Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had become a battlefield.
The surviving teachers and students had been driven onto the school's main courtyard by Voldemort's followers. Dozens of frightened students clutched their wands nervously, standing shoulder to shoulder with the remaining professors. None of them dared to move. Around them stood Voldemort's creatures and servants, watching like wolves circling trapped prey.
At the front of the courtyard, a bald, grotesque-looking demon stood on a raised platform, its twisted body looming over the prisoners. Coiled at its feet was a massive python with dull crimson eyes and scales that gleamed like cold steel.
To Voldemort's left stood Loki.
Unlike everyone else, Loki looked completely relaxed. His hair was neatly slicked back, and he wore a perfectly tailored suit that seemed absurdly elegant in the middle of the apocalypse. Behind him stood a row of mutated superheroes, each one silent and terrifying.
Loki looked down at a slightly chubby boy gripping a wand among the prisoners.
"That's Harry?" he asked with open disdain.
He tilted his head toward Voldemort with a mocking smile.
"You spent years worrying about a kid like that?"
Voldemort's expression darkened as he answered coldly.
"Cut the weeds and remove the roots. In the future, Harry will become my greatest enemy, and he might even kill me. That's why he must die before he grows strong enough."
Loki shrugged impatiently.
"Fine, I get it. If that's your concern, just kill him already so we can leave this place."
The enormous python suddenly straightened its body. Its blood-red mouth opened wide, fangs gleaming as if it were preparing to swallow Loki whole.
Voldemort spoke slowly, anger barely restrained.
"Loki, we have an agreement. That doesn't make me your subordinate. You don't get to give me orders."
He stared straight at the god of mischief.
"Do you understand?"
Loki glanced at the snake and smirked.
"I suddenly feel like having snake soup today."
The giant python instantly shrank back in fear.
Voldemort's eyelids twitched slightly, his displeasure obvious.
Loki reached into his coat and pulled out a book wrapped in dark energy.
The Darkhold.
He held it out with a grin.
"You're right, we do have an agreement. I wasn't rushing you, just reminding you. Once you come with me, this book—the holy scripture of dark sorcerers—will belong to you."
Voldemort's expression remained calm, but his heart surged with excitement when he saw the Darkhold.
At that moment, Harry Potter suddenly raised his wand and launched a desperate ambush.
Voldemort reacted instantly. With a flick of his wand, he knocked Harry's wand flying before the boy could finish casting.
The giant python slithered forward, its massive body dragging across the ground as it prepared to devour Harry.
Just as the boy was about to disappear into the snake's jaws, a blazing fireball fell from the sky.
Boom.
The massive serpent was instantly blasted apart, its body turning into roasted snake meat.
Loki looked up toward the sky with interest.
"This just got entertaining."
Above them, a three-headed dragon was diving toward the courtyard.
Voldemort, furious at the death of his serpent, immediately raised his wand and fired a powerful spell at the dragon.
Boom.
The dragon lost control in midair and slammed headfirst into the ground.
Li Jie leapt from its back.
The black cat—Professor McGonagall—landed gracefully on the ground, while the Joker, Scarecrow, and Bane tumbled down much less elegantly behind him.
"Pah! Pah!"
Scarecrow spat dirt from his mouth and cursed loudly.
"This stupid thing flies like a broken roller coaster. I swear I'll never ride one again."
A shout rose from the crowd of teachers and students.
"Look! It's Professor McGonagall!"
"She brought reinforcements!"
"We're saved!"
"Harry, we're saved!"
The courtyard erupted with excited cries.
The Joker nudged Scarecrow with his foot.
"Look."
Scarecrow followed his gaze past Voldemort and Loki. His eyes widened when he saw the row of mutated superheroes behind them.
"My god," he whispered. "There are so many of them. Can we actually win?"
Bane glanced at the crowd of cheering students behind them.
"Well, technically we have a lot of people too."
He paused thoughtfully.
"But battles aren't decided by numbers."
"That's true," Scarecrow admitted.
