Battle of Phoenix Pride

The Fishein Wilderness in northwestern Great Britain, a desolate mountain range near ancient Celtic ruins, is shrouded in dense fog and magical turbulence year-round. Muggle compasses fail here, and wizards' sensory magic is severely hampered by the natural barriers remaining in the mountains.

Since their last joint effort successfully wiped out the remnants of the China Corpse Raiser, the Order of the Phoenix and the International Aurors Force have once again joined forces to form a team of over fifty people, following the dying words of a person on the verge of death.

Leading the group were Dumbledore, leader of the Order of the Phoenix, and Samuel Kohaug, leader of the International Aurors.

Among the Auror, there were professional trackers who continuously cast Trace Revealing Charm along the way, but the informant's residual magic was unstable, as if it had been repeatedly interfered with by some force.

Alditz Flaherty, from Ilvermorny School of Magic, is currently a professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts and the author of *The Last Battle of Sasquatch *. With extensive experience in mountain exploration, he meticulously examined the surrounding terrain, making judgments one by one: this place was neither an ideal ambush point nor a hidden hideout, but rather more like some kind of temporary transit area.

"If the informant really was here," Ogden Hobbden, who had just finished his temporary term as Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts, said in a low voice, "Then he didn't stay long."

Dumbledore nodded, without responding immediately. The group continued along a rugged mountain path, venturing deeper into the granite-covered mountains.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Stop."

The line came to an instant.

From the fog ahead, another set of footsteps could be heard.

In this desolate place, neither side made any effort to conceal their footsteps, nor did either of them expect to encounter anyone else on the road.

After a brief silence, the fog was lifted.

The two people who met by chance realized each other's true nature almost simultaneously.

At that moment, there were no incantations, only brief, almost simultaneous pauses.

Opposite them was a sizable group—dressed in a chaotic mix of wizard robes and pirate-style armor, bearing obvious signs of battle and the stench of blood.

They clearly hadn't expected to run into anyone here.

Even more unexpectedly, they encountered Dumbledore.

Barbarossa was the first to react.

He narrowed his eyes, a dangerous yet excited smile spreading across his face. "I never expected to encounter prey in a place like this."

Morgan LeFee stood beside him, her gaze calm and scrutinizing. "It's the Order of the Phoenix," she said flatly. "And the International Aurors."

Dumbledore stepped forward, his wand hanging naturally at his side. His long silver beard fluttered slightly in the wind and snow, and his blue eyes appeared exceptionally clear in the mist.

Without any further words, the battle suddenly broke out.

Driven almost instinctively, both sides sought cover, and the spells flew through the narrow mountain path, frequently bouncing off course, deflecting, and causing friendly fire.

International Aurors took the lead in stabilizing the situation.

Samuel Kohaug gave the order, Auror, well-trained, took up defensive formation. Their uniform silver Protective Charm quickly deployed, creating a safe buffer zone in just a few moments.

The members of the Order of the Phoenix fought individually, but without panic—this was a combat method they were already accustomed to.

Liu Tao immediately targeted Ge Lang, the pirate lord of Singapore, and the two instantly engaged in a life-or-death duel on a protruding, massive granite slab. Both fought with an open, aggressive style, and explosions resounded everywhere, leaving the surrounding rocks riddled with craters.

Newt Scamander unleashed a multitude of Fantastic Beasts from his pocket, including flying Swooping Evil that spewed venom at their enemies, and Bowtruckle and Niffler that attacked and tore at their feet from the ground.

Amara, the head of the Salem Witches' Association —a Native North America witch draped in a feathered cloak—stood on the left rock face, her hands clasped together, and began to chant an ancient tribal incantation in a low voice. Her voice blended with the wind and snow, like an ancient whisper. The moment the incantation took effect, the surrounding rocks suddenly "came to life," instantly shattering the enemy's formation.

Fontana plunged his wand straight into the ground, and the mountain path beneath his feet instantly twisted, like a crumpled piece of paper. The once flat section suddenly folded into a slope of nearly sixty degrees. Caught off guard, the pirates screamed as they slid into the bottomless crevice below. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the rest of the Order of the Phoenix launched a massive counterattack.

From God's perspective, the pirate army was slightly larger than the Order of the Phoenix and the Auror, but the Order of the Phoenix had many powerful high-level fighters who quickly made up for the difference in numbers by taking advantage of the terrain and environment.

