125: Unbreakable Boundary

Money really blinds individuals, huh?

Ivan waved his left hand, grabbing a goblin nearby with an effortless flick of his wrist.

"You!"

"What are you going to do?!"

"Let me go, you robber—!" 

The old goblin's incessant chatter grated on Ivan's nerves. He sighed inwardly, thinking, These ugly little creatures—can't they assess the situation?

I could kill you at any moment—

Yet you're shouting so loudly. Are you truly unafraid of death?

Given the circumstances, the best way to silence him would be to use the Imperius Curse, to wrench the goblin's will from its body.

But Ivan was not inclined to resort to such extremes—not immediately, at least. He didn't often use the Unforgivable Curses.

Apart from a few forays into the darker arts, he had only dabbled lightly in most of them.

It was difficult to resist the allure of black magic. Only by touching it directly could one understand its undeniable, almost unspeakable pull.

Some might argue that power is neutral—neither inherently good nor evil, but rather defined by how it's used.

But Ivan dismissed such notions as naive and overly simplistic.

Power, much like black magic, was a double-edged sword. To deny the inherent dangers of such forces was foolish.

It's like saying feces can be used as fertilizer. Sure, it's true—but no one can deny that it's still filthy.

The same principle applied to black magic.

It amplified the darkness within a person, tempting them further into its grasp. And the deeper one ventured, the harder it became to pull back.

This principle does not change simply because Ivan is more powerful than other wizards.

The corruptive influence of black magic is proportional to one's strength.

The stronger Ivan is, the greater the temptation and influence he can feel from it.

If there ever comes a day when Ivan realizes he has been consumed by black magic, it will already be too late.

Thus, until he gains sufficient willpower to resist the erosion of black magic, Ivan resolutely avoids delving into dark magic with significant side effects.

"What are thinking you robber!!?"

"Sigh, let me show you my creation." Ivan smiled.

"What—?"

"Shock the Mind!"

That said, avoiding black magic does not mean Ivan is powerless to handle such situations.

The core of the three Unforgivable Curses lies in using negative emotions as fuel to inflict irreversible harm on others.

Ivan detests this kind of magic—spells that harm both the target and the caster.

To circumvent this, Ivan has developed numerous alternative spells, some even rivaling the Unforgivable Curses in potency.

For example, his "Shock the Mind" spell is inspired by the Dream Dimension. Its primary effect is to plunge the consciousness of its target into a deep, dreamlike sleep.

Meanwhile, the target's body remains active, entering a state similar to sleepwalking.

Because of this unique characteristic, Ivan refers to it as the Sleepwalking Curse.

The Sleepwalking Curse's effect bears similarities to the Imperius Curse, though it lacks the latter's flexibility.

For one, determining whether someone is under the Imperius Curse can be difficult, as the cursed individual can function and behave like a normal person.

In contrast, a person under the influence of the Sleepwalking Curse is visibly affected.

Their expression is vacant, and their behavior is noticeably unnatural. They obey the caster's commands robotically, like a puppet, making it obvious that they are under a spell.

You don't need negative emotions to control someone's mind.

The minor drawbacks are obvious, Ivan mused. But when faced with overwhelming advantages, a few flaws are negligible.

"You can operate the vault tracks at Gringotts, right?" Ivan asked.

"Yes,"

"Good. Take me to the underground vaults," Ivan ordered.

The old goblin wasted no time, scurrying ahead to lead the way.

Along the route, a few goblins dared to hurl insults at Ivan. Without hesitation, he flicked his wand, sending a few spells their way and knocking them to the ground effortlessly.

"By the way," Ivan muttered to himself, his thoughts shifting.

He suddenly remembered the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic who were undoubtedly on their way.

"Ultimate Guardian!"

Ivan's wand materialized in his hand. This time, he chose not to rely on wandless casting. Instead, he unleashed his full strength.

A barrier came to life similar to the one casted in the movie to defend Hogwarts from the death eaters.

Gasp!

A collective intake of breath filled the hall as an immense wave of magic surged forth, expanding rapidly. In moments, the entire structure of Gringotts was encased in a shimmering, impenetrable barrier.

"What is this?!"

Outside Gringotts, the Auror team, led by Dawlish, stood stunned, staring at the dazzling magical barrier that now enveloped the building.

"Ultimate Guardian?" someone murmured in recognition. "Such an advanced spell… who could the intruder possibly be?"

In this era, the Ultimate Guardian spell was primarily used as a foundational enchantment, binding together multiple protective wards to create a unified, nearly impenetrable magical barrier.

But this situation was different.

"Wait," Kingsley Shacklebolt said, his voice laced with disbelief. "You're telling me there's only one intruder in there?"

Kingsley turned to his subordinates, his gaze sharp. "Are you certain?"

"The information provided by the goblins is as follows," one of the Aurors reported. They had attempted to establish contact with Gringotts, but Ivan had already severed all communication between the inside and the outside.

Even the Floo Network had been disabled, leaving no opportunity to exploit potential loopholes.

"How is that even possible..." Kingsley muttered, staring at the dazzling magic barrier before him. There was no need to test it—its power was evident. The sheer intensity of the magic was nothing short of terrifying.

Anyone reckless enough to step into it would undoubtedly be reduced to ashes by the barrier's energy.

"Let's attack it together and break it by force!" Dawlish barked, unable to comprehend Kingsley's hesitation. "It's just a barrier, after all. Magic cast by a single wizard!"

He gestured to the assembled Aurors. There were at least twenty of them present.

The idea that one man could stop them with a mere barrier was, to Dawlish, absurd.

Who did this intruder think he was?

Dumbledore? Or the Dark Lord?

Boom!

Swish!

With that, beams of magical energy shot forth from the tips of the Aurors' wands, colliding directly with the barrier.

However...

Despite the onslaught, the only reaction from the barrier was an intensification of its glow. The spells simply made the shimmering shield even brighter.

But that was it.

The barrier didn't weaken, crack, or falter in the slightest.

It remained perfectly intact and utterly unshakable.

"This is impossible!" Dawlish exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. His understanding of magical defenses was crumbling before his eyes. "What kind of Ultimate Protection is this casted by just a single wizard? How can it be this strong?!"

You had twenty adult wizards on the scene, attacking together.

So many people, wielding such immense magical power.

And yet—no effect?

The sheer disparity between the two sides was unfathomable.

"It's not completely ineffective," Kingsley observed, his sharp eyes catching subtle changes in the barrier.

He pointed out faint scorch marks in certain areas of the shield. The originally pale gold and white surface now had small red spots—clear evidence of the wizards' previous assault.

"Keep attacking!" Kingsley commanded.

That was the strength of wizards: they didn't rely on a finite supply of magic like some magical creatures did.

As long as they could endure the strain, they could continue casting spells indefinitely—hours on end, if necessary.

"My fellow Aurors! This barrier isn't invincible," Kingsley added firmly.

"We did manage to damage it, but the damage is minimal."

Despite his confident tone, a flicker of doubt crossed Kingsley's face.

He had quickly calculated what it would take to break through the barrier. By his estimate, even with twenty skilled wizards attacking in unison, it would require continuous bombardment for at least thirty minutes.

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