Three words, clear and firm, without a hint of hesitation.
The "appreciation" on Lord Voldemort's face slowly faded, and that waxy-white snake-like face twitched slightly from extreme rage.
That fragment of his soul deep within her had actually been forcibly suppressed by this tiny vessel's will, even under the summon of the original body!
This was the ultimate insult to his existence!
"Is that so..." Lord Voldemort sighed affectedly, his raspy voice filled with irrepressible killing intent.
"You have made... the most foolish choice."
He suddenly let out a shrill scream.
"Then turn to ash along with your mudblood master!"
"Avada Kedavra—!"
A sickly green beam of light, thicker and more solid than any before, tore through the air toward Lia!
The moment Lord Voldemort raised his wand, Lia moved as well.
She had no wand.
She had long since etched this curse, representing ultimate death, into her own soul from death itself!
She thrust her right hand forward, and from her palm, a matching sickly green beam of light shot out to meet it head-on!
Boom—!!!
Two Killing Curses collided violently in the center of the circular hall!
Golden-green magical sparks exploded wildly at the point of impact, making a tooth-gritting crackling sound.
The stone floor of the entire hall cracked inch by inch, centered on the magical convergence, as countless bottomless fissures spread wildly in all directions like a spiderweb!
It actually reached a stalemate!
The Death Eaters who hadn't fled yet peeked out from the corners, wearing expressions of sheer disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.
This monster that appeared out of nowhere could actually hold a stalemate against the great Dark Lord in a duel of Killing Curses?!
Harry, Ron, and the others were even more dumbfounded.
Only Hermione—her world lost all sound at this moment, leaving only those two colliding green lights.
Fear, like a cold hand, gripped her heart tightly, making it impossible to breathe.
She instinctively wanted to rush forward but was held back firmly by Lupin; her mind went blank as she could only watch helplessly as Lia's face turned pale at a visible rate.
Lia's body was trembling slightly.
She felt her magic being drained away like a flood through an open gate.
She wasn't the real Tom Riddle, after all.
Her understanding of the Dark Arts stemmed from plundering and imitation, not decades of intensive study.
She only knew how to use it, not master it.
In contrast, Lord Voldemort had a cruel sneer on his face, and his crimson eyes were full of mockery.
He was like an adult playing with a child who held a real gun but didn't know how to use it.
"It's over."
He hissed.
He applied a little more force with his wrist.
His beam of the Killing Curse suddenly doubled in thickness!
Crack!
The beam Lia had pushed out made a sound of shattering under the strain, then collapsed and dissipated!
The torrent of death surged uncontrollably toward Lia's chest!
There was no avoiding it!
There was no fear in Lia's eyes.
She was even prepared to take it head-on with her own body.
She believed in her traits; even if Lord Voldemort's magic exceeded her resistance limit, it would only mean welcoming her seventh death.
She still had two lives left.
However, at the very moment the green light was about to consume her.
An old, calm voice, yet one carrying supreme authority, echoed through the entire hall.
"Tom."
A brilliant and warm pure white glow appeared out of thin air in front of Lia, like the sturdiest Wall of Sighs.
The moment the Killing Curse, capable of annihilating all life, struck this white light, it dissolved silently like snow melting under a fierce sun.
Albus Dumbledore had arrived.
He hadn't even drawn his wand, just standing there quietly, his bright blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles filled with reassuring calm. His mere presence caused the air of the entire battlefield to freeze.
Lord Voldemort's crimson snake-like eyes were fixed intently on Dumbledore, his lipless mouth curling into an expression of extreme loathing.
"Dumbledore," he spat the name through gritted teeth.
"Tonight, you are always alone." Lord Voldemort looked around, seeing the Death Eaters being suppressed by members of the Order of the Phoenix, and said with a hint of mockery, "As always, you love playing the hero."
"On the contrary, Tom," Dumbledore replied calmly, "Heroes are never alone."
No sooner had he spoken.
In the center of the hall, the Fountain of Magical Brethren, already heavily damaged during the battle, suddenly trembled violently!
Splash!
The water in the fountain surged upward as if it had a life of its own, converging in mid-air into a massive, lifelike water dragon!
The water dragon let out a silent roar, its massive body twisting to form an indestructible water barrier, shielding Harry, Hermione, and everyone else behind it.
Then, in the fountain sculpture, the golden statue representing the Wizard suddenly raised its arm!
The wand in its hand pointed at Lord Voldemort, while the Centaur statue drew its bow, an arrow made of pure magic instantly locking on!
