The next second, the ink-black stone suddenly ignited!
A dense, black mist warped the very air, and from within the gloom, a pair of blood-red lips curled upward!
The lips parted in a delighted grin, and then, a shrill, piercing shriek erupted!
[Ahhhhhhhhh—!!!]
"Ugh!"
Everyone instantly buckled over in pain, clutching their ears and staring in horror at those blood-red lips.
—What... what kind of evil magic was this?!
Crack! Crack!
Under the assault of the high-pitched, magical sonic wave, the four walls instantly fractured into countless fissures.
Then, a pitch-black liquid surged from the cracks like a tidal wave, rising in a towering wall before Ethan!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless spells slammed into the liquid, only to create a few ripples before being swallowed whole by the darkness.
"Merlin's beard... how has this guy gotten even stronger...?"
The Aurors looked up at the encroaching shadow of the curtain, and in their despair, there was a strange hint of resignation.
...Might as well be defeated sooner so they could go home and sleep.
Boom—
The pitch-black wave swept down, dragging everyone into that cold, dark veil!
Some drifted in the freezing void, screaming in terror—others simply lay down and accepted their fate with a sense of peace.
In the midst of the chaos, only Ethan's joyous laughter sounded utterly out of place.
[You have given the Ministry of Magic employees an unforgettable experience! After all, not everyone is lucky enough to experience the feeling of death while they are still alive.]
[Soul Integration increased by 0.15%]
[Lamp Brightness increased! You have lit a flame within the mind of a newcomer!]
Ethan looked down, meeting Sasha's dazed little face.
Curling his lips into a smirk, he shifted his mask, raised his hand, and a bowler hat appeared in his palm like a magic trick.
He playfully tipped the brim of the hat and mouthed the words:
See you later, Miss "Mouse"~!!
In that instant.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
It was as if a slender arrow had pierced through Sasha's heart.
Her heart gave a violent, sudden throb. She stared blankly up at that incredibly handsome face, her cheeks growing burning hot without her even realizing it.
Just before the pitch-black cage snapped shut, Minister Scrimgeour's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he roared in fury:
"Do... do not think you can act this wantonly forever! Dark Lord!"
"You think you can sit back and relax? What about Professor Slughorn, whom you deceived? What about Harry Potter and the countless students at Hogwarts?!"
"As long as the Ministry exists, as long as we remain the pillar of Britain, you will never truly control Hogwarts!"
"Ethan Vincent—THE LAMP!!!"
The curtain finally closed. The last image burned into Minister Scrimgeour's eyes was Ethan's delighted, smiling face.
"Then I shall be waiting at Hogwarts... Minister."
Ethan emphasized the last word.
It was as if he were saying—I wonder how much longer you'll actually be Minister?
The veil sealed shut, muffling Minister Scrimgeour's roars.
"Hmph~ well, everything that needed doing here is done," Ethan murmured, standing in the deathly silence of the Department of Mysteries.
"The Minister mentioned Professor Slughorn. It seems he's already figured out who smuggled me into the Ministry... no surprises there."
"The Professor has already been moved to Hogwarts ahead of schedule. All future operations will revolve around Hogwarts."
"Therefore, the Ministry will definitely attempt a surprise raid on Hogwarts in the future."
"Sigh," Ethan let out a long sigh, thinking regretfully, "I really wanted to paint everyone from the Ministry into a picture."
However, that would have been counterproductive and likely would have fueled an even more violent resistance.
"As expected, I am still better suited for the Path of Light."
Ethan nodded in self-approval.
He glanced sideways, flashing a "friendly" smile at the researchers who were paralyzed on the ground.
It made them shake even more "excitedly."
"The next remnant of Death is related to the Snake. The only special snake I know of right now is the Maledictus, Nagini."
"In the original story, Nagini severely injured Arthur, killed Professor Snape, and nearly killed Harry. Her fangs are lethally venomous; she's a dangerous beast. I can't let my Society members take the risk of searching for her..."
"Furthermore, I don't know where she is, and I don't know if her being a Horcrux actually links her to the remnants of Death."
"Quite troublesome..."
Ethan frowned, lost in thought for a moment.
Ultimately, he shook his head and said, "Let's put that aside for now. Right now, there is another important matter to attend to—"
And that was the start of the Hogwarts term!
September was approaching. Even though the current situation was unstable, the education of the young witches and wizards could not be neglected.
As a serious and responsible person, Ethan would surely give them a school life they would never forget.
"Hehehe~ there's also a big surprise waiting for the new students entering this year..."
Ethan's mouth split into a grin, revealing a smile that made the researchers tremble.
"I hope they like this 'Grand Gift'~"
Then, with a wave of his hand, he summoned a Warp Door and strolled leisurely through it.
His figure vanished in the blink of an eye.
After several seconds of deathly silence, one researcher collapsed to the floor, murmuring in a daze:
"The Great Demon King is gone... are we... are we alive?"
Only now did they realize.
Even within that curtain of darkness, Ethan had held back.
Compared to Ethan, the Cursed Piper was nothing! If he had truly been serious, the entire Department of Mysteries would have exploded!
Just then, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed as several more Aurors rushed in.
"Merlin! What... what happened here?"
Leading them was a dark-skinned Auror—Kingsley Shacklebolt, a secret agent for the Order of the Phoenix. He stared at the scene in shock.
The pitch-black tide lay spread across the floor like a canvas.
Within it, the struggling figures of people were "painted."
...Needless to say, in the current wizarding world, there was only one person capable of such a bizarre and terrifying display.
Ethan Vincent.
Kingsley's mouth twitched several times as he screamed internally:
What happened to the 'secret infiltration'? What happened to 'not making a scene'?!
In the end, he still went full 'Dynasty Warriors' on them!! It was just a matter of sooner or later!!
Thinking of the endless inspections and reports they would have to write, Kingsley, sinking into the hell of overtime work, couldn't help but feel tears welling in his eyes.
...Ethan, I %*&@--!!!
That said, Kingsley had to quickly join the rescue operation.
While pulling out the unconscious Minister Scrimgeour, his foot slipped, and he "accidentally" stepped on the Minister's rugged face a few times.
At that moment, a tiny voice spoke up: "Is Ethan... is he really a bad person?"
Kingsley looked toward the sound and saw a petite girl with large glasses.
"Even though Ethan protected everyone inside the veil... and gave Sasha the courage to say goodbye..."
Kingsley paused, walked over, leaned down, and said softly:
"If you say Ethan is a good man, then he is the most evil and terrifying 'good man' there is. But if you say Ethan is a bad man, then he is the best and most merciful 'bad man' you'll ever meet."
Meeting the girl's wide eyes, Kingsley reached into his robes, fumbled for something, and handed it to her.
"If you wish to follow this 'Light' that even evil fears... then take this."
Hearing this, Sasha instinctively reached out and took the object.
It was hard and cold to the touch.
She looked down. She saw a shimmering, lamp-shaped badge.
—It was the symbol of the Enlightenment Society mentioned in the newspapers!
Her breath hitched, and she snapped her head up!
But the dark-skinned Auror who had given her the badge had already moved away.
"...Follow the light... follow Ethan..." Sasha murmured, her palm tightening around the badge.
She felt a warmth she hadn't felt since the Piper's flute had been extinguished.
Within her heart, a new spark began to flicker.
—The Lamp is merciless.
Mercy can only be found within the shadow.
Perhaps, only this person—who could neither be described nor restrained by the common logic of the world—could truly become the one to break fate.
The Savior.
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