Ethan gazed intently at the beautiful, glittering golden cup.
Carved upon its surface was a lifelike little badger.
Inlaid with gems that were modest yet radiant, they complemented the gold casing perfectly.
It felt substantial in his hand.
Even without the magical power it contained, it would still be a piece of art worthy of any collection.
"I can't shake the feeling that something else is hidden in this..."
Ethan scrutinized the cup.
His vision constantly attempted to pierce through the wards, prying into the deep magic within.
His gaze was so intense that the little badger carved on the cup seemed to stiffen.
It didn't dare to move.
It absolutely did not dare to move.
This standoff lasted until the shouts of Goblins, amplified by Sonorus charms, drifted in from outside the vault:
"Prisoners inside! You have been surrounded! Surrender immediately!"
"Ethan! What should we do?"
The members of the Enlightenment Society asked anxiously.
Gaze after gaze, filled with nervous tension and implicit trust, focused on Ethan.
Only then did Ethan withdraw his attention.
He cast several protective charms on the cup and tucked it safely into his Sealed Cabinet.
He looked up, scanning the faces of the members awaiting his command.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
"What should we do? We rush out, of course!"
"Let everyone see just how much ill-gotten wealth is buried beneath Gringotts!"
As he spoke, Ethan's fingers twitched slightly.
A closed door quietly appeared beneath the mountains of gold and silver.
It waited only for the right moment.
Then, it would open!
Above Bellatrix's Vault.
Dozens of fully armed Goblins and guards were crouched on carts, waiting in full battle array.
When they saw the circular platform—covered in blooming sunflowers and a lake-like pool of blood—a chill seeped out from the depths of their souls.
"Could it be... has 'That Man' returned...?"
The Head Goblin swallowed hard, his eyes bulging like copper bells.
Memories flooded his mind. The terrorist attack Gringotts suffered a few years ago.
It was like a blinding light; even closing one's eyes was useless against the memory.
The leader turned back, glancing at the dense crowd of guards behind him.
His heart settled slightly.
He made a hand signal and jumped cautiously onto the platform.
Before the white dragon could breathe fire, he grabbed the metal instruments—the Clankers.
He shook them violently!
Clang! Clang!
The specific high-frequency noise instantly resonated throughout the cavern!
ROAR!
The white dragon roared in pain and fury.
It thrashed its head constantly, retreating step by step.
It was as if it were trying desperately to shake off invisible steel needles piercing its brain.
Within its orange-yellow vertical pupils, a look of resentment and weakness emerged.
"Good boy, good boy..."
The Head Goblin grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.
His wrinkled face looked utterly loathsome.
Every time he shook the Clankers, he felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
With just this little gadget, he could wantonly control and hurt a giant dragon hundreds of times larger than a Goblin!
This was the wisdom of Goblins!
...Past failures were merely due to the wizards' good luck.
Nowadays, greedy wizards were even worse than Goblins.
By subtly encroaching on wealth and infiltrating the wizarding system, the leader believed:
Their race would have its day to rise again!
Goblins would never be slaves!
The Head Goblin shouted, "They went to Madam Bellatrix's vault! They even used terrible methods to attack the innocent supervisor, Gornuk!"
"Show no mercy! Intercept and kill these despicable thieves right here in the underground!"
"If we actually let them escape, it will be the greatest stain on Gringotts—"
His voice had not yet faded.
WHOOSH!
A column of crimson-orange fire suddenly shot up into the sky!
It swallowed the Head Goblin, instantly cutting off his unfinished sentence!
He didn't even have time to scream.
In that flame, which twisted the very air with its heat, he—along with his grand ambitions and greed—was turned to ash.
Vanished without a trace.
?!!
The change happened too suddenly.
None of the Goblin guards could react in time!
It wasn't until two seconds later.
The flames gradually died down.
The Clankers, regarded as "Anti-Dragon Noble Phantasms," lay on the ground, melted into a puddle of molten iron.
Only then did they snap back to reality.
Their faces went abruptly pale!
"W-What happened?!"
One Goblin asked tremblingly, his lantern clattering to the ground.
He collapsed onto his backside.
In terror, he stared at the figure slowly walking out of the shadows.
——The Light Savior of the Wizarding World, Ethan Vincent!!
Crimson-orange flames danced and flowed around the dark-haired boy like harmless ribbons of silk.
At this moment.
He looked like the very master of fire.
Like a dragon incarnate in human form!
Click!
His cane tapped into the pool of blood, kicking up small crimson splashes.
Ethan tipped the brim of his bowler hat, curled his lips into a smile, and spoke in a melodious tone:
"Gui'an (Good afternoon), everyone at Gringotts."
"The time is... hmm..."
Snap.
Ethan made a show of checking his brass pocket watch, then snapped it shut with a crisp sound.
"Twelve noon."
"The sun is shining bright. It's the perfect time to send you on your way, isn't it?"
The Goblins' eyes nearly split with rage as they shrieked, "Quick! Stop him!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless brilliant spells shot toward Ethan like a dense volley of ceremonial cannon fire!
We've got him!
The Goblins' eyes lit up!
Even with a Protego charm, under such a heavy bombardment of magic, it would be absolutely impossible to retreat unscathed!
Although they didn't know how this kid bypassed Gringotts' defenses to invade this deep, they would make sure he never returned!
Under the siege of countless spells, Ethan remained motionless.
Just a moment before the spells were about to hit him—
A semi-transparent barrier rose abruptly in front of him!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless spells smashed into the barrier, exploding into clusters of brilliant "fireworks."
The barrier wasn't perfectly mature.
Gaps appeared after the bombardment.
But very quickly, they were filled by new magic.
Like an impenetrable wall, it defended Ethan.
It would absolutely not let him receive a single scratch of harm!
"What is this situation?!"
The Goblins turned pale with shock.
They watched as, from behind Ethan, young men and women in uniform black robes stepped out one by one.
On their left chest was pinned a glittering golden lamp-shaped badge.
Everyone held their wands high, their mouths chanting incantations over and over.
White radiance shot from the tips of their wands!
In front of Ethan, it converged into an indestructible protective barrier!
"Hmph, you want to hurt Ethan?" Justin smirked, shouting with what he thought was a handsome expression, "You'll have to step over our dead bodies first!!"
"..."
The Goblins stared at this scene, dumbfounded.
Trembling, they couldn't stop repeating, "Preposterous... simply preposterous!"
——They had never seen such arrogant intruders!
"D-Do you not fear retribution for doing this?!"
A Goblin shrieked.
His gaze had already drifted to the open vault not far away.
To the glittering golden light leaking out from within.
"The warning of Gringotts states: 'If you seek beneath our floors a treasure that was never yours, you will surely invite retribution'—!!"
"Oh?"
Ethan tilted his head.
He raised his arm from beneath his cloak, holding it in mid-air.
His eyes curved in a smile, yet within those cobalt-blue irises, there was not a trace of humor.
He announced clearly:
"You are wrong."
"I... am the [Retribution]!"
As his voice fell.
A massive wave of air suddenly erupted from behind Ethan's raised arm!
BOOM——!
The Goblins looked up at the sky, shocked and dazed.
Filling their vision were the gray-white wings of the white dragon, spreading high and proud!
Crack! Crack!
The skeletal wings struggled upward with desperate force.
Snap!
The iron chains that had bound it since infancy snapped one by one under the dragon's immense strength!
"Woo... ROAR!!"
Finally.
With a roar that shook the heavens and the earth!
The dragon threw its neck back, muscles bulging with rage, and the chains covering its body shattered with a thunderous crash!
They rained down, smashing onto the ground and splashing up massive waves of blood!
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