Yvonne's brow furrowed as she took in the scene.
Fortunately, not all wizards were like this. At the very least, the law-enforcement officers, such as Flan, seemed to be doing quite well. They were all neatly dressed and seemed to have some semblance of an army. However, due to their small numbers, it was impossible to manage so many Aurors, so Ivan did not blame them.
In the time it took Ivan to open the door, the Aurors in the hall became aware of his presence, and the noise died down considerably.
Since they had been sent here, they had naturally done their homework. They immediately recognized the young wizard in front of them as their superior, the new Acting President of the International Confederation of Wizards.
The wizards were surprised to see Ivan in person, as he looked so young that they found it hard to believe he had defeated the legendary Dark Wizard Grindelwald.
Ivan walked all the way to the reception desk, looked around, and raised his voice.
"Welcome, everyone, to the newly formed rapid response force!"
"I'm sure you've all been briefed by the Ministers on the purpose of this department before coming here—to capture and kill Grindelwald, who has been stirring up trouble in the wizarding community with the intention of starting a war!"
"This is by no means an easy task, which is why I suggested to the Ministers and Chairs that the best and most experienced wizards and witches of the wizarding community should be gathered to deal with this threat…"
The wizards looked pleased with themselves. As Ivan had said, every wizard who came here was an elite.
Ever since Grindelwald caused a scene at the North American Congress and killed several ministers, everyone in the wizarding community was on tenterhooks, and the other heads of state who were nearly killed did not hesitate to arrest Grindelwald.
However, before the wizards could rejoice for long, Ivan's tone changed and he sneered, "But your performance disappoints me. I need real elites, not a bunch of undisciplined losers!"
Ivan's harsh words chilled the atmosphere, and everyone's faces fell.
"What gives you the right to say that?" said a slightly hoarse voice from the crowd.
Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice, only to see a middle-aged wizard in his fifties with two hideous scars on his face.
"Colin Morton?!" one of the witches exclaimed. The other witches and wizards checked the information in their minds and quickly confirmed the identity of the other witch.
Colin Morton was the most famous Auror in Northern Europe. In his thirty-odd years in office, he had captured countless Dark Wizards and received enough glory to fill an entire wall. How could he not be furious when Ivan disparaged him?
"You have not answered my question, Madam Chairman." Colin Morton's words were harsh and cold, and he showed no fear of being President of the Ivan's National League.
"On what grounds?" Ivan's lips curled into a smile as he looked around at the assembled wizards, enunciating each word carefully. "On the grounds that I have defeated two Dark Lords in quick succession, destroyed Grindelwald's plot to gain control of the Magical Congress of North America, and have more experience in dealing with the Dark Arts than any of you!"
Colin Morton and the others choked, unsure how to respond.
They had gathered information on Ivan prior to their arrival, and naturally knew that, despite his young age, he was a legend, having been able to ferret out several Dark Wizards disguised as professors during his time at Hogwarts, and had even managed to defeat Lord Voldemort, the unstoppable Dark Lord who had terrorised Britain.
It was enough to make everyone present blush.
However, Ivan's arrogant words caused some discontent. It must be noted that being strong did not equate to having a wealth of experience in dealing with the Dark Arts, which usually required a long period of time to gain experience. Which of the Aurors present did not have decades of experience? They would never believe that Ivan had more experience in dealing with the Dark Arts than anyone else present.
Ivan must have read their minds, for he smiled disdainfully. Possessing some of Dumbledore's and Grindelwald's memories, he was definitely better at anti-dark magic than anyone present combined.
However, he was not in a hurry to slap these people in the face. Instead, he continued to provoke them.
"I'm not happy with your performance this time, so I'm going to remove those who are unfit to be in the Rapid Reaction Unit. I only accept elites, not useless people…"
"Of course, I know that some of you will not be convinced, so I will give you a chance. If anyone thinks I am wrong, they may as well step forward… If you can defeat me, I will immediately apologize to each of you and admit that I was blind…" Ivan said with interest.
The assembled wizards looked at each other, more or less tempted, but then hesitated at the thought of the man who had defeated Grindelwald in the Magical Capitol.
No matter how confident they were, they were not stupid enough to think they could defeat Ivan, who had defeated two Dark Lords.
"Don't worry, I don't expect you to fight me one-on-one, no matter if it's ten, fifty, or a hundred people, as long as you think you can win!" Ivan said casually, then added sarcastically, "If you're really afraid, six hundred people will do…"
Ivan's arrogant words infuriated the group of Aurors, making it clear that he thought little of them.
However, Ivan did not seem to notice the dissatisfaction of the crowd and continued to add, "If anyone can hurt me in the melee, even if it's just by luck, I will immediately recommend that person to be the Vice President of this International Confederation of Wizards…"
"Very well, I hope you won't go back on your word!" said Colin Morton angrily.
Ivan just smiled, then looked around and shouted, "Anyone else want to challenge me?"
With Colin Morton in the lead, more and more wizards began to shuffle out of the crowd, and after five minutes or so, there were eighty-seven of them, fewer than Ivan had expected.