, nearly impossible to replicate."
"But if talking purely about Magic, he's likely inferior to this Hogwarts student, and adding tactics and cleverness, the gap is even bigger," Rosier shook her head, spoke softly, "How is the matter going?"
"He's already been forced to change direction..." another person emerged from the trees, "Currently back within the forbidden Apparition range, Klaf is following, and given the current situation, it'll take him at least an hour to escape."
"That's good. As long as he can't escape via Apparition, we have time to engage him slowly," Rosier looked at a tree neatly sliced open nearby, "I'm curious to see how many strategies he has yet to use."