Chapter 671 Evan Vs. Barty Crouch Jr
Evan waved his wand gently, and several trees around him came to life.
Ugly branches extended, twisting and turning into tree-men to block the path in front of Hermione, Ron, and Crouch.
"Come out, I know you're here!" Evan shouted. His voice echoed in the forest and spread far and wide.
Evan rested his wand against his chest and took two steps forward, seemingly unprotected, without any sort of physical defense.
He sought the spot where Barty Crouch Jr. could be hidden, ready to lure him out.
Barty Crouch Jr. was also looking for an opportunity to rid himself of Evan.
"The castle people will arrive soon. You don't have much time!" said Evan, scanning his surroundings.
His spirit was highly focused, and Barty Crouch Jr. likely wouldn't delay any longer.
The next second, the battle commenced!
Evan lunged forward to dodge a Killing Curse coming from the slope's side without warning.
He quickly waved his wand, and a magical barrier with silver water waves rose sharply from the air, clashing with the dark green light, creating bright sparks along with a strange sound of flowing water.
In the interval between his opponent's attacks, Evan swung his wand towards where the curse came from.
A dark blue light shot out from the tip of his wand and exploded, impacting a large tree in the distance. The tree trunk rapidly eroded and withered visibly...
Evan heard heavy footsteps. Barty Crouch had evaded his curse.
In the light of the surrounding fire, he saw a figure clumsily running towards the distant trees.
Evan did not give him a chance to breathe. He raised his wand high, and a pillar of rising fire erupted among the trees, five feet tall with a scorching temperature. Barty Crouch Jr. definitely couldn't escape if he hid there.
He had to give up hiding, and Evan saw Barty Crouch Jr. in the flames.
To avoid detection, he had used the potion to reverse Moody's appearance. A pale yellow mess but also a face as pale as paper with a crazy and twisted smile…
His body was burned by the flames, and there were no screams of pain, just a hint of excitement on his face.
This guy was truly mad!
Immediately, the fire pillar turned into a fountain, and splashes of water fell to the ground, turning into venomous insects.
They made a metallic sound, clustered together, and darted towards Evan.
The circular ring of fire, centered on Evan, expanded outward. Burned by the fire, the insects screamed in pain and contortion, then vanished into wisps of black smoke.
At the same time, the wind blew, extinguishing the light and fire Evan had created around him quickly, and darkness returned.
Both were panting and did not continue the fight, standing silently in place.
The recent confrontation allowed Evan and Barty Crouch Jr. to gauge each other's overall strength.
Neither could quickly best the other and they continued in the standoff, a situation undoubtedly favoring Evan.
Barty Crouch Jr. understood this too. He hadn't expected dealing with Evan to be so challenging, feeling a hint of anxiety.
Immediately, his gaze fell on Ron, Hermione, and Crouch, protected by the tree-men...
As the battle raged on, Barty Crouch Jr. dodged Evan's attacks and aimed towards Ron and Hermione.
A green curse collided with the tree-men, sending splinters of wood flying with a dreadful sound. They soon turned into a pile of dust.
Instead of continuing the onslaught, Evan had to stand in front of Ron, Hermione, and Mr. Crouch to defend them.
It wasn't necessary to defeat Barty Crouch Jr., he just needed to persist...
At that moment, Mr. Crouch suddenly stood up, as if spurred by the fight between the two sides.
He regained composure, pointing in horror at Barty Crouch Jr., not far off. His eyes were widened, and his body trembled.
"My dear father!" Barty Crouch Jr. said softly, licking his lips.
In the dim light, the cruel and eccentric smile on his face became more pronounced as he looked at Mr. Crouch with great interest.
"Help me... help me!" Mr. Crouch trembled. He lunged towards Evan, grabbed his robes, and cried out: "I must see Dumbledore... my son... the Dark Lord..."
"Damn it!" Evan struggled and conjured a shield. "I am helping you right now. Lie down there."
Mr. Crouch was completely unhinged and terrified for his son. He clung tightly to Evan.
Bang! A flash of red light hit Mr. Crouch. Evan had to push him aside to avoid being killed there...
Mr. Crouch released Evan and was blasted backwards, hitting a tree trunk hard, with blood dripping from his head.
"The Dark Lord has grown stronger. He has acquired a great malevolent power!" He fought to stand, flailing his arms, and ran screaming into the forest. "It's all my fault... my fault... I must tell Dumbledore... he cannot allow the Dark Lord to succeed..."
He soon vanished into the dense forest, with Barty Crouch Jr. hastily in pursuit.
Evan hesitated for a moment, looking at Ron and Hermione lying on the ground, and did not follow.
Mr. Crouch's fate was sealed. Barty Crouch Jr. would not let him escape.
Evan could not save him if caught now. Instead, he might endanger Ron and Hermione, who were present.
Though he despised himself for thinking so, it was in the interest of both parties to let Barty Jr. deal with Mr. Crouch.
He had to let the plan unfold as originally scripted, and the identity of Barty Crouch Jr. could not be revealed.
Evan was more concerned about what Barty Crouch meant by his final words.
Lord Voldemort had gained more dark and malevolent power! What strides had he made in his evil deity?
And why did Mr. Crouch suddenly run to Hogwarts? Crouch Jr. apparently received the news and anticipated him here.
Instantly, Evan thought of Caressio, or the outcome of the vampire's battle against Voldemort.
In other words, at this moment, he truly added a lot of trouble to both sides!
Evan checked on Hermione and Ron, who were merely unconscious, and Barty Crouch Jr. had not harmed them.
"Rennervate!" Evan whispered, pointing his wand at Hermione.
Hermione opened her eyes, looking bewildered, feeling she was lying against someone's legs.
Then she saw Evan and struggled to sit up.