https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-889-The-Fake-Goblin-in-Gringotts/12628439/
Chapter 890: Another Grinkots Heist
Chapter 890: Another Grinkots Heist
The rigid shackles were effortlessly sliced in half by the Shadow-Blade Spell, and then the other side.
With a series of loud clangs, the chains binding the Hungarian Horntail fell away, crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom.
The giant stone hand disappeared, but the dragon, acting on instinct, continued to attempt to attack Kyle.
The underground vault echoed with loud roars, and the clamor of its wings as flames licked the walls and rocks rained down like hail.
A semicircular shield appeared above Kyle's head, deflecting the rocks while redirecting the dragon's flames elsewhere.
Kyle attempted to calm the dragon, but at that moment, a rock happened to land on the iron sheet that Oren had thrown earlier, emitting a crisp ping.
The Hungarian Horntail let out a hoarse roar, trembling as it backed away, its face contorted in fear.
Up close, one could even see the terrifying scars of varying depths marring its face.
Just a sound was enough to reduce the massive dragon to this state...
Kyle's lips twitched as if he'd just muttered a curse.
He waved his wand again, and several massive chains rose into the air, exploding into a shower of metal shards before the dragon.
Witnessing this, a spark of clarity returned to the Horntail's cloudy eyes as it realized that its bonds were broken.
It was free.
At the same time, Kyle raised his wand, pointing it at the tunnel above.
"Bombarda!"
A series of explosions reverberated from above, along with the faint, distant shrieks of goblins. Kyle paid them no mind.
After a moment, a gap had been blasted open in the tunnel, and a ray of sunlight pierced the gloom of the vault, landing on the dragon's wings.
The beam was small, illuminating an area no larger than a Snitch, but this tiny ray of light was enough to halt the dragon in its tracks.
"Fly!" Kyle whispered.
With a roar, the dragon rose, spreading its wings and taking to the air. It struggled to fly toward the tunnel's opening.
Kyle turned to destroy the iron sheet but paused when he noticed something. The rock that had been pressing down on it now bore several purple cracks, and when the dragon flapped its wings, the rock shattered into pieces.
"A curse?"
Kyle's eyes twitched. He was grateful he hadn't touched that thing.
The rock had turned to rubble, and it was difficult to imagine what would've happened if he'd come into contact with it.
Without hesitation, Kyle brandished his wand, and the rubble on the ground took flight, transforming into crude stone spears that surged towards one of the nearby vaults.
At that moment, Oren had just manipulated the goblin named Kela to open the intricate vault door. As he turned, he beheld the unpleasant surprise Kyle had prepared.
The sharp stone spears resembled a swarm of locusts descending upon him.
Oren rolled out of the way, unconcerned with dignity.
The rubble rushed into the vault, sending piles of gold coins and goblets crashing in all directions.
"You really show no mercy," Oren said, climbing to his feet with a lopsided grin. "After everything I taught you, you'd turn it on me? Try to kill your old mentor?"
"Fair's fair," Kyle retorted with a cold smile. "Aren't you the same? I helped with the dragon, and instead of gratitude, you try to curse me? Typical Death Eater behavior."
"A pity you didn't fall for it," Oren sighed. "Though I didn't expect to succeed. After all, you have your dragon, and... a certain beast that's even more troublesome."
He shot Kyle a meaningful glance.
Though he didn't understand the other Kyle in Godric's Hollow, he'd seen that massive serpent, easily fifty feet long.
And Voldemort's reaction made it clear he knew that serpent and considered it important.
Oren shook his head; no sense in dwelling on it.
"Disappointed?" Kyle asked, raising his wand.
But this time, Oren was prepared.
Yellow and red beams of light shot from their wands, meeting in midair and forming an orange sphere at the connection point, sparks flying.
Both wizards gripped their wands, exerting their might to push the sphere toward their opponent.
Initially confident, Oren knew he couldn't defeat his former student head-on but didn't believe he'd lose in raw power.
This magical chain, he realized, had been his doing... When faced with an unbeatable opponent, he had to resort to unconventional means.
Yet, Oren's confidence faded as he noticed the orange sphere inching steadily toward him.
This was too much! As the sphere crept closer, Oren panicked, his wand feeling like it might explode.
Unbearable!
Oren took a breath and swung his wand upward, trying to fling the sphere away.
But it was too late.
When the wands disconnected, the magical energy went wild.
Boom! The sphere detonated.
Oren was unprepared for the blast and was sent flying, crashing into the wall beside the vault.
His legs were twisted, and his body felt trampled—pain left him speechless.
Even knowing Kyle's prowess, he hadn't expected to lose in a power contest.
"Is this how all newly graduated students are now?"
But that wasn't the end of it.
