— — — — — —
One number after another was reported by Ministry officials and by Catherine, who was overseeing the statistics.
With each figure spoken aloud, Fudge's face grew a shade grayer.
The time frame had been too short and the scene far too chaotic. Many of the numbers were still rough estimates. But one thing was certain. The real losses and casualties were only going to be higher.
Fudge desperately wanted to faint and use that as an excuse to escape what was coming. But after imagining the consequences, he forced himself to stay upright.
The death toll had exceeded a thousand.
"R-Riddle…" Fudge's voice shook. "Are you sure that number is correct? Could it be… a hundred instead?"
As if.
A hundred would already be horrifying, but compared to a thousand it was nothing. And this wasn't injuries. This was deaths.
What did over a thousand dead wizards even mean?
All seven years at Hogwarts combined didn't add up to that many people. If those deaths were mostly British wizards, it would mean an entire generation wiped out. The very foundation of the country would be shaken.
"Closer to fifteen hundred," Tom said flatly, stepping in to save the Ministry official from further questioning. "I personally ran into two large marching groups. This wasn't a simple riot fueled by emotion. It was organized, deliberate, and planned."
"When you're dealing with mobs that clearly mean harm, you hit back hard. What, were we supposed to let innocent civilians die instead?"
Fudge stammered, completely at a loss for how to respond. In the end, he could only mutter, "M-Mr Riddle makes… a very profound point."
As more reports came in, the faces of the other countries' Ministers and senior officials grew just as grim. One of them finally spoke up, demanding in broken English, "Riddle, who gave you the right to kill wizards from our countries?"
"Even if they committed crimes, they should have been restrained and handed over to us!"
"From the Spanish Ministry, I believe?" Tom looked at him with mild curiosity.
Ikaros nodded without expression. "Correct. Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Head of the Doflamingo family."
"???"
Doflamingo's scalp prickled. He had the distinct feeling that the young man in front of him could recite his entire family tree at any moment.
"Madam Rosier."
Tom raised his voice slightly. Vinda Rosier immediately stepped forward. "Yes, Mr Riddle?"
"Do you see this?" Tom gestured toward the flustered Doflamingo. "The Spanish Ministry doesn't seem particularly concerned about the safety of its own citizens, yet it's eager to defend violent criminals who caused chaos everywhere. One can easily imagine the state of public security there. I'm deeply worried about the safety of my employees in Spain."
"Go back and ask Mr. Grindelwald if he's interested in taking over security there. I've found working with him quite pleasant."
Vinda smiled politely and dipped into a graceful bow, every movement elegant and refined. "Mr Riddle, we would be delighted to cooperate with you. This is a minor matter. I can make the decision myself. Please rest assured. By the time you return to school, public order there will have improved considerably."
Doflamingo felt like he'd been struck by lightning. His face drained of all color.
He had only tried to act tough, to show Tom Riddle that Spain wasn't a pushover. He'd hoped to seize some initiative, maybe even wring out compensation.
Instead, he'd practically invited the Acolytes straight into his country.
"Did you hear that?" Doflamingo cried shakily, turning to the others for help. "Riddle is going to cooperate with the Dark Lord. He's going to invade my country. Grindelwald is violating the Blood Pact!"
The other officials scattered away from him as if he were carrying the plague.
You want to die? Don't drag us with you.
The Blood Pact restricted Grindelwald, not the Acolytes. You handed them a knife and gave them an excuse. And now you want help? Get lost.
Still, Vinda's attitude left them deeply uneasy. The level of cooperation between Riddle and Grindelwald was far closer than they'd imagined. If those two truly joined forces without restraint, wouldn't the whole world be doomed?
"Gentlemen." Tom ignored Doflamingo's ashen face and turned his cold gaze toward the other Ministers. "For this event, Astra Abyssum invested enormous effort. All we wanted was to provide a perfect stage for everyone to enjoy a grand celebration."
"But what did these people do?" The boy's expression darkened. "Robbery. Theft. Arson. Murder. And some even fanned the flames deliberately, targeting me."
"The ones who died should consider themselves lucky. As for the ones still alive…" Tom let out a cold laugh. "Astra Abyssum is holding them. Anyone captured by the Ministry will be handed over as well. Either their countries' Ministries pay to redeem them, or their families do."
"You want to take them back without paying a price? Not happening."
The killing intent behind those words was overwhelming. Of the more than a thousand dead, at least half had fallen by Tom's hand. Voldemort had worked his entire life and never matched Tom's single night of results. The accumulated murderous aura was something these pampered officials had no hope of enduring.
