novelraw Chapter 241 says that killing is actually to save the common people.
Chapter 241 says that killing is actually to save the common people.
Chapter 241 says that killing is actually to save the common people.
After leaving Hogwarts, Grindelwald rode a Thestral straight to America.
The old man driving the chariot was cunning and skillful. He urged the several Thestrals on, and the beasts were foaming at the mouth and their wings were whipping up black winds as they flew as if they were fighting for their lives.
As they alighted from their carriage in Nottingham, several eerie, glowing lights suddenly pierced the night.
It turned out to be three old witches, all over fifty years old, carrying wands to light the way. They rushed to the front of the carriage in a panic and knelt down in unison to worship.
"Welcome back, Master."
Grindelwald got out of the car, looked down at the faces, and called out to each one, "Ah, Nagel, Nalger, McDoffer, it's good to see you're all still alive."
The saints were all startled when they heard their master call them by their names, and their hearts were filled with excitement.
The leader, his eyes red-rimmed, rubbed his eye sockets hard with the back of his withered hand. Without saying a word, he turned around and led over several strong Night Steeds, quickly and skillfully transferring them to the carriage shafts.
"You should go now, master."
"The next transit point is in Belgium."
Grindelwald nodded slightly, took out a gilded pocket watch from his pocket, flicked open the cover, fiddled with the mechanism a few times, and then tossed it into the saint's palm.
"You wait here for Rozier to return."
"If she doesn't show up within an hour, give up on her and leave immediately."
After saying this, he turned around and climbed back into the carriage, then boarded the speeding car and headed straight northeast.
As it soared into the sky, Nottingham City receded rapidly, gradually shrinking into a line studded with scattered lights, leaving only the deep, boundless blue of the sea before one's eyes, and an endless, hazy glimmer of dawn overhead.
Only then did Abernathy breathe a sigh of relief.
He turned half his face to the side and smiled, "The saints are all eagerly anticipating seeing you, Master."
"We haven't seen hope for far too long."
Inside the carriage, Grindelwald crossed his legs, engrossed in playing with his bone wand. Upon hearing this, he merely raised his eyes slightly and said, "The task I assigned them should be completed, right?"
"Of course, Master. They have been lying low in America for a year. The Magical Congress of America is a gift prepared by the saints for your return."
Before Abernathy could finish speaking, his expression changed drastically, and he suddenly yanked the reins sharply to the left.
No sooner said than done. A deafening roar, like a mountain collapsing and rocks splitting, rang out, and the right half of the carriage was devoured as if by a gluttonous beast, turning to dust in the blink of an eye.
Before Abernathy could utter a sound, his upper body had turned into a cloud of blood mist, leaving only his two severed legs still bouncing incessantly on the saddle.
Grindelwald cursed under his breath, leaped out of the wreckage, kicked the two severed limbs off the clouds, and grabbed the reins to control the terrified Thestral.
When he glanced back quickly, he saw a Type 54 rifle, about half the size of a giant, hurtling towards him through the air. The barrel was covered with demonic runes, the muzzle was red as charcoal, and it was still emitting wisps of white smoke.
Liu Tao stood atop the spear, his robes fluttering in the wind, his magic wand pointing diagonally.
Grindelwald's eyelids twitched violently, and he quickly pointed his wand at the Thestrals. The beasts' hooves instantly became blurry, so fast that their movements were barely perceptible.
Blood and foam gushed from his mouth and nose like a spring; even a secret talisman with the inscription "ten thousand miles" written on it could not travel that fast.
The flying car suddenly surged forward, almost leaping out of the clouds. Grindelwald laughed loudly in the wind, "Long time no see, Liu Tao!"
"I thought Chinese shamans preferred to fly using swords or gourds!"
Liu Tao's eyes were like hooks, fixed on Grindelwald's back, and he also took a deep breath and shouted.
"People always have to keep up with the times!"
After saying that, he stomped his right foot hard! The trigger retracted on its own, and then the gun fired a loud bang.
Where the flames exploded, a crimson light burst forth, as if a bright sun had suddenly appeared amidst the sea of clouds.
The bullet was faster than lightning, but the few Thestrals ahead had already burned their lives for speed.
In the blink of an eye, the entire flying car suddenly swerved sideways in the clouds, shooting hundreds of feet away and narrowly avoiding the attack.
As the smoke cleared, the flying chariot was seen to transform into a black speck on the horizon, disappearing into the end of the sky after a few rises and falls.
Liu Tao remained calm and composed, simply pointing his wand at the gun. The Type 54 rifle then turned itself around and faced backward.
But with a deafening roar, the recoil propelled the entire gun forward like an arrow, sending it flying hundreds of miles.
With four consecutive shots fired in quick succession, the recoil amplified, propelling Liu Tao through the clouds and mist with incredible speed.
In a short while, it caught up with Grindelwald's flying car and was on par with him.
The original few Thestrals were already exhausted, coughing up pieces of their internal organs, and their hooves gradually went limp.
