NOTE: Last day to avail the 15% Discount.
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The Grand Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had perhaps never been so silent before.
Not when students from three years were filling it up.
Darcie Malfoy, in her Slytherin robes, walked out of the crowd.
Using the short stairs at the end of the levitating platform, she climbed up and took out her wand.
A distinct thunder rumble in her ears.
In the ears of others, a majestic cry echoed as if a massive bird had let out a battle cry from miles away. It lingered in the back of their minds, making them ignore it like a distant, blurry memory.
Darcie looked down, her poisonous green eyes falling on the boy looking up at her.
Harry, Ron, Draco, Neville, and hundreds of students looked at Black with pity and relief in their eyes.
Pity because the outcome was almost set in stone.
Relief because with Black facing Darcie now, the others wouldn't have to face her.
Regardless of the emotions, Arlen Black found himself against Darcie Malfoy once more.
First, it was the matter with the Remembrall. Then, he, Harry, and Draco had worked together to defeat her.
Second, it was the Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin. There, too, Black and others had tried to cheat their way against her. They still lost.
Now, there was no one with him anymore.
No cheats would climb with him on the platform.
He must face Darcie by himself in front of everyone.
Black looked at the Headmaster, raised his hand, and shouted, "Sir!"
Albus Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "No, Mr. Black," he said, shaking his head. "No second turns."
Black's mouth twitched. "But sir…"
Dumbledore again shook his head. "No. The Cauldron of Mist is working properly."
"… Sigh!"
Surrounded by low chuckles, Black walked through the crowd, Harry and others patting him on the back.
Suddenly, amid the hubbub, Draco leaned over and whispered a word in Black's ears, making the latter's eyes pop out.
Black raised an eyebrow at Draco, but the young Malfoy had already melted away in the crowd.
Approaching the platform, Black jumped on it without using the stairs and took out his wand.
There were no rumbles or cries.
It was an ordinary Rare-grade Item, capable of holding a variety of spells.
The only thing that worked in Black's favor was that with Death's Artifact equipped, none could tell the difference between the Item and an original Wand from the timeline.
Now they stood with whiteness between them.
Madam Villanelle appeared behind Black, making the stairs disappear behind him.
Behind Darcie, Umbridge did the same, a nasty smirk dancing on her lips as she looked at Black.
"Oh, man!" Ron put down his head. "I can't look at this…"
Harry had already closed his eyes and taken off his glasses to top it off.
A pale-faced Neville had completely turned around, facing his back toward the platform.
Only Draco stood there, looking at Black and Darcie. There was no smirk or smile or frown on his face. He didn't even know who he wanted to win in this fight anymore.
But… against Darcie… what was even the point of thinking what he wanted or not.
Far, among the Slytherins, Daphne looked at Black with concern. She hadn't interacted with him much, but… she didn't want him to lose badly.
Hermione, on the other hand, wanted Back to lose; lose fast.
She didn't know why but whenever she saw him standing among or against Darcie and Daphne, she just wanted to punch him.
Sitting at the High Table, where the Professors always had their dinner, Dumbledore and the Heads of the Houses were also going through their own thoughts.
Snape had his head high.
The only thing he regretted was that he had been unlucky to not catch the three shameless Gryffindors when they had slammed a car into the Whomping Willow.
If it had been him, he would have done everything in his power to send them back home.
McGonagall's mouth was pressed into a thin line.
She looked at Snape, saw the smirk, and her lips became thinner.
Why must it be a Gryffindor? She thought, looking at Black who looked odd without his stupid smile. And against her…
Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick were just as relaxed as all the students who weren't on the platform in place of Black.
The Intra-School Competition had absolutely nothing to do with Houses.
Yet, with the constant and consistent rivalry between them, students, and even Professors, had turned it into a matter of prestige for one's House as well.
Unknowing, and shockingly, the two students under the attention of every one were also exchanging words. Just… not directly.
…
[Our pairing seemed to be deliberate] Black remarked.
The Echo—Darcie Malfoy—acknowledged.
After the last stint with Bankai, Kai and Black had decided to never undergo Total Unsynchronization. However, Kai still preferred not to indulge himself with Darcie's face anymore.
Instead, the Ad Infinitum had separated an Echo, letting it become Darcie.
The Darice-Echo interacted, learned, and thought as if Kai had never possessed the girl.
In a way, today's Darcie was much more like the true Darcie before the Darcie of Kai's non-Ad Infinitum days.
In this way, when Kai left, there were chances for Darcie to have memories, knowledge, and reasonings of her own — a long-term caution Kai had undertaken because of the combined suggestions of the Ad Infinitum and the Lucky Intuitions.
[The Order of the Immortal Lotus must be watching as well] Black added.
The Echo—Darcie Malfoy—acknowledged. [Probability: 56%]
[56.045%] Black corrected.
[Now you are just being mean…] Darcie said.
[I have never believed myself as a goody-good-kinda…] Black replied.
[… Item?] Darcie butted in, smiling.
Watching them from the ground, the students saw Darcie smiling at a blank-faced Black and gulped.
They remembered their previous face-offs.
None would blame Darcie for holding grudges.
[Let's put up a performance, then] Black suggested, looking at her.
[You said the exact words I had been processing]
[You sound like… you can beat me…] Black said, narrowing his eyes.
[What? You didn't mention the Probability of you winning the duel?]
[…] Black felt amused by the Echo. It was more and more becoming like an actual individual. And the more it walked on this lifelike path, the higher the Ad Infinitum's Proficiency would become. Let's give her a push, then.
[… Wanna bet?] he asked.
The Echo's smile vanished, making everyone gasp. [A 10% rise in my processing power.]
[3%]
[9.5%]
[2%]
[Alright. 3%]
Now, Black smiled, sending the students into a puzzled shock. [Active Unsynchronization?]
The Darcie-Echo smiled back at him. [Of course]
[Locking Calm] The Ad Infinitum beeped in both minds. [Locking Lucky Intuitions. Locking Synchronization between all Echoes. Locking Black's memory of System. Hibernating Black's AI…]
As Black's existence fell to become just another Echo, both he and Darcie blinked several times.
Suddenly, everything became too real for both of them.
When Darcie looked at Black, all she remembered was the humiliation.
When Black looked at Darcie, all he saw was a spoon-fed, spoiled, rich brat. Too intelligent to know anything else.
For once, as they looked at each other with no smile or frown, they realized they hated each other.
Black's hand moved. "Exp…"
Green lightning thundered around Darcie. "Depulso!"
Boommmmm!!!
The spell hit right on Black's chest with a shocking boom and sent him flying across the dueling platform.
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