What were the odds that someone targeting an ordinary player would stumble upon someone with the Dark Lord in their contacts? If anyone dared suggest the odds were low, these fairies would have beaten them senseless. Wasn't the probability astronomically high? No, practically guaranteed! Damn it, most people only run into garden-variety dark wizards or the occasional magical beast. But us? We always find the Dark Lord.
"..."
The thirty-odd fairies, previously so loud and boisterous, fell deathly silent.
Seriously, why didn't you mention you knew the Dark Lord sooner? We could have been home, tucked up in bed! Now we're facing his wrath, and we're half-dead because of you… Happy now?!
The fairy squad leader yearned to unleash an indignant roar, but he feared becoming a sideshow attraction if he raised his voice too much.
Nearby, the goblins stood as though petrified, helplessly observing the arrival of two more professors and a swarm of Death Eaters.
"..."
The goblin squad leader glanced at the scene with deep annoyance before turning away in disgust. "This isn't fun anymore! Let's get out of here!"
"That's right! We agreed to a fair fight, man to man! You called for backup?!"
"And him?!"
"Exactly! We goblins don't bother fighting people who cheat!"
The remaining goblins swiftly followed their leader, their pace shifting dramatically from a leisurely stroll to a frantic sprint. Despite their terror and disbelief, they muttered to themselves, perhaps hoping Voldemort might feel a twinge of guilt for bullying them and let them go.
But alas, such hopes were futile. In the current wizarding world, goblins who dared to cross paths with Death Eaters were as good as doomed, universally reviled even among other wizards.
"Charge! Harry!"
Malfoy, buzzing with excitement, seized his weapon and roared as he gave chase. "Kill them all!"
The goblins, already casting nervous glances over their shoulders, nearly leaped out of their skins upon hearing that. Their legs momentarily turned to jelly, but they gritted their teeth and lengthened their stride, running for their lives.
"Run! Run as fast as you can… do you really think you can escape?"
Cassandra, unlike Harry and Malfoy, opted not to chase after them. Please, they are wizards, ranged fighters! Okay, Harry and Malfoy are technically melee fighters.
She raised her wand high, a beacon of dark intent.
Boom!
Thick clouds billowed and gathered, stealing the pale moonlight and replacing it with a dazzling display of lightning.
"No way?!"
One goblin, having dropped his battleaxe in his haste, flung aside his helmet, staring in utter disbelief at the thunderclouds that stretched so far they covered their entire escape route.
As if in response to their fear, streaks of pale lightning, as thick as a child's arm, crashed down! A veritable thunderstorm enveloped the area where dozens of fairies stood. Blinding white light exploded against the charred floor tiles, leaving a spiderweb of cracks in its wake. Scorching electricity seeped into the gaps in their armor, the stench of burning flesh forcing them to stagger, unable to move, or simply collapse.
However, fairies possessed considerable physical resilience. While the scattered Weather Charms swiftly eliminated some of the weaker members, most managed to endure the pain and damage and stagger onward.
"Wait! Sniff… what's that smell?"
A particularly slow fairy suddenly stumbled, exclaiming without thinking, "Brother, you smell so good! Brother, how come you… Holy crap!"
Looking to his side, he saw the fairy running beside him had stripped off all his armor to move faster, leaving only a coarse cloth garment – but that garment… was already on fire!
Looking back, a wave of heat capable of singeing eyebrows rushed toward them, followed by fireballs that could blister skin even from a distance!
With deafening roars, the crashing fireballs expanded several times their original size, blasting slower goblins away, some into the Seine, others crashing into nearby buildings.
Nagini, having cast a Levitation Charm toward the Seine, glanced at the fleeing goblins, now just a few dozen meters from the longship that had brought them there.
The little snake, having learned mischief from Tom, suddenly decided to play. With a flick of his wand, shelves and other objects flew out, blocking the goblins' escape route.
"What the hell… is this how you play?!"
The fairy squad leader, his path now obstructed, was livid. He snatched a giant hammer from his panting, wounded subordinate running up behind him, ready to smash his way through.
But before he could land even two blows, he felt a chill down his spine. Wait… I'd better hurry!!!
"Hehehe… you little dwarfs can't escape now, can you?!"
"Take this, young master, a baseball bat!"
Two figures, one pink and one blue, leaped nearly ten meters into the air, rapidly descending toward them!
By the way! Your longsword and baseball bat have arrived!
The fairy in front was quickly dispatched, and the obstacle blocking his path was smashed to pieces, sending a few scattered fairies flying and crashing to the ground.
"Ha~ha~…"
With a broken leg and two arms, the fairy squad leader, still stubbornly standing, struggled to drag his mangled body onward, his gaze fixed on the fairy-forged longship on the river in the distance, trying to conjure a sliver of hope through sheer willpower.
Almost there, almost there…
The fairy squad leader's consciousness was already somewhat blurred, but it must be said that being taller than the other fairies did indeed give him some fairy-like advantages.
Tom, who had been enjoying a dessert he'd somehow acquired, seemed to notice something, and his toes lightly touched the ground...
The broken, charred floor tiles, like a rolling carpet, pulled the fairy squad leader back from where he was already close to his goal.
Watching helplessly as he struggled so long – only to "finally return to the starting point" – the fairy squad leader was speechless.
He lay helplessly on the ground, looking at Tom not far away, his voice trembling with tears. "You, you…"
He wanted to curse, but he was too enraged to speak.
"You're welcome."
His tone, while a touch less indifferent than usual, carried a distinct note of amusement. Tom continued sipping his dessert. "Alright, don't lie there; get up and run it again."
"..."
The poor fairy was so incensed that he fainted.
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