Hearing that he was to be arrested filled the goateed wizard with terror, and the other side's disregard for his status filled him with rage. He shoved past his guards to the second-floor railing and roared, "I am the head of Selwyn! The Ministry of Magic has no such rule! I—ugh!"
A beam of light shot up from below and struck Selwyn. The magical glow of the robe on his body flashed, apparently blocking part of the spell, but the remaining force still made his body go limp. He toppled straight over the railing and crashed onto the stairs below, his head slamming hard into the angled edge of a step with a tooth-grating crack. Then his twisted limbs rolled and slid down the stairs to the floor below, where he lay motionless.
The originally chaotic scene fell silent for a moment.
Albert frowned, looking somewhat surprised at the goateed man on the floor who was no longer breathing. He did not explain that his spell had originally been meant to stun him and knock him backward—this pureblood's protective gear, which he had put on out of fear of death, had failed because Albert had also read the Nether Scroll, making his magic different from ordinary spells. As a result, the robe had not bounced the spell away as usual and had only offset part of its force, instead causing its own master to pitch forward over the railing, hit his head, and fall to his death.
"Anyone who resists, regardless of status! No need to hold back!" Albert commanded loudly. In this situation where they were outnumbered, he was not worried for his own safety, but his subordinates needed him to turn this accident into momentum to ensure theirs.
"Yes, sir!" the Aurors answered in unison, a fierce aura