"All students, listen to my orders!"
Ethan turned his head, looking at the members of the Enlightenment Society who were huddled together with the Aurors, trembling in fear. A sense of gratification washed over him.
They had united so quickly. He knew it—his "exquisite works of art" truly did bring peace and beauty to the world.
"Students below the seventh year are to return to the castle immediately and hold the line! Those in the seventh year who wish to stay must be prepared to face the werewolves!"
The moment that word left his lips, everyone froze. A chill surged from the soles of their feet to their hearts.
Thanks to Ethan's aggressive promotion of his potions, the werewolves who were still able to remain and launch an attack on the school were undoubtedly the most vicious of the lot. Their terror didn't lie in their combat prowess, but in their horrifying ability to infect.
One scratch could lead to festering skin and permanent scarring at best. At worst, one would be turned into a werewolf—a fate worse than death. Even today, with healing potions available, no one wanted to take a stroll through death's door.
What if the cure failed?
The students hesitated. Many of the younger ones looked around before joining the main group, retreating from the battlefield toward Hogwarts. With Dumbledore and the other professors guarding the school, it was the safest place to be.
However, the older students—especially the core members of the Enlightenment Society—weren't so easily swayed.
"Werewolves?" The Weasley twins were jumping up and down like they'd developed a sudden case of mania, shouting, "Werewolves are nothing! Let's show them our invincible Super Great Cannonballs!"
"He's right!" Hermione nodded, her voice urgent. "How can we leave you alone to face a pack of terrifying werewolves?"
"We've come this far. Don't think you're shaking me off now," Gemma Farley said, lifting her chin with a proud, steadfast gaze.
Cedric added, "My muscles... against a werewolf? I wonder who's stronger!"
Harry and his companions exchanged looks before staring firmly at Ethan, refusing to move an inch.
This scene left the Aurors in a state of shock. They muttered among themselves, "Do these kids even realize how dangerous this is? My god, it's as if Ethan saved all their lives once before!"
"Everyone..."
Ethan was genuinely touched. His cobalt-blue eyes grew moist, shimmering with faint specks of light.
Then, he waved a hand dismissively.
"The answer is still no."
In the next second, a colossal gate suddenly tore open from the ground beneath them!
"Aah!"
The ground vanished beneath their feet, and everyone plummeted into the void. They would soon be scattered like flower petals across the Great Hall of Hogwarts.
"When facing a 'God,' the role of little wizards is extremely limited," Ethan said, pulling back his hand. "If that Death Reaper fellow ruins their sense of aesthetics, it'll affect them for the rest of their lives."
As for the graduating seventh-years, they could treat this battle as "internship experience" to be written in bold ink on their resumes.
The ever-considerate [Mr. Lamp] always thought of everyone.
Having dealt with the students, Ethan turned his gaze toward Luna, who was also below the seventh year but had remained by his side.
He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. They exchanged warm, humid breaths as he whispered softly, "Go help me guard Hogwarts. Don't let the Reaper sneak into our home, alright?"
Luna stared fixedly at Ethan. At such close proximity, the heat radiating from Ethan's skin seemed to seep into her own.
After a long silence, Luna let out a soft sigh. She pulled her forehead away and said calmly, "Alright."
Ethan's smile stiffened slightly. Feeling that cool presence recede, his eyes dimmed with a touch of disappointment.
I was just... trying to protect those closest to me.
Just as he was about to straighten up, something happened.
In the next instant, a touch of warmth and softness suddenly pressed against his cheek! It was less than a finger's width away from the corner of his lips.
Like a flint striking in the dark, Ethan's dimmed eyes instantly ignited with a brilliant light, filled with shock and dazed wonder.
The warmth vanished in a heartbeat.
Luna waved a hand, her figure dissolving into a veil of moonlight as she drifted toward Hogwarts. Ethan was left alone, clutching his face and staring blankly at the empty space before him. It took a long while for him to regain his senses.
It wasn't quite a formal kiss. It could even be seen as a common parting gesture in certain cultures. It was just a hair's breadth away from crossing the line—but that only made his heart itch even more.
"My god... why is my heart beating so fast?" Ethan clutched his chest, looking confused. "Did Luna put a hex on me?"
On the ground nearby, Minister Scrimgeour, who had witnessed the entire scene, was speechless.
Bloody hell, you two really don't care that I'm standing right here, do you?
The thought that even a piece of wood from the underworld received more affection than he did made him feel utterly miserable and lonely. He couldn't even think of what orders to give next.
