Chapter 270: Slowing Charm
The phoenix tilted its head, flapped its wings, and puffed out its chest. Wade thought it looked like a proud child.
It didn't linger, just perched on Dumbledore's shoulder for a moment before flying off again, its wings fanning Dumbledore's hood.
"*Boom—*"
Amidst an explosion, a stone wall suddenly burst open, and a hideous snake head lunged out. Its flat head was covered in black and reddish blood, and both its eyes had been completely pecked out.
Fawkes swooped out, sweeping over the Basilisk's head. Its sharp talons mercilessly raked across the Basilisk's wound, and black blood immediately gushed out.
The Basilisk was practically insane with rage. It chased Fawkes, trying to bite it. Its enormous body was terrifying to any human, but it was utterly helpless against the small, agile Fawkes.
Wade said, "Even without help, Fawkes can handle the Basilisk on its own."
"But we can't take away the children's fun," Dumbledore said. "Besides, we can't let it collapse the tunnel."
Indeed, rubble was already falling from the ceiling of the adjacent tunnel.
Wade didn't know what spell the Headmaster had used; he only saw him wave his wand. The Basilisk, as if drawn by some powerful force, suddenly twisted its head. After a brief silence, its massive body quickly crawled back inside.
Wade and Dumbledore followed, maintaining a safe distance from the Basilisk.
They both used silencing charms to prevent their footsteps from attracting the Basilisk's attention.
Ahead was a very spacious area, with a ceiling even higher than the Great Hall in the castle. There were many stone pillars carved with coiled serpents, and at the very front stood a tall statue.
This room had been thoroughly ravaged by the Basilisk and Fawkes earlier. Many areas were damaged, rubble was everywhere, and even one of the statue's hands had been knocked off.
Currently, Fawkes was perched on the folds of the statue's clothing, proudly watching the Basilisk slithering among the pillars below.
The pain of having its eyes pecked out tormented the giant creature. At times, it listened quietly, seemingly searching for its enemy's location; at other times, it suddenly erupted in fury, forcefully crashing and striking, using this method to relieve its pain.
Suddenly, the Basilisk arched its body, tilted its head slightly, and stood silently in a pose that would usually be considered endearing.
Wade and Dumbledore also faintly heard footsteps coming from the tunnel.
The Basilisk suddenly became calm. It lowered its body, only its head still slightly raised, as if its eyes were perfectly normal. It slithered around the ground between the pillars, approaching the direction of the sound.
Its scales scraped against the ground, producing a faint rustling sound.
The Basilisk slightly opened its mouth, letting out a long sound like a person snoring—
"Hiss… ha…"
This sound was completely drowned out by the students' talking and walking.
They might have just learned that the Basilisk was a very dangerous creature, but subconsciously, they still had the mindset of participating in a challenge—
There was some nervousness, and some excitement.
"Merlin, that thing just now scared me to death!" someone said fearfully. "Let's just quit, okay? That Basilisk must be over twenty feet long!"
"Don't talk nonsense! If you want to be a coward, then leave!" another person said stubbornly. "I don't believe the school would let us participate in a challenge that could be fatal!"
"Why did you all come down without knowing anything?" another student said. "I just asked Professor… he said Headmaster Dumbledore would ensure the Basilisk's gaze couldn't kill!"
Hearing this, everyone immediately relaxed.
"Ha! In that case, isn't the Basilisk just a giant Ball Python?"
"Since we succeeded last time, we can definitely do it this time too! There are so many of us working together!"
"Be careful, its fangs are also deadly. Don't get bitten…"
The students' voices grew louder and louder, gradually approaching the entrance.
Although the Basilisk couldn't see, it skillfully hid in the shadows and stretched its mouth wide open, its long, slender fangs looking incredibly sharp.
The students walked in unaware. Perhaps because there were so many people, the first few weren't very cautious.
"Facing a thousand-year-old Basilisk… this is the best graduation ceremony I've ever seen! Much more interesting than 'analyzing the causes of goblin rebellions'…"
The speaking boy said with a laugh as he stepped into the room. His smile was still frozen on his face, and his eyes had already turned to extreme terror!
A massive mouth lunged at him!
The boy's mind went blank with fear, his body stiff and unable to move. He watched helplessly as the mouth, large enough to swallow him whole, bore down on him.
He felt as if time had stretched infinitely… he could even clearly see the pink soft tissue inside the Basilisk's mouth and its retracted tongue.
Suddenly, someone pushed him away and shouted loudly, pointing their wand at the Basilisk, "*Bombarda!*"
"*Boom—*"
Amidst ear-splitting screams, the battle between the students and the Basilisk finally began.
…
Wade naturally didn't get involved.
The Basilisk was terrifying to ordinary people, but since it couldn't handle Fawkes, it certainly couldn't handle Wade's Alchemy creature—the firebird Mihail.
He turned to Dumbledore and asked, "What was that magic just now?"
Just as the Basilisk was about to swallow the student, Dumbledore had suddenly used a silent spell that slowed the Basilisk's movements, giving the nearby person a chance to rescue him.
"Slowing Charm," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Want to learn it?"
Wade immediately said, "Of course!"
Dumbledore, while keeping an eye on the students, told him the spell. Wade analyzed it using his knowledge of Ancient Runes and found it very familiar.
"—The Slowing Charm?"
This was a spell they had learned in their first year.
"That's right, you could say it's an enhanced version of the Slowing Charm."
Dumbledore said with a chuckle, "When I was sixteen or seventeen, I discovered that combining Ancient Runes with the Slowing Charm produced a rather remarkable effect..."
"It sounds very useful," Wade said.
"Not always... You should know that for opponents whose magical power is similar to or greater than yours, this spell's effectiveness will be greatly reduced," Dumbledore reminded him.
"I understand."
Wade said, then twirled the wand in his hand, murmuring incantations as he practiced the newly learned spell.
So Dumbledore watched Wade while keeping an eye on the students.
This wasn't difficult for him, as Professor McGonagall and others had also entered the Chamber of Secrets to help protect the students and evacuate the injured.
Dumbledore watched as Wade's wand, within just a few minutes, transformed from clumsy imitation to smooth proficiency.
The flow of magic was initially awkward and tentative, but in what seemed like the blink of an eye, it became astonishingly adept.
The Basilisk, which had just sent a student flying, suddenly paused. A student in front seized the opportunity and shot a 'Diffindo' at it.
The Basilisk, of course, was not Diffindo'd; only a few scales flew off.
Dumbledore looked at Wade, who had quickly mastered the Slowing Charm, with an expression of deep admiration, praise, and a hint of something complex, momentarily at a loss for words.
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