AN: Welcome back, everyone!
Here is this week's last update.
This chapter will show how 'she' tilts the battlefield in their favor once more.
Will Voldy finally realize how much he messed up? Or will his pride make him completely lose sight of himself and overestimate himself... again?
Ahahahaha! Anyways, hope you will all like this chapter!
See you next week!
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Non-Administered World #97, Star Rail Universe…
Caelus unconsciously hugged his bat closer to his chest the moment he heard 'her'. Experience told him that behaving was currently his best option.
March tilted her head slightly toward him, her eyes narrowing with found amusement. "Ara ♭? Is there something wrong, my dear Raccoon?"
Caelus shook his head from left to right. "Nope. Absolutely nothing."
"If you say so ♭."
A crimson jellyfish appeared beside March. Then another and ten more.
Soon dozens floated around her, drifting lazily through the air before spreading across the battlefield in every direction. More continued appearing behind them, gliding between shattered walls, passing above Alliance soldiers and wounded defenders, and slipping through the chaos as though each one already knew exactly where it needed to go.
One jellyfish casually floated beside Caelus, and he immediately leaned away from it.
"…Nope."
The jellyfish continued floating past him without a care, leaving tiny trails of Six-Phase Ice wherever they passed.
Around Hogwarts, defenders could only stare in confusion as the crimson creatures spread across the grounds. Even several members of the newly arrived Alliance forces hesitated when they noticed them, unsure whether they were supposed to attack, move aside, or simply pretend they had seen nothing.
"What… is that girl doing now?" Voldemort was not nearly as confused.
His expression hardened as more and more of the strange creatures surrounded the battlefield. He did not understand what they were, but something inside him was already warning him that allowing March to continue was a terrible idea.
March slowly lifted her right hand while her other remained wrapped around the handle of her umbrella.
"Don't worry…" she whispered with that same gentle smile. "Just close your eyes…"
The crimson jellyfish stopped moving. Hundreds of them now simply floated silently across the battlefield, surrounding the summoned creatures, Quantum Shadows, Death Eaters, werewolves, vampires, and every other enemy still standing.
"The night will soon fall... ♭" 'March' smiled as she tossed her umbrella into the air, letting it spin above her while crimson light spread across the sky and slowly dyed the entire battlefield red.
Then every Evey, the crimson memosprites, moved at once. They surrounded their chosen targets, circling faster and faster until their trails of light connected and formed glowing domes around each group of enemies.
"What?!"
"MOVE!"
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"
The Death Eaters immediately tried to escape, but the Eveys tightened their formations before anyone could get away. Several attempted to Apparate, only to find ice already crawling over their legs and locking them in place. Werewolves roared and attacked desperately at the Six-Phase Ice spreading up their bodies, while vampires who tried to escape into the air found more Eveys waiting above them, trapping them.
Even the creatures summoned through Voldemort's dimensional tears could not break free. They roared and struck against the glowing barriers while the Eveys continued circling them without the slightest concern. One creature swung a massive claw through a memosprite, but the little Evey simply passed around the attack and returned to its place, its crimson body glowing brighter as the formation closed tighter around the monster.
The Quantum Shadows suffered even worse. The moment the Eveys touched them, their bodies turned white, and their Quantum layer began breaking apart almost instantly, dissolving into scattered quantum particles before they could even understand what was happening.
Voldemort stared around the battlefield as one force after another disappeared behind those strange crimson domes. "What... what is this?"
March slowly raised one finger to her lips.
"Shh... ♭"
At once, the battlefield fell silent.
The Death Eaters' screams vanished. The werewolves' howls disappeared with them, along with the roars of the dimensional creatures and the violent noise that had surrounded Hogwarts throughout the night. For one strange moment, even those still standing could hear nothing except the soft movement of March's umbrella turning above her.
March's red eyes curved gently as her smile deepened.
"…Good night."
BOOOOOOM!!!!!
Every Evey exploded in crimson light at once.
The ground surrounding Hogwarts shook violently as hundreds of explosions swallowed the enemies trapped within their formations. From every blast, enormous formations of Six-Phase Ice burst upward, surrounding Death Eaters, werewolves, vampires, summoned creatures, and the remaining Quantum Shadows before sealing them completely inside ice crystals.
Within moments, the battlefield that had been filled with monsters and dark forces became something almost strangely beautiful. A vast garden of Six-Phase Ice now surrounded Hogwarts.
