The next moment, the bewildered look on the man's face shattered. As if waking abruptly from a dream, he came to his senses and let out a distorted roar:
"No, I don't believe the Wizengamot! Die, Lila! Only Hawthorne is fit to lead us!!!"
As he shouted, he had already drawn his wand and lashed it through the air like a whip.
Crack!
The air exploded with a sharp report!
"Stop!" someone shouted in panic.
The next moment—
Boom!!!!
With an ear-splitting blast, thick green smoke erupted outward. Blinding flames instantly swallowed the area around the platform, and a massive shockwave hurled rubble, wood splinters, and human bodies in every direction!
The smoke was laced with a nauseating stench. Merely touching someone's skin made it burn with intense pain.
"Ah—"
"Help!"
"It's poisonous gas... disperse it, quickly!"
Screams erupted everywhere, mixed with several especially shrill, brief cries of agony. One voice sounded remarkably like Lila herself.
"Scourgify!"
"Aguamenti!"
"Whirlwind Sweep!"
Everyone waved their wands in rapid succession, the lights of powerful spells weaving together. Wind howled, and water poured down in torrents.
In just two or three seconds, the thick smoke was rapidly swept away, and most of the acrid smell dispersed. The ground was soaked, with only two or three spots still smoking.
But once they saw the scene before them, everyone's hearts sank, and they drew in sharp breaths—
The Explosion Charm had been extraordinarily powerful. The area in front of the podium had been blasted into a horrifyingly huge crater. Rubble and dirt were flung outward, while bricks had flown more than ten meters away.
Scarlet blood was everywhere across the ground. Severed limbs, broken arms, and scraps of clothing could be seen among it. One piece appeared to have come from Lila's robes.
Among the crowd