great-warnovel Chapter 406 Clearing the Field
Chapter 406 Clearing the Field
Chapter 406 Clearing the Field
The annoying Umbridge ultimately failed to keep up with Hermione's pace.
The Fingers Witch wasn't confident she could handle both fighting Voldemort and taking care of a burden, so the Fire Keeper was instructed to wait far away outside and call in the Burma Party members to clean up the mess if necessary.
The wizards and priests wearing bird feather headdresses left, silently departing from the still-celebrating Feast of Blood. Hermione remained invisible, following behind them.
In the dark canyon, these indigenous shamans did not release any light sources, but simply trudged forward in a certain direction, their steps uneven.
Their purpose was clear, and they didn't talk much along the way. At some intersections, they met with wizards returning from other altars, formed a group, and continued on their way.
The group grew longer and longer, gradually increasing from a few people to dozens, a number that already exceeded that of many wizarding communities, and this was probably not even the whole group.
The city of deformities is indeed a good place. Its natural terrain can protect it from harsh weather, and although the abundant water source contains toxins, it is not undrinkable. Although there is little arable land, there are many wild plants, which also attract many animals to forage for food. This makes the residents of the city of deformities live a much more comfortable life than outside.
Hermione patiently followed the priests as they approached a towering cliff. Man-made stone steps led up the cliff face to a cave halfway up the precipice.
"Have we reached the lair?" she thought to herself, pondering how to seal off all exits, set up an anti-Apparition trap, and try to wipe out all these wizards and Voldemort in one fell swoop.
Although there was no one behind her, Hermione still noticed the transparent block of color moving slowly in the darkness.
It was Umbridge. This girl was still unwilling to give up. Even though she knew how terrifying Voldemort was, the desire to climb up drove her. No matter how dangerous it was, she still had to come and see. Hermione could only let her go. Anyway, as long as she didn't go in, there wasn't much danger.
The path to the cave was narrow and steep, and there were many magical traps, but following these wizards meant she didn't have to worry about these problems, and she slipped into the cave without any trouble.
It is much larger than it appears from the outside. The natural interior space has been carved and transformed into a network of underground palaces, where wizards gather in the deepest hall as if for a routine meeting.
Around this hemispherical space stood statues of the Holy Spirit of Death, draped in robes of different colors. They were sculpted to be extremely tall, their lifeless skeletal eyes gazing down at the priests gathered below.
At this moment, at the foot of each statue, there was a brazier burning with green flames—it was so Voldemort-like.
The wizards, divided into groups according to the color of their robes, stood silently before their respective Death Gods, as if waiting for someone. Hermione simply found an open spot at the edge of the hall to observe the situation.
Not long after, a person dressed in a more distinguished manner emerged from behind the tallest black-robed statue of death.
"Gentlemen, everyone has achieved their goal tonight," said the man dressed in a wide black robe, wearing a tall feathered crown and a golden mask.
It's Batistuta!
Hermione immediately recognized who was behind the mask; although he had covered his face, he hadn't changed his voice.
It's quite ironic that a white wizard from England is serving as the high priest of the American gods here.
"Each statue has received a newborn, fiery soul." He looked around at the blazing green flames, each statue becoming increasingly oppressive.
"Our great master is very pleased with your efforts, and he is never stingy in rewarding those who have made contributions," he promised with a smile, while the wizards below whispered excitedly.
"Isn't Voldemort here?" Hermione wondered to herself. Wouldn't it be better if he himself appeared in this situation of making empty promises?
Why is Batistuta being used instead? Or has he completely retreated behind the scenes to become a god?
If that's the case, finding him would probably be even more difficult.
"Who is it!" Barty Jr.'s sharp shout suddenly interrupted Hermione's thoughts.
She thought this guy was so powerful that he could detect her invisibility, but when she looked up, everyone was staring at the entrance of the hall.
"Terrible Umbridge."
That stupid woman, could she really be so audacious as to sneak into the dark wizard's headquarters all by herself?
That pink toad is really annoying. It's one thing for her to expose herself, but we can't just ignore her. That woman definitely wouldn't mind revealing Hermione's identity in a life-or-death situation.
"Forget it, since we've already alerted them, we might as well capture one of the little Batis first and then interrogate him slowly!"
Before the wizards could grab their wands and search for the intruders, Hermione had already cast several spells.
Fluorescent blue, translucent crystals silently and rapidly grew from the walls and floor of the hall. The native wizards didn't know what they were, but Little Barty immediately sensed something was wrong.
He recognized this thing all too well; he still vividly remembered the fierce battle on the shores of Black Lake.
Almost instinctively, he activated Apparition, but the anti-Apparition barrier that had been set up at some point dealt him a blow.
Without any hesitation, layers upon layers of armor spells covered his entire body.
The next moment, the pyroxene trees that had grown to the height of a person burst open, and a chaotic crystal storm raged through the hall.
It was as if a hundred heavy machine guns of Muggles were firing simultaneously, and the chaotic rain of sapphire bounced back and forth in the hall, turning into a continuous swirling wind.
Its violent power shattered everything in its path, whether it was human bodies or towering statues of gods.
Hermione showed no mercy to these cruel dark wizards, and they couldn't withstand her serious attention.
As the splendid storm gradually subsided, the hall was almost devoid of any human traces. Stone benches and human fragments were mixed together, and wizards' blood was no different from that of Muggles, its bright red color evenly smeared on the walls and ruins. The collapsed icons extinguished the green flames, with only a few stubborn sparks still burning beneath the rubble.
Barty Jr. wasn't seriously injured; his armor spells were skillfully broken through layer by layer, but thanks to Hermione's special care, he only suffered minor scratches.
A cluster of starlight flew into the sky, illuminating the dim, greenish hall. The witch, draped in a golden-red feathered cloak, appeared and calmly walked forward, standing on the pile of blood-soaked rubble.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Crouch. Perhaps you would be willing to tell me where Senior Tom has gone?"
Little Barty took off his mask and crown, which now looked rather awkward.
He gripped his wand tightly, swallowed hard, tense but powerless to resist.
"Give up! I will never betray my master!"
Hermione tilted her head. "Didn't you always call him 'Father'? Why the change?"
But it doesn't matter anymore. She waved her hand and said, "Perhaps you know that I have destroyed the Well of Immortality. You no longer have the ability to be immortal. Just one more time."
As soon as she finished speaking, a cluster of sharp crystalline spikes suddenly grew out from behind Little Barty, stopping precisely behind his head.
"You can choose not to say it, but I know you are very skilled in Occlumency. I brought truth serum, whether it's Professor Potter's or the kind that's exclusively supplied to the Malay Party."
As the two talked, the shattered statues around them silently began to create a thin layer of gray mist, which crept and spread, gradually approaching Hermione, who seemed completely unaware.