In the room, the silver smoke rolled and churned, as if giving birth to something magnificent and incredible. Even Char, who was trying to bring it into existence, was under unimaginable pressure. His whole body felt the heavy weight of a mountain, his bones creaking, his flesh torn and bloody.
"Is this the price for attempting to use the World Tree as a guardian?" he gritted his teeth and thought.
To have the Titans as a Patronus was something that none of the Big Four could achieve. The collapse of the World Tree was obviously directly related to the end of the Olympus mythological era. Hephaestus, the god of fire, and Demeter, the goddess of fertility, had both tried to rebuild the World Tree in their own ways, but they had all ended in failure. This indirectly illustrated a point: the level of the World Tree might even be above the ordinary mythical level. Even the Titans, who were revered as gods, were far inferior to the World Tree. For Char to use it as his guardian, one could only imagine the difficulty.
If not for his legendary life and legendary power having already been sublimated once, he was afraid he wouldn't have been able to hold on under such pressure. And as the silver smoke changed along with the Patronus spell, this pressure not only showed no signs of easing but was even slowly increasing. He was afraid that when the guardian was successfully condensed, the pressure would be even greater.
The Hufflepuff lady understood this as well. But a moment later, a look of determination appeared in her eyes. The silver badger, the last gift she had left in the world, came before Char, the silver light becoming brighter and brighter, fighting against this pressure together with him. The pure liquid light burned even more fiercely, flowing into Char's body and transforming into nutrients to help him conceive his Patronus.
With the silver badger sharing the pressure, the weight on Char suddenly eased. He looked at the badger, and from among the light, he heard the kind voice of Ms. Hufflepuff.
"My will has already been passed down to you children. Leaving was destined to happen long ago. Focus, child. The importance of the mythical guardian angel is not only related to the limits of magic. Perhaps even the entire magical world needs this Patronus. You are the last hope."
Char's eyes were filled with confusion. He could hear deep worry in Ms. Hufflepuff's voice. It seemed that this founder from a thousand years ago was very pessimistic about the future of the wizarding world. But now, there was no time left for him to think about this. The pressure coming from the silver smoke was still slowly increasing. Char held his hands like mountains, and together with Ms. Hufflepuff, he resisted the pressure. Every minute, every second, his flesh and blood were crumbling and then growing back.
On the system panel, on the blurred words of the Patronus Charm, lights of various colors were constantly flowing.
At the same time, in Quirrell's room, he opened a suitcase, and a deep staircase emerged, leading to the cages that had previously held many wizards transformed into five-legged monsters. Now, the number of monsters left here was obviously much smaller, and the human corpses in the cages were almost completely consumed. But the remaining monsters, similar to five-legged creatures, exuded a malice and strange magic that was enough to make one's blood run cold. Especially those monsters that were covered in Auror uniforms, transformed from Aurors themselves. They were probably not much different from real five-legged monsters. In particular, they still retained some of their own proud magic and combat experience, making them perhaps even more dangerous.
Quirrell grabbed a piece of a human thigh and threw it into a cage. In a moment's effort, there was a fierce movement inside, followed only by the sound of chewing, as if even the bones were being chewed clean. He nodded with satisfaction.
It was naturally a fantasy to expect these transformed monsters to deal with Dumbledore. But if these monsters were scattered, it would be impossible for Dumbledore to destroy them all in an instant. Apart from Dumbledore, the other professors at Hogwarts would have to work very hard to deal with them. If they were released when the students entered the Forbidden Forest for the exam, it would be enough to trap almost everyone at Hogwarts, including Dumbledore, in the Forbidden Forest. Unless Dumbledore wanted to watch the young wizards being devoured by the Quintapeds, he would have to stay and deal with the monsters. By then, Quirrell would be able to get the Philosopher's Stone without any hindrance.
As for how many young wizards would die or be injured in this process, or be left with psychological trauma? Quirrell, who had been transformed into something inhuman, didn't care about these things. Just as people don't care about the mood of bread. Like Voldemort, who already possessed such powerful magic but was still pursuing things like overthrowing the International Statute of Secrecy and allowing wizards to rule over Muggles, Quirrell really couldn't understand it. To him now, wizards and Muggles were of no consequence. They were just food. Overturning the International Statute of Secrecy? Wizards ruling Muggles? To him, it was like a fight between two ingredients in a dish. It would have no impact on filling his stomach.
