Let's rewind time just a bit.
Back to the moment when Luna detonated the camp to distract the guardians of the Ancient Magic.
At that very instant.
The Goblin army, concealed within the thick forest, was poised for a surprise assault.
But upon witnessing the flames shooting skyward and hearing the deep, resonant horn blaring through the camp...
They were all left dumbfounded.
One subordinate hesitated before speaking up. "Boss, this time... do we have someone on the inside?"
Even if they did, this wasn't how it was supposed to go!
Weren't they meant to launch a stealthy attack?!
The leader of this force, a Goblin named Lanluoke, was equally baffled.
He wanted to order his troops to hide immediately.
But the wizards, already on high alert from the alarm, swiftly detected their presence.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Several spells streaked through the air in an instant!
"Bang!"
"Ahhh!"
An explosion ripped through the ranks, followed by immediate screams from the army!
"Damn it!"
Lanluoke muttered a curse under his breath, swinging his axe to deflect a incoming spell.
He grumbled to himself:
Which fool set off a bomb in the camp and ended up exposing us instead...
Was it just a coincidence?
This rocky start left the leader, Lanluoke, in a foul mood.
But as he glanced back at the Goblin army, now clamoring and having swiftly organized their defensive magic...
His confidence surged back.
Heh, this time, they had committed to a full-scale assault.
They'd abandoned all other fronts and converged here.
All for the sake of claiming the Ancient Magic!
This battle could not afford any mistakes—it absolutely could not fail!
Otherwise, the Goblin tribe would suffer devastating losses and be gravely weakened.
But Lanluoke had never once doubted their victory.
After all, their fighting strength was leagues beyond that ragtag group of wizard fools in the camp!
Barring any unforeseen twists, this would be an overwhelming triumph!
Lanluoke bared his teeth in a savage grin, hoisted his axe high, and bellowed:
"Slaughter every last wizard, seize the Ancient Magic!! Pledge our loyalty to Master Lanluoke!"
"For the Goblin tribe!!!"
"Charge!!!"
Like a dam bursting, countless Goblins poured out from the forest in a torrent!
They surged across the cleared perimeter, their axes gleaming with red light as they whirled and slammed against the camp's protective barrier!
At the sight of this formidable onslaught, the guards atop the walls blanched.
The moment the secret of the Ancient Magic in the camp leaked, it had drawn an immediate Goblin assault!
And the reinforcements from Hogwarts had fallen silent midway through.
They hadn't anticipated it happening so quickly...
"Crack, crack!"
Under the barrage of countless enchanted axes and alchemical bombs, the protective barrier groaned in protest.
Visible fissures began to spiderweb across it!
"Hurry, hurry, cast your spells! We can't let the Goblins breach us under any circumstances!"
"No! We can't hold it any longer!"
Just as panic gripped everyone...
A low rumble suddenly echoed from outside!
"Rumble~~~!"
The open ground beyond the wall rippled like ocean waves!
Sending hordes of Goblins sprawling to the earth!
"What are you all standing around for?!"
A cold, piercing reprimand, sharp as thunder, jolted the stunned guards back to their senses!
They turned to see...
The camp's supreme commander, Miss Eve Black, her gaze like a honed blade, slicing through them.
She gripped her wand, breathing a touch heavily.
It was clear that the massive Transfiguration spell on the earth had come from her.
Eve surveyed the endless tide of Goblins, swarming like locusts.
A shadow flickered in her eyes.
...If not for that explosion, which had roused the camp and exposed the Goblins lurking in the dense woods...
The situation would have been far more dire.
Eve wasn't afraid of death; what terrified her was the fate of the children in the camp.
And this only hardened her resolve.
Eve lifted her wand aloft and cried out, "If the protective barrier shatters, do we surrender? No! We fight to the very end!"
"We are this camp's unbreakable shield!"
"Until the walls come crumbling down!"
Her resolute shouts reverberated through the night, steadying the guards' wavering hearts.
"Fight!!!"
"Let those Goblins taste our power!!!"
They all brandished their wands, unleashing spells at the teeming Goblins below.
