Regulus: I'm Cracked

The Gothic dome of the Banquet Hall is still there, but that's all that's left.

Three of the four load-bearing walls collapsed, and the entire granite wall on the side where the flames fought against the Black Mist was uprooted, even the foundation was torn up.

Large pieces of stone bricks were scattered on the lawn of the manor, with the furthest one flying more than ten meters away.

The Structural Solidification Charm had lasted for over two hundred years, lost its attachment the instant the wall was peeled away. The remaining Magic Power groaned in the air, occasionally popping out a tiny Spark Spell or two.

It hasn't actually been that long since the fight started.

Outside the manor, most of the guests had already left, but some remained, chatting in small groups on the stone slabs or under the porch. At Christmas Banquet dinners, those who didn't get a word in during the evening often become more active as the party ends, trying to meet new people, expand their networks, and arrange tea parties for the following week.

They certainly saw the commotion inside: the collapsing walls, the flying debris, the flames and Black Mist shooting out of the window openings, and the explosion that almost echoed throughout the night sky.

Nobody went to check.

Don't look at what you shouldn't see, and don't know what you shouldn't know. If there's a fight going on inside, that's someone else's business.

If you see something, you have to express your opinion; if you express your opinion, you have to take sides; and if you take sides, you have to bear the risks.

It's better not to watch it.

But no one left early, as if whoever left first at this moment would be admitting that they were involved in the commotion inside. In the hall, Regulus stood at the edge of the flames.

The bluish-white light illuminated the outline of his half of the ruins, while the Black Mist on the other half had just dissipated, leaving traces of corrosion on the stone slabs. The area previously covered by the Black Mist was noticeably lower than the surrounding ground, and the stone slabs were pitted and crumbled into fine powder at the edges.

Regulus sensed Bellatrix's change even before the Black Mist dissipated.

With both Malice Perception and Magic Perception sending back signals simultaneously, Bellatrix's Magic Power quality completely changed.

When she used Dark Arts before, the Magic Power had a dark element, but it was still controllable, structured, and directional.

Now all those things are broken.

Her Magic Power was reduced to one thing: emotion.

Pure emotions, unfiltered by any reason—anger, fanaticism, hatred born of desecration—were all poured in, driving the Magic Power within his body to boil.

The core attribute of Dark Arts is that it is driven by emotions.

Ordinary wizards need to consciously channel their emotions to infuse Dark Arts, but Bellatrix doesn't; her current emotions are the Magic Power itself. This judgment came even faster than the visuals.

The bystanders had no idea what had happened in that darkness.

They only saw that a moment ago, the Black Mist enveloped the entire Banquet Hall, and the next moment, the Black Mist dissipated, and the two figures reappeared in the ruins. Bellatrix's Left Arm hung limply, her right hand held a magic wand, her dress was only half-finished, and her face was covered in ash and blood.

Regulus stood a dozen meters away, his robe finally getting dusty, but he was unharmed.

No one expected that what started as a family conversation would escalate to this point, and even fewer expected Regulus and Bellatrix to fight like this. They were momentarily at a loss for what to do.

We'll find out in the next moment.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Bellatrix's voice carried something she had never let the group of Black hear before—sharp, ripping, each syllable with a cracking quality, yet the Magic Power of the spell was so powerful it made the air vibrate.

A beam of green light shot out from the tip of her staff, cleaving through the dust above the ruins and illuminating the entire Banquet Hall.

The green light itself was silent, but the air hummed as it passed, as if something living had been sucked away. Everyone froze.

If what happened before was considered a fight, then this green light is murder.

The Unforgivable Curses.

Orion didn't look at Bellatrix, Regulus, or the green light; he was looking at Rodolphus.

Rodolphus stood by the doorframe, a green light flashing across his face, and instinctively took a half-step back.

What he wanted to do was either stop Bellatrix, leave the place, or at least stand in a less conspicuous spot.

But before he could lift his foot, he met Orion's gaze.

Orion stood there, the barrier still in place, one hand resting on Walburga's wrist, the other holding his wand.

He didn't point his wand at Rodolphus, nor did he make any threatening gestures; he simply looked at him.

The meaning in his eyes was very clear.

Your wife is casting Killing Curse on my son. If anything happens to my son, you'll be the first to die. If you try to run, you'll die even faster. Rodolphus pulled his foot back.

He had figured it out: Orion was using his son as bait, Lestrange Manor as an execution ground, forcing Bellatrix to lose control. Then, with a look, he was exercising the oldest family instinct. "You dare to harm my heir? I'll uproot the Lestrange family from the Pure-blood Genealogy. "Rodolphus's hands trembled slightly inside his sleeves; he couldn't tell if it was anger or fear.

