Harry Potter: I am the Legend

Boom!!

As the deafening explosion erupted, every teacher, along with the prefects, dashed out of the castle, attempting to cast defensive spells to secure its safety.

Unfortunately, the blast came too swiftly and unexpectedly, far beyond anyone's anticipation.

Before they could even raise their wands, the ancient protective wards began to crumble under the relentless assault. Even the castle's massive iron gates were ripped from their hinges and hurled skyward.

Crash!!

More earth-shattering detonations followed, filling the air with thick smoke that billowed like a massive sandstorm. Scarlet flames flared vividly, blooming like clusters of mesmerizing yet deadly flowers.

The explosions were relentless. Buildings collapsed in quick succession, and shards of stone and debris rained down like meteors, mercilessly striking the wizards gathered in the castle grounds.

Above it all, the figure of Silby, perched on metallic wings, pointed excitedly at the fleeing crowd below and asked Hoffa, "Look at them! Don't they resemble a herd of sheep?"

"They're people! Lives!" Hoffa roared in fury.

"Lives?"

Silby sneered. "Only the most naive fools would call these beings 'lives.' Hiding away in a corner of Scotland, ignorant and indifferent to the world's conflicts, clinging to a fragile existence—that's not how humanity should be, Bach!"

Wham!!

Hoffa answered with a heavy punch to Silby's face.

"Don't even think about it! I will never let this happen!"

"Ha ha ha! And what can you do, Hoffa?!"

Silby turned his head, laughing wildly despite the blow. The fiery explosions edged closer, illuminating his ash-gray hair and casting his face in an almost demonic glow. In Hoffa's grip, he continued his maddened laughter:

"You're powerless! You couldn't protect me before, and now you can't protect your friends—or this school!"

Hoffa's expression darkened. He let go of Silby, who, along with the Hogwarts Orb, plummeted toward the ground.

Meanwhile, Silby flapped his wings, rising higher into the sky. As his laughter faded into the distance, so too did the students' screams and the teachers' desperate shouts from below.

All that remained was the ever-encroaching inferno and waves of destruction, reducing Hoffa's options to one single, desperate choice.

This year had brought him countless failures, but this time, he could not fail.

Taking one last deep breath, Hoffa forced himself into a meditative state, calming his mind against the chaos. In this moment, his desires and resolve reached their zenith.

Closing his eyes, he felt a torrent of magical power surge through his body.

As the all-consuming flames reached him, Hoffa's lips moved. He spread his arms wide, his form resembling a human crucifix.

"Talico—Skita."

The incantation unleashed an enormous burst of magical energy from every fiber of his being, forming a massive spherical shield.

The shield glowed a brilliant, transparent blue, radiating a light so intense it was almost blinding.

Then, he opened his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the shield expanded from the size of a man to a radius of ten meters, fifty meters, one hundred meters—eventually reaching a staggering radius of one kilometer.

It forced the flames and debris back, shielding the castle.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Relentless explosions battered the shield, sending waves of fire, shattered stone, and raw energy crashing against it.

Under the blazing moonlight, Hoffa's shield outshone everything. He became a protective dome, encompassing much of the school and standing firm against the torrent of fire and destruction.

But the effort came at a cost. The magical energy drained from his body rapidly, the dial on his magical watch plummeting: 5X, 4X, 3X, 2X, 1X.

In the epicenter of the chaos, sweat poured down Hoffa's face as every muscle in his body trembled under the strain.

It was his first attempt at the Shield Charm, and already he had pushed it to its absolute limits. Even with the mental focus granted by meditation, his spirit was stretched to its breaking point.

Every passing second of the explosion felt like an eternity.

In the reflected firelight, teachers and prefects stared in stunned awe.

Finally, it was Dumbledore who broke the spell of inaction. He shouted decisively:

"What are you waiting for? Everyone, channel your magic to support him!"

