The first to make a move was Voldemort.
The Killing Curse—the ultimate spell—unleashed as casually as exhaling breath.
It flew toward Dumbledore, but he dodged and it struck a security desk, shattering it.
Seizing that opening, Dumbledore moved his wand swiftly.
The power of the spell from his wand made even Harry's hair stand on end just watching from a distance.
But Voldemort deflected it by conjuring a silver shield from midair, while Mirabel evaded at inhuman speed.
Her form blurred, and the moment she seemed to become golden light, Voldemort was already flanked from behind.
But the Dark Lord spun in place and vanished.
Appearing behind Mirabel, he released flames, but she effortlessly swatted them aside with her bare hands.
"Won't you try to kill me, Dumbledore?"
Even at this point, Voldemort snarled irritably at Dumbledore for still not using the Killing Curse.
"You think such barbaric acts don't suit you?"
"As you know, Tom, there are other ways to destroy a person."
Dumbledore spoke calmly and waved his wand.
The statues scattered around suddenly rose and began moving.
Warrior statues controlled by the man called greatest in the magical world.
They deflected magic and overwhelmed humans in strength—secret arts that could be called wizard-killers.
The mighty warriors, receiving the ancient wizard's command, charged valiantly.
"Indeed, taking your life alone would not satisfy me."
"Nothing is crueler than death, Dumbledore!"
"You are greatly mistaken."
A centaur statue galloped before Dumbledore, blocking Voldemort's spell.
But he wasn't the only one fighting here.
The golden girl casually shattered, tore, broke, and struck down the approaching warrior statues.
"I see—that's why you sought immortality. Worthless... utterly worthless, Dark Lord. In other words, you're just a coward who doesn't want to die."
Mirabel rapid-fired spells using all ten fingers as wands.
Death, paralysis, disarmament, petrification, explosion, destruction.
Each given lethal power, fired indiscriminately at machine-gun speed, ravaging the statues.
Shattering walls, gouging floors, even making shield charms creak and break.
While defending against that power, Voldemort ground his teeth, face twisted in agony.
—This girl... this brat...!
She's stronger than when we fought before!?
There was a difference between Dumbledore and Voldemort versus Mirabel.
It was quite simple—she was 'young.'
An immature growth phase. The golden period of greatest growth, not yet complete.
And she had stopped her own time there.
Meaning she'd never grow again—had abandoned growth.
But couldn't one think of it this way?
"She is eternally in her growth phase."
An immature state that never reaches completion.
Meaning there was no endpoint called completion.
The girlhood with the best absorption and greatest power growth for becoming a complete adult.
If those characteristics remained intact—?
Wouldn't that mean a monster that grew infinitely?
"...Impossible!"
Voldemort shook off the ominous imagination crossing his mind.
No, that couldn't be.
Such a monster couldn't exist.
As if shaking off fear, Voldemort strengthened his shield charm.
A barrage of spells where even "tremendous" was too mild. Yet Dumbledore felt no fear.
One swing of his wand.
Just that attack deflected and pushed back the magical barrage.
Facing abnormal magical power, Mirabel was repelled and slammed into a wall.
Then he swung his wand like a whip, producing elongated flames from its tip to ensnare the girl.
But she tore even that apart and showed a thin smile.
"I understand now. You cannot defeat me after all."
Sprint—reaching Dumbledore without even a blink's pause, she raised her arm.
Demonic claws that tore steel like paper. But just before touching Dumbledore, a shield charm created with the slightest wand movement appeared and deflected the attack.
Then weaving through that opening, countless snakes coiled around Mirabel's arm.
The Dark Lord summoned a hundred serpents and directed them at the tyrant.
Swarming venomous fangs, inescapable space. Instantaneous intersection.
『Time Stay』
What awaited at the end: snake corpses simultaneously torn apart without even a split-second difference.
An abnormal ability the girl devised. By her ultimate technique transcending reason that stopped the world's 'time.'
Her slender leg then kicked out, blowing away Dumbledore's body.
