Chapter -53.
"Roar!!!"
As soon as the fierce fire creatures were unleashed, they immediately set their sights on Bernard, who was nearby.
After all, these were fierce beasts, and in their minds, humans were the main targets, while everything else was just background noise.
Plus, let's not forget that these fire beasts were summoned by Lester, so it made sense they'd go after Bernard first.
But even though all the fire beasts were focused on Bernard, the massive flames quickly spread across the entire third floor.
The raging fire turned the third floor into a chaotic sea of flames, surging wildly through the underground level of the Ministry of Magic and threatening the safety passage.
"Run!"
Suddenly, someone shouted, snapping the wizards out of their momentary shock.
If the earlier magical duel had only caused a few unfortunate casualties, this spreading fire was a whole different story—it was a serious threat to everyone's lives.
Run!
In an instant, all the wizards sprang into action.
Even the ever-watchful Moody, who had been ready to sneak attack Lester, felt the heat of the flames closing in and quickly turned to escape up the fire escape.
He hadn't moved before, but once he did, it was like a chain reaction—everyone instinctively followed him, racing to the upper floors.
At that moment, it didn't matter if you were a Muggle-born brought in to do the dirty work, a pureblood official riding on their family's coattails, or even an Azkaban prisoner who had just been causing chaos; everyone was united in their frantic flight upwards.
"Hey, can you guys fight without dragging us into it?!"
Many pure-blood wizards, faces twisted with frustration, were desperately trying to escape.
Bernard was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, and his family was powerful, so they didn't dare voice their complaints.
But they sure felt free to grumble about that useless Arlis from a Muggle background!
While they cursed under their breath, Lester seemed to sense the chaos and frowned.
With a flick of his wand, he conjured up a dragon-like creature once more.
The terrifying beast shot out from the tip of Lester's wand and charged into the crowd of fleeing wizards.
Since the Aurors, prisoners, and pure-blood officials were all standing apart, Lester wasn't worried about hitting his own people.
The pure-blood officials, still grumbling, suddenly felt a chill and turned to see the fierce dragon-like creature barreling toward them.
Boom!
Before they could react, the creature exploded right in the middle of them, taking dozens of lives in an instant.
After the explosion, the sparks from the fire dragon didn't spread; they simply vanished after eating up a few unfortunate souls.
Lester knew he had to keep the fire in check; otherwise, the prisoners he brought along would end up running right into the pure-blood officials. With how fast the fire was spreading, he couldn't risk burning his own people.
[Ding, the host used Protego Diabolica to eliminate 16 pure-blood officials from the Ministry of Magic, Protego Diabolica proficiency +160]
[Protego Diabolica Level 3 (23/100000)]
"Upgraded!" Lester couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement as he saw his Protego Diabolica reach Level 3.
What had he just done in such a tense moment? He had struck at the pure-blood wizards to gain a hefty amount of proficiency!
In Azkaban, he had taken down hundreds of Dementors, but since they were emotionless dark creatures, each one only gave him 1 point of proficiency.
Wizards, on the other hand, were different; they had rich emotions and magical powers, making them inherently more valuable.
The experience gained from defeating a regular monster was nothing compared to that of taking down an elite one, so thanks to the proficiency from defeating wizards, Lester's spell finally leveled up.
"Bernard, I can't wait to have some fun with you!" Lester's eyes sparkled with determination as he summoned two even larger fire whips into his hands.
With the upgrade, the flames that were once blue transformed into a dazzling purple, looking both mysterious and dangerous.
...
Just as Lester was gearing up to show off his skills,
On the first floor, Lucius Malfoy, who had recovered, stood on a high platform, wearing borrowed clothes and shouting to the other wizards below to report the situation to the Minister. He claimed that the Ministry of Magic would definitely handle Lester and the other prisoners and lead everyone to safety.
Below the platform, the pure-blood wizards who had been robbed cheered excitedly, hanging on Lucius's every word.
It's true that the aristocracy, with their rich heritage, received a top-notch education from a young age, giving them skills that ordinary folks often lacked.
For instance, Lucius, with his eloquent speech, had been trained from a young age to be a talented orator, able to sway the minds of the masses.
With his handsome looks, confident posture, and the unique air of superiority that came with being aristocratic, Lucius quickly became the center of attention in the hall as he rallied everyone to demand justice from the Ministry of Magic.
His speech about the Ministry rescuing everyone was met with cheers, lifting the spirits of the wizards trapped in the hall.
Just as Lucius was confidently delivering his speech, a loud commotion erupted from the back of the hall, drawing the attention of all the wizards inside.
Lucius frowned, annoyed at the interruption, and turned to see who was disrupting his moment.
Soon, Moody, leading the charge, burst into the underground hall.
As soon as he ran out, Moody plopped down on the ground, completely disregarding decorum. Having just escaped a disaster, he was more focused on staying alive than on appearances. Little did he know, his arrival brought a glimmer of hope to everyone around him.
"Moody?!" Lucius's expression shifted from annoyance to excitement. As an old Death Eater, he knew Moody well; he was the most formidable Auror in the Ministry of Magic, and his presence seemed to signal that there was still hope.
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