Chapter 145: Bat-demort
Ryan activated his magical sight. Through it, the hundred-meter bat in the sky showed a degree of magical response, but the fluctuations were not intense, only equivalent to that of an ordinary Hogwarts student. But an ordinary Hogwarts student could in no way cause dozens of vampires in the plaza to scatter in terror.
He was stunned.
Generally, when a person is in a state of extreme shock, they can't control their speech and are likely to blurt out whatever is on their mind.
Everyone heard him say it: "What on earth is that thing? Is it... Bat-demort?"
Bat-demort...
Upon hearing the word, Ralvin and the others first felt a reflexive twinge of fear, then their faces began to twitch, caught in a struggle between wanting to laugh and feeling that now was not the time.
The British Aurors, on the other hand, went into a panic at the mention of "Voldemort." After all, discussing him in public still required a great deal of courage. Even with him captured, decades of ingrained habit were hard to break. It was only when they saw Ralvin and the others suppressing their laughter that they realized the Voldemort crisis might truly be over. They hadn't dared to speak his name when he was terrorizing the world. They hadn't dared to speak it when he had vanished. Now that he was captured, if they still didn't dare to speak his name, wouldn't that make his capture meaningless?
"Bat-demort... that's a good name," one of the braver ones finally said, pointing up at the hundred-meter-long giant bat.
With one person leading the way, the others naturally followed. One of the quickest ways to forge a bond between wizarding bros: chanting Voldemort's name together.
Dumbledore frowned. "I've taken a closer look... that giant bat up there is a living creature, but it's very different from any normal life form."
"Let's deal with the vampires first, Albus. Are you going, or should you let the children go?" Gellert, ever the decisive one, began assigning tasks, sending both Dumbledore and the younger generation out. It wasn't that he didn't want to stretch his own legs, but with both the arsonist who had wanted to set off fireworks in Paris and the firefighter who had put them out present, the situation was just a bit too real for him to volunteer. Besides, Nicolas Flamel was staring intently at the giant bat, showing no intention of moving.
"No need to trouble the Headmaster. Leave it to us," Ryan said, giving an "OK" sign before beckoning to the eager Ralvin and the others. He then turned to the Aurors seated at the long table. "Brothers from the British and French Auror offices, time to work."
Before his words had even faded, the room was filled with the crack of Apparition.
A moment later, a large group of robed figures appeared in the clearing outside, their wands pointed to the sky. With their appearance, an invisible wave began to spread out from them as a center. It was a large-scale combination of Muggle-Repelling and Memory Charms.
The Muggles in the area either hurried away, as if they'd suddenly remembered they'd left the stove on at home, or abruptly changed direction as if they'd seen a "Road Closed, Please Detour" sign.
Ryan himself suddenly appeared in mid-air, having cast a Levitation Charm on his own clothes to float. He slowly ascended, getting a closer look at the behemoth.
Observing it up close was a completely different experience from watching it from the room. From the ground, one could only judge its immense size by comparing it to the surrounding buildings. But up here... Ryan could personally guarantee that his own body was shorter than one of the bat's claws.
He raised and then lowered his wand. The creature was simply too big. Even a Cutting Curse would probably only give it a paper cut. A spell like Incendio might be able to harm it, but it could also just provoke it further.
Better stick to what I do best. He decided to just blast it with raw magic, aiming for the wings first. He sank his mind into his own magical core, using it to resonate with the ambient magic in the air, creating a violent explosion and resonance.
The next moment, the sky filled with a series of deafening booms, as if dozens of grenades had detonated at once. The air in the area of the explosions visibly distorted. The blasts had altered the composition of the atmosphere, changing the air density and the refractive index of light. From a distance, the space seemed to be covered by some invisible force, constantly twisting, crushing, overlapping, and intertwining, like a giant shredder pulverizing everything in its path.
This was a maelstrom that no carbon-based life form could withstand. The explosions were concentrated on the bat's wings. The power and intensity were enough to tear apart any living creature. Ryan was already preparing to use a Levitation Charm to catch the giant bat's body, to prevent the people of France from waking up to a giant crater and a couple of collapsed buildings.
Down below, the wizards who were playing a reverse version of whack-a-mole with the vampires were utterly horrified by the sound of the explosions.
Aren't spells supposed to be beams of light?!
Aren't spells supposed to work silently?!
How can a spell be this powerful?!
Everyone on the ground, feeling the tremors, had the same thought: The destructive power of this is far more terrifying than any Unforgivable Curse!
In the room, Nava shot to her feet and rushed to the window, her long hair spilling over her chest. A corner of her high heel had chipped off from the sudden movement, but she paid it no mind. She stared at the chaotic, brilliantly colored patch of sky, the thunderous explosions echoing in her ears.
Her perception of wizarding magic, which she had been building all day, shattered once again. So magic wasn't just about making spaces bigger or transfiguring things or making people forget... though those things were already beyond her imagination, violating the very foundations of known science. Technology, in the end, was just technology; it lacked the power to truly shake the soul.
Violence was different. Violence was the most direct, most soul-shaking thing of all. Like the scene in the sky, which looked like the simultaneous detonation of a massive artillery barrage. So magic could be this violent. A single wizard could be a one-man army. Nava didn't even notice her own breathing growing heavier.
But beside her, Dumbledore, Gellert, and Flamel exchanged glances, a look of shared confusion in their eyes.
As the light and shadows in the sky stabilized, the giant bat was still there, flapping its wings, creating a steady wind, as if nothing had happened. As if the attack, equivalent to the concentrated fire of a heavily armed military unit, had not even touched it.
In that instant, everyone understood what an "outlaw" was, and why the vampires, these highly dangerous magical creatures, had become the "desperate" ones. Because if the vampires didn't flee for their lives, they would lose their lives.
"What on earth is that thing?!"
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