https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-693-War-Machines-Fire-Dragons-Lead-the-Way/12539182/
Chapter 694: The Half-Giant and the Death Eaters
Chapter 694: The Half-Giant and the Death Eaters
Even for a giant, the neck is their most vulnerable spot. Coupled with Gogo's unconscious state, Kyle's curse penetrated with ease.
Watching this unfold, Newt couldn't help but sigh silently.
He had wanted to stop Kyle earlier. After all, there were only a handful of giants, and losing one would make a difference. He had intended to persuade Kyle further, especially since Gogo had shown signs of conceding before losing consciousness, and he might have voluntarily abandoned this endeavor and turned back.
But now, it seemed too late for such words.
"This is the safest option," Kyle said, as if reading Newt's mind. He shrugged and continued, "Hagrid once mentioned that Gogo, this giant, is inherently violent and has deep ties with the Death Eaters. If we let him go this time, who knows what other trouble he might stir up later?
"Moreover, after this incident, the mysterious man will likely pay even more attention to the giants, and it won't be so easy to deal with them then."
"I know," Newt said.
Of course, he understood that Kyle was right... This was indeed the most prudent course of action. His earlier inclination to stop Kyle was merely a force of habit.
Having lived a peaceful life for so long and with age catching up, it was inevitable that he would become more sentimental and less clear-sighted than the younger generation.
"Then we'll proceed as you suggested," Newt said, patting Kyle's shoulder.
As the two spoke, the thick fog around them gradually dissipated.
Several giants nearby soon spotted a round object on the ground...
And when they realized what it was, they let out terrified roars... It was Gogo's head.
More and more roars echoed through the area, and the giants who had lost their leader were thrown into chaos.
Especially upon seeing the trail of flames on the ground, they felt a surge of panic, as if sensing some deadly threat emanating from it.
Instinctively, some giants began to run back, wanting to return to their familiar surroundings.
Once the first giant did so, it sparked a chain reaction, with the second and third following suit...
Soon, the giants were retreating en masse.
"Come back... you bunch of idiots!"
"If you all attacked together, these few people wouldn't stand a chance. Get back here!"
Two wizards wearing black hoods shouted frantically, but their voices did nothing to halt the giants' retreat.
"There are two Death Eaters..." Newt instinctively stepped in front of Kyle.
"Well, well, well. Long time no see, Mr. Scamander," one of the Death Eaters said, turning around. His voice was thick and sticky as he continued, "So, you intend to oppose the great Dark Lord?"
"Always," Newt replied nonchalantly.
"You ruined the Dark Lord's plan..." The other Death Eater raised his wand. "Someone must pay the price for this. Failing to bring back the giant, we shall take this child instead."
"Our views clearly differ," Newt said, his voice calm.
"Do you think you can stand against the two of us?" The other Death Eater approached. "The great Magizoologist, Newt Scamander... If we were to kill you, perhaps the Dark Lord would even forgive our blunder."
Kill Newt? Kyle couldn't help but lean forward, curious to know the identities of these two Death Eaters who seemed so confident...
He guessed that they were probably from the batch that had escaped from Azkaban earlier... Their prolonged exposure to Dementors had likely affected their minds.
While most news about Newt revolved around magical creatures and lacked any outstanding battle achievements, it didn't mean he was incompetent.
Any sane wizard would know better than to underestimate Newt Scamander, the master of handling uncooperative magical beasts.
However, Newt himself didn't seem bothered by being looked down upon. He merely held his wand and observed the two Death Eaters calmly.
"Mr. Scamander..."
At that moment, another, larger figure stepped between them.
"We didn't get to help earlier, so let us handle this now," Maxim said, facing the Death Eaters.
"Aye, Maxime's right," Hagrid added, rushing to their side. "Leave it to us."
While Maxim had at least contributed with the Fog Spell, Hagrid hadn't been of much help at all.
Since he didn't know how to Apparate, he had to run down from the mountaintop, and by the time he arrived, the thick fog had already dissipated, leaving him with no opportunity to lend a hand.
"Very well..." Seeing the two of them, Newt lowered his wand, and after a quick glance between Maxim and Hagrid, they swiftly assigned themselves opponents and charged forward.
Newt seemed to have great faith in them, as he made no move to assist, merely turning to Kyle with a smile and asking, "How does it feel to fight a giant?"