In his daze, a powerful female voice rang out from the front:
"All Aurors, listen! Provide full support to Ethan Vincent and defeat the Death Eaters!"
What?!
Minister Scrimgeour's head snapped up. He found himself looking at his most trusted subordinate—Connie Rosier. She stood tall and sharp, but her gaze wasn't on him at all. She was staring at Ethan with a look of pure, unadulterated fanaticism.
In that instant, the truth flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning. He understood everything.
Thump.
Minister Scrimgeour sank to his knees, his eyes going hollow. Suddenly, he let out a sharp "pfft" and began to laugh, muttering hoarsely, "So, from the very beginning... I never stood a chance of winning, did I?"
He had lost. Completely and utterly. The Minister of Magic had fallen.
Connie's tone remained firm and powerful, acting as an anchor for the confused Aurors. Regardless of Ethan's status, the enemies before them were indeed "pure-blooded" dark wizards—Death Eaters!
"If the students are charging in, do we have any reason to shrink back?!"
"Damn it! I can't beat Ethan, but I can damn well beat you lot! Charge!!"
Led by their captain, Connie, the Aurors rushed forward like a pack of rampaging trolls! As if trying to wash away their previous humiliation, they vented all their pent-up rage on the Death Eaters!
"Stupefy!"
"Confringo!"
"Take a taste of the Black Goat's Trample!"
[Meeeeeh~~~]
At this moment, fighting alongside the terrifying mountain of tentacles and flesh felt incredibly satisfying to the Aurors! It was like following a bulldozer. For the first time, they understood exactly how the members of the Enlightenment Society felt!
Mmm~ this feels good!
"No wonder the Enlightenment followers are so hyped every time they fight. They don't have a shred of fear," one Auror remarked.
"If our side has an Evil God as a safety net, I'll be the first one to charge the front lines too!"
"Tsk, tsk... this fall from grace is dangerously sweet~"
Meanwhile, like a lookout meerkat, the werewolf leader Fenrir Greyback stood atop a high rock, watching the one-sided massacre.
"What do we do, Alpha?!" one of his subordinates asked, panting heavily, eyes filled with anxiety. "If this keeps up, we'll be wiped out! Hurry, use that!"
"Don't be in such a rush."
Fenrir bared his yellowed fangs in a leisurely grin. "We have to make our grand entrance right when those fools are feeling their most smug."
"Look," he pointed toward the distance, toward Ethan, who seemed to be waiting for something as well. "Our [Mr. Lamp] is also patiently holding back."
Before long, the massive and horrific Dark Young of the Black Goat had turned the area into a wasteland. Wherever it passed, not a blade of grass remained, and the earth was soaked in blood.
The battle had been quelled with ease. The Death Eaters' bodies were strewn everywhere, as if they had merely been bit players in a play.
"Is... is it over?" an Auror asked, gasping for breath, looking lost.
After a battle that felt like it belonged in a different dimension, the Death Eaters—who should have been a major threat—seemed like a joke in comparison.
"H-hurray! We did it!"
"At least we held Hogwarts. Ethan's doing a decent job as Headmaster, it seems."
"Wait... the werewolves are here."
Amidst the relaxed atmosphere, Connie's brow furrowed. She didn't know exactly what was coming, but if it were only at this level, Ethan wouldn't have evacuated the students. Instead, he would have gleefully treated it as part of a "practical lesson."
It wasn't over yet...
In the next second, the hair on Connie's neck stood on end! An incredibly terrifying, incredibly powerful aura suddenly erupted toward the sky!
"Protego Totalum!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. A translucent barrier rose from the ground in front of the group!
And then, it shattered instantly!
CRASH!
Pitch-black mist, undulating like a giant serpent, came roiling in! Pair after pair of orange vertical pupils snapped open. Each eye was nearly two meters long, looking down at them as if they had disturbed some unspeakable, primordial beast.
The mist blotted out the moonlight, crushing down upon them with overwhelming force!
[MEEEH!]
The Dark Young of the Black Goat let out a mournful wail as it was sucked into the black mist. Immediately following was the sound of bone-chilling chewing.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Everyone was frozen in place. Their eyes were wide, cold sweat pouring down as they watched the giant eyes and the black mist descend.
Then, countless mouths, shaped like serrated meat cleavers, split open into a malicious grin:
[Knock knock knock knock~]
[The wolf is here~]
The Power of the Reaper had arrived!!
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze