The air around him solidified in an instant, wrapping him tightly and pushing him forward. Time and movement became extremely slow. He watched in horror as the man ran straight into his chest. Nothing could slow down the force of the crash. His ribs creaked as if he had been hit by a sledgehammer.
He groaned, but the man who was suppressing him did not allow him to dodge and pushed him forward with all his might. He crashed into the maze's tree wall. The branches pierced his skin, and his body seemed to be torn apart. The pain spread through his body, making him feel as if he had crashed into a meat grinder.
A few seconds later, the two of them passed through the hedge.
Hoffa touched the wound on his chest with trembling fingers. When he raised his fingertips and saw the blood dripping from them, his golden eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Mille …?"
Passing through the dense vines and branches, Hoffa, who was stuck on the maze's wall, looked at the man who was pressing down on him and cried out in shock.
Although he had the same appearance as Alastor Moody, his ferocious aura and his flying skills were definitely not something that Alastor Moody could possess. Without a doubt, he was Miller, the one who had protected him when he left.
But at this moment, his only eye was almost completely covered by the white of his eye. His pupil had shrunk to a small dot, and the area around his eye was charred black. He looked extremely ruthless.
"Mille, what did Grindelwald do to you?"
Seeing him like this, Hoffa was burning with anxiety.
The man in front of him did not answer. He lifted Hoffa up without any explanation. A ball of flame surrounded his arm, and in the blink of an eye, the flame burned all over Hoffa's body. The high temperature swallowed him up.
Looking at his former friend who looked like he was about to eat him, Hoffa did not dare to be careless. He immediately entered Ghost Walk and disappeared from Mille's hand.
Mille grabbed nothing and retracted the raging flame. He turned it into a firebird and kept flying around his arm. At the same time, dozens of ice shards appeared on his other arm, and they danced around his arm.
He counted vigilantly and coldly. "Ten, nine, eight, seven …"
Ten seconds passed.
Hoffa left Ghost Walk and looked at Mille from afar. He shouted, "Wake up, it's me. Look carefully, I'm your good friend!"
"You don't have any good friends." Mille's voice was bone-chilling.
He could speak …
Hoffa crossed his arms, and his heart sank. Mille was originally a part of Grindelwald's spirit, but after being subtly influenced by Miranda for so many years, he had changed a lot. However, no one knew what happened after he met Grindelwald. If Mille wanted to kill him again, with his current ability, he was definitely not his opponent.
"You abandoned your friends with your own hands."
Mille pointed with one hand.
In the blink of an eye, the ice sheet in his hand turned into a huge snowstorm. The snowstorm engulfed Hoffa, blowing him so hard that he almost lost his balance. The icicles turned into a meat grinder, almost tearing him apart. The blood mist dyed the white blizzard red.
In the snowstorm, Hoffa put his palms together.
Boom!!
The stones on the ground rose high, forming stone cages one after another, trapping Mille in them. Then, Hoffa clenched his fists, and the stones turned into steel. Mille was wrapped in a solid steel cube.
However, in less than two seconds, the steel cube turned yellow.
Bang!!
The cube was burned into molten iron. Mille stepped out of the molten iron and stretched out his hand. The snowstorm behind Hoffa turned into an ice giant and grabbed him.
"Are you trying to use the method you used to restrain my sister to restrain me? Bach, this old trick won't work after 50 years."
After saying that, the ice giant's body burned with blue flames. The flames burned directly into Hoffa's bone marrow, almost burning him to ashes.
"Miranda!?"
Hoffa, who was wrapped in flames, suddenly looked behind Mille and revealed an ecstatic expression. "Why are you here?"
Mille, who had a fierce expression, was stunned and couldn't help but look back.
In the moment of distraction, Hoffa broke the ice giant's fingers with his feet and broke free from its control. He quickly distanced himself from Mille and disappeared from his sight.
Mille, who realized that he had been tricked, turned around and raised his hand to snap his fingers. The ice giant and firebird disappeared at the same time, and a thick gray fog spread around him.
Hoffa ran quickly, trying to distance himself from the fog. He didn't dare to touch the fog. Years of magic experience told him that it was definitely Mille's detection magic. As long as he touched the fog, he would be detected by Mille like a flying insect falling into a spider's web.
