Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 329 The Tragedy of Diagon Alley (Part 3)

When Ike followed Voldemort into Diagon Alley, the first thing he saw was a corpse in the middle of the street. Blood was everywhere, but much of it had dried under the heat of the still-burning flames from the houses on either side.

Old Fu didn't mind at all. He stepped on the blood, leaving a clear footprint. He took a few more steps and stopped, turning his head slightly to look at the row of bright red footprints behind him. He suddenly laughed.

In the distance, explosions and screams mingled together, constantly drilling into Old Fu's ears. The corners of his mouth widened, and a look of enjoyment naturally appeared on his face.

"Master..." A short, bald, ugly man trotted over, knelt down in front of Old Man Fowler, and tremblingly kissed the top of his feet. It was Peter Pettigrew.

Voldemort wasn't surprised to see Peter Pettigrew there. With a gentle lift of his wand, Peter Pettigrew's body rose to the ground.

"Wormtail, didn't you join in the other people's revelry?" Old Fu asked softly.

"Master...I want...I want to welcome you..." Peter Pettigrew said timidly, his head bowed.

Old Voldemort didn't reply, but gave him a meaningful look before flicking his sleeves and heading towards the battlefield. Peter Pettigrew didn't dare to look up until Ike gently patted him as he passed by, at which point he straightened up slightly and trotted ahead to lead the way.

Ike remained quiet, his gaze fixed straight ahead. Moreover, he no longer needed to observe closely; the houses on either side, some reduced to ruins, others ablaze with flames, spoke volumes.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of roasting meat, and corpses were scattered everywhere. The horrific scene defied description; it was a living hell. Occasionally, groans could be heard, and a quick glance revealed either werewolves or dark wizards, missing limbs and bearing large wounds, looking as if they were about to die.

They both wanted to live, which is why they struggled so hard when Old Fu and Ike passed by, seemingly trying to crawl to their side. However, before they could even move, the two had already walked away.

"This is a necessary sacrifice, Ike." Old Vol's voice slowly drifted into Ike's ears, filled with cold-bloodedness.

"I understand, teacher," Ike replied softly, his steps unwavering. "It's for a greater good..."

"For the greater good..." Old Fu paused abruptly. This sentence made him think of many things, but he had to admit that it was the most appropriate in this situation.

Step by step, they finally arrived at the forefront of the battle.

Caught off guard, the Ministry of Magic's guards were forced into a retreating rout, now with nowhere left to go. Behind them lay the tightly closed, golden doors of Gringotts, shimmering with light, clearly under full protective magic.

The fairies refused to get involved in the wizards' battles, remaining completely neutral. They were, one might say, fearless, having controlled the wizarding economy for centuries; no one could leave them.

Moreover, even during the last Wizarding War, Old Voldemort did not attack Gringotts.

To put it bluntly, we're not afraid at all!

Others were afraid: the Ministry of Magic guards, the patrolling Aurors, the shopkeepers of Diagon Alley, and the unfortunate pedestrians caught in the crossfire. The small clearing in front of Gringotts was their only place to stand, surrounded by Death Eaters and dark wizards.

Suddenly! The fierce attack came to an abrupt halt, and the survivors couldn't help but show the relief of surviving a disaster. Most of them breathed a huge sigh of relief.

And then... they briefly forgot how to breathe...

The crowd naturally parted to make way, and two figures slowly walked forward, one after the other. When Old Fu's iconic, terrifying face appeared before them, an even stronger sense of despair instantly enveloped all the survivors.

"Black...Black Lord!" a voice screamed, and then, like a switch, it unleashed a continuous, ear-piercing scream.

Panic, utter panic! Old Fu's appearance robbed them of their courage to continue defending; some even fainted. In a single instant, they became spineless chicks, completely at the mercy of their captors.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Old Fu shook his head, a disdainful look on his face, and turned slightly to look at Ike, saying, "Are these the people who boasted that they would defeat me?"

"Yes, teacher," Ike nodded and said.

"Ah, that's really disappointing... Look at them, they don't even have the courage to point their wands at me." Old Fu said disdainfully, his red pupils scanning the people in front of him, but he only saw them unconsciously lowering their heads and avoiding his gaze.

"waste!"

As soon as Old Fu finished speaking, the Death Eaters erupted in deafening laughter, baring their teeth and brandishing their claws as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world. Old Fu also laughed, but compared to the others, his laughter was filled with a strong killing intent.

Ike watched this scene silently, his face expressionless; he was the only one who didn't laugh. This naturally caught Old Voldemort's attention.

"Ike, don't you find it ridiculous?" Old Fu raised his hand, and the laughter stopped abruptly. All eyes fell on the calm and composed Ike.

"They're just a bunch of lambs to the slaughter, teacher. I don't think killing them is a glorious thing," Ike said softly.

His gaze fell directly on the trembling group. Many were familiar faces: Aoro, whom he had met before; the owner of the secondhand bookstore; and employees from Flourish and Blotts Bookstore and Tuofan Clothing Store. The light of yesteryear was long gone, leaving only deep fear.

"Ah, that's true." Old Fu nodded, a smile returning to his face, but this time it was exceptionally cruel.

He waved his hand, and Bella immediately unleashed a death curse, while the other spells rained down upon her.

Although the survivors had lost their courage, they were like rabbits driven to the edge, and the moment Old Fushou landed, they worked together to erect a protective barrier, barely managing to withstand the fierce attack.

But that was all; with the arrival of the second wave of spells, the defenses shattered instantly!

"Hahaha... Avada Kedavra!" Bella laughed wildly, unleashing another killing curse that instantly killed a panicked, unlucky fellow. The curse's impact sent the corpse flying into the crowd, hitting several people who couldn't dodge in time.

People scattered and fled. Except for the direction where Old Voldemort and Ike were, they ran away against the curse, but most of them died on the way.

Some succeeded; a dozen or so people broke through the werewolves' and dark wizards' defenses and ran deeper into Diagon Alley. Seeing this, the werewolves and dark wizards who had been breached felt utterly humiliated and ashamed, and immediately gave chase.

"As expected, a bunch of useless trash..." Old Fu said coldly, causing the Death Eaters who remained in place to shiver.

His eyes swept around, and no one dared to stay in their place anymore.

Except for Ekko.

(End of this chapter)