Power that forcibly repelled even shield charms. Proof she wasn't human.
Anyone but Dumbledore would have died from that strike.
"No matter what fine rhetoric you spout, you're ultimately just a man imprisoned by the past, Dumbledore. An old man who merely fled from past mistakes, feared them, and stopped advancing. How could such a person stop me, who always moves forward?"
A flame serpent attacked from behind the girl.
But a golden nine-headed dragon intercepted and crushed it.
Then instantly moving before the Dark Lord, she created multiple spells on her right arm.
Naturally Voldemort immediately escaped via Apparition, but as if predicting this, Mirabel also transferred and leaped before the Dark Lord.
"And you're ultimately just a lamb fearing death. But I'm different! I entered the path of immortality to achieve eternal rule! You who became immortal to escape death cannot defeat me who became immortal for dominion!"
She shattered the hastily defended shield charm, cracked his wand, and sent his body flying.
Dumbledore's Body-Bind exploded against that back as he regained position.
But the golden one didn't stop. Even blown away bodily, she released magical retaliation.
Though he hastily raised shield charms, the shield creaked, and Dumbledore was driven back while scraping the floor.
Accepting no curses, not 'Disarmed,' never 'Paralyzed.'
Not 'Subjugated,' expression unchanged by 'Crucio,' even 'Death' ineffective.
Fire, water, cold—she repelled them all.
This three-way situation was already an overwhelmingly advantageous battlefield for her.
Both Dumbledore and Voldemort possessed human physical abilities.
Necessarily, this battle required constantly minding all directions.
But Mirabel was different.
Speed surpassing wind closed distance instantly, magic without wands required no preliminary movements.
Vampire anti-magic resistance didn't flinch at minor spell hits, allowing freer movement than the two.
A pinnacle struggle appearing evenly matched.
But the scales slowly tipped toward Mirabel.
—A monster.
Harry thought so from his heart.
That Voldemort, that Dumbledore.
Two called strongest in the magical world fighting seriously, yet pressed by one girl.
Perhaps one-on-one would have differed.
But this three-way situation was infinitely disadvantageous for them both.
That they could fight this well was because they were those two.
Any other wizard would have died long ago.
Scary. Terrifying.
Harry had to understand he was frightened.
His legs trembled violently, teeth chattering.
When surrounded by the resurrected Voldemort and his subordinates, he hadn't felt such fear, yet now just watching that girl was terrifying.
What could he do?
Called the Boy Who Lived, but ultimately all he did was cower and tremble.
Yet even so, if he didn't move here, everything would be too late.
Just a little... he wanted to help Dumbledore somehow.
Driven by that frantic heart, he aimed his wand and shouted:
"E-Expelliarmus!"
It was clearly an attack lacking composure—suicidal.
Interrupting those three's battle with Harry's skill was nothing but folly.
The spell struck Mirabel, who looked at Harry showing no sign of damage.
"Did you just do something?"
"...!!"
No good, scary.
Just meeting eyes made him feel like an incredibly small creature.
Like a mouse presented before a lion.
Something... anything! Magic to stop this monster!
"Crucio! Suffer!"
In fear's end, Harry fired the Cruciatus Curse he'd been told never to use on people.
No matter how much an enemy of the magical world, normal Harry wouldn't choose such folly.
But Mirabel receiving that magic didn't anger—rather, she laughed amusedly.
Perhaps she could even manipulate pain perception.
"Kukuku... excellent, Potter. I love that about you. No matter what fine words you line up, you do what must be done. Not bound by worthless morality, capable of ruthless attacks. But tepid—still so tepid. Listen, Potter? Using the Cruciatus requires sadistic desire to make opponents suffer—let me show you an example."
"—!?"
Mirabel explained thus and released light toward Harry.
Upon striking, Harry felt unprecedented agony.
Painful, agonizing, nauseating. Unbearable suffering like having all his skin peeled by knives, needles driven into fingertips, nails torn off, scorching plates pressed against him.