He looked up at Li Jie floating calmly in the air and immediately regained his confidence.
On the raised platform, Loki chuckled.
"Voldemort, I don't know if Harry will ever kill you. But if you can't survive today, you'll definitely die here."
Voldemort glanced toward Li Jie.
"Is he that strong?"
Loki shook his head slowly.
"He's not just strong. He's ridiculously strong."
Voldemort extended his hand toward Loki.
"Give me the Darkhold. I'll kill him for you."
"Deal."
Loki handed the Darkhold over without hesitation.
As he did so, he looked straight at Li Jie and smiled.
The gesture was clearly deliberate. Loki wanted Li Jie to target Voldemort instead of him.
Voldemort's brows furrowed slightly when he realized the trap, but he didn't care. He tucked the Darkhold into his robe and slowly rose into the air.
Among all the wizards present, Voldemort was the only one capable of flight without assistance. The move was clearly meant to demonstrate his overwhelming power.
But Li Jie barely glanced at him.
Instead, his eyes focused on the mutated superheroes standing behind Loki.
Individually, those enemies weren't particularly difficult to defeat. But if they scattered and attacked separately, the situation could become troublesome.
The simplest solution was obvious.
Capture the leader first.
To prevent Loki from interfering, Li Jie raised his hand and summoned the Cloak of Levitation.
Whoosh.
The magical cloak shot through the air and wrapped tightly around Loki.
Loki didn't resist. He simply stood there and shouted toward Voldemort.
"What are you waiting for?"
"Start the fight already!"
Voldemort glared at him in irritation.
"Careful!" Loki suddenly shouted.
At that exact moment, Voldemort had just begun creating a magical clone.
But Li Jie moved faster.
Smack.
His fist slammed directly into Voldemort's face.
The dark wizard had no chance to react. His body shot through the air like a meteor before crashing into the ground with a thunderous explosion.
Dust and debris filled the courtyard.
Loki sighed in disappointment.
"You're really useless."
The entire courtyard fell silent.
Professor McGonagall stared in shock. The teachers and students of Hogwarts looked equally stunned.
That was it?
The most terrifying dark wizard in history had been defeated with a single punch?
Voldemort was undeniably powerful. But like all wizards, he shared a fatal weakness.
Magic required preparation.
Spells needed incantations, gestures, and concentration. The stronger the spell, the longer the preparation time.
Against someone like Li Jie, that weakness was fatal.
While Voldemort struggled to rise from the crater, Li Jie raised his hand and used telekinesis to yank the yew wand from Voldemort's grip.
With a simple squeeze of his fingers, the wand shattered.
Without his wand, Voldemort could no longer use most of his dark magic.
Panicking, he pulled the Darkhold from his robe.
Loki looked at him with disbelief.
"Seriously? Do you think that book will help you now?"
Even if the Darkhold could grant immense power, Voldemort still needed time to study it.
And Li Jie had no intention of giving him that time.
With another gesture, Li Jie lifted Voldemort into the air using telekinetic force.
Crack.
Voldemort's neck snapped instantly.
His body went limp.
Li Jie frowned slightly.
He had killed Voldemort, yet he hadn't gained any abilities from him.
Why?
Voldemort's corpse dropped heavily to the ground.
Li Jie landed beside it, staring at the body thoughtfully.
Professor McGonagall approached and glanced down.
"It's a Horcrux," she explained.
"Voldemort split his soul into multiple pieces and hid them inside different objects. Even if one part dies, the others remain alive."
Li Jie understood immediately.
So he had only destroyed one fragment of Voldemort's soul.
That explained why he hadn't received any abilities.
"That man really is cunning," he muttered.
McGonagall looked at the Darkhold in his hand.
"What are you going to do with that?"
In her eyes, the Darkhold was far more dangerous than Voldemort himself.
"I'll deal with it properly."
Li Jie placed the book directly into his inventory without opening it.
He had never seen the Darkhold before, so checking it wouldn't confirm whether it was genuine. More importantly, the book radiated powerful dark energy. Anyone who opened it would inevitably become fascinated by its contents.