The elements of the entire hall were responding to Dumbledore's will!
"Dammit!"
Lord Voldemort let out a roar, his wand waving as a massive black flame transformed into a sky-swallowing giant serpent, meeting the water dragon!
Water and fire, life and death, collided, intertwined, and annihilated each other fiercely in mid-air!
The spell fired by the golden statue was easily blocked by Lord Voldemort's shield, but the magical arrow bypassed the shield with a strange arc, piercing straight toward his face!
Lord Voldemort dodged clumsily, the arrow grazing his cheek and leaving a charred mark on his waxy-white skin.
He was infuriated!
"Die! Old man!"
Lord Voldemort no longer held back; he abandoned his suppression of the others and poured all his power toward Dumbledore!
For a time, the entire circular hall became a battlefield for the two greatest Wizards of this century.
Countless spells, whose principles mortals couldn't even comprehend, were fired wildly between the two. Space distorted, and time slowed down.
In a gap between spell collisions, Dumbledore even found the time to wink at Harry, who was protected by the water screen.
This ease, this nearly contemptuous power, completely ignited Lord Voldemort's pride.
"Aaaaaargh—!"
Lord Voldemort let out an inhuman howl. He abandoned all complex spells and condensed the most primitive and massive dark magic into an expanding black energy ball, hurling it fiercely at Dumbledore!
This was an all-out strike, betting everything!
Facing this strike capable of leveling the entire Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore's expression became serious for the first time.
Hoo—
A clear Phoenix cry rang through the heavens and earth. A ball of golden-red flame appeared out of thin air at the tip of Dumbledore's wand, then transformed into a massive Phoenix that blotted out the sky!
The Phoenix spread its magnificent wings and met the black sun without hesitation!
There was no sound. The entire world lost all sound at this moment.
Everyone's vision was consumed by the two extreme lights of gold and black.
When the light dissipated, Lord Voldemort's figure had already appeared beside Bellatrix Lestrange.
He gripped his most loyal servant tightly, his chest heaving violently. Those crimson eyes were full of resentment, malice, and a fear he himself was unwilling to admit.
He had lost.
In a direct confrontation of power, he had lost utterly.
"We will meet again, Dumbledore!"
Leaving behind these fierce-looking but weak words, Lord Voldemort took Bella and vanished in a swirl of black wind.
The battle was over.
With Lord Voldemort's departure, the remaining Death Eaters completely lost their will to fight and were soon subdued by the members of the Order of the Phoenix.
The water screen dissipated.
Hermione was the first to rush out. She threw herself at Lia, pulling her into a tight embrace with such force that Lia's ribs hurt slightly.
Her hands trembled as she checked her body, tears falling uncontrollably.
"Are you okay, Lia? Are you hurt? You scared me to death..."
Lia felt the warmth of Hermione's palm and her familiar scent; the magic that had almost frozen from the duel of Killing Curses finally began to warm up slowly.
She shook her head, her gaze shifting away. Her fluffy ears and tail drooped weakly, not daring to look Hermione in the eye.
And Hermione, seeing this disheveled and aggrieved little pitiful look, knew all too well that she was still blaming herself for what happened earlier.
She sighed in heartache but also felt a surge of nameless anger.
She took off her coat, wrapping her up both roughly and gently, then took that cold little hand.
Just then, a flurry of messy footsteps was heard.
Minister for magic Cornelius Fudge, leading a large group of Aurors and reporters, finally arrived late.
When Fudge saw everything before him—the destroyed hall, the dozen or so subdued and bound Death Eaters, including Lucius Malfoy, and Dumbledore standing calmly in the center—his face instantly became even paler than Lord Voldemort's.
"He... he's back?" Fudge's voice shook like a leaf in the autumn wind.
"Yes, Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly. "Lord Voldemort has returned. Here is the evidence."
The evidence was irrefutable, caught red-handed; there was no longer any room for excuses.
Fudge's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. His political career, and even the illusion of peace in the entire wizarding world, had come to a complete end tonight.
This shocking battle at the Department of Mysteries declared the official start of the Second Wizarding War to the entire wizarding world in the most startling way.
As for Lia, Hermione looked at the Cat-girl beside her, who was staring at her toes with an air of being ready for any scolding or punishment.
She leaned into Lia's ear and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, with a gnashing-of-teeth kind of doting:
"I didn't even blame you, yet you ran off on your own and got yourself in such a mess... You're getting bolder and bolder, hmm?"
Her breath brushed against Lia's sensitive earlobe, causing a shiver.
"I'll teach you a good lesson when we get back."
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