Chapter 1288: Flight and Duel
Chapter 1288: Flight and Duel
"Albert Anderson?"
Lord Voldemort did not ride a broomstick but flew like smoke with the wind under his feet.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze piercing through the darkness ahead as he fixed his eyes on the Mudblood that he despised. His lipless mouth twitched slightly, and his voice reached Albert's ears over the surging waves.
"Good evening, Tom."
Albert, holding his broom with one hand, turned back to greet Voldemort as if greeting an old friend.
"It's unpleasant to meet you, but I must admit that you are highly accomplished in magic. Have you considered finding someone to inherit the knowledge in your mind?"
If possible, Albert really wanted to inherit Voldemort's legacy after his death.
After all, who could resist such a tempting opportunity?
Whether it was from the Wildsmith family, the Lames, or the recently deceased Dumbledore, Albert had inherited enviable legacies, which were key factors in his rapid growth and rise to prominence.
As for the infamous Dark Lord standing before him, Albert had no illusions about being the beneficiary of his estate.
Although Albert had already inherited a portion of it in advance, he still coveted the non-dark arts knowledge that Voldemort had acquired.
To be honest, there was no quicker way to get rich than robbing a boss.
Ahem, he wasn't a bandit, he was just ensuring that precious knowledge was preserved.
This was undoubtedly a difficult task, but Albert hadn't given up yet. With his system and the valuable spellcasting techniques he had learned from Voldemort, he remained hopeful.
"How dare you!"
Hearing Albert address him by the name he had abandoned, Voldemort's snakelike face twisted into an even more hideous expression. His red eyes shone with an unnerving light in the darkness, and he raised his pale finger, pointing his wand—Avada Kedavra! Facing the Killing Curse from behind, Albert dodged it calmly, as effortlessly as if he were dodging a Bludger on the Quidditch pitch.
It was no easy feat to cast a spell with the intent to hit a moving target, especially with a dark spell like Avada Kedavra, which had a long casting time and was not suitable for silent casting.
"Greeting me with the Killing Curse right off the bat! How rude!"
Albert lowered his wand and dipped it into the sea. Instantly, a whirlpool formed in the turbulent waters, rapidly expanding into a water tornado that caught Voldemort in its grasp.
"Do you think this will hold me back?"
With a loud bang, the water tornado was blasted open, and Voldemort flew out, instantly seeing through Albert's stalling tactic.
However, before Voldemort could make his next move, he suddenly sensed a threat and looked up at the pitch-black sky.
Countless water droplets turned into a torrential downpour of needle-like rain, spinning like drills as they rushed towards Voldemort. If it had been an ordinary wizard, they might have been pierced to the heart by this sudden attack.
Voldemort let out a cold laugh, and a red beam shot from the tip of his wand, piercing through the storm of flying needles.
However, he did not completely stop the rain of needles, which continued to swarm towards Voldemort as if they had a life of their own.
"How troublesome!"
The fact that he was being held back by the petty tricks of a Mudblood infuriated Voldemort. A scorching black flame curled from the tip of his wand, quickly turning into a sea of black fire that engulfed the incoming rain of needles.
After the Fiendfyre extinguished the rain of needles that Albert had used to stall him, it transformed into firebirds with outstretched wings, swooping forward under Voldemort's control and effortlessly dispelling the incoming threat.
"Fiendfyre!"
Seeing that even the seawater had been set ablaze by the Fiendfyre, Albert turned and cast a spell of his own. The black flames landed on the turbulent sea, igniting the surrounding water and forming a winged lion with an eagle's head. Under Albert's control, it collided head-on with the firebirds.
The two clashing Fiendfyre spells did not merge but instead created a wall of fiery flames that exploded outward, threatening to engulf the approaching Dark Lord.
"Damn it!"
A gaping hole suddenly appeared in the wall of black fire, and Voldemort flew out, his face even more sullen than before. The small amount of Fiendfyre that had landed on his robe was also extinguished.