"Pretty awful," Kyle admitted. "My usual spells had no effect, not even the Basilisk's gaze."
"That's how it should be.
"But isn't the Basilisk's gaze meant to target the soul?" Kyle asked, puzzled.
"No," Newt shook his head. "The Killing Curse is. The Basilisk's eyes are more like a curse, a man-made weapon. Remember how the Basilisk came to be?"
"A seven-year-old rooster laid an egg under the Sirius constellation, and it was incubated by a toad," Kyle replied.
"Exactly," Newt nodded. "This species was created by the despicable Herpo, who endowed the Basilisk with impenetrable scales, longevity, lethal venom, and a deadly gaze.
"It doesn't resemble a magical creature at all, but rather a collection of weapons, a living weapon.
"And like any weapon, it has its counters. The giant's massive physique and robust vitality greatly weakened the instant death curse, which is why he was only petrified in the end."
"Kind of like pouring a bottle of ink into the Black Lake?" Kyle suggested.
"You could say that," Newt nodded. "Not only that, but some creatures are even completely immune to this curse."
"Phoenix..." Kyle muttered, his eyes glistening with envy as he spoke.
Every time he thought about it, he couldn't help but envy Dumbledore for earning the favor of a phoenix.
"Indeed." Newt's eyes also shone with admiration. "The phoenix is the epitome of perfection among creatures, unfazed by curses or evil, and even the fierce fire can't harm it in the slightest."
In his nearly hundred years of life, he had encountered countless magical creatures, but the phoenix was a rare sight, glimpsed only from a distance a few times.
Dumbledore was truly lucky...
The two shared the same thought.
...
After a moment, Newt stopped dwelling on the topic and approached Gogo's body, reattaching the giant's head to its massive frame.
If anyone here wanted to compete for the position of Gog, they could take Gogo's head to the giant tribe; it would increase their chances of success by at least half.
But it seemed that no one here needed that.
Needless to say, neither he nor Kyle would be contenders, as they were not giants themselves and couldn't partake in such matters.
As for Hagrid and Maxime, the half-giant hybrids... there was a slight possibility for them. Giants revered strength, and even a hybrid could become a Gog if they displayed absolute power.
However, they might not be willing.
Maxime was the principal of one of the three major wizarding schools in Europe, Beauxbatons, an identity far superior to that of a giant Gog. She would definitely not pursue such a position.
Then there was Hagrid, who preferred the company of magical creatures... But in the giant tribe, the only creatures he would encounter would be those destined to become meals, so he would likely abstain as well.
Newt waved his wand, and Gogo's massive body vanished from sight.
"I'm going to move him to a safer location," Newt explained, noticing Kyle's curious expression. "Just in case the Death Eaters find him."
Kyle nodded in understanding.
For Voldemort, even a deceased giant could still be of some use, so relocating it was a prudent decision.
Speaking of Death Eaters, Kyle's curiosity got the better of him, and he glanced towards the empty field not far away.
Maxime and Hagrid had been battling the Death Eaters for a while now.
Despite both being half-giant hybrids, their fighting styles couldn't be more different.
Maxime fought like a true wizard, her wand movements graceful and her spells seamlessly connected, easily overwhelming her opponent. It seemed the battle would be decided soon.
Hagrid, on the other hand, was a completely different story. He fought like a miniature version of Gogo.
"Come on, you cowards!" Hagrid roared, dashing towards the Death Eaters, dodging spells as he ran. He delivered a powerful slap to his opponent's face. "Try this..."
The Death Eater's mask deformed from the impact, and the person was sent flying like a cannonball.
Hagrid, on the other hand, only had a few holes in his clothes; the spells had been deflected by his body.
"Avada..."
The Death Eater on the ground struggled to lift his wand.
This time, Hagrid didn't try to tank the Killing Curse. Instead, he nimbly dodged to the side... he wasn't crazy enough to try and withstand it.
After evading the curse, Hagrid rushed forward again, his massive hand connecting with the Death Eater's face once more.
"Bang!"
The Death Eater tumbled away like a rolling weed, and Kyle thought he heard the sound of breaking bones amidst the chaos.
However, Kyle recognized the Death Eater—it was Rodolphus Lestrange, one of the escaped prisoners from Azkaban. His photo had been on the wanted posters.
"Get up, you despicable, filthy coward!" Hagrid bellowed, charging at his opponent once more.