Heat like being burned alive in molten iron, cold like being trapped naked in ice.
Excruciating pain like exposed nerves filed down. Terror like organs gouged out alive.
They assaulted Harry simultaneously, shaving away sanity.
It hurts, hurts, hurts... please, kill me.
Compared to this pain, death is nothing... please...
Pain dominating his heart with such pleas finally ended, and he rolled on the floor breathing roughly.
"This is true 'Cruciatus.' Next time, imagine this pain before firing."
If there is a next time, Mirabel muttered and extended her hand toward Harry.
He was the protagonist—killing him would make the story's outcome unknown.
But Mirabel didn't care. She didn't care what happened to this world. She'd destroy it once anyway, so however it turned out didn't matter.
Normally with 'original' knowledge, one wouldn't do this—'killing the protagonist.'
But that's because one tries to improve the story.
But Mirabel was different. She was trying to 'destroy' the story.
Therefore, no reason to hesitate.
"Voltage Raid!"
"!"
Blue lightning struck Mirabel, briefly stiffening her body.
What was just released was Mirabel's own signature spell.
If anyone besides her could use it, it should only be her servant given false flesh closest to herself—Mary Orwell alone.
But here, she first learned a third person unknown even to Mirabel existed.
Mirabel looked somewhat surprised at who fired the spell... Edith.
She glared at Mirabel with tear-wet eyes but unbroken heart.
"...Surprising, Reinagel. When did you learn that spell?"
"This girl... my precious friend... taught me..."
"Precious friend, you say. ...I see, teaching that magic without my permission—Mary must have been quite devoted to you."
Not angered by the attack, Mirabel spoke gently.
To Mirabel, Edith's lightning was merely cute resistance.
She found it endearing rather than feeling anger.
And while finding it endearing, if opposed, Mirabel could attack mercilessly.
Mirabel pointed her fingertip at Edith, and Edith quickly raised her wand.
"Stupefy!"
"Protego Maxima! Full protection!"
The crimson stunning light was deflected by a transparent membrane appearing before Edith.
Full protection boasting maximum defensive magic power.
Normally not magic to learn at this age yet.
This also showed Mary's high teaching ability.
"Oh, you learned that too? That should be quite difficult magic... That Mary... unexpectedly suited to teaching?"
Looking at the already-deceased servant, Mirabel revised her evaluation.
Honestly, an unexpected talent.
Wonderful enough quality that she'd have used her differently if she'd known such talent existed.
"Then next. Physical defenses can be passed through."
What Mirabel produced next was a silver arm.
Offensive Patronus magic attacking opponents.
But Edith quickly produced a Patronus and canceled out Mirabel's Patronus.
Having her attack thus defended, Mirabel nevertheless laughed amusedly.
"I see... impressive. Though my substitute taught you, to reach this level in just one year."
"...What are you...!"
"But precisely because you gained power, you must understand. The absolute difference between you and me."
That was unavoidable truth.
Because she'd awkwardly gained power, the previously vague difference became clear.
She couldn't reach like this... Edith's heart already acknowledged this.
"Obey me, Edith Reinagel. Too regrettable to let that young life and talent scatter here."
"...!"
"No need for you to die with Dumbledore and Voldemort. ...Come with me! You have that qualification."
She wanted to grasp that extended hand.
How happy she'd be if she could grasp it without thinking.
Images of four years spent with Mirabel flowed through Edith's mind, shaking her heart.
"You must have realized this year. How foolish those calling themselves the magical world's top are. You must have felt fury at their incompetence."
Edith's thoughts stopped.
That was a bull's-eye.
Undeniable fact that she'd felt anger at the Ministry's incompetence.
Angered reading newspapers, appalled at their foolishness, even thinking everyone should resign.
Rather, it'd be better if they quit...
"Th-that's..."
"That they let me and Voldemort easily intrude like this is solely because they're incompetent. How do such people qualify to bear the magical world? Or... say, Reinagel—"
—Do you want to side with such fools and oppose me?
