Chapter 354 The Civil War Of The Centaurs
"What is happening in the castle?" Evan pointed towards Hogwarts and inquired aloud, "What is that cloak of purple energy?"
"Are you referring to the protective measures of those cowardly humans?" Okegiga gazed at Hogwarts and disdainfully remarked, "I went to the castle seeking assistance earlier. The elder hoped to persuade them to help us resist the evil god, but those cowards refused. They claimed it was an internal dispute among the Centaurs and wished to remain uninvolved."
Okegiga angrily clawed the ground before him with his front hooves and forcefully plunged his long spear into the earth. He was greatly dissatisfied with Hogwarts' refusal to aid the Centaurs.
Evan was at a loss for words. He did not think it was wrong for the Centaurs' request to be declined.
Modern wizards could appreciate the seriousness of such a matter, given that this was unlike anything they were accustomed to. In the twentieth century, all wizards and magical creatures were under the authority of the Ministry of Magic, and a large-scale war was highly unlikely to erupt.
But this was the Middle Ages 800 years ago, the darkest and most chaotic period in Europe. In this era, turmoil was rampant, and wars were frequent!
Powerful magical creatures did not dwell in areas designated by human wizards, who mostly dared not venture beyond their own territories.
As long as the price was right, they could be hired by Muggle aristocrats and dark wizards to engage in warfare at their will.
The notion of respecting the strong was deeply ingrained in people's hearts. The newly established and still very weak Ministry of Magic lacked the heart and capability to manage such a chaotic situation.
Keeping that in mind, it would be an unwise choice to join a war.
Especially if it involved a civil war among the Centaurs, in which wizards had no apparent interest.
If the Four Founders were still present, they could have used their four mighty forces to mediate or directly engage in the war to assist the Centaurs in defeating the evil faction.
However, it had been over two hundred years since the time of the Four Founders; the current headmaster and professors of Hogwarts did not possess that kind of power. They could only choose to huddle in the castle and protect the young wizards with their limited strength.
"They are also facing difficulties…" Evan involuntarily defended Hogwarts.
"Aye, such are humans. They have no inkling of what they are up against!" Okegiga raised his spear and departed once more. "I did not expect their aid. We, the Centaurs, have our own allies and can resolve all our issues."
Soon, Evan discovered who Okegiga's alleged allies were.
After traversing the dense forests and scaling steep hills, they finally arrived at the Centaurs' colony, which was quite unlike the peaceful scene Evan had previously witnessed.
At that moment, the Centaurs' colony reverberated with a deafening brawl and shouts.
Hundreds of Centaurs gathered and surged towards the colony, while on the opposite side stood their foes.
These Centaurs had erected defensive fortifications and lurked behind them for stubborn resistance.
The battle was fierce, with countless arrows flying and blood splattering.
The entire ground trembled, as if it were startled by the events unfolding.
Evan too watched the scene utterly dumbfounded. He had only seen such bloody battles in books and had never imagined he would be sent to witness something of this nature.
Though he knew it was but an illusion, he was still deeply impacted.
Before him, the Centaurs fought frenziedly everywhere. The scale and severity of the Civil War were far beyond Evan's imagination.
As far as the eye could see, bloodied corpses were strewn everywhere, with only a few of them left intact.
Outside the large gate of the colony, besides the hundreds of Centaurs fiercely fighting, there were many powerful trolls, whose bodies were as strong as mountains.
Evan had seen trolls in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class, as Sirius had found a way to acquire them for the young wizards' practice sessions. It was a fact that trolls lacked... well... cognitive function. Though strong, they had a single means of attack and were relatively low-level magical creatures.
However, the monsters before him were entirely different from what he knew. They seemed like a different species, with the momentum of giants, clumsily waving huge sticks in their hands and emitting rough howls.
A troll roared and charged towards the most densely populated area of Centaurs.
One Centaur was carelessly swept away by the stick in its hand, and its body flew back instantly. Flesh and blood blurred where it was touched, revealing thick white bones.
Faced with such fierce trolls, no Centaur dared to approach.
They excelled in long-range attacks, and arrows were flying towards the troll.
As those arrows were about to reach the monster, they suddenly stopped in mid-air, and Evan noticed a green, ugly creature hiding behind the troll, moving its fingers.
It was a goblin, with a malicious smile on its face.
With a thick bony hand pointing forward, the arrows swiftly flew back, and the Centaurs who had just grouped together scattered hurriedly.
The battle seemed to have just begun, but it soon turned into a one-sided confrontation.
Okegiga's side had the majority of the Centaurs but couldn't withstand such varied attacks.
Unlike their enemies, who had powerful allies, they only had a few Unicorns, Hippogriffs, and many small, weak magical creatures from the forest on their side.
They could only engage in harassing the enemies and couldn't launch strong attacks at all.
This was not a reciprocal battle at all. If it continued like this, failure was only a matter of time.
"Curse it, we arrived late!" Okegiga shouted, grabbing his long lance and rushing forward, and Evan hastily grabbed his leather armor.
He wanted to persuade the Centaur to calm down and carefully formulate a tactic before rushing into battle, but it was clear that Okegiga was not going to stop to discuss it with him.
He even forgot that Evan was mounted on his back. With an unstoppable momentum, Okegiga dashed towards the frontline of the war at full speed.
As the wooden gate loomed closer, Evan muttered and drew his wand.
"Charge! Attack!" Okegiga shouted. "In the name of Okegiga, the Centaurs are unbeatable!"
He charged straight at the troll, which looked at him skeptically, and raised the enormous wooden stick in its hand.
Evan smelled a stench. He looked up and found himself completely covered by the monster's shadowy body.
His brain stopped functioning, and he could only watch as the monster bared its yellow teeth and roared at him.
Boom!
With a violent impact, Evan felt a strong blow and hastily clung to Okegiga.
In the next moment, under the forceful attack, the huge body of the monster in front of him was actually pushed back by Okegiga, and the long lance in his hand descended sharply.
Bright red blood spurted and drenched both Evan and the Centaur warrior beneath him.
The face of the goblin hidden behind the troll showed panic, shocked by the strength of this powerful Centaur. It moved its fingers and attempted to cast spells.
Evan's wand pointed forward and emitted a red light. The goblin suddenly realized that the magic it was casting had failed. It looked up and saw a silver light approaching.
The elf widened his eyes considerably and fell to the ground. Before realizing what had happened, his head was separated from his body!