Chapter 121: I Will Treat You Gently

Upon hearing this, Lynn revealed a peculiar smile. "I will treat you gently."

Lynn's eerie smile made Irina instinctively swallow hard. 

Under the urging of Professor Snape, who was acting as the judge, Lynn and Irina took their respective positions at the two ends of the dueling platform.

"Watch closely, everyone. This may be your only gain tonight," Professor Snape turned towards the crowd of young wizards below, his face revealing a mocking expression.

Although the young wizards were quite dissatisfied with Professor Snape's attitude, they still focused their attention on the duel between Lynn and Irina.

They had not forgotten how Lynn and Irina had joined forces to defeat Voldemort's remnant last year, and they were naturally quite curious about this duel between the two heroes who had accomplished such a feat.

Under the watchful eyes of the young wizards, Lynn and Irina bowed to each other.

"Three... two... one!"

"Expelliarmus!" Lynn waved his wand, sending a red beam of light directly towards Irina, mimicking Snape's earlier movement.

"Protego!" Without hesitation, Irina cast a Shield Charm on herself the moment the duel began.

However, being well-acquainted with Lynn's combat tactics, she knew that Lynn's Disarming Charm, when accompanied by an incantation, would be far more than just a simple Disarming Charm.

Therefore, after casting the Shield Charm, Irina still rolled to the side.

As expected, Lynn's Disarming Charm collided with Irina's Shield Charm, causing both spells to explode simultaneously. However, a grayish-white beam of light emerged from behind the original red beam of the Disarming Charm, breaking through the air!

This grayish-white beam had been concealed behind the Disarming Charm earlier, and even from the observers' perspective, it was difficult to spot unless one looked carefully.

The grayish-white beam narrowly grazed Irina's robes as it flew past, striking the platform and creating a small crater.

At this point, Irina, who had rolled to the side, had not yet risen when her wand flicked three times in succession, unleashing a trio of non-verbal Freezing Charms that shot towards Lynn and the areas on either side of him.

These three Freezing Charms restricted Lynn's movement, forcing him to confront Irina's spells head-on.

Reluctantly, Lynn had to wave his wand and cast a non-verbal Shield Charm to block Irina's spells.

However, as Irina's specialty was the Freezing Charm, even Lynn's Shield Charm would shatter and dissipate upon collision.

After Lynn's defensive move, the tide of the battle shifted!

Irina stood up, and her wand moved in a flurry, sending four or five beams of different colors towards Lynn in rapid succession, all of which were non-verbal spells.

Lynn narrowed his eyes slightly, waving his wand to release spells in defense while changing his position.

Any spells he could dodge, he evaded with his precise footwork; those he couldn't avoid were blocked by his Shield Charm.

As Lynn cast the Shield Charm with his wand, his left hand waved, and a raging inferno rose into the air, enveloping Irina from all sides.

The Firestorm Spell! This was Lynn's most proficient spell, not just in combat but also in every instance of Alchemy, where he needed to use the Firestorm Spell to fuse various materials.

After countless practice sessions, these flames were as easy for Lynn to control as an extension of his own limbs!

"Aguamenti!" Feeling the intense heat surrounding her, Irina struggled to incant the spell.

A stream of water erupted, countering the surrounding flames.

However, Irina's Water-Making Spell, despite her affinity for ice magic, was no match for Lynn's Firestorm Spell, fueled by his fire elemental affinity.

The raging flames continued to press towards Irina, attempting to suppress her living space.

Irina felt reluctant to accept this. Aside from her magical abilities, Lynn also possessed various methods of combat utilizing Alchemy.

Did this mean she lacked the ability to force Lynn to use his Alchemy skills?!

Although she possessed a special affinity for both ice and plant/creature magic, without having tamed powerful magical creatures or acquired magical plants for combat purposes, her talents remained unrealized.

"Glacius Maxima!" Irina uttered a low cry, releasing the same spell she had cast during Lockhart's first Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Upon sensing the familiar chill, Lockhart, who was observing from below, instinctively shuddered.

Countless shards of ice crystallized under Irina's feet on the dueling platform, spreading outward in all directions, while an icy mist also expanded through the air, attempting to counter Lynn's flames.

The area within a five-meter radius around Irina had transformed into an icy tundra, yet beyond that, she was surrounded by an endless sea of flames.

"Hmm?" Witnessing this icy domain, Lynn couldn't help but feel surprised. Even his flames were unable to penetrate this bizarre realm, at least for the time being.

He hadn't expected Irina to have already reached the level of creating her own spells, while Lynn himself had been fixated on Alchemy, somewhat stagnant in his magical development...

As Lynn reflected on himself, his hands never ceased their movements.

His left hand continued to control the raging flames, driving them towards Irina, while his right hand, gripping his wand, traced intricate patterns of golden light in the air.

Yes, he was preparing to use Alchemy!

In truth, in terms of magical prowess, Lynn, with his fire elemental affinity, and Irina, with her ice elemental affinity, were not far apart. Lynn's true strength lay in his vast combat experience and battle tactics.

Earlier in the duel, Lynn had indeed suppressed Irina by utilizing his experience and skills.

However, now that they had resorted to their respective specialties, Lynn naturally needed to employ his other abilities to break the stalemate.

The Restricting Fire was undoubtedly unsuitable for such an occasion, so he would have to rely on his Alchemy skills.

Two Alchemical Formations hovered on either side of Lynn, and with a wave of his wand, countless golden beams shot towards Irina from these formations, averaging several dozen beams per second.

Lynn had already unleashed his trump card, leaving Irina with no means of resistance.

Countless golden beams tore through Irina's icy domain like paper, while the surrounding all-encompassing flames also surged in at the same moment, converging on Irina.

Sensing the threat of death from all sides, Irina closed her eyes in fear.

"Finite Incantatem!" However, death did not arrive. At the first lick of flame upon her hair, Lynn cast the Spell-Ending Charm, instantly dissipating all the spells he had conjured.

Irina opened her eyes and, upon realizing she was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at Lynn with a resentful gaze, feeling somewhat aggrieved. "You said you would treat me gently!"

(End of Chapter)