Spellcasting Gods

"Hehe, don't be so nervous. There's a saying in my hometown: facts speak louder than words. Come on, Ariana, come over and say hello to your brother." Zhang Cheng turned around and gently patted the girl's head.

Encouraged by him, the latter finally mustered up the courage to ask in an extremely soft voice, "Brother Afu, don't you remember me?"

boom!

moment!

Those memories of his sister, hidden deep within his heart, suddenly flooded Aberforth's mind like a tidal wave.

Because the name "Afu" was Ariana's nickname for herself when she was a child, a little secret between the two of them, which even her brother Albus did not know.

Shock!

excitement!

joy!

Feeling lost!

fear!

……

For a moment, even he didn't know what kind of complicated feelings he was having. He slowly reached out his right hand to touch the other person's innocent face that remained at the age of fourteen, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Ultimately, the bond of kinship, rooted in blood ties, triumphed over reason.

The old man hugged his sister tightly and wept uncontrollably, muttering between sobs, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Ariana! It's all my fault! I killed you! Forgive me..."

Seeing the other party's psychological defenses completely crumble, a playful glint flashed in Zhang Cheng's eyes. He waited a full five minutes before speaking meaningfully, "Please remember, Mr. Aberforth, everything in this world comes at a price, especially things like resurrection. You should know very well what I want, and you also have three days to consider. If I don't receive a definite answer after three days, then lovely Ariana will return to the world of the dead. Also, never try to contact Albus, or I guarantee you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

The words had barely left his mouth!

He immediately used teleportation magic to disappear from the spot, giving the other party no chance to adjust or bargain.

Human nature dictates that things lost and then regained are often the most cherished and the most feared to be lost again.

Chapter 0791 Aberforth's Choice

Three days is neither a long nor a short time.

But for Aberforth Dumbledore, these three days were the happiest and most wonderful time of his life in recent decades.

Because his beloved little sister Ariana had returned to his side once again, like a shy little elf, accompanying him every day, as if time had turned back overnight to before the tragedy occurred.

But as the saying goes, life is made up of all kinds of pain and regrets, and the good times are always so short.

When the deadline arrived, the girl suddenly collapsed to the ground in agony. Not only was her face frighteningly pale, but her entire body was also convulsing uncontrollably. No amount of healing magic or potions could have any effect.

"No! No! No! Don't be so cruel to me! Hold on! Ariana!" Aberforth knelt on the ground in a panic, pleading desperately.

As a wizard, he could clearly sense the girl's life energy rapidly draining away. At this rate, she would breathe her last within minutes and become a cold corpse.

At this critical moment, Zhang Cheng finally appeared out of nowhere, calmly speaking in a voice devoid of any emotion: "My dear friend, you have about three minutes to make a choice. Tell me, are you going to abandon your poor sister again and continue to work for Albus, or do you want to make up for the mistake you made decades ago and let Ariana grow up healthy and live a normal life like a normal girl?"

“You…you are a devil! A real devil!” Aberforth roared, his eyes bloodshot.

At this moment, even if he were stupid, he would understand that this was a trap, a trap that would force him to betray his brother.

The problem is, he's already deeply involved and has no way to break free.

The death of Ariana Dumbledore has always been the greatest pain and regret in the hearts of the two brothers, and even, with the passage of time, it has transcended the event itself, becoming a strong psychological suggestion.

If he could exchange his own life for his sister's resurrection, Aberforth would not hesitate for even the slightest reason.

Now, he must choose between two loved ones, and the other will pay with their life.

Nothing could be more cruel, more painful, or more despairing than this...

"Thank you! I'll take that as a compliment. Also, you have one minute and thirty seconds left," Zhang Cheng said softly, glancing at the pocket watch in his hand.

Others might feel sorry for the old man when they see his tormented eyes, but he, who is already extremely cold-blooded, would never.

"Damn it! I choose Ariana! Save her!" Seeing his sister on the verge of death, Aberforth clenched his fists and cried out in despair.

“Excellent! You’ve made the right choice! Once you get rid of Albus, you can take your lovely little sister away from all the trouble and live out the rest of your life in peace. I promise, no one will ever disturb your peaceful life again.” As Zhang Cheng spoke, he took out a prepared potion and poured it into the girl’s mouth.