Most importantly, at the heart of the battlefield—

Dumbledore confronted Morgan le Fay and Barbarossa alone.

Three enormous and distinct magical forces collided suddenly in mid-air, and the shockwave Cleansweep out like an invisible giant hammer, directly tearing apart the surrounding mountains. The roar of collapsing rock walls mixed with the howling of wind and snow, and rubble fell like raindrops, leaving the ground pitted and uneven, with dust and snowflakes intertwining into a gray-white chaos.

Morgan le Fay and Barbarossa were both recognized as near-magicians. Either one of them could fight Dumbledore to the death in a one-on-one battle. But now, when the two joined forces, they found that they could not overpower the white-bearded old man in a short time.

Dumbledore held nothing back. His silver-grey robes fluttered in the gale, and the trajectory of his wand was so fast that it was almost invisible. Every spell carried devastating precision and power. A silver-white Phoenix phantom hovered around him, sometimes transforming into a shield to block a fatal blow, and sometimes transforming into a sharp blade to counterattack.

His magical output was like a tidal wave, seemingly without regard for consumption—this was not a normal fighting stance, but a desperate, maniacal style of fighting that overdraws his magical power.

Barbarossa grew increasingly frantic with each fight, his eyes almost bursting with bloodshot veins. Despite their numerical advantage, the two were unable to truly subdue Dumbledore.

"Old man!" Barbarossa roared, his voice hoarse and distorted in the wind and snow, "Your crazy fighting style is pure suicide! You want to wear us down? Dream on!"

Barbarossa's feelings are understandable. He was tied down here by Dumbledore, which meant that his pirate crew was in danger. Although the pirates outnumbered him and were all hardened and unruly, with many possessing elite Auror- level combat power, they were already suffering repeated defeats under the leadership of high-level combatants such as Liu Tao, Fontana, and Amara.

Morgan le Fay's attacks never ceased. Her dark green robes billowed in the wind, and her bright red lips parted slightly, revealing a cold, mocking smile. Her voice remained calm, yet carried a clarity that pierced through the wind and snow. "Dumbledore, you can't hold out like this for long."

The dragon-shaped staff in her hand slowly drew a complex dragon-shaped rune in the air. As soon as the rune took shape, the ground trembled violently, and countless pitch-black tentacles burst out of the snow and mud, carrying a stench and corrosive smell, and frantically wrapped around Dumbledore.

"I advise you to stop struggling in your death throes." Morgan's voice was soft, almost gentle, yet chillingly cold. "Save your life; you might live a few more days."

Dumbledore did not respond, but simply turned his wand slightly.

The phantom of the silver Phoenix suddenly expanded, transforming into a huge, almost tangible halo that enveloped everything within a three-zhang radius around him.

The halo was not simply silver-white, but carried the purifying flames unique to the Phoenix, with tiny silver flames dancing along its edges. The moment the black tentacles touched the edge of the halo, they emitted a violent hissing corrosion sound, instantly billowing black smoke, but could not advance even an inch further.

Barbarossa, enraged, laughed coldly and pointed his wand sharply at the sky, "Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"

The Pirate King Family Secret Technique - The Undead Black Tide!

A thick, gray-black wave burst forth from the tip of his staff. This wave was not ordinary water, but rather a mass of countless twisted, wailing ghosts and spirits. As the waves rolled, dozens of hideous faces emerged from the spray, their gaping maws emitting silent shrieks. The giant wave, carrying the stench of decay and death, crashed down upon Dumbledore, as if to devour the entire mountain path along with him.

The phantom of the silver Phoenix rushed forward, only to be torn open by the impact of the giant wave. Silver light splashed out from the crack, like moonlight stained with ink, and quickly dimmed.

Morgan LeFey seized the opportunity.

She parted her red lips slightly and uttered a low, ancient, and obscure syllable.

The Hell Dragon Emperor's Exclusive Bloodline Secret Technique - Hellfire!

A dark red ring of fire suddenly rose beneath her feet, from which leaped a Dragon phantom, its body jet black yet burning with dark red karmic flames. These karmic flames were unlike ordinary flames; they did not scorch the flesh, but burned the soul. The Dragon roared and pounced on Dumbledore, its dark red flames coiling around his left arm like living things.

