Chapter 997: A Series of Fierce Battles
Chapter 997: A Series of Fierce Battles
"Lightning!" Ivan flew high in the sky, waving his wand at Grindelwald. Fine arcs of electricity gathered at the tip of his wand before a terrifying thunderstorm, like silver snakes, raced down.
The speed of the lightning was unimaginable, but Grindelwald, who had faced Ivan many times before, reacted instantly when the arcs appeared. He swung the Elder Wand with all his might, and the petrified Auror nearby floated up, blocking in front of him. The petrified figure was directly hit by the dense arcs of lightning.
A deafening thunderclap followed, and the violent thunderstorm instantly shattered the petrified statue into pieces.
Engorgio (Expand)
Incendio (Blaze)
Oppugno (Projectile)
Shattered stones rained down from the sky. Grindelwald pointed his wand again, and under non-verbal spellcasting, three spells were cast in quick succession. The scattered fragments of stone floated in the air, rapidly expanding to several times their original size under the Enlargement Charm. Enveloped in a dark blue Fiendfyre, they hurtled towards Ivan.
Each piece of petrified stone, now the size of a human head, flew like cannonballs, exploding with bursts of fire in mid-air.
Ivan flapped his wings, dodging through the gaps between explosions, a hint of anger appearing on his face.
He could clearly see that the petrified figure that had been destroyed was one of his subordinates, and there was a high chance that the person was still alive. Grindelwald had deliberately used this to block his magic, undoubtedly with malicious intent.
However, Ivan also knew that Grindelwald was trying to provoke him, hoping to throw him off balance and gain an advantage in the battle.
Although their magical abilities had reached such a high level that various spells were used to their utmost, and survival techniques were plentiful, even a day and night of fighting might not yield a decisive result. But wizards, after all, were mortal, and sometimes just one critical mistake could determine the outcome.
This was why Ivan had given the remaining Felix Felicis to Fenrir. He needed a chance to defeat Grindelwald, and his intuition told him that Fenrir might be able to help...
And today, he was particularly trusting of his intuition!
...
Meanwhile, Fenrir and his group, who had just escaped from the Department of Mysteries, stumbled upon another intense battle. After putting in considerable effort to defeat several fierce Death Eaters and rescue four nearly killed colleagues, everyone in the group turned their attention to a gap in the right wall.
During the battle, they had cast a combined Explosion Charm, killing several Death Eaters and blowing a hole in the sturdy wall. To everyone's surprise, the other side of the wall was empty.
"This looks like a Secret Passage. It's hidden so well, it must be very important. Let's go in and see if we can find something valuable", Walker said, eyeing the gap and looking at Fenrir with enthusiasm.
However, Auror Cis had a different opinion. The ambush in the Department of Mysteries had left him with significant psychological trauma. Out of twelve wizards, only three of them had survived. Even if the Secret Passage wasn't a trap, it was bound to be extremely dangerous. They should gather more people before considering entering...
Fenrir hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted Walker's suggestion. Partly due to the premonition brought on by Felix Felicis, and partly because he agreed with Walker's theory.
This hidden passage was located not far from the Department of Mysteries on the first floor, and it was set up so covertly that it must be of great importance. It was likely the place where the Witch Alison was hiding.
If that was the case, the battle just now might have alerted her.
To prevent her from escaping, Fenrir didn't hesitate for long. He waved his wand to enlarge the gap in the wall, then led Walker, Cis, and the four rescued Aurors into the secret passage.
It was a long, narrow corridor with gray stone tiles on the ground. Torches were placed every three meters on both sides, their bright red flames illuminating the path. Fenrir immediately recognized that this was no makeshift passage.
To avoid being outnumbered, Fenrir used the Magic Mark to send a message to the Aurors still fighting within the Ministry of Magic, instructing those who had finished off their enemies to gather here as quickly as possible.
He also urged Walker and the others to quicken their pace, to avoid being trapped from both ends.
In less than half a minute, they had passed through the long corridor and reached a vast hall.
Dozens of lifelike angel statues stood on either side, creating a solemn and awe-inspiring atmosphere. The walls were divided into sections, each displaying prominent magical images.
Fenrir quickly scanned the area, noticing that every battle within the Ministry of Magic was faithfully recorded. This explained why their actions had been under constant surveillance, and why they had suffered such heavy losses.
"What is this place?" Walker asked, astounded.
"Probably the Control Room of the French Ministry of Magic", Fenrir guessed, his gaze settling on the five wizards in the center of the hall.
The other four were mere guardians, but the Witch in the center looked familiar. After a quick comparison with the image in his mind, Fenrir felt a surge of joy. The person before them was indeed the Witch Alison they had been searching for!
According to the intelligence, the Horcrux was around her neck...
Noticing the intrusion, Alison and her four companions turned around, but there was no surprise on their faces. Fenrir and his group's victory over the guardians and entry into the Control Room had already been seen through the magical images. Since the intruders were few in number, Alison decided to eliminate them here.
"Looks like our luck is good; the enemy is two fewer than us..." Cis raised an eyebrow, speaking lightly. However, just as he finished, the Control Room shook, and the angel statues on both sides came to life, drawing their weapons and surrounding them in a half-circle.
"Well, it looks like that's not the case anymore", Cis said sheepishly, eyeing the numerous angel statues.
"You'd better shut up..." Fenrir glared at him irritably, then drew his wand and cast a Cruciatus Curse, blowing the head off one of the angel statues.
However, this did not deter the statues. The head that had been blown off regrew in just a few seconds.
Alison glanced at Fenrir and his companions, then instructed her acolytes, "You don't need to protect me. Take care of them first. If we drag this out, more enemies might arrive!"
(End of Chapter)
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