Chapter 27: Dueling Tournament, Part One

As the title suggests, it's a Dueling Tournament. It serves as a replacement for the Dueling Club from the original story.

Leo is planning to showcase his cheat-like abilities in this tournament.

Now, let's get into Chapter 27.

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The monster from the Chamber of Secrets has finally attacked a student. Normally, this news would terrify Muggle-born students. However, the victim has already been restored to health, and the identity of the monster has been revealed as a Basilisk.

Knowing the identity of the monster brings some comfort compared to facing an unknown threat. Furthermore, Leonard Taylor has completed measures to counter the Basilisk's deadly gaze, just like he did with the cat incident. He has created and distributed protective glasses for Basilisk eye defense. Wearing these glasses reduces the gaze's impact to a bearable level, preventing instant death. However, they don't protect against other dangers posed by the Basilisk, so caution is still necessary.

Despite this, it was a great relief for the students, and Ravenclaw was awarded 50 points for this achievement.

After that, there were no more Basilisk-related incidents. It seemed that the Heir of Slytherin couldn't act recklessly under the increased vigilance. Leo's monitoring crystals hadn't detected any suspicious entities either. For now, a peaceful school life continued.

In the latter half of November, the event for the exemption tasks that Dumbledore had planned was scheduled.

Held at the beginning of each month, students could register as teams or individuals to compete against Leonard Taylor in the Quidditch stadium. Matches would take place in registration order, with participants trying to fulfill the task's conditions, or the game would end if all students became incapacitated, surrendered, or when the time limit was reached. If no team member became incapacitated before the time limit, the team would earn 50 points for their house. Hearing this news, the students were excited about this new event.

Students who had seen Leo's abilities so far might have been discouraged, but when information came out that top-tier students were forming teams, expectations soared. In the end, senior student teams from almost all houses participated, as it was concluded that it would be nearly impossible for an individual to win.

On the first Saturday in December, all of Hogwarts gathered at the Quidditch stadium.

"Now, it's the Dueling Tournament! Will we see a hero who can defeat the unbeatable Leonard Taylor, who's beyond compared to Quirrell and Lockhart!? Commentary will be provided as usual by Lee Jordan. And for the analysis, we have Professor Flitwick from the Charms Department. Thank you for joining us!"

"I am Flitwick, who will be providing the analysis. Thank you.

"Now, let's introduce the teams in order of entry! First up is everyone's favorite, Hufflepuff's representative, the handsome Cedric Diggory, leading the Hufflepuff team!" 　

"Next, it's our Gryffindor team, who face challenges with knightly spirit! Do your best!"　

Next up is the Slytherin team, made up mostly of the Quidditch team! They have a whopping 50 members this time. Slytherin's spirit is all about winning, after all.　

Lastly, representing Leonard's house, it's Ravenclaw! They won't go easy on their own house, so be careful! 　

And, from Gryffindor's pranksters, it's Fred and George Weasley! What kind of tricky plays will they show us!? 　

Lastly, we have a solo entry! It's Gryffindor's brilliant student, the genius Hermione Granger!"

Applause was showered upon the entering players one after another.

On the opposite side of the arena, Leo entered. He showed no signs of nervousness in his stride or on his face; he was as calm as ever.

"Now, the final boss, Leonard Taylor, has also entered. Professor Flitwick, what are your thoughts? Are there any aspects of each team that we should pay attention to?"

"Well, let's see... For Hufflepuff, it will depend on how well Cedric Diggory can lead the team with his command abilities. Gryffindor has a good balance of students, but they need to be cautious of their teamwork. Slytherin has a significant number of participants, so they will need good coordination. Otherwise, they may quickly fall apart. Ravenclaw is the best in terms of individual combat power, even without dormitory favoritism. Whether that strength will be reflected in their team work remains to be seen. Weasleys from Gryffindor, with their outstanding combination, are expected to play around. Hermione Granger faces a one-on-one showdown, a true test of her abilities. Although she's just a second-year student, she's a considerable talent, so she's the one I'm most looking forward to."

"Yes, thank you very much. Now, let's get ready for the first match, Hufflepuff team."

Everyone, except for Hufflepuff and Leo, returned to the waiting room. To prevent any advantage for the latter team, the waiting room was designed so that the teams couldn't observe the match.

Cedric, the team leader, extended his hand for a handshake with Leo. He seemed as gentlemanly as he'd heard.

"I'll do my best, Taylor."

"I'll give it my all too."

When he said he would give it his all, Leo didn't intend to use all ten rings. He considered this the final test for the rings' functions. Leo and the Hufflepuff team, consisting of twenty members, stood 15 meters apart. They were ready.

"Preparations complete! Headmaster Dumbledore, please give the signal to start!"

"Very well. I hope for a fantastic match with all your might. So... begin!"

Hufflepuff, following Cedric's lead, spread out in a fan-shaped formation around their opponent. This formation was meant to avoid friendly fire with spells. Leo, on the other hand, stood his ground, observing his opponent's moves.

"Smokescreen!"

Half of them cast a smokescreen, obscuring their vision. The other half used magic to summon iron balls.

"Flipendo"

Iron balls were simultaneously launched at Leo. The sound of the iron balls clashing echoed through the arena. However, Leo didn't think anyone from the team had been taken down. He kept his focus without breaking eye contact with the smokescreen.

In the next moment, Leo burst out of the smokescreen at high speed towards one of the players at the edge. They were caught off guard.

"Stupefy, Paralyze them."

One player was immediately out of the match. He continued at the same inhuman speed, streaking along the formation, taking down each member one by one. From prior information, he knew that normal spells could be reflected or dissipated, but his opponents were getting flustered trying to cast spells in a hurry. They couldn't keep up with his speed, and one after another, they were defeated. When the fourth player was down, panic began to set in, but Cedric's shout pulled them together. They regrouped around Cedric, who was still standing. Half of their team was gone, but they hadn't given up yet. However, gathering in one place was a mistake.

"Corporis Elargiscequintia: Physical Expansion Sustain."

Under Leo's spell, all of them were crushed simultaneously. They attempted to counter with spells against the pressure from above, but Leo took advantage of their distraction. One by one, they were knocked down. Cedric was the last one left.

"Do you surrender?"

"Never. I'll fight till the end, even if the odds are against me."

His demeanor seemed more like that of a courageous warrior than a Gryffindor student.

Cedric created and shot a sword. Leo deflected it with a spell. Leo moved around him, casting spells one after another, which Cedric reflected. Cedric continued to fight, dodging Leo's follow-up spells. Everyone in the audience etched his battle into their memories. However, it didn't last long, and finally, either due to running out of magical power or physical strength, Cedric fell to his knees.

"You were amazing. You were the strongest student I've faced so far, Senior Diggory."

"Hahaha... but you still beat me."

"Well, my power also comes from magical items, to be fair. I don't think the difference in our innate abilities is this big. That's it then. Stupefy, Paralyze them."

"Game over! Diggory's final performance was incredibly intense. Everyone is giving him a well-deserved round of applause. Professor Flitwick, what did you think of that match?" 

"Hufflepuff showed great teamwork, and they were a formidable team. However, it seems they didn't fully comprehend the implications of their own smokescreen strategy. Taylor's counterattack easily dismantled them. Their decision to gather in one place after that was not a wise one either. But Diggory's final stand was truly impressive. It got me quite fired up, I must admit." 

"Thank you. Now, it's time for the entrance of the Gryffindor team!" 

The Gryffindor team consisted of fourteen members, mainly seventh-year students. It would be interesting to see what strategy they would employ. They confirmed each other's positions at the starting point. Dumbledore's signal to start echoed through the arena. 

The Gryffindor team seemed to be fighting in pairs, forming a single line. One member of each pair initiated the attack with a simultaneous Disarming Charm, which was naturally deflected, while the other member defended. This pattern continued without pause. 

The Gryffindor captain raised his voice, 

"No matter how excellent your defensive magic is, there will be limits! We've partnered with students excelling in both offense and defense. I believe this relentless assault will not stop until your defenses are worn out!" he said.

Every deflected spell was blocked, and the attack continued unabated. If things continued this way, even Leo's magical item's barrier would reach its limit! ... Or so they thought. Leo ceased the reflections, deploying another ring's defensive barrier. Without the reflections, the Gryffindor team believed they had broken through one layer of defense and switched entirely to offense. However, their spells vanished before they could reach Leo. Despite this, they believed they were still wearing down his defense. 

Ten minutes later, all the Gryffindor students were panting heavily from exhaustion. But Leo stood there, unchanged. Their captain raised both hands and declared, 

"We surrender! What the hell is going on!?" 

