The Bloodline Fusion Potion's transformation of the consumer's body was a long-term process.
It would continue to subtly alter Cedric's body over time until its potency was entirely exhausted.
This meant that the potion's maximum effect wouldn't be fully realized for at least a month or two.
However, as Cedric felt the massive surge of magic power within his body, his ego instantly began to swell.
A significant part of this was due to the dose of Felix Felicis he had just taken.
Otherwise, given his usual grace and concern for his image, he would never have been so arrogant as to point at Kyle and issue a challenge to a duel.
George and Fred, who were squatting nearby like manual laborers, both wore playful expressions on their faces.
A smile tugged at the corner of Kyle's mouth. "Are you sure?"
You're getting a bit ahead of yourself, little brother. Just took your meds and now you want to challenge me for the leadership of the Father-Vexing Alliance?
Cedric nodded with absolute confidence. "This time, I'm going to crush you."
"There's not enough room here," Kyle said, standing up and leading the others toward the vast fields outside the manor. "Let's take it outside."
On the open wilderness, Kyle and Cedric stood facing each other.
George and Fred stood at a distance to watch the show.
"Do you think Cedric can actually beat a freak like Kyle this time?"
Hearing his brother's question, Fred stroked his chin. "I don't think so."
In their usual sparring matches, if the twins didn't go into "full-throttle" mode, they couldn't beat Kyle even if they brought Cedric along as backup.
They couldn't exactly go all out with lethal force against Kyle either; that wouldn't be sparring anymore, it would be a life-and-death struggle.
And if it really came down to a life-and-death struggle, Kyle wouldn't even need to use the Grindelwald family's signature "blue stove" (Protego Diabolica). Just the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Rasengan alone would be enough to leave them dazed and confused.
Therefore, in the Weasley brothers' internal power rankings, the order was usually:
Kyle > The other three members of the Father-Vexing Alliance combined.
George = Fred > Cedric.
So, the two of them weren't particularly optimistic about Cedric. Wanting to triple your combat power just by taking a potion? Even a VIP member of "https://www.google.com/search?q=Dream-Big.com" wouldn't be that delusional.
Once George, acting as the temporary referee, announced the start of the duel, several spells instantly cut through the air toward Kyle.
Under the enhancement of the Hydra bloodline, Cedric's casting speed and power had increased significantly.
However, as the "Golden Flash of Hogwarts," Kyle's reaction speed was terrifying. Cedric's opening gambit failed to achieve any results.
Kyle simply clapped his hands together, shouting whatever came to mind.
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"
A wall of water a full thirty meters wide rose in front of Kyle, splitting the battlefield in two.
Cedric's spells hit the meter-thick curtain of water like stones sinking into the ocean; they couldn't even manage to kick up a significant splash.
Kyle reached out and slammed his palm onto the ground in front of him.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A cloud of white smoke erupted from the black runes. Lan, a Thunderbird with a wingspan that had already reached five meters, beat its wings and created a gust of wind as it soared straight into the sky.
Dark clouds began to rapidly gather overhead.
Kyle unhurriedly maintained the Water Encampment Wall, completely surrounding himself with the water barrier. No one could see what he was doing behind the curtain.
Cedric didn't dare to recklessly charge through the water wall to attack Kyle. If he burst through only to be met with one of Kyle's Rasengans, he'd be finished instantly.
Thus, he could only keep firing high-powered Blasting Curses into the water wall, hoping to blast Kyle out from behind his cover.
Under the control of the Thunderbird Lan, the weather on the plains quickly turned into a raging storm.
Lightning flickered within the clouds. A thick bolt of lightning tore through the air, followed by a massive roar of thunder that nearly shattered the eardrums of those below.
Cedric knew he couldn't afford to stall any longer. He surged a large portion of his magic and used Transfiguration to manipulate the earth, forming a twenty-meter-tall soil giant that charged into the water curtain.
This move was learned from Professor McGonagall; she had recently used this spell to grind a Hydra into the dirt.
Normally, Cedric's own magic wouldn't have been enough to sustain such a massive stone giant, but things were different now.
The moment the water curtain was breached, Kyle unhesitatingly changed the hand seals he was forming.
After only three short seals, the Water Encampment Wall instantly transformed into the Great Waterfall Technique, sweeping toward Cedric and his stone giant with overwhelming force.
But the stone giant seemed to have taken root, standing firmly in place without being moved an inch by the waterfall.
Kyle hadn't expected that move to do much anyway; his killing blow was still to come.
"Sage Art! Storm Release: Light Fang!" (Lai tong ke le!)
[Translator's Note: "Lai tong ke le" (Get a tub of Coke) is a Chinese homophonic pun for the Japanese pronunciation of "Raiton: Kōga".]
A beam of dark purple laser light shot from Kyle's mouth. With a quick sweep of his head, the highly corrective beam instantly sliced through the stone giant's legs.
After mastering the nature transformation of magic, Kyle had been researching the fusion of different magical attributes, attempting to recreate those fancy "Kekkei Genkai."
His best attributes were Water and Lightning, so when developing a Kekkei Genkai, he started by trying to fuse those two.
This "Storm Release: Light Fang" was the result of his research.
Cedric wiped his brow, cold sweat pouring down. If Kyle's laser had been just a bit lower, his handsome hairstyle would have been history.
Just as Cedric was about to launch a counterattack, refusing to back down, Kyle suddenly pointed toward the sky.
"Ced, stop. Look up."
Guided by the Thunderbird Lan, countless lightning bolts gathered within the dark clouds. A hideous lightning beast, Kirin, slowly poked its head out from the black mass.
Kyle's eyes were also tinged with the color of lightning.
Cedric: I get it now!
When did this freak Kyle develop such a terrifying magic?
He suddenly wanted to ask: is it too late to surrender?
Otherwise, if he took a hit from that, they probably wouldn't even be able to recover his ashes.
Kyle raised his arm high, and the ferocious Kirin in the clouds began to dance in sync with his movements.
Seeing Cedric with his hands raised high in a "French military salute," Kyle smiled and waved his hand to disperse the Kirin overhead.
The dark clouds vanished, and the weather returned to its original brightness.
Lan, the "tool bird" used to create the thunderclouds, flapped its wings and slowly landed on the ground.
Seeing Cedric approach to give it a pat, Lan—who had intended to act spoiled with Kyle—immediately tilted its head up haughtily. Its expression seemed to say: Human, you may scratch my itch now.
George and Fred immediately rushed over with the eager faces of sycophants.
Kyle pushed the two of them back irritably. "Don't even think about it. I was only able to perform that spell with Lan's help."
He pointed to the tsundere Thunderbird beside him. "Lan is its name."
Cedric put his arms around the Thunderbird's neck, scratching away. "Is Lan a Thunderbird?"
"Yes."
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