POV Fleur Delacour
She had been crouching unnoticed all this time, and now that she saw the end of the sneak attack, she tried to get out of her flimsy hiding place, but as she rose, the girl stumbled awkwardly, swaying backwards and falling onto her back. It had been a long, long time since Fleur had been so ashamed of herself, and in a way, she was glad that no one had seen her shame. Rising to her feet, she took two steps forward and froze, feeling the tension in her skin as if she sensed a deadly threat — she even broke into a cold sweat.
Fleur didn't even think about fighting the premonition, but she decided it was better to find out the reason than to wonder, so she carefully peered around the corner, through the branches of the bushes. There was still a puddle of hot lava in the clearing, which did not even try to solidify, black smoke was rising from it, cracks in the ground, smoking grass and spots of burnt earth were visible, a chalice was shining in the side with a bright blue spot, but Sora did not hurry to grab it, he was standing in the same place where Fleur had seen it the last time.
The boy had managed to deactivate his powerful shield, and now he put his paper talismans on his hands like bandages, and the girl did not even think about the reason for his occupation, because she could clearly see several figures standing in a semicircle. Because of the black robes, it was difficult to determine the distance to them, or their dimensions, which aren't always important to a mage, or at least that's what most people think nowadays, and they are very much mistaken.
They were in the shadows, but there were four of them, all of different heights, and now that there was some light on them, Fleur was sure that there was at least one girl and one bulky (or overly masculine) woman among them. She'd been to the Muggle part of Paris, and even to the movies, so she was familiar with the term "pathos villain".
And now, as she watched the enemies keep pace, moving so synchronously, it was as if she were watching a Hollywood movie, or a cheap rip-off of one. The enemies kept the formation, the distance between them, approaching at a distance of twenty-five meters, silently freezing.
— Who are you? — Sora asked bluntly, examining the newcomers. Fleur did not understand why he was talking to them, what answer he was hoping for, but she continued to watch silently, and if she got a chance — she would support the groom, help him. — You won't say anything? That's what I thought. — The boy looked relaxed and unconcerned, but the strips of paper on his arms, chest, stomach, and back shone softly in the darkness, hinting opaquely at his readiness for battle. — Well, we'll have to take one of you alive and have a good talk. — The boy nodded to his thoughts, which seemed to have been uttered for no particular purpose. The mages didn't react in any way.
For a while, they remained silent. Sora looked openly at the four mages, where they were looking was unclear because of the deep hoods and wide robes that hid their figures. It seemed that there was another possible outcome than a clash, but only for a moment, because a few seconds later, two of them stepped forward — the tallest and a head shorter, so a little above average in height.
The girl didn't even have time to notice when two half-meter long straight blades appeared in the hands of the smaller figure: here they were gone, and now they were already shining predatorily, pointing their stingers at the ground. The taller figure opened his robe, revealing a small triangular shield and a heavy mace, pulsating with purple symbols arranged in spiral lines.
— Thanks for the hint, — Sora nodded to the mages approaching him. — Now I know where to dig.
There was no reply, and the mages began to disperse, clearly intending to attack him from both sides without blocking the remaining attack sectors.
— I see that you are specialists, masters of your craft, and that is why I am offering you twice what you were paid — I just don't want mages of your level to die at the behest of envious freaks. I offer only once, so think carefully. — No one answered him, and it would have been strange if things had turned out differently, for as far as the girl knew, such secret structures, to which these fighters undoubtedly belonged, always had their own code and vows that no one in his right mind would break. After rounding the guy in an arc and going a little behind his back, the mages began to approach synchronously from both sides. — Well, I accept your answer, gentlemen and ladies, and therefore do not expect leniency....
For some reason, it seemed to Fleur that it was Sora who had been watching movies about super villains, and some of them had influenced him too much to start talking nonsense like that. Now we have to prepare for the fight, think about the strategy...
The girl forgot all about thinking, because at some point a snow-white line of light appeared in her fiancé's hand, which turned into a smeared line connecting his hand and one of the remaining mages. A blinding, merciless flash, a roll of thunder, and then a deafening silence. Everyone froze, obviously waiting for the blur to fade, but when the vision cleared, one of the figures was replaced by a small smoking crater, and nothing else.
When the girl looked at Sora, she noticed that his glove was smoking and smoldering, the fabric and skin badly burned, revealing a glimpse of metal wire.
— What, you thought only you could kill and you were immortal? — The guy asked in a strange tone. — Well, I hasten to disabuse you of that dream — it is not so! Have you changed your mind? Have you not? That's too bad. — Sora tried hard to hear the disappointment in his voice, which he tried to express by shaking his head, but she could not find it. Meanwhile, silver-blue sparks flashed around the man's hands, quickly transforming into two balls of fire or lightning balls. — Shall we begin?