The first thing to strike the eye was a blinding, brilliant golden light.
From the muzzle formed by the tangled mass of tentacles, a radiant orb erupted instantly, swallowing everything in its path! Massive and terrifying, its burning white core was wrapped in a furious golden torrent as it soared straight into the sky!
In the next second, an earth-shattering roar erupted violently!
"BOOM————!!!"
It was as if countless thunderclaps had exploded simultaneously. Birds and beasts collapsed in sheer terror, and every single person in the area felt the raw vibration rattling their eardrums and chests! The sheer force of the recoil even seemed to tilt the entirety of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry backward!
[?!!]
The Avatar of Death gasped, its eyes widening in shock!
Within its slitted pupils, which reflected the brilliant golden radiance, was a mixture of unprecedented shock and terror. Before it could even react, the sacred bombardment engulfed its massive body like an unstoppable torrent!!
"BOOM————!!!"
The surging current shot straight into the night sky! Like the first light of dawn, it pierced through the thick darkness, as if the heavens themselves had opened a giant eye!
[Arghhhhh!!!!]
The Avatar of Death let out a piercing, agonizing shriek that echoed across the plains, sending violent ripples across the surface of the Black Lake. It thrashed and wailed as the scales on its body melted away like wax and its flesh was purified into nothingness, exposing its grim, stark white bones!
Ethan Vincent watched the scene with a cold, detached gaze.
From his perspective, he could see a tangled mess of souls angrily wailing as they were forcibly torn away from the Avatar of Death, separating into three distinct entities. One belonged to Death itself, one belonged to Lord Voldemort, and the third—the most heavily damaged, its original shape almost unrecognizable—belonged to the unfortunate soul who had been possessed by Death.
As he channeled his magic at maximum output, Ethan's face gradually grew pale. If there were an instrument capable of measuring the magic Ethan was expending right now, it would reveal a shocking truth: Ethan alone possessed a magical reserve that could rival the total power of the entirety of Hogwarts!
[You have severely wounded Death! Soul Fusion rate increasing!]
[98.56%, 98.66%, 98.86%, 99.0%...]
The soul fusion rate was climbing at an unprecedented speed! Within just a few breaths, it reached 99.8%! Then, it slowed down once more, ticking upward by a mere 0.01% at a time.
A few seconds later, the golden beam of light gradually contracted, tapering down to the thickness of a hairline before vanishing entirely, leaving a massive "gash" torn into the night sky.
"Pant, pant, pant..."
Ethan swayed slightly, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. It had been a very long time since he last felt his magic drained to such an extreme extent. His interior felt like a parched wasteland, a burning sensation searing his inner organs.
Yet, Ethan's cobalt-blue eyes remained brilliantly bright—perhaps gleaming even brighter than before.
Turning the entire Hogwarts castle into an extension of his own limbs, setting up a battery, and blasting Death to smithereens... Art. Pure art!
Specks of light drifted all around. In front of the castle, where the Avatar of Death had once stood, nothing remained but a mountain of blood-red flesh! It looked like a hunk of rotted, charred meat. Billowing white smoke rose from its surface, and large chunks of flesh slid down the skeletal frame like melting wax tears, sizzling loudly as they hit the ground.
Inside and outside the castle, a dead silence fell. Everyone stood frozen, staring open-mouthed at this scene that defied all logic and imagination!
A first-year student, cheeks flushed with excitement, whispered breathlessly, "That is so cool! This is the wizarding world I always dreamed of! The wizarding world is absolutely amazing!"
"...By the galloping Gorgons," an Auror muttered, his face stiff and blank. "Has Ethan been fighting monsters like that this entire time? So, if Ethan really wanted to kill us, it would be as simple as crushing an ant with his thumb!"
A wave of profound delayed terror and relief washed over him. It finally dawned on him that they, the fools of the Ministry of Magic, had been brushing shoulders with death time and time again!
"...Thank Merlin! Thank Ethan for sparing our lives! Ethan really is on the side of the Light; he's practically the embodiment of tolerance and mercy!"
Tears and snot streamed down the Aurors' faces. There was no comparison without contrast. So what if Ethan had made them VVIPs at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries? Compared to that world-ending magic, Ethan's treatment of them was practically a gentle breeze—couldn't be sweeter!
In a ruined corridor, Ron Weasley swallowed hard and whispered, "Did we win? Did Ethan really defeat... whatever that 'Death' thing was? Is our Headmaster about to ascend to heaven?"
Hermione Granger rolled her eyes aggressively. "Can you please just shut your mouth for one second?"
Gazing at the mountain-like carcass with a mixture of worry and awe, she clasped her hands together and murmured, "Please let Ethan be okay, please let Ethan be okay..."
Right then, a sharp crack! echoed through the air.
