Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

The thick fog of London, like solidified mortar, weighed heavily on the Thames, blurring even the silhouette of the Tower of London on the opposite bank. Holmes, leaning on his brass cane, made a thumping sound with each step on the wet, cold cobblestones.

Lux beside him looked like a golden-haired dumpling wrapped in a cloak, while Lumi, in a wicker basket in her arms, was giving a real-time rant in a Freljord accent: "Emma, ​​this smell! It's even more pungent than the dead fish back home! Coal ash, stinking ditch, and a... rusty, rotten apple smell! My nose is going to be ruined!"

"No, are you a bot? You have to say almost the same thing in every new scene." Lux was almost speechless.

"Alright, sis, when are we going back to Hogwarts?" Lumi started to miss the delicious leftovers from Hogwarts.

"Even if it's fast, Christmas has to be over by now. Let's investigate the case first."

Lux and her group were standing near the apex of the equilateral triangle that pointed sharply towards the Thames on the map, in an abandoned dock area on the north bank of Tower Bridge. The rotten wooden boardwalk stretched into the dark river, and several dilapidated barges were half-submerged in the water like skeletons. The air was filled with the unique fishy smell of the river and the smell of rotting wood.

"The first spot is the backyard of the chapel near St. Catherine's Wharf." Holmes's voice was deep and somewhat ethereal in the thick fog as he pointed to the location marked with a red circle on the map.

"Your true form immediately reveals that there was intense black magic fluctuation there, and the residual energy is very fresh, but... there are no corpses, no bloodstains, and it's as if it has been cleaned up by something."

Lux nodded, recalling the scene she had witnessed in that gloomy courtyard half an hour earlier.

As her wand swept across the damp corner of the wall, a dark red magical glow suddenly shone like splashed paint, even outlining several chaotic claw marks in the air, but the ground remained unusually clean, without a single fallen leaf.

"The Aurors are incredibly fast! Or... are all the wizards this professional at cleaning up afterward?"

"The second spot, the old warehouse in Taulhamletz," Holmes moved his finger to another red circle, "is almost identical. A strong aura of dark magic, it feels like a pot of enhanced Baboon tuber pus has just been spilled, and there are dents on the walls from a powerful impact and a few clumps of the same silver-black hair."

He paused, his eyes sharp. "Similarly, there were no bodies or any substantial traces of a struggle left behind, as if the victims had been... directly erased by some force."

"So the victim is very likely a wizard!" Lux exclaimed in realization. "The Aurors are always quick and efficient when dealing with their own people's cases, covering up the news and erasing all traces. No wonder the Muggle police couldn't find anything."

“Logical.” Holmes pulled out his pocket watch. “Today is 9 p.m. on December 6th, which happens to be a full moon. If this hexagram ritual requires six sacrifices, with three Muggles for the first three points and three wizards for the last three points… then tonight, right now, at this apex pointing towards the riverbank, is where the sixth sacrifice will be offered.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint but painful and desperate scream pierced the thick fog from the direction of the riverbank in the distance, like the wail of a wild beast being choked.

Holmes and Lux ​​exchanged a glance, said nothing, and simultaneously ran towards the source of the sound.

They rushed through a corner piled high with rusty anchors, and the sight before them took their breath away.

A sorcerer wearing a dark green travel cloak lay in a pool of blood, his chest almost completely ripped open, blood gushing out and soaking the rubble beneath him.

Broken wand fragments lay scattered around him, and standing before him was a terrifying monster!

It was taller and stronger than the werewolf Lux had seen in the book, its nearly three-meter-tall body covered with thick, silver-black hair like steel needles, and its muscles were as bulging as rocks.

A pair of scarlet eyes burned with pure savagery and hunger in the thick fog, and saliva dripped from its gaping, fang-filled maw, corroding the ground with a sizzling sound.

It was looking up at the full moon, shrouded in mist and emitting only a pale halo, letting out a deep, satisfied roar, as if celebrating the completion of yet another massacre.

"This big black guy is even uglier than the white horse in the Forbidden Forest!" Lumi screamed, her fur standing on end in the basket.

