Chapter 89. Among Us

There was an absolute silence. Nobody came out of the Disappearing Cabinet, and only the air gradually started thickening, twitching with barely noticeable mist. The Aurors, led by Skrimgeour, froze in anticipation, ready for a battle. With each passing moment, the density of the mist increased until Fujimaru shouted:

"Everyone, quickly back off!"

Suddenly, a shadow burst out of the cabinet, attacking the opponents lightning-fast. The Darkhunters tried to stop it, but the shadow evaded and effortlessly brought them down to the ground.

"It's Jack the Ripper!" Skrimgeour yelled. "Don't engage in a solo fight with him!"

Meanwhile, Mash repelled Jack's attack.

"You won't escape!" she said, pursuing her opponent. Their fight resembled a dance, swift and dangerous.

Other Servants joined the battle. Hercules grabbed Mordred, but she managed to break free from his grip. She assumed a fighting stance, and her sword gleamed with crimson flames.

"You think too highly of yourself as the victor? First prove it!" she challenged Hercules. Their confrontation resembled a battle of titans.

The little girl with bright green eyes did not lose composure. She immediately jumped up from the ground and pounced on her opponent. Mash leaped to the height of her own stature, and Jack flew right under her, crashing at full speed into the wall.

"Who do you think you are, little tyke?" Mordred asked, approaching Jack, who was lying near the wall.

Jack jumped up and leaped onto Mordred's back, clasping her torso and placing a dagger against her throat.

"Hey, tin can!" a clear girlish laughter sounded, and she whispered something into Mordred's ear. "My real name is Jack the Ripper."

"Stop it before I lose my temper!" Mordred grabbed Jack by the scruff, threw her down, and stomped on her.

Jack bounced off and disappeared into the mist.

"Where are you going, coward?" Mordred shouted, futilely looking around.

A massive hand emerged from the mist and wrapped around Mordred's waist. In the next moment, Mordred felt herself flying through the entire Emergency Evacuation Room, crashing into the wall.

"Mordred!" Mash yelled, watching as Saber slid down the wall.

Next to her, Melusine flew by and dispersed the mist with her wings.

"Faster, Voyager! We need to deal with this mist!" she shouted.

A swift golden silhouette immediately overtook her, resembling a large wingless Snitch, and yelled something incomprehensible in response.

"Hands up!" a mocking shout came from the Disappearing Cabinet.

Two men in classic costumes of the past era came out of the wardrobe. One snapped his fingers and a rifle appeared in his hand. He fired a burst into the air, but the rifle suddenly misfired.

"Damn this magic!" he irritably exclaimed. "I asked for a fully loaded magazine! No, of course, it's much easier to perform with blanks..."

"Professor Moriarty!" a familiar voice sounded, and a silhouette emerged from the mist surrounded by floating glass.

"Ah, Mr. Holmes!" Moriarty smiled. "What a pleasant surprise. I've missed our little games."

He turned to his companion.

"Monsieur Dantes, would you join me in this entertaining performance? I'm afraid without your participation, our show won't be as exciting for the audience."

Dantes smirked.

"Of course, professor. I won't miss such entertainment. Allow me to offer you a couple of tricks from my arsenal. I believe they will make a proper impression."

He snapped his fingers and tongues of flames erupted around his hand.

"Oh, excellent!" Moriarty laughed. "I must say, it will be quite...explosive performance. Let's begin our show!"

Moriarty and Dantes, with the demeanor of villains, headed towards Holmes.

"Well, my dear friend, let's show them a performance they haven't seen before!" Moriarty whispered to Dantes.

They started shooting magic energy charges into the air, which exploded like fireworks, and it looked terrifying. Holmes skillfully dodged the charges and their fragments, using his deductive abilities to predict their trajectory.

"Well, my dear friends, you clearly aren't putting your full effort!" he shouted.

"Oh no, we're just warming up!" Moriarty replied. "Soon, the show will move to the main act!"

While Moriarty and Dantes entertained themselves with their performance, a group of Death Eaters in black cloaks suddenly emerged from the Vanishing Cabinet.

"Ah, our unlucky friends have finally joined the fun!" Moriarty exclaimed.

The Death Eaters began casting spells towards the dark wizards. The dark wizards responded with a fierce attack of spells. The air was filled with colorful flashes from the collision of magic. The Death Eaters and dark wizards fought with furious power.

