- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 90
-Fifteen days later, in the basement of the Fawley estate.-
“Avada Kedavra!”
Leo pointed his wand at the fat man bound to the cross. A sinister green light shot out, hitting the man squarely. In an instant, he died, his face frozen in terror, without even a scream.
“What a terrifying spell!”
Leo muttered as he inspected the fat man’s corpse. The body bore no visible injuries, but it was as if his soul had been completely drained, leaving him lifeless.
With a solid foundation from the past two months of studying magic and Manu’s dedicated guidance, Leo had now mastered several powerful dark spells.
This included the three Unforgivable Curses—spells so feared that the Ministry of Magic had decreed anyone caught using them would be sent straight to Azkaban.
Leo had been practicing the Cruciatus Curse and Imperius Curse on the remaining captives because they didn’t result in immediate death. However, the Killing Curse, which caused instant death, was something he had only tried for the first time today.
The effect was indeed horrifying. Even Leo doubted whether he could survive it himself if he were hit.
From his research and today’s experience, he concluded that the Killing Curse differs from other spells in that it appears to be a form of soul attack. It directly targets the soul, making a strong physical body useless against it.
Only a sufficiently powerful soul could potentially survive being hit by the Killing Curse.
Most wizards’ souls aren’t significantly stronger than those of Muggles, so they usually die instantly when hit by the curse.
Leo considered his own soul to be stronger than the average person’s, but whether it could withstand the Killing Curse was uncertain.
Fortunately, while the Killing Curse is deadly, there are several ways to counter it.
The simplest method is dodging. The spell is cast by tracing a Z-shape with the wand and shooting a highly noticeable, bright green beam of magic. With proper anticipation, it’s easy to dodge the curse.
Another option is to block it with a physical barrier, as the Killing Curse can be stopped by solid objects like walls or stones, even though the impact will still cause an explosion.
Finally, there’s the option of countering it with another spell, such as the Disarming Charm. If your power exceeds that of your opponent, you can overpower their spell and disarm them. However, this isn’t easy.
The Killing Curse is highly destructive, and if your power is only slightly greater than your opponent’s, it’s challenging to overpower them.
Moreover, to counter the Killing Curse with another spell, you must time it perfectly, aiming your spell directly at the green light of the curse. If your aim is off, the result could be disastrous—you might disarm your opponent, but they could still kill you with the Killing Curse.
For Leo, dodging is the best option. Given his physical abilities and chakra, it would take dozens of dark wizards firing the Killing Curse simultaneously to have any chance of hitting him.
…
“Mr. Fawley, I’ve taught you everything I know. Can you let me go now?”
Watching Leo kill a Muggle with the Killing Curse, old Manu quickly spoke up.
He had passed on all the dark magic he knew, and from here on, it was up to Leo to practice and refine his skills. Manu’s usefulness had dwindled significantly, and he hoped Leo would keep his promise and let him go.
As for what would happen after his release, Manu had already made up his mind—he would make sure Leo paid for what he had done. As a dark wizard with international notoriety, there was no way he would let this go unpunished.
Besides, if not for the ambush, Manu believed that Leo, despite his magical skills, wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
“Of course. I swore on the Fawley family name that I would let you go.”
Leo put away his wand and smiled warmly at the bound Manu.
Indeed, the old wizard was no longer of much help to him. Now that he had been introduced to dark magic, it was up to him to continue practicing and improving on his own.
“Obliviate, False Memory Charm, Stupefy!”
With a swift flick of his wand, Leo cast three spells in quick succession—Obliviate, False Memory Charm, and the Stunning Spell—hitting Manu and knocking him unconscious.
Picking up the unconscious old wizard, Leo instructed Bally to bury all the bodies in the basement in the garden and to erase all traces of what had happened. He then Apparated directly to the atrium of the Ministry of Magic in London.
He had promised to let Manu go, but his idea of “letting go” meant delivering Manu to the Ministry of Magic.
Over the past two months of magical study, Leo had been pondering a crucial question: should he involve himself in the global wizarding war between Dumbledore and Grindelwald?
If he chose not to participate, he could continue living quietly as Tom Fawley, running his shop, researching magic, and staying safe. Eventually, Dumbledore would win, and the wizarding world would enjoy decades of peace.
But the downside to this approach was that, as Tom Fawley, he would struggle to access advanced magical knowledge, and his power would grow slowly.
After much deliberation, Leo decided that taking risks to increase his power was worth it, so he should actively participate in the conflict.
The next question was: should he side with Dumbledore or Grindelwald?
Helping Dumbledore would be straightforward. Following the storyline would almost guarantee victory. Helping Grindelwald, on the other hand, would mean altering the plot and taking on some risk, but the rewards could be greater.
Even if Leo helped Dumbledore, he knew that with Dumbledore’s personality, it would be difficult to extract significant benefits. Moreover, if Dumbledore later discovered that Leo had done something questionable, he wouldn’t hesitate to act against him.
On Grindelwald’s side, Leo could learn a lot of dark magic, especially the powerful Fiendfyre Curse capable of destroying entire cities.
Grindelwald’s personality also meant that as long as Leo was useful to him, he wouldn’t care if Leo experimented on Muggles or killed other wizards.
The downside was that Leo would have to follow Grindelwald’s orders and face the formidable Dumbledore, as well as others like Newt, who were no slouches either.
However, in the end, Leo leaned toward siding with Grindelwald.
But then, just yesterday, a third option occurred to him: why should he choose a side? Why couldn’t he benefit from both? Why not take control of the entire wizarding world himself?
Leo wasn’t really Tom Fawley; he was someone who could obtain powers from the Marvel and Naruto worlds, and eventually from other worlds as well. In the future, his power would undoubtedly surpass both Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
So why not aim to unify the wizarding world under his own rule? Then, all the resources would be at his disposal.