The Butcher of Hogsmeade

At this moment, in this position, the appearance of a wand stealthily pointing at the Pwitt brothers was enough for Shen Hou, whose practical experience was practically zero, to instantly understand the profound malice it contained; almost without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the wand.

There were actually smarter, more efficient approaches at this point—such as using the Aard sign—but Shen Hou's mindset and physical instincts had clearly not yet shifted from a Muggle mentality. Several weeks of peaceful life had also made him forget the meager experience he had gained during the Battle of Hogsmeade. Therefore, his first reaction was an extremely poor choice: he leaped forward and reached out to grab it; before the light at the tip of the wand could fully bloom, he seized the wand and, with a mighty pull, ripped it directly from his opponent's hand.

In Shen Hou's later recollection, this was called a "physical version of a direct-contact weapon to eliminate you."

A terrified scream came from the shop window, followed by a burst of light in Shen Hou's hand, and the wand he had just snatched exploded instantly. The spell, already formed, couldn't be cast in time; the magical effect erupted directly from the wand.

In an instant, Shen Hou's left hand completely lost sensation, and he fell backward, his buzzing brain almost losing its ability to think.

A fireball appeared out of nowhere, exploded in the air, and bursts of flame ignited shop windows, the GG sign, and half of Shen Hou's sleeve. In the nearest buildings, lights went out almost simultaneously, plunging the surroundings into darkness. The two combatants on the street could only barely make out the enemy's shadowy figure.

The area in front of the shop was filled with burning smoke and dust, billowing and swirling as if a thick fog had risen from the ground.

The Pwitt brothers looked anxiously at the explosion site. They didn't know what had happened, but they both knew that Shen Hou was in trouble. Antonin Dolokhov also glanced over, distracted. This was the ambush location they had carefully chosen, but the expected fatal blow had not occurred.

The rising flames and smoke obscured their vision, and the Aurors and Death Eaters were both busy exchanging spells, unable to spare a moment to observe.

"My wand, my wand!" A shrill, almost distorted voice reached Shen Hou's ears; in the firelight, a figure leaped out of the shop window, tore off his burning robe, and pounced on Shen Hou like a mad dog, straddling him and gripping his neck tightly with both hands.

Shen Hou lay on the ground, unable to breathe or make a sound. His eyes, clouded by smoke, could only see a tattered metal mask, and behind it, a cruel, condescending gaze and pale skin.

At this moment, Shen Hou only had strength left on the right side of his body, and could only move his right hand. In his struggle and unconscious groping, he suddenly grasped a thin and cold metal object, and then subconsciously pulled and stabbed it. The weight pressing on Shen Hou immediately disappeared, and a gasp came from behind the Death Eater's mask. His body convulsed and curled into a ball, collapsing to the side.

"Useless trash, what are you doing?" Not far away, Antonin Dolokhov lost his patience and shouted angrily, but received no response; his gaze kept falling on the area in front of the store, but unfortunately the firelight was weak and he could only see some shadowy figures in the thick smoke.

"I'm injured, help me, save me," the fallen Death Eater responded hoarsely, his voice barely audible. He struggled to his feet, clutching his left abdomen with both hands, and staggered towards Antonin, leaning against the wall, as if he might collapse again at any moment. He hadn't run more than a few steps when the bleeding from his left abdominal wound soaked through his robes, staining the ground in spots.

Shen Hou wasn't in much better shape. The damage from the exploding wand was far greater than that of the Death Eater, making it much harder for him to get up. But regardless, he clung tightly to his triangular bayonet. Staring at the wounded Death Eater's retreating figure, he recklessly gave chase—a rash act driven by adrenaline, devoid of reason. Both stumbled along, but the Death Eater slowed, while Shen Hou ran faster.

Strangely enough, because the Prewitt brothers and the Death Eaters, including Antonin Dolokhov, were all focused on each other, the light and sound of the spell explosion greatly disrupted their vision and hearing. As a result, the two men, running along the edge of the street while holding onto the wall, attracted no attention until they ran out of the smoke-covered area.

