Chapter 726: The Ace in the Hole
Chapter 726: The Ace in the Hole
Sensing the approach of the Werewolves, Liam, out of caution, immediately summoned the Puppet Squad on standby in Sky City. Meanwhile, Hermione stepped out of the tents to cast some protective Magic to safeguard the people inside who were temporarily unable to move.
After watching Hermione leave the tents, Liam approached the Jumping Cauldron to inspect the magical cauldron's current state. He needed to figure out how to prevent the Magic within it from being triggered.
Although the Magic was designed to maximize its area of effect, this significantly reduced its power against individual targets. Even a small amount of magic power within the body could prevent the Curse Magic from causing any detrimental effects. However, considering that Southampton, one of Britain's top ten ports, was only about eighty kilometers away, Liam felt it was crucial to defuse this potential bomb as soon as possible.
To his surprise, Liam's first cautious attempt was successful. He simply wrapped his hands in Rose Madonna's energy and touched the handle of the Jumping Cauldron. To his amazement, there was no counterattack as he had expected. With a gentle effort, he easily lifted the cauldron off the fire. Once it was no longer receiving energy from the Magic Flame below, the magical reaction on the cauldron began to fade.
At that moment, several runes suddenly shattered, emitting a high-frequency sound that was almost inaudible to normal humans. However, these sounds were harmless and seemed more like a signal.
"How could it be this simple?" Liam, holding the cauldron's handle, was puzzled. Suddenly, he felt the temperature in his hands rising rapidly, quickly surpassing normal levels. Theoretically, even touching molten metal with a layer of Rose Madonna's energy should not cause any sensation of heat.
He looked down and saw the pink layer of Rose Madonna's energy rapidly dissipating. Fortunately, his body had been reinforced multiple times, so he wasn't burned by the several-hundred-degree temperature.
"This is—"
Just as Liam was in shock, Hermione suddenly lifted the tent flap and rushed in, exclaiming, "Something's wrong. I just cast a Warding Charm and a Protective Enchantment outside the tents, but the Magic dissipated quickly."
"Disappearing Magic? Is it not just a problem with this cauldron?" Liam thought as he placed the Jumping Cauldron against a cabinet and drew his wand, pointing it at a corner and shouting, "Stupefy!"
A red beam shot from the wand tip as usual, but it quickly dimmed and disappeared after traveling a few meters.
"Are you using some kind of concealment technique?" Hermione asked. Wizards had special skills, such as many combat experts who could hide spell lights or change their color to gain an advantage in battle. Hermione assumed Liam was using one of these techniques.
"No", Liam's face turned serious. "There's something wrong with this place. The environment is draining our magic power significantly. For example, the spell I just cast lost all its energy in mid-air."
As he spoke, Liam finally understood Voldemort's ultimate move: the strange land itself. On this land, they could hardly use powerful Magic. Without Magic, neither Dumbledore nor anyone else, including Voldemort himself, would stand a chance against over a hundred Werewolves in close combat.
"Big Brother, we can't reach the designated location on time because we can't fly using magic power here", Liam received bad news from Rose Crystal, who was leading the Puppet Squad. "However, if you need urgent assistance, I can have Mercury Lamp come ahead. She has Wings, so this place doesn't affect her flight."
"No need. Stay together and prioritize your safety. We have a plan here, don't worry", Liam reassured the anxious Rose Crystal. Then, he pulled a Laser Pistol from his spatial pocket and fired a shot into a corner of the tent. A red beam shot from the gun, hitting a small wooden cabinet and leaving a fist-sized scorch mark.
"Amazing, we can actually use these electronic devices here!" Hermione's eyes widened as she saw this. "This is fantastic. I remember you brought quite a few technological weapons from those worlds."
"Yes, this place is strange. It seems that most magic doesn't work here, but anything unrelated to magic can function normally. It's like the opposite of the magic we have at Hogwarts", Liam said as he pulled out two large items from his Spatial Bag. "This gives us a chance. I doubt the Dark Lord, with his brain, could guess what kind of weapons we have."
"You're right. They would never think that the Muggles they look down upon have such powerful weapons." Hermione looked at the two Power Armors that had just been taken out. These were the X01 Power Armors from the Radiation World, the best power armors after the war. After being thoroughly improved with alien technology from the Men in Black Universe, these Power Armors had undergone a complete transformation.
"I guess he thinks we only have rifles or pistols. And such weapons would be completely ineffective against those werewolves", Liam said as the Power Armors quickly started up. Then, he and Hermione entered their Power Armors and began chatting over the radio.
"You're right. In the books I read in the Library, there was an account from nearly a thousand years ago where a werewolf in wolf form killed an entire ship of Viking warriors who were raiding England. The Vikings, with their spears, short swords, and axes, found it extremely difficult to penetrate the werewolf's defenses. Even when some weapons managed to wound the werewolf, it was never enough to incapacitate it", Hermione's voice came through the radio, a bit muffled but clear, confirming that technology worked here without interference.
"Aaooowww—" Another wolf howl echoed, much closer than before. It sounded like the werewolves had reached the edge of the clearing, hidden in the forest.
Previously, the werewolves had been scattered and hidden throughout the foggy forest to avoid being detected by Ryan and the others. Now, all the werewolves had been drawn by the signal Liam had sent when he lifted the pot. They were gathering, preparing to launch a deadly attack on the tents in the clearing.
Stepping out of the tent, Liam's Helmet Display quickly showed a dozen red dots, and more were appearing. As he raised the Gatling Gun modified with Atom-4, Hermione's voice came through the earpiece from the other side of the tent.
"These werewolves seem to act like regular wolves when they gather", Hermione's voice, slightly distorted by static, echoed in the helmet. "They appear to be waiting to attack once they've gathered enough."
"You're right. When Professor Lupin and the others transformed into wolves, their attack patterns were very similar to those of real giant wolves. And I think today, it's likely led by the Pureblood Werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. His attacks will be well-organized, leaving us no chance to escape."
Soon, more red dots appeared on the small map in the display. Liam noticed they were stopping at the edge of the forest, using the trees for cover as they slowly approached, occasionally lifting their heads to howl, trying to create pressure.
"It looks like they've surrounded us", Liam said, looking at the ring of red dots around the clearing on the map. "Prepare for battle. This is going to be a bloody fight to the death."
(End of Chapter)
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