If it's fear, he's never been afraid of anyone in his life.

If he was angry, he should have rushed over, not trembled against the wall.

He might have a bit of both, but he didn't dare to try either.

Even inside the Lestrange family mansion, if Orion was determined to kill him, neither the Anti-Apparition Charm nor the family protection could save him. At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind: the Black family were all fucking insane.

Sirius tried to rush forward, but Orion pressed down hard on his shoulder with one hand.

Narcissa let out a short gasp, and Lucius's eyes narrowed to slits.

Walburga looked at Bellatrix, and his expression completely changed.

She stared intently at Bellatrix, her lips pressed into a thin line, the muscles in her cheeks clenched into sharp angles.

Then she glanced at Orion again.

Orion didn't even glance at the battlefield; he was still keeping his eyes on Rodolphus.

Walburga felt calmer.

She stopped looking at Orion and turned back to look at Bellatrix.

Regulus activated his Sidestep Charm the instant the green light shot out.

He walked several meters, landing next to a remaining stone pillar in the Banquet Hall. As soon as his feet touched the ground, his body was already facing Bellatrix.

The green light pierced through the Banquet Hall and struck a broken pillar. The pillar shattered at the point of impact, and cracks spread along the stone surface like living things.

He glanced at her, his expression unchanged, then looked at Bellatrix.

She was already casting the second spell.

A purple beam of light, without sound or warning, shot out from the tip of the staff, its trajectory straight, and its speed faster than the Killing Curse.

Regulus dodged again, and after regaining his footing, looked towards the point where the spell would land.

There was no visible explosion or crack where he had just been standing; a purple Light Point fell and then disappeared.

But the texture detected by Magic Perception was completely different—dangerous, extremely dangerous.

He recognized the spell.

In her original destiny, Bellatrix used an unnamed black spell—or rather, a deep purple one—during the great war at the Ministry of Magic.

The effects of being hit are not recorded, but judging from the Magic Power quality of the spell, being hit would most likely result in immediate loss of mobility, or worse, instant death.

The third curse has arrived: the Killing Curse.

The fourth one, the Cruciatus Curse.

The fifth beam was also a purple beam.

Bellatrix Spellcasting continuously as she moved, her footsteps treading over pebbles, her direction unpredictable, changing the angle after each shot.

Her attacks became unpredictable; in her frenzied state, her hands moved without restraint.

He alternated between Dark Arts variations of the Killing Curse, Cruciatus Curse, Purple Beam, and Explosion Charm, sometimes unleashing two at the same time, covering his left and right sides of movement.

She was using explosions to block his movement, using the Killing Curse and purple beams to force him to jump into the trap she had set, while the Cruciatus Curse was interspersed in between to attack his reaction gaps.

It's crazy, but there's a method to it.

The killing instinct honed on the battlefield didn't disappear with the loss of control; instead, it became even more ferocious with the complete release of her emotions. She no longer cared about the cost, no longer cared about the consequences; every spell had only one purpose: to kill him.

Regulus moved at high speed through the ruins, using Sidestep Charm followed by Sprint Charm with the shortest possible interval, his figure flashing continuously between rubble and broken pillars. A purple beam of light grazed the hem of his robe, missing him by less than two inches.

He caught a break in her Spellcasting and pointed his wand at Bellatrix's throat.

Suffocation Curse.

It is silent and without light, requires no incantation, and is extremely sudden.

Bellatrix's throat suddenly tightened, squeezing out a hoarse hoarse sound. She paused for a moment, and the spell she was casting stopped abruptly.

Just as Regulus was about to cast a spell, her body suddenly vanished.

With a snap, the Apparition.

He wasn't surprised; Bellatrix's surname was now Lestrange, giving her the authority to jump wherever she wanted within her own mansion.

She appeared at the other end of the Banquet Hall, twenty meters away, wand pressed against her throat, her trachea reopened, and she took a deep breath.

Regulus flicked his wand to his right.

Black flames were drawn from the tip of the staff, lengthened, solidified, and a whip thirteen or fourteen meters long unfurled in the air.

The whip was wrapped with dark red patterns. The firelight did not shine outwards but instead shone inwards, drawing the surrounding air into the whip due to the high temperature.

With a flick of his wrist, the whip traced a large arc in the air and Cleansweep across.

The air was torn apart, producing a low hum, and a sonic boom was created where the whip tip struck.

Snap!

A deafening explosion rang out, and the stone slabs on the ground that had been grazed by the whip tip melted instantly, leaving a blackened ditch.

Bellatrix Apparition again, disappearing from the path of the Cleansweep whip and reappearing seven or eight meters to Regulus's right rear.

As soon as she landed, she unleashed two spells, a purple beam of light and Killing Curse, shooting towards Regulus's back from the left and right respectively.