No one dared raise an objection. They all nodded along meekly.
Before this moment, they had dealt with Tom Riddle as a powerful young leader.
Now, they were facing a true Dark Lord.
"..."
Only Fudge felt a wave of relief wash over him, mentally showering Tom with gratitude.
Riddle really was a good guy.
He might have taken the biggest slice of the cake, but when things went wrong, he actually stepped up. Fudge had been worrying himself sick over how to face the storm of criticism from the newspapers. Now Riddle had taken everything onto his own shoulders. That media firestorm wasn't going to hit him anymore.
Watching Rita Skeeter in the distance, her camera flashing nonstop as she and her assistant snapped photos, Fudge could already imagine how brutal the next day's papers would be. He even felt a twinge of guilt, wondering if he should take some of the blame.
What he didn't know was that Rita had already secured her cover shot. But it wasn't meant to criticize Riddle at all.
A handsome young man stood tall and commanding, while the officials opposite him cringed and fawned. The contrast was irresistible.
As expected of Rita Skeeter. She always knew how to frame things.
"What do you think the headline should be?" Rita Skeeter asked her assistant, practically bouncing with excitement. "The Savior of Justice? The Wizarding World's Guardian of Order? Or something more blunt, like The Incompetent Ministry or Astra Abyssum?"
Before her wide-eyed assistant could answer, Rita lost interest and waved a hand. "Never mind. Mr Riddle doesn't like subtle reporting. He prefers it blunt. Too many idiots in the wizarding world. If you write anything too nuanced, they won't understand a word."
"So what headline are you going with?" the assistant couldn't help asking.
Rita adjusted her glasses and looked at the boy who was currently lecturing a group of Ministry powerholders like unruly grandchildren. "The Birth of a Magic Lord. Not some Dark Lord, and not a hypocritical White Lord like Dumbledore. Just a pure Magic Lord. One that everyone has to bow to."
Her heart was racing with excitement. In the past, she'd had to rely on distortion and outright fabrication to grab attention. This time, she didn't need any of that. Today's report alone would cause a bigger stir than everything she'd written before.
Before long, many of the wizards gathered there began to disperse.
"Ikaros, I'll leave the task of detaining the prisoners to you," Tom said calmly. "They're captives now, not enemies. Don't kill them casually. Of course, if anyone refuses to behave, you can keep killing."
Tom spoke patiently, as if offering gentle guidance. Ikaros nodded repeatedly, hugging a watermelon she'd just received as a reward. Sirius and the others had gone to put out fires, but Tom had kept Lupin behind. Lupin was careful and detail-oriented, perfect as support.
After sending Ikaros off, Tom had Vinda lead her people back to their own camp.
As for Ariana, she had slipped away long ago.
Tom flew through the air, feeling fairly satisfied with how things had turned out.
Did he really not know a riot would happen?
With his time-related ability, Tom had seen countless possible futures. Without exception, a riot tonight was inevitable. The only difference was how big it would be.
There were simply too many people. The Ministry's handful of Aurors, plus a few hundred hired by Astra Abyssum, added up to fewer than a thousand. And they were supposed to restrain three hundred thousand people?
That was never realistic.
Unless he had blocked every potential risk from the start and kept those people out of the venue entirely. That would have taken enormous effort and earned him nothing but resentment.
The World Cup had essentially been organized by the Astra Abyssum Guild, meaning by him. On the surface, it looked like his event had been wrecked and his prestige damaged. In reality, this wasn't a bad outcome at all.
There was an old saying: Cowards fear the strong, not the just.
A perfectly concluded festival might leave warm memories, but once it was over, it was over. Disasters and bloodshed, on the other hand, etched themselves into people's minds. Years later, even decades later, they would still remember.
A riot, followed by overwhelming suppression. Using blood to shock the world. That was how his influence and authority would grow to their maximum.
Aside from Doflamingo, who had completely misjudged the situation, the rest of the Ministry elites were thoroughly cowed by the thousand-plus deaths.
There were also countries like Russia that hadn't sent official representatives, but plenty of their fans had been arrested—drunken fools who had drowned themselves in vodka.
With those people in custody, establishing a Guild branch there would be perfectly justified.
Tom inhaled deeply, the smell of blood lingering in the air.
[Ding~]
['A New World' mission progress has exceeded 20%. Stage reward granted.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have received 1,000 Achievement Points and one Legendary-tier Gacha.]
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