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As the Dementors approached, their faces filled with hunger and their O-shaped mouths wide open, ready to suck out Harry's very soul, he stood frozen in place, with nowhere to retreat. While his body remained still, his mind raced, frantically searching for a way to break the deadlock.
If it were only one, he knew that if he had listened attentively in Grindelwald's class and practiced diligently, even a first-year wizard could defeat a Dementor within minutes.
It wasn't that the Dementors were weak or ineffective; rather, Grindelwald was exceptionally powerful. He had dissected Dementors inside and out, and through his meticulous analysis, Harry realized that as long as he followed the correct steps, he could defeat one even without mastering the Patronus Charm.
Grindelwald had outlined two main strategies for tackling Dementors. The first was the most orthodox approach in the wizarding world: using positive, optimistic magic to "purify" them. The most efficient and practical method was the Patronus Charm, which conjured a white guardian. Of course, if you had the skill, even a Lumos spell infused with positive emotions could take down a Dementor. The second approach consisted of techniques Grindelwald had developed while studying dark magic.
As a unique class of magical creature resembling a ghost, Dementors possessed the ability to shift between solid and ethereal states. Their unusual physical structure made them almost immune to the typical spells wizards commonly used. However, immunity only meant that they could disregard the effects of many spells; it did not imply that magic couldn't hit them.
After delving deeply into the study of dark magic, Grindelwald gained a thorough understanding of its essence. Dark magic was driven by intense negative emotions. The so-called dark magic often tempted wizards to fall, with more factors stemming from the wizards themselves. While dark magic could amplify negative emotions to a certain extent, ultimately, it was still the wizard who enacted change.
The structure of a Dementor bore a fascinating similarity to dark magic. Dementors were peculiar life forms shaped by dense feelings of despair, harmonized by magic. If stripped of their living definition, they would become akin to a spell like "Fear Incantation," devoid of the essence of "life."
Many principles applicable to curse theory could be perfectly replicated in the context of Dementors.
When positive emotion-driven magic confronted negative emotion-driven magic, the two would engage in a sort of counteractive confrontation. The white Patronus killed Dementors based on this principle. However, if two magical forces of the same attribute clashed, they would experience either fusion or mutual devouring.
For instance, consider the Shield Charm. If multiple wizards cast it simultaneously in the same location, the accumulated and fused Shield Charms would continually strengthen, transforming from a simple shield that only protected the body into a massive magical barrier capable of shielding the entire Hogwarts castle.
When the caster hopes for a fusion of spells, the magic of the same attribute will exhibit a nature of merging.
However, if the caster desires a confrontation, the same attribute magic will demonstrate a nature of plunder and consumption.
There could even be instances of "If I can't consume you, I'll drag you down with me," akin to the opposing powers of positive and negative emotions.
Thus, the black Patronus was born. Grindelwald's Patronus, condensed from negative emotions, utilized the strategy of directly seizing energy from Dementors in order to strengthen itself. This method required a high level of skill from the wizard, arguably even more challenging than using the white Patronus. While the white Patronus weakened against a swarm of Dementors, the black Patronus grew stronger with each one it defeated.
When the first method of consumption and enhancement couldn't be achieved, the second type of confrontation with the same attribute became the only viable means of dismantling and ultimately defeating the Dementors.
In curse theory, the broad definition of dark magic is "Curse," which includes but is not limited to: the Eye Curse, Gut Extraction Curse (used to treat constipation), Leg-Locker Curse, Petrification Curse, Shattering Curse, Exploding Curse, and so on. While most wizards do not classify these spells as dark magic, they are fundamentally identical to other incantations considered dark.
These milder forms of dark magic can easily be adapted into tools for young wizards, allowing them to effectively combat Dementors and even other dark magic users.
The Leg-Locker Curse, Petrification Curse, Shattering Curse, and Exploding Curse are all spells that first-year students can master with no entry barriers. Once they learn these spells, the next step is to modify them slightly, infusing them with more negative emotions specifically for combating Dementors.