Regulus had already shifted to the side the moment she appeared.

He could actually pinpoint her landing point; he could sense her location the instant the Spatial Channel opened, but he didn't want to do it yet.

He dodged the two spells by sidestepping, and as he landed, the Flame Whip lashed out again, slashing down from above.

Bellatrix erected Black Barrier, lashed it with her whip, and the barrier shook violently, but did not shatter.

She Apparition behind Regulus, but this time things went wrong.

Regulus had already turned around, his wand pointing towards where she had appeared, as if he were waiting for her.

Before she could even appear from the other side, his spell had already been cast.

Bone-Locking Curse.

Bellatrix's joints were all locked, and she was frozen in place, unable to move.

Regulus waved his wand again, and she knelt down.

Bellatrix knelt amidst the ruins, but her head was tilted back.

She looked at Regulus standing in front of her, her expression completely out of control.

His lips were contorted, his jaw trembled, and his eyes flashed alternately with rage, confusion, and a deeper madness.

He knelt there, like a sacrifice nailed to the ruins.

Regulus held his wand at his side, looking down at Bellatrix with a blank expression.

Then he raised his wand, the tip pointing at Bellatrix's face.

"Bellatrix."

His voice was calm and emotionless. "Goodbye."

Green light emanated from the tip of the staff, illuminating Bellatrix's upturned face and casting a sickly hue upon the dust and bloodstains. "Avada Kedavra."

Regulus deliberately slowed down his incantation, a thought flashing through his mind.

If you have any other tricks up your sleeve, use them now; otherwise, you're truly finished.

Bella used the Killing Curse on him, and if she were to actually kill him, it would be understandable; it would be her fate.

It's a shame about this wand; it was used to kill someone with the Killing Curse, so it won't be convenient to use it anymore, at least not at Hogwarts.

Sirius lunged forward, and Orion's hand moved from his shoulder to the back of his collar, grabbing him tightly.

Narcissa's face was deathly pale. She had already rushed out, but Lucius grabbed her from behind around the waist, holding her back tightly. His own expression was indescribable.

Walburga watched as Regulus raised his wand, its tip glowing green, and aimed it at Bellatrix kneeling on the ground. A more complex expression, a sense of pleasure, surfaced on his face.

There's also the satisfaction of seeing a woman who cursed her son with Killing Curse kneeling on the ground, about to be executed with the same green light, a feeling of power being completely reversed.

Orion remained unmoved and continued to watch Rodolphus.

Rodolphus raised his wand, then lowered it halfway up.

He couldn't lift it.

He could only stand there, watching the green light grow brighter and brighter.

Bellatrix knelt on the ground, then suddenly let out a sinister laugh. Magic Power surged violently within her body, pressing inward until it reached a critical point.

The next moment, a black shockwave exploded around her, tangible and opaque.

Pure Magic Power violence spread outwards, too fast and too wide. It swept across the ground, crushing pebbles into powder, and swept across the stone pillar remnants, causing the stone surfaces to crack and peel off.

The Bone-Locking Curse was instantly broken, and all her joints regained their mobility.

Regulus only had time to activate his Shield Charm before the silver barrier shattered the moment it struck him, the Silver Light exploding into fragments that flew outwards. The Constant Shield Charm on his body was directly triggered; it had already merged with the Guardian Image of Bellatrix, its defense far exceeding that of a regular Shield Charm, almost completely negating the force.

The aftershock still sent him flying, hurled over the rubble, and propelled him more than ten meters. He swayed slightly upon landing before managing to regain his balance. His robe was torn, and his hair was finally in disarray, but he was still unharmed.

Limited embarrassment.

That seems enough.

At the other end of the hall, Orion saw this scene and knew that it was about time.

The agreement made in the Study, Dark Enlightenment.

Regulus straightened up from the pile of rubble.

Consciousness instantly sank into the Mental Space, and the next moment, Grey Matter surged out from the Isolation Zone of the Containment Chamber, seeping outward along the channels set up by the Filtration Layer.

It seeped from the surface of his mind into the Magic Channel, then into every Magic Circuit, and finally into every pore of his body.

His Magic Power has changed.

A layer of gray substance floated on the surface of the Magic Power, like a fog or a film, covering him and making him appear a shade darker.

His eyes changed.

The calm and restraint that had always been in those eyes were now cracked.

His expression changed too.

The corners of his mouth slowly turned upwards, forming a distinct arc, a suppressed smile, like something that had been suppressed for too long finally finding an outlet and relaxing.

He emerged from the ruins, stepping over the rubble. Gray Magic Power seeped from beneath his feet, slightly darkening the surface of the rubble he touched.

He looked at Bellatrix across from him and gave her a slightly smug smile.