"What in Merlin's name was that?!"
Moody whipped his head around and slammed his fist into the wall outside the lavatory.
"Boom!"
Yet amid the crumbling bricks, there wasn't a single trace of an "arm." Had it slipped away?
Moody turned back to the mirror.
That one glance...
Sent his heart leaping into his throat.
In the mirror, he saw...
The wall hadn't been destroyed by him at all.
It stood perfectly intact.
And countless arms were still clawing frantically at the thin gray film.
Until a "hiss."
A sound like ripping fabric rang out clearly behind Moody, piercing his ears.
The arms broke through.
Along with a body, slowly crawling out of the wall.
It was impossible to put into words.
What this thing even was.
Its skin was flaking and moldy, as if stitched together from countless corpses.
Multiple arms and legs jutted out in every direction.
It was practically a giant, rolling ball of flesh!
A woman's head sprouted from the mass.
Her tangled black hair hung down, knotted among her limbs.
Like the matted fur of some burrowing rodent.
"Is this the 'rat' that's been scurrying in my walls?"
Moody's pupils shrank.
He felt his blood freeze in an instant.
He swore.
In all his decades as an Auror, he'd never encountered anything so utterly sinister!
Even the most unhinged Dark wizard wouldn't dare conjure such a blasphemous abomination!
Had he awakened some ancient horror?
Moody fell silent for two seconds.
Then he yanked out the flask he never parted with.
He threw his head back and took a deep swig.
The fiery liquid burned down his throat, igniting his blood and magic.
"Phew!"
"Mad-Eye" Moody, the battle-hardened Auror who'd survived countless clashes with Dark wizards.
Wiped his mouth, and a ferocious gleam sparked in his one good eye.
—The enemy must have targeted him because of his upcoming role as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. That's why they'd struck here.
For Dumbledore and Harry Potter, he would never fall!
Moody's magical eye whirred.
Its cold blue lens locked onto the antique, ornate dressing mirror clutched in his hand.
"Since everything started with this mirror... then what I need to do is simple!"
Moody raised his arm high.
Then.
He smashed the mirror down!
"Crash!"
The already fractured glass exploded into glittering shards across the hard floor.
The next second.
[Ah—!!!]
A wild tangle of black hair erupted from the broken mirror!
Accompanied by a piercing shriek, countless dagger-sharp arms burst outward like blooming petals, slashing viciously at Moody!
"Bang!"
Even braced for it, Moody recoiled.
He fired off a spell in a flash!
Only to watch it shredded by her claws.
Moody: ???
He couldn't help cursing inwardly, What in the bloody hell is this monstrosity?!
To craft such Dark magic, Merlin himself would need to inspect their family tree.
Are you even from this planet?
[Roar!!!]
The assault.
Seemed to infuriate the disheveled Rat King.
She let out a deafening screech, abandoning her earlier sluggish pace.
Waving her grotesque limbs, she barreled toward Moody like a collapsing mountain of flesh!
"Crash!"
Moody instinctively blasted through the wall and leaped outside!
Because he was paranoid about Dark wizards Apparating into his home.
Moody's house was ringed with wards.
Even he had to exit the perimeter before he could Apparate.
When the cool night air hit his lungs.
Moody's mind sharpened!
He realized this was a trap to lure him out of his fortress of traps!
"Hmph, think I'm an easy mark just because I've left the safe house?"
"Now, no matter what comes next, I won't be caught off guard again—"
Moody suddenly froze.
His magical eye stared blankly at a wizard under a Disillusionment Charm, charging straight into the house without hesitation!
Right into the embrace of the lunging Rat King.
Barty: ???
Moody: ???
Wait, how did you get out/in???
In the split second they passed each other.
Moody caught the raw confusion and terror in the Dark wizard's eyes.
Immediately after.
"Ah ah ah ah what is this thing?! Let—let go of me, glurgle glurgle..."
Moody:
Decades as an Auror, and he'd never witnessed such an absurd maneuver.
Don't you even know your own partner?
The next second.
A scorpion-like tail hook whipped around his waist from behind!
Moody: !!!
What a brilliant diversion!
If not for that split-second distraction from the Dark wizard.
He absolutely would've dodged!
"Guh! I won't give in—" "Bang!"
The wardrobe door slammed shut.
Swallowing all the furious, defiant roars inside.
[You have delivered a new-century Dark wizard's shock to "Mad-Eye"]
[Soul fusion increased by 0.7%]
[81.6% → 82.3%]
"Phew—mission accomplished."
Ethan wiped imaginary sweat from his brow.
