Chapter 414: Wizard War

Chapter 414: Wizard War

When Silke spoke, Dumbledore visibly showed signs of surprise.

"Vera, I think Sherlock wouldn't want you to get involved in these matters."

"I know he wouldn't", Silke's voice was resolute. "But I'm going this time, not to help him, but for my own father."

Dumbledore, who was well aware of Silke's talents and abilities, asked with a flicker in his eyes.

"What did you see?"

Silke did not hide anything from Dumbledore. She took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

"I saw an opportunity to take my revenge with my own hands."

Dumbledore fell silent for a moment, as if pondering and hesitating over Silke's words. Eventually, he nodded.

"Alright, but we need to move quickly. First, we'll head to 12 Grimmauld Place, then meet up with the Ministry of Magic before we can find Sherlock."

Dumbledore would naturally decide the specific plan of action, and Silke followed him as they left Hogwarts.

Tom Riddle, or Voldemort, had always been a man of strong will.

After leaving Borgin and Burkes in Diagon Alley, he traveled for many years, spreading Voldemort's name throughout the Wizarding World and establishing his reputation as the most powerful wizard of his time, a confidence that even Dumbledore could not shake.

His current iron-fisted rule was built on this foundation.

So, when faced with someone who might threaten his absolute power, Voldemort would typically choose a one-on-one duel.

Sherlock, with the presence of his mother Selena's soul, gave Voldemort a reason to personally defeat and kill him.

Whether in the air or on the ground, all the Death Eaters aimed their wands at Sherlock. They did not take any further action, only surrounding the orphanage to prevent his escape.

A black mist enveloped Voldemort, and he gripped the end of his wand with five fingers. The black mist seemed to amplify his form, swirling and gathering with the movement of his wand!

No spell words were spoken; it was pure magical power coalescing. A brilliant emerald beam shot from the tip of his wand like lightning!

Sherlock did not dodge or evade. He wanted to test how much of a gap still existed between him and Voldemort.

He extended the hand holding his wand, and behind him, hundreds of wands moved in unison with his gestures.

A blood-red light illuminated the tip of each wand, and all the lights connected to the wand in Sherlock's hand!

The blood-red beam and the emerald beam collided in mid-air!

At the point where red and green met, two vast forces of magic clashed.

This raw, primal form of magic did not involve the flashy use of spells or transfiguration, but it provided a more direct way to determine who was stronger.

The Death Eaters watching all held their breath. Even though the Wizarding World had been spreading the news of the Dark Lord's defeat by Sherlock for the past six months, they had never lost faith in their master. Those who had witnessed the previous battle knew the truth.

Sherlock did not have the strength to defeat their master head-on; the outcome was only due to his cunning and a surprise attack.

In this confrontation, with Voldemort already prepared, such a tactic would not work again.

The reality was indeed as everyone present had expected.

After an initial stalemate, Sherlock clearly began to falter. The emerald beam, like a giant snake with an open mouth, continuously devoured the red light!

Soon, only the green beam was visible, its glow illuminating half the sky, the blinding light forcing everyone to instinctively close their eyes.

When they opened their eyes again, both figures were gone from where they had stood.

Sherlock looked disheveled. Sensing that he was about to be overwhelmed, he quickly conjured a stone wall in front of him using transfiguration.

Using the wall as a shield for a moment, he dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the emerald beam.

However, he was not completely unscathed. The hem of his robe was tattered from the beam's aftereffects, as if it had been corroded by acid.

The hundreds of wands that had been floating around him were also not immune to the erosion of magic power; nearly a quarter of them had already turned to dust.

"Is that all? The highly anticipated successor to Dumbledore is only this much?"

As Voldemort's mocking laughter echoed, a layer of dark mist suddenly enveloped Sherlock.

The mist surged like waves on the sea, engulfing him entirely.

Compared to the Voldemort who had just been resurrected six months ago, the current Voldemort was undoubtedly much more powerful.

While Sherlock had been making progress, Voldemort had been rapidly rebuilding his forces, and now he was at the peak of his power.

So even though Sherlock was not in as dire a situation as before when facing Voldemort again, he was still at a disadvantage.

However, despite the seemingly unfavorable circumstances, Sherlock's face remained calm. He reached into his robe pocket with the hand not holding his wand and felt an ancient ring with a black gemstone embedded in it.

At that moment, a disturbance suddenly arose around them.

Kingsley had not returned to the Order of the Phoenix in advance.

After learning Sherlock's location from the Ministry of Magic and detecting six unusual Apparition waves, Kingsley immediately had Tonks relay the message to Mad-Eye Moody and the others who were on watch.

However, the Department of Magical Transportation, which monitored the entire British territory from within the Ministry of Magic, soon issued a warning. A large number of wizards had gathered on broomsticks above a small town in England, and this had already caught the attention of many Muggles.

The British government had already contacted the Ministry of Magic through secret channels, asking if wizards were holding a large-scale event and why they had not informed the Muggle government in advance.

Kingsley immediately realized that something serious was happening.

The current situation was a clear sign that the Death Eaters were on the move, the most dangerous scenario they had anticipated.

