Hogwarts: Chill, I'm Not That Riddle-Chapter 530: Quetzalcoatl

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The few hundred meters ahead of him weren’t far, and Dumbledore walked steadily the whole way.

He was deliberately keeping the battlefield contained, and at the same time he hadn’t killed a single Auror.

Breaking free of restraint didn’t mean he had to start slaughtering people.

Most of these Aurors were just employees doing their jobs. They had families waiting for them at home. Why push them to their deaths?

He wasn’t a lunatic like Voldemort, who treated killing as a form of entertainment. And he also wasn’t like Grindelwald, who saw murder as nothing more than a means to an end.

Gradually, Dumbledore noticed something interesting. The pressure he was facing began to lessen.

An unspoken understanding seemed to form between him and the Aurors blocking his way. Their attacks grew weaker, more perfunctory, as if they were only going through the motions.

Dumbledore didn’t want to kill.

And the Aurors didn’t want to risk their lives.

After all, Dumbledore wasn’t some heinous dark wizard. In the end, this was just a personal grudge between him and Pierce. Once the Aurors realized they couldn’t stop him, their enthusiasm naturally faded.

Their salary wasn’t high enough to die for.

Honestly, a few of them were secretly pleased with how things had turned out. They could say they’d tried, no one had to get seriously hurt, and they’d even witnessed the overwhelming presence of the greatest white wizard of the century.

And that Transfiguration...

It was downright magical.

When Dumbledore was about a hundred meters from the headquarters building, the fiery vortex surrounding him finally faded.

The flames retreated like a receding tide, shrinking into a few golden sparks before disappearing into the air.

His robes were spotless. His hair hadn’t even been disturbed.

He looked as composed as ever.

Just as he was about to step into the building, his heart suddenly tightened.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. A powerful sense of danger washed over him.

Bzzzz—!

A sharp, piercing howl tore through the sky, loud enough to make one’s ears ring.

Dumbledore looked up.

A blazing streak of fire was diving toward him with the force of something that intended to burn everything in its path.

In the blink of an eye, the tiny spark became a massive fireball several meters across. The sheer speed created violent shockwaves in the air, whipping dust and debris along the street into a raging storm.

The glass windows of a nearby newsstand rattled violently, on the verge of shattering.

Dumbledore moved quickly. His wand flicked forward.

A translucent magical barrier spread out in front of him like ripples across the surface of a calm lake. Pale blue light flowed across the shield as the incoming blast slammed against it.

The momentum of the attack stalled instantly.

Dumbledore twisted his body and vanished, reappearing dozens of meters away.

The next second—

The fireball exploded.

The violent shockwave shattered countless windows. Several Aurors who had been lying on the ground pretending to be unconscious were caught completely off guard and blown away.

Dumbledore pressed a hand down to smooth his windblown white beard. Squinting through the lingering glare, he waited as the thick smoke slowly began to clear.

Only then did he finally see what had attacked him.

It was a gigantic serpent with wings.

Its body was covered in brilliant feathers colored emerald green, sapphire blue, and radiant gold-red. Under the sunlight, the feathers shimmered like a rainbow, each one gleaming with a crystalline glow.

"Quetzalcoatl..."

Dumbledore spoke the name quietly in ancient Nahuatl, his tone heavy with caution.

High above, Tom—who had been watching the whole show—said the exact same word at almost the same moment. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes.

Quetzalcoatl.

The Feathered Serpent—a major Mesoamerican deity representing the union of earth and sky, revered in Aztec, Toltec, and Teotihuacan cultures.

It might not be a god, but the energy radiating from the creature was unlike anything from wizards or magical beasts. It carried an ancient, wild aura, something vast and primitive.

"Rowena," Tom asked inside the study space, "are you sure there are no gods in this world?"

Ravenclaw fell silent.

Once upon a time she would have answered that question without the slightest hesitation.

But now...

"There are."

A clear, resolute voice broke the silence.

Jeanne’s eyes shone brilliantly as she spoke. The girl seemed to radiate light from within.

"You are my god."

’Damn it!’

Inside Jeanne’s mind, Jalter roared in outrage.

’You country bumpkin! That was supposed to be MY line!’

Jalter stomped furiously in frustration. Unfortunately, once Jeanne entered this kind of devout state, nothing could shake her. Not even trying to tempt her with embarrassing thoughts worked.

All Jalter could do was watch helplessly as Jeanne seized the moment and racked up favor with their man.

Tom couldn’t help but laugh softly at Jeanne’s answer.

"This is really weird," Ravenclaw muttered with a helpless sigh.

She suddenly realized that back in her own era, her understanding of the world had been far too shallow.

Honestly, it was embarrassing.

