After seeing the two freaks, Thunderbird and Alan, leave the main battlefield, Bird Snake let out a long sigh of relief. "Finally, no one is in the way. Next, I'll let you witness the power of the Ghoul Frenzy!"
"Is that so? Are you blind, you bastard? Or do you simply not see me?"
Just as Bird Snake was about to increase the intensity of his magic, a grumbling voice sounded in his ear. He turned his head to find Moody, leaning on his cane with a twisted smile. Before Bird Snake could process the intrusion, Moody shot a powerful curse at him.
Bird Snake was caught completely off guard, hastily blocking the spell. His attention had been entirely absorbed by the duel between Alan and Thunderbird—after all, those two were wild enough to draw anyone's eye with their flashy, saturated spells flying everywhere. Combined with the effort needed to maintain the summoning, he truly hadn't noticed Moody creeping up behind them.
Moody had noticed Bird Snake causing trouble early on, but the commotion from the two elemental masters was too great. He had been blocked by their crossfire and couldn't find a clean shot. The experienced Auror knew that casting spells into such a volatile duel could cause unpredictable variables for Alan, so he had held back. After seeing that the ghouls hadn't caused substantial damage to the other Aurors, he had moved through the shadows, systematically picking off smugglers.
Originally, he had planned to wait until Alan and Thunderbird were nearly spent before intervening. He recognized Thunderbird's strength was extraordinary and worried Alan might struggle to finish the job. However, once Thunderbird lured Alan into the forest and the path cleared, Moody decided it was time to deal with this troublesome summoner.
Moody launched a continuous assault like a heavy turret, each spell landing with bone-shaking power. Bird Snake responded as best he could, but the attacks came one after another, each heavier than the last. Just as the summoner was looking for a gap to counter, Moody's wand flashed with a different light.
"Avada Kedavra!"
After a barrage of Stunners and Blasting Curses, Moody suddenly unleashed the Killing Curse.
"Holy—!" Bird Snake barely reacted in time. He nearly tried to block it with a shield before realizing what it was and diving desperately to the side. The green light hissed past him, narrowly missing.
*Are you really an Auror, you bastard?*
Bird Snake scrambled up from the ground, looking at Moody with a sense of pure absurdity. He had traveled the international wizarding world for years, but outside of the more lawless regions of the Americas, he had never seen a Ministry Auror use the Killing Curse so decisively.
The close call left him breaking out in a cold sweat. Moody, looking more like a predator than a lawman, spat angrily to the side when he saw his spell miss and immediately resumed the offensive.
*Damn it! How can you look like that and be an Auror? You're more of a criminal than I am!* Bird Snake felt his worldview crumbling. Between the invisible ambushes, a young wizard who could fight a top-tier Club member to a draw, and this Moody who was more terrifying than a serial killer, he decided Britain was a nightmare. *I want to go home! I want to go back to Europe!*
As Bird Snake struggled to survive Moody's onslaught, the unmanned summoning bag began to fail. Without the wizard's constant mental direction, the ghouls went berserk. They ceased distinguishing between friend and foe, pouncing on and biting anything that breathed.
On the main battlefield, many smugglers had already been eliminated. Fewer than ten remained, relying on the cover of the fortifications to stalemate the Aurors. Now, their own undead guardians turned on them.
"Ahhh!"
The remaining smugglers were in dire straits. Several were dismembered by the ghouls beside them, their screams echoing across the cliffside. Realizing the battle was lost, many dropped their wands and shouted toward the Aurors, "Help! I surrender! I'll turn myself in!"
Pride is a luxury in the face of death. They knew that being caught by the Ministry meant prison, but staying here meant a gruesome end.
Mavis, commanding the center of the line, heard the shouts. "Fine! Come closer. But if I see you point a wand at us, you're dead. Everyone else, tighten the perimeter! We need to stabilize the front!"
Mavis leaned against a stack of crates, coordinating with her team to burn a path through the undead to bring her distant comrades together. Though they could handle the ghouls, the numbers seemed endless. They were worried their magic wouldn't hold out in a war of attrition, so they cast Impediment Jinxes to keep the horde at bay while waiting for reinforcements.
"Um... big sister? Can you please let me out?"
Mavis, focused on the chaos, was startled by the sweet voice from behind her. She turned around. The cargo behind her had been covered by tarpaulins, hiding the contents of the cages. The voice was coming from the tall, humanoid-sized cage. There was a small gap in the heavy cloth, and Mavis immediately stepped forward to tear it open.
Inside stood a girl of about fourteen or fifteen with pale blonde hair. Her complexion was hauntingly white, whether from illness or hunger, but her skin was as smooth as a porcelain doll's. She was wearing an intricate Lolita-style lace dress, and while it was covered in dust, the craftsmanship was clearly high-end. However, the sight was marred by the heavy shackles on her hands, feet, and neck, all connected by thick iron chains.