Negative emotions are not limited to chaotic and evil concepts like killing, death, torment, or pain. Feelings of anger, vengeance, and destruction also fit the bill. As Dementors drain people's happiness, they inject despair into their minds. Confronting an evil entity that seeks to suck out your joy, or even your very soul, can easily awaken the deep-seated anger, desire for revenge, and destructive impulses within you.
The desire to survive and the craving for life can awaken the hidden power within you when you need it most!
Morality, order, and rationality restrain the beasts lurking in people's hearts. Yet when facing a life-and-death crisis, these chains can shatter in an instant!
Standing frozen, seemingly paralyzed by fear, Harry opened his half-closed eyes, now bloodshot and brimming with rage toward the distorted phantoms before him.
"Thunder Explosion!"
The white ivory trigger, tightly held, unleashed a barrage of dense magic. The crimson spell collided with the swarm of approaching Dementors!
The expected sound of an explosion was swallowed by the black mist composed of Dementors, and what should have been ineffective magic evaporated into countless pits and holes upon contact with their bodies. In that moment, the overwhelming tide of despair was momentarily halted, and as the pressure in his heart lightened, Harry lunged to the side, breaking through the encircling wall of Dementors just before they could complete their trap.
If there were only one Dementor, Harry would have been blasted to pieces by dozens of specialized Exploding Curses by now. But before him stood nearly twenty of them!
The distributed damage was insufficient to pose a lethal threat, instead provoking the hungry creatures into a frenzy of retaliation.
As Harry fought while retreating, he remained mindful of his magical reserves. By continually shifting his position, he tried to prolong the battle. His superior magical recovery speed was his only asset in this moment. The fourfold magical drain of his white ivory wand was simply too high; until he resolved this issue, he could only engage in short bursts of high-explosive combat. A prolonged war of attrition was not a scenario he wanted to face.
Calmly assessing the situation, Harry silently counted the number of Dementors he had taken down. Each powerful curse from his ebony wand, though it consumed a significant amount of energy, always struck the weakest member of the swarm.
As time passed, one by one, Dementors dissolved into unfocused black mist under Harry's assault. However, the remaining Dementors greedily absorbed this darkness, causing their bodies to become increasingly solid. For these morally unbound dark creatures, consuming the corpses of their kind posed no ethical dilemma.
The last three Dementors still present had nearly grown to one and a half times their original size. Although their numbers had drastically diminished, the aura of despair they radiated remained just as potent as it had at the beginning.
Transformed by the chaos of battle, these strengthened Dementors exhibited a ferocity that far surpassed their kin. During a brief moment when they brushed past him at a distance of one or two meters, a dazed Harry nearly fell into their embrace.
The Dementors, which typically needed to be in close contact to extract a soul, seemed to have gained an ability they previously lacked. Harry mentally cursed Grindelwald's ancestors, but this offered him no help against the grim reality before him.
The three empowered Dementors cornered Harry, making him feel as though his very soul was about to be drained—a sensation he never wanted to experience again.
If he was to confront a death steeped in despair, then the only option was to crush it with an ultimate despair tenfold or even a hundredfold greater!
With no further means of resistance in mind, Harry raised the ebony wand high.
"Want to kill me?"
A twisted smile contorted his sweat-drenched face.
Through constant self-affirmation, viewing this journey as an incredibly realistic simulation game, a pure heart emerged within him.
"I am—genuinely—the Fourth Cataclysm!"
"Expecto Patronum!"
Harry had never learned this spell, but in that moment, as chaotic malice transcending all notions of morality, order, and reason surged within him, a mass darker than darkness itself—a shapeless, chaotic shadow—erupted from the tip of his ebony wand.
This formless entity, not even recognizable as a Patronus, unfolded its unnameable embrace, gently enveloping the terrified Dementors in front of it. The Dementors, which disintegrated in an instant, never even had the chance to emit a cry of despair before their demise.
The chamber fell into a profound silence, punctuated only by Harry's heavy breathing as he collapsed to the ground.
But at that moment, from deep within the underground chamber, a rhythmic applause echoed.
It seemed someone had witnessed the scene and expressed their heartfelt admiration.
"Come here, Harry Potter."
A raspy voice reverberated through the dark, silent chamber.
"I have been waiting for you for a long time."
(End of Chapter)