There was only one thing that still bothered Quirrell: Char, the little boy who disgusted him. Quirrell threw a newspaper with Char's photo on it, wrapped in a large piece of flesh from an unknown part, into a cage and gave his orders. "When you see this little wizard in the Forbidden Forest, kill him at all costs!"
In the cage, strange, vague sounds of response came, accompanied by the sounds of chewing and swallowing.
Time went by, day by day. The silver smoke pouring out of the tip of Char's wand seemed to have brought the process of gestation to an end. Faintly, one could see that the smoke was about to gather and take shape. Even its originally scattered and delicate texture had, at this moment, become extremely solid. It didn't look like smoke, but more like a silvery solid.
The Hufflepuff lady's voice was intermittent and difficult to reach Char's ears. "Hold on, Char. This is the final step."
The silver badger could no longer be seen in its original shape. All that was left was a ball of burning silver light. Its brightness and volume were nothing compared to the beginning. It was like only an empty shell was left, a wisp of smoke that would be blown away by the wind.
As for Char, his appearance at this moment was almost as miserable as when he was wrestling with the Kraken in the sea. His entire body was covered with white bones revealed under the heavy pressure, with cracks all over them, making him look like a porcelain doll that was about to shatter. Even though his legendary life force was trying its best to repair his body, there was a feeling of not making ends meet.
Especially when what the Hufflepuff lady said was the final step in forming the Patronus began. The pressure coming from the unformed World Tree guardian did not decrease at all. Instead, it became heavier, a sharp increase compared to before, pressing down towards Char.
Feeling the change, a hint of desperation appeared in the Hufflepuff lady's voice. "Char, perhaps our guess is wrong. Perhaps the human body cannot use mythology as a guardian. You've tried your best. Stop, or you'll die here."
The silver light burned brightly, as if wanting to burn out its last rays to bear this wave of pressure for Char. But at this time, he took a deep breath. On his system panel, the Unyielding Force characteristic, extended from his legendary power, became brighter and brighter. The closer he was to danger, the more the power of Unyielding Force would bless him. At most, he could even directly cross the limit of one sublimation and raise his physical strength to the level of a second sublimation. Even a giant like the Kraken had felt terrified when faced with the legendary power after its second sublimation.
Now, although his body was crumbling, accompanied by the Unyielding Force, Char regained the feeling he had at the bottom of the sea, as if he could do anything. Even if it really was a mountain, maybe he could hold it up.
Accompanied by a low growl, Char's body actually stood up slowly despite the pressure coming from the Patronus. This scene even made the Hufflepuff lady let out a sound of horror. In the era when the Big Four founded Hogwarts, the enemies they had to deal with were beyond the imagination of today's wizards. At that time, there were still groups of giants, unlike now, where there are only a few scattered everywhere, no longer a force to be reckoned with. Even so, in Ms. Hufflepuff's memory, there were only a few beings who possessed such powerful physical strength. Just how high was the concentration of Titan blood in this child?
Immediately following, hope resurfaced in the Hufflepuff lady's heart. Perhaps there was really a hope of success.
At this time, as Char's body stood up little by little, the silver smoke also accelerated its condensation speed. The originally scattered smoke gradually began to form a huge outline. The Hufflepuff lady's eyes were filled with excitement. But the next second, the light that had been burning, becoming the nourishment for Char's Patronus, burst into chaos, like a candle in the wind. The power supplying him began to completely fail, and the huge outline of his Patronus began to show signs of dissipating.
Even though she had been through countless fierce battles, Ms. Hufflepuff's voice was now filled with self-blame. "Just a little bit. Just the last bit. But I can't squeeze out any more strength... If I could just hold on a little longer—"
Char was under tremendous pressure. He turned to look towards where the Hufflepuff lady's voice came from. The silver light was almost as dim as candlelight, ready to go out at any time. The Hufflepuff lady was about to disappear forever. The founder of his house was about to leave this world completely.
