Fleur gave herself a thorough once-over, even casting a detection spell just to be sure. Only after confirming there were no tracking charms on her did she reluctantly reveal herself.
Old tricks didn't matter. If they worked, they worked.
Back in the earlier maze stages, she'd used her unique Disillusionment Charm to dodge plenty of trouble. Naturally, it had become her go-to.
But against Dalaran's guards, it was practically useless. The drones flying overhead scattered golden dust that forced any intruder out of hiding.
Fleur wasn't exactly strong in a direct fight. It had taken a lot out of her just to shake them off and make it all the way to Karazhan Magic Tower.
She'd heard the noise from the rooftop even while climbing the lower floors, so she'd slipped back under her Disillusionment Charm again and crept up quietly.
And the second she reached the door, she'd been spotted by Kamio of Mahoutokoro.
"It's because I can smell you," the fox girl said with a sweet smile, casually revealing her secret. "There's a faint floral scent on you, Miss Delacour. And… that unique scent elves have."
"Elves?" Fleur frowned slightly, not understanding what the fox meant. She figured it was probably just bad English, some word she couldn't quite find. "Well, your nose is impressive."
"You've also got to have a few weird magical talents," Kamio said cheerfully.
"..."
"So what's going on here?" Fleur asked, glancing around. "From the way you're standing, it looks like you're blocking everyone else… helping Daphne clear the field?"
"Yep." Kamio nodded. "The young lady and I made a deal. She gets a fair fight with Ariana. Whoever wins becomes the final champion."
Fleur blinked, puzzled. "And what exactly did Daphne offer you to make you give up the title willingly?"
Kamio grinned and explained.
By the time she finished, Fleur was staring at her, dumbfounded, before casting an odd look at Daphne inside the hall, who was currently sending arcs of lightning everywhere.
Someone like that... really was rare.
Fleur looked Kamio up and down, then clicked her tongue.
She knew her limits. Direct combat wasn't her strength, and Kamio was far too mysterious. Even now, Fleur had no idea what her true power was.
At that point, competing felt pointless.
Even if she beat the fox girl, she still wouldn't stand a chance against the two monsters inside.
And she'd already noticed Daphne and Ariana glancing her way. They'd definitely realized she was here.
If she barged in now, the two of them would probably team up to take her out first, then settle things afterward.
In that case… might as well just give up.
Madame Maxime would probably understand the situation.
And she did. The moment Maxime saw Kamio willingly giving up her shot at the championship just to stop Fleur, she knew it was over.
With a helpless sigh, she accepted it and calmed down.
Still, both she and the audience were dying to know. Just what kind of deal had Daphne made to get Kamio to give up and clear out all the competition for her?
Tom had no intention of letting his family gossip spread everywhere. So the moment he sensed things going sideways, he muted the sound.
Still, he honestly felt a little bad. Was he really that cheap to be sold off by Daphne? This young lady was supposedly the first Miss Riddle... Tom felt like he needed revenge—maybe even marry Madam Zabini.
'Oh no, no, Tom. No matter how hot this milf is, don't throw your life away.'
Tom caught himself spiraling into dangerous thoughts and forced his attention back to the match.
...
..
"Then how about we just watch the show?" Kamio invited.
Fleur smiled and nodded.
So the two of them stood at the doorway, watching the battle unfold inside.
And it was clear that, purely in terms of dueling skill, Ariana was clearly superior.
Objectively speaking, they weren't even in the same league. Daphne looked clumsy by comparison, completely dragged along by Ariana's rhythm.
Every time Ariana dissolved one of her attacks and countered, Daphne often couldn't even react in time.
And yet, somehow, the battle was dead even.
If anything, Daphne's spells looked even more overwhelming.
The reason was simple... The two spells she had were ridiculously overpowered.
One was that bizarre energy-sphere barrier. It couldn't block everything, but it could absorb most attacks. As for the rest, her Patronus, which had been keeping the Obscurus tied down the whole time, could handle part of it too.
So even with Daphne's slow reactions, she was still managing comfortably.
Tom had practically force-fed her into becoming a stationary mage turret.
She didn't know many spells, but every single one hit like a truck. The moment she cast one, her opponent had no choice but to deal with it.
And now Ariana was trapped in exactly that situation.
Her attacks couldn't pose any real threat to Daphne. But Daphne's slow, sweeping large-scale magic forced Ariana to respond with absolute focus.
The amount of energy each of them had to spend wasn't even close to equal.
The fight was really brutal. In less than five minutes, both of them were nearly at their physical and magical limits.
Daphne especially. No matter how many potions she'd taken, her foundation was still weaker than Ariana's. The fact she'd held out this long was pure willpower.
Watching that, Tom suddenly felt absurdly emotional.
The wife he'd been raising all this time had finally grown up.
She could hold onto a conviction now, and see it through to the end.
"I'm done. Not fighting anymore." Just as Daphne was preparing another large-scale spell, Ariana's voice suddenly rang out.
Ariana raised her wand, casting only defensive spells as she retreated step by step, all the way back to the doorway. "Daphne Greengrass, congratulations. This championship is yours."
Daphne frowned, "Ariana… are you going easy on me?"
"No." Ariana shook her head. "It's the rules that held me back."
"I'm Gellert Grindelwald's student. He taught me plenty of dark magic. But under the tournament rules, I can't use any of it."
"With ordinary magic… I honestly can't think of a way to beat you."
Then she tilted her head toward the side. Over there, the Patronus had the Obscurus clenched in its hand like a ball.
.
.
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