"Your Excellency, this is Artemis."
Seeing Wayne standing here completely unscathed, and even having the leisure to watch Ravenclaw and Slytherin's battle, Athena immediately understood the fate of Zeus and the others.
While a great weight was lifted from her heart, she also grew more respectful towards him.
The young woman beside her also nodded at Wayne. "Hello, Lord Lawrence."
Athena's beauty was more intellectual, carrying a touch of androgynous valour.
Artemis, on the other hand, possessed the wild beauty of the wilderness and beasts, brimming with youthful vitality that stirred a desire to conquer in anyone who saw her.
Bloody hell.
Wayne's expression gradually turned peculiar. "This Goddess of the Hunt... seems a bit young, doesn't she?"
Artemis lowered her head somewhat sheepishly, and it was Athena who answered his question:
"Indeed, she is only twenty-three this year. The previous Artemis was her mother, and also my good friend, but due to a conflict with Hera..."
Athena didn't continue, and Wayne grasped the general course of events.
It was nothing more than being killed by Hera, with her daughter entrusted to Athena's care.
He was more interested in the Olympian succession method. Under his perception, this Artemis wasn't weak, possessing magical power comparable to the old Dumbledore's level.
Since the divine realm was about to be destroyed anyway, Athena held nothing back and revealed all of Olympus's secrets.
Just as the group was conversing pleasantly, the battle in the sky reached its conclusion.
The Helm of Hades was knocked away, revealing Slytherin's incredulous face, now covered in cracks.
"You... why are you so strong?" Slytherin's voice was extremely weak, blood trickling from his mouth as he spoke.
"Because I had better luck than you." Ravenclaw's statement of fact struck him as absurd.
"Luck?"
"The very emotions you scorn gave me the greatest support," Ravenclaw revealed, with a breathtaking smile. "It was Wayne who helped me find myself, and it was he who aided me in reaching this point."
"In the future, we will accompany each other for countless years, while you..." Her beautiful eyes glinted with killing intent. "You, Salazar, shall become one of the ten foundation stones paving the way for the new world!"
Before Slytherin could comprehend what this 'new world' meant, Ravenclaw's final killing move descended.
Her Domain was related to the mind, capable of accelerating her own thought processes, dulling her enemy's senses, and even halting their thoughts, turning them into living corpses.
In his severely wounded state, Slytherin had no power to resist. Under the Domain's intimidation, his mind and body completely disconnected, leaving him only able to watch as silver threads of magical power transformed into a cocoon, tightly enveloping him before he sank into slumber.
Having resolved a millennium-long obsession, Grace lingered in the void for a long time before finally showing a relieved expression and returning to the ground.
No sooner had she descended than she saw Wayne making Artemis giggle, her ample bosom threatening to burst out of her leather attire.
Her face immediately darkened.
'I was up there fighting a formidable enemy, and you're down here flirting with girls.'
'I'll definitely make you wear women's makeup once we get back.'
"Here."
Delivering the 'cocoon' containing Slytherin to Wayne's side, Grace also sized up Artemis.
Compared to Athena, this woman indeed posed a greater threat.
She was exactly Wayne's type.
"You didn't kill him?" Wayne was somewhat surprised, sensing the weak but present life force within the cocoon.
"Killing him outright would be too merciful. Use him for a live sacrifice directly."
Wayne: "..."
Indeed, one should never offend women. When they turn ruthless, men become irrelevant.
"Clean up the scene thoroughly, seal all assets and inheritances. I'll send people to collect them," Wayne instructed Athena. He had many matters to attend to and left the divine realm with Grace after speaking.
Morgan was dumbfounded.
Wait, can't you see me standing right here?
...
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed since Ragnarok.
With the fall of the gods, the so-called Ancient Wizard Alliance completely collapsed. Wizards remaining in the divine realm were attacked almost simultaneously, with only a handful of lucky ones either on external missions or escaping during the chaos managing to avoid disaster.
But temporary escape doesn't mean permanent safety.
None of the escapees was powerful enough to pose a threat. Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Andros alone were sufficient to handle any trouble.
The difficulty in managing ancient wizards had always stemmed from the authorities' lack of information about them - they never knew where the enemies might emerge from.
Wayne had no intention of complete extermination either. Ancient wizards generally possessed a higher quality than modern wizards. Keeping them could both serve as motivation and increase the Ministry of Magic's available personnel.
The wizarding world was about to experience a baby boom. Over the next decade, the global wizard population would multiply several times, even dozens of times. Manpower would be needed everywhere.
If nothing else, just the fifty magic schools built by the Alliance and the thirty schools already constructed by the Tribe would require thousands of sufficiently qualified teachers.
Therefore, Wayne gave a one-month deadline: any ancient wizard who registered voluntarily would have their past records wiped clean, provided they hadn't committed serious crimes like murder or bank robbery, and could become law-abiding citizens of the Alliance again.
But those who resisted stubbornly would be subject to immediate execution upon capture, whether by Muggles or wizards, without trial.
No one dared openly oppose the decree issued by Wayne in his capacity as the God Among Men. Both Muggle governments and various Ministries of Magic pledged strict implementation of his policies.