The authority in his voice was undeniable. Without hesitation, the teachers and prefects raised their wands in unison. Streams of magical light shot from their wands, converging on Hoffa's shield.

As their power joined the shield, it grew larger, brighter, and more stable.

Yet it still wasn't enough. The explosive forces were too overwhelming. Cracks began to appear on the shield's surface—first one, then two, then four, then eight. The cracks widened, allowing flames to seep through.

Inside the castle, chaos reigned. Students scrambled in panic, desperate to reach the safety of Slytherin's underground chambers.

"Oh no!"

Amid the pandemonium, Aglaea suddenly bolted toward the castle grounds. Miranda tried to grab her but failed, shouting after her:

"Hey, calm down!"

Her voice was lost amidst the commotion, and she was jostled by the panicked crowd. Furious, Miranda shoved past the throng and leapt high, landing in front of the entrance to the Slytherin dungeons.

Stretching her arms wide, she blocked the path of those attempting to flee.

Gathering her magical energy, she spoke coldly:

"Everyone, follow me outside."

Her icy tone froze the crowd in their tracks, silencing the chaos for a moment.

"What's wrong with you?!" someone shouted angrily.

"Get out of the way! Are you insane?"

The students' protests erupted anew, with a group of Slytherins shouting profanities at her.

But Miranda's response was simple and chilling:

"Move back, or die."

Her words carried a grim authority that sent shivers through the crowd.

"Are you crazy?" a blond-haired boy yelled, stepping forward to push her aside. It was none other than Abraxas Malfoy.

Before he could finish his sentence, five towering, armored sentinels armed with spears and shields descended from above, blocking the Slytherins' retreat. One sentinel moved with lightning speed, driving its spear through Malfoy's shoulder and pinning him to the wall.

Malfoy screamed in pain, only to have his voice silenced by a Muffliato spell.

"Move back, or die," Miranda repeated mercilessly.

Her unyielding stance stunned the crowd into submission. A terrified Hufflepuff stammered,

"W-what are you trying to do?"

Miranda's voice was steady and cold as ice. "Go outside. Help."

Behind her, another row of blue-armored sentinels appeared, sealing off any chance of escape.

BOOM!!

At the moment the explosion erupted into the sky, all the teachers, along with the prefects, rushed out of the castle in an attempt to cast defensive spells to protect it.

But alas, the explosion was too sudden, too fierce, exceeding all expectations.

They had barely raised their wands when the ancient defensive spells began to crumble under the relentless force of the blasts. Even the castle's ancient iron gates were blown sky-high in an instant.

CRASH!!

Several more deafening explosions followed. Thick, rolling smoke rose like a massive sandstorm, surging into the air, accompanied by crimson flames that bloomed like hauntingly beautiful flowers of the underworld, each vying to outshine the other.

The roar of the explosions was relentless. Buildings collapsed one after another, shattered stones and debris falling like a meteor shower, mercilessly raining down on the wizards in the hunting ground who had raised their wands.

High above, amidst the chaos, Sylby flapped his metallic wings, pointing at the crowd below, and excitedly asked Hoffa, "Look at them. Don't they look just like a herd of sheep?"

"These are lives!" Hoffa roared.

"Lives?"

Sylby sneered, his voice dripping with disdain, "Only the most deluded people would call these creatures lives. They cower in the remote corners of Scotland, indifferent to the world, living numb and stagnant lives, thinking they can avoid the conflicts and chaos of the world. This is not how humanity should live, Bach."

THUD!!

Hoffa responded with a heavy punch to Sylby's face.

"You can forget it! I'll never let this happen!" Hoffa bellowed.

"Hahaha! What can you do, Hoffa?!"

Sylby turned his head, laughing maniacally even as Hoffa's punch landed.

The flames of the explosions drew closer and closer. Sylby's gray hair fluttered wildly in the fiery light, his face glowing with a dangerous heat. Beneath Hoffa's grasp, he laughed uncontrollably:

"You can't do anything! You couldn't save me before, and now you can't save your friends or this school!"