In an instant...
Frost blanketed the sky, sandstorms whipped up, and lightning crackled!
Behind the city gate, two massive statues of earth and stone stood in silent vigil.
Ready to pulverize any Goblins that dared breach the entrance!
Inside the camp.
Professor Lupin blended into the evacuating throng.
Guided by guards, he hurried toward the rear gate.
The procession was quiet and orderly.
Even with fear widening the children's eyes, they clamped their mouths shut, not a whisper escaping.
Their discipline and maturity tugged at Professor Lupin's heartstrings.
However...
Lupin knew the grim fate awaiting this Goblin assault.
When he'd first arrived in the camp after transmigrating, he hadn't fully grasped it.
But after half a day's reflection and comparison, Professor Lupin was certain.
This was the infamous "Battle of the Hearth" from history!
And its outcome: no survivors.
Neither the Goblins nor the humans in the camp.
Everyone perished, down to the last soul.
The wizards ultimately couldn't withstand the Goblin onslaught, leading to a massacre of all, including women and children.
In her anguish and fury, the camp's leader had dripped her blood into the ancient well concealing the Ancient Magic.
Trading life for a curse.
In the end, she summoned a horrifying entity.
Unleashing a colossal inferno that consumed the entire camp.
When the flames finally ebbed...
Houses, trees, even bones were reduced to charred ash.
Blanketing the ground in thick layers.
As if the whole camp had been thrust into a crucible.
Through that sacrifice, the Goblin forces suffered catastrophic casualties.
Due to unique circumstances, history books had omitted this leader's name.
But now, Professor Lupin knew.
Her name was "Eve Black."
Guard: "Hurry! The rear gate is right ahead! Once you're out, run into the forest with everything you've got, and don't look back! Got it?!"
The children nodded emphatically.
But as the "Door of Hope" loomed nearer, Lupin's steps grew leaden.
Because historical records detailed another small Goblin squad lying in ambush outside the rear gate.
At this very moment, they were cloaked in invisibility, awaiting their prey.
The thought of the impending horror made Lupin's heart race wildly.
But history couldn't be altered, could it?
Moreover, even if he safeguarded these children and the people here...
He couldn't turn the tide of this battle.
The Goblins had no notion of mercy or captives.
The end was inevitable.
Lupin watched as the guard approached the rear door.
He first cast a Revealing Charm, but it failed to detect the Goblins, shielded by specialized alchemical devices.
He signaled safety to those behind.
Then, with effort, he slid the bolt and slowly pushed the heavy door open.
In that moment, time seemed to crawl.
Lupin held his breath, his pupils narrowing, as he watched the door inch ajar.
He glimpsed the glint of a blade through the widening gap.
...History couldn't be changed.
He lacked the power to single-handedly overturn the battle's outcome.
They were mere observers; they'd depart once Ethan obtained what he sought.
Struggling would only worsen things... He'd learned that lesson profoundly over decades of life.
At that instant...
A small, cold hand clasped Lupin's finger.
Lupin glanced down, meeting the concerned eyes of the red-haired girl, Amy.
"It's, it's okay! Uncle!" Little Amy whispered. "Sister Eve will protect us! Don't be afraid!"
Lupin's eyes widened faintly.
Even though the child was terrified herself, she was comforting him.
Suddenly, Ethan's words echoed in his mind:
[Anything is possible.]
[Because I am a miracle.]
...Heh," Lupin chuckled abruptly, shaking his head and murmuring, "I'm truly getting old and feeble."
"To need a student to remind me what courage looks like."
If he hadn't believed in the 'healing Werewolf' with odds near zero...
Why would he have joined Ethan on this perilous journey to the ancient era?
And if he cowered now and did nothing...
Wouldn't that betray the chance Ethan had given him?!
Betray Ethan's faith in leaving the rear to him?!
Under little Amy's astonished gaze, Lupin whipped out his wand with swift resolve.
His eyes gleamed with a determination absent for far too long.
Aiming at the opening door, he roared, "Bombarda!"
To hell with history.
He believed Ethan could utterly rewrite this tragedy!!
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