Chapter 215: Annihilation
"Is the current situation difficult? Aren't the people already rescued?"
Quirrell asked. He had checked on his Magi-Metal Wizard students and found them as lively as normal people, so he relaxed. He interjected while Ryan and Dumbledore were speaking.
"They were caught because someone wanted them to be caught. They were rescued because I wanted them to be rescued.
"These French intelligence agents before us are merely tools in my struggle with my opponents. Unfortunately, these tools of struggle could turn from pawns into players at any moment, while simultaneously introducing a third party—Muggle power—into the game..."
Ryan explained to Quirrell.
As an outstanding greenhouse flower who graduated with excellent grades, became the Muggle Studies professor, then switched to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and finally got possessed by Grandpa Voldemort without ever really stepping into society for half his life, Quirrell didn't quite understand the twists and turns. Fortunately, Ryan's explanation was very straightforward.
He understood now. These people were caught because someone in the wizarding world was pushing things behind the scenes. The capture was just the outward manifestation; the true meaning was a magical duel with Ryan.
"But why?" He didn't understand.
"The reason is simple. Because there are enough Squibs, and enough people who can become Magi-Metal Wizards. The wizarding world is a society extremely lacking in population. Any population means votes, means rights, means the ability to topple political opponents," Ryan said.
Just as Dumbledore always told him that he placed too much importance on the power of magic itself... that view was essentially a bias, an obsession, but also the belief that had supported him this far. Even respecting the Headmaster, Ryan wouldn't back down on this point.
Applying this to those political creatures who used underhanded tactics to gain power: their thirst for power had brought them this far, so they wouldn't back down either.
"So we silence them now?"
Worthy of the first-generation Jinchūriki chosen by Voldemort, his thinking was radical. Quirrell's solution was: if there's a problem, treat the mouth first.
Not only did this draw side-eyes from everyone, but the newly rescued Magi-Metal Wizards also trembled. Especially Hawke, who thought that if Martin, that "scum of Magi-Metal Wizards," spoke about what he had done, he might be silenced not just metaphorically, but literally.
"Good thing you didn't say 'kill them to silence them,' Senior, otherwise I'd really have to struggle with that decision."
Ryan laughed. He had always supported the idea that violence is the foundation of everything; having strength can make many sensible people shut up.
As for the remaining insensible people, generally speaking, he couldn't solve the problems they raised. Even if there was a way, solving the matter would become very difficult because it's hard to change the deep-rooted thoughts in a fool's mind.
At times like this, magic could solve it.
Of course, not solving the problem, but solving the person creating the problem.
"When the Death Eaters were put on trial, many claimed they were controlled by the Imperius Curse and thus escaped the law. After all, wizarding law stipulates that actions taken by a person under the Imperius Curse contradict their subjective will and do not constitute criminal conditions."
He noticed the dense forest was indeed a bit dark; he couldn't see his fingers in front of him. Maybe because he hadn't paid Mora, night had fallen.
He continued, "After beating them down, give them a way out. They won't dare not to take it, and they can't afford not to."
Maxime was now starting to wonder if establishing academic exchanges with Hogwarts was right or wrong.
First Quirrell claimed he wanted to silence people, then Ryan joked about killing to silence them, and finally, they were preparing to use force to "loosen the skin" of certain people...
Is Hogwarts really a school and not a terrorist training camp? Without realizing it, she subconsciously took a step back, unconsciously adopting a defensive posture.
"Hahahaha."
Ryan and Quirrell looked at each other and laughed heartily.
As they laughed, Fleur seemed to catch a flash of killing intent in Ryan's eyes.
True, the Magi-Metal Wizards he spent so much effort creating were treated as pawns for power struggles by a group of people, who even tried to use these pawns to bring him down... She suddenly realized that Ryan wasn't just the talented, unrestrained genius in her impression; he also had times when he was tormented by the mundane world.
Underground, the DGSE Director repeated his words over and over, constantly expressing his determination to use all his power to please the wizard, letting the wizard name any price.
Finally, he got an answer.
The nine-headed fire python demonstrated with action what a wizard's answer was.
The python arched its body high. Now nearly a kilometer long, it pointed straight at the sky like a towering pagoda. In that instant, half the sky was illuminated.
Scales of interwoven fire and molten iron stood up, refracting golden light and dispelling the depth of the night.
The nine massive snake heads swayed alternately as if in a wild dance. Their forked tongues hissed, seemingly praying or chanting an ancient and mysterious incantation. What that incantation would bring was a silence like death.
Even outside the 20th arrondissement, passersby who inadvertently glanced at this place would faint from shock. The night was lit up from the ground; a blazing light rose from the surface. Seeing the light seemed to bring a scorching heat. What on earth is it? No one dared to think, but everyone had a vague premonition in their hearts—a premonition pointing to destruction, to death. A premonition born of instinctive fear of destructive power, etched into the marrow of everyone who witnessed it.
But they couldn't react.
Nor could they call the police in time.
Even the Director and agents hiding underground at the epicenter only had a change in expression, a barely perceptible change.
As if time stretched everything out, forming a slow-motion film frame by frame. Every expression, every movement was depicted vividly.
In the next moment, extreme slowness transformed into extreme speed. Flames intertwined, and the python no longer even maintained its form. It transformed on the spot into a blazing fireball, reaching high into the air before falling with violent and absolute finality.
Before the onlookers' blank stares could turn into screams, before the "No" in the Director's mouth was half-spoken...
The fireball crashed to the ground.
The world went quiet.
The surface abandoned the process of turning from solid to liquid to gas; all visible matter scattered like snowflakes.
These snowflakes were grey and lifeless—ashes left under the scorching of flames.
Ripples spread out, carrying high temperatures sufficient to instantly carbonize trees.
Fleur saw with her own eyes that outside the area where they were hiding, trees turned into charcoal without warning at a speed invisible to the naked eye. She also saw giant chunks of mixed metal and concrete, thrown up by the impact, turn to flying ash within a breath.
She was speechless. She found her Headmistress was too.
Until all the tremors ended, the endless heat still raged, but the "Swimming Pool"—internationally renowned for stealing confidential documents from the US Secretary of State's jacket pocket during meetings—had disappeared.
"Didn't you say no killing to silence them?! You killed them all?!"
Perhaps after a very long time, seeing the place where they stood turn into a massive crater covered with a thin layer of dust, Fleur still couldn't accept what she saw. She cried out in shock.
~~~
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