"Merlin's beard! What kind of monster is that?!"
The Aurors recoiled in terror, staring in shock at the thick, rolling black mist that had materialized before them like a collapsing mountain.
Suddenly, someone pointed, their voice cracking into a scream: "Look! The Death Eaters!!"
On the ground, the fallen Death Eaters were being swallowed by the black fog. The sickening crunch of grinding bones echoed through the air. Then, within the mist, new orange-yellow vertical pupils flickered to life, accompanied by rows of horrific, jagged fangs.
The mist let out a rasping, guttural laugh as it looked down upon them.
"This... this isn't just Dark Arts..." An Auror's eyes bulged, a sudden flash of realization hitting him. He blurted out, "Is this the 'Death' Ethan was talking about?! Does Death actually exist?!"
The black mist—or rather, the leader, Fenrir Greyback—split open dozens of mouths at once, his voice a sandpaper rasp.
[Foolish mortals, have you only now realized the existence of a Great God? Or is it that... you simply refuse to admit it?]
As a Death Eater who had survived Voldemort's wars, he knew all too well the Ministry's talent for whitewashing the truth to maintain a facade of peace.
[Yes, as the Chosen One, I have received the blessing of Death! I have been granted power beyond compare!]
The black mist surged. Countless wolf howls erupted from within, sounding like a bone-chilling wind whistling through a graveyard. The Aurors clamped their mouths shut, their faces pale and grim.
...It turned out that Ethan had been telling the truth all along.
Death was real, and it had sided with evil, intent on turning the world into a river of blood. It was as if Death were trying to meet a "performance quota," actively manufacturing slaughter.
"My God, what have we been doing? Ethan was right. He was actually looking out for the wizarding world... he was standing up against an impossibly powerful enemy!"
"The chaos, the twisted paintings, the rebel organizations. Even blowing up Gringotts, Azkaban, and the Ministry... usurping the position of Hogwarts Headmaster... it was all for..."
The Auror trailed off, his expression becoming complicated.
How come it felt like... Ethan was actually enjoying himself quite a bit?
In any case, he didn't exactly seem like a "good guy." This struggle against Death felt more like a "villain vs. villain" turf war.
[Tonight, I shall kill Ethan Vincent! I shall follow the will of Death and return everything to its proper course!] Fenrir roared.
[You lot are merely the appetizers. Hehehe... I shall use hot, fresh blood to coat every inch of Hogwarts!]
With that, the black mist lunged!
Like a flash flood of shadows, thousands of orange pupils and horrific maws surged toward them!
"Quick! Raise the protective barriers!"
"Dammit! The shields won't hold for more than a few seconds!"
"Get the students out of here first!"
Screams, roars, and panic filled the air. Connie stood amidst the chaotic tide, her magnificent eyes looking up at the encroaching mist. Her face remained calm and steady—in fact, a hint of manic anticipation flickered in her gaze.
"Lord Vincent, you've been waiting for this moment, haven't you? Please, let me witness your brilliant light once again!"
As if answering her plea, a streak of dazzling golden light pierced through the night like the first ray of dawn, slamming into the black mist!
"Chirp!"
An ethereal, ringing cry echoed out, drowning out the sinister wolf howls and washing a sense of clarity over everyone's minds.
[ROAR!]
Fenrir shrieked as the brilliant gold light instantly tore a massive chunk out of his misty form!
"This is one of my favorite charms—Avis."
A clear, calm voice drifted from behind the crowd. Connie turned her head excitedly, looking up at the black-haired youth walking toward them with a gaze of absolute piety and trust.
At some point, Ethan had donned that pure white mask.
It was as if he were signaling that "private matters" were over; from here on out, it was strictly "business." His entire being radiated a cold, oppressive majesty that made onlookers want to bow in worship.
From behind the white mask, his cobalt-blue eyes stared emotionlessly at the black mist wolf-monster. He raised his gold-cased cane—which was his wand in disguise—and spoke slowly:
"Foolish creatures have no value other than serving as kindling."
All gifts of fate come with a hidden price tag... and I will make you vomit it up, flesh and bone.
[You finally showed yourself, Ethan Vincent!] Fenrir pulled back his lips into a sneer, ignoring his mangled body. [Overestimating your strength, daring to oppose a God. Once you are dead, you will know who the real fool is!]
[ROAR!!]
With a thunderous howl, countless mouths lunged to tear Ethan apart! The terrifying aura made everyone's hearts tremble. Merlin! This battle between non-humans is too terrifying!!
"Hmph."
Facing the meat-grinder of fangs, Ethan gave a soft snort. He raised his hand, clutching a glowing golden fruit.
—It was a Remnant of Death from Nagini: The Fruit of Light.
"The Black Goat's Young was eaten... the opponent clearly has a specialized ability against biological or physical entities, just like a real 'Big Bad Wolf.'"
"In that case, I'll just use pure magic."
Ethan squeezed the Fruit of Light. Instantly, a gargantuan amount of magical power poured into his body!
"Ah..." Ethan narrowed his eyes, unable to stop a soft sigh of pleasure. He felt a rising surge of satisfaction and hunger. His veins turned gold, glowing through his skin, and fine goosebumps broke out across his arms.
Just as those corrupted by Death Remnants craved his flesh, he too craved this high concentration of magical power!
"...Against a wolf, one strike is enough."
"BOOM—!"
The tide of black mist swallowed Ethan whole. A wet, squelching sound of chewing erupted from within, like a wild beast greedily gnawing on hard bone.
The Aurors and students had already scrambled to the sidelines when Ethan appeared. Now, looking at that massive, writhing mass of black fog, they felt a surge of anxiety!
"I-is Ethan defeated just like that?"
"Impossible! Ethan is the man who's going to destroy the world!"
"But that monster has the power of Death itself..."
Hogwarts Castle
Hardly any students were willing to stay put in the Great Hall. Faces pressed against the windows, hearts burning with anxiety as they watched the deathly silence of the battlefield.
"Ethan will be fine, Ethan will be fine... Merlin, you definitely don't want Ethan coming up there to see you..." Hermione whispered, her hands clasped in prayer—or perhaps a "threat" directed at the heavens.
Right then, Luna spoke up: "It's coming."
Hermione blinked, turning to look at Luna's calm, certain blue eyes. Following her gaze, she looked back outside.
A split second later.
Schlick.
The writhing black mist suddenly froze, piling up on the ground like thick tar. A tiny, almost imperceptible spark of golden light leaked out from the center.
Then!
Schlick, schlick, schlick!
Like ten thousand sunbeams piercing through a heavy fog, arrow-like shafts of gold light stabbed out from the black mist in increasing numbers!
"—CHIRP!!"
A loud, high-pitched cry exploded!
Soaring into the sky was a burst of magnificent, radiant light! Like a shell cracking open, the black mist shattered with a wet sound, spilling onto the ground like a smashed watermelon.
A golden bird, nearly half the size of Hogwarts Castle, soared from the wreckage! Like a rising sun, it illuminated the heavy curtain of night, reflecting in the eyes of every witness.
It was beautiful, powerful, and utterly breathtaking. Even using the most beautiful words in the world would fail to describe it.
"Galloping Gorgons..." Ron's eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open. "To kill a wolf, Ethan just built a magical nuke..."
Hermione slumped to the ground, looking up at the golden light, her eyes nearly brimming with tears of relief.
But just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a sudden change occurred!
[Name: "Golden Crow Eclipsing the Sun"]
[Grade: Tier 3 · Golden Legend]
[Type: One-time Magic]
[Effect: Absorbed a portion of a Death Remnant's power, elevating "Avis" to its absolute peak. Surely, no one will ever forget this glorious moment.]
[Praise the Lamp (Claps hands)]
[Congratulations! You have successfully defeated the Lackey of Death—The Big Bad Wolf, Fenrir!]
[Soul Fusion increased by 0.8%]
A whopping 0.8% in one go! Ethan's eyes lit up.
With a whoosh, an invisible force lifted his body. He narrowed his eyes in comfort. High above, the Golden Crow circled freely, shedding droplets of brilliance like rain.
"Soul Fusion has reached 98.16%... only a tiny bit left until it hits one hundred percent!"
Ethan clenched his fist, his heart racing. He had a premonition—this battle might be the one to push him to the limit!
"Hehehe, as expected, anything related to Death is worth squeezing dry. Thank you for your contribution, Mr. Greyback."
Ethan's eyes crinkled with mirth as he tucked away the Fruit of Light, which still held more than half its energy. He looked down at the black chunks of meat scattered across the ground.
Unlike his cheerful mood, the Aurors were completely stunned.
"That... that's it? It was that simple?"
"Simple? If you could launch a nuke, you'd find everything simple too."
"Merlin's soggy socks... is this boy really the reincarnation of Merlin? He can actually contend with a God!"
The Aurors couldn't help but feel emboldened. Standing on the same side as Ethan, they realized that the feeling of being carried by a powerhouse was incredibly refreshing!
Connie stepped forward excitedly, wanting to congratulate Ethan on another victory.
But at that moment—
"BOOM!"
A massive explosion erupted from the direction of Hogwarts! Everyone spun around in horror to see stone and brick flying. A giant, scaled claw reached down from above and gripped the very dome of the castle!
[Hiss... hiss...]
An impossibly large serpent's head followed. It flicked its tongue, its lantern-like vertical pupils staring with malicious joy at the "bugs" on the ground.