March's umbrella slowly descended. She reached up and caught it by the handle, and the moment her fingers closed around it...
Snap! Crack!
The crystals shattered one after another. Before long, every tower across the battlefield broke apart together.
The enemies trapped inside shattered with them. Voldemort's summoned creatures vanished among the falling fragments, followed by the remaining Quantum Shadows and what was left of his army, until nothing remained except countless pieces of Six-Phase Ice falling down around Hogwarts like snow.
Silence returned to the battlefield.
March rested the umbrella against her shoulder and looked around at the now-empty grounds with a satisfied smile.
"There you go. All cleaned up ♭."
"…Of course." Sirius slowly took another step away from March, swallowing as his face turned noticeably pale. "The cheerful one is always the terrifying one."
James, Remus, Peter, Lily, and the others immediately nodded in agreement.
Pandora glanced between them before forcing out a weak laugh. "Ahaha… ahahaha… w-well, at least Miss March is on our side?"
Everyone slowly turned toward her.
Pandora's strained smile twitched. "…I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"
"Sister, somehow you made it worse…" Cyrus sighed.
She puffed her cheeks at him, but even Pandora wisely decided not to argue further.
Several nearby TSAB mages also increased their distance from March, pretending that they were merely reorganizing their formation. A few Clock Tower Enforcers did exactly the same thing, though none of them were willing to admit why.
Caelus had already gone much further.
He was sitting properly on his knees several steps behind March, his bat placed neatly beside him, his back perfectly straight and both hands resting obediently on his thighs. He had learned enough from previous experience to know that when March wore that smile, attracting her attention was a terrible idea.
Sirius stared at him. "…Is he actually sitting there like a scolded child?"
"Yes," Remus answered.
"But he was smashing monsters through walls five minutes ago."
"Yes."
Caelus heard them, but he refused to turn around.
But at the other side of the battlefield, Voldemort had no room left for amusement. He stood motionless under the falling fragments of Six-Phase Ice, staring at the empty grounds where his army had once been.
Gone.
The summoned creatures were gone. The Quantum Shadows surrounding Hogwarts had vanished with them. Most of his Death Eaters, werewolves, and vampires had been caught inside March's attack and erased in an instant.
His giants had been defeated. Most of the werewolves were down. The vampires who had not fled were lying among the ruins, and the army he had brought to conquer Hogwarts had simply ceased to exist.
Only a handful remained scattered across the battlefield, unconscious or badly injured after being taken down by the Alliance before March unleashed her final attack.
Voldemort's eyes slowly moved from one fallen follower to another.
"No…" His fingers began trembling around his wand.
Only minutes ago, Hogwarts had been his. He had broken its defenses. Driven Dumbledore back. Reduced its defenders to a desperate final stand.
Then two people had arrived. Only two and everything he had accomplished had been torn away from him.
"No…" His shoulders shook as humiliation twisted into fury. "NO!"
Voldemort violently thrust his wand toward the sky.
Dark magic exploded upward, tearing through the peaceful snowfall March had left behind. Thick black clouds rushed across the night sky and swallowed the stars while a freezing wind swept over Hogwarts, carrying with it a cold far different from March's Six-Phase Ice.
The reaction among the British wizards was immediate. Dumbledore's expression hardened, and Minerva's breath almost stopped.
Several students held their robes tighter around themselves as the warmth seemed to disappear from the grounds.
Then a hooded figure appeared through the clouds, followed by another, then several more until dozens became hundreds. And more continued appearing until the skies above Hogwarts were filled with Dementors. Then they descended toward the castle from every direction.
Students stumbled as despair flooded through them. Several dropped their wands and collapsed onto their knees; painful moments from their lives appeared. Even experienced Aurors and professors were also affected as the Dementors came closer, while terrified cries spread through the Hogwarts defenders.
"What are those things?!" one of the TSAB mages shouted as her Device began registering the rapidly falling temperatures.
"Dementors!" an Auror yelled back. "Don't let them get close!"
Sirius' humor vanished completely as his face turned pale.
James immediately moved closer to Lily while Remus clenched his wand with both hands.
"No way…" Lily whispered as the number of Dementors continued to grow above them.
James raised his wand and stepped forward. "Expecto Patronum!"
Silver-white light burst from the tip of his wand and formed into a spectral stag that charged into the darkness above Hogwarts. His spell seemed to snap the others out of their fear, and within seconds more wands were raised throughout the grounds.