However, his speed was not fast because of the Blood Decay Potion. Moreover, the maze was very strange. Sometimes he would run forward, but if he took a few turns, he would run backward.
While the huge maze confused Mille's direction, it also confused his own direction. Not long after, the surging gray fog behind him chased after him.
Ten minutes later, he was getting closer and closer to the fog controlled by Mille.
Seeing that he was about to be touched by it, the situation became more and more critical.
Suddenly.
Something suddenly reached out from the hedge of the maze and grabbed his arm, making him unable to move. He looked down and saw that it was a huge lion's claw that grew out from the wall of the maze that grabbed his arm.
What?
Without waiting for Hoffa to be puzzled for a second.
Whoosh!
The sharp claw pulled him and pulled him heavily towards the hedge. Then the plants that made up the maze opened to both sides and he was dragged into the maze.
Just as he was dragged into the trees, a thick fog swept past the place where he had just been standing.
Dense and sharp branches and vines swept past his face. He had to close his eyes to prevent something from poking his eyes.
Whoosh!
He went in as quickly as he came out. He passed through the hedge of the maze.
Bah! Bah!
Hoffa spat out the leaves and fingers stuck in his mouth. After making sure that there were no branches that could poke his eyes, he opened his eyes.
He appeared in an open space in the maze. This open space was circular, different from the square maze outside. The moonlight shone down from the sky, making this place look quite open.
What was even more strange was that in the middle of this circular open space sat a strange-looking creature.
Its body was like a terrifyingly large lion, but it had a woman's head. It had a high nose and long almond-shaped eyes. From a human's point of view, it was a beautiful woman with an exotic charm.
But it was only limited to the upper body.
Its lower body was completely that of a lion, but it had huge claws on its lower body. The sharp lion claws on the claws shone under the moonlight. It was daunting. There was a tuft of hair at the tip of the yellow tail that kept swinging.
It was a Sphinx.
Hoffa recognized this creature. In the original work, Harry had also met it and was asked a riddle by this guy. However, he did not expect to be saved by a Sphinx. What did it want? Did it want him to guess a riddle?
"Oh, hi."
The Sphinx lay on the ground, like a resting lioness. It asked in a strange and ethereal voice, "How do you feel?"
"It hurts a little …"
Hoffa muttered and patted the branches on his arm. "Where is this?"
"In the maze, of course," the Sphinx replied. It shrugged. "You already know the answer."
"Who let you in?"
Hoffa could not help but ask. The appearance of this creature was really strange.
"Who let me in?"
The Sphinx asked.
"Yes, is it Grindelwald? Or other wizards? "
"Oh, you mean my master?"
The Sphinx shook its head. "There are many monsters in the maze, man-made, natural, foreign, and local, but I am not. I am free. "
"You are not?"
Hoffa looked at the Sphinx. Indeed, it looked very relaxed.
"Of course not. I am a monster in the maze. My relationship with the maze is like a pond and a fish. As long as there is a maze, I will be there. It doesn't matter if it is a man-made maze or a natural one. I like mazes. Here, I can find the value of my existence. "
The Sphinx said, "But of course, ordinary people don't have the chance to see me. They are too stupid. Meeting them will lower my intelligence.
But occasionally, one or two smart guys will come in. At that time, I will talk to them and ask them some questions. If the person's answer does not satisfy me, I will eat them. "
After that, the walls of the labyrinth made of vegetation rustled again. Another person barged in. He was tall and wore a brown, hairy cloak. He had an aquiline nose, sinister eyes, and his hands hung over his knees.
It was Viktor Krum.
Another contestant for the Top Three Tournament.
"Hey, who are you?"
Viktor Krum stumbled and got up. He shouted at Hoffa in half-baked English, "Is this the monster you raised?"
The Sphinx looked at Hoffa. "Do you know him?"
Hoffa nodded slowly.
"But he doesn't seem to know you."
The Sphinx laughed. "Do you think he is wise but stupid? Or is he all brawn and no brains?"
Hoffa did not answer this question. Although he had a rough idea of the answer, Krum had already pulled out his wand and looked very alert.
The Sphinx turned around and looked at Wickeldo Krum. "Hey, young man from the north, tell me — what is the thing that is always smiling, what is the thing that never sleeps, what is the thing that wears borrowed clothes and accompanies you for half your life?"
