Chapter 50: Triple Defense and Traps

"His speed is incredible, unbelievably fast! Merlin above, I can't believe it.

Riding only a Cleansweep Six, not even a Nimbus 2000 has this speed—Hufflepuff's players are chasing, chasing, but no one can catch up to him—even Diggory is chasing—can he stop him?

Oh, he failed—Alaric continues forward—Oh my, he dodged the goalkeeper—goal scored!! He scored again! Oh, he's truly a brilliant player.

In his first Quidditch match, within three minutes, he scored twice. I've never seen such a player; it's insane."

Alaric effortlessly turned around, exchanging high-fives with his teammates. Some older teammates even patted his head. They were ecstatic because Alaric's performance in the game told them—the era of Ravenclaw had arrived.

In the following matches, Alaric showcased his prowess. Although the broom's performance limited his top speed, he relied on his unpredictable changes in speed and precise positioning to steal the Quaffle from Hufflepuff five times in a row during their passes.

Each interception led to an unexpected goal, generating cheers from the audience. The players assigned to mark him were completely unable to keep up with his rhythm, repeatedly left behind.

Jordan's commentary, which was like putting the last shovelful of dirt on their graves, continued.

 "The current score is already seventy to zero. Hufflepuff is no match; they're in a deadlock—they can't attack, can't defend, can't even pass—facing this new talent from Ravenclaw, they can do nothing. 

They're facing an incredibly powerful hunter. The moment they show a slight flaw, they face a lethal blow!"

Amidst the cheers from the stands, there were also waves of boos, and it was clear who the target of those boos was.

"Damn... this guy."

"He's not an opponent at all..."

"Yeah we're no match for him..."

Hufflepuff's Chasers were already on the brink of a mental breakdown. Their actions gradually lacked strength, and their focus waned—they were approaching despair.

Faced with a situation where one person from the opposing team could break them apart, Diggory, as the captain, had to make a difficult decision: employ some special tactics to turn the tide.

He, along with two Beaters, would be responsible for marking Alaric, ready to double-team him at any moment. Meanwhile, the three Chasers had to fully expose themselves to the interference of the Bludgers, facing Ravenclaw's other two Chasers in a frontal attack to score.

This extreme tactic demanded the team abandon control of the Bludgers, cease searching for the Golden Snitch, and focus entirely on offense. Any slight mistake could lead to serious consequences.

For instance, if the opposing Seeker found the Golden Snitch without interference, immediately ending the match.

Or the offensive Chasers being repeatedly hit by the Bludgers in an unprotected state, resulting in severe consequences.

Of course, Diggory thought carefully before deciding to use this tactic. He believed that the two dangers mentioned above could be overcome in a short period: Ravenclaw's Seeker, Cho Chang, was still a second-year novice, talented but unlikely to find the Golden Snitch quickly. Thus, she posed no real threat to Hufflepuff.

Moreover, without the protection of the Beaters, the offensive Chasers could use a "penetration" tactic to ensure they were not harmed by the Bludgers in a short period—a strategy involving abandoning their formation and completely entering the opposing team's player formation.

In the chaotic situation where players from both sides were mixed together, the difficulty for the Beaters to accurately hit the Bludgers toward opponents without hurting their teammates was considerable.

Therefore, during the break in play, Diggory briefly arranged the tactics with his team.

As Hufflepuff served, Alaric noticed three big guys from the opposing team— one Seeker and two Beaters—staring at him fiercely.

He wanted to bypass them, go and compete with Hufflepuff's Seeker for the Golden Snitch, but these three individuals not only failed to do their job but also obstructed him.

Two Beaters attempted to double-team him from the left and right. However, he easily evaded their clumsy attempts: first accelerating his speed, then suddenly decelerating and stopping just before they collided.

The two Hufflepuff Beaters, unable to brake in time, collided with each other, almost falling off their brooms.

After that, Hufflepuff's players no longer dared to recklessly double-team him. Still, these three individuals continued to neglect their responsibilities, persistently entangling with him, preventing him from participating in the contest for the Quaffle.

On the other side, Hufflepuff's Chasers charged into Ravenclaw's team. They engaged in close combat with Ravenclaw's Chasers, two versus three.

This made it challenging for the nearby Beaters, who had already taken control of the Bludgers, to intervene.

Soon, Hufflepuff breached Ravenclaw's scoring area.

Hufflepuff's tactics were now apparent: Beaters and Seekers blocking him, separating him from his teammates.

Meanwhile, their three Chasers, taking advantage of a three-to-two numerical advantage, launched a frontal assault for a quick score.

Indeed, the opponents were not helpless weaklings in the face of this scenario.

Alaric nodded inwardly. This kind of adaptation was quite good, but it still couldn't stump him.

He signaled to Ravenclaw's goalkeeper and Chasers, and upon seeing his gesture, they immediately changed tactics, no longer focusing on struggling with the opponents but instead entangling with them, attempting to slow down Hufflepuff's offensive.

Next, Alaric gestured to Ravenclaw's two Beaters, and they nodded in understanding. They gave up interfering with Hufflepuff's Chasers through the Bludgers and instead directed the Bludgers toward Alaric.

At this moment, due to Alaric being entangled by the three Hufflepuff players, the distance between the four individuals was not too great.

Seeing the incoming Bludgers, Alaric calculated silently, taking into account the positions and speeds of the Bludgers, Hufflepuff players, and himself. Then, seizing the opportunity, he flew ahead of one of Hufflepuff's Beaters.

The sudden block by Alaric startled the Beater. He quickly changed direction before colliding with Alaric, but to his surprise, he was hit by the incoming Bludger, nearly falling off his broom.

Hufflepuff's triple defense against Alaric immediately revealed a flaw.

Cedric Diggory and another Beater were dodging another Bludger. Seeing this situation, they wanted to come forward to help, but it was already too late.

At this point, Alaric, like a released tiger or a diving dragon, immediately utilized his speed advantage, shaking off the opponents and flying toward his own half of the pitch.

At that moment, Diggory realized that, at some point under Alaric's provocation, the three of them had moved far from the center of the pitch. The group of Chasers and Beaters was quite a distance away.

Now they wanted to go back and help, but it was already too late.

Diggory couldn't help but sigh: Alaric truly deserved to be called a mastermind.

At that time, he found a way to deal with Alaric and thought he had succeeded.

Who could have thought that he would still be played in the palm of Alaric's hand.

This match was already a definite loss for Hufflepuff.

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