"Expecto Patronum!"
"Expecto Patronum!"
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
One after another, different Patronuses appeared across Hogwarts, racing through the air and gathering around the castle until their silver-white light formed a protective wall between the defenders and the descending Dementors.
For a moment, it worked.
The nearest Dementors recoiled from the Patronuses and retreated into the sky, drawing relieved cries from several students. But that relief quickly vanished as even more hooded figures emerged from the darkness beyond them. Hundreds became thousands, spreading across the night sky until Hogwarts was surrounded from every direction, making the surroundings colder despite the Patronuses holding them back.
"YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR LIVES FOR THIS HUMILIATION!!!" Voldemort's shout reached far and wide across the castle grounds.
Caelus stared at the countless Dementors above, his expression slowly becoming flat. "…Are you serious?"
March placed a hand against her cheek and glanced toward Voldemort with an amused smile. "My, my. How dramatic ♭. Is throwing more creepy things at us really the only idea he has left?"
Caelus tossed his baseball bat into the air, where it disappeared in a flash of light. He then extended one hand, and flames immediately gathered around him before forming into a massive lance that dropped firmly into his hands.
March's eyes lit up the moment she recognized it. "Ara ♭? Is my dear Raccoon finally getting serious ♭?"
"Someone has to deal with all of that." Caelus tilted his head toward the sky. "And I really don't feel like listening to thousands of Dementors all night."
He began walking toward the entrance of Hogwarts as golden-orange Preservation Imaginary energy spread from his body. Flames rolled outward with every step, driving away the unnatural cold that had settled over the castle grounds. Students who had been trembling moments earlier slowly looked up as warmth returned to their hands and faces.
Even Voldemort recoiled when the heat reached him, raising an arm across his face. "Kuhh…!"
Caelus stopped at the entrance and spun the Flaming Lance once before driving its tip into the ground.
"Indestructible!"
Flames spread wide as a massive golden-orange barrier expanded across the front of Hogwarts and continued spreading until it covered the castle grounds under a dome of Preservation power. The Dementors descending toward it recoiled immediately, twisting away from the heat as those that came too close were forced back into the night sky.
Warmth slowly returned to Hogwarts as Caelus' barrier pushed back the Dementors.
"Oooohhhhh!" March's red eyes widened with genuine excitement as she watched Caelus standing before the blazing barrier, his Flaming Lance planted beside him while thousands of Dementors circled helplessly beyond it.
She immediately reached for her camera.
Caelus heard the familiar click behind him and slowly glanced over his shoulder.
"…My dear March."
"Don't move ♭! This angle is perfect!"
"We are still in the middle of a battle."
"I know! That makes the picture even better ♭!"
Caelus stared at her for a moment before sighing and turning back toward the Dementors.
"…Of course it does."
Caelus sighed helplessly before thrusting his lance forward, flames immediately gathering around its tip.
"Lance ablaze…"
Preservation Imaginary energy poured into the weapon as the flames grew brighter and more intense, forcing the nearest Dementors to recoil even before he attacked.
March watched from behind him, her cheeks turning pink in excitement. She adjusted her camera. Making sure she had the best angle.
"Ooooh! He's doing it! He's actually doing it ♭!"
Caelus heard her but decided it was better not to comment. He tightened his grip on the lance and aimed toward the thousands of Dementors surrounding Hogwarts.
"Flaming Lance…"
The flames around him erupted.
"FORWARD!"
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Caelus launched himself into the sky, leaving a massive trail of golden-orange fire behind him as he blazed straight through the Dementors.
Their screams filled the sky.
The first group was swallowed by the flames almost instantly, and unlike the Patronuses that had only forced them away, Caelus' attack destroyed them completely. More Dementors tried to scatter as he continued forward, but the fire spread too quickly, catching one group after another until their dark forms burned away inside the golden-orange flames.
"Merlin…" Minerva whispered.
Dumbledore could only stare.
For centuries, Dementors had been creatures that ordinary magic could barely harm. Even the Patronus Charm, their most reliable defense, was meant to repel them rather than destroy them.
Yet Caelus was doing exactly that.
He continued across the sky, cutting through the remaining Dementors until the last of them disappeared within the flames. The dark clouds Voldemort had gathered above Hogwarts were broken apart along with them, finally revealing the stars that had been hidden since the battle began.
