69novels Chapter 125 A Pitfall, a Cataclysmic Pitfall!
Chapter 125 A Pitfall, a Cataclysmic Pitfall!
Chapter 125 A Pitfall, a Cataclysmic Pitfall!
Divine Edge Shadowless Formation!
Casting spells with both hands, silently, without a staff, and with gestures—when all these techniques are used and only one type of magic is cast, whether or not it's an array is another matter, but filling a space with lethality is entirely possible. Moreover, with ample magical power, it's not a difficult task for Owen.
So for the time being, not a single Chitauri fell from the black hole to the ground; they were all intercepted by Owen.
"Alright, Director, I think we've used up most of our strength. Now, it's time to show you your backup plan."
Even Owen was a little out of breath from the burst of magic power in such a short time. If he was like this, then others would be even more out of breath. Of course, the big green guy was different; his stamina was limitless.
But even Hulk was a little apprehensive about what Irving had just done. If it were somewhere else, he could indeed kill all those countless aliens, but he couldn't do it with that kind of efficiency.
That's right, it's highly efficient. So efficient that anyone who sees it will be on tenterhooks.
Nick Fury's voice came through the earpiece, a little dry: "Mr. Owen, we—we have no more backup plans. The Avengers are the first hurdle, and also the last."
Irving's lips twitched—
Good heavens, this is really good heavens!
He had thought these Americans might be a rip-off, but he never imagined they would be this bad—it was an absolute rip-off!
Listen to that last sentence: The Avengers, not a single word about S.H.I.E.L.D., as if this so-called alliance has nothing to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. And what does "the first and the last" mean? To put it bluntly, it's just fighting alone. It's a typical American hero complex, always believing that one person can solve everything and then receive cheers from everyone.
But reality is never like in the movies; there are no protagonists who are impossible to hit by bullets. Physical strength, endurance, and even electricity all have their limits.
"I have to say, Chief, if you were my teammate, I would kill you before the crisis even arrives, so as not to be dragged down by someone like you."
Irving's tone was already very harsh: "Where's the army? There's no army. Where are all the agents in S.H.I.E.L.D.? The news was confirmed two days ago, but two days later, the entire city was emptied out, yet I didn't see any of them. Don't tell me you're using us as expendable resources, using us up first before deploying the army."
At this point, Owen's attitude grew even colder: "Wizards have the ability to manipulate souls, Mr. Director. I don't want your soul to be permanently imprisoned in a place where no one can find it, do I?"
The channel is universal, so everyone else can hear what Irving is saying. Then, on second thought, "Yeah, if the army is gone, why are the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents also gone?"
Just then, Owen's voice came through the channel again: "Everyone, you all know how this space was opened, so now it's up to you to find the Cosmic Cube and shut it down. As for these things now—I'll take care of them. It'll also allow the Director to properly assess the wizard's abilities, so that he doesn't try to take advantage of the wizard."
"Irving, I think we might be able to help—"
"No, Mr. Stark, it's not that I don't want your help, but—I'm afraid I might accidentally hurt you, because I need to increase the intensity of my attack next."
As soon as he finished speaking, small phoenixes made of blue flames appeared around Owen, and more and more of them appeared. In just a short while, he was surrounded by small phoenixes made of Fiery Blaze. From a distance, it looked like a giant blue fireball.
The fireball instantly split in two. One part blocked the black hole below, and any aliens that came after it would be touched by the flames. Smaller ones would be burned to ashes on the way, while larger ones would land directly and wait to be burned to ashes without moving. The other part of the fiery flames began to automatically track the aliens flying in the sky and burn them on contact.
Without a soul, his previously prepared elaborate scheme of devouring melons and using a large net would be useless. But don't forget, his most proficient dark magic was never some kind of killing curse or cratering curse, but rather the Fiendfyre spell that he first learned from the old demon king!
The reason we've used them less or not at all these years is because it's unnecessary. Even if the students are naughty, they wouldn't burn them, would they?
