Chapter 1510: Misdirection
Chapter 1510: Misdirection
Despite his reluctance to admit it, Voldemort found himself at a disadvantage in his confrontation with Albert. The young man before him, with his unnaturally youthful appearance, felt even more dangerous than Dumbledore had been in his prime.
If this continued, defeat was inevitable.
However, Voldemort refused to accept the possibility of losing. He knew he could always use Disapparating to leave this place, and there was nothing Albert Anderson could do to stop him.
But Voldemort didn't want to flee; doing so would be a humiliation.
Just a little longer, he thought.
Perhaps, Severus would return with the other Death Eaters, and then they could ensure that the annoying young man before him would never escape.
Little did Voldemort know that he would never receive the reinforcements he desperately desired.
Upon learning about the location of Voldemort's headquarters from Severus, Yaxley immediately vetoed the idea of returning to aid Voldemort. Instead, he chose to intercept the Auror coalition that had never existed in the first place.
The reason was simple: they all believed that Voldemort was invincible, and even with reinforcements, they might not be able to capture the Mudblood.
On the contrary, they would fall into the young man's plot and lose the best opportunity to stop the Aurors.
Since Voldemort couldn't lose, the focus should be on the Auror coalition, which posed a significant threat to them. If they didn't act, the Aurors might join forces with the Order of the Phoenix, and the consequences would be dire.
This decision resonated with the Death Eaters.
In fact, even if the Death Eaters had returned to reinforce Voldemort, they might not have had the upper hand.
After all, the Death Eaters had limited abilities, and unless they launched a surprise attack, they would likely become cannon fodder in a battle between the two sides.
This decision left Voldemort in the awkward position of facing a one-sided beating.
Although Voldemort was aware that the Elder Wand, which had not yet submitted to him, was hindering his performance, the gap in magical power between him and Albert caused him to question his abilities.
This only increased Voldemort's eagerness to possess the full power of the Elder Wand.
He regretted wasting time talking to Severus and wished he had just killed him to gain control of the wand's power.
Even if Albert Anderson had taken a Felix Felicis to enhance himself, he would still be unable to escape death at the hands of Voldemort with the Elder Wand.
Yes, that was Voldemort's final conclusion.
In a way, he wasn't wrong. Albert had indeed taken a small dose of Felix Felicis to even the odds in terms of experience.
Otherwise, even with the power boost from the Elder Wand and his superior magical power, Albert wouldn't have been able to push Voldemort so hard.
The gap between them wasn't that significant.
Having narrowly escaped a deadly curse, Voldemort, in his cloud of black mist, did not reappear near Albert to launch a counter-attack. Instead, he chose to materialize at a distance, away from Albert.
This was not only to avoid being located by Albert and struck by more wandless, silent spells, but also because he was considering whether to retreat altogether.
After experiencing that storm of relentless attacks, Voldemort finally realized that something was amiss.
Albert Anderson hadn't come here to kill him; they both knew that it was incredibly difficult to kill a powerful wizard with extraordinary abilities head-on.
Perhaps, the real reason Albert had shown up was to force him into a retreat.
Albert's target had never been Voldemort himself but the Death Eaters and Dark Wizards under his command.
This was also the main reason why Voldemort hadn't left. If he had just disappeared, it might have triggered a chain reaction that would have destroyed everything he had built.
The proof of this was that Severus was still alive.
If Albert truly wanted to kill Severus, he wouldn't have waited this long. In fact, during the previous battle, Albert had intentionally let Severus escape.
In Voldemort's opinion, Severus' escape was due to Albert deliberately holding back, and his true purpose was probably to lure the Death Eaters back for reinforcement.
Indeed.
This young man's presence here was not only to stall for time but also to take advantage of the Auror coalition to inflict heavy losses on Voldemort's followers.
Voldemort didn't even need to look for evidence; this wasn't the first time Albert had attempted something so daring.
Undoubtedly, the confidence to execute such a bold plan came from the Felix Felicis.
The Auror coalition would also be more than happy to play the role of the sharp blade. Not only could they take the opportunity to eliminate a large number of Dark Wizards around Voldemort, but they would also easily gain this enviable merit.
Putting himself in their shoes, Voldemort couldn't think of a reason to refuse such an offer.
The worst part was that even though Voldemort had sensed Albert's plot, it was already too late. If he retreated now, how many of the Death Eaters who had turned back because of Severus' message would survive?
Voldemort didn't care much about the casualties among his followers, but he certainly didn't want to be left alone.
Of course, Albert wasn't aware of the complex thoughts running through Voldemort's mind, but during their intense clash, he sensed Voldemort's hesitation. Both of them tacitly slowed down their attacks, choosing to hold their opponents in place.
Ultimately, Albert hadn't come here to fight Voldemort to the death, and even if he did, he wasn't sure he could kill him.
Although he didn't know what the other party was thinking, Albert didn't believe Voldemort could guess the truth, as he had released quite a few smokescreens to confuse him.
Even with Voldemort's intelligence and the power of Legilimency, it would be challenging to unravel the truth in a short time.
"You can't kill me. Dumbledore couldn't, and neither can you."
Voldemort calmed himself completely, knowing that he had to get through this hurdle first if he wanted a chance to kill Severus and truly master the power of the Elder Wand.
"How do you know I can't kill you?" Albert asked.
Albert waved his wand in Voldemort's direction, and countless pebbles under his feet turned into a rain of deadly arrows, covering the area where Voldemort was located, leaving him with almost nowhere to hide.
Of course, Voldemort could easily block them with a magical barrier, but in a confrontation between exceptional wizards, the one who gave up the offense and chose to defend instead would often become a target for their opponent's next attack.
That meant Albert Anderson's next curse might very well penetrate any protective magic and cause him trouble.
Naturally, Voldemort wasn't foolish enough to let that happen. He concentrated the magic in his body on his wand and swung it down from above his head, instantly turning the flying pebbles into dust.
The falling dust foiled Albert's golden spell.
Voldemort took advantage of this opportunity to turn the dust into a hideous face, rushing straight at Albert and engulfing him in a storm of sand, temporarily obscuring his vision and diverting his attention.
The next moment, a green light pierced through the dust, reflecting in Albert's eyes with an eerie green glow.
(End of Chapter)
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