Twenty minutes later, beside the extinguished bonfire, more than a dozen incomplete corpses were already lying in a tangled mess.
The black blood flowing from their bodies had seeped into a wide patch of ground nearby, making it slick and slimy underfoot.
The moon seemed unwilling to witness such a scene. At some unknown moment it had hidden itself within the clouds, burying all of this in darkness.
Link stood in the middle of the pile of corpses, bathed in darkness. The corners of his mouth involuntarily curled upward into a wide arc, revealing rows of white, grim teeth.
His eyes were bloodshot, the muscles on his face twisted and twitching from time to time, making him look cruel and terrifying.
"Huu..."
In the silent clearing, Link's heavy breathing sounded all the more obvious.
It wasn't that he was exhausted from killing. Rather, the air was filled with a rich, overpowering stench of blood, and Link found the smell intoxicating, unable to stop himself from taking a few extra breaths.
The truth was, killing that dozen or so Death Eaters hadn't cost Link much effort at all.
Wizards had weak bodies. Sneak attacks where the weak overcame the strong, or the few defeated the many, were very common, especially since these fools had drunk heavily beforehand, leaving them half-dazed and with their guard down.
Link also had plenty of assassination-oriented tools on hand, such as Sectumsempra, Disillusionment Potion, and the like.
Once he struck with his curse power and Sectumsempra, more than half of them dropped dead right away. Add in Yoyo's supplementary strikes, and within ten minutes every one of them was gone.
For Link, the real trouble was discovering that he was on the verge of losing control again.
Of course, this time it wasn't Mike's fault, Mike was still locked in the Mind Prison.
What was pushing Link to the cliff's edge now was his special bloodline.
It wasn't trying to seize control of his body outright, but rather slowly stirring his emotions, nudging him to make certain decisions of his own, while remaining fully conscious.
If one had to describe it, it was like a kindly old man, endlessly nagging in your ear with so-called truths about life, hoping you'd heed his advice and walk more steadily on the road ahead.
The only problem was, every single one of its "truths" was twisted.
Those Death Eaters in the woods didn't originally deserve to die. The old Link, at most, would have crippled them.
It wasn't that the old Link was soft-hearted, killing them would simply have been too easy a punishment.
And yet, Link had killed them anyway.
He wouldn't shamelessly claim that it was all the fault of his special bloodline seducing him into it. He knew very well, it was his own desire to kill them.
Still, it was undeniable that the bloodline had played its part.
The influence had reached its peak right after his slaughter in the forest, then was forcibly suppressed by the silver-haired little girl's constant chatter and Link's strong Occlumency.
If things had ended there, it would have been fine.
But fate had to shove him into such a miserable scene while he was checking in on Cedric and the others.
Now that the urge to kill had risen again, suppressing it wasn't so easy.
Like right now, Link had already wiped out every Death Eater here, but the fury inside him hadn't subsided. Instead, it was shifting into a strange, euphoric thrill.
Killing felt so good! He wanted to keep killing! The scent of blood in the air was so fragrant, so sweet. His mouth was dry, if he could just drink some human blood, surely that would quench his thirst, wouldn't it?
In the darkness, Link couldn't resist licking his lips, then quickly shook his head and cast a Bubble-Head Charm, sealing his head in a transparent dome.
At the same time, he squeezed his blood-red eyes shut.
He had no choice.
By now, quite a crowd had gathered around the camp to watch the commotion. They didn't dare approach, but they also weren't dispersing.
If he looked any longer, Link truly feared he wouldn't be able to resist another killing spree.
Suppressing this urge was sheer torment. And in that torment, Link had already cursed out that quack, Doctor Kane, in his heart countless times.
Hadn't Kane said he'd used potions to suppress Link's bloodline, ensuring it wouldn't trouble him for many years?
So why had it flared up again after just two months?
Clearly that Kane was a money-grubbing fraud.
But remembering how Madame Frigg had treated Kane like a dire threat, it was obvious Kane did have some skill, he probably wasn't a conman.
Which meant… this "influence" he blamed on his special bloodline might actually be just an excuse. Could it be the truth was that Link himself was naturally a bloodthirsty killer at heart?
Link shook his head violently. He refused to admit he had such tendencies.
If he really did, in his previous life he would have been executed long ago, never mind having the chance to reincarnate here.
Perhaps his frantic speculations helped divert his focus, for suddenly Link no longer felt the urge to kill so strongly. Even the sweet taste lingering in his mouth had faded somewhat.
Seizing the chance, Link tried the special meditation method Kane had taught him.
Faint black motes of light began to swirl under his skin, gradually forming a strange pattern, as if suppressing something.
That blackness was the very color of the potion Kane had given him.
Little by little, Link's breathing steadied, and the ferocity on his face slowly eased.
———
Almost an hour after the camp had descended into chaos, the Aurors from the Ministry finally arrived on the scene.
The moment they came, the chaos stopped.
The remaining Death Eaters sobered instantly. They tossed away their masks and hoods, disguising themselves as obedient onlookers hidden among the tens of thousands of civilians.
Not even the sharpest Auror could possibly pick out every Death Eater from such a crowd.
So, taking the pragmatic approach, after capturing a batch of those who resisted, the Aurors shifted their efforts toward calming the spectators and clearing the wreckage.
But when they began cleaning an area near the stadium, all the composure they'd regained vanished again.