Kyle turned away, unable to watch.
Hagrid's luck certainly wasn't any better.
On the other side, things were progressing more smoothly. Maxime shattered her opponent's mask with a spell, revealing a young face beneath—Bartemius Crouch Jr., an old acquaintance. It seemed Voldemort truly valued the giants, sending his most trusted followers.
The leopard cat had intended to go for the neck, but little Barty Crouch seemed to sense the danger and ducked, causing the leopard cat to pounce and bite down on his arm instead.
However, this interrupted the Killing Curse he had been about to cast.
At the same time, Maxime's curse exploded on his chest.
Barty Crouch Jr. cried out and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Damn it." Seeing the leopard cat so close, Barty Crouch's eyes flashed with fierceness, and he abruptly turned around.
Maxime's second blasting curse hit the arm that was being bitten.
His arm was blown off, but at the same time, Barty Crouch Jr. regained his freedom.
Without hesitation, he transformed into a cloud of black mist and flew out of the valley in an instant.
This was a spell commonly used by Death Eaters, probably invented by Voldemort, and it was very useful for escaping or pursuing.
It was too late to chase him now.
"He's a tough one..."
Kyle said softly, looking at the severed hand and wand that had been left behind.
However, the other Death Eater, Rodolphus Lestrange, was not so lucky. Seeing that Barty had escaped, he also tried to flee, but the group was prepared. Just as he was about to transform into black mist, three curses flew at him from different directions, forcing him out of his disguise.
Then Hagrid joined in, swinging his thick arms and delivering a series of fierce punches to his opponent. Lestrange didn't even have time to cry out before he was beaten unconscious.
"Is he... dead?" Kyle asked softly, looking at the motionless Lestrange.
"Er, I, I don't think so..." Hagrid said uncertainly, then added firmly, "He's a Death Eater, and he wanted to take the giant to the battlefield. Even if he's dead, he deserves it."
"That's right," Maxime agreed as she approached. "If the giants get involved in the upcoming war, more wizards will die."
"I'm not arguing with that." Kyle shrugged.
"It's best if he's alive. We need to find out more about the mysterious man; he seems to know quite a bit," Newt said as he knelt down to examine Lestrange.
Although Newt was a magizoologist, he knew a thing or two about healing magic, as the magical creatures he dealt with often got sick.
A moment later, he stood up.
"Forget it, let's leave it to Dumbledore to figure out how to get the information," Newt said.
Everyone present immediately understood what he meant, and they began to discreetly clean up the battlefield, erasing any remaining traces of magic and extinguishing the flames that still burned on the ground.
Hagrid seemed to have something on his mind, his expression distant.
"Don't think too much about it," Kyle said as he patted Hagrid's arm. "As you said, he's a Death Eater, and you don't need to feel bad about it..."
"What?" Hagrid turned to him. "No, Kyle, you misunderstood. I've been in that war over a decade ago, and I've killed plenty of Death Eaters. It's not a big deal."
"Then why were you so distracted?" Kyle asked, puzzled.
"I was wondering if it's too late for me to learn magic now," Hagrid admitted.
He glanced at Maxime and added softly, "You saw how graceful she was in battle."
As he said this, Hagrid's eyes took on a heart shape.
But soon, a hint of dejection crept into his voice. "But I don't even know how to Apparate. I'll probably just hold everyone back in the future."
This was understandable, as Hagrid had been expelled in his third year, and because he disliked studying, he had only learned some basic magic.
However, due to his strong half-giant physique, he had never really worried about it.
"Umm... it's not too late," Kyle said, trying to keep a straight face as he saw the lovesick expression on Hagrid's face. He really wanted to turn and walk away, but he endured the sour smell and stayed put.
"If you need it, I can lend you my books. They have notes from my classes, which should help you learn magic," Kyle offered.
"That would be wonderful," Hagrid said, then added, "But what about Apparition? Do you think I can learn that?"
Kyle's lips twitched.
For a half-giant like Hagrid, learning to Apparate was incredibly difficult. Kyle was not surprised that Maxime had mastered it, as she was the headmistress of Beauxbatons, and her talent and abilities were undoubtedly exceptional.
But for Hagrid... Kyle honestly wasn't sure if he could learn it.
"Give it a try," he said with a smile. "Magic is all about possibilities."
...
(End of Chapter)
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