In the blink of an eye, a boulder almost as big as the Hungarian Horntail broke free from the ceiling high above and crashed down on top of him.
A violent tremor shook the room, sending clouds of dust billowing as the vault fell silent once more.
Kyle approached the boulder, a frown creasing his brow.
"Something's not right. There's no blood."
If Oren had truly been struck, there should have been some sign of it.
As expected, the next second, a cloud of black mist rose from behind the boulder, coalescing into Oren, who stood facing Kyle.
"That was a close one. Almost got myself killed there." He pointed his wand at his leg, forcing it back into place with a painful expression that drained the color from his face.
"You really show no mercy." A long strip of bandage shot out from his wand, wrapping around his injured leg.
Though unsightly, it would have to do for now.
"Can't be helped," Kyle shrugged. "You made the first move, after all. You placed a Cursed spell on that metal sheet with no mercy."
As soon as he finished speaking, both of them raised their wands in unison.
"Sectumsempra!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
The two spells collided once more, but this time, instead of forming a chain, they deflected off each other in mid-air.
The cutting hex carved a long, narrow fissure into the wall, while the Killing Curse flew toward the tunnel.
"Found them! They're here..."
A goblin, driving a small cart, came rushing in, only to intercept the Killing Curse with his body.
The goblin flew out and lay motionless on the ground.
This...
Kyle was at a loss for words. The deflected curse had flown uncontrollably, yet it had hit the goblin with pinpoint accuracy. It was as if the goblin had deliberately thrown himself in the way.
Without a driver, the cart careened out of control and collided with the one in front of it.
The impact caused both carts to derail and shatter into pieces.
At the same time, more goblins appeared at the end of the tunnel, adding to the already chaotic scene.
"It's the Death Eaters! They dare to kill our goblins!"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
"The dragon escaped! That damn guy let the dragon get away!"
...
More carts appeared on the tracks, their voices drawing nearer.
"The goblins are almost here," Kyle said, looking at Oren. "Where's your backup? Don't tell me you're the only Death Eater here. If so, you're in a pretty sad state."
"Unfortunately, it's just me," Oren said softly. "Those useless, good-for-nothing wastes. Their absence is no loss."
"Well, they could've served as cannon fodder." Kyle waved his wand, sending several spells toward Oren. "Like now, for instance."
Oren deflected the spells with gritted teeth, but instead of counterattacking, he turned and rushed into the vault, grabbing the nearest golden cup.
"Ah!" He screamed in pain as his fingers sizzled, as if he were holding a red-hot branding iron.
Yet, despite the pain, Oren stubbornly maintained his grip.
"Is that what you're looking for?" Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"Of course... In the vault... a golden cup... It fits the Dark Lord's requirements..." Oren said through gritted teeth.
Judging by his condition, forcibly holding onto the cup was not pleasant, and in the short time they had been talking, the cup had already split into over a hundred pieces, tinkling as they fell to the ground.
Oren once again transformed into a cloud of black mist.
"Do you think you can get away?" Kyle asked, raising his wand as the fierce flames around them distorted.
He admitted that this magic, invented by Voldemort, was quite useful—it allowed flight and was fast. However, this thing was not a true Dementor and was not invincible.
Previously, Oren had only escaped by virtue of his quick speed, slipping away just before the boulder fell.
This time, Kyle wasn't going to give him that chance.
The fierce flames blocked his path, and even if he were a true Dementor, he would still lose some of his 'skin.'
"I think... I can," Oren replied, his black mist swirling rapidly within the vault.
The treasures within began to multiply upon contact with the mist, just like the golden cup. Soon, there were too many to contain, and they overflowed from the vault, a tide of molten gold pouring out.
The scorching hot gold mixed with the fierce flames, turning the underground space into a blazing furnace.
Goblin Kela, controlled by Oren, stood at the entrance to the vault, and this torrent of gold threatened to engulf him.
At this critical moment, Kyle decisively abandoned his pursuit of Oren, waving his wand to send an invisible force that flung Kela to safety.
This goblin was the only one who knew the truth, and if he and Oren both perished here, Kyle couldn't guarantee that these greedy, unscrupulous goblins wouldn't pin everything on him.
It was a distinct possibility.
Even if he could eventually explain himself, it would waste a lot of time, and the cost would outweigh the benefit.
Oren thought the same.
Taking advantage of Kyle's rescue of fairy Kra, he flew towards the tunnel above without hesitation.
As the black mist brushed past, Kyle felt as if he had been hit hard, crashing into the cliff wall behind him.
This action caused Oren, who was flying in mid-air, to pause... Did he just attack Kyle?
No, that couldn't be...
But why did Kyle suddenly fly off like that? Was he trying to pull a fast one?