"Step back!" Holmes' voice was colder and harder than ever before, carrying an unquestionable command.

Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly pulled a gleaming black revolver from inside his coat!

boom!boom!boom!boom!

Four deafening gunshots ripped through the silence of the foggy night, and the muzzle flashes briefly illuminated the werewolf's ferocious face and Holmes' tense profile in the thick fog.

The bullets struck the werewolf precisely in the chest and shoulder.

However, a desperate scene unfolded.

The bullet struck the werewolf's thick fur and muscles with a dull thud, as if hitting tough leather. Apart from a few clumps of hair and a few sparks, it only left a faint white mark on the skin.

The werewolf didn't even flinch; its crimson eyes held only a hint of fury at being interrupted, and its face instantly turned to Holmes.

"How much physical defense does this have?" Lux felt a chill run down her spine. This thing is almost immune to bullets?

"They'll all be petrified!"

Lux swung her maple wand, and the werewolf's frantic run came to an instant. His bloodshot eyes darted around wildly, giving Holmes a chance to retreat.

"Yugadimur Leviosa!" The werewolf, trapped in its bonds, had no chance to escape the levitation spell and was immediately lifted into the air by the incantation.

"Get me a QE combo after I land!"

Light Binding (Q) has been cast.

[Passive skill "Radiant Light" triggered, the target is marked]

[Translucent Singularity (E) has been cast, mark triggered]

Lux had no time to think about skill combinations; a strange, fluid sensation, as if guided by light energy, surged through her body.

"Pfft!" The golden ball of light exploded beneath the werewolf, instantly tearing open his lower limbs and causing blackish-red blood to ooze from the wounds.

"Roar—!" The werewolf let out an even more furious roar, clearly enraged. Its scarlet eyes were fixed on Lux, the savagery in its gaze almost tangible.

The werewolf's lower limbs were visibly deformed after the double injury from the explosion and the fall, but it seemed to have no effect on his movement. He ran towards Lux on all fours.

"Hey, wait, how can it still move when its legs are blown to bits? It's cheating!" Lux realized that although her combo looked good, she had clearly underestimated the werewolf's mobility.

But the moment it broke free from the "Expelliarmus" restraints, Lux preemptively pointed her wand at the werewolf's feet!

"Take this one more close-range flashbang! Fluorescent Flash!"

The translucent singularity has been released.

There were no flames, no shockwaves, only a burst of intense light powerful enough to blind a wolf.

Then, at the spot where Lux's staff tip was pointing, a fist-sized energy ball emitting a soft glow quietly appeared and then exploded.

"Awooo!!!" A shrill, agonizing howl echoed through the night sky!

The werewolf's crimson eyes went blind for a moment under the bright light, then were overwhelmed by the burning pain. It covered its eyes with its giant claws in agony, staggering backward with its massive body, letting out a mournful howl.

"It worked!" Lux was overjoyed, looking at the "Radiant" icon next to the werewolf's portrait on the system panel. "Strike while the iron is hot! Let's do it again!"

"They'll all turn to petrification! They'll be torn to pieces!"

This time, the petrification curse was used again, because the werewolf was in a state of blindness and excruciating pain and had no way to dodge it.

[Radiant Mark Triggered]

"Spell damage can also trigger the passive, this is awesome, I am the dueling master!" Lux felt that her combat talent seemed to be pretty good.

Crack! A clear, teeth-grinding sound of bone breaking rang out!

"Awooo!" The werewolf howled in agony. One of its legs was completely crippled, and its massive body lost its balance, crashing to its knees. It frantically waved its giant claws, trying to dispel the persistent burning white spots and excruciating pain in front of it, while struggling to stand up with its intact leg.

"A good opportunity!" Holmes' eyes sharpened, and he raised his gun again, aiming at the werewolf's gaping maw, which was wide open in pain, attempting to attack its relatively vulnerable interior!

Just then—

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

Several figures appeared like phantoms from the depths of the thick fog! They wore matching dark gray robes, their faces covered with silver masks, and the tips of their wands gleamed with an ominous light.