"Help me..." The stabbed Death Eater saw his companion, but only managed to utter one sentence before collapsing forward, his body going limp.

"Damn it!" The masked Death Eater next to Antonin was filled with shock and anger. He recognized his companion by the mask and the voice. Antonin himself remained silent, seemingly calm, but in reality, he was caught in a dilemma.

The ambush had failed! The reason was still unknown, but it was clear that it had failed. The wisest course of action at this point was to retreat immediately. Antonin Dolokhov's selfish nature constantly triggered the urge to abandon his comrades and flee, but a deep-seated fear made him hesitate.

Today's operation was based on intelligence provided by the Dark Lord himself and was ordered by him personally. Failure in itself is unforgivable. If the failure also results in casualties among our own personnel, Antonin dares not imagine what kind of cruel punishment he will suffer.

After a moment's hesitation, selfishness ultimately triumphed over fear. "Retreat!" Antonin shouted, his legs moving even before his voice, retreating step by step. However, his command was heard not only by the Death Eaters but also by the Prewitt brothers; Gideon unleashed two spells in quick succession, one knocking them to the ground and bouncing them off with an Ironclad Charm, while a thunderous explosion struck not the Death Eaters but behind them.

A bookstore sign was blasted off the wall, and along with countless pieces of rubble, it rained down on the two Death Eaters, severely disrupting their escape.

At this moment, Shen Hou also rushed out of the shadow shrouded in smoke, glanced at the fallen Death Eater, immediately lost interest, and was then drawn to the other two Death Eaters who were still standing.

Perhaps it was the effect of adrenaline, or perhaps it was the stimulation from surviving a near-death experience, but Shen Hou was incredibly focused at this moment, returning to the state he was in that night at Hogsmeade. His mind was almost blank, and his body was being controlled by another "identity" from his dream.

At that moment, he felt his mind was incredibly clear, and his rapidly processing thoughts made everything in reality seem to have slowed down.

There were two people opposite him. Given his physical condition, he could only keep an eye on one at most, and the one without the mask was obviously more valuable—this was the judgment Shen Hou made at first glance when he saw the two Death Eaters.

The distance is about ten steps, which is a bit far, but the advantage is that the other person hasn't seen me yet. From the time they notice me to the time they react, I can gain at least 1.5 seconds.

My balance has been restored, but I still have no feeling below the elbow in my left hand. Only my right hand can make effective attacks. I can only choose one of the two attack methods: the sign of power or the triangular bayonet.

A series of thoughts flashed through his mind in a flash, and Shen Hou did not stop for a moment, rushing straight toward Antonin Dolokhov—although he still did not know the Death Eater's name at this moment.

In 1.5 seconds, Shen Hou closed to within three steps.

Antonin Dolokhov saw the person rushing towards him and was utterly astonished; the heavy figure rapidly magnified in his pupils, almost filling his field of vision. He raised his wand, and his most skilled silent spell instantly materialized. Then he saw the rushing figure make a strange movement.

Shen Hou shifted his body to the side and lowered his waist, exactly in the opposite direction of the opponent's swing of the wand. The tip of the wand grazed the scalp, and the Silent Spell landed in empty space. The next moment, he used the power of his waist to spring forward and leap across the last three steps between them, almost touching the opponent's face, and thrust the military dagger in his hand into the opponent's heart.

This is one of the offensive stances of swordsmanship seen in the "dream," its advantage being to unexpectedly shorten the distance and quickly thrust straight at the vital point. The difference is that a two-handed sword is used in the dream, while in reality Shen Hou only has a military dagger; because the weapon is shorter, the distance that needs to be covered is greater.

With a "thud," the military dagger pierced through the heart, leaving three blood grooves that made the entire stabbing process incredibly smooth.

At that moment, Shen Hou suddenly felt that there was some truth to the lies that Mundungus had made up, and that calling the thing in his hand "Demon Fang" was actually quite appropriate.