"Crucio! (Crucio)"
A voice twisted with extreme hatred rang out, and pale lightning lit up the passageway, making it bright once again after the darkness caused by the disappearance of the Lumos charm. Harry instinctively jumped back, avoiding the Crucio curse that was like a poisonous tongue.
No, this space is too small; he must find a way to counterattack.
Wait, small space...
Looking at the ceiling embedded with bricks and stones above him, Harry took a deep breath and settled on his plan in his heart.
But Sirius on the opposite side wouldn't give him more time to think of a strategy. The moment the Crucio curse missed, his wand started waving again, and several large fragments of stone on either side of the passage suddenly moved. Then, a dozen shriveled, pale hands broke through the soil, crawling out from the underground.
Inferi?!
Harry stared wide-eyed at the shriveled corpses twisting their bodies and charging toward him. He wasn't too nervous—for a simple reason—in the Duel Club's Dream Game, Inferi were one of the most common monsters on the second level. Honestly, dealing with these didn't even require the Weasley Twins' strategy guide.
"Incendio! (Incendio)"
Without hesitation, Harry waved his wand, and scorching flames gushed out from between the wand, turning into fiery serpents that rampaged through the narrow passage. The Inferi that couldn't dodge were twisted and deformed the moment they caught fire, with the damp moisture evaporating away. These creations of Dark Arts, fearful of flames, twisted and turned into charred remains.
"Ha, is that all you've got? No wonder Voldemort died so fast. With useless subordinates like you, it'd be a joke if he succeeded."
Manipulating the flames towards Blake, Harry continued to launch mental attacks, "You so-called 'elite' Death Eaters, can't even handle a little wizard like me who's not even graduated from third-year. What are the recruitment criteria for Death Eaters? Literacy? Or maybe just knowing how to find the bathroom to take a dump?"
"Finite Incantatem. (Finite Incantatem)"
The flames were blocked by a white light membrane, making a sizzling burning sound upon contact.
"Treasure the time while your tongue is still in your mouth."
Sirius, with a taut face, forcefully flicked his wand, and the white light membrane rapidly recoiled, carrying Harry's own flames back towards him. Harry didn't show panic. Seeing the indistinguishable flames in front of him, he first pointed his wand at himself—
"Impervius! (Impervius)"
After Hermione cast this practical charm, Harry took the time to learn it as well.
Next, his actions didn't pause, pointing his wand at the raging flames, "Aguamenti! (Aguamenti)"
The next moment, in stark contrast to the flames, a strong stream of water gushed fiercely from the wand. Originally, this was a charm taught in the sixth year at Hogwarts, but the Duel Club had taught it early. After all, a charm that can produce drinking water out of thin air is full of practicality.
Of course, as a Duel Club, they wouldn't focus solely on practicality; William also boosted its power.
It can no longer be called "Aguamenti," perhaps "Niagara" would be more appropriate.
In an instant, the surging water extinguished the flames that had lost their source. As the glowing flames were extinguished, the entire passageway plunged into darkness once again.
Now's the time, a good opportunity!
Seeing the figures gradually disappearing from his retina, Harry moved suddenly, not to flee, but to charge directly at Blake, raising his wand, "Deprimo! (Deprim)"
"Boom—"
A violent collision sounded. In the next moment, tons of soil and falling stones burst from the hole Harry blasted open, burying Sirius's figure almost instantaneously. The man seemed completely unprepared for this; he didn't even have time to let out a groan before disappearing into the earth.
"..."
"Lumos. (Lumos)"
The white micro light lit up, Harry gasping for air, staring at the heavy wall of dirt in front of him for a long time, and finally confirming after a while that there was no more movement inside. The boy couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, the tense strings of his heart snapping at this moment.
It wasn't until now that he finally had some sense of reality.
He... defeated Sirius Black? The same Blake who, over ten years ago, killed countless Muggles in broad daylight? That assistant of the Dark Lord, Sirius Black?
A strong sense of unreality overwhelmed Harry. He instinctively looked down at his palm, seeing it covered in dirt. Just now, to avoid the collapsing soil, he had to roll away after casting the charm. Being close to cast due to unfamiliarity with the charm, as he couldn't cast it silently.
Attempts to shorten the casting distance were necessary; after all, this move had to succeed the first time. If the opponent became cautious, he'd have to think of another way.
But just as Harry was catching his breath and relaxing his mood, a similarly pale hand, tinged with a hint of blue light, suddenly reached out from the earth wall in front of him and slapped hard on Harry's forehead—"Slap!"
Harry, hit by the assault, instinctively jumped back, raising his wand, only to find that, for some reason, he couldn't utter any charms.
He wanted to retreat further but realized he couldn't cast spells nor move.
Wh-what's going on?
Could it be that Sirius isn't dead? Moreover, this strong?