"Real... Ancient magic?"
Tom's words crashed into Kavi's mind, leaving him reeling. The phrase echoed, a relentless mental reverberation.
Regardless of the truth or falsehood of Kavi's claims, one thing was undeniable: he possessed a near-obsessive belief in ancient magic.
But he had also resigned himself to oblivion, accepting that he would have no more opportunities, destined to rot away at the hands of Harry and his friends.
Tom had spoken because he recognized this; he refused to let Kavi simply wither and die.
Tom intended to extract every last ounce of usefulness from him.
As Tom had predicted, even a sliver of possibility was enough to reignite Kavi's fervor.
"…"
Kavi drew a ragged breath. "Lord Tom Riddle, all that is required is for me to defeat them, is it not?"
"You have my word on it."
"Kavi Sharma…"
Hawk-like eyes, sharp and predatory, blazed open once more. "As you command."
Seeing this rekindled fire, Tom gave a subtle nod. "Apprentice, test his mettle against Potter and his companions."
"…"
Cassandra advanced without a word, wand already drawn.
Harry and Malfoy stepped forward, flanking Cassandra like loyal bodyguards, instantly forming the vanguard.
As Harry and Malfoy moved, a flicker of something unreadable flashed in Kavi's eyes; he felt a strange undercurrent stir within him.
Severus Snape witnessed this exchange, resolving to devote his all to this later.
Although this guy is annoying, what he said was indeed compelling… Snape's dormant chuunibyou spirit stirred once again.
...
Within Garuda's Sanctuary, inside the temple's crumbling walls.
Kavi brandished his twelve-inch, dark brown Thunderbird Feather Wand, facing off against Cassandra and the two boys.
Kavi had heard Tom's words clearly. The beautiful girl was the Dark Lord's apprentice, and the two handsome boys were likely closely connected to him as well.
He couldn't afford to truly harm them, but he couldn't hold back either.
"..."
This will be difficult...
Kavi's gaze hardened. These three brats were far from pushovers.
The girl's magical power was nearly on par with a seasoned Auror. The two boys were harder to read; their magic seemed to vanish at times. Could it be those strange clothes?
Kavi's unease grew. His current condition was far from ideal.
His body seemed to have recovered, but he knew it was an illusion; the chilling premonition of life slipping away still haunted him.
"Scarhead!"
"Let's go!"
Harry and Malfoy, longswords in hand, charged without hesitation.
Tom's intent was clear: Kavi was meant to be tested.
Only those who survived their onslaught deserved the Master's personal attention.
The sheer force of their advance shattered the stone floor, sending fissures racing across the ancient tiles – a sight that made Ashok Petil's eyebrows rise in disbelief.
Two streaks of light, one pink, one blue, arced toward Kavi's neck and groin with deadly precision.
Fortunately, Kavi had been on guard; his mutated body twisted, narrowly evading the strikes.
"Shattered Bones!"
A beam of crimson light flashed!
Kavi contorted his body, leaping backward to dodge, then used his wand to transfigure the floor beneath him, tearing it open like a carpet in a masterful display of transfiguration.
Harry and Cassandra soared more than four meters into the air, clearing the oncoming "carpet," and brought their longswords down with savage force!
"Shatter to Pieces!"
Boom! ~
The "carpet" exploded, leaving a gaping hole more than three meters wide; the remaining debris posed no further threat to Cassandra.
Kavi leaped again, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow.
"Levicorpus!"
The spell echoed in his ears, and suddenly, Kavi felt his feet "lift" from the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the two longswords were upon him.
Kavi's eyes narrowed. "Protego!"
He raised his wand swiftly, conjuring a shimmering white barrier to deflect the attack.
Crack!
Two distinct fractures appeared on the barrier, but the force was insufficient to break through and injure Kavi.
"Incredible..."
Just as Kavi was marveling at the raw power of Harry and Malfoy, the two abruptly retreated, seeing their attack fail.
"Thunderous Explosion!"
Boom!! ~
The entire temple shuddered violently, and a thundering explosion erupted in a cloud of thick smoke.
The damaged Protego shattered, unable to offer sufficient protection. Kavi was hurled from the smoke cloud, slamming into the ground and skidding back several meters.
"..."
Ashok, watching from the shadows, stared in disbelief as three sixteen-year-old wizards gained the upper hand against a notoriously dangerous dark wizard?!
Is Tom Riddle's teaching prowess truly this astonishing?
I must speak with Parvati Patil and the others; perhaps joining the Death Eaters as interns before graduation would be a sound strategy.
Swish
Kavi scrambled to his feet, visibly disheveled. His wounds, though not deep, were numerous.
Fortunately, his corrupted and mutated flesh possessed certain traits of magical creatures, causing the injuries to begin knitting themselves closed.
Kavi glanced at the three. He knew he couldn't remain on the defensive, or he might very well die at the hands of these children.
He unleashed a Freezing Charm at Cassandra!
Cassandra frowned slightly as the icy wind rushed toward her.
The Freezing Charm amplified in the rain, turning droplets and the ground into glittering frost.
Cassandra had no intention of fighting someone with inherently greater magical power in such an unfavorable environment.
She immediately cast a Flight Charm, rising into the air to evade the blast.
Kavi, who had intended to restrain Cassandra, was taken by surprise.
A cold glint flashed from behind, and despite his swift reaction, rolling aside to dodge, he still suffered two deep, bone-revealing gashes along his back.
"Hiss~"
The agonizing pain in his back brought a snarl to Kavi's lips. Even with his increased magical power, he couldn't alter his innate combat instincts and experience.
Although his magical power was now comparable to Snape's, in a real duel, Snape could defeat him within thirty strikes.
Seeing that Harry and Malfoy had landed a blow, they immediately pressed their advantage, lunging forward with their swords and slashing relentlessly.
Kavi waved his wand twice, casting Binding Charms to immobilize the two.
Seeing that they could still struggle even while bound, Kavi inwardly cursed them as monsters.
Boom!
A bolt of searing white lightning struck!
From the corner of his eye, Kavi saw Cassandra raise her wand.
Using the storm's energy to her advantage, Cassandra had successfully charged her wand without drawing his attention!
The scorching lightning engulfed Kavi!
His momentary lapse in focus prevented him from even uttering a scream.
"That must sting, right?"
"It must sting quite a bit."
Harry and Malfoy, seeking shelter from the arc, casually chatted.
Fortunately, the lightning was controlled by a spell; otherwise, on such a stormy day, they would have been struck as well.
---