It was more addictive than any drug.
"Hello there."
Loki smiled brightly as Li Jie floated down in front of him.
"Look, Voldemort is dead, and the Darkhold is already in your hands."
He tilted his head slightly.
"So… can you let me go now?"
"Let you go?"
Li Jie's expression turned cold.
"You're the most deceitful being in the universe. Even looking you in the eyes can pull someone into your trap."
His voice hardened.
"The safest way to deal with you is to kill you."
The Cloak of Levitation tightened around Loki.
Loki's smile slowly twisted into something darker.
"That's unfortunate," he said softly. "We could have ruled the world together… maybe even the entire universe."
He sighed.
"But instead, you chose to become my enemy."
Suddenly, a shield flew toward Li Jie at high speed.
Snap.
Li Jie caught it effortlessly.
But at that exact moment, Loki vanished.
He didn't escape in a flash of light. He simply disappeared, like an image being switched off.
The Loki wrapped in the cloak had never been real.
It had only been an illusion.
Li Jie exhaled slowly and hurled the shield away.
The shield smashed into Captain America's chest and sent him flying.
"These people really know how to cause trouble," Li Jie muttered.
As Captain America flew away, the other mutated superheroes scattered in different directions instead of attacking.
"Chase them!" Li Jie shouted.
He immediately pursued Quicksilver.
Among all the enemies, Quicksilver was the fastest. If he escaped, the others would easily disappear as well.
Li Jie's speed matched Quicksilver's perfectly. In seconds, the two had already traveled more than twenty miles.
Just as Li Jie reached out to grab him, Quicksilver's body suddenly dissolved into grains of sand.
Another illusion.
Li Jie frowned and returned to Hogwarts.
But when he arrived, Captain America and the shield had already vanished.
"Where did they go?" he asked McGonagall.
She looked confused.
"I don't know. He simply disappeared."
She paused before adding thoughtfully.
"I suspect these enemies might all be illusions."
Li Jie shook his head.
"Even if they're illusions, the real ones must be nearby."
He vanished again like a phantom.
He searched every corner of Hogwarts, checking classrooms, corridors, towers, and hidden passages. When he found nothing, he expanded the search to the surrounding forests and hills.
But there were no clues.
Even though he knew Loki had likely escaped, Li Jie kept searching until nightfall before finally stopping.
The Joker, Scarecrow, and Bane experienced similar encounters. Whenever they caught up to one of the mutated superheroes, the target vanished the moment they attacked.
The three eventually gave up chasing.
Since they had already traveled to the magical world, they decided not to waste the opportunity. Under the excuse of searching for enemies, they began exploring the wizarding world and quietly collecting valuable magical items.
Li Jie pretended not to notice.
If he wanted the three clowns to keep working for him, he needed to let them take some rewards.
Voldemort had been defeated in front of the entire Hogwarts population, and Li Jie's overwhelming strength had instantly turned him into a hero in their eyes.
With Professor McGonagall's approval, the teachers and students held a grand celebration in his honor.
The festivities lasted until dawn.
Later that night, Li Jie returned to the guest room prepared for him at Hogwarts.
But he couldn't sleep.
The sudden disappearance of Loki and the superheroes made him question the authenticity of the Darkhold again.
He placed the book on the table and stared at it for a long time.
Eventually, he decided not to open it.
If the book was genuine, opening it might turn him into a puppet of dark forces.
After storing it away again, Li Jie took out the Eye of Agamotto and peered into the timeline once more.
This time, the vision was different.
He saw Loki and Voldemort cooperating again. But they weren't in the wizarding world anymore, and Voldemort's power was far greater than before.
The mutated superheroes were there as well.
Then the sky turned completely black.
Countless demons descended from the heavens and began invading Earth.
Li Jie withdrew his consciousness from the vision and spoke grimly.
"Steppenwolf."
"The Parademon army."
He frowned deeply.
"Did Loki become Steppenwolf's subordinate?"
That shouldn't be the case.
....
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