A stream of light erupted from the tip of Makiya's wand, silently piercing through space. It bypassed the flames and black mist, driving straight through Quirrell, who was hidden within the black python.
The most lethal strikes are often the ones held in reserve; once unleashed, they must guarantee a killing blow.
The power of light continued to spread, leaving a dazzling trail in the eyes of all onlookers. The fortitude, integrity, and resolve contained within the spell further empowered the magic.
It wasn't until his chest was pierced that Quirrell and Voldemort finally reacted. Both looked at his chest in disbelief, where the fleeting pillar of light had already dissipated, leaving a hole the size of a bowl right where his heart used to be.
The black mist stopped pouring from the apertures of his body. Having lost its source of power, the black python let out an unwilling hiss and vanished into thin air.
The fire phoenix let out an excited, melodious cry that echoed through the heavens as it pierced the clouds. The dense shroud of dark clouds parted, and under the moonlight, the fire phoenix soared freely before transforming into a shower of brilliant flames and disappearing.
With a heavy thud, Professor Quirrell's body hit the ground, landing in the large crater carved out by the battle between the two behemoths.
"Heh... heh... heh..."
In the final moments of his life, Quirrell seemed to have finally regained control over his body. His mouth hung wide open as he tried to say something, but all he could do was spit out a mouthful of dark, clotted blood.
Thick black blood gurgled from the corners of his mouth, looking particularly gruesome under the moonlight. The dying embers on the ground illuminated Quirrell's face; his eyes were wide, seemingly filled with resentment over his fate.
Quirinus Quirrell had graduated from Ravenclaw House at Hogwarts. In a sense, he was Makiya's senior. He had been a studious and highly intelligent man, keen on putting learned knowledge into practice. He had even taken a year off from his studies to travel abroad and verify certain academic points.
After graduation, the socially awkward Quirrell found little success. While traveling through the forests of Albania, he encountered the spirit form of Voldemort. Enticed by the Dark Lord's knowledge of the Dark Arts, he became his servant.
After being possessed and controlled by Voldemort, Quirrell hadn't been without thoughts of resistance. However, Voldemort's reputation was deeply ingrained in his mind, and the Dark Lord's methods were ruthless and unforgiving. After being tortured multiple times, Quirrell had been reduced to a complete puppet.
"Tha... thank... thank you..." Quirrell's vision gradually faded into darkness. Even though a patch of fire burned right next to his head, it couldn't illuminate the light dying in his eyes.
"Hiss..."
Dense black gas drifted out of Quirrell's body, transforming into the shape of a human head floating in the air. The churning mist gradually solidified into facial features, looking utterly hideous.
It was Voldemort.
Quirrell's death did not affect Voldemort. As long as his Horcruxes remained in the world, Voldemort would never truly die. Furthermore, his soul state granted him immunity to most magical attacks.
He was practically like a bug in the world's code, but that was how the program was written.
Makiya looked at Voldemort's misty head and pursed his lips helplessly. If he could use the abilities of Soul Reaper Makiya—forget advanced techniques like Shikai or Bankai—even with just a basic Asauchi in hand, Voldemort would be forced to kneel and beg for mercy.
Unfortunately, he couldn't use them. The world-building of this children's literature universe was as absurd as it was powerful; the rules were strictly enforced.
"You damned brat, just you wait!" Voldemort snarled, his head of roiling black smoke charging straight at Makiya.
"Apparition!"
Just as Voldemort was about to collide with him, Makiya's body suddenly compressed into a tiny point. A second later, he appeared in the nearby scorched woods.
In the original story, Harry had been phased through the chest by Voldemort's soul and had been unconscious in the infirmary for a long time. Although there didn't seem to be any lasting side effects, it was better to be cautious.
Upon appearing, Makiya turned and flicked his wrist, sending out a spell. The brilliant white pillar of light appeared again, instantly piercing through the flying Voldemort.
However, Voldemort seemed completely unaffected. He swept a gaze filled with hatred over Makiya, then caught sight of Harry and the others out of the corner of his eye, letting out an angry howl.
"Roar!"
Voldemort shrieked as he surged into the sky, vanishing into the moonlight.
"Makiya! Makiya, are you alright?"
Once Voldemort was gone, Harry was the first to rush into the battlefield, finding Makiya just as he was stowing away his wand.
Behind Harry, Hagrid walked up with large strides, clutching his double-barreled shotgun. He also looked shaken, but seeing Makiya standing there in one piece, he let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness. I'm glad you're okay, Makiya."
"Don't worry, how could anything happen to me?" Makiya smiled at the group. "You saw it just now, right? I'm quite powerful. Ordinary people can't do anything to me."
"I knew you were amazing, but I didn't expect you to be THAT amazing!" Harry could hardly hide his excitement, gesturing wildly. "What was that spell that summoned the giant fire bird? Can you teach me?"