The sky and grounds surrounding Hogwarts were finally clear.
The Quantum Shadows were gone. The summoned creatures had been destroyed. Voldemort's invading forces were either defeated, captured, or scattered, and now even the Dementors had disappeared. Only the combined forces of the TSAB, Clock Tower, Chaldea, Hogwarts, and their allies remained standing across the battered battlefield.
Students slowly began lowering their wands, and some of the professors did the same. After everything that had happened that night, the fighting had finally stopped.
High above them, Caelus turned in the air and looked down. His eyes immediately found Voldemort. He lowered the Flaming Lance and pointed it directly toward him.
Below, Voldemort did not react. He simply stared upward at Caelus, his wand hanging loosely in his hand as he tried to understand what had happened.
Only minutes earlier, everything had been going according to his plan. Hogwarts' defenses had fallen, Dumbledore had been overwhelmed, and its defenders had already prepared themselves to fight until the last person standing.
He had an army composed of Giants, Werewolves, Vampires, Quantum Shadows, and Creatures granted through Dormammu. Even the Dementors had answered his call.
Now he looked around the battlefield and saw none of them. His army and the creatures were gone. The Dementors were the same.
Everyone he had intended to crush was still standing.
Only Voldemort remained... But that too is about change.
Caelus gathered flaming imaginary energy around his Flaming Lance and dropped straight toward Voldemort.
Voldemort immediately understood what he intended to do.
"You…" His teeth clenched as Caelus came down toward him at terrifying speed. "How dare you underestimate me!"
He raised his wand and poured everything he had left into it. Dark magic gathered around the tip, followed almost immediately by the purple power granted through his contract with Dormammu.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
A massive green curse shot upward.
But Caelus did not slow down.
The Killing Curse met the tip of his Flaming Lance halfway between them, and the collision exploded across the sky in green and golden-orange light. At first, Voldemort managed to stop his descent, but almost immediately the curse began bending backward from the force of Caelus' attack.
Voldemort's eyes widened. "No…!!!"
He forced more magic through his wand until his entire arm began trembling.
"DIE, YOU OUTSIDER! DIE!"
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Caelus pushed harder.
Eventually the Flaming Lance broke through.
Voldemort's Killing Curse was forced back toward him inch by inch, despite every bit of power he drew from Dormammu. He couldn't hold Caelus away; nothing he did stopped the space between them from shrinking.
"No! NO!"
Caelus' eyes remained fixed on him.
"This ends here."
Voldemort's face twisted in disbelief, and before he could cast another spell, Caelus broke completely through the Killing Curse and drove the Flaming Lance straight through him.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Golden-orange Imaginary energy erupted across the Hogwarts grounds, expanding outward from the impact until it formed what looked like a small artificial sun around Caelus and Voldemort.
"BARRIERS!"
Dumbledore's shout was almost lost from the explosion.
The Alliance reacted immediately. TSAB barrier teams threw up multiple defensive magics, followed by the Clock Tower, Chaldea, and the remaining Hogwarts defenders. One shield appeared after another in front of the castle until several overlapping barriers appeared between Hogwarts and the rapidly expanding blast.
The flames hit them a moment later.
Everyone behind the barriers instinctively covered their faces as heat swept across the grounds. The shields shook violently beneath the pressure, forcing several mages to brace themselves just to keep them from collapsing. Trees beyond the protected area were torn from the ground or reduced to burning remains, while loose stone and debris were sent flying across the ruined battlefield.
"Hold it!" Minerva shouted.
"We're trying!" one of the TSAB mages yelled back as another barrier shattered.
Dumbledore planted both feet on the ground and reinforced his own spell with everything he had left. "Everyone, hold the line!"
For what felt like an eternity, the pressure finally began to weaken, and the artificial sun slowly faded. The flames pulled back toward the center of the impact until the battlefield became visible again.
The grounds around the impact had been burned almost completely, parts of the nearby forest reduced to blackened remains.
At the center stood Caelus.
His Flaming Lance pinned Voldemort to the ground. Voldemort lay completely motionless, his wand several meters away from his hand.
"This is the end of your road, Voldemort." Caelus looked down at him for several seconds as he spoke.
"Whatever you and Dormammu planned to do with this world ends here." Caelus released his hand around the lance before his eyes narrowed. "And whatever happens next…"
He looked down at the unconscious Dark Lord one final time.
"…you won't be part of it."
====== Chapter 227 END ======