At those words, she wavered.
Edith's will, resolve, and determination.
Everything wavered, good and evil becoming unclear.
Into that heart's gap, Mirabel spoke insinuatingly:
"I'll create it. I'll build it. This world that discriminates by birth, that only rots further—I'll change it. You qualify to live in that world... take this hand—Edith Reinagel."
Her emotions said: Take this hand, you want to laugh with your friend again.
Her reason also said: Resisting is futile, taking her hand is the wise choice.
But something inside her said:
The path walking with her... is the path betraying Harry and the others.
Such—not knowing what to do, to wavering Edith's ears came a flustered voice:
"Wh-what on earth is happening!? In my Ministry, what..."
It was Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge leading numerous Aurors.
The moment she saw that face, Mirabel transformed.
Like a hunter before long-sought prey, cruelly plastering on a smile filled with fury and hatred, she leaped out like a predator.
"No good! Run, Cornelius!"
Dumbledore's voice reached him, but confused, slow Fudge couldn't move.
Aurors hastily counterattacking fired spells at Mirabel, but they had no effect whatsoever.
The golden devil sprinted while being hit by spells, cutting down Aurors blocking the way.
Beheading, piercing hearts, rending bodies, cutting throats, tearing left from right, crushing heads.
Creating a crimson hell-scape while closing on Fudge, she tore his entire body apart and transformed him into mincemeat.
"Ah... ah..."
The sole escapee, pitiful Percy Weasley, collapsed trembling, and Dumbledore struck the floor at the massacre he couldn't prevent.
Amid such carnage, Mirabel showed no change of expression, magically erasing blood splatter.
Then noticing Percy Weasley, she extended her hand.
"Stop!"
Harry burst forth, throat trembling with fury.
What hastily released from his wand was the Severing Charm.
And that choice was his best yet.
Released desperately, it demonstrated unprecedented power and severed Mirabel's hand from the wrist.
"...—"
Since this battle began, Mirabel's face showed true surprise for the first time.
She probably hadn't thought Harry's skill could cut her arm.
Mirabel stared briefly at her arm missing from the wrist—then 'regenerated' her arm as if showing off to Harry.
"!?"
"What!?"
An impossible sight. An impermissible sight.
A severed arm growing back—impermissible for humans.
And now Dumbledore, Harry, and Edith finally understood.
So that's what it meant.
Her statements were all truth. That girl truly was no longer human.
"Surprising, Harry Potter... I'll acknowledge from my heart—I apparently underestimated you. I thought I'd sufficiently evaluated your explosive power, but you exceeded even that."
"...M-monster..."
"Indeed. A monster you can never defeat—that's what I am."
While speaking, Mirabel emitted further brilliance, covering the Department of Mysteries.
Golden hair rippling, pressure bearing down on everyone despite not even casting spells.
Finally the monster revealed her true nature here, eyes shining with madness.
In the blood-stained Department of Mysteries, the monster flipped her robes and glided toward the hero boy.
"—No good!"
Dumbledore released magic from his wand, Voldemort following.
But Mirabel easily avoided, changed course toward Voldemort as if he were in the way, and swept her arm.
Fresh blood splattered, Voldemort's arm stopped moving.
Probably an attack powerful enough to sever bone. Though Voldemort's magic could easily heal, one arm in this battle was far too significant.
Then releasing Disarmament at Dumbledore to take his wand, she closed in with no time to pick it up and thrust her arm to pierce his heart.
He avoided by a hair, but the speed difference between human and monster was too great.
Immediately a second strike released, deeply slashing his leg and dropping the old man to the ground.
Then as she tried delivering the finishing third strike—someone grasped that arm.
"...Why stop me, Grindelwald?"
"You're playing too much, Beresford. People are gathering excessively now."
It was a beautiful golden-haired youth called Grindelwald.
Wrapped in crimson robes like Mirabel, fangs growing from his mouth.
And recognizing that youth's form, Dumbledore's face colored with shock.