Gazing down at the wrecked house, he nodded with a grin:
"The Rat King and I make quite the team~"
As soul fusion climbed, a wave of magic surged through his veins.
Offsetting the massive drain from wielding the painting.
Less than 1%, sure—but even a mosquito leg is meat!
Over 80% soul fusion now!
[Name: "Rat in the Wall"]
[Rank: Third Tier · Blue Precious]
[Effect: Can cling to and slither within building walls to strike enemies unawares; claws boast cutting and defensive power, with high spell resistance; weak to fire]
[Description: A collective of vengeful spirits born from the girls slain by Jack the Ripper. Revived via the extraordinary item, the Fuzzy Heart, now dubbed "Rat King"]
[Will inflict the punishment of disembowelment upon foes]
It hadn't ascended to "golden legend" yet—pity.
But as a surprise trump card, it was more than enough!
Ethan stepped lightly, strolling toward the mansion.
He paused before the writhing Rat King at the house's front.
Seeing its master, the Rat King lifted its matted black hair.
Beneath the silhouette, a strikingly beautiful girl's face flickered into view.
Her skin ghostly pale.
Ethan's lips curved.
He reached out to the grotesque, twisted creature, voice soft: "You've done well, my little darling."
[Ah...]
The Rat King quivered.
Hesitantly, it extended a razor claw and rested it in Ethan's palm.
Then, as if scorched by the warmth, it yanked back!
With a shriek, it vanished into the earth in a blink!
"Oh~ so bashful."
Ethan chuckled twice.
He glanced at Barty, sprawled on the ground, foaming at the mouth and out cold from the chaos after the Rat King departed.
He felt the violent thrashing inside the wardrobe.
Ethan snapped his fingers with a crisp "pop," beaming:
"Using the Wandering Realm, which peers into the 'inner world,' plus the painting 'Rat in the Wall,' I've subdued both 'Mad-Eye' and Barty! Splendid~"
Huh?
One more than planned?
Must be my imagination.
"Mmph! Let me out! You twisted little creep, you foul Dark wizard!!"
Moody's muffled curses leaked from the wardrobe.
"So full of spirit..." Ethan murmured.
He poured magic into the seal, keeping the wardrobe locked tight.
Just then.
His gaze sharpened on an object that had rolled across the floor.
He crouched and picked it up.
[You have obtained item: "Mad-Eye" Moody's Magical Eye!]
[Effect: Contains a spell that pierces Invisibility Cloaks and Polyjuice Potion— an upgraded anti-peeping mirror on steroids]
"Hmm, now this is a treasure!"
Ethan's eyes sparkled.
Harry's Invisibility Cloak had stumped even his Pupil of the Door.
"Maybe, once I master the enchantment inside, I can tweak it with my paintings!"
Ethan pocketed it without a second thought.
A sly "hehehe" grin spread across his face:
"Mad-Eye, you've finally fallen into my clutches... Wait, why does that sound so villainous?"
Ethan scratched his head.
A look of innocent bewilderment crossed his features.
Yet through the pure white mask, the gesture only looked unnerving.
At that moment.
Ethan's ears twitched. He seized Barty by the hair.
He whispered:
"Portal."
Unseen by any eyes, a dark door yawned open.
Ethan stepped through with leisurely grace.
His figure materialized instantly outside the village of Little Hangleton.
Startling a swaying old drunkard, who shuddered violently.
Meanwhile.
Outside "Mad-Eye" Moody's residence.
Several Aurors arrived in a frantic rush.
Connie Rosier stared at the blasted house and stomped her foot in fury.
She bit her lip, muttering, "Damn it... we were one step too late!"
Just standing at the edge.
She could sense an overwhelmingly malignant aura!
It made her—the newly minted Head of the Auror Department—tremble faintly.
After Sirius's capture last year, most veteran Aurors were still recovering.
Thus, fresh blood had been promoted.
Connie Rosier was one of them.
It was perilous.
But it also meant the culprit was a major player!
Connie Rosier's eyes blazed.
She barked, "Scour every inch of this house! We will find whatever the perpetrator left behind!"
"No incidents that could tarnish the great British wizarding world's image during the Quidditch World Cup!"
"Yes, Officer Rosier!"
The Aurors sprang into action, storming the house.
Once they were all inside.
Connie, glancing around to ensure no one watched, couldn't resist two excited little hops.
Her cheeks flushed pink.
If she caught the culprit and pulled off a grand feat...
Would she finally meet her idol, the "hero of justice" Ethan Vincent?