Hogwarts: The Mafia Lord of Slytherin-Chapter 650: [] The Silent Death of Magic?
With every blow, the bronze cauldron trembled, and cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. Wisps of black mist hissed into the void.
Emperor Zheng Qin’s face grew increasingly pale. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, his voice raspy. "They cannot destroy the Nine Cauldrons. You know this—they symbolize the fate of the kingdom! Even using everyone as fuel, you won’t succeed!"
Erwin stood calm amidst the chaos. "Is that so? I don’t believe that."
A sense of foreboding washed over Emperor Zheng Qin as he looked at Erwin’s expression. He’s planning something.
Deep underground, Charlotte and her team halted before a pulsating array of light. The Nine Cauldrons loomed above them, dark and ancient.
Charlotte nodded to Sunny. "It’s your turn."
Sunny gripped an array plate, unlike anything she had used before. In its center, a phantom dragon writhed. "Let’s hope we don’t cause too much trouble," she muttered.
Charlotte laughed, a sharp sound in the tense silence. "We’ve already caused enough trouble to shake the world. No one will blame us now."
Sunny shrugged. "True. But Charlotte, do you know what’s required to activate this?"
She looked at the group: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Pansy Parkinson, Cho Chang, and Ginny Weasley. These were Erwin’s loyalists—wizards who would obey his orders without question.
Charlotte stepped forward. "Everyone, pour all your magic into the array plate. All of it. Don’t hold back."
They nodded and raised their wands. Streams of magical energy surged from them, flooding the plate. It flared with blinding light.
Sunny released her grip, letting the plate hover in mid-air. Chains of pure energy shot from it, vanishing into the ether.
"Retreat!" Sunny shouted.
The team scrambled back. Moments later, the void rippled. The chains retracted, dragging something massive with them—a spectral, roaring dragon vein. It had been ripped straight from the fabric of reality.
Above, Emperor Zheng Qin heard the roar. He looked down, eyes wide with shock. "You replicated the Dragon-Locking Spirit Array!"
"I lack the skill," Erwin said calmly. "But I have a genius on my side."
Indeed, Sunny had designed the array at the start of the semester. Every step of this confrontation had been calculated by Erwin.
Below, the dragon vein thrashed violently against the chains. Sunny sat cross-legged, her hands flashing through seals, her face draining of color as her internal magic reserves plummeted.
"Charlotte! I can’t hold it!" she gasped.
Charlotte moved behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her magic surged into Sunny, bolstering her strength. The others followed suit, channeling their remaining power.
The chains tightened, dragging the vein toward the Nine Cauldrons.
Charlotte glanced at Hermione and the others. "Leave. Get as far away as possible. Run."
Though confused, they obeyed. Once they were gone, Sunny looked at Charlotte.
"I hope we meet again," Sunny said softly.
"Of course," Charlotte smiled. "For us, it will just be the blink of an eye."
Charlotte stepped toward the Nine Cauldrons, her eyes sharp. Streams of energy erupted from her body, merging with the dragon vein. The spectral light intensified, reaching a critical peak.
Then, with a deafening roar, the dragon vein exploded.
In the blast, Charlotte and Sunny exchanged one last smile before the force vaporized them—and the Nine Cauldrons—into nothingness.
Hermione and the others were thrown by the shockwave, crashing to the ground unconscious. In her final moment of awareness, Hermione felt her magic draining away completely.
High above, both Emperor Zheng Qin and Erwin spat blood. The backlash from the destruction shook them to their cores.
"You’re insane!" Emperor Zheng Qin roared, his composure shattering. "Truly insane! Do you think this ends me? Sending me outside the walls changes nothing!"
Erwin remained silent, steadying his breathing. The loss of the Dragon Vein and the Cauldrons had hit him hard, too.
Across the world, the magical community was thrown into chaos. In Godric’s Hollow, Snape and Lily Evans froze, their wands clattering to the floor.
"I can’t feel my magic," Lily whispered, panic rising.
"Neither can I," Snape said grimly. "Something terrible has happened."
Every wizard, from the strongest Auror to the youngest student, found their connection to magic severed. Flying vehicles fell from the sky. Enchanted objects turned inert. The supernatural world had seemingly ceased to exist.
Erwin and Emperor Zheng Qin were both weakened, their divine power fluctuating wildly. Yet, this was exactly what Erwin had planned.
Emperor Zheng Qin glared at Erwin, eyes filled with killing intent. "Erwin, do you think you’ve cornered me? I have prepared for a millennium! You underestimate me."
"Then show me," Erwin said, raising his wand. "Show me what tricks you have left."
They charged.
With their divine power surging, they clashed head-on. Both were weakened, their power levels dropping significantly, which meant the fight remained brutally balanced. In fact, Emperor Zheng Qin still held a slight edge—his millennia of experience and preparation outweighing Erwin’s raw talent.
But Erwin didn’t need to win. He just needed to survive.
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