Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 435, Section 434: The Mysterious Cave
Why didn't the black-robed wizards of the Department of Mysteries find Ian and the fallen god at the place where the ancient spirits were destroyed by Ian?

This is for a reason.

Their original battlefield was indeed still in that place.

but.

Ten minutes ago.

Some unexpected things happened during the battle.

At that time, the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder and burning magic energy, mixed with the lingering filth originating from the fallen gods themselves.

"I can't tell which pantheon this guy's magic comes from." Ian's breathing was slightly rapid, not from fear, but from the exhaustion caused by the high-intensity output of magic and the mental strain. Of course, his wand remained steady, its tip flashing with a light that shifted depending on the type of attack.

"Why can't we submit to your destiny! Your current resistance is blasphemy! We've protected you for so long, and now we only want you to pay with your life!"

"What right do you have to resist!"

This guy is actually boxing.

The fallen god, his twisted humanoid form, hovered in the center of the wrecked passage, his crimson eyes burning with the flames of greed and rage.

Its attacks were direct and violent; the corrupt divine power it unleashed with every move was like a tangible wave, constantly crashing against the layers of defenses Ian had laid out.

"Touch of Decay!" the fallen god roared, as a gray-black energy beam lashed out like a venomous snake, devouring and decaying even the light in its path.

"Armor Protection - Multiple Enhancements!"

Ian swiftly tapped his wand, and several surfaces shimmered with different elemental luster—the azure of frost, the crimson of fire, the earthy yellow of the ground… A seven-colored magical shield instantly formed in front of him.

That's why it's called innovative magic. Ian combined the games he played in his previous life to create elemental defense, which can no longer be considered conventional wizarding magic.

Reading a lot of novels has its benefits.

They have a good advantage in terms of magical innovation and creative thinking.

"Boom!"

The attack from the fallen gods came with overwhelming force.

The gray-black energy beam struck the shield, producing a corrosive sound that made your teeth ache.

The outermost fire shield dimmed and collapsed instantly, but the inner frost and earth shields stubbornly withstood the impact, their surfaces covered with cracks.

However, it was not completely broken.

"A soul's lament!"

The fallen god opened its seemingly human mouth, but what it emitted was a shriek formed by countless vengeful spirits. The invisible sound waves pierced through physical defenses and went straight for Ian's soul.

"Close your ears and block your hearing, isolate your mind!" Ian was prepared. His wand swept past his ear, and an invisible mental barrier, like the best soundproofing material, weakened and dispersed most of the direct soul attacks. At the same time, his strong willpower was like a rock, firmly blocking the wisps of negative emotions that were seeping in from his mind.

When it comes to mental defense mechanisms...

Inheriting the magic of the wicked woman, the legendary dark witch Morgan, Ian is a top figure among the legends. Even gods at their peak would find it difficult to crush him on a spiritual level.

A powerful legend.

They certainly have the power to defy the gods.

This is also why gods feared legends in certain eras.

perhaps.

This is also why legends gradually faded away – legends are too powerful, both in terms of potential and ceiling, they have a feeling of being beyond conventional constraints.

Look at this, even a legendary figure like Ian, who hasn't been a legendary figure for long, can use magic to contend with an ancient god from who knows how many years ago.

Even though this ancient god was probably not at its peak strength, its corrupted power was actually more lethal, but even so, it still couldn't defeat Ian.

That's what makes a legend.

What is proven is the impossibility of human existence.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Magic and divine arts are clashing.

The battle reached a brief stalemate.

Relying on his exquisite magical combinations, profound magical reserves, and precise control of the battle's rhythm, Ian repeatedly deflected the fallen god's fierce attacks. He was like a highly skilled surfer, navigating the raging waves of the opponent's divine power, seemingly perilous, yet always finding a glimmer of hope.

"This can't go on forever."

However, Ian knew very well that this couldn't go on. The opponent's divine power seemed inexhaustible, while his own magic power, which usually recovered quickly, was being continuously depleted.

It seems to possess limitless magic.

It simply means that the activity recovers quickly.

In reality, there is still a total amount. If the consumption exceeds the recovery, then naturally some magic will lose its activity, and Ian's magic will be difficult to control effectively.

more importantly.

