Chapter 277: Master Of Death

    But none of this was what he cared about the most.

    At this moment, what Cyrus most wanted to resolve wasn''t even Voldemort but Grindelwald.

    If it weren''t for that old man switching sides at the last moment, the three of them—no, even just adding Dumbledore alone—could have completely defeated Voldemort once more. Yet, because of Grindelwald''s interference, they missed the perfect opportunity.

    It wasn''t just Cyrus who was angry; even Dumbledore was upset about it.

    The relationship between the two of them, which had only recently thawed after the Christmas ball, had now once again plummeted to an icy low.

    "Albus, things have developed to this extent. About the third task..." Babbajide hesitated, voicing his concerns.

    He had witnessed the duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald and was willing to believe that Voldemort had indeed returned. Although the latter hadn''t caused as much global turmoil as Grindelwald had, he was still an enemy even Dumbledore couldn''t easily defeat—a clear indication of his immense power.

    With two dark lords present and Cyrus from Ilvermorny adding to the equation, Babbajide couldn''t help but feel worried for Dumbledore.

    "The third task will continue." Dumbledore, however, didn''t let this incident bring the tournament to a halt. On the contrary, he hoped to use the Triwizard Tournament to completely eliminate all remaining threats.

    Whether it was Voldemort or Grindelwald, he didn''t want to see anyone endangering this world again.

    Many people were deeply uneasy about Dumbledore''s decision. Fudge, however, was fully supportive of the proposal.

    In Fudge''s view, Dumbledore''s decision to continue the tournament proved that the situation wasn''t as severe as he had claimed. This gave Fudge the perfect excuse to dismiss the rumors of Voldemort''s return.

    After all, if the threat were real, why would Dumbledore allow the tournament to go on?

    Unless Dumbledore had lost his mind.

    And if he had lost his mind, then how could anything he said be trustworthy?

    The Ministry of Magic needed to be rebuilt, and it seemed unlikely that the third task would be held in the short term. Cyrus handed Grindelwald over to Dumbledore and, with his thoughts focused on Voldemort, left the ruins of the Ministry.

    At the same time, no one noticed that in the Death Chamber, the shattered archway suddenly seemed to stir with a powerful wind.

    The black curtains draped over the frame fluttered outward as though something was stepping through from within.

    And perhaps, it wasn''t just an illusion.

    An invisible figure crossed the archway, leaving a trail of distinct footprints on the steps covered in the basilisk''s blood.

    ...

    Thud!

    Voldemort collapsed into the massive fountain at the center of Beauxbaton Academy of Magic.

    The flowing water began to heal his wounds.

    Killing Cyrus would not be easy, especially since Dumbledore and Cyrus were almost inseparable during the tournament. That made targeting either of them far more difficult.

    "Of course, I will personally participate!" Voldemort declared, rising to his feet.

    "But your body..."

    "Someone needs to draw attention away from you all so that you can rally our forces," Voldemort said slowly. "We must prepare for war."

    ...

    Hogwarts.

    Cyrus set aside the chaotic and noisy concerns and sat alone in the carriage of Ilvermorny.

    His magical prowess was now practically known to the entire wizarding world.

    Magical drones had captured footage of him defeating Grindelwald, and countless witnesses had seen the colossal black dragons battling over London. Soon, Cyrus''s status in the magical community would likely be regarded as equal to, if not greater than, Dumbledore''s in terms of power.

    However, his mind was preoccupied with the question of why Voldemort had retreated so willingly.

    Fear of the Aurors?

    Of course not!

    There could only be one explanation: the Elder Wand had stopped obeying him.

    "Does that wand belong to me now?" Cyrus mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Yet, he wasn''t particularly fixated on the Elder Wand.

    The battle with Voldemort had already demonstrated its strengths and limitations.

    No matter how powerful it was, an object that couldn''t be fully controlled always came with risks. Cyrus had no intention of being betrayed by a tool one day.

    "Still, this means that of the three Deathly Hallows, I now am the master of two. That leaves only..."

    Cyrus was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Harry''s voice: "Cyrus!"

    He looked up and saw a head appear out of thin air.

    "Harry, what are you doing here?"

    "I''m here to give you my cloak!"

    Harry took off his cloak and handed the final Deathly Hallow to Cyrus.

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