Blood.
Tom saw a spreading pool of red blood rapidly across Hermione's chest. In the midst of the blood was the blade of a sword.
Behind her, a familiar figure revealed itself.
Tom recognized her instantly; it was the General, also known as [Sister].
"Too bad, I missed the strike," she said as she turned her head, looking at Tom with emotionless eyes. Then, she slowly withdrew the sword from Hermione's body. According to her calculations, that strike should have instantly killed both Tom and Hermione, but the sudden explosion had distracted her, and she could only kill Hermione.
Tom could clearly see how Hermione's beautiful eyes lost their luster and became completely lifeless. After withdrawing the sword, she gently slumped onto Tom, and her blood stained Tom's armor.
"Is this fake, isn't it? It's just an illusion..." Tom held Hermione's lifeless body in his trembling hands, but the real sensation of her body and the intense smell of blood confirmed to him that Hermione was really dead.
The silver warning bells, the defensive magical objects, did not work in the chaos of the battlefield. The girl he cherished the most had vanished so lightly, killed by the explosion and the sword.
Tom felt something in his mind shatter.
Then, he let out a desperate and furious scream, like the cry of a wounded beast in its final moments of life.
The Shogun killed on a whim, and seeing that she hadn't killed Tom, she took out a rope and threw it towards a pillar on the first floor, elegantly moving through the air. That's where she needed the body to be.
Stay and fight to the death with Tom? She didn't consider it necessary.
How could Tom let her escape? He struck his staff on the ground, and the staircase debris automatically rearranged itself and transformed into a clean platform. Tom gently placed Hermione's body on it and then transformed the remaining debris into a staircase, ascending after her.
At that moment, Tom's mind was empty; he had only one thought: to turn that damn doll into pieces.
The [Sister] hadn't gone far; there was only a distance of tens of meters between her and Tom. When Tom saw her figure from behind, a fire of hatred ignited in his eyes. He raised his hand, and a snake of blue fire shot towards the [Sister].
The [Sister] realized that she couldn't avoid this fight and stopped dodging. She turned towards Tom, and they faced each other.
She held the sword horizontally, and the blade of the sword was also covered with a faint blue flame, intertwining with Tom's snake of fire.
"Why are you so angry?" The [Sister] glanced at Tom and said calmly, "People always die, don't they?"
The [Sister]'s words only fueled Tom's anger.
"I understand," the [Sister] said with an understanding expression, "Was she your mate? Then you should thank me; I killed her, so you can find a new one."
"Maybe it hurts you, but someday you'll understand because you'll get tired of Seniorita Granger, and you'll have to figure out how to get rid of her." The [Sister] acted as if she genuinely cared for Tom, like a warm coat that cared for him at every moment.
"Talking to something utterly inhumane is a complete waste of time," Tom replied coldly. After a few sentences, Tom realized that the part of the [Sister] whose soul had been shattered was simply pure evil, and her values and humanity were completely opposite to his, so it made no sense to attempt to communicate.
At this moment, the anger in Tom seemed to have surpassed a critical point, causing him to calm down. He could feel a powerful energy surging within him.
"You don't understand love, that's unfortunate." Tom pointed his wand forward, and the blue snake of fire intensified several times, extending towards the [Sister].
The [Sister] shook her head, and suddenly, a rune on her armor shone.
"Let me show you the true power of this puppet," she said. In the next instant, the ground between Tom and the [Sister] exploded.
Before the dust settled, several spells flew towards Tom, but he blocked them with a Shield Charm.
Then, a ring of fire appeared at Tom's feet and rapidly expanded, engulfing the [Sister]. However, the scorching fire capable of melting steel did not harm the [Sister]; she used a Shield Charm to block the fire and then counterattacked with spells embedded in her body, facing off against Tom.
According to the [Sister], defeating Tom was only a matter of time because as long as she had enough magical power, she could perfectly control the complex spells engraved in her being. However, Tom's strength exceeded her expectations; all the spells were blocked by the fire shield he had created, causing her no harm.
As time passed, Tom's attacks grew more powerful, and the [Sister] began to struggle to defend herself. Tom approached step by step, and she slowly retreated. Finally, he cornered her in a corner.
"Why?" the [Sister] shouted, losing her composure a bit. "This is impossible; I am perfect, I have so many powerful spells in me..."
"Because you don't understand human emotions," Tom replied, getting so close to the [Sister] that his staff could strike her directly.
If Dumbledore were present, would he say this is the power of love?
Tom briefly looked at the ceiling, distorted by the heat, and with all his strength, he lowered his staff.
After a fierce struggle, the [Sister]'s magical defenses were completely destroyed, and her joints were immobilized. Therefore, Tom's spell had a very clear effect: a piece of the [Sister]'s armor was dented.
Tom raised and lowered his arm repeatedly, like a functioning mortar. At first, he only used his staff to strike, but then the tip of the staff became enveloped in blue flames.
With each swing of his staff, the [Sister] in front of him gradually shattered until he had beaten her into pieces. Tom stopped when the [Sister] had turned into a pile of shattered and lifeless debris.
At that moment, the [Sister] was dead, and the remnant of her soul had also completely dissipated.
Tom stopped, dazed, feeling lost and defenseless. He didn't know what to do next.
Hermione was dead; what should he do?
Then, he remembered that Hermione still lay alone on the stone slab, and he didn't want to leave her there alone, so he turned and returned to the ground floor.
The battle on the ground floor was no longer as intense as it had been at the beginning. The students and professors who had been on top of the castle attacking the invaders had gathered on the ground floor to support Professor McGonagall and hold the position. At that moment, Hagrid arrived with a large number of magical creatures, and members of the Order of the Phoenix also appeared, delivering the final blow to the invaders.
The balance of victory decisively tipped in favor of Hogwarts.
When Tom finished dealing with the [Sister] and returned to the Great Hall, the Trackers and Japanese wizards were already in full retreat.
Tom knocked down several wizards attempting to flee and then walked to where the explosion had occurred. The wall had been shattered, leaving a large hole through which a cold wind was blowing.
Hermione still lay on the slab, calm as if she were sleeping, with no difference compared to when Tom had left her. Fred and George had already freed themselves from the debris that had trapped them and were beside Hermione.
"Tom..." Fred tried to speak but stopped, not knowing what to say.
"Thank you," Tom nodded toward the two of them. He thanked them for their protection; thanks to them, Hermione's body had not been affected by the battle.
After a brief exchange, Tom lifted Hermione into his arms and exited Hogwarts through the hole in the wall.
"Where are you going?" Fred's voice came from behind, but Tom paid no attention. When he saw Hermione in that moment, Tom knew what he had to do.