Slytherin had already done everything possible.
Now the outcome depended entirely on whether Gryffindor could break through all his defenses.
If he won this duel—
Then he would rightfully take the title of strongest duelling wizard of the century from Gryffindor.
And perhaps…
Just perhaps…
Ravenclaw would finally look at him differently.
But even if he lost—
That was acceptable too.
Continuing to remain beside her as a companion was already a kind of happiness.
Meanwhile, Gryffindor slowly stepped forward surrounded by blazing golden flames.
"If this is your final trump card," he declared confidently, "then victory belongs to me."
The instant he finished speaking—
He moved.
BOOM.
A streak of golden light exploded across the battlefield at terrifying speed.
The afterimage left behind actually lingered where Gryffindor had stood a full second earlier.
Bang!
His fist smashed directly into the first diamond-shaped barrier.
The defensive construct exploded instantly.
Bang!
The second barrier shattered immediately afterward.
Several magical shields were kicked apart as though made from paper.
Slytherin's eyelids twitched violently.
Only now did he fully realise how absurd Gryffindor truly was.
Trying to stop this monster using ordinary magic was practically meaningless.
At this speed, even locating Gryffindor accurately enough to cast spells had become nearly impossible.
And even if a spell connected—
Would it even hurt him in this current state?
Slytherin honestly wasn't sure anymore.
Now his only hope rested with the four summoned knights guarding him.
If even they failed—
Then he truly had nothing left.
Soon, Gryffindor crashed directly into the purple knight guardians.
The battle instantly became brutal.
The summoned knights proved unbelievably durable.
Even after taking direct punches from Gryffindor, their armour merely dented slightly instead of shattering completely.
Slytherin's eyes brightened immediately.
It works!
The four knights attacked with perfect coordination, constantly covering one another's openings while trapping Gryffindor within a relentless assault.
For the first time in the duel, Gryffindor's advance slowed visibly.
Yet instead of frustration—
Gryffindor laughed excitedly.
"As expected of you, Salazar!"
His grin widened dangerously.
"These toys are incredibly sturdy!"
Then suddenly—
The red glow surrounding his fists intensified dramatically.
Countless fist afterimages exploded into existence across the battlefield.
The pressure generated by the attacks became so terrifying that Slytherin involuntarily shut his eyes.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—
The sounds of fists colliding against armour echoed continuously throughout the Room of Requirement.
Even the battle between the golden lion and black serpent gradually stopped as both magical beasts instinctively turned to watch the terrifying melee unfolding nearby.
Several seconds later—
The four knights exploded apart simultaneously.
Their armour shattered into countless fragments before dissolving into purple light completely.
Silence filled the battlefield.
Slytherin stared blankly at the remains of his destroyed summons.
His face gradually turned pale.
At this moment, he genuinely began questioning reality itself.
Was this really still considered wizardry?
Then Gryffindor walked slowly toward him through the shattered battlefield.
A frighteningly cheerful smile rested on his face.
"I've won," he declared proudly.
"You're finished, Salazar."
For some unknown reason, looking at Gryffindor's current expression caused unprecedented fear to rise within Slytherin's heart.
Instinctively, he began stepping backward while waving both hands frantically.
"Don't come any closer."
.....
Nearby, Logan felt his worldview collapsing entirely.
Originally, he thought both founders' combat styles already looked absurdly out of place in the Harry Potter universe.
But now?
Compared to Gryffindor, Slytherin suddenly seemed completely normal.
Gryffindor himself was the truly insane one.
Was this genuinely a wizard?
What kind of wizard ignored enemy spells completely, stacked dozens of enhancement buffs onto himself, then solved every problem by physically punching through it?
Logan silently compared the founders against modern wizards.
Compared to Slytherin, Dumbledore might still have a chance of victory.
But compared to Gryffindor?
Absolutely impossible.
If Godric Gryffindor still existed in modern times, Voldemort probably wouldn't even dare dream about resurrection anymore.
He would quietly retire somewhere peaceful instead.
That man was simply unreasonable.
.....
The memories accelerated once more.
Following the earth-shattering duel hidden forever inside the Room of Requirement, Hogwarts strangely returned to normal life.
No one else ever learned what happened that night.
But afterward, Slytherin became increasingly irritated by Gryffindor's constant attempts to behave like some warm-hearted emotional support puppy around him.
Meanwhile, Logan finally noticed something deeply wrong.
This memory fragment had supposedly been extracted from Ravenclaw's diadem.
So logically—
Everything here should have unfolded primarily from Ravenclaw's perspective.
Yet almost the entire memory focused on Slytherin instead.
His emotions.
His struggles.
His experiences.
These weren't Ravenclaw's memories.
They belonged to Salazar Slytherin.
That immediately raised another question.
Why would Slytherin's memories exist inside Ravenclaw's diadem?
If the two founders had secretly loved one another equally, perhaps it would make sense.
But from everything Logan witnessed so far…
This relationship was entirely one-sided.
Slytherin loved Ravenclaw desperately.
Ravenclaw simply didn't understand him.
Logan increasingly felt he was approaching some hidden truth.
Perhaps—
The real reason behind Slytherin leaving Hogwarts.
.....
Time continued passing rapidly.
Hogwarts grew increasingly famous throughout the magical world.
Wizards from distant regions frequently visited seeking assistance with dangerous magical problems they couldn't solve themselves.
Then one particular memory suddenly stabilised.
Inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts, a wizard wearing black robes desperately requested help from the four founders.
According to his story, a gigantic cave had suddenly appeared within the mountains near his village.
Strange whispers emerged from inside constantly.
People who approached the cave became inexplicably drawn toward it.
And once they entered—
They vanished completely.
No bodies.
No traces.
Nothing.
Unable to solve the mystery themselves, the local wizards came to Hogwarts seeking help from the four greatest magical figures alive.
After hearing the situation, the founders agreed immediately to investigate the strange cave personally.
And the moment that decision was made—
The entire memory world suddenly began collapsing.
The sky cracked apart.
The scenery shattered like broken glass.
Logan immediately understood.
The memory fragment was ending.
His body gradually faded along with the collapsing world.
But just before everything disappeared completely—
A final voice echoed painfully through the darkness.
Salazar Slytherin's voice.
Filled with regret unlike anything Logan had heard before.
"I regret everything."
"I regret my weakness."
"My arrogance."
"My foolishness."
His voice trembled faintly.
"If only I had stopped them from entering that cave…"
Then came the final sentence.
A sentence overflowing with endless remorse.
"Would fate itself have changed…?"
.....
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