"Indeed, if my defense relied solely on reflection, you might have broken through. However, I have other defensive mechanisms in place. It's common sense to know the weaknesses of something you've created." 

"Damn it, what kind of defense is that?" 

"It's a secret. Analyzing and deducing it is part of this exemption task, after all." 

"Gryffindor team defeated! It's a shame, but we hope they'll try again for the House Cup. Professor Flitwick, do you have any insights into Leonard's defense?" 

"...." 

"Professor?"

"...Oh, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought. I have a rough idea, but no confirmation. Besides, if I were to reveal it now, it might provide hints, so I can't say." 

"Hmm, that's something we'd like to know. Well then, it's Slytherin's turn! Just like in Quidditch! will they corner Leonard with their no-holds-barred tactics?" 

Slytherin had formed their team primarily around the Quidditch team. Captain Marcus Flint spoke to Leo,

 "Don't think you can stay relaxed forever. We're going to crush you!" 

For the third time, the signal for the start of the match echoed through the arena. Slytherin had the first move. Lower-year students, clearly seen as expendable, charged toward Leo. They cast spells one after another, all of which were deflected and defeated. 

The senior students, on the other hand, summoned their brooms. It seemed they intended to fly high into the sky and wait until time ran out. 

"Whoa, Slytherin! What happened to your bravado from earlier? They will get away with it until the end of time! So, what's Leonard Taylor going to do!?"

"Hahaha! Even if we can't win, we don't have to lose! We just earned 50 points with this!"

Having dealt with all the students on the ground, Leo looked up at the fewer than twenty students remaining in the air. The Quidditch players were expected to be there, but it seemed other students had also been selected for their proficiency in handling broomsticks.

Leo attempted to cast a spell to knock them off their brooms, but spells were slower than brooms, making it easy for them to dodge.

(Using flight magic to shoot them down one by one might work, but it could be tight on time... I shouldn't use overly powerful spells or they might get hurt. Hmm... Maybe I can use the absorbed stock from the earlier Gryffindor match.)

Leo raised his hand. His actions didn't seem to target anyone in particular.

"Patentiestregi: Storage release. Expelliarmus: disarm, Stupefy, Statuspulvium: State rain."

A ball of light was released from his hand. It soared higher than the brooms and burst, creating a rain of spells. Leo had stored the spells absorbed with the "Absorb" ring during the previous battle and now released them all at once in the form of a rain of spells.

Startled by the sudden rain of spells, the students panicked and were shot down one by one, falling from their brooms. Leo had previously prepared the ground in a cushioned state, so there were no injuries, but most students were out of the match.

Only four students remained. Leo used flight magic at full power. Even Hermione could barely match the speed of a broomstick, and Leo surpassed that effortlessly. Even with the latest Nimbus 2001, there was no way they could win. It took less than three minutes for Leo to knock all of them off.

"The last one has been knocked down! Slytherin's defeat is confirmed. The strategy was passive, but survival time was unexpectedly good. Now, let's take a break and move on to the second half of the match. I'm sure it will be just as exciting, so keep your expectations high!"

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This concludes the Preface to the Dueling Tournament.

Since there were no descriptions of Quidditch, this marks the debut of Lee Jordan.

Cedric, despite being a fourth-year student, has been set up as quite a skilled wizard.

Leo's Ring Introduction Part ４:

- Absorption

The effect is just as the name suggests

It absorbs spells. The effective range is smaller than "Reflection." Therefore, it only affects spells close to the user.

There's a limit to the absorption, but it's essentially the individual spell's strength absorption limit. So, it's impossible to break through with weaker spells like disarmament or paralysis, no matter how many you cast.

You either need to increase your personal strength or use higher-level magic like Fiendfyre or Unforgivable Curses to breach it.

Even if you breach it, there is some degree of absorption, leading to a reduction in effectiveness.

Leo's Ring Introduction Part ５:

- Storage

It stores the spells absorbed with "Absorb."

The stored spells can be kept as they are or converted back into magical energy and saved.

You can use the stored spells as your own or use the magical energy as a power source for the ring.

It's not limited to storing absorbed spells, you can store spells manually as well.

The spellcasting in the Slytherin match, where Leo released them like rain, wasn't the ring's effect but Leo's own ability. The ring merely stores them.

Next time, there's the Ravenclaw match, the twins, and Hermione's battle.

Stay tuned for more chapters.