Within just ten days, nearly eighty thousand ancient wizards emerged from various hiding places, representing about sixty percent of the total population. By the final day of the month-long deadline, this number had reached one hundred thirty thousand.
The remaining wizards either had criminal records or believed they could hide forever in remote wilderness areas, thinking someone of Wayne's stature wouldn't bother hunting them specifically.
While he indeed wouldn't focus energy on trivial matters, that didn't mean Grindelwald and Andros wouldn't.
Dumbledore had originally been conscripted for the task, too, but after some unknown arrangement with Grindelwald, the latter took over all responsibilities while Dumbledore remained in London, enjoying his retirement.
Curious, Wayne went to Dumbledore for gossip, but received only an enigmatic smile in response.
...
September 1st marked the annual start of the school term.
King's Cross Station became London's busiest spot today, nearly bursting at the seams with crowds.
A massive crowd gathered outside Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, craning their necks to catch a glimpse. The Ministry of Magic officials merely held them back, leaving a passage for new students to pass through without further interference.
Every time a student entered the platform, exclamations erupted, and many eyes shone with envy.
Many people claimed to resist wizards.
But when given the chance to possess supernatural power, who would honestly refuse?
On the other side of the platform, young witches and wizards gasped at the sleek, futuristic new Hogwarts Express, and many parents accompanying their children curiously boarded to take a look.
The old Hogwarts Express, though clean and tidy, had outdated facilities and cramped spaces.
The new express train had been enchanted with a stable Undetectable Extension Charm throughout, making the interior spacious and bright—capable of accommodating thousands of passengers.
A dining car had been added in the middle, allowing hot meals to be served onboard, sending the badgers into raptures.
The only disappointment was that they did not see Wayne himself aboard this train, named the 'Lawrence'.
Three hours later, the train arrived at Hogsmeade, much to the delight of the older students. In the past, they wouldn't arrive until after dark, but now the sky was still clear and bright.
"Firs'-years! Follow me!"
Hagrid's booming voice directed the new students to follow him to the boats, while the older students boarded the Thestral-drawn carriages back to the school.
Entering the Great Hall, the young witches and wizards finally laid eyes on the most talked-about figure of the summer and the greatest student in the school's history—the Headmaster, Wayne Lawrence.
Wayne smiled as he watched the Sorting Ceremony for the three hundred new students, then announced several decisions.
"Our teaching staff has welcomed new members. Allow me to introduce them."
Wayne gestured towards two beautiful women.
"Lady Athena will become your professor for Ancient Runes, which is a newly introduced compulsory course for all students."
A murmur of discussion broke out among the students, not because of the course, but because of the name Athena.
Wayne noticed their confusion and, without hiding anything, confirmed directly:
"That's right, this is the legendary Goddess of Wisdom, Athena—though she is the third-generation Athena, so no need for alarm."
"And our other new professor also hails from the Olympus Divine Realm, Miss Artemis. She will take over Mr Scamander's position as the professor for Care of Magical Creatures for the lower years..."
The news of two gods becoming professors at Hogwarts caused an uproar, making graduates green with envy.
If they had known that the legendary sorceress Morgan was also at Hogwarts, they might have considered returning to repeat their studies.
Unfortunately, Wayne did not accept repeat students; even if they wanted to return, there was no way.
With no plots or threats looming, the school year passed unusually quickly. Wayne introduced several reforms but did not involve himself in the school's day-to-day affairs.
The most important of these was a daily physical exercise routine, held each morning and evening.
This was a body training technique he had exchanged from the system mall. Persisting with this exercise over a long period could not only greatly enhance a wizard's physical fitness but also slowly improve their magical aptitude.
Although the maximum enhancement cap was only A-grade and required twenty years of persistent training, for students with perseverance but no innate talent, this was already the best gift they could receive.
Meanwhile, Wayne devoted most of his energy to external affairs.
Eighty new magic schools had all opened branches of Celia Store, resulting in massive points income and an equally massive demand for goods.
Fortunately, he had exchanged for a Gardevoir clan from the system mall, allowing his own Gardevoir to no longer be lonely while also gaining twenty additional alchemy masters, thus ensuring a sufficient supply of goods.
Beyond this, Wayne performed two sacrificial rituals, successfully linking to the planes of wind and earth elements and locating their cores. By Christmas Eve, he had connected all four elemental planes to the main plane.
The world's strength of the main plane surged wildly, though it still fell considerably short of becoming a high-tier magic plane capable of birthing Demigods.
World advancement wasn't so simple—estimates suggested it would take several more decades for the main plane to fully digest all its accumulated potential before success could be achieved.
Thus, starting next semester, Hogwarts' outstanding students gained an additional benefit—the ability to form contracts with creatures from the elemental planes to fight for them.
The students were overjoyed. A powerful elemental creature could be even more formidable than themselves—who wouldn't want such allies?
The only requirement was that after graduation, they must sign ten-year employment contracts with either the Ministry of Magic or Wayne's enterprises.
But was this even a condition?
This was practically handing them Galleons!
Many mid-ranking students, seeing such treatment, began studying diligently, hoping to meet Wayne's specified standards.
Hogwarts once again stirred with a wave of intense competition.
And so, Wayne's final year at Hogwarts quietly drew to a close.