In the blink of an eye, the girl, who had been struggling on the brink of death, quickly regained her rosy complexion and her physical condition gradually returned to normal. Apart from still being unconscious, there was no sign of anything wrong with her.

"Phew—" Aberforth breathed a slight sigh of relief, quickly wiping away his tears and putting on a cold, aloof expression. "Tell me, what do you want me to do? Let me make it clear beforehand, I'm just a tavern owner, no match for Albus."

“Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to kill your own brother, that would be too cruel. On the contrary, all I need you to do is lure Albus out and then put this little thing on his wrist.”

After saying that, Zhang Cheng took out a silver metal bracelet from his pocket, which was inlaid with more than a dozen jades that emitted a green light.

"What is this?" Aberforth asked instinctively, frowning.

"An interesting little gadget. You don't need to know its specific purpose, just attach it to Albus's wrist. Don't try anything funny, and if you have any inappropriate thoughts, you'd better think about your lovely little sister." Zhang Cheng glanced meaningfully at the girl who was still unconscious.

“I will do as you say! But you had better keep your promise! What if something happens to Ariana…”

Before Aberforth could finish speaking, Zhang Cheng interrupted with a smile, "Relax. Do you think I would do anything excessive to a harmless girl? No, I've come with good intentions. You see, your brother, strictly speaking, is actually a sinner of the Dumbledore family. It was his extreme obsession with the Deathly Hallows that led to the series of tragedies that followed. Now, it's time to get rid of him and put everything back on track."

"Hmph! Say whatever you want, all I want is for Ariana to live a good life." The old man sneered, picked up the girl, and walked towards the bedroom on the second floor.

Watching his receding figure, Zhang Cheng suddenly turned around without warning and said to the air beside him, "See? My prediction was right, wasn't it? He has no right to refuse my request, and he certainly wouldn't watch his sister die for the sake of his brother."

"Yes! I saw it! Just like I said before, you are a true genius at manipulating people's hearts, it's simply amazing."

With a deep, hoarse voice, Voldemort appeared out of thin air on a chair not far away.

To be precise, he remained invisible from the beginning, sitting there and watching the whole show from start to finish.

Zhang Cheng smiled modestly and explained, "No, it's not that I'm particularly clever, but rather that humans are usually more driven by emotion than reason when dealing with emotional issues, especially when it comes to family or romantic relationships, and often can't control themselves. All I did was take advantage of this impulse that arose in a short period of time."

Voldemort nodded approvingly: "Interesting point! I also saw these flaws, which is why I abandoned all emotions and made myself free of any attachments."

"Perhaps! In my opinion, emotions are a complex thing. Although they have all sorts of flaws, they can sometimes unleash unimaginable power. I will not see emotions as a weakness or a burden, but I will not let them get out of control either. Finally, are you ready to settle things with Dumbledore? If nothing unexpected happens, he will be standing in front of us in three to five days at most, with no way to escape."

"Hahahaha! Of course! I've been looking forward to this day for a long time." Voldemort laughed and spread his arms, his eyes flashing with a terrifying red light.

"In that case, I'll leave for a while and go to America across the ocean. Those annoying little bugs are getting in the way. It's time to teach them a lesson they won't forget, to let them understand that in the face of absolute power, they either kneel down and beg for forgiveness, or they all die!"

Chapter 0792 The Fall

August 20, 1995, is a special date that will be recorded in the history books of both ordinary people and the magical world.

On this day, Zhang Cheng personally led a group of pure-blood noble wizards from England to storm the headquarters of the Magical Congress of the United States, located in the Woolworth Building in New York.

There was no probing or conversation!

There is absolutely no pity or sympathy involved!

He directly tore through all magical defenses in the most primitive and violent way, and launched a merciless massacre against these wizards who were hindering his plan to destroy the world.

Whether male or female, old or young, they were all killed in an instant, and corpses lay scattered everywhere in the corridor.

Because a spatial confinement spell was cast in advance, cutting off all connections between the building and the outside world, there is no need to worry about anyone using illusionary spells to escape.

Standing at the only exit, Zhang Cheng smiled and asked Lucas Malfoy, who was following him, "My dear friend, how long do you think it will take to get rid of all the little mice?"