He could sense that this fallen god did not seem to be using its full strength, or rather, it was constrained by some invisible limitation and could not fully display its terror.

It is testing, it is consuming, like a cat playing with a mouse.

"I'm not Captain America; I can't fight this guy for three days and three nights." He couldn't afford to remain on the defensive. Ian's eyes sharpened; he decided to take the initiative and break the stalemate.

Just as the fallen god was gathering his corrupt divine power again, preparing to launch a new round of area-of-effect attacks, Ian's wand suddenly pointed at the ground, not at his opponent.

"Earth's Veins Surge, Rock Spear Pierces!"

He channeled his affinity with the earth element, combining it with profound polymorphism and summoning spells. In an instant, the ground between them churned violently, and countless incredibly sharp rock spears, shimmering with an earthy yellow magical sheen, burst forth from the earth like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, shooting towards the fallen god at astonishing speed!

These are no ordinary rocks; each spear contains Ian's pure magic, enough to pierce through steel.

"Just some magic."

"Discarded products that we've forgotten in a corner."

A hint of disdain flashed in the crimson eyes of the fallen god.

Clearly, the pantheon he belongs to also originated from wizards, which is similar to what Ian himself concluded: almost all the gods were wizards in the past.

After spitting out the magic, the fallen god didn't even make a big move; the filthy divine power surrounding him merely rippled slightly.

Like an invisible force field.

The rock spears that shot towards us decayed and weathered at a visible speed the moment they came into contact with the force field, turning from hard rock into loose sand.

It eventually fell silently, without harming it in the slightest.

"The struggle of an ant!" it roared mockingly.

Is this really the case?
In fact, Ian's goal was not to harm the enemy.

Just as all the rock spears were disintegrated by the decaying force field and turned into a cloud of dust obscuring the view, Ian moved! He blended into the shadows like a ghost, not retreating, but rushing towards the strange gate behind the Fallen God at an extremely bizarre angle, using the cover of the dust! Yes, his goal from the beginning was not to fight head-on, but to break through! He wanted to enter the place where the Fallen God had emerged and find out what exactly the Fallen God was like.

What is his/her identity?

Only by knowing this can Ian, with his extensive knowledge and rich learning, find the weakness of this fallen god and defeat him.

"Want to escape?!"

The fallen god immediately realized Ian's intentions.

but.

There was clearly some misunderstanding.

It seemed unusually sensitive to Ian's attempt to enter the lower levels, even showing a hint of... panic? It suddenly turned around, its withered arm grabbing at the air!
"Space Confinement!"

An incomparably powerful spatial law, carrying a divine pressure, instantly enveloped the area in front of Ian. The air in front of him seemed to turn into transparent amber.

The spatial structure was forcibly solidified, attempting to freeze Ian halfway through.

"Phantom Shift - Short-Range Breakthrough!" Ian had anticipated this, and at the critical moment before the spatial confinement fully took effect, he unleashed an extremely difficult short-range, precisely targeted Phantom Shift. His figure blurred and distorted in the frozen space, narrowly piercing through that invisible barrier.

Finally, they appeared before the mysterious gate.

There's nothing he wouldn't dare to do. Ian even went through the bronze door, and this door is clearly not as dangerous as the bronze door. Being skilled and daring, he decided to crawl through.

But goose.

The aftershocks of the fallen god's enraged attack had already arrived. A shockwave, a mixture of "decay" and "spatial tearing," slammed heavily into Ian's back!

"puff!"

Ian felt a sweet taste in his throat, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. Even with the magical shield and the weakening effect of his own powerful physique, the god-level attack still caused him considerable internal injuries. But he endured the excruciating pain and pointed his wand without hesitation at the restriction covered with ancient runes and radiating powerful energy fluctuations.

"Analysis of All Laws - Restriction Temporarily Suspended!"

He condensed his vast spiritual and magical power into countless tiny probes, like the most skilled locksmith, instantly analyzing the structure and energy nodes of the restriction. This wasn't brute force, but rather searching for a brief "gap" in its operational rules. The thick, shimmering barrier of light, at the point where Ian's wand touched, rippled outwards like a stone thrown into water, the light momentarily dimming and pausing!

The gate is being activated and is now open!
"It's now!"

With his last ounce of strength, Ian moved like lightning, crashing into the dark gate behind the light barrier before the barrier could be restored!

