He knew he was doomed, and he knew what Hermione wanted. He endured the excruciating pain without a word, determined not to give her the satisfaction.
"Quite the pain tolerance. Try this, then. Let's see if you can keep it up."
Seeing that he intended to resist to the bitter end, Hermione snorted and flicked her wand.
"Cruciatus Curse!"
Gideon Malick instantly let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered, his body convulsing violently.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
Within seconds, Gideon Malick could bear it no longer. The agony tearing through the depths of his soul shattered his resolve in an instant.
"Then talk."
Gideon Malick panted heavily and began confessing in broken gasps.
"I... I was afraid of those alien monsters..."
"I was even more afraid of you... wizards... and those Avengers..."
"Your power... was too great... beyond our control..."
"So... I wanted to use a nuclear bomb to wipe out you and those monsters... together..."
"As for the civilians... they were merely necessary sacrifices..."
Every word Gideon Malick spoke rang clearly in everyone's ears.
Below, the citizens who had been cheering the aliens' defeat erupted into an uproar at his words.
"What? Necessary sacrifices? What does he think we are?!"
"Those damned politicians! All they care about is their own power. They don't give a damn whether we live or die!"
"We thought they were our protectors, but it turns out they're the real demons!"
"They were nowhere to be seen when we were fighting aliens, but they're sure eager to go after their own people!"
"So those heroes are called the Avengers, and that girl is Miss Wizard!"
"Miss Wizard saved us, and the Avengers protected us, but these bastards wanted to kill us!"
"Long live Miss Wizard!"
The flames of anger spread rapidly through the