"Wha..."
The other Apostle was terrified by the sudden turn of events and instinctively stepped back. He gripped his wand tightly, his gaze fixed on Jerry's dust-shrouded figure. The arrogance and contempt on his face had given way to horror.
The companion who had been laughing and talking with him a moment ago had vanished before his eyes. The separation of flesh and blood, the pain and terror in his companion's eyes, the annihilation of his soul—all those images replayed endlessly in his mind, refusing to fade.
It was not as though he had never used the Killing Curse, but a Killing Curse that destroyed both body and soul was clearly beyond anything he knew.
Flory watched the panicking Apostle beside him and sneered inwardly. So this was one of their so-called elite Apostles?
The atmosphere among the trees grew unbearably tense. The air seemed to freeze, and even the cold wind stopped blowing. Silence surrounded them, broken only by the clear sound of their breathing.
As time passed, the dust gradually settled. The young Apostle raised his wand and anxiously searched for Jerry.
Suddenly, as though sensing something, he snapped his head up. A slight, dark figure had somehow appeared on a high branch, his left hand resting against the trunk and the Elder Wand in his right as he looked down on them.
With the moon behind Jerry, Flory and the Apostle below could not make out his features. All they could see was an eerie black silhouette, his eyes glowing in the darkness with a blood-red, predatory light.
Under Jerry's gaze, the magic within them—even Flory—began stirring uncontrollably. Unease, terror, anger, despair... all manner of negative emotions flooded their minds at once.
"What the hell are you?!"
The young Apostle was on the verge of breaking down,