"Slytherin's Keeper is rushing to the goalposts as fast as he can, but he's too late to get back on defense!" Lee Jordan's magically magnified voice echoed across the pitch. "Ravenclaw's Chaser is about to score—wait—there's a Bludger right behind her!"
Just as the Ravenclaw Chaser wound up to throw the Quaffle, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air behind her. She decisively dodged to the side.
A heavy iron Bludger zoomed past, narrowly clipping her swinging golden ponytail.
"She noticed it! She only needs a slight shift to avoid it—she hasn't lost her chance to shoot yet!" Lee Jordan commentated rapidly. "Wait, something's wrong—why did she slam on the brakes?!"
The Ravenclaw Chaser breathed a secret sigh of relief. She was thankful for her sensitive ears; otherwise, that hit would have easily knocked her off her broom.
But her relief was short-lived. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a second Bludger hurtling toward her from the flank.
Quickly estimating the distance, she desperately yanked up on her broomstick to brake. The massive kinetic energy still carried her into a short drift, and the fast-flying Bludger slammed violently into her throwing arm.
Hissing in pain, she instinctively released the Quaffle. The pursuing Slytherin Chaser swooped in and snatched it away.
Her evasive maneuver had been perfectly predicted!
The Ravenclaw Chaser rubbed her throbbing arm. Thankfully, her specialized Quidditch pads absorbed the worst of the Bludger's impact, preventing a broken bone.
She shook her fist angrily at Damian; he was the Beater who had orchestrated that ruthless crossfire. Seeing her glare, Damian simply smiled, gave a polite wave, and banked his broomstick to chase after the rebounding Bludgers.
In terms of pure reaction time and seizing the offensive, the Ravenclaw Chasers were undeniably faster than Slytherin's. Recognizing this, the Slytherin team had tailored a brutal counter-strategy.
Instead of solely focusing on the Quaffle, the Slytherin Chasers aggressively shadowed their opponents. They prioritized blocking flight paths and stalling Ravenclaw's scoring momentum until an opportunity arose.
This strategy relied heavily on the Slytherin Beaters, who were vastly superior to their Ravenclaw counterparts. Damian and his partner had immediately taken absolute control of both Bludgers right after the kickoff.
Working in perfect tandem, Damian effortlessly funneled the Ravenclaw Chaser into a trap, allowing his teammate to steal the possession.
"It's Damian's Bludger!" Lee Jordan's voice boomed over the crowd. "He predicted her movement! He's playing on another level—he predicted her prediction!"
"Is he really that daring? If she hadn't braked so hard, she could have easily dodged that second Bludger! Damian has once again forced a turnover. Now it's Slytherin's turn to attack!"
"The Ravenclaw Beaters are being run completely ragged! They haven't managed to touch a single Bludger yet. They're just eating Damian's broom exhaust!"
Down below, Slytherin's captain, Marcus Flint, flew aggressively toward the opposing hoops with the Quaffle tucked under his arm. The two Ravenclaw Chasers pursuing him were ruthlessly boxed out by the remaining Slytherin Chasers.
Seeing his defense crumble, the Ravenclaw Keeper frantically dove to protect the central hoop.
Suddenly, a Bludger rocketed across the pitch and slammed directly into his midsection. The brutal impact knocked him backward, sending him spinning head-over-heels through the air.
If not for his veteran experience, he would have plummeted to the pitch. Gripping his broom handle with white-knuckled desperation, he barely managed to stabilize himself despite the blinding pain in his gut.
"Marcus is rapidly approaching the goalposts! He's completely shaken off his tails!" Lee Jordan yelled. "The Ravenclaw Keeper desperately needs to get back on defense!"
"My god! The Ravenclaw Keeper has just been blown away by a Bludger! He flipped several times—luckily, he didn't fall from the sky!"
"It's Damian again! He intercepted the Keeper's flight path in advance! The goal is wide open!"
"Congratulations to the Slytherin team for scoring the first goal and drawing first blood in this match!"
A deafening surge of cheers erupted from the stands. Even though Marcus had scored the goal, the Slytherin section was chanting a different name.
"Black! Black! Black!"
Marcus didn't mind the stolen thunder at all. As long as they won the Cup, he couldn't care less. He flew over, high-fived Damian hard, and laughed, "Brilliant hit!"
He turned toward the rest of the team, pumping his fist in the air. "Slytherin is going to win! Let's crush them!"
The Slytherin players found their lethal rhythm, and their subsequent offensive maneuvers became even more oppressive.
A Ravenclaw Chaser had barely received a pass when she was instantly double-teamed by Slytherin. Panicking, she was forced to blindly pass the Quaffle away.
The Quaffle arced through the air, only to be violently swatted off course by a perfectly timed Bludger.
Marcus Flint eagerly scooped up the deflected Quaffle. With the opposing defense in shambles, he easily lobbed it through an unguarded hoop for another ten points.
The Ravenclaw Keeper hadn't even recovered his bearings yet. His battered abdomen was still throbbing, leaving him too slow to react to the rapid-fire scoring.
Lee Jordan's voice pitched up in pure disbelief. "What is this?! Damian actually used a Bludger to intercept a pass! That's a maneuver you only ever see in professional leagues!"
"His aim is absolutely terrifying! Damian truly deserves to be last year's Best Beater. He is writing his own legend today!"
"That interception belongs on a list of the year's top ten Quidditch moments! Actually, scratch that—I suspect this year's top ten moments will just be a highlight reel of Damian Black!"
Thunderous applause rolled across the stadium. Even a few Gryffindors, who normally despised Slytherin, were clapping. It was an undeniable show of respect for pure, overwhelming strength.
That was the nature of competitive sports. Absolute skill commanded respect, and the crowd couldn't help but admire such a dominant display of power.
The Slytherin team swarmed Damian, high-fiving him and shouting their praises over the roaring wind.
"My touch is just pretty good today," Damian said with a modest smile.
In reality, it had nothing to do with luck. It was entirely thanks to his True Magical Perception. Because his expanded magical perception radius acted like a full-field radar, he could precisely track the subtle magical fluctuations of the Bludgers, Quaffle, and even the Golden Snitch.
This unique ability allowed him to effortlessly map the chaos of the pitch and move through the game like a shark through water.
"Great job! That play was brilliant!" Marcus shouted. "Keep the pressure on! Break them!"
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