Scattered across the clearing were broken limbs and mangled bodies. And in the center of it all sat a handsome, bloodstained blond youth with his eyes shut, holding a strange meditative pose.
A grotesque winged demon beast sprawled lazily on his shoulder, looking too full to bother moving.
Barty Crouch, temporarily leading the Aurors, nearly had his nose crooked with fury.
In all his years at the Ministry, he had never seen such an arrogant criminal, killing people and not fleeing, but brazenly staying to provoke the Ministry.
He immediately ordered the Aurors to seize this insolent youth.
"Stop!"
A desperate voice halted him. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Cedric, John, and a whole group of others burst out from the crowd.
"Link acted bravely for justice! He only killed the bad guys, you can't arrest him!" Harry roared as he ran.
He and the others had basically witnessed everything Link did. The reason they hadn't rushed out sooner to help was simply because Link's appearance right after the massacre had been too terrifying, leaving them stunned.
Now that the Ministry wanted to arrest him, they finally snapped out of it.
In their eyes, Link hadn't done anything wrong. They'd seen what those masked men did to the Roberts family.
At worst, Link had gone a bit overboard, but it was understandable.
After Harry shouted, the crowd behind him all echoed in agreement.
Barty's face darkened further as he argued heatedly with them.
Amidst the shouting, Link slowly opened his eyes.
Yoyo chirped happily and transformed back into a pendant on his neck. Link stroked its tail, then curiously walked toward the commotion.
He was in rather good spirits, because it proved Kane wasn't guilty. The potions had indeed acted as a seal. With the meditation method, Link had easily dispelled all his negative state.
He figured his near-loss of control had been mostly due to not receiving Kane's full course of treatment, leaving the seal incomplete and letting some bloodline influence seep out. But the greater cause was simply that the Death Eaters' actions had been so utterly vile.
Seeing that cruelty had triggered massive emotional upheaval, stirring his impulse to slaughter them all.
Otherwise, if he hadn't wanted to, the potions' seal would have kept the bloodline's influence fully at bay.
On the other side, Barty and the Aurors, straining to maintain order, tensed as Link approached. After seeing the corpses in the clearing, they'd already branded him a savage dark wizard.
But Cedric and the others thought differently.
They rushed to Link's side without hesitation, even Harry, Ron, and Hermione, despite their earlier rift with him.
A whole crowd surrounded Link, chattering concern. Careful Cedric even cleaned away all the bloodstains on him.
But Link's gaze was locked firmly on Barty.
In just a short while, he had pieced together what had happened.
And the look he gave Barty was especially hostile.
This old man, Barty Crouch Sr., had once been Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement during Voldemort's fall. Many of the Death Eaters now lying dead had escaped justice back then by bribing him.
In Link's eyes, Barty was worse than the Death Eaters themselves.
Because once released, those Death Eaters didn't repent, they went right back to slaughter. Which meant Barty had indirectly caused countless tragedies like what happened to the Roberts family today.
What's more, the younger Barty had just been rescued by mysterious black-cloaked figures. And the only one with motive to save him was none other than Barty himself.
"Well, well, such authority you wield, Mr. Crouch!" Link said, eyes fixed on him. "But as Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, don't you lack the authority to command Aurors?"
He paused, then feigned sudden realization, "Oh, that's right! You used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Your connections with the Auror Office leaders are excellent. Even if you've lost power now, borrowing a few men for your private errands wouldn't be difficult, would it?"
"Rubbish!" Barty swore furiously.
He wanted to order Link's arrest immediately, but the crowd's eyes had turned suspicious at that single phrase, "private errands."
Forced, he clenched his teeth and explained, "As you said, I am Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. The Quidditch World Cup is an international event under my supervision. These Aurors are stationed here as the Cup's security detail, of course they follow my command!"
He rambled on, but Link ignored him, picking at his ear with a cocky air, "Oh, I just remembered. Mr. Crouch, weren't you demoted from Law Enforcement to International Cooperation because your son was a fanatic Death Eater?"
"They say you even sent him to Azkaban yourself. Tsk, tsk, what a tragedy. But never mind, with your influence, I suppose you've long since smuggled him out, haven't you?"
The matter of his son was Barty's deepest wound. Link's merciless jab left him trembling with rage.
"My son is dead! Dead in Azkaban!" he bellowed.
"All right, all right, we all understand. Fake deaths, escapes, we get it. For someone like you, pulling it off is child's play."
Link waved dismissively, his voice dripping with mockery. "Spare us the high-sounding talk. You've already let countless Death Eaters like Malfoy slip free, releasing your own son would be nothing strange."
"Perhaps you've kept him hidden at home all this time? Ah! And I've heard your son's a Quidditch fanatic. Don't tell me you even brought him here to watch the Cup?"
At those words, the onlookers broke into loud whispers.
Everyone knew the Ministry had taken bribes to free Death Eaters. Now, learning this old man had been Head of Law Enforcement back then, it was all too easy to believe Link's accusations.
Even some Aurors glared at Barty with hatred.
They had lost many comrades fighting Death Eaters, how could they feel anything but contempt for a man who had profited off their sacrifices?
But in this moment, Barty was strangely less furious.
Instead, he stared at Link wide-eyed, shock written across his face.
Because Link had guessed everything correctly.
Yes, he had faked his son's death, smuggled him out, and kept him hidden at home all these years. Yes, he had brought him to watch the Cup.
'But… how could this boy possibly know!?'
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