The Joker, Bane, and Scarecrow left the London Temple to search for clues about Loki using the oldest investigative method imaginable—walking the streets and asking whoever might still be alive. The three villains spread out through the surrounding districts, questioning scattered survivors and scanning ruined buildings for signs of Loki's passing. Meanwhile, Li Jie remained behind inside the quiet temple, taking advantage of the rare moment of peace to study the magical knowledge he had just obtained.
From both Kaecilius and Wong, Li Jie had inherited an enormous amount of magical skill and understanding. Kaecilius had once been the Ancient One's most brilliant student, and if not for his obsession with dark power and the Darkhold, he might have become the next Sorcerer Supreme himself. Wong's abilities were just as impressive in their own way. Although he had spent years as Kamar-Taj's librarian, he had later been reassigned as the guardian of the London Temple, a position that required formidable magical strength.
After merging the magical abilities of those two powerful sorcerers, Li Jie realized that his command of magic had advanced tremendously. In all of Kamar-Taj, only Doctor Strange might now surpass him in raw magical mastery.
Taking advantage of the quiet environment, Li Jie opened the Book of Vishanti and began studying it carefully. Among the many spells within, his attention focused on one in particular—the forbidden spell of time reversal.
Doctor Strange had clearly warned him that time reversal magic was taboo and should never be used to resurrect the fallen superheroes. However, that warning didn't stop Li Jie from wanting to understand the technique. Learning a spell and actually using it recklessly were two different things.
Looking around the dining hall of the temple, Li Jie noticed a rotten orange sitting forgotten on the table. He picked up the Eye of Agamotto, placed it around his neck, and began quietly chanting the spell for time reversal.
A faint golden glow surrounded the fruit.
Gradually, the shriveled, mold-covered orange began to change. The decay receded, the wrinkles smoothed out, and the dull color brightened until the fruit looked completely fresh again. In only a few seconds, the rotten orange had returned to the perfect state it must have been in when it was first harvested.
"It worked," Li Jie murmured to himself.
He picked up the orange, peeled it, and took a large bite. Sweet juice immediately flooded his mouth, dripping down his fingers as he chewed. The flavor was rich and vibrant, as if the fruit had never been spoiled at all.
After finishing the orange, Li Jie casually placed the peel back on the table. Then he activated the time reversal spell again.
Golden light shimmered around the peel.
Within seconds, the orange reconstructed itself, reversing the process of being eaten. The fruit quickly returned to its previous rotten state—the exact condition it had been in when Li Jie first found it.
Magic truly was extraordinary, and time magic was even more incredible than he had imagined.
Now that he had mastered the basic technique, Li Jie decided to attempt something more ambitious. Using the Eye of Agamotto as a focus, he combined time magic with the artifact's unique power to observe different points along the timeline.
In simple terms, he was attempting to do exactly what Doctor Strange had done—peek into the past and possible futures.
Images began to form in front of him.
He saw Loki and several mutated superheroes arriving at the London Temple through a teleportation portal. Their visit was brief, and it was obvious that Loki had little interest in the magical artifacts stored there. As the adopted son of Odin and one of Asgard's most powerful sorcerers, Loki had likely seen far greater treasures back in Asgard.
After leaving the temple, Loki led his group to King's Cross Station.
From there, they boarded a train.
And the train was heading toward the hidden wizarding world.
The images continued unfolding before Li Jie's eyes.
He saw a platform concealed between two ordinary platforms—Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He saw the train carrying its strange passengers toward a distant castle.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
And there was another figure waiting there.
Voldemort.
Li Jie suddenly grabbed a nearby glass of water and drank it in one long gulp, breathing heavily as the vision faded.
"So that's it…"
Loki had stolen the Darkhold from Kamar-Taj. But instead of keeping it for himself, he had delivered it to Voldemort.
Voldemort was already the most dangerous dark wizard in Britain. If he gained the power of the Darkhold, the consequences would be unimaginable.
From the visions Li Jie had seen, it appeared that Loki and Voldemort were cooperating.
But Li Jie suspected the truth was more complicated.
Loki was the god of mischief and deception, one of the most skilled manipulators in existence. It was far more likely that he was using Voldemort rather than working as an equal partner.
Through the Eye of Agamotto, Li Jie had witnessed Loki personally handing the Darkhold to Voldemort.
