Just as the situation was about to become clear, Voldemort's expression suddenly changed.
"What's wrong, my Lord?" Snape immediately noticed and asked.
"Those useless fools are already dead," Voldemort said.
"…They didn't escape? Didn't they use the pursuit to buy us time?" Snape asked in surprise.
"That's your responsibility. Why didn't you inform me about those annoying Iron Golems in advance?" Voldemort shook his head, once again placing the blame squarely on Snape.
"This is my fault, my Lord. Their presence is too inconspicuous, and I was not aware beforehand that there was such a connection between them," Snape lowered his head and admitted his mistake at once.
"We'll discuss this later. Bella, we're leaving now," Voldemort said calmly.
"But, my— Yes, my Lord!" Bellatrix shot Steve a resentful glare, flicked her wand to pull her husband's corpse along, and began retreating.
"I'm afraid leaving Hogwarts right now won't be so easy," Steve said, appearing at the entrance of the Great Hall at some unknown moment.
"Oh? Mr. Skeleton, I suggest you choose your words carefully. Are we leaving now, or shall I release Fiendfyre in the Great Hall?" Voldemort raised an eyebrow, threatening him.
"What a pity. I'm about to leave this magnificent body of mine for an entire day," Steve's skeletal hand patted his head, then his body.
"I appreciate your sense of timing. Take Bella, and let's go," Voldemort said, turning into black smoke and flying straight out of the Great Hall. Snape followed, using magic to carry Bellatrix and the corpse as they flew out.
Meanwhile, Steve, still standing where he was, felt Kasenhis's presence drawing closer and closer in his mind, and a frightening smile spread across his face.
At the same time, he felt a bit puzzled. "Since they can fly, why didn't they just go straight to Gryffindor Tower? Does splitting your soul into Horcruxes make you dumber?"
"Probably does, Steve." Peeves slowly drifted down from the ceiling like a blob of slime stuck to a wall.
"So you've been watching from the ceiling this whole time and didn't think to tell Professor McGonagall?" Steve put his hands on his hips, glaring at Peeves in annoyance.
"I thought you'd enjoy the feeling of turning the tide all by yourself. Shouldn't you be thanking me?" Peeves rolled his eyes.
"Maybe because I'm a boring adult, I can't treat all the students in this castle as sacrifices just so I can look cool!" Steve snapped as he started up the stairs, heading toward Professor McGonagall's office.
"Oh, that's got nothing to do with me. I'm just a kid," Peeves said, shrugging before drifting away.
About five minutes later, the three Heads of House and Steve came rushing down in a panic. The sight of the Great Hall filled with the melted remains of Iron Golems and a Death Eater corpse split into an X made them all jump in shock.
"My goodness, Steve, you're a hero of Hogwarts!" Professor Flitwick bounced up, nearly as tall as Steve, speaking with both excitement and lingering fear.
"The iron guys were heroes too… even if they're all gone now. Melted," Steve said helplessly.
"I want to know where Dumbledore and the others are. And Grindelwald. I assume Kasenhis isn't in Hogwarts either. Do the three of them have some kind of plan? Steve, do you know anything?" After calming Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall used a spell to wake the other professors, sending them to search the castle. Then she walked alongside Steve, asking as they went.
As for that question, Steve truly had no idea.
Just as Voldemort was about to fly out of Hogwarts and Disapparate, he was suddenly struck by a void-like blow and slammed straight down into the Forbidden Forest.
"Ha! Kasen! I knew it was you!" Voldemort roared as he looked at Kasenhis walking toward him step by step.
"Watch how you address me, Voldemort. We're not that familiar," Kasenhis said, holding a staff in his left hand and a newly crafted arcane tome in his right. As he spoke, a variety of spells shifted and changed, flying toward Voldemort.
"Unfortunately for you, your most reliable method is no longer effective!" Voldemort casually deflected the incoming spells with magic, then cast a spell he had invented less than five minutes ago on both himself and Kasenhis.
"You mean this?" Kasenhis raised an eyebrow as the mechanical arms behind him shot out and stabbed toward Voldemort.
But just like Bellatrix earlier, Voldemort maintained a perfectly safe distance from the mechanical arms at all times.
"I told you, your most dependable method has already been countered by me!" Voldemort said, unleashing a barrage of Killing Curses at Kasenhis, all of which were completely blocked by the newly upgraded Netherite mechanical arms.
The two continued fighting for a while before Voldemort suddenly spoke. "Interesting. My diversion lured all three of you away, so why are you the only one who came back?"
Kasenhis rolled his eyes. He hadn't intended to answer, but after a moment, he decided it was better to let Voldemort understand before he died. "Because the three Death Eaters you left behind were completely useless. The Dursleys are already safe. Dumbledore is taking care of them."
"And you are about to pay the highest price for what you've done!" Kasenhis launched another spell composed of dense death-aspected essence toward Voldemort. After being deflected, it struck a tree, instantly turning a trunk as thick as Hagrid into charred fragments that collapsed to the ground with crackling sounds.
"No, no, no. One person is still missing. Where is Grindelwald, my predecessor?" Voldemort demanded hoarsely.
"No brains. He's patrolling Hogwarts," Kasenhis rolled his eyes, continuing to use his mechanical arms to block Voldemort's relentless stream of Killing Curses.
"You can block visible spells, but what about invisible ones?" Voldemort pursed his lips, an idea forming.
The next moment, a wave of purple light inevitably washed over Kasenhis.
"This spell draws out the deepest fear in your heart. Enjoy it. In the meantime, I'll find a way to rip off those mechanical arms that are protecting you on instinct, one by one," Voldemort rasped, watching the arms still flailing to block spells even as Kasenhis lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, Kasenhis had already fallen into the deepest layer of his fear.
But he understood it very quickly. He knew how to overcome it.
In the next instant, another spell, as fast as lightning, pierced straight through Voldemort's chest.
"Do you know what I'm most afraid of?" Kasenhis looked at Voldemort, who was staring blankly at the hole in his chest.
"I'm afraid you'll get away this time!"
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