Chapter 278: Dumbledore Arrives

It was the first time I saw the Dark Lord True Form with my own eyes.

John squinted.

Voldemort also stared at him, the mudblood, whom Little Dwarf Star had mentioned to him two months ago.

His crimson pupils held no emotion, only scrutiny.

The mudblood he had once despised actually affected his plan.

With just one person, he rolled his subordinates over like a speed bump.

It made him feel a ridiculous sense of humiliation.

"John Mei...."

Bang bang bang!!

Three shots in a row!

John didn't even wait for Voldemort's words to finish; the gunfire tore through the air, aiming at Voldemort's brow.

Voldemort didn't even raise his hand; three bullets suddenly froze half an inch from his brow, hovering as if grasped by an invisible giant hand.

The air buzzed and trembled, and his crimson pupils narrowed slightly.

It wasn't a Disillusionment Spell, nor an Iron Armor Spell, but pure magic overriding physical law.

Crack-like fissures resembling spiderwebs rose on the bullet's surface, then disintegrated inch by inch into silver‑gray dust.

Seeing this, John knew he would have to discard another attack method.

Voldemort's dimension was on a completely different level from his.

Back when he sparred with Dumbledore, the reason he could wound Dumbledore was indeed solely due to a first‑sight kill.

Voldemort's mouth curled up a faint, almost compassionate curve; his fingertip lifted lightly, and the Magic Spell swayed toward John's brow.

"Avada Kedavra Curse."

It differed from the Killing Curses of the other Death Eaters.

Voldemort's Killing Curse was almost thigh‑thick, the green Magic Spell tearing through the air with a force that could fell trees.

John's pupils contracted sharply, and he swung his wand forcefully.

Three Stone Walls rose from the ground in succession.

Boom boom boom!!

The result failed to even reach half the Killing Curse; the Stone Walls shattered like paper into dust, while the green beam continued unabated, piercing straight through John's face.

John's hair on the back of his neck stood on end; in a hair's breadth, he turned his Fire Gun into a shield.

It barely blocked the deadly Killing Curse.

John seized the chance to counterattack.

A massive stone hand burst from the ground beneath Voldemort's feet, snatching the entire Voldemort.

But it couldn't squeeze him at all.

Voldemort activated the Iron Armor Spell, easily blocking the stone hand's crushing pressure.

John simply changed tactics, hoisting Voldemort high before smashing him violently onto the ground!

With a thunderous crash, shards of stone sprayed like a downpour.

Before John could assess the situation, a terrifying green light ripped through the smoke, charging straight at him.

But this time, before John could devise a response,

an even more terrifying red beam slashed in from his side.

Bang!!

The red beam and green beam collided with a roar in front of John.

The residual force hurled John completely, throwing him five meters away.

When he staggered to his feet, he saw that Dumbledore had arrived.

His robe fluttered, white beard billowing as he slowly stepped out of the fireplace, his gaze blazing behind crescent glasses.

Voldemort frowned slightly upon seeing Dumbledore.

He hadn't expected Dumbledore to breach his trap so quickly.

Their Magic Spells clashed violently in the main hall of the Ministry of Magic, causing every pane of glass in the Ministry to tremble.

Everyone was shaken by the force, trembling and unable to join the battle to offer any aid.

John also knew that with Dumbledore present, Voldemort no longer needed his interference.

He turned his gaze again to the remaining Death Eaters.

He intended to wipe them all out completely.

However, Voldemort seemed to have sensed his intention as well.

He jerked his wand upward, redirecting the colliding Magic Spells toward the ceiling.

It blasted a huge opening, raining down shards of stone and smoke.

Voldemort seized the chance to swing his wand again.

A fire serpent larger and hotter than the one the Death Eaters had just cast rose up like a massive flaming python.

The fire python swept across the entire main hall.

Dumbledore instantly waved his wand, repelling the fire python and shielding everyone.

But in an instant, the fire python exploded with a roar, vanishing from the Ministry of Magic.

Along with it, Voldemort and several surviving Death Eaters disappeared.

The entire Ministry of Magic finally fell back into dead silence.

Everyone watched the scene as if surviving a disaster, unable to recover for a long time.

"Dumbledore."

At this moment, Professor Moody led Harry and the others forward quickly from behind.

"Hmm, are you all okay?"

"It's fine," Professor Moody shook his head, then continued to ask.

"What happened outside?"

Dumbledore did not answer immediately, but looked around, finally fixing his gaze on the window at the top floor.

Fudge was poking out a comical head, looking down.

"Cornelius, come down."

He said it lightly, then paid no more attention to Fudge.

John also arrived at the group at this time.

His right cheek was hit by the recent Magic Spell, scorching a charred wound, a bead of blood slowly seeping along his jawline.

"John, how are you?"

Harry saw his condition and asked immediately.

"It's fine, but this ear keeps buzzing."

John shook his head, then touched his right cheek and said.

Dumbledore also raised his hand to examine John's wound, speaking with an apologetic tone.

"Sorry, John, for making you face this alone."

"No, I came on my own accord."

John waved his hand, saying nonchalantly.

The others wore bewildered expressions, not knowing what they were talking about.

Dumbledore, seeing this, then explained.

"After I received your request for help, I came here at once."

"But I was blocked by Voldemort on the way."

"He used Dark Magic to forcibly block all teleportation in an entire area; when I entered that area, I had to stop and engage him in battle."

"He set many traps, deliberately delaying time."

Dumbledore said this while shaking the scorch marks on the hem of his robe, clearly having fought a battle before arriving.

"I couldn't escape quickly, but fortunately Fukesi sensed John, went to find him early, and using the phoenix's ability, brought John in."

"Voldemort also saw Fukesi disappear, then gave up further delay and arrived first."

"I arrived after breaking the final blockade."

After hearing this explanation, Harry finally understood why Dumbledore had been slow to come to aid.

Instead, John appeared with Fukesi.

Speaking of Fukesi, it was already perched on John's right shoulder.

It gently brushed John's charred wound with its beak, a tear falling from its eye.

The moment the tear touched the wound, a faint glow rose from beneath the charred skin.

John felt the burning pain gradually fade, and the buzzing in his right ear eased slightly.

However, the hearing in that half of his ear remained muffled, perhaps the eardrum was damaged by close-range sound waves.

The phoenix's tears possess powerful healing power.

John had heard of this before, but this was his first personal experience.

"Little bird, I won't pull your butt hair anymore."

"Gah!"

Hearing John's words, Fukesi protested with a cry, flapped its wings and flew back to Dumbledore's shoulder.

Everyone laughed, and even Dumbledore gave a slight nod, his blue eyes shimmering with gentle light.