The Acromantula that had attempted the sneak attack was instantly sent twisting through the air, flying backward.
It was only then that Cedric and the others finally reacted, realizing they had nearly been ambushed.
"Your reaction speed is absolutely terrifying, isn't it?"
Hearing Fred's remark, Kyle gave a small smile. "Otherwise, how would I be worthy of being called Hogwarts' Golden Flash?"
"Alright, enough stroking each other's egos. The Acromantulas are heading this way."
As George spoke, he used Chakra Threads to pull his War Machine armor out of his storage bag.
In the blink of an eye, the menacing and overbearing suit was fully equipped onto his body.
Fred was also quick to act, molding a strange-looking clay dragon and stepping onto its back.
Meanwhile, Cedric mounted his Firebolt broomstick.
The nozzle at the tail of the broom lit up with a ghostly blue flame, carrying Cedric as he soared into the air.
Kyle held three Flying Raijin Kunai between the fingers of each hand. With a sharp motion, he hurled them toward the center of the hollow, aimed directly at a misty, hemispherical web.
The Acromantulas clicked their pincers, a chaotic clack-clack-clack echoing through the trees as they lunged frantically at the intruders.
To be precise, they were lunging at Kyle, as he was the only one remaining on the ground.
The other three bastards had already taken to the sky.
Looking up at his three "fair-weather" friends watching the show from above, Kyle let out a helpless sigh.
Should he be grateful for their absolute faith in his combat prowess, or should he drag them down and give them a beating?
"If you guys want a cut of the profits, get your asses down here!"
A fierce volley of gunfire immediately erupted from above. Rapid-fire machine guns spat out a dense storm of bullets, momentarily stalling the Acromantulas' charge.
Kyle also unsheathed The Phoenix's Vow and began to dance amidst the swarm.
Every time the blade, crackling with lightning, swept through the air, it claimed the life of another Acromantula.
Fred didn't use his explosive clay; instead, he held an M16 in each hand, joining the massacre of the spiders.
"George, I've found that these things are way more useful than wands!"
Bullets infused with various elemental properties fired in rapid succession, leaving trails of frost, burning, corrosion, and electricity on the Acromantulas' carcasses.
Indeed, with the help of magic nature transformation techniques, Fred had successfully created bullets with various elemental attributes.
At this point, calling him Hogwarts' ammunition expert or demolition maniac wouldn't be an exaggeration.
The synchronized roar of the M16 assault rifles and the M134 minigun wove together into a symphony of death within the Forbidden Forest.
Cedric hopped down from his broom as well.
Because Acromantula venom evaporates rapidly after death, Cedric was forced to brave the danger of looting the bodies while the battle still raged.
He was currently holding a large stack of glass vials, quickly collecting venom from the spider corpses.
He also had to keep a close eye on the battlefield; there were simply too many Acromantulas, and it was impossible for the other three to protect him perfectly from every angle.
As a result, he occasionally had to draw his wand and fire off a few spells to kill any spiders that managed to close in on him.
From the massive web at the center of the hollow, a spider the size of a small elephant slowly crawled out.
Its body and legs were black-grey, and each eye on its ugly, pincer-clad head was covered in a white film.
This was Aragog.
"What is happening?" he asked.
Being blind, Aragog could only judge external events by sound, unable to see the specifics of the situation.
An Acromantula scurried over to Aragog.
"We are under attack! Looking at their clothes, they seem to be Hogwarts students!" it clicked.
Listening to the death rattles of his children all around him, Aragog swung his pincers in a rage. "Kill them!"
"But... the enemies are too strong! We cannot win!"
Without a second thought, Aragog changed his tune. "Then surrender! Tell them we are friends of Hagrid!"
After Kyle swung his Chidori Blade once more, cleaving an Acromantula into several pieces, he noticed the tide of spiders retreating even faster than they had arrived.
"That's it?"
This didn't even count as a warm-up.
Aragog's massive silhouette slowly shuffled forward, his eight milky-white eyes staring blankly ahead.
"Please, stop your attack, esteemed wizards. We Acromantulas are friends of your gamekeeper, Hagrid!"
Kyle smiled disdainfully. "You're the ones who ambushed us first. Now that you've realized you can't win, you want a ceasefire? It's not that easy."
Aragog froze for a moment, his pincers moving rapidly again. "We can provide compensation."
Kyle couldn't help but feel a flicker of respect for this fifty-year-old spider; it actually knew how to negotiate.
"What you want is nothing more than our venom. I can summon all my kin to provide it for you."
Kyle's eyes darted toward the scattered remains of the Acromantulas nearby. "The other body parts of your kind can fetch a pretty decent price as well, you know."
A series of sharp, rapid clicks erupted from Aragog's pincers. Kyle realized he could actually hear a hint of fury in the sound.
The surrounding Acromantulas suddenly burst into a similar chorus of clicking.
The rustling sound of countless long legs moving submerged the four boys.
The spiders converged from all directions once more, forming a solid, towering wall of bronze and iron.
Cedric drew his wand again, a swarm of clay spiders leaped from Fred's palms, and the two cannons on George's shoulders aimed directly at Aragog.
Kyle slowly spun his wand in a circle. Where the tip pointed, a ring of ghostly blue flames ignited.
Grindelwald's Gas Stove!
"What, you want to make a move?"
Kyle's tone carried a hint of provocation. He was practically itching for Aragog to strike so he'd have an excuse to finish the old spider off.
He was only hesitant because he worried a few stray spiders might escape and tell Hagrid what happened.
After all, he and Hagrid were technically friends, and Aragog was Hagrid's friend too.
Killing a friend's friend wouldn't be very polite.
Aragog clicked his pincers irritably, signaling his kin to stand down.
"We can provide you with venom on a regular basis."
"Deal." Kyle waved his hand, dispelling the Grindelwald family fire surrounding them.
Over the next few hours, Aragog commanded his kin to form three long lines.
The Acromantulas approached Cedric, George, and Fred one by one, obediently biting onto the glass vials to inject their venom.
As for Kyle, he had started a campfire on the outskirts of the hollow.
Whistling the Naruto theme song in a relaxed and cheerful manner, he sat there continuously brushing barbecue sauce onto a leg of Scottish land-dwelling soft-shell crab.
Kyle wasn't the least bit worried about drawing the ire of the Acromantulas.
I'm eating a Scottish Land-Dwelling Soft-Shell Crab. What does that have to do with an Acromantula?
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