Hairline fractures began to spread across the bones of the "blood mountain," webbing rapidly like an egg about to hatch! Then, under the tense, wary gazes of the crowd, it burst open with a loud crash, revealing a colossally massive human face!!
The face was as large as Hogwarts itself. Its skin was a gaunt, ashen gray, tightly stretched over bone like a corpse. A turbid aura of death seeped from its cracked lips, and its eyelids, stitched shut with thread, trembled slightly; from their flat appearance, there were likely no eyeballs beneath them.
Though it clearly shouldn't have been able to see, every person who looked upon that face felt an instantaneous, bone-chilling shiver run down their spine!
"...Heh, you've finally shown yourself, coward."
A smirk tugged at the corner of Ethan's lips as his sharp gaze pierced straight toward the terrifying, colossal head. Word by word, he declared:
"Death itself!!"
[You have destroyed Death's mortal vessel! Forcing the true entity of Death to take the field personally!]
[Soul Fusion rate increased by 1.6%]
[98.4% -> 100%]
[Congratulations! Your soul has perfectly fused with this world. Your influence and power will no longer be restricted!]
[The brightness of the Lamp has increased!]
[The Gate of the Apex stands right before you, waiting to be opened!!]
———— The Soul Fusion rate had reached one hundred percent!!
In an instant, Ethan's pupils dilated, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes! The 100% fusion rate he had dreamed of for years had been achieved just like that—so "easily." That brilliant Gate of the Apex was standing right before him!
Thump-thump, thump-thump!
Ethan heard his heart pounding violently against his chest, an uncontrollable surge of excitement rising from the depths of his soul! Along with it came a massive, erupting torrent of power!
[I acknowledge you possess some skill, Ethan Vincent...]
A raspy, hollow voice leaked from Death's mouth. The monstrous corpse-face slowly turned toward Ethan—
"Hmm?"
Ethan frowned slightly. He suddenly found the face somewhat familiar, but for the life of him, he couldn't quite place it.
[But it ends here. I have already chosen my next host...]
[And that host is you, Ethan Vincent!]
[Feel honored. I shall allow you to experience what it feels like to "become a god"...]
In the next second! A mass of pitch-black mist, like a swarming cloud of flies, instantly swallowed Ethan whole!
"Whoosh!"
The clear, silver moonlight swept across the sky, dazzlingly bright, yet it was dimmed within the black fog.
"Ethan!"
Hermione and Gemma Farley lunged forward immediately, but a professor's arm sharply cut them off!
"Miss Granger, Miss Farley! Have you both lost your minds?!" Professor McGonagall's eyes were wide with shock.
Hermione cried, "But Professor! Ethan, he—"
"If you wish to squander Mr. Vincent's efforts and throw your lives away for nothing, I shall not stop you," Professor Snape interjected darkly, looking down at the two girls.
Gemma understood, biting her lower lip reluctantly while tightening her grip on her wand.
"Have faith in Mr. Vincent, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said, her tone softening as her thin, wrinkled hand patted Hermione's shoulder reassuringly. "The only thing we can do right now is wait patiently."
Hermione looked up, only to realize that beneath her calm exterior, the professor's eyes were filled with deep anxiety and urgency, alongside an unyielding resolve.
Professor McGonagall added, "If Ethan falls, our duty as professors is to evacuate you all as quickly as possible."
As for them, they would stand and fall with Hogwarts!
Just then, a loud, clear voice suddenly rang out from the depths of the black mist:
"Evacuate? I'd say there isn't a safer place in the entire wizarding world right now than Hogwarts!"
Flash!
A blinding light erupted! Like a brilliant beacon ignited in the dark, a radiant orb of light irresistibly scattered the black fog, expanding outward! Ethan stood right in the center of it, his cobalt-blue eyes bathed in a shimmering radiance that made it impossible to look away.
Curling his lips into a smile, he looked up at Death's gloomy, furious face and called out clearly, "You want to possess me? Sorry, your taste is atrocious!"
With that, Ethan let out a low shout!
The Lamp within his mind suddenly exploded with light, like a super-sized version of a Lumos Maxima, instantly banishing every trace of the black mist surrounding him! The radiance of the Lamp purified the curse entirely!
It's a good thing that curing Nagini earlier significantly boosted the brightness of the Lamp in my mind, Ethan thought to himself. Otherwise, I'd be in a real tight spot right now.
The thought of Nagini becoming a spark brought a pang of regret to Ethan's heart. He had barely finished curing her when she turned around and walked right into the Forge. He had never even mentioned the Rite of the Map's Edge to her, yet she was perceptive enough to realize the ritual was missing a sacrifice. Those snake eyes of hers were truly something else.
