205- Rhys, Fight !
"Scourgify!"
"Ventus!"
"Tergeo!"
The three professors cast spells one after another, clearing the dust in the Great Hall.
The young wizards and witches in the audience wiped the dirt off their faces, straining their eyes to make out the scene on the platform.
Gemma erged from within the platform, the soil sliding off her robes like water. In no ti, her robes were spotless. The person who had just been burrowing through the earth now appeared even cleaner than Daphne, who was hovering in midair.
Seeing this, Daphne couldn't help but recall the scene in the underground room last year. Back then, the mud on the ground had slid off her feet in the sa way.
If Gemma had truly transford the platform into that sa substance, Daphne realized she would have no chance of winning.
She looked down at Gemma, who stood amidst the ruins of the platform, head raised as she stared back at her.
Gemma's face was pale, and Daphne noticed her hand clutching the wand was trembling uncontrollably.
It seed that Gemma, like Daphne, could no longer sustain the sa level of performance as before.
As Daphne had anticipated, Gemma had indeed reached her limit. While the strain of controlling the soil was significant, the more critical issue was that she had underestimated the power of Daphne's spell—or perhaps overestimated the defensive capability of the soil. In the previous explosion, it seed her leg had been fractured.
The intense pain made it impossible for her to focus, let alone continue attacking. Even casting a Shield Charm to block Daphne's spells was out of reach—she couldn't move and was left standing there, defenseless.
"I've lost."
"You win."
"Eh?"x2
The two declared forfeits simultaneously. Gemma knew she could no longer fight, while Daphne felt that continuing the battle was pointless. Besides, using the necklace to secure victory felt sowhat unsportsmanlike.
If Gemma had encountered Rhys earlier, Daphne was certain she would have been the one thoroughly defeated tonight.
With both participants forfeiting, Professor Flitwick declared the match a draw.
Daphne descended to the ground and walked off the platform alongside Gemma, who had temporarily nded her fractured leg.
"Haah~ Truly remarkable. I thought I was one of the best among the students, but you've taught a lesson," Gemma said, unable to hide her awe at the strength of the new generation.
"I just relied on external help. If we kept going, I definitely would've lost," Daphne replied, attributing her victory entirely to the necklace.
Gemma shook her head. While it was true that Daphne had relied on external help, she herself hadn't relied solely on her own strength either.
"You're so young—it's enviable. I wonder how strong you'll be by the ti you graduate," Gemma said, steering the conversation in a different direction.
"Maybe by then, I'll be able to take down Voldemort on my own," Daphne replied, recalling Rhys's prediction and using it to answer her senior's question.
Gemma gave Daphne a look but chose not to respond to that comnt.
After Daphne and Gemma stepped down, Professor Flitwick waved his wand, restoring the platform that had been heavily damaged during their duel.
The student duels continued.
However, none of the subsequent participants displayed the sa level of skill and dominance as Daphne. Achieving a streak of three or four victories was already considered impressive.
Attracted by the buzz surrounding the "student duels," even the few students who hadn't initially co to the club gathering eventually showed up.
Nearly every student took a turn experiencing the thrill of a duel.
Among the standouts were Percy Weasley from Gryffindor, Hermione Granger from Ravenclaw, and, surprisingly, a first-year student: Astoria Greengrass.
When Astoria secured four consecutive victories, the entire hall erupted in excitent—if her older sister was already so formidable, how could the younger one be just as skilled?!
But the most shocking performance of the evening wasn't from any of the previously ntioned nas. Instead, the highest win streak after Daphne belonged to a Hufflepuff student nad Cedric Diggory.
He managed to secure six consecutive victories before finally being defeated by a seventh-year prefect.
When Cedric achieved his six consecutive victories, the entire Hufflepuff student section erupted in cheers. For their house, this was a rare mont of glory.
Daphne, a "monster-level" student, had already been elevated to an untouchable status, no longer considered in the realm of ordinary competition.
However, many Slytherin students were less than impressed with Cedric's accomplishnt. In their eyes, the true powerhouses in the school had already been "exhausted," leaving Cedric with an easy path to success.
"If Prefect Gemma or Daphne's sister were still in the mix, do you really think he'd have gotten six wins?"
"What a sha about Prefect Gemma. She could have gone for seven wins!"
"Weren't they tied? Can't Farley go up for another match?"
"She's already gone to the hospital wing..."
The Slytherins murmured among themselves, lanting Gemma Farley's untily exit.
"Who else could possibly reach six wins? That Diggory is such an eyesore!" The younger snakes began scanning the remaining Slytherins who hadn't yet taken the stage, looking for soone with enough potential to challenge Cedric—they couldn't stand letting him hold the "runner-up" title unchallenged.
"Rhys Lint?" Soone's gaze landed on the quiet Rhys, who was casually observing the matches.
"The guy whose exam scores were just a few points lower than Daphne's?"
"Yes."
"Not really, though. Do you think everyone can be like that Greengrass?"
"But hasn't that Lint guy been hanging out with her in the library all the ti? Maybe Daphne's taught him a bunch of useful spells!"
Ugh...
Rhys heard every word of the conversation behind him, but he remained as still as a log.
What a joke—who would want to go up there?
Forget breaking Rowena's seal, even being spotted by Barrow or Helena would be humiliating enough!
The gathering beca increasingly lively. Fred and George even went up together for an exhibition match, showing off all kinds of prank gadgets they had developed. They turned the event into a perfect stage for advertising their inventions.
Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, the evening's Dueling Club gathering ca to an end.
"Miss Greengrass, your grand prize will be mailed to you later," Professor Flitwick reminded Daphne in his sharp voice.
After the event, the students began leaving the Great Hall, heading back to their respective common rooms.
Rhys was slightly delayed as he stopped by the dueling platform to dig out so of the soil used for its construction. By the ti he left the Great Hall, satisfied with his collection, it was almost completely empty.
"Rhys."
As he stepped out of the hall, Daphne erged from the shadows, calling out to him. Astoria followed closely behind her, clearly also wanting to speak with him.
"Is there sothing you need?" Rhys turned to look at Daphne. "It's late—it's ti to sleep."
"Fight !" Daphne drew her wand, her gaze fixed intently on Rhys. "I know you're strong… Please, let see how big the gap is between us!"
At Daphne's request, Rhys responded with a smile.
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