Realizing this, Char took a deep breath. Then he looked at the World Tree guardian, whose outline had already emerged. He could feel it. Just one last bit, really just the last bit. If he could take this step, the mythical guardian that the four giants had been pursuing would finally take shape. But now, there was no Hufflepuff lady to provide strength. Just because of his talent in magic, where else could he nurture a guardian of this level? A moment's further delay, as the Hufflepuff lady's power waned further, and he was afraid even the current level could not be maintained. The guardian, which had been condensed to this point at a huge cost, would collapse into a ball of silver smoke again.
A cold look appeared in Char's eyes. He couldn't accept this kind of result. "Strength," he growled. "We still need a little bit of power to bless the guardian spirit. A little bit is enough. As long as I can take this step—"
In a moment, in Char's mind, the guardian trees in the small greenhouse emerged. The Patronus Tree's additional reward type had appeared after Dumbledore's Phoenix Patronus had hovered over it. It was the effect of the silver-level Patronus Spell. Now, the guardian tree should be mature, right? Although he didn't know whether stacking the silver-level rewards would be effective, at this moment, this was his last hope.
Char looked at the little light that remained from the Hufflepuff lady. "Miss, can you take me to the greenhouse? Maybe I still have a way."
Hearing his words, the Hufflepuff lady didn't even hesitate. She really didn't have much time left. It was a miracle that Char could hold on until now. What did it matter if she believed him in the end?
The next moment, the silver light, which was already emitting a dangerous glow, began to shake violently. Then, a door opened on the wall in front of Char. Behind the door was the scene in the small greenhouse. Under tremendous pressure, Char held on to his body, his bones cracking, the cracks becoming more and more widespread. Even his vision became blurred. But this was not the first time he had had to endure this kind of limit. He took a step forward, one step at a time, blood flowing. He stumbled through the door and appeared in the small greenhouse.
What caught his eye was the heavy reward light ball hanging above the guardian tree. Dozens of guardian trees were all mature. And at this moment, Char didn't look at any other rewards. His eyes were fixed on the silver-level Patronus Charm blessing in the reward light ball. Reaching out with difficulty, he growled, "Harvest!"
The next moment, dozens of light balls rushed towards him. At this time, the light on Ms. Hufflepuff's remaining will was completely dim and illusory. No more power could be squeezed out to provide nourishment to Char as the guardian of the World Tree. The light seemed to reveal her regretful yet relieved look. Even after reaching this point, it was still impossible to condense the guardian in the myth. Although she felt regretful, she had no other thoughts. Perhaps this was really an insurmountable chasm. But she felt extremely ashamed towards Char. The child had suffered so much, but in the end, he had gained nothing. As the founder of his house, she was truly ashamed.
Just a moment later, as Ms. Hufflepuff looked at him with regret and guilt, she suddenly seemed to see something incomprehensible. Without her power supply, the prototype of the guardian that Char had condensed should have dissipated in a very short time. After all, this was not something that his magic power or proficiency in the Patronus Charm could support. This child's magical talent was indeed just ordinary, not top level.
But now, the prototype of the guardian that should have dissipated, instead of dispersing, began to become more condensed.
Char was also watching all this. The power of the rewarding light balls, one after another, spread throughout his body. Among them was the silver-level [Guardian Spell Blessing]. It seemed to really have an impact on the prototype of the World Tree Guardian. Originally, Char was just one step away from forming his Patronus. And now, under the effect of one reward light ball after another, this line was rapidly approaching.
Then, along with the last bonus light ball pouring in, with his [Patronus Charm], the luster was fixed on a dazzling golden color. It was also at the same time that the golden color was brightly spreading that the line between the prototype of the guardian and its completion was crossed.
A tree so magnificent that it was unimaginable, with the upper half completely shrouded in silver smoke, and only the image of the guardian clearly emerging from the lower roots, appeared in front of Char and the Hufflepuff lady.
The Hufflepuff lady's eyes widened. "This is—"
Char's gaze also fell on his system panel. The words "Patronus Charm" were still not learned, but the lusterthat shrouded these words was something even he had never seen before.
Mythical light.