Quirrell let out a muffled groan, his pupils immediately losing focus. He felt as if a sledgehammer had struck his skull, the intense shock and pain making his brain go completely blank, almost instantly robbing him of any fighting ability. This forced him to interrupt the Shield Charm he had been about to cast.
Bang!
Dudley's fist connected solidly with Quirrell's chest, his physical strength fully displayed at this moment. Even trolls would be injured by Dudley's attacks, let alone a frail wizard like Quirrell.
A sickening crack echoed as Quirrell's chest caved inward, his ribs nearly shattered completely. He spat out a massive spray of blood, his already pale face now resembling white parchment.
Voldemort was both shocked and furious. He never expected Dudley's strength to have grown so dramatically in such a short time. This wasn't just magical application but extremely refined combat experience combined with mysterious abilities he couldn't comprehend.
Each of Dudley's moves was perfectly timed and interconnected. His attacks not only interrupted Quirrell's spellcasting but immediately flowed into the next assault without any breathing room, as if calculated with mathematical precision.
The strike that had devastated Quirrell should have been easily blocked with a simple Armor Charm. But Dudley had feinted, launching that terrible mental attack first, only delivering the physical blow after completely disrupting his opponent's concentration. Even Voldemort couldn't predict this entire sequence and react accordingly.
Especially that strange language. The magic it produced was incomprehensible even to the Dark Lord. He couldn't even be certain whether it was magic at all.
"Incendio!" After delivering his punch, Dudley immediately chanted another spell in ancient Hermes.
Bang!
Tremendous force suddenly struck back, blowing away both Dudley and the flames he had conjured. Voldemort was forced to use what little strength remained to control Quirrell's battered body.
"Stupefy!" The wand flicked toward Dudley.
Voldemort no longer had the energy to cast Killing Curses. He needed to ensure escape before more help arrived.
"Here's a gift for you!" Just as Dudley landed, Voldemort's attack descended. With no time to dodge, Dudley was well prepared and threw a piece of candy from his pocket toward Quirrell.
Whoosh!
When the candy struck, Voldemort felt a cold force enter Quirrell's body, causing the spell to weaken significantly. Dudley's body swayed slightly as drowsiness crept over him, like he hadn't slept for days and desperately wanted to collapse.
"No, can't sleep!" Dudley forced himself to remain alert. The weakened Sleep Spell wasn't enough to knock him unconscious, but it did slow his reactions.
Just this one exchange showed Voldemort's terrifying power. Even in desperate circumstances, his magic still affected Dudley despite being weakened.
Seeing that Dudley remained conscious, Voldemort didn't hesitate. He transformed Quirrell's body into black smoke and rapidly ascended to escape.
"Norbert!" Seeing Voldemort fleeing, Dudley immediately shouted.
The young dragon had already risen from the pond, shaking off water and minor injuries. Hearing Dudley's call, he immediately charged forward with wings spread, ready for flight.
Dudley's feet slammed the ground with tremendous force, launching him nearly eight meters through the air to land directly on Norbert's neck.
"Chase him!" Dudley commanded.
"ROAR!" Norbert bellowed and soared skyward in pursuit of the black mist. His speed was impressive, and the dragon also held grudges. Having been injured by that wizard, he was eager for revenge.
"Reducto!" Dudley cast magic at the fleeing shadow, but it was dodged.
Undeterred, Dudley continued his assault while giving chase, with Norbert occasionally opening his jaws to breathe scorching crimson flames. As a dual-sequence Beyonder, Dudley had considerable spiritual power reserves.
"Reducto!" "Stupefy!" "Incendio!"
Spell after spell flew from his position. Though all were dodged, they forced Voldemort to slow his escape and cast defensive magic, creating exactly the delay Dudley wanted.
The two engaged in an aerial chase battle above the Forbidden Forest.
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, chaos erupted.
"Oh my god! Look at the Forbidden Forest! What is that thing?"
"That's... a dragon?"
"What's happening? It's breathing fire! That's a real fire dragon!"
"There's a fire dragon in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Wait, there's someone riding that dragon!"
The entire school was in an uproar. It was the weekend, so everyone was free to witness the spectacle. The earlier black cloud had already drawn attention, and though it had quickly vanished, many students continued watching the forest.
Now they saw something unprecedented: a fire dragon with a human rider engaged in magical combat.
"Look, they're fighting!" "I can see spells being cast!" "What's happening?"
Exclamations filled the air as everyone realized something extraordinary was occurring in the Forbidden Forest.
"Move aside, let me see!" Snape finally emerged from the third floor corridor, having confirmed that someone had breached their defenses and stolen the Philosopher's Stone. His expression was thunderous.
However, upon seeing a fire dragon battling black mist above the forest, his mood darkened further.
"What exactly is happening..." Even Snape was confused. He knew nothing about any dragon. Was this Dumbledore's backup plan? Why hadn't he been informed?
No time for speculation. His body transformed into black mist and burst through the window toward the Forbidden Forest.
Simultaneously, other combat-capable professors throughout the school were alerted and quickly headed toward the disturbance.
Professor McGonagall, having received Malfoy's earlier message, was already at the forest's edge and clearly witnessed the aerial battle.
"Good heavens! That's... Dudley Dursley!" Professor McGonagall stared in disbelief at the figure mounted on the Norwegian Ridgeback.
She never would have imagined that under such circumstances, she'd see one of her own Gryffindor students riding a dragon into battle. If she hadn't witnessed it herself, she would have assumed she was hallucinating.
However, McGonagall quickly regained her composure. Regardless of where the dragon came from or why Dudley was riding it, the black mist he battled was clearly a powerful dark wizard.
Combined with Malfoy's report about their protected item being stolen, she immediately understood what had occurred.
Boom!
Professor McGonagall erupted with fury, transforming into white mist and rapidly ascending toward the battlefield.
"Stay away from my student!" A crimson spell burst from the white mist, shooting directly at Voldemort. Her angry voice echoed across the Forbidden Forest, audible even from Hogwarts.
Dudley noticed Professor McGonagall approaching from behind.
"Finally, reinforcements!" he thought with relief.
He'd been fighting alone for so long that he'd begun wondering if Dumbledore had completely abandoned the situation.
On the other side, after detecting Professor McGonagall and other powerful auras rapidly approaching, Voldemort no longer dared remain. He fled desperately toward Hogwarts' outer boundaries.
Suddenly, the black mist paused as he noticed movement in the forest below.
A centaur was there, carrying Harry and the others as they fled rapidly. But their direction wasn't toward Hogwarts but deeper into the Forbidden Forest. The previous battle had erupted so suddenly that when Dudley entrusted them to Firenze, the forest depths had been their only viable escape route.
"Capture Harry! Use him as a hostage!" Voldemort commanded.
Quirrell had recovered somewhat by now. After consuming some potions, he barely retained fighting ability.
"Yes, Master..." Quirrell's condition remained dire, but he didn't dare disobey Voldemort's orders and dove toward Harry and the others below.
"Damn it! It's Voldemort! He's caught up!" Harry noticed the situation overhead, his scar once again blazing with pain.
Firenze also spotted the diving black mist but at this point had no other options. He could only run while drawing an arrow and shooting it at the dark figure.
Obviously, such arrows had no effect on Quirrell.
"Damn it!" In the sky not far from Voldemort, Dudley also discovered Harry and the others, his expression turning grim.
He could fight evenly with Voldemort and Quirrell because they were unfamiliar with his abilities, allowing him to inflict major damage quickly. But with his current powers, protecting Harry and the others from both enemies would be extremely difficult.
Unless he once again used the Grade 0 sealed artifact: the Trunsoest Brass Book!