Viktor Krum pointed his wand at the Sphinx and said loudly, "Only by defeating you can I pass this place. Is the trophy behind you?"
"Answer my question, young man."
The Sphinx said lazily.
"Shatter them all!"
Viktor Krum waved his wand. A magic spell surged out from his wand, but it disappeared when it touched the Sphinx's body.
The Sphinx flicked his finger silently. Then, like a lioness preying on a gazelle, he pounced on Viktor Krum. He was so fast that Hoffa could not react in time. Viktor Krum, who was still waving his wand, was lifted up by his leg and flipped upside down in the blink of an eye. His wand was flung away. It rolled to Hoffa's feet.
"You did not answer my question."
The Sphinx shook the leg of the legendary ball seeker and pressed his face against it.
"Do you know the answer to the riddle?"
"Monster …"
Krum hung upside down and stared at the Sphinx angrily. His eyes looked like they could spit fire.
"Looks like you don't know. You don't look like someone who likes to use his brain."
The Sphinx sniffed Viktor Krum's leg as if it was smelling some delicious food. "How sturdy. You must be delicious …"
Then, it opened its mouth. Its lips, which were as soft as a young woman's, opened wider and wider, revealing its unusually sharp teeth. It was like a real lion. In the end, it was so big that it could stuff Viktor Krum's head into its mouth.
This time, Viktor Krum's face turned pale. His teeth chattered, but he did not say a word.
"Moon."
A voice came from below and interrupted the Sphinx's cannibalism. It was stunned and lowered its head in displeasure.
Hoffa looked at Viktor Krum worriedly. He took a step forward and said again, "Moon."
"That's an accurate answer, but that's not your question."
The Sphinx lifted the young man and said coldly, "Those who answer the riddle incorrectly will be eaten by me and disappear in the maze. That's the rule."
"That's first come, first served. I came first," Hoffa said. "Why don't you respect me and ask him a question first?"
The Sphinx was stunned. It looked at Hoffa strangely. The man and beast looked at each other for a while. In the end, the Sphinx relied on its eyes and its mouth returned to normal.
"Looks like I can't … You're right. I have a more important guest now …"
It raised its huge lion claw and threw Viktor Krum out of the circular maze as if it was throwing trash.
Then, the Sphinx straightened its claws and stood up solemnly, just like its famous statue in Egypt. Its voice turned from an ethereal female voice to a rumbling roar.
"Years have passed, as a servant,
Since I first met Hera of Mount Ida,
Wandering in the maze of Zagreos.
Enduring her dark and vicious curses,
Finished the feast of her bleeding red,
Holding high the sacred flame of wisdom and knowledge,
I'm finally free,
Named after the priest Sphinx who held the codex,
Villains and hypocrites, I can see through at a glance,
The incompetent and the immoral have nowhere to hide from my eyes,
If someone can solve my riddle,
Then I'll give him a little help,
But only a true hero has the right to answer my question. "
It flicked its sharp lion claw and used its scimitar-like claws to gently draw a line from Hoffa's chin to his heart. It licked its lips and asked, "Are you?"
"What are you going to ask me?"
Hoffa took a step back and avoided the Sphinx's sharp claws. He asked sarcastically, "Four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?"
"Hahahahaha!"
The Sphinx laughed happily. Its voice was very pleasant.
"As everyone knows, I asked Oedipus this question, but that's only one of the thousands of questions I have. In fact, everyone's questions are different. You're not Oedipus, so I won't ask you the same question as him. "
"Then come at me."
Hoffa shrugged confidently. "I'm Ravenclaw. No riddle in the world can stop me."
"Of course, I know the rules of your academy."
The Sphinx's eyes shone with a mischievous light. "So I don't intend to let you off with a simple riddle like I did with Oedipus or anyone else."
"Oh?" Hoffa raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Then what do you want to ask me?"
The Sphinx moved slowly. It circled Hoffa elegantly and looked him up and down.
"I want to ask you, why do people build things like mazes? Take a guess. "
"Why do people build mazes? Of course, it's to trap people inside," Hoffa said matter-of-factly.
"Why do you want to trap people in mazes?"
The Sphinx asked again, "If you want to trap people, why don't you just make a cage?"
The question became difficult. Hoffa frowned. He rubbed his chin in front of the Sphinx and pondered for a long time. He stopped and said slowly, "It's too direct.
