he young half-blood wizards who had joined the Death Eaters—anyone clever enough had already guessed it—were all subordinates of Regulus Black: [Hundred-Armed Giant Briareus], [Hundred-Armed Giant Cottus], [Hundred-Armed Giant Gyges].
Together they formed a core of 147 members. With the addition of the newly joined wizards who became their vassals, they built a massive force of nearly a thousand, now serving as the main expendable troops of the Death Eaters.
Regulus Black showed them no stinginess. Through sacrificial rites he had all of them undergo the [Eight-Leaf Mandrake Forbidden Ritual], making them appear young again. But their lifespans remained limited—old men were still old men, their newfound youth merely a shell.
All the witches were placed under Nymph's command, while the male wizards who wanted descendants were required by Regulus Black to participate in blood-offering rituals. The young witches under Nymph would then bear their children.
They were not ignorant of the "Pregnancy Curse," but Regulus Black's persuasion was hard to resist.
Life comes only once. In their final days, how could they live brilliantly? By joining one great and glorious battle. How many times in a wizard's life did he ever use offensive Dark magic? Were they to simply grow old without ever wielding it?
Most of them had always been low-class nobodies, never once joining anything as elites. To leave behind their bloodline and march onto the battlefield, turning their lives into something radiant—what greater glory could there be?
Regulus Black's hypnotic influence worked remarkably well on these wizards, most of whom were only third-rank spellcasters. They even believed they were doing a righteous deed, that they themselves were the embodiment of justice, even if it meant standing beside Voldemort and fighting among the Death Eaters.
The [Hundred-Armed Giants]' core members were responsible for commanding and managing this thousand-strong force.
This was an age when German films dominated, during which countless Eastern European girls were victimized. Regulus Black ordered all of them to Europe to "rescue maidens," while at the same time sacrificing the scum of humanity as offerings.
Millions of Eastern European girls and tens of thousands of scoundrels vanished. The maidens naturally gained rebirth, while the scum were put to "good use."
Just as the [Hundred-Armed Giants] were running out of prey in their rescue campaigns, the Death Eaters came knocking.
Naturally, they became part of the Death Eaters, though they concealed their [Hundred-Armed Giants] identities.
Word of this spread, and members of the Order of the Phoenix gathered at Hogwarts. Layer upon layer of magical defenses were raised, while the Death Eaters outside the school launched constant attempts to break through. Thus began a full-scale siege.
Hogwarts covered an enormous area, including the Forbidden Forest and its surrounding grounds. It had its own freshwater lake and an outlet to the sea. The castle itself was built atop solid mountain rock, with one side facing a cliff, another the lake, and yet another the Forbidden Forest.
An impulsive vampire, shoved forward by a Death Eater from behind, stumbled into the protective barrier. His body disintegrated into powder.
"Use spells to probe. No physical contact with the barrier."
On the cliffside front, the Death Eaters under [Hundred-Armed Giant Briareus] were stationed, mixed with a vampire family. Ordered by Lucius Malfoy to monitor this group, the vampires accepted without concern. Mutual surveillance was a daily custom in Voldemort's ranks.
But from the very start, the Death Eaters shoved the vampires to the front lines. The unlucky one just now had been kicked straight into the barrier, reduced to cannon fodder for testing its effects.
"What should we do?"
Regulus Black arrived. This front was almost entirely under the control of his harem, not a single man in sight.
"What else? Prepare to blow the bridge. Without it, they'll be forced to circle around from the front."
Regulus embraced some of the frightened girls to comfort them.
Yet even if the wooden bridge was destroyed, the Death Eaters would eventually find ways to fly across after testing spells.
But Regulus Black would not allow it. He could not bear the thought of even one of these girls being harmed.
He had prepared beforehand, hinting that they should gather and defend together if trouble came. That was why they now held the task of guarding the wooden bridge.
"Even if we destroy the bridge, they can repair it or fly over. Our task is to hold them here and fight them to the end! I want you to fight together with one heart."
Regulus rallied them with a pre-battle speech. In the distance, the protective barrier was weakening under the Death Eaters' relentless attacks, becoming fully visible and trembling with instability.
"I'm giving you these keys. They can reverse-summon demons. Just hold a key and use your will to command the demon to attack. If your mental strength fails, switch control to someone else immediately."
He pulled out his crafted [Demonic Domain of the Twelve Zodiac Signs], leaving behind Aries, Taurus, Leo, and Sagittarius.
Hermione curiously picked up a key and summoned. A seven-meter-tall Aries demon suddenly appeared on the bridge.
Its rotting aura spread, its massive ram horns curling around its own arms.
"Move it off the bridge. If you summon again, place it on the other side."
Hermione commanded the Aries demon to charge across. Its colossal body smashed through the wooden bridge as if demolishing a house. When it reached the far side, the bridge collapsed completely. There was no longer any need to destroy it deliberately.
"I can probably hold control for about five minutes before someone else has to take over."
She felt the agitation emanating from the key, estimating her time. The Aries demon's emotions were pressing into her mind.
"Don't worry, we're with you."
Zhang Qiu immediately stood beside Hermione to reassure her.
"The four demons are not all meant to be used at once. They can be slain, but if injured and sent back, they will recover quickly. That's why I left you four keys, so you can rotate them."
Regulus embraced several of the girls, then left for another battlefield.
On the lakeside front of Hogwarts, a few Order of the Phoenix members were on guard. There, Regulus spotted two familiar figures—Judy Fox and Nymphadora Tonks.
"What are you two doing here? Judy, are you here on behalf of the Ministry?"
Regulus wrapped his arms around their waists without hesitation. Their relationship was already a semi-public secret within the Ministry.
"The Ministry won't interfere with Hogwarts! They're gathering Aurors, planning to wait until after the battle to swoop in and wipe out both Death Eaters and the Order. If not for this foolish girl being both in the Order and yours, I'd never have snuck along."
Judy Fox pinched Tonks' cheek with a laugh, pretending to be self-sacrificing.
Nymphadora Tonks slapped her hand away and looked at Regulus Black with a face full of grievance.
"Will we really win this time?"
Tonks was technically Regulus' niece. Even she hadn't expected to fall in love with him. The romance had come too suddenly. Ever since hearing news of Regulus, she couldn't help but pay attention to him, think about him, analyze him. It grew until she couldn't pass a single day without him in her thoughts.
"We'll definitely win. Enough talk. Take this—it's something good. With these two keys from the [Demonic Domain of the Twelve Zodiac Signs], you can summon the Capricorn and Pisces demons."
Regulus handed the keys to them.
The two women closed their eyes to summon. Instantly, something stirred in the lake. The Capricorn demon appeared, a creature with a woman's torso and a fish's body, topped with massive ram horns. The Pisces demon was a twin-headed humanoid covered in scales.
"Where did you get these demons?"
"From old legends. With your mental strength, you can control them for a few hours. Remember to return the keys afterward."
As he left, Regulus gave each of them a firm squeeze on the rear, provoking indignant protests.
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