However, there was no time for Oren to think further as a large group of fairies had already arrived, jumping down from their carts and creating chaos.
The black mist sped up again, finally escaping through the hole above just before the fairies' magic could land on him.
It was a close call.
Seeing the furious expressions on the fairies' faces, Oren couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
Although the process differed slightly from what he had envisioned, the result was perfect. He had obtained what he came for and had also toyed with the goblins of Gringotts.
Perhaps this time, when he returned, he would be able to rise further within the ranks of the Death Eaters and gain access to secrets known only to the veteran Death Eaters.
For instance, why was Voldemort so concerned about an item stored in Gringotts that he wanted it moved as soon as Bella died, even at the risk of offending the goblins?
After all, Voldemort only needed to bide his time, and those goblins would eventually side with him.
What was the point of all this? Why give up the help that was within reach and possibly push them to the opposing side, all for a golden cup? Oren wondered as he made his way out of Diagon Alley.
Just then, he noticed that the sunlight above him seemed to be blocked by something enormous.
It took him a moment to realize what was happening.
A scorching stream of fire descended from the sky.
The Hungarian Horntail hadn't left!
No, it seemed that it had turned back and collided with the fleeing Oren.
To make matters worse, Oren was still holding onto the golden cup, which was continuously splitting into more pieces, each one emitting a clear Gringotts vault scent, instantly provoking the dragon's rage.
There was no room for negotiation.
The dragon unleashed its fiery breath, chasing what it perceived as a 'fairy,' intent on crushing it and venting its frustration.
But this turn of events caused trouble for the shop owners in Diagon Alley.
They had to dodge the falling golden cups from above and be vigilant against the rampaging dragon, all while trying to put out the fires on their rooftops.
"Damn it, what's a dragon doing in Diagon Alley?!"
Shouts of anger echoed throughout the alley.
However, there were also some smarter individuals who guessed what might have happened.
The Splitting Charm and Fire Charm on the golden cups clearly indicated Gringotts' involvement, suggesting that someone had broken into Gringotts and illegally taken something from within.
"Gringotts has been robbed again?!" someone exclaimed, drawing attention to the key issue.
The reason for saying 'again' was that Gringotts had also been robbed six years ago.
But at that time, the Gringotts spokesperson had claimed that Vault 713 was empty, and its contents had been removed beforehand.
It was unlikely that this time it would be another empty vault.
The recent back-to-back robberies at Gringotts, after centuries of peace, made it hard to believe that this was all a coincidence.
The Prophet immediately dispatched reporters to the scene upon receiving the news.
However, Gringotts' response was equally swift. Rita Skeeter and several Aurors were stopped by the fairies, who were on high alert, and prevented from entering.
The fairies firmly refused entry, and Rita Skeeter, ever the opportunist, quickly took her leave without pressing the issue.
Whether she truly left or not was anyone's guess.
Meanwhile, the situation within Gringotts was far from calm.
With Oren's escape, the fairies turned their attention to Kyle.
"They're in cahoots! Capture him!" Bogrod shouted, pointing at Kyle accusingly.
"You'd better think this through carefully," Kyle said, holding the fairy Kra in one hand and his wand in the other as he glared at the elderly goblin.
"You goblins of Gringotts are something else. Not only was one of your own a Death Eater in disguise, but you also dare to accuse me of being an accomplice when I tried to help."
"You just wait, this isn't over. I'll make sure the Minister of Magic hears about this!"
"Do you think we'll believe you?" Bogrod scoffed, showing no signs of backing down.
"Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. I have evidence," Kyle said, lifting the fairy Kra up. "All it takes is for me to bring this fairy to the Ministry of Magic, and the Aurors will be able to extract the truth from its mind in a matter of seconds. Let's see how long you can keep up this charade."
Bogrod fell silent.
As an elderly goblin, he could tell that the fairy had been put under the Imperius Curse.
And the one who cast it was most likely the Death Eater who had escaped, the same one who had impersonated the goblin Raksha.
If this wizard was telling the truth, Gringotts would be in deep trouble.
"Are you trying to kidnap the fairy?" Kyle asked, seeing the conflicted expression on Bogrod's face and immediately guessing his intention.
"We will handle the fairy situation ourselves; it's none of your business, wizard," Bogrod retorted.
"I don't usually meddle in goblin affairs, but what about the six thousand three hundred galleons that were stolen from me? Gringotts owes me an explanation for that," Kyle demanded.
"And..." Kyle looked up, "whether or not wizards get involved is not for you to decide."
Right on cue, seven or eight Aurors descended from above and entered the underground vault.
Leading them was none other than the head of the Auror Office, Scrimgeour—an old acquaintance.
(End of Chapter)
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