I wonder if there's any way to turn this around. Such a valuable asset shouldn't be wasted like this. Maybe I should take another look into the Veil? Who knows, maybe I can fish Nagini back out...
While Ethan's mind was racing with these thoughts, Death's astonished voice cut through the air: [You actually blocked my corruption? No, this is absolutely impossible...!]
[This is the power of my true self! You are a mere mortal, how could you possibly withstand—wait.]
Death froze abruptly, its stitched eyelids twitching violently! A deeply terrifying, mind-boggling realization dawned upon its consciousness. It spoke in a trembling voice:
[...You, could it be that you are just a single step away from ascending to godhood?!]
Ethan raised an eyebrow and gave an elegant bow. "Greetings from a visitor at the Gate of the Apex, Mr. Death."
[!!!]
Death completely froze. It was as if a human had suddenly been told that an ant had grown to stand on equal footing with them overnight. It was utterly dumbfounded.
How... how long had it even been? He had already reached the Gate of the Apex before godhood? How was this even possible?! This was pure fantasy! Are you the Creator's favorite son or something?!
[No—!! I don't believe it! I am the chosen one, I am the master of destiny! How could I allow a lunatic like you to lay hands on—Argh!!]
Death suddenly shrieked in agony. Its colossal face cracked open with fracture lines, shattering and collapsing as if it could no longer sustain itself. The laws of the mortal realm were taking effect, relentlessly purging Death from this plane.
Seizing the opportunity, Ethan whipped out a spell. The curse exploded violently against Death's face, blowing away two-thirds of it. However, this wasn't Death's entire true body. Recognizing this, Ethan lowered his wand, refusing to waste any more energy.
[I... shall return... When that day comes, I will tear you apart... Destiny can only have one master...]
Beneath those hollow eyelids, Death glared intently at Ethan until its form crumbled into dust, vanishing completely.
"...I look forward to our final showdown," Ethan murmured, staring at the dark, churning sky. A faint gleam of dawn reflected in his eyes, illuminating the resolute and expectant light within his cobalt depths.
———— The next battle would be against Death's true self! It would be the war to end all wars!
Ethan took a deep breath, feeling the air—thick with rich magical residue—fill his lungs. Standing atop the largely collapsed ruins of Hogwarts, he turned to face the massive crowd of students and professors rushing toward him.
Spreading his arms wide to welcome the sun rising on the horizon, he spoke deliberately, declaring each word clearly:
"We won."
———— It had been an exceptionally hard-fought victory. Their opponent was a monster possessed by Death itself. Yet, they had won!
"This is a victory for the Light! Once again, we have defended our rights and our right to exist!" Ethan's voice rang out like thunder, his powerful words striking every heart like a drumbeat!
His cobalt-blue eyes blazed with intense light as he clenched his fists, pulling his arms close to his chest. His clear voice echoed across the war-torn landscape:
"To our glorious, brilliant victory!!"
The night had passed; dawn had arrived. Just like the rising sun, from this moment forward, he would hold the entire British wizarding world in the palm of his hand! He would command an influence on the world stage that even Gellert Grindelwald in his prime couldn't match!
"Ohhhhh———————!"
"To victory!"
"We actually kicked Death's ass! We actually kicked Death's ass!!"
Ebullient cheers exploded across the grounds as soot-stained students threw their arms around one another in excitement. The Weasley twins were bouncing up and down like springs, pulling endless amounts of fireworks from their pockets—it was a wonder they had managed to save them until now. Neville Longbottom was laughing through his tears, his nose bright red, getting tossed around in celebration by Seamus Finnigan and the others.
"What an immeasurable youth..." Grindelwald remarked, shaking his head.
He felt immensely grateful that he hadn't been born in the same era as Ethan. Otherwise, his fate would likely have been no different from his "senior," Lord Voldemort.
Grindelwald hobbled forward, his eyes gleaming, eager to catch up with his old acquaintance. However, Albus Dumbledore didn't even spare him a glance, walking straight past him toward Ethan.
Grindelwald: ?
Dumbledore will mourn for you— Never mind, he couldn't beat him anyway. Better just endure it. He stood to the side, looking utterly dejected.
The nearby Aurors, seeing the once-terrifying Dark Lord standing there like a wooden post, couldn't help but marvel: As expected of Ethan. There's always a stronger wizard, but Ethan takes it to a whole new level.
"Mr. Vincent!" Dumbledore called out, his expression grave and solemn. "That face claiming to be 'Death'... I believe I recognize it."
Hearing this, Ethan perked up. "Who is it?"
Dumbledore pursed his lips and uttered a familiar name in a raspy voice:
"Credence Barebone."
"Or rather, Aurelius Dumbledore... Yes. I could never mistake him, for he was my nephew—my brother's son. An unfortunate young man who should have succumbed to his Obscurus and passed away decades ago!"
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