Cornered

The Venomous Tentacula had learned firsthand just how formidable Amosta was over the course of their fierce battle.

It knew that all those wizards' abilities depended on the little sticks in their hands, yet the man before it had fought it barehanded this whole time without falling behind. Worse still, a human had actually surpassed it in speed. That was simply beyond the Venomous Tentacula's imagination.

More and more wizards were gathering around them. If it lingered any longer, it would surely lose its freedom again.

The intelligence of magical creatures was not to be underestimated. They were not as ignorant as most wizards believed, but possessed clear minds of their own.

Crack!

Amosta Apparated with Amelia away from the railway tracks and appeared atop a tall lamppost beyond the ballast. Looking closely, he saw that the Venomous Tentacula was still staring at him, as if it intended to burn his appearance into its memory out of spite.

The speeding steel behemoth was only a few hundred feet from the Venomous Tentacula lying prone on the tracks. At that distance, it would reach it and crush it beneath its wheels in three or four seconds.

"It—"

Blood streamed from Amelia's scorched left arm. She panted painfully and looked toward the Venomous Tentacula, about to say something, when—

Bang!

Just before the train rolled over it, the Venomous Tentacula kicked off the ground with all four limbs and vanished like a wisp of smoke.

It had escaped?

The Muggles aboard the train had no idea they had just narrowly avoided disaster. Laughter and chatter filled every carriage. Amosta's gaze passed through the carriages that blocked his sight and fixed on the Venomous Tentacula as it shot like lightning into the woods by the riverbank. Having no deep understanding of this creature's