At this moment, Vitaly could already see the four broomsticks placed atop the volcano's summit. His heart surged with excitement, and unable to contain it, he broke into a sprint toward the peak.
But just as he was about to reach the top, Vitaly abruptly halted. With a trace of confusion, he murmured:
"That sensation just now was…"
The next instant, a deafening explosion erupted at the summit!
The sudden blast roared through the island, drawing the attention of every witch and wizard present.
Looking up toward the mountaintop, where flames now blazed skyward, Wentworth couldn't help but gasp inwardly. Under his breath, he muttered:
"I wonder how well those broomsticks were made…"
A wry smile tugged at Wentworth's lips. Though he joked aloud, he knew full well: no matter how sturdy the broomsticks were, none could possibly survive such a violent explosion.
Wentworth exchanged a glance with Newt Scamander, whose expression was equally grim.
"Albus only asked me to treat a patient," Newt said, exasperated. "He never said I'd be playing bodyguard too!"
Yet even as he spoke, Newt had already begun rummaging through his enchanted suitcase.
Meanwhile, the band of wizard hunters who had pursued them up the mountain initially brightened at the sight of the eruption, but their smiles faded quickly.
Only moments later, the entire island began to tremble violently. From the summit, the pillar of smoke billowed ever higher, as if announcing something ominous to the witches and wizards below.
Hidden behind a Graphorn, Nala seemed to sense something. She suddenly grabbed Wentworth's arm, pointing toward the mountaintop.
"Wentworth," she said urgently, "I can feel it, something's coming out!"
No sooner had she spoken than the earth beneath them shuddered again. Smoke spiraled into the sky, and within moments, molten lava came rushing down the mountainside, heading straight for them.
Seeing this, Wentworth cursed aloud:
"Who was the idiot that said this was a dormant volcano?! Were they blind?!"
The wizard hunters pursuing them from below turned pale at the sight and wasted no time preparing to flee. Everyone knew the island was now sealed under an Anti-Apparition Jinx, wait too long, and there'd be no escape.
But then, one of the hunters stepped forward and said:
"Don't panic. We're farther from the crater than they are. If anyone has to run first, it'll be those wizards."
"We wait here at the foot of the mountain. When they're forced to come down, we strike. There's still time to finish this and leave."
His words found agreement in many nods, though others hesitated.
Seeing this, the hunter continued coolly:
"Of course, if anyone wants to leave now, no one will stop you. But when it's time to split the reward… do be so kind as to remove yourselves."
Wizards are no strangers to danger when there's gold involved, especially not wizard hunters. By the end of his speech, nearly all had chosen to stay, their eyes fixed hungrily on Wentworth and the others above.
Their behavior did not go unnoticed. Wentworth and Newt had seen it all. Newt grimaced.
"Looks like they won't let us go, even now," he said bitterly. "What a… dedicated bunch of wizard hunters."
Wentworth glanced back at the advancing lava, anxiety plain on his face.
"Mr. Scamander, please, think of something!"
Newt snapped back irritably:
"What do you expect me to do? You think I'm Merlin?!"
Wentworth pointed at the suitcase by Newt's feet.
"Don't you have anything in there, some magical creature that can survive molten lava?!"
Newt blinked, then muttered thoughtfully:
"Now that you mention it… I've never actually studied whether magical creatures can live in lava. Perhaps one day I could add a few new entries to Fantastic Beasts…"
"But for now? No, I haven't got anything that'll help us here."
After he finished, he and Wentworth exchanged another look, then both turned their gaze toward the hunters down below.
Wentworth clenched his jaw.
"Then we've no choice. Looks like we'll have to deal with them first."
Newt gave a reluctant nod, conceding the point.
But Nala looked at them with growing alarm.
"We may not have enough time! I can feel it, the volcano's growing more unstable, and the lava's speeding up!"
Just as Wentworth raised his wand to preemptively strike at the hunters, Newt suddenly dove into his suitcase.
A few moments later, he reemerged with a deeply conflicted expression.
"I never wanted to use this… Little darling, I'm sorry, but I need your help this time."
He lifted a dazzling, rainbow-winged butterfly from the case, stroking it affectionately as he spoke:
"This is a Swooping Evil. Its favorite food is human brains. Incredibly aggressive…"
Before he could continue, Wentworth cut in:
"Mr. Scamander, why didn't you bring out something that dangerous earlier?! What else have you got in there? Come on, we're out of time. No more holding back!"
But Newt sighed deeply.
"They're my friends, not weapons. I… I can't bear to send them into battle. They might not survive…"
Wentworth opened his mouth to respond, but just then, he felt a hand on his arm. He turned, and saw Yukina, who had been silent this entire time.
Yukina smiled sweetly up at him and said:
"Wentworth, don't push Mr. Scamander like that."
Wentworth, flustered, tried to explain, but Yukina didn't give him the chance.
"Besides," she added softly, "there's no time left."
As her words faded, a wave of searing heat rolled toward them. Wentworth turned, and saw the lava almost upon them.
"Yukina, what are you planning? You can't use that power again!"
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This fanfic has been fully translated!