Chapter 61
After Albert struck down the five giant spiders with his decisive spell, they collapsed to the ground, their lower bodies literally obliterated in the blink of an eye.
For a moment, an eerie silence fell over the battlefield. Sensing danger, Mossag withdrew into the Forbidden Forest, wary of Albert's piercing spell. She needed time—to gather more spiders and overwhelm Albert's power with sheer numbers.
After all, Albert didn't have many allies. The defensive area they had chosen wasn't large, and no one had anticipated that the eight-eyed giant spiders would emerge from their nest this time. As a result, the density of firepower in this zone was far from adequate.
Seizing the opportunity, the centaurs and unicorns took a brief respite. Though physically powerful, even the centaurs grew weary after hours of pulling heavy bows. The unicorns, too, needed time to replenish their magic.
Wolf began reorganizing the torpedoes, adjusting placements based on his previous observations.
As Albert demonstrated his Pierce spell, Firenze approached curiously and asked,
"What spell is that?"
"It's one I invented," Albert replied, unwilling to admit it had actually been found in the basement of his ancestral home.
Changing the subject, Albert quickly reached into his bag—enchanted to hold far more than it seemed—and pulled out several mounted machine guns.
He activated the Pierce spell again to show Firenze. Soon, several other centaurs gathered around, intrigued by the display.
"It's a rapid-casting spell technique," he explained. "It's similar to using a bow and arrow. Against magically shielded targets, it's not much use. But against these spiders, who have no magical protections? It's perfect."
Lady Betty nodded, having watched the demonstration closely.
"Indeed," she said. "It's well-suited for these eight-eyed monsters."
She assigned two centaur soldiers to operate the guns. Albert, curious, asked her,
"Isn't this kind of weaponry forbidden? I've heard many wizards blame Muggles for using such tools."
"We don't treat it as taboo," Betty replied calmly. "As long as we maintain nature's balance, most methods are fair game. And you needn't worry—no wizard will ever know what happened here. This is the Forbidden Forest. When we protect nature, nature protects us in return. Besides, you made your main appearance early this morning. Anyone else who might notice wouldn't have the ability to act even if they wanted to."
Soon, the centaurs had mounted the machine guns on both sides of the hill, creating a deadly crossfire zone in case of another charge.
Then came a high-pitched screech, like glass shattering. Massive swarms of spiders burst from the trees like a black flood.
Albert quickly cast chaotic spells to disrupt the spiders' tight formation. Once one spider was agitated, a chain reaction followed—panic spread, making them easier targets for the trap-laden terrain.
Slowly but steadily, the spiders carved a path with their own bodies. Lady Betty detonated several trap mines, stalling their advance, but the spiders surged forward like a tide, instantly filling the gaps left by their fallen kin.
At last, Betty detonated an entire ring of trap mines encircling the hill. The synchronized blasts disoriented the spiders' balance sensors, causing them to cluster together in confusion. Right then, the machine guns opened fire from both sides of the hill.
The battlefield became a slaughterhouse.
Unlike the earlier explosive spells, which couldn't penetrate the spiders' thick hides, the 7.62mm bullets from the machine guns tore through their bodies with ease. These weren't undead—they could be stopped. Once injured, many lost their sense of direction and collapsed without advancing further.
Now compressed into tight, disoriented clusters, the spiders became perfect targets. The centaurs launched enchanted arrows laced with small bombs into the densest groups.
Then came the fire.
The tightly packed spiders, soaked in blood and tangled together, acted as perfect fuel. Flames engulfed the base of the ridge, turning the terrain into a sea of fire.
Mossag was consumed by the blaze as she led the charge, believing she could shield her offspring by drawing enemy fire. But she hadn't expected the centaurs to use real incendiaries for the first time. She perished instantly.
Without her leadership, the remaining spiders—lacking sufficient intelligence—charged blindly under her last command, only to be slaughtered.
Those that remained, driven by instinct alone, fled toward the nest. With that retreat, the battle was effectively over.
The sun was now dipping low in the western sky. In the fading amber light, the land before them was littered with twisted spider corpses—a grim, brutal beauty.
Lady Betty instructed several wounded riders to gather the spoils of war, while she and the others who could still fight gave chase to the retreating spiders.
Firenze bent his legs, allowing Albert to climb onto his back.
Albert saw Ronan rushing ahead but didn't get so much as a glance from him. Mounting Firenze, Albert realized there was no way he could keep up with the riders on foot.
On the way, he asked,
"I thought centaurs didn't allow humans to ride them?"
"Normally, we don't," Firenze replied. "It's seen as an insult. But in times of shared battle—for the sake of natural harmony—helping comrades who can't run as fast isn't shameful. Just as you've supplied us with plants and weapons, we lend you our strength in return."
They traversed the forest for less than ten minutes before reaching the entrance to the spider nest valley. Across the mouth of the ravine, Albert saw the centaurs gathered near a dark cave.
Apparently, after their defeat, the spiders had dragged Aragog into the cave to regroup. But so many had crowded in that it was impossible to launch a direct assault.
The machine gun ammunition had run dry. The centaur manning the trigger had barely fired, being new to the weapon. Only a few bombs remained. After taking down a few more spiders and realizing they were pouring out to replace the fallen, the riders had stopped trying to break through.
Albert rushed forward, opened a crate, and pulled out what he thought was a normal grenade—only to realize it was a high-pressure thermal grenade.
Its power far exceeded that of standard ones. He had planned to reserve it for the basilisk.
But the thought of using such an explosive in a confined cave made him abandon the idea. It was suicide.
Albert quickly informed the centaurs of the grenade's power. After confirming the cave wasn't especially large and had no other exits, the final strike was prepared.
If successful, this battle would end the darkness that had haunted the Forbidden Forest for decades.
Nature's power was immense—and once these dark creatures were purged, all manner of life would return to this sacred plac
e.
Back to what it once was.
Back to life.