"Ah--" Dumbledore let out a low groan of pain for the first time.

The sleeve of his left arm instantly turned to Ashes, his skin rapidly charred and ulcerated, and dark red karmic fire, like countless tiny insects, burrowed into his flesh and burned inward along his meridians. The pain reached the depths of his soul, a hundred times more insidious than Cruciatus Curse.

But he did not back down.

He gritted his teeth and swung his wand sharply. "Phoenix Nirvana!"

The phantom of the silver Phoenix exploded completely, transforming into countless silver-white fire feathers. The fire feathers swept out like a torrential rain, forcibly suppressing the Hellfire and burning away the Undead Black Tide in Barbarossa. The hellfire was devoured by the silver flames, emitting a piercing wail. The phantom of the Dragon twisted and struggled in the silver light, finally turning into a wisp of black smoke and dissipating.

Dumbledore's left arm was charred black, a bloody mess, with the white bone faintly visible. His face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, yet he still stood ramrod straight.

Just then, a deep laugh came from the depths of the mist.

That's enough.

Herpo finally showed up.

He took a step forward, and the mist parted automatically, as if to make way for him. Several Cobra members in black robes followed behind him. He didn't make a move; he simply raised his hand, signaling everyone to retreat.

Herpo's gaze cut through the snow and landed on Dumbledore's charred left arm. His voice was low and tinged with mockery. "Dumbledore... you're still so stubborn."

Dumbledore did not answer, but slowly raised his right hand, pointing his wand at Herpo. The phantom of the silver Phoenix reformed behind him, much dimmer than before, but still exuding an inviolable aura.

Herpo narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over Liu Tao, Fontana, Amara, and the others who were still in good condition. He secretly calculated how confident he was of being able to capture them if he made a move.

Finally, he waved his hand and gave the order, "Retreat!"

All of Walpurgis's men Apparition and departed, and neither the Order of the Order of the Phoenix nor the Auror intended to intervene.

The snowstorm gradually stopped, but the chill of the Fishein Wilderness lingered, as if seeping into one's very bones.

All that remained on the battlefield were broken wands, charred rock walls, scattered fragments of cloaks, and mud stained dark red with blood and snowmelt. The air was thick with the pungent stench of burning, blood, and magical remnants, like the lingering echoes of a recently concluded infernal feast.

Of the more than fifty members of the Order of the Phoenix and the International Aurors Joint Squad, only thirty-seven remained standing intact.

Dupont —the tracking expert from France —was pierced through the chest by the first "Avada Kedavra" and died instantly; Dean Woflin was severely injured by the "Cruciatus Curse," suffering three broken ribs and displaced internal organs, and fell into a deep coma as Ogden Hobbden carried him away.

Several other International Aurors were critically injured and were being carried on stretchers conjured by others. The situation was no better for the Order of the Phoenix. The elite of the Gadlon- House of Boot Potter Family almost completely wiped out, and the two centenarians, Charles Potter and Dumbledore's close friend Ephias Dogie, were also attacked and killed.

Dumbledore's left arm was charred and festering, the lingering poison of the dark red karmic fire still slowly burning in his veins. Each heartbeat felt like countless fine needles churning in his bone marrow. His face was as pale as paper, yet he still stood ramrod straight, his silver beard covered with snowflakes and dust, his blue eyes reflecting the afterglow of the wind and snow, his calmness almost unreal.

"Damn it, the cost of this battle was too high." Kohaug couldn't help but complain as he looked at the carnage around him.

But the losses on the other side, Walpurgis, were even greater.

Singapore pirate lord Ge Lang fell onto the largest granite block, his chest pierced by the golden sword-shaped phantom conjured by Liu Tao. Sword energy seeped out from his back, and blood congealed into dark red ice crystals on the snow.

There were at least thirty pirate corpses scattered around.

Overall, both sides suffered heavy losses, but Walpurgis's losses were greater.

"Dumbledore... your arm..." Liu Tao said, frowning. With his extensive experience, he already realized that this injury was probably not easy to treat.

Dumbledore shook his head, his voice still gentle, but tinged with weariness. "I'm fine. Let's go back to Hogwarts."

Behind them, the Fishein Wilderness returned to deathly silence.

Only the charred rock walls, the broken wand, and the still-wet bloodstains on the ground bear witness to this brief but brutal encounter.