The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Through the thick smoke and steam, Shen Hou saw a woman walk out of the elevator; she was completely wrapped in a black wizard's robe, and a hood covered most of her face, so her gender could only be determined by her slender waist, hands and other body parts.

The commotion outside the corridor attracted some people to peek out from their wards. Before they could even rejoice at the sight of the werewolf covered in wounds, they turned and saw the woman at the elevator door. They immediately ducked back down and quickly closed the door again.

Seemingly dissatisfied with the environment in the corridor, the newcomer impatiently waved his arms, trying to fan away the smoke in front of him. Finding this ineffective, he simply waved his wand: "Clean it up! Whirlwind Sweep!"

Where the staff pointed, the smoke and mist rapidly dissipated; they weren't blown or drawn elsewhere, but vanished on the spot, much like the condensation on glasses naturally fading over time after someone steps out of a greenhouse, only this time, the fading was a thousand times faster under the influence of magic. At the same time, the water droplets hanging on the floor, walls, and ceiling also disappeared without a trace.

"Magic is fucking amazing!" Shen Hou exclaimed unconsciously.

After the smoke cleared, the visitor immediately noticed Shen Hou at the end of the corridor.

"Ah, you're here!" Her voice was young, but it lacked the lively, crisp beauty of a young woman; instead, it was filled with undisguised cruelty and coldness.

"Who are you?" Shen Hou asked; he sincerely hoped that the other party could say a few more words, even if the tone was worse or the content was worse, it didn't matter, as long as he could buy some time.

Unfortunately, Shen Hou was met with a colorless and invisible spell, without even a spell inscription. The witch opposite him raised her wand, and the spell was already flying right in front of him.

With a "click," the clear light of the "Kun Seal" appeared in front of Shen Hou. After the invisible shield neutralized the incoming curse, it returned to silence.

After experiencing so many battles, Shen Hou naturally understood that the first priority after the battle started was to put on armor; he had this habit when he played games at home, but now he was just applying it to reality.

The witch didn't seem surprised. In fact, it was as if she already knew that Shen Hou didn't have a wand and couldn't attack from a distance, so she didn't approach him. Instead, she stood still and unleashed spell after spell from the tip of her wand, each spell carrying a different light and effect.

"Sand and stones flying everywhere!"

"Thunderous explosion!"

"Crushed to pieces!"

The effects of the "Quen Sign" were extremely robust, blocking one spell after another. Shen Hou's reaction was also extremely swift; whenever the shield was about to break, he would immediately replace it. He didn't care whether it was shameful to be a target and passively take hits, since each spell could be delayed for a few seconds. He also didn't believe that St. Mungo's Hospital would be left without support after the attack.

How much time has passed since the first wolf howl? Five minutes, or ten minutes? Given the ease of transportation in the magical world, reinforcements should be arriving soon, right?

Shen Hou, with an optimistic mindset, attempted to wage a war of attrition, until he heard an extremely sharp and furious roar: "Avada Kedavra!"

The flash of green light sent chills down his spine. He instinctively darted into a corner, trying his best to curl up and minimize the surface area of ​​his body.

The green light grazed past Shen Hou's body and crashed into the emergency room door. The heavy oak door groaned under the weight, and countless cracks instantly appeared on its surface. The central crack was wide enough for Shen Hou to fit his little finger inside.

Shen Hou looked up with trepidation, only to see the witch standing in place, her chest heaving as if she were panting heavily, showing no intention of pursuing him. This calmed him down a little, and at the same time, some basic knowledge of spells he had recently learned flashed through his mind.

The casting of spells by wizards takes a toll on their bodies, and this is not limited to magic power; the consumption of energy and physical strength is also enormous. Secondly, powerful black magic such as the Killing Curse, although extremely powerful and feared by all, consumes far more energy from the caster than ordinary magic.

The consumption of magic power and the extreme killing desire gathered when casting spells will put a huge burden on the body and mind, and the intense physiological and psychological fluctuations are difficult to calm down quickly.

Based on the conclusions reached by the Prewitt brothers and James, Sirius, and others during their casual conversations, no wizard in this world, apart from the Void, can use the Killing Curse as a regular spell.

If Shen Hou were to summarize, it would be something like, "The ultimate move is powerful, but it also consumes a lot of resources, and the startup and recovery animations are too long."

I still remember Shen Hou asking a very naive question back then: "You all describe the Killing Curse as so terrifying, yet the mysterious man can use it at will. Is it because his magic is too strong, or because his mind is too twisted?"

The answer I received was: "It has both, it's very strong and abnormal."

Incidentally, Sirius Black especially liked the word "pervert," and quickly replaced the old name "mysterious man" with it, even vowing to promote it among his companions.

The thing Shen Hou is most grateful for now is that the witch opposite him is neither strong nor monstrous enough; otherwise, if she had casually added a killing curse, he would have been dead right here.

Seemingly realizing that spells alone wouldn't be enough to subdue Shen Hou, the witch turned her wand, pointing it at the three-headed werewolf who was half-prostrate on the ground, weak and exhausted from the burns. Instead of the spell's light and shadow, the tip of the wand sprinkled out a patch of tiny, visible water droplets, like the misty drizzle of Jiangnan.

Water droplets fell on the werewolves' heads, bodies, and noses. Suddenly, the werewolves were all invigorated, letting out muffled howls, their eyes turning bloodshot as they stared intently at the end of the corridor.

The physical pain and the fear of fire seemed to disappear at the same time.

A werewolf in its transformed state can still receive orders and be driven and commanded by the Death Eaters? Shen Hou's mind was filled with doubts, this was different from what he had heard from James and Sirius.

Have these werewolves all drunk wolf poison?

Wasn't this newly invented potion supposed to be very expensive? Are the Death Eaters really that willing to spend the money?

Even if I've taken wolfsbane medicine, I've never heard of it having stimulant effects. I was just on the verge of death from inhaling the smoke, how come I'm suddenly acting like I've been injected with chicken blood?

Before I could think any further, the werewolf roared at me again.

Shen Hou was preparing to dispense the medicine according to the prescription, continuing the "Ald" plus "Igni" formula to prolong the effects on the werewolves; however, just as he raised his hand, a broken green plant pot at his feet suddenly "jumped" up and transformed into a large hand, grabbing his ankle and pulling hard. In the critical moment, he stumbled, and the "Ald sign" crashed directly into the ceiling.

A deafening roar erupted overhead, sending dust billowing down, but causing no damage. The hospital building's main structure was magically reinforced in every part, making destructive magic largely ineffective.

In the critical moment, Shen Hou raised his right hand, which he had kept at his side, high, and the triangular military dagger transformed into a steel whip, shattering the giant hand that the flowerpot had transformed into. At the same time, he retreated rapidly, his back pressed against the emergency room door, narrowly dodging the werewolf's sharp claws that swung down from above.

Almost at the same moment, right where Shen Hou had just stepped aside, a layer of pale purple light appeared on the floor, covering a large area of ​​the ground at the end of the corridor.

In an instant, blood splattered everywhere.