There really was someone on the dragon's back!
Kingsley's first thought was that it might be a goblin dragon tamer, but he quickly noticed that the figure's proportions were not at all goblin-like. Goblins were built like small, stocky stone pillars, with arms nearly as long as their bodies and hands that almost touched the ground.
However, the shadowy figure before him had a well-proportioned build, one that could easily serve as a model in a robe shop's display case.
Kingsley tried to see the person's face, but he soon noticed that the man on the dragon's back seemed to be dodging someone's attacks. Terrifying dark curses pierced through the flames, shooting towards the dragon like burning missiles trailing thick smoke.
The aging dragon struggled to evade, but fortunately, the man on its back cast protective spells. Each time a curse was about to hit the dragon, it exploded mid-air. The curses that missed exploded all around, causing the cave to tremble continuously. Large chunks of rock shattered and flew, the fragments piercing through the steel tracks like shrapnel from a shotgun.
Now Kingsley understood the cause of the previous tremors.
But this realization only added to his astonishment.
One person's spells were causing such powerful shockwaves that the entire Gringotts was shaking. If he didn't know that Dumbledore was currently at Hogwarts and the Dark Lord was missing, he might have thought that the two most powerful wizards were battling in the cave.
Cyrus rode the dragon, feeling the damp wind of the cave rush against his face.
Just a few minutes earlier, they were still battling in the secret vault. Voldemort had cast many spells, but none could penetrate Cyrus's defenses, while Cyrus's attacks had little effect on Voldemort. Cyrus had underestimated Voldemort's abilities, but similarly, Voldemort had underestimated him.
Neither of them could gain the upper hand over the other.
Then, the vault's defense mechanisms activated. Massive stone statues rose from the floor, which was like a surface of water, launching indiscriminate attacks on both Cyrus and Voldemort.
Of course, the statues posed no real threat to them. Almost simultaneously, they each cast a spell that shattered the statues to pieces. However, the appearance of the statues caused the vault to begin collapsing.
At the same time, the dragon went berserk.
It breathed fire and roared.
Seeing this, Cyrus didn't hesitate.
He used a spell to blast the ground beneath Voldemort's feet, then quickly cast a counter-charm to a flight spell, forcing Voldemort to remain in the vault.
Amid the chaos, Cyrus mounted the dragon and flew out.
After escaping the vault, he didn't forget to blow up the vault door, causing the collapsing structure to completely bury Voldemort.
Cyrus didn't believe it would be that easy to deal with Voldemort, though. In fact, it only took Voldemort a few seconds to break the counter-charm to the flight spell. After all, it was a spell he had invented himself, so breaking it was naturally simple for him.
As for the debris blocking his way, it took just one spell to clear.
He blasted open the passage with fire.
The fiery blaze was a manifestation of Voldemort's seething anger, concentrated within his chest!
At this moment, he had lost most of his physical form, enveloped by a black mist like toxic smoke within the flames.
He burst through the fire, relentlessly pursuing Cyrus and the dragon, his wand firing off attack after attack. In the pitch-black cavern, the spells flickered like a series of distress signals.
"Fight back, Cyrus! Is this all you've got?" he screamed shrilly, his voice echoing through the cave.
"Show me your ancient magic!"
Voldemort continued his taunts, his emotions in turmoil.
On one hand, he was irritated and frustrated at how long it was taking to defeat Cyrus. It was clear that the time he had spent far exceeded his expectations; on the other hand, he was exhilarated by Cyrus's current strength.
He had already deduced that the lightning Cyrus had unleashed earlier was most likely ancient magic.
He had to admit, it was indeed formidable. It could even wrap around the body and intercept his dark magic attacks.
He was intensely jealous, longing to possess the same power.
His voice reached the ears of Kingsley and the other Aurors.
Listening to the shout. The look on the wizard's face darkened even further.
Tom Riddle again?
Lately, it seemed like every troublesome event had been stirred up by this Tom Riddle. Of course, he called himself Cyrus now. But no matter the name, his presence was felt everywhere.
The Chamber of Secrets attack, the Azkaban breakout, the Scottish Highlands incident, and now Gringotts.
Unlike him, Sirius Black, another fugitive, had been much quieter. Moreover, Kingsley had heard rumors that Black's case might be reconsidered.
Kingsley didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts because the goblins once again shamelessly shifted the blame onto them.
"It's Tom Riddle! That vicious fugitive! He killed our kin! And now he's broken into our vaults! Why didn't you arrest him sooner?" the goblin shouted, eyes bulging and teeth gnashing.
He cursed the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic, calling them useless and accusing the wizards of being idle and ineffective. The goblins believed that if they controlled the wizarding world, such events would never occur. They ignored the fact that the Ministry had no jurisdiction over Gringotts.
At least, Kingsley felt there was one truth in their accusations.
If goblins controlled the wizarding world, wizards certainly wouldn't be allowed to possess wands. Naturally, there wouldn't be any wizards breaking into Gringotts.
The battle in the cavern raged on.
The dragon flew higher and higher, almost reaching the top. Kingsley's heart was in his throat, but suddenly he saw the dark figure behind them casting a terrifying spell. The spell struck the protective shield around the dragon.
It should have been blocked, he thought.
However, things didn't go as he expected.
For some reason, the dragon abruptly folded its wings and plummeted downwards!
He watched with his heart pounding, but Cyrus, standing on the dragon's back, remained unfazed.
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