After delivering his ultimatum, Erwin gave the pure-blood families of America no time to react. He walked directly out of the manor.
He had spoken; he had given them three minutes. That was final.
This was his favor—an opportunity for these families to preserve themselves. If they failed to seize it, they had no one to blame but themselves.
Hearing his words, anger flashed across the faces of the assembled wizards. Their eyes burned with killing intent, yet their bodies obeyed, making way for him. Angry as they were, resentful as they were, they were not foolish. They would not provoke a force they could not defeat. Everyone present understood Erwin's power. They knew how terrifying he was. Simply witnessing the slaying of a god—something unprecedented—was proof enough.
They were present at the Demos family's command, though many were already dissatisfied. To them, coming here was practically suicidal. But they had no alternative; the Demos family's influence in the United States was absolute. Refusal meant annihilation the following day.
However, they had their own contingency plans: switch allegiance the moment the Cavendish family claimed victory.
That moment was now.
Erwin approached Old Tom. "The rest is yours to handle."
Old Tom nodded, his voice a dry rasp. "The families that refused to submit. Shall I eliminate them all?"
"They are useless now," Erwin replied coldly. "Eliminate them."
"Yes, Master," Tom bowed.
Erwin glanced at Rivers, who was lurking nearby. He sighed, too exhausted to care.
Three minutes passed in what felt like an instant.
The American families made their choices. While some possessed integrity, opportunism was the instinct of the masses—and in America, there were many such opportunists. In the end, aside from a few die-hards, everyone surrendered to the Cavendish family.
As for those who didn't?
They could only hope Old Tom wasn't thorough. Otherwise, by next year, no one would even remain to tend their graves.
Meanwhile, Erwin was already en route via the Cavendish family's private transport to France. Currently, the major Western magical powers—Germany, the United States, and Britain—were under Erwin's control. Smaller nations fell easily; some lacked a Ministry of Magic entirely, leaving the Cavendish family to manage them as they deemed appropriate.
Only France remained.
Once he controlled France's magical world, the entire West would be his. The East, he knew, would be handled by Kunlun.
Erwin never acted without purpose. He made these preparations because he understood the enemy he faced. It was not a task one could handle alone.
In the streets of France, Fleur was already waiting at the designated location. The vehicle descended from the sky and landed before her. Her eyes lit up as she ran toward it.
Erwin stepped out.
"Welcome to France, Erwin," Fleur greeted him with a radiant smile.
"Apologies for interrupting your trip to the East," Erwin returned the smile.
"Traveling in the East can be done anytime," she waved a hand dismissively. "But witnessing the Cavendish family's arrival in France's magical world? That doesn't happen every day. So, what is your plan?"
"I don't have time to waste," Erwin said. "I have much to accomplish. I need to be direct. I must meet with the heads of the pure-blood families here."
"I anticipated as much," Fleur nodded. "My father, on behalf of the Delacour family, has invited all the heads of the pure-blood families to tonight's banquet. They've been remarkably cooperative—likely because of the chaos here over the past few days. A group from an unknown origin has already eliminated many people. Several families have been completely wiped out."
Fleur finished speaking and glanced at Erwin, searching for a reaction. He remained impassive. She frowned. Had she guessed incorrectly?
The entire magical community of France speculated that this group had been dispatched by Erwin to eliminate dissenting voices. Everyone knew the targets had one thing in common: they frequently spread Cavendish conspiracy theories, urging native wizards to unite against the "invasion" and protect their world. In fact, quite a few ordinary wizards had been incited by them, viewing the Cavendish family's actions as far from righteous.
Most pure-blood families had initially remained neutral, waiting to observe if the Cavendish family would infringe upon their interests before choosing allegiance. Even the Delacour family had thought similarly. But after the Godslayer incident, terror took hold. They realized Erwin's strength had become terrifyingly absolute.
The moment Fleur returned, she spoke with her father. Ultimately, the patriarch of Delacour was the first to express support for the Cavendish family's arrival. He had no choice. France's magical world, united, was no match for them. Fortunately, his daughter's relationship with Erwin was strong; if the Cavendish family intended to conquer by force, they would likely offer a merciful alternative.
Thus, before Erwin even arrived, the direction of France's magical world was essentially determined. This was the benefit of overwhelming power—it truly saved Erwin tremendous effort.
Most importantly, everyone else had to be pragmatic.
Fleur shook her head, too disinterested to speculate whether the wizards causing chaos in France were actually orchestrated by Erwin. She only knew that after today, France's magical world would likely resemble England's—under Cavendish control. The Ministry of Magic here would be a mere shell. Unlike other countries, France's Ministry had always been weak; this transition would be swift.