Chapter 406: The Witch

Upon hearing the witch's words, the cloaked Durmstrang wizards instinctively turned their heads toward Hoffa in the crowd.

Seeing the young woman appear, Hoffa felt a mix of joy and sorrow. The good news was that he had finally met Miranda again; the bad news was that she seemed to be here specifically to oppose him.

Ossivia still remembered this former student of hers. She looked at the witch in surprise and asked, "Aren't you Gorshak? Why are you here?"

Miranda ignored Ossivia's question. Instead, she simply pointed at Hoffa and declared, "Either Hoffa Bach stays here while the rest of you go in, or none of you go in at all. Of course, you can also choose to kill me—if you have the ability to do so."

The Durmstrang wizards began murmuring restlessly.

Hoffa couldn't hold back anymore. He swung his cross sword and shouted, "Miranda, what are you doing? Can't you see that these people are your allies? Let us through—if we're too late, it will be irreversible!"

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Miranda frowned and asked.

Hoffa was growing more anxious. Every second they wasted here increased the chances of Sylby breaking the curse seal.

"Step aside, Miranda!"

He commanded loudly, trying to overpower her with sheer presence.

But the witch remained unmoved, her finger still firmly pointed at him.

"I don't want to play dumb, Miranda. The game of pretend is over. You and I have traveled through so many places together—London, New York, Genoa. Don't you know how much evil this man carries? And yet, you still insist on stopping me?"

"I don't care about those things," Miranda said calmly.

Hoffa couldn't take it anymore. He lunged at Miranda, sprinting forward. In an instant, he vanished into the shadow realm with his ghostly step. Within the darkness, he raised his cross sword and struck fiercely at the barrier. But the moment his blade landed, the barrier remained completely unshaken.

"I know you too well, Hoffa. Stop trying," Miranda said to the empty space. "You cannot pass. This barrier is tied to my life. Unless you kill me, you won't be able to open it."

Hoffa reappeared in the real world, only for Miranda to flick her finger. Three massive iron-armored sentinels descended from the sky, grabbing Hoffa's arms and restraining him completely.

Ossivia looked at him anxiously and shouted, "Hoffa, can you do it? Do we have enough time?"

"You all go in first! No matter what, you must stop him!"

Hoffa gritted his teeth and said, "I'll catch up soon."

With that, he turned to Miranda and said, "Let them in first. I'll stay. If you think you can change my mind, then try me—alone."

The moment he spoke those words, a narrow crack appeared in the distant barrier.

Ossivia gave Hoffa a look, nodded, and led the Durmstrang wizards through the opening. They rushed in like a stream, disappearing beyond the massive iron gates.

The moment the last Durmstrang wizard entered the barrier—

Boom!!

Hoffa kicked one of the massive iron-armored sentinels away.

He made a desperate dash toward the crack in the barrier, but Miranda had already anticipated his move. Just as the final Durmstrang wizard passed through, the barrier sealed itself once more. Hoffa crashed into it headfirst.

Breathing heavily, he looked at Miranda in the distance. She walked toward him slowly, her face cold and expressionless. Standing beside him, she said, "Let's go. This has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Nothing to do with me?" Hoffa muttered in pain. "Nothing to do with me… If it had nothing to do with me, then why do I keep having those dreams?"

"That was my mistake," Miranda said softly. "Don't think about it. The witch was only conducting an experiment."

Miranda said coldly, "Now, go. Go somewhere no one can find you."

"Are you crazy!?"

Hoffa pointed at Durmstrang Castle, his voice trembling. "Miranda! Just because of some vague prophecy, you're going to release Sylby? The complete form of Sylby!? Have you ever thought that this very action of yours could be the one that gets me killed!?"

Miranda pressed her lips together and nodded.

"I have thought about it."

"What!?" Hoffa was shocked.

"I have considered doing nothing. I have considered actively helping you. I have even considered killing the half-blood king. But it's obvious—I can't kill him as long as that monster exists. And no matter what I do, it will only speed up your death. Only in that place... will I be able to forget that terrifying prophecy."

"What place? The nightmare... My God..."

Hoffa was on the verge of losing control. He roared, "Miranda, stop fulfilling this prophecy yourself! If you have even a shred of sanity left—just one shred—please, come with me and stop Sylby's resurrection!"

"No."

Miranda's voice was cold. "You will die."

"AHH!!"

Hoffa clutched his hair and let out a tortured scream, his mind spiraling into despair. "I can't take this anymore! I can't take it! Why? Why do you insist on stopping me over something that hasn't even happened yet!?"

Seeing Hoffa in such agony, Miranda's expression softened slightly. She said, "This is not a dream. Hoffa, there is no chance to wake up again. Come with me. Even if you hate me, even if you never want to see me again, please... stop here."

"Yes... There is no chance to wake up again."

Hoffa lifted his head, trembling, his teeth clenched. "But I will never go back to the dream with you, Miranda! Never!"

Miranda's body shuddered. She lowered her head, staring at Hoffa's twisted face, contorted by pain. Biting her lip, she said coldly, "You can hate me. I don't care."

"You're killing me! Miranda, you're killing me!"

Hoffa shouted at her.

"I'm not. I want you to live," Miranda said. "I just don't want to see you die. That's all."

Hoffa couldn't take it anymore. The unbearable pain, the suffocating despair—his mind cracked once again.

He stood up abruptly, grabbed Miranda by the collar, and slammed her against the barrier, roaring:

"Yes, you let me live! You let me feel the warmth of family! But you also made me drag out this miserable existence!! You made me live every single day in regret!!

I don't want to be the Minister of Magic!! I don't want power!! I don't want children!! I don't want a so-called normal life!! I don't want a numb, meaningless job!! I don't want to pretend to enjoy fake vacations after work!! You've made my life worse than death!! Worse than death!!

I would rather die!! I would rather die than go back!! Go back to that place!!"

As soon as he shouted those words, Hoffa realized something. But it was too late for regret.

His body froze for a moment, then his hand slowly loosened its grip. His face was pale as he staggered backward.

Miranda slid down from the barrier, staring at him motionlessly—like a lifeless doll.

That expression made Hoffa feel immense pain.

His soul shattered once more.

The unbearable anguish made even breathing feel excruciating.

"Ahh!! Kill me, kill me, just kill me already..."

He clutched his head and groaned, "It's all fake, it's all fake, everything is fake..."

Miranda parted her lips, as if she wanted to say something. But in the end, she closed her mouth. She shook her head self-deprecatingly and... laughed.

No one could understand the sheer despair hidden within that laugh.

In the end, she waved her hand. The barrier behind her completely dissolved. She turned her back to Hoffa and never looked at him again.

Even with his soul shattered into dust, Hoffa was still driven by sheer obsession.

Dragging his unbearably heavy cross-shaped sword, he staggered toward the massive iron gates within the barrier.

As they passed each other, Hoffa heard a faint whisper:

"I have nothing left to give you... I wasn't even this good to my own family.

Are you still my family?"

(End of Chapter)

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