Chapter 192: The Way Home

Chapter 192: The Way Home

"Trouble", Sherlock muttered, leaning against the wall and spitting on the ground. "I was hoping to at least incapacitate half of them, even if I couldn't kill many. But now, only three are dead, and the rest are still mobile."

"You're setting the bar too high", Eddie said quietly. "Even a well-trained Auror couldn't take out three Death Eaters in one go."

Sherlock was well aware of his current capabilities.

His Floating Wand Spellcasting System was only effective against Wizards who were either weaker or on par with him. In the language of fantasy novels, he was invincible at his own level.

But against those stronger than him, he could only gain a slight advantage through ambush tactics. In a direct confrontation with someone as powerful as Dumbledore or Voldemort, Sherlock knew he wouldn't stand a chance, even if he could instantly cast a thousand spells.

The Death Eaters varied in strength, with Bella being the most powerful among them. The Killing Curse she cast in the Hall of Time was enough to show Sherlock that this madwoman's Dark Magic was far more potent than that of an average Wizard. The fact that the Explosive Charm didn't kill her meant she would be even more dangerous now.

The Death Eaters had now left Sherlock's Control Magic field, which made him feel an inexplicable sense of unease.

"I need to go check on them."

Eddie looked at him with concern.

"Are you sure you're up for it?"

"A real man never admits defeat", Sherlock said, despite his exhaustion, managing a joke.

"Don't worry, I won't engage them directly. I just need to assess the situation."

He turned to look at the only exit leading from the maze to the hall.

"Be careful. If things get too dangerous, prioritize your own safety!"

Eddie nodded solemnly, watching as Sherlock disappeared into the darkness.

Sherlock didn't use Lumos; with Control Magic, he could see everything within an eight-meter radius. Small insects crawled on the ground, and debris from the walls was scattered everywhere.

He moved cautiously, trying not to make a sound with each step.

When he reached the three dead Death Eaters, he didn't find any of the others. Sherlock had no intention of lingering by the bodies, but he suddenly recognized one of the male Wizards lying at his feet.

Rabastan Lestrange.

A month ago, he and his brother had killed Algernon right in front of Sherlock and Eddie.

Using Control Magic, Sherlock examined Rabastan's body in detail. He noticed something interesting and knelt down, reaching into the tattered remains of the Wizard's robe. He pulled out a small box that looked like a badge.

Without a word, he pocketed the box and continued forward. Soon, the Death Eaters came into view within his Control Magic field.

But their numbers were clearly much fewer than before!

Sherlock frowned and cautiously took a few more steps, confirming that only about a dozen Death Eaters remained around the corner, the others having vanished.

At the same time, he noticed keenly that the Death Eaters seemed to be aware of his position, all of them holding their wands at the ready.

They can sense my location!

Sherlock immediately understood what was happening and quickly deduced the reason.

There was no light or food in this room, so how could there be insects?

The insects were magical creatures bred by Dark Wizards!

Realizing the problem, Sherlock used Control Magic to crush the fragile insects and then cast a spell with the wands he had sent flying.

"Thunder Blast!"

This Explosive Charm was much weaker than the previous one, as only five wands were involved. Moreover, the Death Eaters hiding behind the corner had already reinforced their Armor Charms.

The Explosive Charm did little damage, but that wasn't Sherlock's goal.

After casting the Explosive Charm, he abruptly turned and no longer hid his footsteps, quickly running in Eddie's direction.

As he took his first step, a sharp spell-casting voice came from Eddie's side!

"Avada Kedavra!"

A green beam flashed in the darkness, followed by a cacophony of other spells!

Red and green beams flickered incessantly, crisscrossing in the darkness.

Sherlock saw the hole he had blown in the wall.

The wall behind the hole was also blown open, leading to the hall outside the maze!

Bella led her group around the back, navigating through the corridor between the two walls, and finally arrived at Eddie's position through the blown-out hole!

Sherlock panted heavily, not just from physical exhaustion but also from the tension.

He quickly ran through the two blown-out holes and into the hall outside the maze.

Eddie was still alive, maintaining a state of high alert. He had sensed the Death Eaters' ambush and dodged the fatal spell in the nick of time.

Although he was hit by a Dark Magic spell afterward, it wasn't fatal.

At the door, Madame Selwyn was in the final stages of the counter-curse, the black door glowing faintly, about to be opened!

Bella clearly noticed this and, reacting swiftly, stopped her group from pursuing Eddie, who was hiding behind the maze walls. Instead, she changed direction and rushed toward the Black Door, which had just been unlocked!

Madame Selwyn didn't fully understand why Sherlock wanted her to open the door.

But she knew that he was her only hope. Even if she didn't open it, Bella would find a way.

As the door opened, Bella and the Death Eaters charged into the room behind it, while Sherlock also rushed toward the door.

Behind the Black Door was a starkly simple and empty room, devoid of any furnishings or decorations. In the center of the room, on a plain pillar, stood a plain Black Slate!

Bella moved much faster than Sherlock. When she entered the room, Sherlock was still five meters away from the door!

However, before she could fully take in the room, the slate on the pillar flew up into the air.

Before anyone could react, the slate landed in Sherlock's hands at an incredible speed!

