"So many schemes. Just what you’d expect from the most infamous Dark Lord."
After dealing with Herpo the Foul’s avatar, Tom’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. His tone carried only a trace of mockery.
That avatar Herpo left behind in New York had never really been meant to probe Tom’s strength. Its real purpose had been to deliver those final words.
To tell him who Corvinus Gaunt was. To tell him the beings called gods were about to return.
It looked like Herpo and Corvinus were working together now, partners in crime. But in truth, they were only using each other.
Corvinus needed Herpo’s power. And Herpo needed Corvinus to restore him.
Enemies like that were the easiest to deal with. When an alliance was held together by convenience, all you had to do was find its weakest link and smash it.
Still, Tom knew too little about Corvinus.
The man was cautious. After releasing Herpo, he hadn’t lingered in New York at all.
Tom had tried tracking him. Found nothing.
"Deal with the mess in front of me first."
He pushed thoughts of Herpo and Corvinus aside and turned his gaze back toward the city.
The Obscurus’ rampage had thrown New York, already unstable from the magical conflict, into complete chaos.
Wizards hiding among the Muggle crowds couldn’t hold it in anymore. Many screamed in panic, exposing themselves.
And though Tom’s battle with Herpo had been brief, the destruction it caused had been anything but small.
This was New York. The financial heart of America.
A place controlling more than half the wealth on this continent.
Countless financial tycoons among the Muggles fled like mad, roaring into their phones at senators and officials, demanding they destroy the monster at any cost.
Tanks rolled into the streets. Armored vehicles followed. Fighter jets appeared overhead.
But Tom had no interest in wasting time playing with them.
His body rose into the air and shot straight into the sea of roiling black mist, merging completely with the Obscurus that blanketed the city.
Within the endless darkness, a massive human face slowly emerged.
Wrapped in absolute black, yet the handsome features of a young man remained unmistakably clear, radiating chilling indifference.
Then his voice thundered across the city.
It tore through skyscrapers. Pierced through clouds. Shook the ground.
"All wizards in New York, listen carefully. The existence of the magical world has been exposed. For your own safety, leave this land immediately. MACUSA no longer has the power to protect you."
"I repeat. Leave this land. MACUSA has lost the ability to shelter you."
His voice was like a divine decree, echoing in every corner of the city.
No hidden chamber in a skyscraper, no advanced magical ward, could block it.
Many hesitated.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to run. It was that the entire city had now noticed magic existed.
And once Muggles became actively suspicious, many perception-altering spells lost their effect.
A lot of them feared they’d be arrested before they ever made it out.
But Tom’s next move gave them their chance.
...
Even though Herpo’s avatar had been destroyed, his magic was still active. The fear and negativity in every Muggle’s heart were still feeding him.
Tom had to admit, the old monster knew his craft.
Tom could understand what the spell did, and part of how it worked.
But coming up with a proper counter-curse on the spot? That would be almost impossible.
Still, if he couldn’t dismantle it elegantly... he had a much simpler, much rougher method.
Break it by force.
"Ultimate Terror."
The low, emotionless whisper sounded directly in the hearts of every person in the city.
Silent. Invisible. But carrying overwhelming mental pressure.
The next instant, a blurry black humanoid shadow branded itself into everyone’s mind. Wisps of dark fog curled around it, vague and unreal, yet strangely irresistible.
It dragged at their minds, forcing every person to confront their deepest fears.
Their ugliest memories. Their worst regrets. The things they wanted most desperately to forget.
Dark magic exploded. And above the city, the Obscurus began swelling with unprecedented madness.
The black fog gathered, expanded, multiplied several times over in an instant, swallowing the sky whole.
From within it, endless black tendrils stretched out. Like a colossal abyssal squid awakening from the deep. They lashed wildly beneath the clouds, smashing and thrashing, every movement unleashing violent magical hurricanes.
The Obscurus screamed. A shrill, agonized howl. Tom had pumped so much raw power into it so suddenly that its magical body was on the verge of collapse.
It could only vent the excess energy in a frenzy just to keep itself from breaking apart.
At that moment, the most wicked and powerful dark creature in existence had become nothing more than a conduit.
Every strand of magic passing through it was coated in pure negative energy, multiplying its destructive force many times over.
For a brief moment, the city fell silent.
And in that short span of time, countless disasters erupted.
Fighter jets spiraled down from the sky. Armored vehicles on the ground were obliterated. Tanks were ripped apart.
Disaster after disaster unfolded at once.
In mere seconds, the shining metropolis had turned into hell on earth. Only wizards skilled in Occlumency could resist the shadow’s influence.
They immediately woke their companions and fled the city in blind panic.
Other lone wizards also woke up two minutes later and followed suit.
...
Minutes later, the Obscurus in the sky finally began to settle.
The raging black fog slowly receded. The wild tendrils withdrew.
Its enormous, unstable form compressed, shrinking down until the endless darkness collapsed into a layer of black material fitted tightly over Tom’s body.
Like living armor.
Cold. Fluid. Perfectly fused with him.
Tom’s gaze lifted toward the blue sky.
Because of his magic, many people had died.
He didn’t really want to do it, but he knew it was necessary.
The moment he appeared, they opened fire on him, staring with nothing but fear, as if he wasn’t one of them.
Tom understood the plight of mutants in X-Men.
But that still wasn’t why he unleashed that horrifying magic. The reason was simple: to prove that wizards were powerful—so powerful that it would be wiser to talk than attack, to negotiate rather than fight.
With his power of time talent and the countless possibilities he had already seen, this was actually the correct way to solve the problem—the choice he should make, or rather, the path that led to a better future: minimizing casualties and ensuring the safety of wizards worldwide.
"..."
Casting one final glance over the city below, Tom’s figure blurred.
And in the next second, he vanished into the horizon.
.
.
.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter