HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 437

Chapter 437: Titan Scions

Sean had not used Boggart’s Shadow for some time, but that did not mean the spell had lost its edge. In the right circumstances, facing large numbers of enemies as he was now, it could be more effective than quite a few of his LV5MAX spells, so long as it was applied properly.

Using the Thorn Curse, he buried himself among the explosive growth of plants, then cast Boggart’s Shadow to show the giants and Death Eaters what they feared most: Ministry Aurors descending on them in force. Under that terror, giants and Death Eaters had turned on each other. The plan had weaknesses, though, and the biggest of them was the many‑eyed giant.

The giant who had awakened part of the bloodline of the hundred‑eyed giants was named Argos.

Those eyes could pierce invisibility and illusion alike. That blood‑born sight ignored spell levels and cut straight through Sean’s tricks. Without it, this battle would have been far simpler. He could have stayed invisible and carved through them with Sectumsempra, cutting them down one by one.

Sean dropped silently onto Argos’s shoulder. By the time Argos sensed something was wrong, it was already too late.

“Oranides will avenge me,” the giant snarled.

“He will have to live long enough,” Sean replied.

Sectumsempra.

Hissing lines of force sliced across Argos’s body. In an instant, his skin was covered in wounds. Every one of the dozen eyes scattered over his flesh burst open, blood spraying from each.

Argos’s physique was not weak, but he was built more for support than for direct combat. Against Sean’s razor‑keen Sectumsempra, he had no real way to endure. Under that flurry of invisible blades, all he could do was receive death with something like composure.

Even so, he was still one of the three great giants of the tribe. Sean’s kill had been very fast, but Argos still managed to do one last thing for his people before he died.

Oranides, the five‑armed giant king, had one fully developed arm on each shoulder and two more below. He was currently holding a Death Eater in all four hands, stretching the wizard’s limbs until the man screamed. With a final wrench, Oranides tore him into four ragged pieces. Three were flung aside. The fourth, with the head still attached, he stuffed into his mouth and began to chew.

He turned to spit out a strip of cloth stuck between his teeth and was just about to reach for another victim when Argos made his final move. A new eye opened in the centre of his palm, glowing faintly as it linked to Oranides’s mind. That last surge of power shattered the illusion that had enthralled him. The grip of Boggart’s Shadow fell away.

Oranides stared down at his bloodied hands, then at the giants and Death Eaters locked in a vicious melee around him. Argos’s last message poured into his mind. Fury twisted his features.

His roar rolled across the camp, carrying strangely. At its sound, the giants began to fight back against Boggart’s Shadow. One by one, they shook off the vision and came back to themselves. Weapons froze mid‑swing. They looked down at their own hands, then at the comrades they had been attacking moments before, and confusion washed over their faces.

“Wizard whelp!” Oranides bellowed. “I will eat you alive, piece by piece!”

“If you are capable of it,” Sean answered.

He followed the sound of the voice. Oranides turned and saw him sitting on Argos’s blood‑soaked corpse, perched casually atop the ruined head. His eyes bulged with rage, and he roared again.

Sean only smiled back and focused on the rewards his panel had just offered him from the fight.

The ordinary giants he had killed earlier had all granted similar abilities. Aside from a few useless skills like berry‑picking and basic hunting techniques, the only things worth noting were the talents Giant Strength and Giant Physique, and even those were below LV3. Useful, but nothing transformative.

Argos’s death, however, had given him a pleasant surprise.

Even so, what he saw from just those two was enough to please him.

[Duel Won!]
[Conditions Met: Victory Against Giant Opponent.]
[System Commencing Random Ability Extraction from Defeated Target: Hundred‑Eyed Giant Descendant (Argos).]
[Opponent Strength Assessment: High. Drawing Three Abilities.]
[Extracting...]
A crushing weight of brutal close‑quarters instinct and overwhelming physical power surged through Sean’s body, followed by a strange, pricking awareness—as if countless unseen eyes had opened inside his vision.
[Extraction Complete!]
[New Skill Acquired: Giant Battle Arts LV3]
[New Talent Acquired: Giant Strength LV3]
[New Talent Acquired: Titan Sight LV3]

Giant Battle Arts LV3 and Giant Strength LV3 needed no comment.

Titan Sight was Argos’s gift: the power to see through invisibility and illusions. It was also the specific ability he had gained upon awakening his Titan bloodline. Now, though, it had been folded into Sean’s Spirit Vision. The level had not changed, but with Titan Sight fused into it, his Spirit Vision had already diverged from the Bulstrode family’s original gift. In essence, it had become something stronger.

[Compatible abilities detected. Merging…]
[Spirit Vision LV3 + Titan Sight LV3 → Spirit Vision LV3 (Enhanced)]

If Argos’s talent could be subsumed into Spirit Vision…

What about the cyclops’s eye?

At that thought, the way Sean looked at the remaining giants grew sharper, more predatory. He reached into the Undetectable Extension Bag at his hip and took out two potions, downing them both in quick succession. Then he grinned at Oranides.

“Oranides, this is the path you chose. You bet your entire tribe on this, and now you will bear the price when it is wiped out.

“There are not many giant clans left in the world, but losing yours will not make much difference. Since you have decided to stand with Voldemort, do not blame me for cutting your line out at the root.

“An unstable tribe like yours has no reason to exist.”

“Wizard!” Oranides roared back. “We will not rot here in chains for you! The proud descendants of the Titans will never be slaves!”

“Titans…” Sean gave a short, derisive laugh. “Compared to the Titans of legend, you fall very far short.”

With that, both of them charged.

As they were about to collide, Sean’s body swelled, bones and muscles shifting. At the instant of impact, he transformed, becoming the White Serpent King of his Animagus form.

Boom.

Two colossal bodies slammed together, the shock of their clash sending an invisible shockwave rippling outwards.

Sean did not unfurl his wings immediately. For the moment, he chose to fight with his serpentine body alone.

The great white serpent twisted and coiled around Oranides at blinding speed, wrapping him up in the space of a heartbeat.

Oranides’s reactions were quick. All four fully developed arms grabbed hold of Sean’s body, muscles bulging as he forced his grip outward, slowly prying the coils apart.

Just as he was about to tear himself free, Sean snapped his wings open. Each wing was formed of countless thin, pale scales instead of feathers, far tougher than any plumage could be. With a single powerful beat, Sean heaved his entire serpent body sideways, wrenching Oranides off his feet and flinging him bodily through the air.

The Titan‑blooded giant king smashed into the mountainside with a thunderous crash.