The match between Ireland and Bulgaria was intense and spectacular.
The two teams could be said to represent the highest level of Quidditch at present. Coupled with the use of the latest Firebolt brooms, the match was undoubtedly one of the most thrilling of the century.
The result was equally astonishing. Just as Fred had predicted, Ireland won, but Viktor Krum caught the Golden Snitch.
At the moment Krum seized the Snitch and ended the match, the entire stadium erupted. Rhys felt that the cheers could be heard ten miles away.
Fred and George quickly vaulted over the backs of their seats and rushed toward Bagman, grinning as they stretched out their hands.
Rhys slowly stood up from his seat, preparing to go collect his winnings from Bagman. At that moment, something changed.
A massive object glowing green suddenly shot into the sky and hovered directly above the stadium.
The green light flickered, and the shape within gradually took form. A gigantic skull composed of countless emerald-green, star-like points appeared in the night sky. Then, a large serpent emerged from the skull's mouth, slithering slowly. The skull shone brilliantly within the eerie green haze, like a new constellation in the pitch-black sky.
At first, people didn't react, thinking it was part of the Irish celebration fireworks. But most British wizards quickly recognized what it was.
Rhys saw the faces of the Malfoy family, seated not far in front of him, turn deathly pale. Lucius Malfoy immediately grabbed his son's arm with his left hand and wrapped his right arm around his wife Narcissa. Without even sparing the time to greet Minister Bones, who was seated nearby, they Disapparated on the spot.
Like the first domino to fall, the Malfoy family triggered a chain reaction. The entire stadium erupted with sharp cracking sounds, like gunfire breaking out everywhere. Countless wizards chose to Apparate away, trying to get as far as possible from the terrifying mark in the sky.
'The Dark Mark—it's Tom's symbol.' Rhys immediately recognized the mark in the night sky. More and more people came to the same realization. Even those who had never seen the Dark Mark before were quickly told what it was by others, and panic began to spread.
Those who knew how to Apparate immediately took their families and fled the scene, while those who could not, or were unable to for various reasons, panicked and rushed toward the exits. The entire stadium instantly fell into chaos.
Voldemort made no attempt to stop the wizards from fleeing. Although his emotional state had become unstable due to the repeated splitting of his soul, he still retained basic rationality and understood his purpose for tonight.
He intended to announce his return before the entire wizarding world, not to slaughter every spectator present. Killing was meant to establish his authority, not for its own sake.
Those who fled would spread fear to every corner of the wizarding world, which suited him perfectly.
He had indeed gained control over the power of death, but Voldemort was well aware of what it would mean if such power were exposed. For now, he could not afford to become the enemy of the entire world. A certain degree of restraint was necessary.
With a single Apparition, he appeared at the top of the stadium. Taurus followed closely behind, arriving just half a step behind him.
Voldemort glanced back at Taurus, signaling that he could begin.
Taurus took out a crystal ball from his robes, filled with the emotion of "fear." He tossed it into the stadium, and it shattered upon impact. The fear contained within drifted outward.
Without a host, such an emotion should have dissipated into the air. However, a surge of magic arrived, forcibly sustaining its existence and causing it to spread rapidly, entering the bodies of some spectators near the lower levels of the stadium.
Under the control of Taurus's domain, panic spread through the crowd. Even some Ministry staff who had initially remained calm lost control. They abandoned their posts and joined the surge of people rushing toward the exits.
At this moment, Aries was outside the stadium. Seeing that Voldemort and Taurus had already begun, she reluctantly led the remaining people to the top of the stadium, kneeling on one knee behind Voldemort.
The appearance of the robed figures disguised as Death Eaters pushed the atmosphere of panic in the stadium to an even higher peak. Under the influence of Taurus's domain, some out-of-control wizards didn't even wait to escape through the exits and jumped directly from the stands.
Watching the chaotic, completely out-of-control crowd below, Voldemort smiled in satisfaction.
"Taurus, your domain is truly well-suited for situations like this," he said, unable to resist praising him, genuinely believing that this man was his greatest gain since his resurrection.
"Beaters and all personnel, maintain order and guide the spectators to evacuate! Aurors, puppets—move out!!!" Minister Bones snapped out of the shock of Voldemort's sudden appearance and immediately began issuing orders.
However, with the situation already out of control, how effective those orders would be was hard to say.
"Our people will assist you in combat. Resisting dark wizards is the shared responsibility of all wizards," the Bulgarian Minister for Magic beside her said in a grave tone.
"Thank you," Bones replied briefly before immediately turning her attention back to directing the operation.
While the two Ministers were speaking, they did not notice that three young wizards were still lingering in a corner of the top-tier box.
"Daphne, Astoria, leave here immediately," Rhys ordered the Greengrass sisters.
"Rhys, what about you?" Daphne immediately caught the problem in his words—he had only instructed her and her sister, saying nothing about his own plan.
"Naturally, I'll stay here and give Tom a little lesson." Rhys glanced up toward where Voldemort was standing. He had already decided to engage this unpleasant junior in battle.
Since you're so confident, why don't I test your strength?
"I can—"
"No, you can't." Rhys rejected Daphne outright.
Judging from the fluctuations of magic, Rhys was certain that Voldemort had already grasped the power of a domain. Although he didn't know exactly how Voldemort had achieved it, he could roughly guess.
"If Voldemort dares to appear in a situation like this, he must have a domain. Wizards like you, without one, would only get in my way here." Rhys's stance was clear: want to fight? Fine—but you must possess a domain.
"I have a domain!" Daphne's fists turned a dark crimson, proving with her actions that she was qualified to join the battle.
That thing of yours can be called a domain? Rhys very much wanted to make such a blunt remark about Daphne's half-baked domain, but considering he should leave the girl some dignity, he swallowed the words.
"Astoria doesn't have a domain. You need to ensure her safety," Rhys gave a reason that at least sounded reasonable.
Astoria's face flushed instantly.
She hadn't expected that one day she would become her sister's burden! She truly felt that, in front of domain users like Rhys and the others, those without a domain didn't even have the right to breathe freely.
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI