Chapter 1467: Rout
Chapter 1467: Rout
Compared to Albert's efficient information network, the Order of the Phoenix received news of Voldemort's return to Britain much later.
Fortunately, as the vanguard against Voldemort, Albert never hesitated to offer his assistance to the Order.
Soon after receiving the information, Albert relayed the news of Voldemort's return to Britain through secret channels, advising them to heighten their vigilance and prevent being caught off guard.
Upon learning of the development, Kingsley immediately sought out the Auror squad still active in Britain and shared the unfortunate news, suggesting that they avoid direct confrontation with Voldemort.
However, persuading others was always a challenging endeavor, sometimes proving futile. This joint Auror force, comprised of members from various countries, had their own plans and naturally wouldn't retreat just because of Kingsley's warning.
As for the intelligence provided by Kingsley, they would consider it cautiously, given that he had no ill intentions and had consistently provided valuable information that greatly aided them.
Yet, convincing this group of Aurors to retreat at this moment was evidently a difficult task.
Just recently, they had suffered a shameful ambush by a group of Death Eaters, resulting in the loss of an elite Auror squad. Now, they were contemplating their retaliation, unwilling to slink away in defeat.
"This is unwise!" Kingsley's expression was complex, as he was all too aware of the consequences should this group of Aurors face off against Voldemort.
After sharing all the information he knew, Kingsley didn't linger to persuade them further, quickly taking his leave.
The news brought by Kingsley instilled a sense of crisis in Conrad, the leader of the Auror force. If the information was accurate, their situation was indeed dire.
Voldemort would surely not leave them be, and he might even lead his group of Death Eaters to eradicate them.
Could they win? Even if they could, it wouldn't be worth it.
A full-scale battle would undoubtedly result in heavy losses for their side.
"Perhaps, we should retreat immediately." Not long after Kingsley's departure, the Aurors convened a brief meeting based on the intelligence he had provided.
"I agree," one of the Aurors raised his hand, and his sentiment was echoed by many others.
After all, Britain had little to do with them, and there was no need to risk their lives unnecessarily.
"Are we not going to take revenge?" someone suddenly asked.
An eerie silence fell upon the group.
"At least not now. Anyone who can be dubbed the Dark Lord is not to be trifled with."
Were they afraid?
Perhaps a little, but more than that, they were unwilling to take the risk.
To be frank, their very presence in Britain was already a significant gamble.
After much deliberation, the group decided to leave Britain and recuperate elsewhere. They would return once they had recovered to seek revenge against the Death Eaters.
The decision to retreat and recuperate was eventually agreed upon by the team.
Sometimes, people are just that stubborn. The more you try to persuade them, the more resistant they become. Conversely, the more you try to dissuade them from something, the more they yearn to do it.
Unfortunately, this joint force from various countries failed to evacuate in time.
Because they didn't depart immediately upon receiving the news, they found themselves trapped in their camp at dawn, confronted by Voldemort and his army of Death Eaters.
Fortunately, this elite group of Aurors from different countries was well-trained, and their coordination had improved significantly in recent days. After a brief moment of chaos, they quickly formed a defensive formation.
If their enemies were ordinary Dark Wizards, even without numerical superiority, they could still turn the tables.
Sadly, their opponent this time was the infamous Voldemort.
In the camp illuminated by the emerald light, amidst the fallen bodies before them, the Aurors finally grasped the true extent of Voldemort's power and understood why Kingsley had advised against direct confrontation.
Perhaps only by experiencing it firsthand could they truly comprehend the might of the Dark Lord. His prowess far surpassed what any individual could achieve.
Especially when outnumbered, as they were now, the joint Auror force eventually crumbled! The battle lasted less than ten minutes from start to finish.
This turn of events could undoubtedly astonish countless people.
To be clear, the Aurors didn't relish this outcome. If Voldemort hadn't been surrounded by his minions, they wouldn't have minded a direct confrontation. Unfortunately, he had an army of Death Eaters at his command, and the surrounding Dementors further tilted the odds against them. In the face of certain defeat, their best option was to scatter and flee, which was also one of Kingsley's suggestions.
Voldemort was indeed formidable, but once the group dispersed, he could only pursue one person at a time. No matter how powerful he was, eliminating each of them would take time.
In a way, the Aurors were lucky that Voldemort didn't have enough time to set up a complete encirclement; otherwise, they might have all perished here. However, the number of Aurors who truly escaped was also quite limited.
After all, they hadn't chosen to retreat from the very beginning, so incurring heavy losses was only to be expected.
"That damn Mudblood."
At that moment, in the Aurors' camp, Voldemort's expression was exceptionally gloomy. He had just delved into the memory of one of the Aurors and discovered that this squad had been preparing to leave Britain when he launched his nocturnal attack.
No matter how he looked at it, something about this situation seemed amiss.
Voldemort suspected that this was a scheme orchestrated by that Mudblood, Albert. Otherwise, Kingsley wouldn't have arrived so timely with the message, as if he had been waiting specifically to ambush these Aurors.
Whether or not Albert was involved, Voldemort decided to pin the blame on him for now.
Yaxley, observing Voldemort's eyes flashing with anger and murderous intent, asked cautiously, "Master, what should we do now? Do we proceed with the original plan?"
Snape, standing nearby, sneaked a glance at Yaxley, curious as to how Albert had managed to achieve this without appearing to be under the control of the Imperius Curse.
"Proceed," Voldemort said expressionlessly.
Since they had already started down this path, there was no turning back.
Whether or not this was a scheme devised by that Mudblood, they would continue with their plan. After all, this was what they had decided upon before coming here, and there was no need to alter it because of a minor setback.
This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
It had already been several hours since Kingsley learned of this development.
The group of Aurors being pursued had taken refuge in a safe house that Kingsley had prepared for them temporarily. They probably never imagined that they would need to use that safe house.
"Are you alright?" Kingsley looked at the remaining Aurors, his expression complex.
"We lost, utterly lost," Conrad raised his head to meet Kingsley's gaze, "Not only to the mysterious Dark Lord, but also to our own arrogance. It's a wonder how you've managed to persist in your fight against such an opponent."
(End of Chapter)
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