Hoffa said nothing, his expression somber. He released Sylby and the Hogwarts Orb from his grip, letting them fall.

Then, Sylby flapped his wings, floating higher and higher. His wild laughter faded as he fell, merging with the diminishing screams of the students and the angry shouts of the teachers in the school below.

Surrounded by the encroaching fire and shockwaves that compressed every inch of his existence, Hoffa had no wand—Sylby had taken it—and his choices were few. Perhaps there was only one.

He had failed many times this year, but this time, he could not afford to fail.

The endless sea of flames and ceaseless explosions drew nearer. Hoffa took one last deep breath, forcing himself into a state of meditation and unnatural calm.

In that moment, his desire and conviction reached their peak, forged in the crucible of crisis.

Closing his eyes, he let magic surge wildly through his body.

As the consuming flames engulfed him, Hoffa's lips moved slightly. He spread his arms wide, standing like a human crucifix.

"Talico—Scita."

The incantation surged forth, unleashing immense magical energy from every fiber of his being, forming a spherical shield around him.

The shield shimmered with a transparent blue light, so bright it was blinding.

He opened his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the shield expanded from the size of a single person to a diameter of ten meters, fifty meters, one hundred meters, five hundred meters, and finally, a thousand meters.

It forcefully separated the flames.

As the shield swept across the surroundings, the despair etched on the faces of the prefects and teachers turned to astonishment.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

The infinite power of the explosions, carrying debris and raw energy like cannon fire, collided with the shield in waves as unstoppable as mountains falling into the sea.

At that moment, the moon above paled in comparison. Hoffa stood, transformed into a massive spherical shield, covering more than half the school and blocking the infinite fire and explosions with sheer will.

The magical energy drained rapidly from his body. The needle of his magical watch plummeted: 5X, 4X, 3X, 2X, 1X.

At the center of the explosion, Hoffa's veins bulged on his forehead, every muscle in his body trembling.

It was his first time using the Shield Charm, and he had summoned one of such immense scale. Even with the mental reinforcement of his meditative state, his spirit was stretched to the breaking point.

He funneled all his power to the limit—beyond the limits of the human body, beyond the limits of life, and even beyond the limits of his mind.

Every second felt like an eternity as the explosions raged on.

The fiery light and the shield's defiance were etched into the eyes of all who beheld it.

In the crowd behind Hoffa, Dumbledore was the first to react. With unwavering authority, he commanded, "What are you waiting for? Everyone, channel your magic and help him!"

His voice brooked no dissent. All the teachers and prefects immediately raised their wands. Bright beams of light shot skyward, merging with Hoffa's shield.

With every beam that struck the shield, it grew larger and brighter.

But even with the combined power of the teachers and prefects, it wasn't enough. Under the relentless onslaught of the explosion's fiery tongues, cracks began to appear in the shield.

One crack. Two. Four. Eight. Sixteen.

The situation grew dire. The overwhelming energy of the explosion widened the cracks, allowing flames to seep through.

Meanwhile, inside the castle, students ran in panic, desperate to find refuge in the Slytherin dungeons from the sudden catastrophe.

"No, no…"

Watching this, Aglaea bolted toward the hunting grounds. Miranda tried to stop her but couldn't, instead shouting in vain behind her, "Hey, calm down!"

Her voice was swallowed by the chaos, drowned in the cacophony of the explosion and the terrified screams.

Miranda shoved aside a student who bumped into her, leapt high into the air, and landed at the entrance to the Slytherin dungeons.

With arms outstretched, she blocked the path of everyone trying to escape the Great Hall.

Calmly gathering magic into her voice, she spoke icily, "All of you, come outside with me."

Her chilling aura froze everyone in their tracks.

Some hesitated, but Miranda's resolve did not waver. Her iron will forced even the reluctant to join the fight, gathering strength to push against the darkness that threatened to consume them all.

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