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The purple glow caused by my spell only lasted a few seconds, but when it dissipated, the maze was visible before me again.
Now, with my vision unobstructed, I could contemplate the trail of destruction left by my attack.
This spell, coupled with my previous earthquake spell, had turned this part of the maze into a scene of absolute chaos.
Crumbled walls, charred vines, and unrecognizable soil made it seem as if a cataclysm had occurred here.
However, even though the scene in front of me was surprising, none of that mattered to me. My gaze was fixed solely on Barty Junior.
The mad Death Eater lay in the center of a huge crater, his body covered in injuries and stained with his own blood.
His wand, which he had been gripping tightly since the beginning of the fight, was broken and lying just inches from his bloodied hands.
And with a cold and emotionless gaze I will just watch the fallen dark wizard from afar, seeing that he was defeated. Completely annihilated.
'It's finally over' I thought, relaxing a little but still not letting my guard down.
This victory caused a small feeling of satisfaction in me, as it was the first real fight against a truly strong and capable opponent I had since being reborn into this world.
But even though I was happy to have defeated Barty Junior, I didn't think it was that unexpected, as this was a result I had already predicted when he cornered me.
During my free time I had done some research on Barty Junior, and thanks to this research I discovered that during the First Blood Wizarding War, he was one of the main fighters under Voldemort's command.
And even before he was discovered as a Death Eater he had the reputation of being an excellent duelist, showing that he truly was a dangerous and lethal opponent.
And knowing this, I did not underestimate him or doubt his combat capabilities.
Even after years of inactivity, I was sure he still had remnants of his old skills. And if his strength wasn't the same, his combat experience would certainly make up for it.
However, in this fight against me, none of that made any difference, because Barty Junior made a serious mistake, a mistake that sealed his fate before the battle even began.
And that mistake he made was confronting me while he was still under the effects of Polyjuice Potion, using the body of former Auror Alastor Moody.
If he had used his real body before fighting perhaps things would have been different, but perhaps out of arrogance, carelessness or even sheer stupidity, he did not do so.
Moody's body was full of limitations, wear and scars, and because it was such a different body, Barty Junior was unable to fully utilize it to show all his power and skill.
He was not used to that physical structure, the different weight, the altered reflexes or the impaired movements, and this created a huge disadvantage for him.
And I, who noticed this weakness of his in the middle of the fight, took advantage of it without hesitation.
With every exchange of spells, every dodge, every impact, I easily suppressed him, as his body could not keep up with his sharp mind, and this gap was enough to ensure my victory.
In the end, it was not just my strength and skill that defeated him, but also his own recklessness and arrogance.
'Even with all these disadvantages he was still the most formidable opponent I've fought so far' I thought, acknowledging his skill.
But shaking my head I returned my focus to the present moment, looking at the defeated Barty Junior.
Realizing that the psychopathic impostor no longer posed any danger to me, I decided to approach him.
Walking calmly and cautiously I quickly reached him, and after standing in front of him I was able to better analyze his condition.
The Death Eater lying at my feet was bleeding profusely, with cuts, wounds, and burns all over his body, and I was sure most of his bones were broken or crushed.
And those weren't even his most severe and brutal injuries.
A large, grotesque burn covered the entire right side of his body, stretching from his waist to his neck and reaching part of his face. His left leg was in tatters, almost unrecognizable, and perhaps his worst injury was the lack of his left arm, torn off by my spell.
'This was the first time I used this spell on a living being and without restraining it, and I must say... It really is scary' I thought, not at all bothered by the bloody and traumatizing scene in front of me, worthy of a gore movie.
"Cough!... Cough!..." Barty Junior then coughed, choking on his own blood but showing that he was still alive.
But I knew that with his injuries it was only a matter of time, or rather minutes, until he perished.
"Well, you're tougher than you look," I commented, noticing curiously that what was keeping him alive in those last few seconds was his magic, which was dissipating into the air little by little.
"You're... not just... Cough... a monster... You're a freak... Cough! Cough!" he said weakly, looking at me with his one functional eye.
And I noticed that in his eyes and in his tone of voice there was no longer arrogance, contempt and fear, but rather fulfillment and acceptance.
"That's probably true," I shrugged at his words, "But maybe it takes a freak to end another freak," I said, a calm and indifferent look on my face.
"Heh, that's true," Barty Junior let out a small laugh, before grimacing in pain.
He then coughed up more blood, feeling as if his entire insides were drowned in this thick, red liquid.
And that was correct in a way, because one of his broken rib bones had pierced his lung, which was slowly filling with his blood.
Feeling enormous pain and knowing his critical and fatal situation, Barty Junior tried to control his breathing so as not to further damage his injuries.
And after doing that, he looked at me again.
"You know Night, you really are powerful... even more so than most adult witches and wizards I know."
"But your power... Cough... will be of no use in front of the Dark Lord"
"In the end, you... like so many other geniuses and talented wizards... who dared to challenge my master in the past... will also fall before his wand... Cough!" Barty Junior said, still maintaining his unshakable fanaticism.
And I didn't know if it was because he already knew of his impending death, but his tone carried a disturbing calm.
"Big words Barty, but just as I defeated you, I will also defeat your master," I retorted.
And hearing this, Barty laughed again, "Defeating me is not the same as defeating the Dark Lord, Night... The difference in power, skill, and cruelty between him and me is like a chasm... and that is not something you will be able to overcome."
"And besides, you must have already realized that my goal here was never to defeat you, but rather to delay you... which I can say I did perfectly... Cough! Cough!" he said, with a evil and satisfied glint in his eyes.
"And actually, instead of standing here talking to a dying man you should be worrying about that little Veela friend of yours... Although at this point maybe that doesn't matter anymore. Now she's probably buried six feet under" and saying that Barty Junior showed me a bloody and cruel smile.
But I didn't pay attention to his expression, because the moment he spoke about Fleur the world around me seemed to stop for a moment.
His words quickly seeped into my mind like poison, my heart racing and an overwhelming panic taking over me.
'Fleur...' I thought, realizing that I had been so focused on my battle against the magical creatures and Barty that I had ended up forgetting about her for a few moments.
But now that I thought back to the beautiful, calm, and cheerful French girl I had befriended earlier this school year, I felt a pang rise in my chest.
I realized too late that if Barty Junior had come to the maze to delay me, then he had also taken extreme measures to get rid of Fleur.
And now I had no idea of the situation or the state Fleur was in, and this made a fear settle in my heart.
'Damn' I cursed in my mind.
And ignoring Barty Junior in front of me who was looking at me sadistically, delighting in my distressed expression, I fully released both my physical and magical senses.
'Ugh!' immediately after doing this thousands of strong and dense sensations hit my senses.
And because it was so sudden, I not only felt great discomfort inside me, but also enormous pain and pressure, which made me grimace.
But resisting these sensations I tried to focus and concentrate all my attention on the maze, trying to look for Fleur's magical signature or anything else that could tell me where and how she was.
'Please be safe Fleur!' I begged.
End.
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