After a brief moment of shock, Lupin finally reacted. He pulled Ethan away from the Dementors, stepped forward, raised his wand, and shouted through gritted teeth, "Expecto Patronum!"
Whoosh— Bright silver-white light flooded the carriage. Warmth rippled outward in visible waves, slightly dispelling the bone-chilling cold that had settled like a blanket of death.
"Hisss—" The Dementors roared in fury—like the moans of someone without tongue or vocal cords. Dark and terrifying, making every hair stand on end.
They scattered in the silver-white light like shadows fleeing dawn, but never truly left. Hidden eye sockets beneath their hoods stared greedily and obsessively at Ethan with unmistakable hunger.
That boy... was theirs... A dark soul that could fill their bellies and bring supreme pleasure... Their perfect prey...!
Countless mouth-like holes sucked greedily, draining all positive emotions from the surroundings like parasites.
"Urgh!" Lupin gritted his teeth, brow furrowed in concentration. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as his arm began trembling. The Patronus Charm's silver light kept weakening, flickering like a dying candle.
He'd never seen Dementors this crazed! As if Ethan alone was worth all of Azkaban's prisoners combined!
But daring to attack students—Ministry, do you really think Headmaster Dumbledore is that good-tempered?!
"Huff..." The Patronus light grew weaker and weaker. In Lupin's widening eyes, the Dementors' terrible bodies kept pressing forward, gathering together like a black mountain of malevolence.
Various tragic memories surged uncontrollably—Order members dying one by one, James and Lily murdered in their home, Sirius imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit...
Lupin's entire body trembled. He desperately recalled happy memories. In his mind appeared little red-haired Amy from his time-travel adventure, hugging him gratefully. The silver beam strengthened slightly—
But it couldn't withstand hundreds of Dementors converging at once.
No... if I fall, what about Ethan, Harry, and the other students?
The Ministry always used Dementors as tools, but they never truly controlled these evil creatures!
"ROAR—" The Dementors kept closing in with predatory intent. Under their hoods, their corpse-like faces showed cruel, evil satisfaction. Skeletal arms reached toward this collapsing human—
Just then—
"Artwork: 'Paradise Pure Land'," a clear, discordant voice rang out.
Vision instantly turned pure white, as if winter had descended in a single breath. Heavy snow and frost covered all visible carriages in seconds. Darkness suddenly became bright as daylight, brilliantly luminous and blinding.
What's happening?
Lupin instinctively stepped back, his shoes crunching into thick snow with a satisfying crunch.
As if sensing something profound, Lupin turned back toward where Ethan had been—but Ethan had vanished. In the compartment remained only Harry and the others collapsed on the floor, shivering. And—
A blonde girl sitting quietly on the cushioned seat. In this pure white world, Luna's figure seemed like some ethereal spirit, holding a steaming pot of tea, calmly flipping through a book as if nothing concerned her.
Wait—where did that tea even come from?
Lupin felt three question marks appear over his head. What in Merlin's name is going on?
Meanwhile, the Dementors were equally confused. They tried to grab Lupin, but it was as if a thick barrier stood between them. Their claws scratched for ages but couldn't reach through the invisible wall.
Then— Crack. A soft sound came from below.
The Dementor felt its robes being pulled. Looking down, it met a horrifying pale face.
Dementor: ?
Skin like melting wax constantly dripped down in thick globs. Using an empty mouth, it wailed incessantly as if suffering endless, eternal pain.
This "living corpse" gripped the Dementor's cloak with skeletal arms, like a dying person clutching the last bit of warmth in a frozen world.
"ROAR—" The Dementor shrieked in terror and rage, desperately trying to shake off the "corpse", struggling to fly upward and escape.
Not because it feared the "corpse's" horrific appearance—after all, the corpse looked like a white Dementor without its cloak. None could call the other ugly in this contest.
What terrified it was feeling the dark energy composing its very being constantly draining away—being absorbed and devoured by this white "corpse"!
What—what kind of evil monster is this?!
