Harry and Malfoy found themselves in a rather bizarre predicament.
They had chased a gaggle of goblins into a large hall, only to stumble upon a group of young people nursing their wounds.
"Just what are those?"
A muscular, blonde man gestured towards the fleeing goblins, addressing a brown-haired man with glasses beside him.
The bespectacled man adjusted his glasses, his eyes narrowing with disbelief. "Could they be… dwarves?"
"Dwarves, my arse! I'm a goblin!"
The goblin, momentarily pausing his retreat, spun around and cursed the assembled idiots. "Are you blind? Get the hell out of here… damn it!"
His moment of defiance proved almost fatal, as Harry and Malfoy nearly caught up with him.
The young people, initially excited by the spectacle, were quickly overcome with fear and disgust. Escape seemed impossible, as the main exit had collapsed, leaving only a narrow passage guarded by Harry and Malfoy.
Muttering curses under their breaths, the group wisely huddled into a corner.
Spotting the goblins' hesitation, Harry and Malfoy seized the opportunity, quickly retrieving the enchanted box.
Two battle cries echoed as pink and blue light erupted, "Henshin!"
"H-Henshin?"
The blonde, muscular man, initially surprised, now lit up with anticipation. Despite being a Westerner, he was familiar with tokusatsu shows. "Is it Kamen Rider… or Sailor Moon?"
"No, surely not?"
The brown-haired man wiped his glasses, incredulous. A boy transforming into Sailor Moon? What's next, using an exhaust pipe as a rocket launcher?!
"Shut it!"
Malfoy, now sporting a rather fetching blue dress, whirled around, his face stormy. "Don't come crying to me when the shorty over there kicks your arse later!"
The brown-haired man chuckled and waved for him to be quiet.
Meanwhile, Harry, just behind Malfoy, leaped into the air once more. A burst of pink light tore through the floor like it was tofu, creating a three-meter-long gash and severing the water pipes below. A geyser erupted, soaking the goblins.
"Wait! Wait!!!"
Seeing Harry ready another strike, the goblin, desperately dodging the spray, cried out, "I know it was wrong to chase you in Gringotts, but I had no choice! I couldn't decide those things, but I'm truly sorry… Is there anything I can do to earn your forgiveness?"
Harry, still brandishing his blade, replied, "Stand still and let me hit you, and I'll think about it!"
"…"
If I took one of those hits, I'd be sliced in two! Would I even survive?
The goblin, out of options, abandoned his deliberations. Recognizing there was no escape, he raised his heavy hammer and, with a resounding clang, blocked Harry's longsword.
The terrifying force caused the goblin, who had only just regained his footing, to drop to his knees once more, his short, thick arms trembling.
"Oh?"
Harry raised an eyebrow, tightening his grip on the sword.
To the goblin's despair, a sickening snapping sound echoed, and a slick pink smear slid down the blade unimpeded.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, Malfoy, wielding a blue baseball bat, blocked the path of the remaining goblins, his frilly skirt fluttering slightly.
"So, are we going to talk this through?"
"Not a chance."
"…"
The goblins exchanged glances and nodded to each other. One of them, wielding a giant axe, charged forward. "I still want to say... that dress is awful, mate!!!"
"…"
Malfoy, his forehead contorted in a scowl, fell silent. Then, his face darkening, he swung his bat!
With a resounding "bang," the goblin-forged axe clattered to the ground. The charging goblin slumped, his eyes rolling back into his head. Before losing consciousness, he caught a glimpse of his companions abandoning him and fleeing…
Weren't we supposed to fight our way out together…?
A dull thud followed, raising a cloud of dust. The fallen goblin was out cold.
The three fleeing goblins rushed towards the back wall of the hall.
The lead goblin swung his giant hammer with all his might, creating a roughly goblin-sized escape tunnel, followed by a shower of debris.
Overjoyed, the lead goblin dropped the hammer. "Bye-bye!"
But Harry suddenly appeared behind them.
Seeing no hope of escape, the last goblin grabbed his companion's hand in desperation.
His companion instinctively grabbed the goblin's head, leaving the unfortunate goblin with his lower body inside the tunnel and his upper body exposed.
"Let go! Save yourself!"
"No! If I can't escape, neither will you!"
"Aren't you supposed to say, 'Go now, I'll hold them off'?"
"Bugger that! We're all going down together!"
"…"
Clearly, these goblins weren't going anywhere!
Tap tap tap…
Footsteps echoed through the dilapidated hall. The goblin, half-stuck in the "escape tunnel," watched helplessly as the pink figure approached, and then…
Harry grabbed the goblin's shoulder with one hand, pulling him free and tossing him four or five meters away. He then positioned himself in front of the so-called "escape tunnel."
The fallen goblins scrambled to their feet, taking two steps back in panic, only to find their escape route blocked by the blue figure.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall.
A tall, harpy-like banshee, engulfed in flames, continuously spewed scorching fireballs, further shrinking the goblins' remaining space.
"Damn it!"
One goblin tore off his smoldering armor and roared at his companions. "I told you it wasn't a good idea to get on her bad side!"
"Shut up! You were the one planting all the bombs!"
"Oh? Was I, now…"
He awkwardly tried to change the subject, but the other three goblins rushed him and began beating him mercilessly.
Just then, a fireball the size of a person rained down.
The crackling and burning sounds, accompanied by acrid black smoke, filled the air. Despite narrowly dodging most of the blast, considerable heat still washed over them.
The burns made their hearts pound. "Damn it! If the others were still here…"
"They'd probably be dead by now."
The sudden remark plunged the goblins into despair. "…"
But the fireballs offered no respite.
One of the goblins, who had just managed to remove his armor and roll behind a pile of rubble, cried out in despair, "How long has this old hag been alive? Why isn't she tired yet?!"
Then Leonie, seemingly losing what little restraint she possessed, paused for a moment, spread her scaled wings, and flapped them forcefully. The wind fanned the flames, sending the conflagration surging towards the remaining goblins!
The nearly-crisped survivors were on the verge of collapse. "I told you not to provoke her anymore!"
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