Facing an enemy who loved to talk, Tonks had no intention of indulging him.
To her, the only good dark wizard was a dead one.
She attacked immediately.
"Stupefy!"
"Protego!"
With a casual flick of his wand, Pickle deflected the red streak of the Stunning Spell to the side.
That single motion alone was enough to make Lewis feel the pressure.
The Shield Charm was one of the most fundamental defensive spells, capable of creating a magical barrier to deflect spells and physical attacks.
Almost every wizard could learn it.
But mastery of it—
That was what separated the strong from the weak.
Ordinary wizards: chant properly, block head-on.
Skilled wizards: cast instantly, deflect attacks.
True masters: silent casting, effortless deflection.
The key factors were speed and precision.
Every spell required wand movement, incantation, focus, and intent.
And wand movement alone made it difficult to chain spells quickly.
But deflecting spells with Protego freed up wand movement entirely.
It allowed a wizard to defend and attack at the same time.
Unlike beginners, who stood there like infantry holding up a shield—
Unable to attack while defending.
Masters like Flitwick or Snape could casually deflect spells mid-combat, as easily as picking up food with chopsticks.
Pickle was at the second stage.
Instant casting.
Casual deflection.
By Lewis's estimate, he was around Level 13 to 15.
For a first-year student like Lewis—
And even for Tonks—
That was already a high-level opponent.
It meant one thing:
Their attacks couldn't break his defense.
"Damn it—Expelliarmus!"
"Stupefy!"
Tonks refused to give up, launching another round of attacks. Lewis joined her.
But Pickle flicked his wand left and right, effortlessly batting both spells aside.
"Pathetic! Weak, useless spells like these won't work on me!"
With a smug grin, he advanced step by step.
Even without attacking, the pressure he exuded was overwhelming.
"Damn it, our spells aren't working! Lewis, use your special attack—the one from before!" Tonks shouted.
"Got it… Mind Spike!"
Lewis focused, condensing his psionic power into a needle and driving it into Pickle's mind.
But this time—
Nothing happened.
The attack vanished like a stone sinking into the ocean.
Pickle only felt a slight sting before it disappeared.
Then he grinned.
"Useless! That little trick of yours—the one that gave me a headache—it's just a variation of Legilimency. All I need is Occlumency, and it becomes completely ineffective."
"Now that all your tricks have failed… what will you do?"
"Your turn is over. Now it's mine—Reducto!"
"Protego!"
Tonks gritted her teeth and stepped in front of Lewis, raising her shield.
Unlike Pickle's effortless deflection—
She was forced back several steps by the impact.
The gap in their magical power was obvious.
Hearing Pickle's explanation, Lewis felt a chill.
His psionic abilities had always been his hidden advantage.
Where magic failed, his mind could succeed.
Whether it was scouting or manipulation—
Psionics had always worked flawlessly.
At least—
Until now.
Pickle had blocked his Mind Spike with Occlumency.
It was unexpected—
But also logical.
Psionics worked by targeting the mind directly.
Most people—Muggles and ordinary wizards alike—had little understanding of that domain.
That gave Lewis a kind of "dimensional advantage."
But that didn't mean no one could resist it.
In this world, Legilimency and Occlumency were exactly that—
Techniques designed for the mind.
And Occlumency was a direct counter.
Lewis quickly calmed himself.
This didn't mean psionics were useless.
It just meant the fight had returned to equal footing.
Mind Spike was only a low-level ability.
If he had stronger powers—Mind Blast, Ego Whip—
The outcome might be different.
As for now—
If spells didn't work, and psionics failed—
Then he would switch methods.
It was time to show this world the power of arcane magic.
At that moment, Tonks's strained voice rang out.
"I can't hold on much longer, Lewis! Use your crazy spells—do something!"
Looking up, Lewis saw her pale face and disheveled pink hair.
She was clearly struggling.
Every attack from Pickle forced her to defend with everything she had.
If not for her incredible reflexes—
She would have already fallen.
And now—
She was reaching her limit.
"Leave it to me, Tonks!"
Lewis's gaze turned cold.
"Grease!"
"Protego—huh?"
Hearing the incantation, Pickle instinctively tried to block—
But there was nothing to deflect.
What kind of spell was that?
Before he could react—
His footing slipped.
At the same time, Tonks attacked again.
The previously dominant Pickle stumbled, nearly falling.
He dropped to one knee, bracing himself with one hand while hastily casting Protego with the other.
He barely avoided being hit.
Looking down, he realized—
The ground around him was coated in thick oil.
That sudden slick surface had nearly brought him down.
Realizing how close he had come to disaster, rage surged within him.
"Cheap tricks! You dare—Confringo!"
"Protego!"
Tonks rushed forward again, blocking the explosion for Lewis.
But this time—
She couldn't hold.
The red blast sent her flying.
And before she could recover—
Pickle cast again.
"Reducto!"
Despite the strain of consecutive high-level spells, he forced another attack through.
Even for him, such rapid casting carried a cost.
His posture remained awkward, still half-prone on the slick ground.
But it was worth it.
Because this time—
Tonks couldn't defend.
One enemy—
Would fall.
The crimson beam shot toward her, filled with destructive power.
Just as it was about to hit—
Lewis stepped in front of her.
No shield.
No hesitation.
Reducto struck him directly, exploding in a flash of red light.
"Heh… how touching."
Pickle let out a cruel laugh.
"Throwing your body in front of a Reducto? I almost feel moved."
"If I had to fill this room with something… it'd be you."
"Because you're about to be scattered everywhere."
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