"Damn it! Stop!"

The furious roar of the fallen god came from behind.

However, it seemed to have some reservations about the restriction and did not immediately pursue it. Instead, it gathered even stronger power and began to attack Ian, trying to forcibly stop him.

Ian immediately turned around and tapped his wand repeatedly.

Numerous restrictions were placed on the gate. Although it was known that this could not truly stop a god, it could at least buy some time—his figure completely disappeared behind the gate.

It was as if some kind of teleportation magic was at work.

Everything is calm.

Ian finally had time to look around.

This place... doesn't look like a prison built by the Ministry of Magic at all. Underfoot are huge, worn-out bluestone slabs, with moss growing in the cracks that emits a faint blue glow.

On both sides are rough-hewn rock walls, covered with ancient, blurred murals depicting scenes of rituals and worship that are difficult to understand.

The air was cold and damp.

It carries the scent of earth and the sedimentation of time.

It was completely different from the orderly and cold feeling of the magical creations in the upper levels.

The dome was very high, hidden in the darkness, its specific structure obscured. The entire space was exceptionally vast, stretching forward and to the sides as if without end. Rows of weathered stone pillars, each requiring several people to encircle, stood like silent giants, supporting this underground space.

To be honest, rather than viewing this place as a typical prison structure, it's more like a forgotten, ancient tomb buried deep underground.
Or rather, the remnants of a lost civilization.

The African Ministry of Magic actually built its highest-level prison in such an ancient place? Or did they discover and "utilize" this ruin?

Ian was filled with doubts, but he had no time to think about them. The violent tremors coming from the barrier behind him and the frenzied crashing of the fallen god reminded him.

The danger is not over.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, suppressed his surging blood, and scanned the ancient and dark space with sharp eyes, trying to find the deeper secrets hidden in this land. Behind him, the protective light barrier, under the frenzied attacks of the fallen god, was groaning as if it could break at any moment.

"What the hell is this place?"

Ian, enduring the sharp pain in his back and the chaotic magic within his body, quickly surveyed the unfamiliar space he had entered. He immediately released a detection spell; invisible magical ripples, like the tentacles of a jellyfish, spread outwards, sensing the structure and depth of the environment.

original.

They thought they had encountered some minor deities and entered a mysterious world.

only.

The feedback he received gave him a jolt.

Here, he was still directly beneath the African Ministry of Magic, but the depth... far exceeded his imagination! The depth data returned by the detection magic was blurry, as if it had been interfered with, but a rough estimate suggested that this place was probably tens of kilometers below the surface, or even deeper! It had almost penetrated the continental crust!

It's approaching the upper mantle!
“How is this possible…” Ian muttered to himself, his face filled with disbelief. Such a massive man-made structure existed so deep underground? What terrifying technology and power would that require? Modern magical civilization might be able to build fortresses buried deep underground, but to construct such a colossal ruin at a depth approaching the Earth's mantle and maintain its structural stability over such a long period of time was simply unheard of!

"What exactly is the African Ministry of Magic hiding...?"

Ian didn't know much about the wizarding society in Africa either, based on his own magical life experience or the world depicted in the original Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts books.

Africa.

These are all areas where they are relatively absent.

Not many wizards from developed societies are willing to come to this place, as it is extremely chaotic and dangerous. Most people's knowledge of this place is limited to the fact that it is rich in magical potions, medicinal herbs, and magical animals.

Besides.

The unique characteristic of the wizards here, who can cast spells without a wand, is what makes them so popular in mainstream magical societies, and few people know anything else about the African magical world.

It was practically invisible in all the magical stories Ian knew. Even the most well-known wandless spellcasting didn't cause much of a stir or research in Western society.

of course.

Because Ian had already learned about the principles of wandless spellcasting in Africa, it wasn't due to the superiority of the magic system, but rather the fact that the wand was integrated into the finger bones.

It's understandable that Western society hasn't paid attention to this. After all, African wizards still use wands, only the way they're forged is different from the West.

Those accustomed to using wands would certainly not choose to modify their finger bones—it should be noted that human modification is a taboo research topic in the magical world of Western society.

Look at it this way.

This will explain why the technique of casting spells without a wand wasn't passed down.

To each their own.

(End of this chapter)