By the time Bella realized what was happening, hundreds of wands were already aimed at the Black Slate in mid-air!

"What do you think would happen if I cast a Thunder Blast right now?"

Sherlock panted heavily, but a relaxed smile spread across his face.

Bella's face turned ashen, and she and all the Death Eaters around her raised their wands, pointing them at Sherlock.

"You dare!" she screeched.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, don't scare me. My non-verbal spellcasting is pretty good. If I accidentally cast a spell, who knows if this thing can withstand it?"

As Sherlock spoke, Madame Selwyn and the drowsy Amy, who had been leaning against the wall, were both taken captive by the Death Eaters.

Eddie, who was injured in the maze, was also brought out by the dozen Death Eaters.

Eddie looked terrible, his face pale and his body trembling uncontrollably from an unknown spell.

"Give me the object, or I'll kill all three of them!"

Sherlock remained calm, not losing his composure even with hostages in their hands.

"I think you and your friends broke into the Department of Mysteries last time, led by Algernon, just for this thing, right?" he said, squinting his eyes. "A Ministry of Magic informant was exposed, and four of your comrades were captured. Now you've brought so many people in here. The Dark Lord must be desperate to get this object from me, right?"

Bella glared at Sherlock, her eyes bloodshot.

Sherlock had taken control of the situation, and she needed to regain the upper hand!

"Do you really think I won't do it? Goyle, kill the little girl first."

"Thunder Blast."

Sherlock's emotionless spell echoed, and Bella's entire body trembled uncontrollably!

"Boom!"

A weaker-than-normal Explosive Charm exploded on the slate, sending a few small fragments flying but not destroying it completely.

This also clearly shows that the stone slab isn't indestructible. A few more Explosive Charms would definitely shatter it!

"You just said you wanted to kill who first?" Sherlock poked his ear, speaking as if nothing had happened. "If you so much as touch a hair on her head, I'll blow a piece of this slab to bits. Do you think that's a fair deal?"

Bella stared at him in disbelief.

"You're a lunatic! A complete lunatic!"

"Before you call others names, think about what others might say about you."

Sherlock wasn't actually that crazy. He had already determined the hardness of the stone slab when he touched it. It could be destroyed, but it wasn't that easy.

He was actually very tired, even standing was a struggle, so he simply sat down on the ground. In the air, the hundreds of wands still aimed at the black stone slab.

"Now that we both have leverage over each other, we can have a proper talk, right? To be honest, I have no interest in what your master plans to do with this thing. After all, I'm not an Auror. I'm only doing this because you've forced me into it."

Bella rarely found herself in a negotiation, but Voldemort truly valued this stone slab, so she had to consider conceding.

"You can take them with you, but you have to give us that thing!"

Before Sherlock could respond, the controlled Madame Selwyn shouted out.

"We can't let the Dark Lord get his hands on that thing! It can erase the existence of objects! With it, the Dark Lord can attempt to eliminate his greatest enemies."

Slap!

Without hesitation, Bella turned and slapped Madame Selwyn across the face, raising her wand.

"Shut up! You filthy woman!"

"What are you afraid of? Let her speak."

Sherlock spoke calmly, but those who knew him well could easily detect the slight tremor in his voice.

Bella hesitated for a few seconds, then surprisingly stopped her hand!

She slowly lowered her wand, as if afraid that Sherlock might suddenly go mad and shatter the stone slab.

However, when Sherlock's attention was focused on Madame Selwyn's words, she subtly pressed her left arm.

The Dark Mark there was slightly warm.

After seeing the stone slab, the memories buried deep in Madame Selwyn's mind were all revived. She spoke urgently.

"On that stone slab, the most ancient magic is inscribed. It can erase the existence of any object with magical power! It can also eliminate all the effects that the object has caused!"

After hearing Madame Selwyn's explanation, Sherlock's eyes suddenly lit up with a bright light!

A strange smile appeared on his face.

It was like a lost traveler who had been searching for the way home, and just when they had given up hope, they suddenly found the path right under their feet!

"You mean", he asked, his voice trembling, "if someone used a wand to kill someone, and that wand touches this stone slab, the slab can erase the wand, and at the same time, erase all its effects, bringing the person it killed back to life, achieving such an effect?"

"Theoretically, yes", Madame Selwyn panted.

"Why do you say theoretically?" The hopeful smile on Sherlock's face froze.

"We tested the slab's effects. The extent of its reversal power depends on the strength of the magical substance being directly erased. If the wand used to kill has very weak magical power, it won't bring the dead back to life!"

"What level of magical power is needed to achieve resurrection?"

"We're not sure; our research hasn't reached that point yet."

Sherlock fell silent.

If everything Madame Selwyn said was true, this was a gamble!

While they were talking, Bella kept a tight grip on her left arm.

Her mind was far from the calm she showed on the surface. She was anxious, unsure why her master wasn't responding to her summons.

Sherlock's silence didn't last long. He softly called out Amy's name.

"Amy, Amy."

Leaning against the wall, looking exhausted as if she hadn't slept for days, Amy slowly blinked her heavy eyelids and looked at Sherlock.

"John."

Sherlock saw her half-open eyes and the pupils that had changed from a bright blue to a pale gold!

Those golden eyes were incredibly familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end