Azazel finally stopped casting the spell.
The group slowly emerged from their emotional state, gradually letting go of each other.
Except for Nios, who remained unperturbed, the faces of the others were as red as ripe tomatoes.
Silence permeated the room for a while.
Finally, Nios broke the quiet: "Do you want to learn some combat techniques?"
Hermione, having somewhat composed herself, immediately responded, "I don't think we have any need for combat." Her tone carried its usual rationality.
Although Harry felt Hermione had a point, Hagrid's concealment always left him with a subtle unease.
"I think we can learn some," he cautiously began, "who knows, we might need it one day?"
Hermione was about to refute the necessity of learning combat techniques, but Ron interjected, his voice tinged with eagerness: "Exactly! It never hurts to learn more!"
Hermione looked at Ron strangely: "That doesn't sound like you. And," she raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over the training ground, "your Locomotor Mortis doesn't seem to have worked yet, has it?"
This made Ron's face redden even more.
He spun around abruptly, took a deep breath, and Nios's recent pointers echoed in his mind: "Empty your mind," "Willpower overrides," "Certain hit!"
He pointed his wand firmly at a moving dummy and uttered a low cry: "Locomotor Mortis!"
A white light flashed, and the dummy's two legs instantly stuck firmly together!
Ron turned around, raised an eyebrow triumphantly at Hermione, and gave her a provocative look.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him exasperatedly, then turned her gaze to Nios: "Alright. So, what are you planning to teach us?"
Nios stroked his chin, lost in thought.
The young Wizards in front of him were too young; instead of teaching them more advanced magic, it would be better to impart something more practical and fundamental.
A moment later, he had an idea.
"How about spell combinations?"
"Spell combinations?" Everyone was curious about this unfamiliar term.
"Yes," Nios explained, "this is a casting technique. Combining several different spells in a specific order and timing can achieve an effect greater than the sum of their parts."
His inspiration came from the combo techniques in games from his previous life. Although the Wizarding World also had improvisational fighting styles, for inexperienced young Wizards, this " rote" combination could quickly enhance their combat power, and they could adjust it based on experience in the future.
"I'll give you a demonstration." Nios said, walking and stopping ten meters in front of a dummy that was moving towards him.
Everyone held their breath, intently watching his movements.
The moment the dummy stepped within the ten-meter range, Nios moved! A fake wand instantly appeared in his hand:
"Locomotor Mortis!" White light precisely hit the dummy's legs, causing its movements to stiffen abruptly.
"Full Speed Repel!" Immediately after, a powerful push slammed into the dummy's newly stuck legs! The dummy, losing its balance, suddenly fell forward.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" The beam of the Levitation Charm struck the dummy's falling legs, pulling it sharply upward! The dummy's head hit the floor with a loud "thud"!
Nios's offensive didn't stop, his wand rapidly firing three red spells like a sudden storm towards the back of the dummy's head!
The dummy, dangling upside down by its ankles from the Levitation Charm, was utterly helpless.
"Incendio!" The scorching Flame Charm once again blasted its vulnerable head!
Two more swift red lights followed up!
Under Nios's precise combo, the dummy's head finally "cracked" and shattered, turning into a pile of debris.
Nios withdrew his wand and turned around.
Behind him were several faces filled with shock.
What shocked them was not the power.
Nios had clearly controlled the spell intensity just now; they could also perform these basic magic spells.
What shocked them was that these elementary spells, which they knew by heart, could unleash such terrifying destructive power when combined!
"Can…can we really do something like that?" Ron looked at the dummy's miserable state and subconsciously swallowed.
Draco's eyes flashed with brilliance!
He had always thought that only Dark Arts had such power, but he never expected that merely arranging and combining the most basic spells could achieve such an effect!
"Remember," Nios's voice became serious, carrying an undeniable tone, "when attacking an enemy, the first thing to consider is survival! When facing an enemy, you must go all out!"
"There is only life and death in battle! Don't hesitate at the brink of life and death, don't think about whether the opponent has family! Only by surviving are you qualified to feel guilt! The dead don't even have the chance to feel guilt!"
These cold but realistic words made even the softest-hearted Neville nod heavily.
"Was there anything you didn't understand about the demonstration just now?" Nios asked.
Hermione immediately raised her hand.
"Miss Granger, please state your question."
Hermione pouted, ignoring his teasing: "After you used the Levitation Charm and Flame Charm just now, what magic were those few red lights that followed immediately?"
Nios clapped softly: "Very good! Miss Granger has raised a crucial question, and this question can lead to a very important combat concept."
He looked at the confused crowd, a slight curve on his lips: "What do you think is most important in combat?"
Draco excitedly blurted out: "Is it the power of magic?"
"Yes, and no!" Nios shook his head, "Power can indeed determine the advantage between two sides, but it cannot completely determine victory or defeat!"
"The key to winning a battle lies in striking first! It lies in the seamless connection between spells!"
"Carelessly using the next spell before a magic fully takes effect might interrupt the former's effect! But we can't just wait! At this point, the technique I just used becomes crucial!"
Seeing the excited glint in their eyes, Nios revealed the answer:
"This is a basic casting technique you must master before learning spell combinations! I call it 'Blank magic'!"
"Blank magic?" The group exchanged glances, clearly having never heard of it.
"Yes, it has no special effects whatsoever, it's more like a Muggle firearm than magic!"
"This magic is very simple," Nios explained, "it's just releasing an extremely fast pure magic ball! It doesn't require an incantation, only pointing your wand at the target!"
Everyone showed surprised expressions again. Creating magic in the first year, and even a silent spell?!
"The method is very simple! Imagine a sphere of pure magic condensing at the tip of your wand, rushing forward, with a thin thread connecting its tail to your hand through the wand."
"When you 'cut' this thread with your willpower, the magic ball will instantly shoot out!"
He paused, adding: "When you become stronger, you can also try to shape it."
"You can imagine it as a sword or a dagger, and you can also change its color. However," he changed his tone, "shaping and coloring will slow down the casting speed and rhythm."
"In actual combat, I recommend you maintain the most concise and efficient form: a pure energy ball! The faster, the better!"