Chapter 354

Chapter 354: Chapter 354

Hummm~ Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the black sphere slammed into the ground.

It moved so fast that before the Unicorns could even look up, it had already struck the earth with a deafening boom.

The massive explosion formed a small mushroom cloud that rose from the ground, climbing higher and expanding wider as it devoured everything in its path.

A tremendous shockwave spread in every direction, with Lynn’s position as its epicenter.

Everywhere the shockwave passed, trees were utterly destroyed. Ancient trees that had stood in the Forbidden Forest for hundreds or even thousands of years, with trunks so thick that several people were needed to encircle them, were as fragile as matchsticks before the shockwave.

They were uprooted from the ground, sent tumbling through the air, and snapped into pieces before being hurled into the distance.

Branches, leaves, bark, and roots were all mixed together, forming a cloud of debris and dust.

Inevitably, the Unicorns’ automatic brewing machine and the twenty wine barrels Lynn had brought were reduced to nothing.

The immense sound carried far, exploding over Hogwarts like a clap of thunder and making the castle windows rattle.

The teachers and students sleeping in their dormitories were inevitably startled awake.

The scene returned to the center of the explosion.

As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, a massive gold-and-red sphere came into view at the heart of the blast. Its surface was covered by a constantly rotating, liquid-like layer that radiated intense heat.

Immediately afterward, the sphere dissolved into countless fragments that scattered across the sky, revealing Lynn and the group of Unicorns it had protected within.

Lynn stood at the very front, one hand gripping his wand and the other held open, looking like a statue that had walked out of a sea of fire.

Behind him, a pair of gold-and-red wings condensed from flames and light slowly folded inward.

Lynn’s expression was cold as he looked up at the sky. His gold-and-red vertical pupils searched through the drifting smoke for the thing that had attacked him.

However, aside from layers of clouds, Lynn saw nothing.

At that moment, Levi’s voice rang out in Lynn’s mind.

"Master, this familiar method of attack... it should be the work of that Obscurial."

Lynn nodded. He had been thinking the same thing.

"Damn! It ran so fast!" Lynn’s voice carried a strange reverberation. "Don’t let me catch you, or I’ll tear you limb from limb!"

The next second, Lynn waved his wand and returned to his original appearance. The wings on his back disappeared, and his gold-and-red eyes returned to black.

He turned around and looked at the stunned Unicorns. "Are you all alright?"

The Unicorns looked at the wine they had exchanged for at such a "huge sacrifice," and their hearts ached beyond words.

Especially the automatic brewing machine—the pain was almost unbearable.

They had exchanged so many hair for it. It was their guarantee that they could drink whiskey every day.

Even though it could only make whiskey, it was still better than nothing.

Just as the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence, a figure riding a broom rushed toward them from the distance.

The figure was flying incredibly fast. Lynn could even see smoke rising from the tail of the broom.

As the figure drew closer, Lynn saw Professor Ellis, covered in mud and nursing several injuries, stumbling toward them on his broom.

His robes were torn. One sleeve had been ripped open, exposing scratched skin. Several bloody streaks marked his face, there was a bruise on his forehead, and blood stained the corner of his mouth.

His broom was not doing much better. Part of its tail had broken off, most of its bristles had fallen away, and a deep scratch ran along the handle, which had nearly snapped in two.

When Ellis saw Lynn standing there as if nothing had happened, an expression as though he had seen a ghost appeared on his face.

Ellis’s gaze swept over Lynn—clean robes, tidy hair, and no injuries on his face.

Yet behind him lay a scene of utter devastation: blasted trees, shattered wine barrels, wrecked equipment, and Unicorns that were still trembling.

Ellis immediately drew his wand and pointed it at Lynn.

"Mr. Lynn, why are you here..." he asked. "Don’t tell me you were the one who caused that explosion just now?!"

Lynn’s lips twitched slightly.

To be fair, judging by the dazed Unicorns and the pile of broken parts surrounding Lynn, it really did look that way.

Lynn hurriedly waved his hands.

"No, no." His voice rose slightly. "Would I do something like that here?"

"Then you..."

"I just used Apparition to get here."

Ellis’s gaze lingered on Lynn’s face for a long time, as if searching for some flaw.

But he found none.

Then he nodded, seemingly realizing that his own speculation was too absurd.

A student causing a massive explosion in the Forbidden Forest, creating a mushroom cloud, blowing away countless trees, and then standing there completely unharmed?

That was not a "speculation."

That was a "fantasy."

Seeing Ellis only nod without speaking or lowering his wand, Lynn’s mood soured slightly.

"Professor, then why did you appear here?" Lynn suddenly asked as he drew his own wand and pointed it at Ellis.

Ellis snapped back to his senses, anger appearing on his face.

That anger did not seem faked.

"I was originally observing the Mooncalf nest," he said through gritted teeth, "and then I was inexplicably caught in the blast."

His fingers tightened around his wand, his knuckles turning white. "That’s why I came over to take a look."

The conversation between the two fell into momentary silence.

Lynn looked at Ellis, and Ellis looked at Lynn. Both held their wands pointed at the other, yet neither spoke.

Just then, Dumbledore stepped out from the nearby firelight. His gaze swept over the two wands aimed at each other, and his thoughts stalled for a moment.

Was it time to change the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor again?

This was Dumbledore’s most sincere thought at that moment.

...

Headmaster’s Office.

After Professor Ellis left, only Dumbledore and Lynn remained in the Headmaster’s Office.

Lynn glanced at the closed door, then spoke impatiently to Dumbledore.

"Principal! An Obscurial! An Obscurial attacked Hogwarts!"

Dumbledore did not question Lynn’s statement at all.

He merely nodded calmly before asking a key question.

"Why would it attack Hogwarts?"

Lynn shook his head. "How would I know?"

Dumbledore sighed, as though trying to exhale all the exhaustion in his chest.

"It truly is a troublesome time," Dumbledore said softly, almost as if speaking to himself.

"Oh, right." As though suddenly remembering something, he pulled a Magic Phone from his pocket and pressed the dial button.

Ring~

The call was answered in less than a second, and Professor McGonagall’s tired voice came from the other end.

"Principal, has the matter been resolved?"

"Yes, it has been resolved," Dumbledore replied calmly. "Let the children return to rest."

"Good." Professor McGonagall’s response was equally concise.

Beep, beep, beep—

The call disconnected.

A series of rumbling footsteps sounded outside the window of the Headmaster’s Office. The sound was deep and heavy, like many massive objects moving at once.

It came from all around the Castle, growing closer and louder—so loud that Lynn could feel the floor beneath his feet vibrating slightly.

From the sound alone, Lynn knew that Professor McGonagall had summoned the Stone Giants again to defend the Castle.

Come to think of it, he had not learned this Spell yet.

Professor McGonagall had used it once during his third year, when a Blood Puppet attacked Hogwarts.

He had been fighting outside at the time and had not seen it clearly, so he never had the chance to Record it.

Later, Lynn had asked Professor McGonagall about it. She told him it was an advanced defensive Spell that would be covered in class and simply told him to pay attention when the time came.

The result was obvious: both Professor McGonagall and Lynn had completely forgotten about it.

Hmm... I should find an opportunity to ask Professor McGonagall for guidance. I’m sure she would not hesitate to teach me.

Lynn silently made a note of it in his heart.

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