The two old men suddenly appeared face to face from the clouds. When their eyes met, they each raised their magic wands and began to fight amidst flashes of light and fire.
The two men, one standing on the broken cart shaft and the other stepping on the back of a handgun, fought fiercely, their weapons flashing, until the clouds churned and the wind changed color.
It is said: You lock my throat, I cut off your reins; you take my heart, I shoot your brow. You have the power of Eastern talismans, I have the evil of Western curses; you say today we will fight to the death, I will make you unable to find me.
These two were locked in a fierce battle, going back and forth for three hundred rounds, which truly made Liu Tao suspicious.
It was clear that Grindelwald held a wand of bone magic, yet the flow of magic in it far surpassed that of a regular wizard's wand, which had been nurtured for many years.
He parried a killing curse and shouted, "Not bad! Which wandmaker made this?"
Grindelwald ignored this, dodging a lightning spell, and retorted, "Does Dumbledore know you're here to kill me? I get the feeling you're about to lose an old friend!"
Liu Tao laughed upon hearing this, "Dumbledore knew you had run away the moment you broke the curse on your body."
"He asked me to pass on a message to you: from now on, your relationship will only consist of mortal enemies!"
Grindelwald's face remained expressionless, but he struck with his wand even more fiercely.
Just as the battle reached its fiercest point, the several Night Steeds suddenly let out a series of miserable cries, and large chunks of purplish-black entrails were spewed from their mouths and noses, with bits of flesh mixed with blood and foam falling like rain.
Then its hooves buckled, and it plummeted headfirst from the clouds, dying instantly.
Once the car lost its traction, it spun around like a kite with a broken string and plummeted straight into the sea.
Liu Tao, however, refused to give up and pursued closely with his spear. In mid-air, the Type 54 rifle fired two more rounds, the bullets hitting the wreckage of the carriage and the corpse of the Night Steed, instantly exploding into dust.
It shot into the sea, stirring up hundreds of feet of turbid waves that rose into the air, the waves spreading out in circles, truly like a wicked dragon stirring the sea, creating a raging tide.
As the foam subsided and the waves gradually died down, only a vast expanse of dead fish floated belly up on the blue water.
Liu Tao leaped down, his feet landing on the sea as if on flat ground. The 54-style sword shrank to its normal size in mid-air, landing perfectly in his palm.
He immediately tucked the gun back into his waistband and pulled a talisman from his inner pocket. He chanted an incantation, tossed it into the air, and the talisman spun around before landing on a dead fish.
Without hesitation, Liu Tao raised his wand and was about to chant a spell.
But just as he raised the tip of his staff, the dead fish suddenly struggled and transformed into Grindelwald, a disheveled man holding a bone staff.
"Avada Kedavra!"
With a shout, the curse struck Liu Tao squarely in the chest. His eyes went blank, and he fell backward onto his back.
The moment it touched the seawater, its body collapsed with a "rip" and turned into a soaked paper effigy!
Grindelwald's pupils contracted sharply, and he hurriedly tried to use a teleportation technique to escape. But he felt a cold wind rushing towards his neck, and Liu Tao's true form appeared out of thin air, his withered hand gripping his throat like a vise, and he thrust downwards with force.
"Gulp!"
Grindelwald's head was half-submerged in the sea, and bubbles immediately rose from his mouth and nose.
His neck muscles bulged, and he strained his neck so hard that his chin was raised to the sky, managing to get his lips above the water. He managed to take a breath with a "hoarse" sound in his throat.
"The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence—Non-interference in Internal Affairs"
Upon hearing this, Liu Tao's eyelids twitched, but his grip loosened slightly. He lifted his arm upward with a half-smile and said, "You've read quite a few newspapers while you've been locked up in Newmongard all these years, haven't you? But our society isn't bound by such constraints."
The grip on his throat loosened slightly, and Grindelwald's chest heaved. He choked on some salty water, his heterochromatic eyes glazing at the sky as he gasped, "Killing me now is tantamount to killing the future of all humanity."
"Don't forget, I am a prophet."
Liu Tao merely twitched the corner of his mouth. "Oh? So you're saying you're saving the world? I remember Harry was the one prophesied to be the savior, wasn't he?"
"Tsk, Mr. Potter is indeed much better than his peers, but he's still just a child. You can't expect a child to make important decisions."
Liu Tao seemed to recall some old memories from these words, and after pondering for a while, he finally shook his head.
"It seems your ability to predict the future has weakened considerably."
After saying that, he pressed down with force again.
"Go, I happen to know a prophet who can perfectly replace you."
Just as his head was submerged in the water, Grindelwald blurted out, "You mean the one who secretly gave the holy water to Harry Potter, so much so that you formed an investigation team to investigate, and who ultimately found out about it?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Tao's hand paused, and he exclaimed in surprise, "You seem to know quite a lot."
