"I have to say, your trinkets are beyond my expectations. They're able to withstand my Memory Charm, which some adult wizards can't even do," Lockhart said admiringly.
He had expected Ivan to be caught off guard and have some of his memories wiped, as other wizards were.
He did not expect Ivan to be able to detect his attack in advance and even cast a spell to reflect his Memory Charm.
Fortunately, the anti-curse cloak he had bought for a large sum of money was more useful than he had expected, and was able to ward off the reflected Memory Charm.
This was partly due to Lockhart's prediction, but also because he realised that he was no longer the impostor he once was.
"So you're going to use what I gave you against me?" Ivan asked.
"I'm sure you didn't think this day would come when you were making these, did you?"
Lockhart looked very pleased with himself, but when he saw Ivan's calm expression, his expression changed, and he smiled and took two steps back.
"Don't tell me you left a back door open?"
"I wouldn't do such a thing…" Ivan shook his head. He was not skilled enough in alchemy to leave a back door open without being seen.
Lockhart was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Ivan continued.
"But why do you think I didn't make myself a set of magical objects…"
"Isn't he short of money?" Lockhart asked curiously.
"Of course not!" Ivan's face darkened, and he raised his wand.
"Now, I'm going to give you a lesson. The truly powerful people in the wizarding world don't just pile up on crooked stuff… I thought you said it had good soundproofing."
Lockhart raised his eyebrows, not quite sure what Ivan meant.
"Godspeed Shadowless!" Ivan whispered, and cast the Godspeed Shadowless Charm, which had been enhanced with enchanted runes.
Several invisible magic waves cut through the air, emitting strange sounds…
The moment the tip of Ivan's wand lit up, Lockhart's face changed and his hair stood on end.
He vaguely recalled an encounter with a Dark Wizard in the jungles of Romania, whose powerful destructive charm had nearly killed him…
Even so, the threat that the spell posed to him was not as strong as this one!
"It's full of obstacles!" Lockhart knew that dodging was useless, so he gritted his teeth and cast the Obstacle Spell.
Lockhart's potential burst forth in the face of danger, causing the magic to go berserk once more, transforming into a dark blue fireball that whizzed forward…
Lockhart had never been happy about losing control of his magic, but this was an exception!
This represented his life force:
Lockhart, however, looked on expectantly.
The dark blue fireball, which he had high hopes for, was cut in half almost instantly, then sliced even smaller in the air by something invisible, and vanished.
Lockhart's face froze, then filled with terror. He could not see what Ivan had done, there was nothing in front of him!
But that's what made the fear creep through him like a vine…
Fast … too fast …
Lockhart sensed death approaching and activated his protective cloak in the nick of time.
The magical barrier rose around Lockhart again,
There was also a small sense of security, but it was all shredded in the next moment…
This time, the solid magical barrier was easily cut through by the invisible blade, as if it were made of paper.
A buzzing vibration sounded in Lockhart's ears, and something seemed to have cut his cheek…
Just as Lockhart was beginning to despair, the feeling of impending death suddenly vanished, leaving him stunned…
The next moment, the table behind him was cut in half and fell to the floor with a dull thud. The mirror further back was cracked and the petrified wood carving had its head cut off.
Even the pictures hanging on the wall were no exception. In them, the Lockhartites had long since gone elsewhere, leaving behind blank frames that had been cut in half.
Lockhart turned his head woodenly and gasped at the sight…
"I…" Lockhart looked back at Ivan and dropped his wand without a trace of dignity. He was about to say something when Ivan spoke again.
"Hang the golden bell upside down!"
The recently damaged cloak did not protect Lockhart this time, causing him to lose control and flip over. He mistakenly thought Ivan was going to attack him and shouted in panic.
"Stop… stop! You can't kill me! I'm a Rank 3 Medal of Merlin, an honorary member of the Dark Arts Defence League, and a five-time recipient of the Most Charming Smile award for Defence Against the Dark Arts professor…"
Lockhart rambled on and on, going so far as to introduce himself in the usual fashion.
"No, you're just a liar who uses Memory Charms." Ivan crouched down and pointed his wand at Lockhart's nose.
"I'll give you five hundred, no, a thousand Galleons!" Lockhart shouted as Ivan's wand began to glow.
"Two thousand!" Ivan added.
"Of course!" Lockhart nodded without hesitation.
Ivan was frustrated for a while. It seemed he had once again underestimated Lockhart's financial resources.
However, Ivan estimated that Lockhart had crossed the line with 2,000 Galleons, and Ivan was worried that Lockhart would go back on his word and cause trouble in the future.
After all, this is Hogwarts, Dumbledore's territory,
Ivan knew very well that he could expose Lockhart as a liar, beat him up, but not kill him at will…
Ivan waved his wand, disarming Lockhart and setting him down.
Lockhart got to his feet, trembling, and instinctively reached for his wand.
However, before he could touch her hand, Lockhart pulled his hand back, worried that Ivan would misunderstand… and raised his hands high to show that he was harmless, a look of fear and fear on his face.
The powerful Traceless Magic completely shattered Lockhart's unrealistic thoughts.
Lockhart then realised what Ivan had meant by that,
The young wizard in front of him was warning him that even if he had these seemingly powerful magical objects, they would not be a threat to him…
The mere thought of lifting his wand could destroy everything he relied on…