And … if it's a cage, people outside can see it. If it's a maze, people outside can't see it. Or rather, it's hard to see it. "
"So?"
The Sphinx lay on the ground and looked at him with a smile.
"So what's locked in a maze is something that can't be seen by people outside. It's something shameful. It can't be seen by people outside, and it can't be let out. "
Hoffa said slowly, his tone becoming more and more solemn.
"Quite an accurate summary."
The Sphinx licked its claws. "But what exactly is a shameful thing? There's nothing new under the sun. In this world, it doesn't seem strange that anything can happen. "
"Crime."
Hoffa thought for a moment and replied, "Society generally isolates criminals with prisons and cages.
However, if the culprit wanted to hide his crime, he would build a maze instead of a cage. Because they don't want their crimes to be seen by others. "
"Very close. The Sphinx immediately asked," But what exactly is a crime? "
"My mother was Eccadena," he said, smiling, "and my father was her son, Otseus, the two-headed dog, in the days when I was born. What they did seemed normal to the people of that time.
But today, it's almost the act of a lunatic. "
After a pause, the Sphinx said, "Five thousand years ago, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and violence for violence were the norm. Murderers were respected, but now killing is forbidden.
Five hundred years ago, under the control of the Church, drinking in this land was a crime. But now, you can buy alcohol everywhere.
A hundred years ago, it was normal for women all over the world to marry at the age of fifteen. But now, it's a crime to marry a fifteen-year-old.
So, may I ask this smart Ravenclaw, what exactly is a crime and what is a shameful thing? "
The questions became more and more acute, and the Sphinx pressed on. Hoffa's forehead was sweating. He frowned and thought for a long time before replying.
"Different times have different rules. That is a product of the times and the environment. You can't apply the time of the past to the present. That itself violates the law of time. It's too one-sided."
"Aren't the rules a lie?"
The Sphinx laughed softly with a mocking expression.
Crack!
Hoffa's eyes suddenly widened. He took a step back as if he had been struck by lightning.
The Sphinx's words lifted the veil of shame in his heart. For a moment, countless broken images flashed in front of him. It was the moon on the Black Lake fifty years ago, the madness of the Void Dragon and the Grindelwald, and the reckless self-destruction.
But in the blink of an eye, he thought of Aglaia and Chloe, the God of Nightmares, the Death Mysterious Realm, and what he had promised others.
He looked at the Sphinx's almond-like eyes and understood something. Finally, he shook his head and said, "No, the rules are not a lie."
"Oh? I'd like to hear more. "
The Sphinx showed a curious look.
Hoffa walked a few steps on the ground with his hands behind his back. He raised his head and said, "No matter when and where, the rules will exist. The moment the old rules are broken, new rules will be born. Even in the most barbaric times, there is the law of the jungle. Even in the most primitive time and space, there is death and new life. Even in the most chaotic universe, there is a beginning and an end. What drives the planets, what controls the tongues of lightning, and what controls birth, old age, sickness, and death? Those are the rules.
If you ask me, the rules are not a lie. The rules are the rules. The rules are the most powerful force in the world. "
The Sphinx lay down and supported his head with his claws.
"But isn't it very free without the rules? Isn't it very pleasant to break the rules?"
"But the consequences will create a lot of monsters."
Hoffa looked at the Sphinx and said, "Just like you."
The Sphinx snorted and said, "So now you know how to uphold the rules?"
"I've been blinded by nothingness before, but that's right, I know how to do it" he said without hesitation.
"I'm satisfied. Humph!"
In the night, the Sphinx laughed in a very strange voice. He propped himself up and put his huge lion claws on Hoffa's body.
A huge amount of magic power flowed, and a fierce wind blew, rustling the bushes in the maze and making the leaves dance wildly.
Tiny light spots seeped out of Hoffa's body. Those were tiny mist, which was the Septic Potion that Nicole Lemay injected into his body.
Under the moonlight, the wounds on Hoffa's body quickly healed, and a huge and sharp aura rose in the maze. Under the effect of the aura, the moonlight was dyed red, and it became a real blood moon.
After helping Hoffa remove the Septic Potion from his body, the Sphinx made way for him, bowed and said, "You are a real warrior. Go and find the secret in the maze."
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