Seeing this, everyone else was overjoyed, especially Stark: "That's amazing! Magic is truly amazing! Owen, I want to learn magic too!"
Owen chuckled and said, "Mr. Stark, if you hadn't received your acceptance letter from magic school when you were eleven, you would have been forever barred from magic. Besides, you're doing quite well in Muggles, so there's no need for you to learn magic."
"Mr. Owen, this magic—did you not use it immediately because of some side effects?"
"Yes, the damage was quite significant; some of the city's buildings may not be salvageable."
Irving was able to control the Fiery Blaze, but he didn't want to, allowing the fire to spread throughout the city, mainly burning some well-known slums. These areas could only be rebuilt, so the poor could receive some financial assistance.
As for some upscale areas being burned down—that's called punishment, like the New York temple in Kamar-Taj or the headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury was furious, but he couldn't do anything about Irving because he knew what he had done was dishonest.
Meanwhile, the Ancient One's eyelids were twitching. Kamar-Taj had connections with S.H.I.E.L.D., but they weren't allies. Besides, she hadn't received a request for help from S.H.I.E.L.D., so rushing to help would be beneath her dignity.
But Irving didn't care about any of that—he just burned it, and burned it so badly that they had no chance to complain!
In the end, Nick Fury couldn't take it anymore. If Irving kept burning like that, the aliens might be burned to ashes, but New York City would also be doomed.
And then there's Stark and the others; they're moving too slowly. Who knows when the Tesseract will be able to close.
"The nuclear missile has been launched—"
Upon hearing the news, Irving remained silent for a while before deciding not to take the risk. He wasn't American, nor did he have any American hero complex. So, he called over Iron Man, who had just been fully charged: "Mr. Stark, there's no need for a foreigner like me to do this. You should do it."
Stark didn't refuse: "Okay, but Owen, I still want to learn magic."
"Give up on that idea. You have no talent. I'll open a passage for you, and if you encounter any difficulties, I can bring you back."
As they were talking, the nuclear bomb arrived. Stark turned his head: "What are you going to do to me—wait, where is he?"
No matter how confident Irving was, he wasn't confident enough to withstand a nuclear bomb with his own body, so he ran away immediately, far away, already outside of New York City.
Stark, left with no other option, could only rush towards the black hole with the nuclear bomb. However, after discovering that the bomb hadn't detonated immediately, Owen returned and commanded Fiendfyre to protect Stark.
Success! Once the mothership of Qirek was hit, the soldiers lost their ability to move. This crisis should be considered successfully resolved.
"Irving, wanna grab a drink?"
"No, if I stay any longer, I might lose control."
After leaving that message in the communication, Owen left. He had quite a few alien specimens in his possession, and he needed to rush back to Hogwarts and immediately assemble a research team to study them.
Why are we in such a hurry?
This is America, and Ilfamoni is here. With such a big event happening in New York, wouldn't the people of Ilfamoni come to see it? Wouldn't they be interested in aliens?
Even if they didn't, wouldn't they be interested when they saw the traces left by Li Huo?
Taking the first step means getting things done much faster!
The professors were already waiting in the dungeon. Actually, the other textbooks were quite strange too—aliens! I'd never seen anything like them before!
As Owen pulled the lifeless Chiritars from his pocket, Professor McGonagall gave the initial, and universally agreed, assessment: "Ugly!"
They're definitely aliens, but whether they're human or not is really hard to say.
The professor in charge of taking photos has already started, taking pictures of each alien of different appearances. These photos will then appear in major newspapers. Regardless of whether there are any research results, at least the news needs to be spread and the reputation of having aliens in Hogwarts needs to be established!
As for the research results, they can be released little by little. Wizards aren't actually that efficient; submitting results every six months is just right.
The discovery of aliens at school was most exciting for the students, who were eager to take a good look after returning from vacation. However, they only managed one look because the aliens were so ugly that even the wizards, with their somewhat distorted aesthetic sense, could not accept them.