After this brief exchange, even if Voldemort was unwilling to admit it, he realized that the young man before him was a formidable opponent. He had grown to the extent that even Voldemort could not easily kill him.
Sometimes, Voldemort even suspected that the young man before him was actually Dumbledore's favorite student, the old man's trump card against him, and the true savior of the wizarding world.
As for Harry Potter, he was hardly worthy of being called the "Chosen One."
Even now, Voldemort could not accept the fact that he had been defeated by such a mediocre wizard; it was a disgrace to him.
"I must kill him before he becomes too powerful."
As Voldemort watched Albert's retreating figure, he felt a growing sense of urgency. It was clear that Albert had become even stronger since their last encounter.
In the next moment, Voldemort disappeared without a trace.
When he reappeared, he was standing on the deck of the ship.
Albert, who had been on guard for Voldemort, seemed to sense something. He abruptly turned his broom to the side, and a sickly green curse whizzed past where Voldemort had been standing just a moment ago. He had almost been caught off guard.
Albert pulled sharply on his broom, hovering in mid-air as he watched Voldemort standing on the deck of the ship sailing into the storm-ridden waters. He tapped his wand on the magical bracelet on his left wrist, sending a message to Dobby, signaling that it was time for them to make their escape.
"So, you plan to threaten me with their lives?" Albert said, looking at Voldemort with a peculiar expression.
"It seems you don't care about their well-being."
Voldemort realized that his supposed leverage was not working as intended; the threat did have some effect, but not to the extent he had hoped.
"I value my own life above theirs," Albert continued. "As for the people inside the ship, I apologize, but I'm sure there are some of your followers among them as well!"
Before Voldemort could react, Albert and his broom vanished into thin air.
Voldemort instantly appeared beside him, intending to strike while they were talking.
This time, however, he did not use the Killing Curse, but another equally deadly piece of Dark Magic.
"You sneaky brat!"
Albert glanced at the completed quest panel and waved his wand, causing the seawater beneath Voldemort's feet to rise and form a giant mouth that swallowed the Dark Lord whole.
Of course, this was merely a show of force to cover his retreat.
Before Voldemort could break free from this ridiculous attack, Albert dove into the stormy waters, intending to make his escape. He did not wish to linger and risk being outmaneuvered by Voldemort; it would be a great loss if that happened.
As for rescuing Sirius and the others inside the ship, Albert was not worried. With the house-elf Dobby by their side, they could easily make their escape, and dealing with the Death Eaters inside would not take much time either, especially with Albert's spy among them.
"You think you can run from me?" Voldemort shouted, waving his wand. A bolt of lightning struck the spot where Albert had been, causing him to fall from his broom.
In that moment, Voldemort saw his chance to kill the Mudblood. He appeared right beside Albert, ready to cast the Killing Curse and end his life.
But as he uttered the words "Avada Kedavra," he realized it was too late.
The figure before him was not Albert, but a decoy dressed in similar clothing.
Indeed, it was a dummy.
After being hit by the Killing Curse, it turned into a pile of rubble.
A thunderous roar ripped through the stormy sky, and a lightning bolt struck the unprepared Voldemort, sending the infamous Dark Lord tumbling into the sea.
By the time Voldemort emerged from the water, Albert's figure was nowhere to be seen in the raging storm.
That despicable Mudblood had escaped.
"Damned Mudblood, I will kill you with my own hands," Voldemort roared in anger, his voice soon swallowed by the howling winds and pounding rain.
In truth, if Voldemort had been more rational, he would have realized that at their current level of power, it was extremely difficult for one to kill the other if escape was the sole intention.
This was one of the reasons why Albert had never seriously considered trying to kill Voldemort.
However, blinded by rage, Voldemort failed to notice that when he entered the ship's cabin, all the captured Death Eaters were gone.
"Where are the keys?"
Voldemort raised his wand and scanned the traces left by Sirius and his group, intending to track them down.
Tonight, he would spill blood.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
