Stern looked incredulously at the empty station as the last trace of color drained from his face.
The barren platform, like a cold mockery, instantly made Stern understand everything—
Bloren had long abandoned all loyal subordinates, escaping alone with Illari and valuable poppets.
Those left behind were nothing but pawns to buy time.
For the first time, complete and undisguisable despair appeared in those eyes always filled with calculation and vigilance.
"The leader is gone... The leader... Bloren abandoned us and ran!"
Someone ran with him all the way here, evidently having the same thought. However, upon seeing the station scene, they shouted in despair.
Though the Scourers were leaderless, they persisted in resistance because some leaders had not given up.
They once followed Bloren and had seen firsthand the countless poppets in the underground station, so no matter how difficult the situation was, they did not abandon hope.
It was also because they consistently encouraged the lower members that the Scourers did not collapse in the face of the Wizard's powerful offensive.
But at this moment, their faith collapsed first.
Some people stopped fighting and rushed into the station, searching back and forth in the empty space, hoping Bloren would appear like a deity with reinforcements.
Someone grabbed Stern by the collar, shaking him as they shouted loudly, "Stern! Where are the people? Where are the poppets? Where did they go? Stern!"
A heavy and swift punch landed on Stern's side face, sending him flying.
Like a sack, the man flew out, hitting the stairs hard, causing head wounds and bleeding profusely.
He laughed bitterly, "We've all been abandoned! Can't you see? We've all been abandoned!"
The cruel truth revealed left everyone with similar pallor.
...
The voice echoed through the passageway, causing helpless lower members to abandon resistance.
Even facing their "most hated" Wizards, at the moment, seemed unable to arouse their fighting spirit.
"Wait!"
Laira used a precise spell to deflect an Auror's Explosive Spell.
The spell targeted a young girl with a fearful and tear-streaked face, clutching a second-hand Magic Wand she obtained from somewhere, her fingers trembling incessantly.
Laira walked over and, in the girl's terrified gaze, held the Magic Wand, its Cheetah hair exposed.
With a slight effort, she pulled the Wand into her own hand, then reached out to tidy the girl's disheveled hair.
"Take her out," she said to the Auror beside her, "She's just a deluded child."
"Yes, Ms. Picquery!"
The Auror responded respectfully, grabbed the girl's arm, and took her away.
The girl stumbled forward under his force, turning back at the fork in the road to take one last look at the place she considered "home."
Some die-hards relied on cover, still firing frantically, mouths letting out cries of despair.
Familiar elders lay in pools of blood, Wizards waved Magic Wands, and bodies flew away like unsightly trash.
The woman who let her go advanced with the Wizards, steps unhurried, her lips seemingly holding a faint smile.
Tears streaming down the girl's face, she wanted to shake off the Auror's grasp to rush back several times but was too frightened to muster strength.
"Don't waste Ms. Picquery's goodwill, or I'll let you taste the Crucio!"
The man beside her possibly saw her intentions, coldly warning suddenly:
"Being a Scourer with the aim to eliminate Wizards, the Magic Congress authorizes us to use Unforgivable Curses!"
The girl shivered uncontrollably, the thought flashed in her mind:
—Wizards, truly are barbaric and evil beings!
...
The last companion, preparing to flee, turned to see the man still lying on the ground and couldn't help advising:
"You should leave too, Stern... You're done enough for the organization in this state!"
"Leave?" Stern asked hoarsely, eyes fixed soullessly on the mottled ceiling: "After leaving, what about our goal? Our hatred? Are we just giving up on all that?"
The companion countered, "What else is there? Bloren ran."
He turned and ran a few steps, and just before entering the narrow passage, he turned back to say:
"Your mother passed away many years ago, didn't she? It's time to let go of that hatred... People need to live."
After speaking, the screams and cries seemed very close, and the person did not hesitate, quickly running away.
But Stern knew their random running was actually very dangerous.
Even without Wizard hunters in pursuit, in the tangled underground passages, they could get lost and trapped underground at any time.
Leaving the Scourers' area, the insects full of bacteria and garbage were deadly threats, and the thunderous roar of trains passing overhead reverberated throughout the space, enough to deprive all sounds of directionality.
Even meeting the living was not good, as those roaming underground could include addicts, fugitives, madmen, murderers, or even black-market traders.
Despite everything, they all felt dying miserably in an unknown corner was better than being caught and interrogated by Wizards.
But Stern was too tired; he's exhausted beyond the capability of struggling.
He knew clearly that whether he ran or not, his wish for Wizards and Magic to completely disappear from the world held no more hope, not even the slightest.
Nonetheless, he didn't want to die so miserably, forcing himself to get up from the ground, wielding his Magic Wand to cleanse his clothes and face of blood.
"Boom—!"
The heavy iron door hadn't closed, but now it burst open under the strong Explosive Spell.
Within the debris and smoke, several Aurors rushed through the breach, Magic Wand tips emitted threatening glows, aiming at the station's only target.
Stern looked at those Wizards, a bleak and bitter smile crossing his face.
His Magic Wand did not point towards the enemy, but rather at his own chest, slowly opening his mouth:
"Avada..."
A spell's light suddenly shot through the breach, hitting the floor in front of Stern at high speed.
The initially level stone slab bulged suddenly, like a large mushroom sprung from underground.
Stern was unexpectedly flipped over, causing his incomplete spell to break off, his Magic Wand slipping out.
A figure walked in through the entrance, reached out to catch the Wand flying towards him, saying, "Give it up, Stern."
Stern looked at him in shock, his voice dry, saying: "Fontana... Headmaster?"
"It's me," Fontana said, with guilt.