Witcher at Hogwarts

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Gaga was already horrified by the scene before her—a large, once-living figure disintegrating most terrifyingly right before her eyes.

The sight shattered the psychological resilience of kind-hearted Dashanjing, leaving her in shock. She crouched, head in hands, trembling uncontrollably.

Ethan even noticed a damp stain spreading on the ground where she squatted.

At last, Rasputin collapsed to the ground like a discarded rag doll. His form was now a pitiful shell, stripped of any remnants of the elegance he'd had upon rebirth.

Faced with the formidable Rasputin, Ethan had no choice but to use his ultimate weapon: the anti-magic alchemy bomb.

This rare artifact, acquired from the world of witchers, was among Ethan's most precious possessions—he had only three and saved them for dire situations.

But he knew he had to risk it against a wizard as powerful as Rasputin.

The explosion left Rasputin's left side completely obliterated. His left arm and lower body were gone, exposing torn internal organs to the open air, smoldering under the toxic dust of the anti-magic metal, wisps of blue smoke rising ominously.

Even the relatively intact right side of his body looked ghastly, crisscrossed with deep wounds that bled steadily.

Yet Rasputin, even in this ravaged state, clung to life. With sheer determination, he began to move the fingers of his remaining hand, summoning a vine creature to heal himself.

But as soon as the vine touched him, it burst into flames; his body was laced with anti-magic metal dust, burning anything that dared make contact.

Seeing his last chance for survival vanish, Rasputin finally lay motionless, surrendering to his fate. Only his shallow, heaving breaths proved he was still alive.

Ethan waited at a distance for the anti-magic dust to settle, careful not to rush in. Even as he approached, he felt the residual burn on his skin.

He covered his face with a cloth to avoid inhaling any remaining toxic particles and cautiously stepped up to Rasputin, who now lay broken and defeated.

"What are you, monster? What kind of power is this?" Rasputin rasped, his voice a mere shadow of its former strength, vocal cords damaged beyond repair.

Ethan didn't reply. Instead, he picked up the Sword of the Lady of the Lake, which Rasputin had dropped.

Glaring down at his enemy, he asked in a low, menacing tone,

"Who reached out to you from the Ouroboros? Who created the canine people? Tell me, and I'll end this quickly."

Rasputin spat in contempt, his disdain evident, and refused to speak further. Ethan sighed, then traced a rune in the air, invoking the Axii.

A flash of white light glinted in Rasputin's eyes, and his defiant expression softened, surrendering to the spell's influence.

"Who contacted you from the Ouroboros? Who made the canine people?" Ethan repeated.

Rasputin's response came in a dream-like monotone.

"I was on the verge of death when the Ouroboros created this cocoon to resurrect me. They transported me here and sent the castle's butler to liaise with me. They ordered me to control the canine people and send them to attack the village. These creatures were modified, designed to devour the souls of Muggles and serve as tools."

Ethan listened intently, his face darkening. He hadn't expected this—a wizard as once-powerful as Rasputin was merely a pawn for the Ouroboros rally.

Rasputin's body still emitted trails of blue smoke as the anti-magic metal ate away at him. If left unchecked, the dust would eventually consume him, reducing his body to little more than shredded flesh.

Ethan frowned, finding this slow death too merciless.

Raising his sword, he carefully pierced Rasputin's heart. Rasputin exhaled a final, shuddering breath as the light in his eyes dimmed, leaving him motionless. Ethan invoked the Igni seal with a grim expression, burning Rasputin's remains until they were fully cleansed.

As Rasputin died, the blood-veined vines that had spread around them rapidly withered, disintegrating into ash.

Even the great tree above seemed to sway in relief, its branches rustling in a cheer Ethan could almost feel.

The Ouroboros' life-extending cocoon had fed off the tree's vitality, and with the cocoon gone, the tree was finally free of its dark influence.

With the battle over, Ethan turned to leave. He found Gaga still crouched on the ground, hugging her head and mumbling to herself in a shaken whisper.

He gently patted her shoulder, but she barely reacted, still clutching her head.

"Gaga! We're done here—it's time to go!" Ethan called loudly near her ear.

The shout jolted Gaga back to reality. "Can we leave now? Really? Let's go, Mr. Ethan! This place is too scary!" she stammered as she rose.

The two hurried out of the tree cave. Unlike the ominous atmosphere they had encountered upon entering, the burst of the tree cocoon had infused the place with a sense of newfound life.

Even the insects that had once menaced them now seemed to buzz cheerfully around the tree, paying no mind to Ethan or Gaga.

She hesitated when they reached the stone chamber where Gaga had been imprisoned.

The tree's whip-like vines had once tormented her brutally, and she still feared stepping over the threshold. But Ethan urged her forward, reassuring her that the black magic had been dispelled.

With his encouragement and coaxing, Gaga finally extended a trembling finger past the stone gate's boundary.

Tense, she waited for the familiar strike of the vines, but nothing came. The realization filled her with joy, and she let out a triumphant cheer.

"Mr. Ethan is a true hero! Gaga is free!"

She threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic embrace, squeezing so tightly that Ethan could barely breathe.

Excitedly, they made their way to the cave's exit. But as Ethan prepared to climb the rope ladder left by Tonks, Gaga caught up in her elation, grabbed Ethan by the collar, and playfully tossed him out of the cave.

With her tall frame, she hoisted herself out with a powerful leap, landing beside him.

Ethan landed unscathed, cushioned by the thick snow outside, though he rubbed his sore backside, ready to give Gaga a piece of his mind.

But before he could speak, he noticed a dark column of smoke rising from the direction of Oshdin village—the unmistakable sign of an attack.