Just then—CLANG! A tremendous crash echoed from the carriage's far end.
Dementors and humans turned their heads, gazes stretching down the long corridor, through compartment doors, landing on—
A figure standing in the corridor's centre. White gauze covered his face like some plague doctor. In his hands, a silver-white hammer emanated golden light that pulsed with otherworldly power.
The massive hammer seemed sacred and pure, but looking closely, one would discover blood-red eyeballs growing across its surface! Rolling around between pulsing red veins like blood vessels, making the surrounding space flicker with static interference.
Emanating thick, viscous evil aura that contradicted its holy appearance.
Somehow, the Dementors—whom nothing could harm—felt intense, primal dread.
In the silence, the hammer raised high, then crashed down with devastating force!
"BOOM—!" The carriage shook violently as brilliant golden lightning exploded in all directions!
Lightning struck a Dementor directly—it screamed in agony! Half its body was violently torn away by the electricity in a shower of dark matter!
The Dementor had been attacked! Actually damaged!
"This—how is this possible...?" Lupin stared at the scene in absolute shock, feeling his thirty-plus years of worldview shatter instantly into a thousand pieces.
The Dementors also froze, hovering in midair, stupidly staring at their half-bodied companion. Then—
Their gaze slowly moved to that pure white figure wielding the hammer. Rising wind lifted his veil, revealing brilliant cobalt-blue eyes blazing with predatory excitement.
Ethan?!
Lupin cried out, feeling his brain spin. Round and round, ending back in Ethan's metaphorical "embrace".
Torture... such absolute torture!
Ethan looked at the stunned, hovering Dementors, lips curving into an extremely pleased smile. He spoke gently, almost lovingly:
"Today I'm treating everyone. Inviting you all to Paradise."
Of course, on the road to Paradise, there would be some small suffering.
Ethan slowly raised his hammer with deliberate menace. From the snow-covered ground, walls, and ceiling, wax-like "corpses" kept emerging endlessly, crawling toward them with disturbing hunger.
[Name: Paradise Pure Land]
[Type: Scene Painting]
[Tier: Second Order - Blue Rare]
[Description: This is a Paradise Pure Land, without conflict, without sorrow—well, since evil has been eliminated.]
[Effect: Based on the current environment, constructs an icy world, pulling designated creatures inside, isolating them from outside; the ice environment has a built-in slow effect.]
[Consumes magic to generate "Dripping Wax Corpses"—corpses have no combat ability, can only absorb negative energy (cannot remove curses), burning themselves to supply this artwork world with energy]
[Rating: Get up and light the fire, brother.]
[Though somewhat limited, it has miraculous effects on certain dark creatures.]
Yes! This was what Ethan had pondered deeply, inspired by the souls in the Pure White Gate—a surprise gift package prepared specifically for the Dementors!
They're entirely dark energy—must feel terrible, right? Don't be afraid; your priest is here!
Professional corpses, specialised in absorbing negative energy. You deserve to own them!
"Hisss—!" The Dementor entangled by corpses earlier let out a miserable wail. Its form slowly vanished, finally leaving only a pile of empty robes on the ground.
Directly drained dry of all essence.
The Dementors stared in horror: "?!!" We... could actually be killed?
CLANG! The hammer crashed down again. The carriage shook once more—like lightning flashing in the night, electric arcs everywhere, illuminating the carnage.
Amid screams of pure terror, it violently and mercilessly tore apart several more companions in showers of dark matter.
Seeing that white-veiled, eerie human dragging his hammer, walking step by deliberate step toward them, while all around walls and ceilings surged with melting-wax corpses crawling toward them with inexorable hunger—
That moment, the Dementors finally recalled the long-forgotten emotion called fear.
"Hiss... HISS!" Run! Flee for your existence!
They turned in panicked unison, desperately fleeing down the seemingly endless train corridor!
Gone was their earlier arrogance when boarding for inspection—they only wanted to escape this cursed train!
If you'd said you were the terror god's chosen, we'd bow down and worship you as king in a heartbeat!