"Protego!"
In the absolute nick of time, one of the wizards finally managed to cast a Shield Charm.
Crash!
The skeleton's massive bone broadsword slammed into the transparent barrier, shattering it instantly. The wizard stumbled back two steps, barely dodging the lethal blow.
Following this, the rest of the black-robed wizards scrambled frantically to wave their wands. It took them quite a while to finally reduce the skeletons Maurise had casually summoned into a pile of dust.
'That makes sense.' Maurise nodded to himself as he watched.
The skill level of these wizards could not even begin to compare with the "Death" he had encountered earlier. Furthermore, judging by their panicked and uncoordinated reactions, they were nothing more than a hastily assembled mob.
In that case, there was nothing to worry about.
"Who is it?"
"Behind us!"
Someone shouted, and the black-robed wizards whipped around. Seven or eight wands instantly pointed directly at Maurise and Kyle. Everyone else in the vicinity had long since fled, leaving only the two of them behind.
Kyle could not help but tense up, but when he glanced at Maurise's perfectly calm expression beside him, a sudden, inexplicable sense of reassurance washed over him.
'We should be able to handle this, right?'
Meanwhile, hidden within the crowd behind his mask, Lucius Malfoy gazed thoughtfully at the two boys in the distance. He had already recognized Maurise.
He was thoroughly puzzled. Why would this Ravenclaw student, who had previously clashed with his son, choose to fight back in a situation like this? Was it sheer stupidity? Did he have some sort of trump card to rely on? Or perhaps it was just a moment of foolish, youthful impulsiveness?
It did not matter. Lucius did not believe the boy could take them all on by himself. Even if the boy's abilities were as miraculous as Draco had claimed, there was still no need for concern. After all, they were not lacking in highly powerful wizards among their own ranks.
They were not here to kill anyone today; their goal was simply to torment the Muggles and cause a riot. However, teaching this arrogant little brat a painful lesson right now would not hurt.
Seizing the initiative in a battle was of utmost importance. Seeing that the disorganized mob was hesitating, Maurise struck first.
"Stupefy!"
A jet of red light shot from his wand, moving so fast its trajectory was practically a blur. The black-robed wizard standing at the very front did not even have time to utter a sound before he was struck square in the chest. He collapsed to the ground in a limp heap.
This was, without a doubt, the signal for war.
"Finish them quickly! We don't have much time!" a voice rang out from the crowd.
The very next second, a colorful barrage of spells rained down on Maurise and Kyle, blanketing the sky. Most were Stunning Spells, mixed with a few minor jinxes, but thankfully none were lethal.
In that split second, Kyle's mind went completely blank. His entire life practically flashed before his eyes. He was just an ordinary student. When had he ever faced a terrifying situation like this?
Maurise, however, did not freeze.
"Protego!"
"Kruk... Tak... Gûl." (Bone Calling)
After conjuring a sturdy bone shield, he cast a magical barrier in front of himself and Kyle.
While this group's magical proficiency was less than ideal, sheer numbers made a massive difference. The spells bombarded the outermost bone shield relentlessly. In an instant, bone fragments splintered and flew through the air amidst a thick cloud of dust.
"Protect yourself! Things might get a little messy in a moment," Maurise casually instructed Kyle beside him while effortlessly maintaining the bone shield.
Kyle nodded hastily. The hand gripping his wand trembled slightly as he forced himself to stand firm.
'I cannot hold him back! I at least have to make sure I am not a burden!' he told himself silently.
Maurise gave a faint smile, and a flash of black light shimmered at the hem of his robes.
The towering figure of the bone dragon abruptly materialized in front of them. Under the moonlight, its massive skeletal frame gleamed with an icy, terrifying luster. The sheer oppressive presence it radiated went without saying.
A few stray spells struck its body, only to bounce off in a shower of harmless sparks.
The bone dragon shook itself, completely ignoring the attacks. It immediately spread its massive wings, took to the sky, and circled menacingly above them.
The black-robed wizards froze in unison, unanimously tipping their heads up to stare in horror.
Then.
Whoosh!
A wave of scorching dragon breath swept down, illuminating all of their faces in a bright, fiery glow.
"Defend!" someone yelled.
"Run!" another screamed.
The black-robed wizards instantly scattered like startled mice, fleeing frantically in all directions.
Seeing this, Lucius Malfoy cursed inwardly.
'This is bad.'
Not everyone in their group was a genuine former Death Eater; many were simply cowardly opportunists they had rounded up for the occasion. These opportunists were fine when it came to bullying defenseless Muggles, but the moment they hit a tough obstacle, they ran faster than anyone else.
Just then, a jet of dragon fire grazed past Lucius, severely scorching his sleeve.
His expression darkened instantly. There was no helping it now. Retreating and regrouping with the main force was the most sensible choice. Without hesitation, Lucius turned and joined the frantic retreat.
Maurise shook his head. In reality, a group of wizards that size could have easily handled the bone dragon if they had just coordinated their attacks and stood their ground. What a pity. They were nothing but a disorganized rabble.
Kyle stood rooted to the spot, his jaw dropping as he watched the terrifying figures scatter in panic. He looked at Maurise blankly. "What do we do now?"
"I am going after them," Maurise said quickly. "Pack up the tent. I will be back within half an hour. Do not worry about me."
Kyle nodded and immediately sprang into action.
Maurise leapt onto the bone dragon, picked a random direction where a black-robed wizard had fled, and gave chase. He was determined to see what the true identities of these people were. Were they Death Eaters? Or just a random group of thugs?
---
Two minutes later.
Maurise caught up to one particularly "lucky" black-robed wizard.
The man had clearly noticed him as well and darted into a dense, unpopulated forest, hoping to use the heavy tree cover to shake off his pursuer. To all appearances, the man had succeeded.
But it did not matter.
Maurise hopped off the dragon's back and stored it away. A game of cat and mouse? He was exceptionally good at that.
Inside the forest, Lucius Malfoy leaned heavily against a tree trunk, letting out a long, ragged breath.
He was absolutely certain that the boy riding the bone dragon had been chasing him specifically. Fortunately, the trees here were thick enough, and under the cover of night, hiding was incredibly easy.
He touched his scorched sleeve, closed his eyes, and steadied his breathing. Although there had been a minor hiccup on his end, the main force should have proceeded smoothly. Their objective for the night had been achieved.
He just needed to wait a little longer. Then, he could walk out openly and pretend nothing had happened. After all, no one had seen his face.
Just as he was having this thought...
"Incarcerous!"
The incantation rang out from right beside him.
'Damn it!'
Before Lucius could even react, thick magical ropes lashed around his body, binding him tightly from head to toe. He tilted off balance and crashed heavily, face-first into the dirt.
Before he could even muster up his aristocratic fury, a foot stepped firmly onto his back. It wasn't overly heavy, but it was just strong enough to pin him completely in place.
Immediately after, a youthful voice drifted down from above. "Do not move."
Lucius stiffened for a moment before speaking in a low, gravelly voice. "Release me. I was merely passing through."
"Passing through?" Maurise rolled the man over, wearing a cheerful grin. "Allow me to remind you, sir, that you are still wearing the exact same mask as those rioters."
"There are riots everywhere tonight," Lucius retorted stubbornly. "Wearing a mask is simply a precaution for my own safety."
"Oh, shut up. I will judge that for myself." Maurise did not waste any more breath and reached down to pull off the man's mask.