Chapter 98: Fiendfyre
A streak of crimson light shot forth once more, detonating against Petrov's body.
The explosion thundered through the theater, mingling with the sharp crack of a Shield Charm shattering. Petrov was hurled violently to the ground.
Just as a look of savage satisfaction spread across Yuri's face, Petrov—before the astonished eyes of the remaining four Soviet wizards—slowly pushed himself back up.
He was gasping for breath.
The Blasting Curse had torn gaping wounds across his body. Large patches of once-sleek fur had been blown away, leaving him looking like a mangy, half-bald bear.
The worst injury was on his right chest—a fist-sized hole punched clean through, deep enough to expose bone. Fresh blood poured from it without pause.
Yet he still staggered forward, charging Yuri again.
Sokolova reacted instantly, layering another Shield Charm over him.
Yuri's expression darkened completely.
This condemned man had embarrassed him—gravely so—and for that, he would pay with his life.
"Avada Kedavra."
This was the first time Russell had ever witnessed the Killing Curse with his own eyes—earlier than Harry Potter would.
A sickly green beam burst forth, sweeping across Petrov's body. The Shield Charm shattered like fragile parchment. His massive form stiffened, then rapidly shrank, as though all moisture had been drained from him.
When Petrov reverted to human form, terror was frozen on his face.
He struggled to turn around, as if trying to say something—but before a single word could leave his mouth, he collapsed rigidly to the ground.
Dead.
"Yuri, have you lost your mind?! That's an Unforgivable Curse!"
One of the wizards behind him cried out in shock, rushing forward—only to be shoved brutally aside by Yuri.
"I am not wrong," Yuri said coldly.
"I am acting wholeheartedly for this country. And they—like parasites—have been gnawing away at the great tree that is the Soviet Union. I am destined to be the woodpecker that pecks them out and devours them—by any means necessary."
His gaze swept over the Soviet Aurors behind him, dark and threatening.
"And as for you—if anyone dares speak of this, there will be people who take very good care of your families."
A chill ran through the Aurors' hearts.
"As for these foreign wizards," Yuri added, casting them a frigid glance,
"once you reach prison, you'll know what to do."
They might have had a chance to live before—but now that they had witnessed an Unforgivable Curse, there was no way Yuri would let them walk away.
"Petrov—!"
Sokolova let out a broken cry.
Though she had prepared herself for this outcome, seeing her lover fall so easily to the Killing Curse still tore open her heart.
The others felt the same.
With Petrov dead, despair turned to ruthless resolve. Like cornered beasts, they began to unleash their final trump cards.
Though Avada Kedavra was widely regarded as the most vile and terrifying of all dark magic, not every wizard could master it.
These four Soviet wizards could not.
But in this moment, there was a spell even more destructive.
"Fiendfyre."
"Fiendfyre."
"Fiendfyre."
"Fiendfyre."
Four voices spoke as one.
They thrust their wands forward, the tips crossing together. Blood-red liquid spilled from the points, dripping onto the floor—and instantly slithered outward like living serpents.
They exchanged one final look.
Then, without hesitation, they reversed their wands and drove them into one another's hearts—ensuring that none would falter at the final moment.
"Damn it—stop them! Now!"
Yuri's expression changed dramatically. He immediately ordered the Aurors to attack the four wizards.
But it was already too late.
The first things to ignite were their wands. Then, from their pierced hearts, black flames erupted—violent, malignant, and alive—engulfing their bodies in an instant.
Not yet fully dead, the four wizards began to dance within the devilish fire. Their limbs twisted into unnatural shapes as they screamed without end, bodies contorting amid the inferno.
Russell happened to glance at the three people beside him—only to find them watching the scene with unmistakable appreciation. Wednesday, in particular, looked positively thrilled.
Right.
He had almost forgotten about the Addams family's… unusual tastes.
"True art, isn't it?" Gomez murmured softly.
If death were inevitable one day, he thought, he might very well choose to dance in the flames alongside Morticia.
The Aurors, however, were anything but calm.
They rushed forward, desperately casting Finite Incantatem in an attempt to suppress the Fiendfyre—but clearly, they had little experience dealing with it.
Trying to stop Fiendfyre by casting Finite from a single direction was pointless. Unless one's magical power rivaled Dumbledore's, the only viable method was to surround the flames and suppress them simultaneously from multiple angles.
Of course, when cast collectively, that spell had a more distinguished name.
Finite Incantatem Maxima.
—All spells end.
Instead, the Aurors' clumsy efforts merely forced the Fiendfyre to change direction.
The flames twisted into the shape of a massive fire serpent, lunging sideways and swallowing several wizards who hadn't managed to flee in time.
"Damn it—stop it over there!" Yuri's face drained of color.
If the Fiendfyre reached the theater stage, it would break free of the building entirely and wreak havoc across the city.
At a time like this, such a catastrophe would mean only one thing: Yuri might have to "die for the country" just to spare his family from retribution.
But Fiendfyre was far beyond what a handful of Aurors could restrain.
Even at full strength, they could do no more than slow its advance.
Most of the Aurors remained clustered around Yuri—yet their eyes never left Gomez and his family.
Compared to the destruction caused by Fiendfyre, the use of an Unforgivable Curse was a far graver matter. If certain people learned the truth, even Yuri's death might not be enough to keep his family from being branded as Dark Wizards.
"Prepare to break through. Stay close to me," Gomez said quietly.
Outwardly, his expression remained calm, but he had already drawn his wand.
He understood perfectly well: any wizard who had witnessed the use of an Unforgivable Curse and then fell into their hands would never leave alive. Their only option now was to fight their way out amid the chaos.
Still, Gomez didn't rush to act.
He had no intention of being the first to step forward. Better to let someone else draw the fire.
Unfortunately, everyone else was thinking the same thing.
As the flames surged higher and higher, Yuri finally lost patience.
He signaled sharply to the Aurors around him—ordering them to prepare to strike the remaining foreign wizards.
Only after eliminating them could he deal with the Fiendfyre without concern.
The French wizard from earlier caught the subtle gesture instantly. Panic flashed across his face.
Without hesitation, he raised his wand—
A streak of red light shot straight toward Yuri.
Like a single spark in dry grass, the entire situation exploded.
Foreign wizards throughout the theater began casting spells at once.
Then—
A deep, thunderous bellow echoed through the hall.
From the shadows, a wizard shrouded in a black robe extended a claw-like hand and pulled back his hood.