Chapter 119: Consumed by Flames

Newt watched Xiven’s movements in confusion, then suddenly widened his eyes.

“You’re planning to kill the manticores?!” Newt asked in astonishment.

Xiven paused, turned to him, and said, “Mr. Scamander, if you wish, you can take two manticore hatchlings with you and preserve their bloodline.”

“Because I cannot guarantee that any manticores will still exist in Erkstag Prison tomorrow!”

“I hope you can calm down, Strange,” Newt said urgently. “Manticores are not creatures that can be defeated easily!”

“That’s right, Mr. Ghost. Our most important objective is to defeat Grindelwald!” Theseus joined in, trying to persuade Newt. “Compared with the threat Grindelwald poses to the world, everything else is insignificant.”

Xiven stubbornly shook his head. “Now that we’ve seen them, there’s no reason not to intervene.”

“Strange, the real culprit is the German Ministry of Magic. The magical creature beneath the sinkhole was merely exploited by them. Ultimately, it was only trying to survive.” Newt looked at Xiven and raised his voice.

“But it is still a fact that it eats people, even if those people are criminals.” Xiven sighed. “Besides, who knows how many innocent people like Theseus have been imprisoned here?”

“And manticores are extremely dangerous and highly aggressive toward wizards. You were the one who told me that. Even if this one weren’t inside a prison, do you really think a manticore this large would meekly refrain from attacking human beings?”

Newt fell silent. He probably understood by then that the creature’s existence was of no benefit to the wizarding world.

Seeing his hesitation, Xiven looked at him once more. “So, do you want to keep a pair of hatchlings and put them in your case?”

Newt froze for a moment, then sighed. “But I gave my case to Bunty. I don’t have it with me.”

“That’s not a problem. We can keep them somewhere else temporarily.” Xiven casually opened a portal.

Beyond the glowing ring lay a small room filled with cages of various sizes, all designed for housing animals. Each cage contained a different miniature ecosystem, an astonishing sight.

“Where is this? Is it a place specifically used for raising animals?” Newt asked curiously as he studied the cages.

“This is the Room of Requirement.” Young Wizard Xiven walked in through the doorway and introduced it to Newt and Theseus.

In truth, not long after arriving at Erkstag Prison, Xiven had already decided to eliminate the monster that had devoured countless people.

Thus, Young Wizard Xiven had gone to the eighth floor of the main tower, stood before the wall opposite the tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy being beaten by trolls, and walked past it three times. The Room of Requirement had then transformed into a chamber suitable for raising magical creatures.

“Which ones do you want?” Ghost Xiven asked Newt.

Newt hesitated, then pointed toward two of the healthier-looking manticore hatchlings nearby.

Young Wizard Xiven and Ghost Xiven simultaneously flicked out golden magical whips. Each whip wrapped around one hatchling and dragged it into the Room of Requirement. To prevent accidents, Xiven placed them in separate cages.

“Why don’t you go into the Room of Requirement and rest?” Ghost Xiven said to Newt and Theseus. “It’s only one animal. I can handle it alone!”

“I’d feel rather ashamed watching you fight by yourself, Mr. Ghost.” Theseus spread his hands, then tightened his grip on his wand.

Newt merely sent Teddy the Niffler and Pickett the Bowtruckle into the Room of Requirement, asking Young Wizard Xiven to look after them. He then walked over to Ghost Xiven.

“In that case, let’s get rid of the monster together.” Xiven gave a soft laugh and crossed his hands.

“Dumbledore left me a note telling me to do ‘whatever I believe needs to be done.’ But what could possibly be more necessary than this?”

With that thought, a look of relief crossed Xiven’s face. He thrust both hands forward.

The Winds of Watoomb instantly filled Erkstag Prison, pouring into every passageway.

Then Xiven brought his hands together, causing the Winds of Watoomb to sweep every manticore hatchling in the corridors into the sinkhole.

The entire passage suddenly seemed vast and empty.

At that moment, the manticore queen sensed the threat Xiven posed. It let out an enraged roar and lashed its enormous scorpion tail toward him.

“Newt, cast a weather spell!” Xiven shouted.

The tail struck him, and he dissolved into a scattering of pale-blue, butterfly-like light.

Newt gritted his teeth and cast his spell toward the heights of the prison. A mass of dark clouds gathered inside it, thunder seeming to condense within their depths as a tremendous pressure filled the air.

Xiven’s dissipated spirit suddenly reappeared throughout the passageways on all sides. Each copy of Xiven held a golden-red Ring of Raggadorr in one raised hand, their radiance even eclipsing the lamps in the corridors.

The Immortal Wood Chronicles

“Now!” Xiven shouted to Newt.

Newt nodded and swung his wand.

A bolt of lightning descended from above and struck the enormous manticore.

At the same time, more than a hundred copies of Xiven pressed their Rings of Raggadorr downward, releasing orange-gold Bolts of Balthakk. The lightning merged with the storm conjured by Newt.

The two forms of lightning fused into a terrifyingly thick column of radiance and crashed heavily into the manticore’s body.

A pained roar rose from beneath the sinkhole, and its enormous scorpion tail began thrashing wildly.

Breathing heavily, Xiven dispelled the Images of Ikonn surrounding him and drifted to the center of the opening.

Enduring the fatigue brought on by his uninterrupted spellcasting, he conjured several Crimson Bands of Cyttorak and did his utmost to bind the manticore’s tail, preventing its frantic movements from injuring the people hanging nearby.

Newt stepped forward to help, but then he suddenly caught sight of the scene below.

The manticore queen was charred black from head to tail, its shell shattered, yet it continued to struggle. It paid no attention whatsoever to the countless hatchlings around it; many had even been trampled into fragments.

Newt opened his mouth, his expression full of pity. “This manticore must be a breed modified by the German Ministry of Magic. It has no proper human head, and its leonine body is barely distinguishable, so it lacks the intelligence of a true manticore.”

“I’m not concerned with that right now. I want to know how to finish it completely.” Xiven continued controlling the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, panting heavily.

“We only need to burn it,” Newt said in a low voice. “The shell that allowed it to resist spells has been shattered by the lightning. The hatchlings’ shells haven’t fully developed either. They won’t be able to withstand the flames.”

“Then we’ll help as well.” Theseus stepped up beside Newt.

Together, Theseus and Newt raised their wands and aimed at the bottom of the sinkhole.

“Incendio!”

They simultaneously fired streams of flame, setting the countless shattered animal bodies ablaze.

Xiven formed another hand seal and unleashed the Flames of the Faltine, setting the entire bottom of the pit alight.

The enormous manticore cried out and struggled in agony, but its voice gradually weakened until it vanished completely.

Unable to bear watching, Newt silently turned his head away.

“Are we going to rescue the prisoners in the prison?” Theseus asked.

“We cannot be certain that every prisoner here is truly guilty of the most heinous crimes.” Xiven thought for a moment. “If we release them and they cause harm to the wizarding world, the responsibility will fall on us.”

At that moment, the guards outside Erkstag Prison finally sensed the commotion within. A group of late-arriving wizards rushed out through the tunnel entrance.

Xiven gave a soft laugh and opened a dimensional doorway.

“Let’s go. It’s time to return.”

… … …