Meanwhile, Dantes discreetly started setting traps and illusions around the perimeter to create additional difficulties for the opponents.

At crucial moments, Moriarty and Dantes rushed onto the battlefield to protect the Death Eater allies from attacks or, on the contrary, "accidentally" exposed them to harm. Several times, Hercules shielded the Death Eaters with his massive back.

A tall woman in a tight black suit emerged from the closet. Her hands were adorned with massive metal gloves with spikes.

"Finally, I thought you all forgot about me!" she exclaimed, surveying the gathered crowd.

"And who are you?" asked one of the Death Eaters skeptically.

"My name is Passionlip, baby. I was hired to entertain you all a little," she said, cracking her gloved knuckles. "So, who wants to play with me first?"

The Death Eaters exchanged wary glances.

"Well, since you're all shy, I'll choose my own partner then!"

Her gaze fell upon Jeanne.

"Oh, this girl seems just right for me! So, sweetheart, will you show Aunt Passion what you're capable of?"

Fearlessly, Jeanne unsheathed her sword.

"Let's see what you're capable of!" Jeanne retorted and attacked.

Her opponent easily blocked her strikes with her gloves and retaliated with a powerful punch. Jeanne barely managed to dodge. A fierce battle ensued, with blows coming from both sides. The stranger fought coolly and calculatedly, while Jeanne attacked with fanatic fervor.

"Not bad, kid! I haven't felt this much adrenaline in ages!" she smirked, blocking another blow.

Moriarty and Dantes continued their performance, exchanging bursts of energy with Holmes.

"It seems they're not trying very hard," Holmes noted to himself, evading an attack.

At one point, Dantes accidentally fired a blast towards one of the Death Eaters.

"Oh, sorry, misfire!" he apologized.

The Death Eater became angry, and Moriarty barely managed to calm him down:

"That was a mistake, we're on your side!"

When one of the Dusk Hunters almost hit a Death Eater with a spell, Dantes timely pushed him out of the line of fire.

"Be more careful, friends!" he said with a grin.

Then, Dantes secretly drew invisible runes on the ground, while Moriarty continued diverting Holmes' attention with bursts.

"Their attacks don't seem very convincing, don't you think?" Holmes shouted amidst evasive maneuvers.

"Just wait, the best is yet to come!" Moriarty replied.

Moriarty and Dantes continued their spectacular confrontation with Holmes, occasionally employing clever tricks.

Melusine and Voyager had been flying near Hercules for the past few minutes, constantly assisting their comrades. They didn't want to engage directly with him, leaving that battle to Charley, Mordred, and Jeanne. However, at that moment, Melusine flew too close to Hercules, obstructing his view. Hercules' patience snapped, and he roared like a thousand enraged gorillas. Catching Melusine in mid-air, he attempted to strike her with his free hand, but then realized both his hands were empty. Looking around, he saw Melusine just half a meter away. He could have easily reached out and caught her, but something snapped in his mind, and he erupted in fury again. Melusine didn't wait for his next move and fled.

"I SMACK YOU LIKE A FLY!" growled Hercules and chased after her, leaping like a giant gorilla.

Melusine flew ahead, easily maneuvering around all the obstacles, while Hercules charged forward. He effortlessly crushed trees and rocks, pushed through glaciers and sand dunes, and when Melusine flew out the door, he knocked it down along with a flock. It wasn't until a couple of seconds later that the meaning of what had happened reached all the witnesses.

"The Enemy Servant has come out of the Rescue Room!" shouted Fujimaru. "Quick! Intercept him someone!"

Melusine continued to fly ahead of the enraged Hercules, deftly maneuvering through the corridors of Hogwarts. She zigzagged from side to side, causing him to crash into walls and topple knights' armor.

"Come on, brute, catch up with me!" Melusine yelled, looping through the air.

Hercules roared with fury, swinging his fists and knocking everything in his path. He punched holes in stone walls like sandwiches, leaving destruction in his wake. Suddenly, Melusine sharply turned a corner. Hercules, unable to brake in time, crashed into the wall, breaking through it. Debris flew in all directions, and Hercules found himself in the courtyard.

"Well, now the battlefield has expanded!" Melusine said, hovering above Hercules' head. "Try to catch me now!"

In response, Hercules let out a furious roar.