To everyone else, it would be more appropriate to describe these so-called aliens as extraterrestrial beasts.
The study of extraterrestrial life is naturally comprehensive!
Snape was studying the medicinal value of these aliens, trying to see if he could use their materials to concoct better or worse potions.
Professor Sprout is researching the value of fertilizers made from extraterrestrials, wondering if fertilizers made from them could make plants grow better.
Professor Flitwick, on the other hand, wanted to study the aliens' magical resistance, or which spell could inflict the greatest damage on them more quickly and effectively.
Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, was researching the aliens' tolerance to shapeshifting.
Mrs. Pomfrey took an alien figurine; she wanted to display it in the infirmary as a decorative piece. Mrs. Pince also took one, for the same purpose.
Anyway, Owen brought back quite a few this time. Besides researching them, each person could keep one as a collectible, and there were still some left over. So, Owen simply used a solidification magic to treat them and put the extras in the back garden. Any student who wanted to see them could go and see them.
The newspapers of the wizarding world are not limited to one place, but are intended for the entire wizarding world, even if they are not large.
So once the news hit the newspapers, letters poured into Hogwarts like snowflakes. Those who were organized or influential were refused entry, but individuals were granted permission, though they had to register first and then have their numbers tallied. Hogwarts needed to prepare in advance.
"Talent reserves are of paramount importance. The more of these individuals who come and stay, the richer Hogwarts' future achievements will be. From then on, no one will call Hogwarts the cradle of the Dark Lord anymore, but rather a place of academic research. This is the right way for a school to enhance its reputation and then its fame!"
Although they didn't quite understand, Hermione and the others still diligently took notes, writing down all the key points Owen made.
"You are all the best students in the school. After graduation, you will definitely enter the Ministry of Magic. There is still a lot to learn. Remember to keep yourself in a learning state. You may not use the knowledge, but when you need it, you can't be without it."
Harry Potter was also assigned to this special study group, but he wasn't very interested in the possibility of joining the Ministry of Magic in the future, so he withdrew.
Of the original trio, only Hermione still occasionally appears before Owen. The other two—after Voldemort's death, they became less diligent, but fortunately, their grades were still decent. Even if they dragged him down, it was only a minor hindrance, not a major one.
Just as Irving was about to continue the lesson, he saw Hagrid walking over with Maxim. He dismissed the students and walked towards them.
"Honey!!!"
The giant female principal was still as enthusiastic as ever. Even though Owen had grown from a little toddler into a tall, handsome man, he still acted like a child when she hugged him, his feet lifting off the ground.
"You refused my interview, which saddened me greatly, and even made Furong sick!"
Apart from being prone to mental problems, wizards don't have any major illnesses. Ever since the Triwizard Tournament, the half-blood Veela has kept in touch with Owen through letters and they meet during holidays. Because Owen is too busy, it's always this girl who comes to England to see him. Fortunately, she's graduating this year and will be able to live in England permanently then.
As for the exact nature of their relationship—
When a woman pursues a man, the only barrier is a thin veil, and veil is the most fragile thing!
"Madam, as you know, outsiders cannot access the research results before they are available. I have no choice but to do this. Hagrid, why don't you come with me for a walk?"
Hagrid was still the same as before, but apart from being a little more loose-lipped, he had no other problems. He could still distinguish between big and small matters, and he would never let his girlfriend see any alien specimens without Owen's permission.
Regarding the research findings—
Snape was the first to declare failure because the materials from the aliens were completely incompatible with potions; on the contrary, any potion containing such materials would only fail.
The good news came from Professor Sprout: she discovered that the fertilizer made by these aliens was just as effective as dragon dung and was suitable for over 90% of magical plants.
As for the curse, there's still no news from Professor Flitwick; we don't know yet.
But that was enough. News of aliens appeared in the newspapers again, and Hogwarts' fame was rising steadily!
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