However, at this critical moment, Minister Scrimgeour was not at the Ministry of Magic. He had left for a while and quickly returned to take charge.

As the former head of the Auror Office before becoming Minister, Scrimgeour had absolute authority within the entire Auror team.

Even the Aurors from the Order of the Phoenix, who had long been aligned with Dumbledore, held this lion-like leader in high regard.

They all knew that although Scrimgeour might disagree with Dumbledore on certain issues, he would always lead the Aurors in the fight against Voldemort's rule.

Upon returning to the Ministry of Magic, Scrimgeour immediately sought out Kingsley.

"Organize this operation. Take all the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic to join Dumbledore. I need to meet with the Muggle Prime Minister."

Kingsley was not surprised. Since his private conversation with Scrimgeour, the Minister had not interfered with the Order of the Phoenix's affairs or the issue of Harry Potter. Both sides had maintained a policy of mutual respect and cooperation.

Now, with Scrimgeour going to meet the Muggle Prime Minister, Kingsley, the most capable and experienced Auror, was the best choice to lead the operation and work with the Order of the Phoenix.

Without wasting time, Kingsley gathered all the active Aurors from the Ministry of Magic. After contacting Dumbledore, he used the Floo Network to reach the location closest to Sherlock.

This was also the rendezvous point for the Aurors and the Order of the Phoenix.

When Kingsley arrived, he was surprised to see Dumbledore already waiting with a group of people.

"Sir, don't you think you should go over there first? Can Sherlock handle this on his own?"

Kingsley asked in a low voice, away from the others.

Dumbledore's expression was calm. He did not directly answer Kingsley's question, and there was no sign of tension on his face. Instead, a smile even appeared.

"We have our mission. If you don't mind, everyone here will follow my command from now on, alright?"

Kingsley, though a bit puzzled, had no objections.

Thus, Dumbledore took command of the combined forces of the Aurors and the Order of the Phoenix, effectively becoming the leader of what was arguably the largest armed organization in the Wizarding World.

Everyone mounted their broomsticks, with Kingsley leading the way. They flew in a grand procession toward the orphanage where the Death Eaters had surrounded Sherlock and the others.

Their rendezvous point was not far from the orphanage, and after about ten minutes of flying, they could already see the Death Eaters forming a circle in the sky, all mounted on broomsticks.

Upon reaching the designated location, Dumbledore wasted no time and immediately issued the order to attack!

Thus, a war between Wizards erupted.

The Aurors and the Order of the Phoenix members did not attempt to be stealthy. As soon as they saw the Death Eaters, the Death Eaters saw them as well.

Voldemort was still fighting Sherlock in the basement. No one had given them orders, but they all knew what to do.

The first spell was cast by someone from an unknown side, but in the next second, green and red spells filled the sky like a child's graffiti!

Wizards rode their broomsticks, weaving through the air, waving their wands, and casting spells, aiming at their recognized enemies.

In the first moments of contact, over a dozen wizards were hit and fell from their broomsticks. Among them were both Death Eaters and members of the Order of the Phoenix and the Aurors.

At this height, even without the Killing Curse, the risk of death upon impact with the ground was extremely high. Neither side held back.

The battle soon shifted from the sky to the ground, with most participants abandoning their broomsticks. This made the fighting even more intense, but the casualties were not as severe as at the beginning.

Silke did not join the battle immediately.

Dumbledore did not give her any special treatment. Since she had her own intentions, he let her do as she wished.

After the first wave of skirmishes in the sky, Silke dodged the various spells flying around and searched for her target. Her gaze finally settled on a witch with long, wavy black hair.

Silke stared at the witch, a face she had never forgotten.

After Eddie's death, this face had appeared on the front page of the Daily Prophet the next day. In the photograph, she was smiling maniacally, as if the happiest thing in her life was reaping the lives of Aurors with spells.

Silke remained silent, watching as Bellatrix gripped her wand tightly.

Bellatrix, who was engaged in a duel with two Aurors, noticed Silke's gaze and turned to look at her.

No words were exchanged between them. Silke's eyes spoke volumes.

In the next moment, the wands in both witches' hands were raised, and the long-delayed confrontation between enemies began.

As soon as the fighting between the Death Eaters and the Aurors started, Voldemort noticed Dumbledore's arrival.

He paused his attack and stared at Sherlock with eyes like a snake's.

"Is this the reason for your confidence? Do you think that allying with Dumbledore will solve everything?"

Sherlock panted heavily, having been at a disadvantage throughout the fight. Although not as desperate as he was six months ago, it was still a struggle.

"If we had really planned it this way, Dumbledore would have been here much earlier, rather than just now capturing your followers."

Voldemort felt a sense of unease.

He stared intently at Sherlock's left hand, which had been in his pocket all along, and said coldly, "Oh? I'm really curious to know what your trump card is, Sherlock."

"Curiosity is not a good trait for a villain. But since you're so eager to know, I'll stop hiding it."

As he spoke, Sherlock applied a bit more pressure to the ring in his left hand.

In the next second, a peculiar wave of energy spread from the depths of his soul!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end