Grindelwald forced a smile. "He is far inferior to me. I have grasped the ultimate truth that belongs only to the Prophet."
"Liu Tao, if I really wanted to lie to you, I wouldn't use such a lame excuse."
"Kill me, and you'll be the next me, making the same choice as me."
Grindelwald's words were so enigmatic that even if all the charlatans who roamed the world and practiced divination were tied together, they probably couldn't utter such arrogant words.
Liu Tao just stared at him silently. After a short while, he quietly took out a few more talismans from his pocket.
Grindelwald raised an eyebrow slightly. "What does that mean?"
"A method used to bind the soul." Liu Tao bent down and applied the paste to his limbs and torso in turn, without even lifting his eyelids.
"I'll kill you and take your soul back."
"There's a young man in my department who's an expert at interrogating souls."
Hearing that he would ultimately meet his end, Grindelwald showed no resentment, but rather a calm demeanor.
Just as Liu Tao was about to make a move, a thunderous shout suddenly rang out from mid-air.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Upon hearing the sound, Liu Tao reacted immediately, twisting his body to dodge. But upon closer inspection, there wasn't a single trace of green light between the sea and the sky.
Three sharp explosions rang out, and three old men in black robes suddenly appeared and surrounded him and Grindelwald.
Two of them pounced on him like hungry tigers, their four withered hands locking Liu Tao's waist and legs like iron hoops.
No matter how much he struggled, the two simply closed their eyes and gritted their teeth, turning their old bones into heavy shackles, remaining completely still.
The third one seized the opportunity to pull Grindelwald over and used a teleportation technique.
As he fled, Grindelwald added, "You can't beat him."
After saying that, the two figures suddenly vanished.
Liu Tao watched helplessly as his prize slipped away, and a surge of rage nearly lifted the top of his head. Veins bulged on his forehead, and he spat out a curse in Chinese through clenched teeth: "Damn it!"
"Let go of my hand!"
He roared angrily, but the two old men seemed deaf. Their four arms were like ancient vines wrapped around a tree, and their ten fingers were like steel nails driven into wood, firmly binding his hands and feet.
As they struggled, the skin and flesh of the two old men suddenly became as hot as branding irons.
Liu Tao felt as if two red-hot charcoal kilns were pressed against his chest and back, and he could see a red glow shining through the skin of those two withered faces, and a faint burning heat rising in his chest.
One look is enough to tell that these two harbored the idea of mutual destruction.
Without further hesitation, he pursed his lips and whistled. The Type 54 pistol and magazine at his waist flew up and automatically reloaded in mid-air.
Before they could even blink, they heard two loud "bangs" as the bullets struck the two saints' heads and rammed into their brains.
The bullet pierced through, seemingly sealing off all the body's vital energy points, causing the two saints' magical power to vanish without a trace.
Just moments ago, his body was burning hot like a branding iron, but in the blink of an eye, it had become as cold and hard as a rock at the bottom of the sea.
The two bodies sank into the sea, and in no time, all was still. Only a faint, fishy breeze remained, with no trace of the life-and-death struggle.
Liu Tao stood silently on the waves, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The dark line first revealed a hint of crab-shell blue, then rolled out a line of molten gold, and finally broke through to reveal half of red.
He sighed and tossed the gun into the air. The object grew in the wind and transformed into a gigantic creature.
Liu Tao leaped and landed firmly, then gestured with his fingers and headed straight for Hogwarts.
Before even landing, Liu Tao could see a man standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, half a mile away, through the clouds. It was none other than Harry Potter.
As soon as he landed, Harry rushed forward. "Sir, have you killed that Grindelwald?"
Liu Tao shook his head. "Almost."
He then recounted in detail Grindelwald's cryptic words.
Harry was startled upon hearing this, thinking to himself: Another prophet! Another prophecy! Yuan Tiangang once said, "The law of equilibrium and prophecy are of the same origin."
This old man claims to have grasped the ultimate truth of prophecy. Could it be that he has deciphered the true meaning of the law of equilibrium?
Harry couldn't quite grasp the hidden meaning, so he suppressed his thoughts and bowed, saying, "Sir, you've been traveling all night and must be exhausted. Please come to the castle to rest for a while, and I'll prepare some food and drink to welcome you back."
Liu Tao glanced at the castle, its ruins still standing, and faint sounds of weeping could be heard. He shook his head and said, "This time is rather sensitive. It's better if I don't show up, to avoid turning it into a political issue."
"Take me to see Dumbledore, I have something I want to talk to him about."
Harry replied, "Please don't be offended, sir. Professor Dumbledore went to personally hunt down the Death Eaters long ago and has not yet returned."
Liu Tao was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded, "Then forget it, I'll wait for him to come back and we can communicate by letter."
After saying this, he cupped his hands in farewell.
Just as he turned around, Harry hurriedly called out, "Sir, please wait! I have a few things I'd like to ask you about!"
"I wonder if you have ever heard of the 'Tui Bei Tu'?"