“It won’t take more than forty minutes! These American wizards are just beggars, thieves, criminals, and losers who fled from the European continent. They have no real foundation, and with the powerful spells you provided, wiping them out won’t be difficult. In fact, I’ve always wondered what gave these guys the courage to fight. Do they think the difference in magical power can be made up for by numbers?” Lucius raised his head arrogantly, his eyes filled with contempt and disdain.

Not only him, but all the pure-blooded noble wizards around him, whose lineage could be traced back six or seven hundred years, or even thousands of years, reacted in a similar way, with an extremely strong sense of superiority.

If in the world of ordinary people, the United States has used nearly a century of rise to make the world gradually forget that it was originally just a colony used to exile criminals and extract resources, then in the magical world, it is far from removing the hat that is a symbol of shame from its head.

In particular, Britain, as the former colonial power, has never taken the so-called "American Magic Congress" seriously.

As it turns out, their contempt was justified.

At least in this attack, there wasn't a single person in the entire building who could fight!

The numerous law enforcement officers couldn't even withstand the first round of attacks. They were all wiped out by the British wizards, who numbered less than a third of them. The remaining officers scattered like birds and beasts, trying to use the vast and complex terrain to buy time and escape the calamity.

In any case, given the relatively small population, wars in the magical world are usually not about annihilation.

Unfortunately, they clearly underestimated the devastation of the attack.

With the plan to destroy the world entering its final countdown, Zhang Cheng didn't have time to waste too much energy playing guerrilla warfare with a bunch of self-righteous fools.

He wanted to destroy the legitimate magical government of the United States in one fell swoop, so that it would be impossible for it to be re-established to cause trouble for him in the short term.

In this way, the United States' massive nuclear arsenal would fall into his hands.

It's important to understand that the Soviet Union, one of the two superpowers, had only been dead for four years, and many of its incredibly powerful hydrogen bombs were still in service, a far cry from the state they would be in more than a decade later after repeated reductions and destructions.

Just as Zhang Cheng was considering how many high-yield nuclear warheads he could take with him, Gagson Gore suddenly dragged a struggling and screaming young woman down the stairs, grinning maliciously as he said, "Sir, guess what I found? A keeper of secret codes! She can lead us to those Muggles hidden by magic."

"Oh? Really!" A look of surprise appeared on Zhang Cheng's face.

Since realizing that he wanted to control ordinary people, government generals and important officials, the Magical Congress of the United States has cast special spells on those targets, so that unless they receive a secret message from a confidant, they will subconsciously ignore them even if they pass by them.

Undoubtedly, although the magic in this world is far inferior in terms of lethality and destructive power, other types of magic are exceptionally advanced.

“That’s right! You bitch! Tell me what you know!” Gagson Gore grabbed the prisoner’s hair and shoved him to the ground.

The woman was clearly terrified, her whole body trembling uncontrollably, but she kept her mouth tightly shut and refused to utter a single word.

Looking into her stubborn eyes, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but smile and shake his head, sighing, "Why insist so much, madam? The Magical Congress of America is finished. This country will soon fall under our control. Even if you don't want to utter the secret, we'll only waste a little time at most. But the question is, what good will it do you? It will only make you suffer agonizingly before being killed. I guarantee that if you tell me the secret, you can leave through the only exit behind you."

"Pah! Don't even think about it! You damned demon and executioner, you'll get your comeuppance sooner or later!" The woman suddenly raised her head and spat out a mouthful of saliva.

“Alright, it seems you’ve made your choice. But that’s okay, I’m a very patient person, and I’m also very good at persuading others.” After saying that, Zhang Cheng winked at Gagson Gore.

Without a word, the latter raised his wand and shouted at the woman, "Crucible!"

"Aaaaaaahh ...

moment!

The agonizing screams echoed through the hall.

As a Death Eater, Gagson Gore undoubtedly knew very well how to make someone experience a fate worse than death.

In just a few minutes, the once young and beautiful captive burst into tears and finally couldn't help but reveal the secret hidden deep in her soul by the "Loyalty Curse".

As the saying goes, only a very small number of people in the world can withstand torture.

Having gotten what he wanted, Zhang Cheng didn't even bother to look at the other person. He simply waved his hand and said, "She's yours! Take her next door and enjoy her."

“Thank you for your generosity!” Gagson Gore curled his lips into a wicked smile, then hoisted the prisoner and carried him into an office not far away.

A short while later, his excited roar and the woman's panicked screams came from inside.