Of course, that was only one possible future.
But it was a future that needed to be prevented.
"Loki has to be stopped," Li Jie muttered.
He activated his communicator and contacted the three clowns, ordering them to meet him immediately at King's Cross Station.
Fortunately, the Joker, Bane, and Scarecrow were already searching nearby districts, so they reached the station quickly. By the time they arrived, Li Jie had already cleared out the few remaining zombies wandering inside the underground station.
"Boss, why did you call us here?" Scarecrow asked, glancing around the empty station with confusion.
"Loki has already gone to Hogwarts," Li Jie replied calmly. "If we want to catch him, we'll need to take the train."
Scarecrow blinked in disbelief.
"London's entire transportation system has collapsed," he said. "Are you seriously telling me we're taking a train to Hogwarts?"
Then he paused and scratched his head.
"Wait… has anyone here actually heard of Hogwarts?"
He turned to the Joker and Bane.
The Joker looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.
"If you're talking about Hogwarts, then you must mean the British wizarding world," he said. "That place is even stranger than Kamar-Taj. You'll see all kinds of creatures there. Some of them are monsters."
"Monsters?" Scarecrow's eyes lit up with excitement. "Do they have dragons?"
"Of course they do," the Joker replied with a grin.
"Dragons!" Scarecrow shouted happily. "When I was a kid, I always dreamed of becoming a dragon hunter. Looks like my dream might finally come true!"
Li Jie chuckled softly.
"I hope you still feel that way when you actually meet one."
He then turned and began walking toward the brick pillar separating Platform Nine and Platform Ten.
"Careful!" Scarecrow called out nervously.
But Li Jie didn't slow down. He walked straight into the solid brick wall—and vanished.
Scarecrow froze.
"Oh my god," he whispered, rubbing his eyes. "Am I hallucinating?"
"Stop being dramatic," the Joker said, kicking him lightly in the backside. "We're dealing with magicians. Nothing they do follows normal logic."
The kick sent Scarecrow stumbling forward.
"Hey—!"
He crashed directly into the pillar.
Instead of hitting solid brick, his body passed through it.
When Scarecrow opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on a completely different platform.
Li Jie was already waiting there, and the distant sound of a train whistle echoed through the air.
Moments later, a steam train rolled into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The doors slid open, and several men wearing black wizard robes stepped out. Their bodies were decayed, and each of them carried a magic wand.
The zombie wizards immediately spotted Li Jie and charged.
A flash of steel cut through the air.
Bane stepped forward with his massive axe and cleaved the leading zombie clean in half. With several brutal swings, he eliminated the rest in seconds.
"Don't waste time," Li Jie said calmly. "Get on the train."
He boarded the train first.
The Joker and Scarecrow quickly followed.
Gunshots echoed through the carriages as the remaining zombies inside were eliminated. Moments later, the doors shut, the engine roared, and the train began moving again, gliding across the tracks like something from a dream.
Eventually, the train arrived at its destination.
Hogwarts.
When Li Jie stepped onto the platform, the first thing he noticed was a sleek black cat sitting calmly nearby.
Even stranger, the zombies scattered around the station were all huddled in corners, trembling as if terrified of the cat.
"What's going on here?" Scarecrow muttered.
He stared at the cat suspiciously.
"Is that thing a zombie too?"
He raised his gun and aimed at the animal.
Before he could pull the trigger, the black cat suddenly moved.
It leapt through the air with incredible speed, kicked the gun out of Scarecrow's hand, and then delivered a swift kick directly to his face.
"Ah!"
Scarecrow collapsed onto the ground, clutching his nose.
"I'm injured! I'm injured!"
The black cat landed gracefully and glared at the group, its fur standing on end as it hissed.
At that moment, a lively fish suddenly dropped onto the ground.
The cat immediately pinned it under one paw and looked up.
Li Jie lowered his hand.
"Stop embarrassing yourself," he said, kicking Scarecrow lightly. "Can't you see those zombies are only staying still because they're under her control?"
Then he bowed politely.
"Please enjoy the fish, Professor McGonagall," Li Jie said with a smile. "If it isn't enough, I have more."
The cat's fur relaxed.
It lowered its head and began eating the fish calmly.
Scarecrow stared in shock.
"Oh my god," he said. "Boss… it understands you!"