"Uh... even if you learned that move, you probably wouldn't be able to pull it off." Makiya patted Harry on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Trust me, the Expelliarmus spell is quite enough for you. It suits you very well."
"Eh? How did you know?" Harry tilted his head curiously. "I saw that spell by chance in a magic book you had open earlier. I practiced it a bit and learned it. It feels much easier to master than other spells."
"Different people have different constitutions," Makiya tried to explain. "Back in my hometown, some people can perform a sliding tackle to slice open a dragon's belly, while others can perform a sliding tackle just to feed the dragon. Harry, your affinity with the Expelliarmus spell is extremely high. That's determined by your constitution. Study it and practice it well; saving the world will depend on this spell in the future."
"Saving the world?" Harry scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Even though everyone says I'm the Savior, I think you're more like a Savior, Makiya. Compared to you, I seem quite useless."
"Don't compare yourself to me. I'm using cheats; I'm not a legit player."
"Huh?" Harry's head was full of question marks. What did he mean by 'using cheats'? What was a 'legit player'?
Just then, the short-legged Hermione and Ron came running over. Makiya scanned the area but didn't see any sign of Malfoy.
Where did that unlucky kid go? He surely couldn't have greased his heels and bolted, could he?
In the original story, after Malfoy and Harry encountered Quirrell in the Forbidden Forest, Harry was frozen in place by the pain in his forehead. In less than two seconds, Malfoy had shown a flash of genius and vanished without a trace—a true escape artist.
Makiya figured Lucius had probably taught him well. Wealthy families generally valued their lives. After all, the greatest regret in life is dying before you've spent all your money. Staying alive is more important than anything.
"Blegh..."
A sound of retching caught Makiya's attention. He took a few steps and stood on a freshly extinguished tree stump, only then spotting Malfoy in the corner, vomiting uncontrollably.
Makiya: "????"
He looked at Harry. "What's wrong with Malfoy?"
Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure. He just watched a few seconds of your fight with that cloaked person, and then... well, that happened."
Makiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe it's shock? I've heard that when people are overly terrified, they tend to vomit."
"Then he's got quite a small liver for a heart."
Hagrid spoke with certainty. "It's definitely shock. I've seen plenty of cowards. Some are even scared of the Acromantulas, and those little guys are clearly adorable."
Malfoy: "..."
Harry and the other two: "..."
Dumbledore in the corner: "..."
Hagrid was indeed a kind-hearted half-giant, but his worldview—which differed significantly from that of humans—often gave Dumbledore quite a headache, and there was never a good way to fix it.
When Hogwarts was first founded, the four founders had actually thoroughly cleared the Forbidden Forest and formed a treaty with the sapient, intelligent creatures to ensure the safety of the young wizards.
This state of affairs continued until Hagrid became the gamekeeper of the Forbidden Forest. This half-giant frequently raised all sorts of strange creatures. When the young wizards discovered and reported them, leading to the Ministry of Magic ordering their culling, he would always hide them from everyone and secretly release those dangerous beings into the Forbidden Forest.
This practice had even disrupted the ecological balance of the forest. The Centaur tribes living on the outskirts complained frequently, as they often found strange things while hunting.
Hagrid was also passionate about animal hybridization, producing creatures that were even more dangerous. Some were so bizarre that even Dumbledore couldn't figure them out—how exactly did Hagrid get two creatures with completely different habitats and habits to breed?
These newly emerged hybrids often had no natural predators and were true invasive species.
Thinking of this, Dumbledore turned his gaze toward Makiya. This child was also a new resident next to the Forbidden Forest. With Makiya around, the dangerous creatures Hagrid released were no longer growing unchecked.
This was because they had encountered a new natural predator: Makiya.
Every master of alchemy is an expert in magical plants and creatures. Identifying the properties and effects of various animal and plant materials is a basic skill of alchemy.
Similarly, a successful alchemical creation is always accompanied by a large number of failures, and the consumption of materials during this process is massive.
Dumbledore had known for a long time that Makiya often snuck into the Forbidden Forest. During the first few instances, Dumbledore had intended to intervene to prevent any accidents.
But he soon realized that his concerns were entirely redundant. Makiya's strength was unprecedented, and the creatures in the Forbidden Forest couldn't harm him at all.
Dumbledore didn't know if Makiya had noticed his observation, but he did notice that Makiya was very restrained every time he collected materials, practicing sustainable development and never driving any species to extinction, so he simply let it be.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Dumbledore adjusted his robes and slowly stepped out from behind a large tree.
On the other side, Makiya was laughing and chatting with Harry and the others. Facing the shock and admiration of the young wizards, Makiya acted very modest. His attention, however, was entirely on Dumbledore in the woods.
With his sensitive detection of magic, Makiya had discovered the old man's presence the very moment Dumbledore used Apparition to arrive.
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