One look was enough to tell: no protective barrier would work against This.
[I have found you... overconfident mortal, Ethan Vincent...!]
A strange, raspy voice echoed across the silent fields. Some Aurors with weaker wills or higher spiritual sensitivity screamed in agony and collapsed to their knees. Even Connie turned pale, her voice trembling: "Is... is that 'Death'?"
"No," Ethan's clear voice rang out. He looked up at the massive serpent body and said softly, "That is merely an Incarnation of Death."
In his Spirit Vision, he could see clearly. To compensate for the vision he had heavily damaged last time, the Incarnation had merged with the power of a serpent.
"There's a part of Nagini in there?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Within his cobalt eyes, he saw the interior of the Incarnation swirled with magic identical to Nagini's. If he could completely free Nagini from Death's control...
"Maybe I can kill this Incarnation right here! And force Death's true body to descend!"
Ethan's eyes burned with a manic, excited light. This time, he wouldn't let it escape!
[Look at you, excitement and thrill written all over your face...] the Incarnation of Death said slowly, dripping with malice. Under the heavy corruption, the voice was genderless, bearing no resemblance to the original host.
[How are you any different from me?]
[You talk a big game, but in reality, you enjoy all of this... Admit it, everything you do is just for the pursuit of extreme stimulation and chaos.]
[After all, only then can you paint the perfect masterpiece in your heart, isn't that right?]
Ethan remained silent. High above, the Golden Crow let out an angry cry and dived toward the Incarnation like a streak of light! It tore through the black mist, but was eventually trapped by the increasingly thick, viscous evil power, struggling to break free.
Ethan moved to step forward, but a glob of slimy black mud suddenly wrapped around his ankle!
[Don't... don't think of running...]
The "minced meat" that was once Fenrir Greyback was shivering back into a standing position, fueled by Death's power. It greedily sucked the blood from the soil, spreading across the field like a dark web. Its pupils were shattered, filled with chaos and fear. Like a marionette controlled by the God of Death, it was experiencing unimaginable torture.
Countless mouths spoke in unison: [Don't... don't run... Gah... don't run...]
"Dear, dear," Ethan raised an eyebrow, mercilessly blowing the rot off his ankle. "What did I say? Every gift comes with a price."
The God promised power, but never said what you'd look like after receiving it. At the same time, Ethan realized the thing had become harder to kill. Theoretically, it was already "dead."
"Time is of the essence. I really don't want to waste too much time on this guy..." Ethan glanced back at Hogwarts, his brow furrowing slightly. No one else could handle this monster. Would he have to let Hogwarts tank the damage for a while?
Seeing this, the Incarnation of Death curled its lip in a smirk, its red tongue flicking against its scales. Though it had retreated last time, it had seen Ethan's greatest weakness—
He was the only high-level combatant on his side!
This was unavoidable. Fate had never intended for Death to interfere directly; the strongest enemy this world was meant to face was just a human wizard obsessed with Dark Arts. Even if that wizard was one step away from transcending death, he wasn't this strong.
Who could have guessed that an "Ethan Vincent" would pop out of nowhere? He had saved people who were meant to die and cranked the world's difficulty to the absolute maximum. The result was that normal wizards and humans simply couldn't handle this level of power.
The Incarnation's eyes darkened as it mocked him:
[What a pity. We could have shared the mysteries of the world and held supreme authority...]
[But now, you are fighting alone. You will watch as those fragile lives perish before your eyes once again...]
[Heh, all your efforts are in vain. No one cares—]
"Who says the brat is fighting alone?"
Suddenly, a voice—old, yet powerful—rang out through the night!
Immediately following the voice, a wave of protean blue fire erupted like a rising curtain, instantly lunging at the black mud on the ground! The mud began to shriek in agony as it burned!!
[AAAAARGH—FIRE! IT'S FIRE!]
Ethan's eyes snapped wide. Of course! Beasts are usually afraid of fire! His own Cerberus was so freakish that it only grew stronger when burned, so he hadn't thought of it immediately.
[WHO?!]
The Incarnation of Death whipped its head around, its pupils shrinking to needles as it glared toward the source of the voice.
A thin, haggard old man with white hair and a beard stepped through the flames. The wind whipped his white hair, and in his heterochromatic eyes—one black, one white—the reflection of the soaring blue hellfire danced.
Even though time had weathered his body and spirit, the majesty etched into his very bones made the Aurors' scalps tingle with phantom pressure!
Thump.
His cane struck the ground. His hawk-like, piercing gaze shot straight toward Ethan. He let out a dry rasp of a laugh and said hoarsely:
"I knew there was a reason I've been having such ominous premonitions lately."
Ethan's lips curled into a wide grin. He spread his arms and smiled.
"Welcome to the party, Mr. Gellert Grindelwald!"
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