Invincible.
This was not Draco's blind confidence.
In fact, because of the Muggle books Hermione had brought, Draco had come to realize the importance of air superiority and had started training in that area long ago.
It could even be said that Draco and the others were among the earliest wizards in the wizarding world to come into contact with aerial combat.
And that did not simply mean sitting on a Broomstick and throwing out spells.
With experience built up over time, combined with Draco's extraordinary talent for flying, it was no wonder he could speak with such confidence...
As for these Death Eaters, according to their original plan, Barty Crouch Jr.'s side should have been foolproof. But unexpectedly, a variable appeared that no one had foreseen.
After all, compared to a wizarding village full of adult wizards, with the Weasley family of the light side stationed there as well, even with the werewolves' help, suppressing everything quickly was never going to be as easy as saying it out loud.
By contrast, the most Barty Crouch Jr. and his group were supposed to face here was a single adult wizard like Xenophilius.
Even though the intelligence before the operation had included an extra variable in the form of Draco Malfoy, the Death Eaters had never taken it seriously.
He might have a reputation as a genius, but that was nothing worth worrying about.
Only Barty Crouch Jr. would pay that much attention to a wizard who had not even graduated yet, and even take the initiative to personally handle this side of the operation.
After all, for Death Eaters who held little status in front of the Dark Lord, that was the only conclusion they could come to.
So when Barty Crouch Jr. furiously sent word to them, they still failed to realize what that actually implied...
"Crouch actually failed?"
"Could Dumbledore have arrived?"
"He was probably just careless."
"Enough talking. Hurry up and finish this. I do not want to face Crouch's wrath."
That last sentence seemed to remind them of something. The Death Eaters who had not been taking this seriously froze for a moment, then hurriedly flew toward Draco.
They might not have thought much of Draco, but they certainly did not want to bear Barty Crouch Jr.'s anger.
And so, as if suddenly recalling something very unpleasant, they abruptly sped up and charged toward Draco in a rush...
At Barty Crouch Jr.'s command, the Death Eaters riding Broomsticks, the ones responsible for blocking escape and guarding the area, all rose into the air without another word and closed in with wands in hand.
As the distance narrowed, Draco could already see the wands raised in their hands, along with the green gleam flickering at the tips.
These Death Eaters had no intention of talking or giving Draco any warning at all. They had come straight to kill...
Draco, however, did not feel the slightest bit nervous. He even had the leisure to analyze the situation.
"A loose encirclement. Forget coordination or formation, do they not even have basic command?"
Although there were quite a lot of them, Draco judged the situation immediately just by looking at the enemy figures flying over in twos and threes.
That faintly disappointed tone, however, made Ginny roll her eyes in a very odd expression.
Anyone who did not know better would have thought there was an army of thousands behind them...
"So full of holes. No tactics, no attempt to seize air superiority, and they just charge straight in recklessly. Could it be all of these people are wizards who came out of Gryffindor House?"
Naturally, for witches and wizards, that kind of analysis, which they had never even heard of before, left the two girls behind him looking completely lost. Ginny, meanwhile, felt a faint surge of annoyance even as she was confused.
If this were not the wrong moment, she would absolutely have punched Draco in the back.
What did he mean, all of them were wizards from Gryffindor House? Was he mocking those Death Eaters, or looking down on the Gryffindor House she belonged to?
More importantly, why had she, as a Hogwarts student, never learned any of this from a professor?
No.
She had never even heard of it before...
...
Just as the two girls were still confused, and Barty Crouch Jr. below was raging in fury, Draco suddenly tilted the Broomstick downward and, catching everyone off guard, burst forward in a violent acceleration.
"Stop them!"
"Do not let them escape!"
Killing Curses shot toward them from all directions. It looked like an extremely dangerous situation, but in Draco's eyes, those attacks posed no threat at all.
Useless.
These people not only lacked experience in aerial combat, they had also lost the accuracy they should have had while flying at high speed.
With only a few slight movements, Draco passed cleanly through the Death Eaters' encirclement and came up behind them.
There was Draco.
His slightly messy hair, tossed by the wind of flight, gave him a different kind of handsome charm. Beneath it, Draco's golden eyes shone brilliantly.
"Run?"
One hand pulled up on the Broomstick.
The other gave his wand a light flick.
That elegant posture seemed to say that they were nowhere near worthy of forcing him to flee.
This was...
"Alpha Dive!"
Because of Harry Potter, Ginny had some understanding of professional Quidditch techniques.
And the advanced move Draco was using at that moment was one of Quidditch's high difficulty diving maneuvers.
But compared to the professional Quidditch player who had created it, Draco seemed to bring it out even more perfectly.
Because while carrying out that aerial maneuver...
"Sectumsempra!"
An invisible blade slashed straight toward the Death Eater who, after losing sight of his target, had instinctively slowed his flight.
Just as he widened his eyes and tried to find Draco's position again.
In the next second, the blood staining the sky and the spinning Broomstick falling out of control made every Death Eater freeze.
"What happened?"
"Oggy!!"
The speed had been too fast. All anyone could see was blood spraying across the sky and the now riderless Broomstick spiraling downward.
But if you caught sight of that figure falling like a rag doll, you would realize in horror that he had already lost consciousness.
No, to be exact, he was already beyond saving.
A precise slash across the throat.
That Death Eater named Oggy did not even have the chance to leave behind any final words...
Ginny, seated behind Draco and having watched everything that had just happened with her own eyes, was left with her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
It was not because she had been frightened by seeing a dead person.
It was simply because what she had just witnessed was too shocking.
Only by experiencing it firsthand could someone understand just how difficult Draco's move just now had been...
Ginny murmured absentmindedly, her gaze unfocused.
"I finally understand why Harry and the others always looked so unconfident before competing against this guy."
That kind of talent.
It was enough to make anyone despair...