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Setiraris Skorgi.
A name that felt both familiar and foreign to Harry.
It was he who unveiled the mystery of the Awakened to Harry. Though the two had never truly met, Harry had benefited greatly from this former Hufflepuff senior's guidance. Calling him Harry's idol wouldn't be an exaggeration in the slightest.
This senior, who had left Harry a gift and relentlessly pursued his own dreams, could be considered Harry's mentor. His methods had influenced Harry profoundly. After witnessing Setiraris's cold and efficient elimination of poachers in the Forbidden Forest, Harry's perspective shifted—under his senior's influence, he no longer saw those people as human. Instead, they were more like the expendable enemies in some game, mere fodder for gaining experience and resources.
Now, on the verge of finally meeting this legendary Hufflepuff senior, Harry found it difficult to articulate his emotions. Was he excited or anxious? Perhaps a mix of both. A surge of unprecedented anticipation made it hard for him to sit still.
"Should I bring a gift?"
"What? There's a battle royale duel this afternoon? Not going. I already lost first place, so what's the point?"
"If it weren't for basic courtesy, I wouldn't even bother claiming my prize. Do you really think some lousy medal is more important than meeting my idol?"
Under Professor Flitwick's bemused gaze, Harry accepted his silver medal from the tournament and decisively submitted his withdrawal from the afternoon's large-scale battle. However, no one assumed he was backing down out of fear. After all, the fact that Harry could move freely within an anti-Apparition field was enough to give any competitor a headache. While Professor Flitwick could be ganged up on, such tactics were meaningless against Harry.
Trying to corner him? Impossible. Even if they all targeted him, it would only turn into dozens of rapid-fire 1v1 duels, each ending in a near-instant kill. As for exhausting him through a war of attrition? Against someone who regenerated magic with every breath and had near-infinite stamina, failing to take him down immediately only meant one thing—he would make sure to torment them instead.
Harry wasn't the only one indifferent to the competition. Li Jiannan, too, had little interest. His purpose for attending was simple: he had been asked to meet Harry. If not for that, he wouldn't have bothered with the Young Spellcaster Duel Tournament at all. With his skill level, he could easily secure a top-three spot in the world championship. Competing here? That was nothing short of bullying children.
"So, it's just the two of us going?"
After settling all other matters, Harry—ready to depart—turned to Li Jiannan and asked.
"This is a gathering for people like us," Li Jiannan replied, glancing briefly at Fleur. He had already noticed the difference between her and ordinary wizards. "What we can endure with ease might be a crushing burden—or even poison—to others."
Harry nodded in understanding, then released Fleur's hand, wrapping his arm around her waist and planting a soft kiss on her lips. "I'll be back after meeting Senior Setiraris."
"I'll wait for you."
Li Jiannan, standing to the side and witnessing the display of affection, turned his head slightly, an almost imperceptible twitch at the corner of his mouth. He tightened his grip on the sword case in his arms, reaffirming a fundamental truth—women only slow down my draw speed.
"So, South Bro, where exactly are we headed?"
Harry's naturally sociable nature had kicked in. Li Jiannan wasn't the cold, abstinent warrior his appearance suggested, and after just a short while of interaction, Harry had effortlessly started calling him South Bro.
"The Graveyard."
Li Jiannan replied calmly, "A cemetery where 3,696 souls rest.
1,100 years ago, every single one of the world's 3,696 Awakened and Banished Immortals entered the deepest rift connected to the Nine Netherworlds. There, they slaughtered billions of demons and joined forces to slay the incomplete, yet terrifying, Sevenfold Demon God before its final hatching.
Yet, fewer than one in ten made it out alive. In fact, most of their bodies were lost forever. The survivors could only bring back the crystallized remnants of their fallen comrades' souls."
"In the end, they were all buried in this graveyard—3,696 warriors, the very symbol of a once-glorious era."
"A once-glorious era?" Harry sensed something beneath those words and cautiously asked, "Then… how many Awakened Wizards are left today?"
Li Jiannan lifted his left hand, spread his five fingers, then slowly curled them in one by one, leaving only a comically ironic "V" sign.
"If you don't count people like me," he said, his voice heavy, "then the number of living Awakened Wizards today is fewer than twenty."
"Why?"
Harry had expected the number to be small, but after hearing that there were more than 3,000 Awakened Wizards a thousand years ago, he had assumed that—even if their numbers had dwindled—there would still be a reasonable amount today. But reality had just shattered that assumption. The total today wasn't even a fraction of their peak.
"Because we won."
Li Jiannan's answer was baffling.
"We won, so the abyss of the Nine Netherworlds has stabilized. There is no longer a need for so many chosen warriors to fight against that monstrous void, that abyssal maw that once threatened to devour the world."
He paused in his steps and turned his head slightly to look at Harry. "Do you know the phrase 'a rabbit slain, a dog boiled'?"
Harry nodded.
Li Jiannan gave a small shrug. "That's exactly what happened. The world no longer needed us, so we were… removed. The fact that we haven't been erased entirely is already the greatest mercy we could hope for. To this world, every Awakened Wizard is a burden."
"First, they feared we weren't strong enough. Then, they feared we were too strong."
"The runes we wield aren't just any symbols. The power embedded in them forms the very foundation of this world—laws that manifest reality at our command."
"We're here."
Li Jiannan came to a halt with Harry beside him. The tournament had been held in the South Heaven Gate Plaza, but now they stood before the massive, resplendent entrance itself.
A stable vortex of energy materialized before them—a gateway leading to an unknown distance beyond.
(End of Chapter)