The array of disarming spells was relentless, and they were all aimed at the Beauxbatons and exchange student teams.
The sheer volume of attacks meant they had to endure a heavier barrage.
The audience was stunned.
No one had anticipated this turn of events.
With only two "Gold Cards" played, the battlefield had been turned completely on its head. Three sides had already suffered heavy losses.
Hogwarts and the exchange students had five members remaining, while Beauxbatons was down to just four.
The spells vanished, and the stone golem crumbled to dust simultaneously.
There was no time to mourn their fallen teammates. The three sides immediately launched into a new round of combat.
The speed was dizzying, leaving the spectators struggling to react.
Gadgets flew from pockets and pouches one after another. No one was holding anything back. The remaining Beauxbatons students, now vastly outnumbered, dropped all pretense of restraint.
It didn't take long for the next wave of eliminations to begin.
An exchange student used a defensive gadget to block an attack from Hogwarts, only to be blindsided by a strike from a Beauxbatons girl. She was sent flying, crashing hard into a tree. The impact struck a weak point in her enchanted robes, and she vanished instantly.
Next was Penelope Clearwater.
She used her last gadget, a small shield charm that flickered and died after a single block. Seeing two more spells hurtling toward her, she offered a small, bitter smile. She glanced at Charlotte, who was dueling Sunny Finch, and the others still locked in combat. She knew her time was up.
Penelope opened her arms, embracing the incoming spells.
The impacts struck her, and she was eliminated without a chance to resist.
Charlotte glanced at the empty space where Penelope had stood. Penelope's last gesture had been a tap to her own arm. Charlotte understood instantly. The exchange students had identified a specific flaw in the Beauxbatons uniforms, a vulnerability they had ruthlessly exploited. Because the Beauxbatons girls had relied so heavily on their gadgets, they had managed to avoid casualties until now, but the playing field had just been leveled.
The situation was now balanced. Each side had only four members left.
Sunny Finch threw a gadget, a burst of light forcing Charlotte back. Then, she charged directly at Harry Potter, holding two more devices in her hands, ready to strike at any moment.
Charlotte shouted, "Harry, now!"
Harry Potter heard her. He immediately pulled out the last remaining Gold Card belonging to Hogwarts, a card emblazoned with a crest of a lion. Then, he tore it to shreds.
Several beams of violet light shot out from the card, landing on Charlotte, Cedric, and the others. The light bathed them, leaving a faint shimmer on their robes.
Sunny Finch's gadget flew through the air, hurtling toward Harry Potter. However, the next moment, Harry Potter's wand snapped up into his hand.
"Protego!" he roared.
A translucent shield appeared instantly, intercepting Sunny Finch's attack. Sparks flew where the magic collided.
Sunny Finch was startled. Seeing her attack blocked, she froze for a split second. Harry Potter was suddenly able to use magic? The Gold Card must have granted them their wands back.
However, before she could react further, Charlotte drew her own wand. She flicked it, sending a stunner at Sunny Finch.
Sunny Finch instinctively dodged. The spell missed her but struck the ground, blasting a crater into the earth.
Sunny Finch watched as the remaining Hogwarts students all drew their wands. She instantly understood. The effect of the Gold Card was the temporary restoration of their ability to cast spells.
Charlotte waved her wand. The four Hogwarts students immediately split into two groups, charging toward the exchange students and Beauxbatons girls.
They only had fifteen seconds. They had to end this quickly.
Charlotte charged toward Sunny Finch. She swung her wand, unleashing several spells—Stunners, Banishers, and Incarcerous charms—toward the girl.
Sunny Finch frowned. She didn't use her last Gold Card. Instead, she threw out all her remaining defensive items—charmed stones, twisted metal rings, and scrolls. They bloomed into protective barriers, blocking Charlotte's barrage.
Ten seconds passed.
On the other side, Cedric and Harry Potter faced off against the Beauxbatons girls. The girls' gadgets were rapidly depleting. Although Harry Potter was physically weaker compared to a trained duelist, he had magic against those who currently had none. He wasn't even aiming particularly well; he was just swinging his wand, relying on the raw power of the spells.
As Harry Potter's most proficient spell, the Disarming Charm flew with precision.
The Beauxbatons girls used their remaining props to defend themselves. Luckily, they had hoarded a lot of gear. Otherwise, they would have been overwhelmed immediately. However, even with a stash of items, there was a limit to how fast they could deploy them.
Harry Potter's Disarming Charm hurtled toward Fleur Delacour.
A look of panic flashed across Fleur's face. Her hand was already on her most treasured Gold Card. But the next moment, a Beauxbatons girl pushed Fleur aside, taking the Disarming Charm herself. The force of the spell sent her flying, and she vanished as she hit the ground.
"Fleur, you have to win!" the girl shouted before disappearing.
Fleur looked at the empty space where her teammate had been. Her pupils contracted, but she couldn't dwell on the grief. She knew why her teammate had sacrificed herself. The Gold Card in her hand was their only hope of winning, but it had strict limitations on time, range, and the number of people it could affect. It had to be saved for the perfect moment.
Cedric and Harry Potter missed their targets. They could only turn their wands on the other Beauxbatons members.
Fifteen seconds passed in the blink of an eye.
Beauxbatons, except for Fleur, were all eliminated. Cedric and Harry Potter had moved out of Fleur's attack range before the time expired, meaning she hadn't even been able to use her attack items.
Meanwhile, on the exchange students' side: Including Sunny Finch, only two people remained.
Hogwarts: Four.
At this moment, Hogwarts held a significant advantage. Even if Beauxbatons and the exchange students joined forces, it seemed they were no match for the four Hogwarts students.
All the spectators felt the outcome was decided.
Sunny Finch leaned against a large tree, panting heavily. She looked somewhat disheveled, her robes singed, but a confident smile played on her lips.
"Looks like your Gold Cards have expired," she said, her voice carrying over the clearing. "I won my bet! I think you're out of cards now. How many items do you have left? I still have one! Looks like I'm the winner!"
Sunny Finch raised her hand and tore her last Gold Card to shreds.
Charlotte felt a keen sense of unease—a prickling at the back of her neck. But just as Sunny Finch had said, they were out of items.
The instant Sunny Finch tore the card, the remaining contestant from the exchange students teleported to Sunny Finch's side using a gadget.
Sunny Finch pulled out an attack item—a simple sharp dagger—and struck her teammate.
Everyone was shocked. They didn't know why Sunny Finch would attack her own ally!
However, the next second, the exchange student's weak point was struck, and she was eliminated.
Simultaneously, lights of elimination flared up on Harry Potter, Cedric, Blaise, and Charlotte. Their robes flashed brightly, and they vanished from the field. Even Fleur, standing far away, lit up and disappeared.
Sunny Finch laughed, the sound echoing in the sudden silence.
"The Weakness Transfer Card!" she announced triumphantly. "It can transfer the weaknesses of up to five people's clothes to one person! It eliminates the target while simultaneously breaking the transferred weaknesses! Coincidentally, there are exactly five of you left! Charlotte, it seems I've won!"