"Of course it does," Li Jie replied. "She's the headmistress of Hogwarts and one of the most powerful witches here."
The black cat finished eating and began licking its paw.
Scarecrow looked even more confused.
"Wait… the headmaster of Hogwarts is a cat?"
Li Jie nodded calmly.
"She's a master of Transfiguration. This is simply one of her forms."
Scarecrow straightened his clothes and stepped forward respectfully.
"Respected Headmistress McGonagall," he said seriously. "I believe I possess extraordinary magical talent. Do you think I could become a powerful wizard?"
The cat looked up.
"Muggle."
Scarecrow blinked.
"What does that mean?"
Li Jie shrugged.
"I believe she's telling you that you'll never become a wizard."
Scarecrow paused, then waved dismissively.
"Whatever."
After finishing her meal, Professor McGonagall turned and led them outside the station toward an old brown vintage car.
The moment everyone climbed in, the car suddenly lifted off the ground and shot forward through the air at incredible speed.
Scarecrow hurriedly fastened his seatbelt.
"Li," McGonagall said while calmly licking her paw, "thank you for coming."
"You know who I am?" Li Jie asked.
"Of course," she replied. "Doctor Strange showed me your photograph."
Li Jie sighed quietly.
"If he knew I was coming, he could've warned me earlier."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Professor McGonagall, what's the situation here?"
Her voice grew serious.
"It's very bad," she said. "Less than one percent of the wizarding population survived the outbreak."
"And Voldemort has taken control of Hogwarts."
Li Jie nodded slowly.
In an apocalypse like this, villains often had the highest survival rate.
"Have you seen Loki?" he asked.
"I saw him from a distance," McGonagall replied. "But I didn't approach him. He's extremely powerful."
Li Jie thought for a moment.
"If Loki and Voldemort fought each other, who would win?"
"That's difficult to say," she answered.
"But if Voldemort truly masters the Darkhold, then I believe he would win without question."
Before Li Jie could respond, Scarecrow suddenly shouted from the back seat.
"Look! Is that a dragon?"
A massive three-headed dragon was flying toward them with its wings spread wide. The middle head opened its jaws and launched a blazing fireball straight at the flying car.
"Watch out!" Scarecrow screamed.
The car performed a sharp aerial turn, but the fireball still grazed the rear end, sending the vehicle spiraling out of control.
"Brace for impact!" McGonagall shouted.
The car smashed through several trees before finally crashing to the ground.
Bane kicked the door open and climbed out, dragging Scarecrow behind him.
The Joker crawled out on the opposite side and looked up at the sky.
"That three-headed monster is coming back for us," he said calmly.
He glanced at Scarecrow.
"Didn't you say you wanted to be a dragon hunter?"
"Now's your chance."
Scarecrow emptied his gun into the dragon.
The bullets did absolutely nothing.
"I think we should find somewhere to hide," he muttered nervously.
Li Jie gently set the black cat on the ground.
"Professor McGonagall, please wait here."
Then he launched himself into the air.
Another massive fireball streaked toward him, but Li Jie raised a magical shield and blocked the attack effortlessly.
He flew forward and delivered a crushing punch directly into the dragon's head.
The blow carried the full strength of the Hulk.
The dragon immediately lost balance and plummeted toward the ground.
Even while falling, one of its heads twisted around and tried to bite Li Jie from behind.
Li Jie answered with another punch.
Blood sprayed through the air.
A massive tooth nearly half a person's height slammed into the ground with a loud thud.
Scarecrow rushed over excitedly and touched the warm tooth.
"Hey!" he shouted. "How much do you think this would sell for?"
"Maybe I can make a dragon tooth necklace!"
The Joker and Bane both stared at him in disgust.
"No taste," they said.
Scarecrow snorted and tried to pull the tooth out of the ground.
After two failed attempts, he gave up.
"This thing's too big to carry."
Since they had already come all the way to the wizarding world, he wanted to find something far more valuable to take home.
A moment later, Li Jie returned and pointed behind him.
"I talked to that dragon," he said calmly. "He's agreed to take us to Hogwarts."
Behind him, the battered three-headed dragon shuffled forward and knelt obediently in front of Li Jie.
The Joker and Bane exchanged a look.
Sometimes, communication through fists really was the most effective method.
....
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