Battle Between Beasts
Xiwen briefly recounted the story of Xilisi the Unicorn to Newt, causing him to frown deeply.
"Anyone who drinks Unicorn Blood will only have half a life left, a cursed life. So only those who have nothing and nothing to lose will risk the wrath of the Wizarding World to prolong their lives with Unicorn blood," Newt said somberly.
"It's laughable that those who dare to do this are precisely the cowards who dare not face death."
"So, the dark wizard who killed Xilisi's mother chose to drink Unicorn Blood because he was afraid of death?" Xiwen asked.
"That's very likely, though we can't rule out the possibility that they want to use Unicorn Blood for some kind of magical ritual," Newt explained.
"Actually, I did promise Xilisi I would avenge her mother," Xiwen said after a moment's hesitation. "But I also know that the wiser thing for us now is not to go after that dark wizard, but to quietly hide and wait for Dumbledore to arrive."
"Don't rush into revenge," Newt said softly. "What I really want to know right now is why your wand suddenly reacted? I remember it didn't do anything when you first arrived."
"If we sensed the killer because of distance, it means the dark wizard is approaching us!"
Hearing Newt's analysis, Xiwen was horrified!
As if to confirm Newt's guess, a dense, eerie red light suddenly appeared in the distance. Following it were countless emaciated, lifeless animals, forming a massive herd.
The tigers, Black Panther, and jackals, their bodies charred black, bared their teeth as they walked slowly forward, extending their sharp claws. Behind them, the black bears, their gaunt flesh not diminishing their massive size, seemed to shake the ground with every step.
Among the herd of animals were many small creatures, such as pythons and lynxes, which also posed a threat to Xiwen and his companion; they practically filled every inch of the Withered Wood Forest.
What made their hearts sink even more was the sight of many eagles, herons, and other birds of prey faintly flying overhead.
All the Beast were jet black, their eyes gleaming with a chilling red light, and they slowly pressed down on Xiwen and Newt.
"He can control more than just vines." Newt said, his face grim as he looked at the numerous lifeless animals before him. "These animals must have all been killed, and then that dark wizard used special magic to turn them into puppet-like tools, making them obedient."
"Is it the kind of Necromancy that Grindelwald used before?" Xiwen asked in a low voice.
"Not really," Newt shook his head, replying in a low voice as well. "But the effect should be even better."
"So what should we do?" Xiwen asked, his voice heavy. "In this situation, we probably can't escape."
Newt didn't speak, but his hands gripped the snaps on the suitcase tightly, showing that he was just as nervous!
Just then, the massive herd of beasts stopped.
A narrow passage slowly opened up in the middle of the beast horde, and then a wizard dressed in tattered robes emerged from the beasts.
Xiwen felt a chill run down his spine the moment he saw the wizard.
His face seemed to be split in two. One half was relatively normal, just an old, pale, and wrinkled face; however, the other half was not human-shaped, but more like a hideous skull, with terrifying black flames burning on it!
The grotesque wizard walked to the front of the herd of beasts and slowly opened his mouth, which was half lips and half bone, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the scene.
"That freckled-faced wizard, I've been watching you for a long time," he said.
His mouth seemed to be exposed to the wind, making his pronunciation exceptionally unclear. At the same time, his voice was extremely eerie, like two pieces of rusted metal rubbing against each other, or like a cold wind blowing from hell to earth, sending chills down one's spine.
"No offense intended, but I'm here to find a wizard who attacked my friend." Newt forced his gaze away from his face, composed himself, and then politely asked, "My friend is a witch afflicted with the Maledictus Blood Curse; she was attacked in this very forest."
"The Maledictus Blood Curse?" The grotesque wizard chuckled deeply, his voice hoarse. "I wondered what the reason was. I even thought you had noticed what was going on here. So you've been keeping a close eye on this place for the past month, just because of Maledictus?"
"If you're referring to that Asian girl from Maledictus's, then it was me who did it. Unfortunately, she escaped." He said to Newt in an extremely chilling voice. "However, she was also cursed by another of my Blood Curse. With the two combined, she must have lost her humanity, right?"
A devilish laugh rang out from his mouth, sending a chill down the spines of Xiwen and Newt.
"Why did you do this?" Newt demanded.
At the same time, he quietly slung the suitcase over his shoulder and unfastened a snap.
Seeing Newt's actions, Xiwen also secretly tightened his grip on the Alchemical Longsword.
"Why? Because I can't let you ruin my plans," the hideous wizard rasped. "So you, and this underage helper you've somehow found, can forget about escaping!"
The next second, the beasts behind him went berserk and charged towards Xiwen and Newt.
At the same time, Newt's suitcase started moving violently!
One after another, enormous Fantastic Beasts emerged from the box—a blackish-gray Venom-Pouched Leopard with a huge air sac around its neck, a massive, purplish-gray Graphorn with a bulging back, a gray Erumpent with a single, sharp horn, and two giant Runespoor heads each...
In addition, the Occamy in the sky and the Scorpiontail already standing outside were also poised to charge towards the horde of beasts in front of them.
The magical abilities of these Fantastic Beasts are suppressed by this eerie area, rendering them unusable. However, they still possess considerable fighting power solely due to their robust physiques!
The two groups of beasts quickly clashed, tearing at each other, entangled, and wrestling fiercely, making for a very intense battle.
"Xiwen, we need to think of another way!" Newt couldn't bear to see his animals get hurt in the battle, so he turned to Xiwen and said, "The number of Fantastic Beasts in my chest is completely outnumbered. The other side may have control over all the creatures in this entire forest!"
Xiwen glanced at them from afar and could immediately tell that the Fantastic Beasts were outnumbered and outmatched.
Even though they were physically stronger than their opponents, they were ultimately no match for the numerous ferocious Beast that surrounded them, and they probably wouldn't last much longer. In fact, some of the Beast on the other side had already broken through the defenses and were rushing towards Xiwen and his companion.
"It seems we have no choice but to try the decapitation plan." Xiwen's eyes gradually hardened.
He beheaded a charging, blackened jackal with a single sword stroke.
Not a drop of blood flowed from the jackal's carcass.