The attacker who had been hit by the Petrification Charm was as stiff as a board, tumbling off the rooftop like a rolling stone before landing with a loud clang on the cobblestone street below.
The middle-aged wizard and the hooded woman seemed shaken. But Nolan had no intention of letting them escape. Swiftly, he leaped off the roof after dodging two arrows and dispelling another curse, positioning himself to cut off their retreat.
There had been three attackers initially, and one had deliberately stayed out of the fray. Nolan had wisely avoided engaging them directly. But now, only two remained—a traditional wizard and an archer. To Nolan, neither posed any real threat.
Mid-air, Nolan twisted his body, delivering a devastating kick aimed squarely at the hooded woman. At the same time, he fired off a spell: Expelliarmus!
A flash of red light struck the middle-aged wizard, hurling him five meters back and sending his wand spinning through the air.
The hooded woman tightened her lips and braced herself, planting her feet firmly and raising her composite bow to block Nolan's kick. The moment his foot connected, the bow shattered into fragments. She was sent flying as well, though the bow had absorbed much of the impact. Rolling as she landed, she sprang back to her feet with startling agility.
"Flexible—unnaturally so," Nolan murmured under his breath.
Once again, he darted toward her at high speed. She dodged, and Nolan launched another kick.
This time, his kick missed and struck the brick wall behind her.
Boom! The force of the kick blasted a gaping hole into the wall.
The hooded woman, now on the defensive, darted and twisted to avoid Nolan's relentless attacks. Her movements grew more frantic as the walls around her began to resemble Swiss cheese, pockmarked with various-sized craters from Nolan's strikes.
"You're at the end of your rope," Nolan said coldly. Shifting his stance, he stepped forward with his left foot, rotating his body to unleash a powerful spinning kick.
"...!" The gust of wind from his kick blew back the woman's hood, revealing a burst of golden light.
Momentarily blinded by the brilliance, Nolan instinctively squinted. Vampires, by nature, had a vulnerability to bright lights. This fleeting lapse in concentration allowed the woman to evade his kick. His foot struck the wall once more, and this time, the entire structure collapsed with a deafening crash.
"Crucio!"
A dark curse flew at him from behind. Nolan clicked his tongue, spinning around to block it with a Barrier Charm.
The middle-aged wizard had recovered his wand and re-entered the battle.
Nolan sneered coldly, his voice low. "I always thought wizards were spineless cowards..."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned back to the hooded woman, who had hastily pulled her hood up again. He launched another kick, sending her hurtling into the distance before sprinting toward the wizard. A barrage of curses came flying at him, but Nolan deflected each with ease, closing the distance in an instant.
With a single punch to the chest, Nolan struck the wizard squarely.
Crack! Crack! The sound of breaking ribs echoed. The wizard coughed up blood as he was thrown back violently.
Nolan raised his wand, and the arrows the hooded woman had previously fired rose into the air. All thirty of them hovered ominously, their pointed tips gleaming.
"Pray that you survive this," Nolan said coldly. "Sagitta Tempestas!"
Nolan flicked his wand downward, and over thirty arrows whizzed through the air, striking the wizard with sickening precision. Thud! Thud! Thud! Blood sprayed in every direction as the arrows pierced his body, turning him into a grotesque, porcupine-like figure.
Turning his crimson eyes back to the battlefield, Nolan scanned his surroundings swiftly. He spotted the hooded woman dragging the petrified man away in retreat. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he muttered, "Attacking me and then trying to run? Who do you think you are?"
He took a step forward to give chase, but before he could move further, the sound of sharp crackles—like popcorn bursting—echoed through the air. Five wizards in black robes Apparated onto the scene.
The newly arrived wizards—Aurors, by their appearance—stared at the gruesome sight in stunned silence. The man was a horrifying mess: blood streamed from every orifice, and arrows protruded from his arms, legs, chest, and even his head. His body lay twisted and mangled, as if not a single bone remained intact. The scene was so grotesque that even these seasoned Aurors—experts in hunting down dark wizards—found themselves unnerved.
"We detected the use of the Unforgivable Curses in this area…" the lead Auror began uncertainly, his gaze shifting to Nolan. It seemed impossible to him that such carnage, and the use of forbidden magic, could have been caused by a mere boy.
Nolan glared at the five Aurors, his fury evident. "Don't block my way," he growled.
But the moment the Aurors had arrived, the hooded woman had seized the opportunity to vanish with her companion. They were nowhere to be seen.
"That's not going to happen," said the lead Auror, his tone heavy with self-righteousness. He raised his wand, pointing it directly at Nolan. The other four Aurors followed suit, their wands aimed squarely at the boy. To them, Nolan was clearly the prime suspect responsible for the carnage.
Nolan narrowed his eyes, realizing that any chance of catching the fleeing pair was gone. Clicking his tongue in frustration, he dropped his gaze back to the battlefield. The area had been utterly destroyed, reduced to rubble and debris from the earlier fight. Amid the chaos, a glint of gold caught his eye.
Bending down, Nolan picked up a single strand of golden hair.
"What is this… gold? Hair made of gold?" he muttered to himself, holding the strand between his fingers.
The golden strand was dazzling, as if it truly had been crafted from precious metal. Nolan had seen blonde hair before—like that of Gryffindor's Alicia Spinnet—but human blonde hair always had a cheap, straw-like quality. This, however, was different. It was pure, radiant, almost luminous.
He studied it intently, feeling a faint magical energy emanating from the strand. It was clear to him that this wasn't the hair of a witch but of a magical creature, similar to vampires in nature. It explained the woman's incredible archery skills and superhuman physical abilities. Yet, for now, he couldn't identify exactly what kind of creature she was.
Meanwhile, the Aurors grew increasingly agitated. They had never encountered such an audacious suspect.
"Hands up! Drop your wand, you filthy dark wizard!" one of the Aurors barked furiously.
The sole female Auror frowned and muttered, "Hey, Pierce, calm down. Can't you see? He's just a child. There's no way someone his age could have used an Unforgivable Curse."
Pierce snorted indignantly. "You've seen ordinary kids this calm at a murder scene? For all we know, he's some centuries-old dark wizard who's used twisted magic to turn himself into a child!"
Nolan tucked the golden hair into his pocket and, with a frown of irritation, spoke in a low voice. "I don't mind being doubted or even hated, but I won't tolerate being threatened with a wand. Who do you think you are?"
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