"Y-you can't be... impossible..."
"...It's been long, my old friend. But now is not the time to speak at length."
Ignoring Dumbledore muttering disbelief, the youth gripped up Mirabel's arm.
Though Mirabel looked dissatisfied at having her enjoyment interrupted, the youth showed no intention of yielding.
Mirabel placed claws at the youth's neck, slowly inserting them.
Then crimson blood ran down his neck, the youth's face slightly twisting in pain.
"Explain... why interfere?"
"I'm saying this isn't the time to play around. Did you forget the objective? Leading France and Germany to destroy Britain's magical world?"
"No... I don't understand. Why stop killing Dumbledore? Without him, destroying Britain's magical world would be far easier?"
Mirabel drove her extended claws deeper.
Blood gushed from the youth's mouth, sweat beading his face.
But still maintaining composure, he spoke quietly:
"Because he's my prey. I accepted your invitation to settle things with Dumbledore. If you'll take that... I won't stay silent either."
"..."
Seconds of glaring.
Mirabel releasing killing intent, Grindelwald coolly deflecting.
But eventually Mirabel yielded first, sighing softly.
She withdrew claws from his throat, turning away boredly.
"Hmph... I don't know what you're thinking, but fighting among ourselves here is pointless. This time I'll prioritize your opinion."
"My thanks."
"But if you interfere with me next time, you won't escape unscathed."
"...Yes, I understand."
Boredly Mirabel closed her eyes and retracted her claws.
The golden light covering the entire Department of Mysteries moments ago vanished, everyone freed from pressure.
"Your lifespan extended, Dumbledore. I'll withdraw this time. But now you understand... the difference between you and me."
Mirabel turned elegantly, presenting her back.
Not thinking she wouldn't be attacked from behind.
Thinking it didn't matter if attacked.
Convinced they couldn't kill her anyway. The strong's carelessness from such certainty.
"I'll declare... your fate opposing me is 'death' alone. But I love the competent. If you'll become subordinates, except Voldemort I promise not to take your lives. If desired, I'll even grant eternal life."
A voice color evoking even mercy.
Gentle, sweet, and thoroughly selfish.
A tyrant's temptation considering neither opponent's circumstances nor feelings. Yet possessing strange charm and terror that still attracted.
"Think carefully... opposing me and dying, or obeying and living a new future. Which is the wise choice."
Edith and Mirabel's eyes briefly crossed.
Those words were for everyone present excluding Voldemort and Death Eaters, but especially weighted toward Edith.
Mirabel flipped her robes, turning back toward Edith just once finally.
"Reinagel... think carefully about what I said."
Whether from sentiment or seeing only ability.
With events turning repeatedly, currently mind-numbed Edith couldn't tell.
Perhaps knowing this, Mirabel didn't elaborate further and looked away.
And before Edith's eyes, she picked up the double's corpse.
Edith unthinkingly shouted "Wait."
Don't take 'her' away—!
Such earnest cries didn't reach Mirabel.
Before Edith's eyes, her former friend holding the servant's corpse vanished... and the storm passed.
"...Apparently we survived."
Dumbledore exhaled in relief, then looked at Voldemort.
A signal: would they still fight?
In response, Voldemort picked up Bellatrix's fallen wand, but Ministry officials avalanched in obstructively.
Apparently the officials Mirabel just killed weren't all who came here.
Voldemort merely clicked his tongue and silently Disapparated.
He probably had no intention of fighting this many.
"Terrifying... truly a terrifying girl. Unmistakably, Britain's magical history's worst..."
Just one battle.
That alone caused massive casualties.
Regardless of Death Eaters or Aurors, she sacrificed everyone who opposed, harvesting lives—truly a new threat belonging to no faction.
From now on, the magical world must guard against that girl's movements besides Voldemort.
"What will happen from now, Professor Dumbledore?"
"I don't know... this is unprecedented. But even so, we must fight. For the future we must protect."
Dumbledore's words sounded like convincing himself.
***
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