Ravenclaw felt a wave of irritation mixed with wounded pride. Her gaze darkened as she watched the Feathered Serpent attacking Dumbledore.

Anyone unfortunate enough to catch the attention of a grudge-holding woman like her...

Well, the Feathered Serpent was just plain unlucky.

"By the way..." Andros smacked his lips thoughtfully. "If that thing’s a god, then why does it feel kind of weak?"

"Regardless of what it really is... the reason it feels weak is because this isn’t the real body," Tom replied calmly, his voice echoing through the space. "It’s a projection—a summoning technique using a vessel to manifest here. I can still sense a faint but strong connection between it and the real entity somewhere beyond."

He paused, then added casually, "If you could go out there, you’d probably beat it to pieces."

"Then why don’t you let me handle it?" Andros said eagerly. "It’s been ages since I’ve gotten to fight."

"Another time," Tom said with a faint chuckle. "If there’s a chance in the future, you can punch the real one. For today, let Dumbledore warm up first."

"...Fine."

Though a little disappointed, Andros quieted down and returned to watching the battle between Dumbledore and Quetzalcoatl.

"Tom, do you need me to help?"

Grindelwald had arrived at some point without anyone noticing. As he watched the scene unfold, a trace of concern flickered in his eyes.

"You?" Andros looked at him with obvious disdain.

He didn’t even need to say it out loud—everyone got the point, ’Tom’s right here. If he can’t handle it, you stepping in would just be signing your own death warrant.’

Grindelwald fell silent.

He wasn’t worried that Tom couldn’t beat the Quetzalcoatl.

What worried him was the possibility that Tom might just stand by and watch.

After all, Dumbledore’s situation didn’t look particularly good.

BOOOOM—!

Nearby buildings were collapsing one after another.

The moment the Quetzalcoatl revealed itself, it didn’t waste a single word before launching an attack.

Strictly speaking, it attacked everyone.

Friend or foe didn’t matter.

Its long serpent body tensed slightly. The feathers along its body vibrated with a low humming sound, then suddenly burst outward.

As they shot through the air, every feather transformed into a sharp obsidian blade that glowed with a cold sheen. Ancient Aztec runes were carved along the blades as they whistled toward their targets.

Behind the serpent, its massive wings beat powerfully.

Thunderclouds gathered in the sky. Tornadoes began to form.

In myth, the Quetzalcoatl possessed an incredibly high divine status, practically on the level of a creator deity. It was said to command the primal elements of the world itself.

And what it displayed now was certainly terrifying enough.

Flames. Lightning storms. Hurricanes. And the razor-sharp obsidian that symbolized Aztec power.

Each color of feather seemed to represent a different primordial force.

Dumbledore’s expression had grown serious.

With a sharp crack like a whip snapping through the air, his wand lashed upward. A massive chunk of falling debris larger than a house was struck midair and shattered instantly into fragments that scattered in all directions.

The angry Quetzalcoatl dove toward him.

Dumbledore Apparated, instantly creating distance between them. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The spectacle might have been terrifying, but none of it posed a real threat to him.

The true problem was the Quetzalcoatl’s physical body.

A strange power surrounded it, weakening any magic that touched it. Even defensive spells lost most of their strength. What should have been impenetrable magical shields crumbled like paper in front of the creature.

’How do I completely destroy this thing? And what is this thing?’

Dumbledore frowned in thought.

Looking around at the buildings constantly being destroyed, he began to grow impatient.

If he didn’t contain the fight soon, it would inevitably be exposed to the Muggle world. And once that happened, the consequences would be far worse.

What Dumbledore didn’t know was that Pierce and Quahog upstairs were even more anxious than he was.

"The blood’s energy is almost used up!" Pierce said nervously. "What do we do now?"

He had never expected Dumbledore to be this strong.

Even a creature straight out of myth couldn’t deal with him.

"We’ve come this far... there’s only one option left."

Quahog’s hands trembled as he took out another vial of blood.

At this point, he was already regretting ever supporting Pierce. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just let Dumbledore kill him and replace him with someone else?

But it was too late now.

They were both in too deep.

Once the second vial of blood dripped onto the stone tablet, the surface began to sizzle loudly. The black stone showed visible signs of corrosion.

At the same time, the Quetzalcoatl outside let out a triumphant hum. Its body suddenly expanded even further, and the phenomena filling the sky grew even more terrifying.

Dumbledore’s expression finally changed completely.

Just as he was about to retreat and lure the creature away from the city before finishing it off—

A lazy voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

"Why are you making so much noise? The wizarding world doesn’t allow something this ridiculously overpowered to exist alone."

"ROOOOAR—!"

A dragon’s roar tore straight through the storm.

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