Fiendfyre is a form of magic that grows stronger on its own, creating monstrous flames that consume everything in their path, friend or foe, until all is reduced to ashes. Crabbe, the young Death Eater, had met his end under his own Fiendfyre Curse.
However, Dumbledore's Fiendfyre Spell was unlike any other. His terrifying flames expanded rapidly, transforming into ten phoenixes that spread their wings and circled around him before diving straight at the Witch-king of Angmar.
The intense heat of the Fiendfyre forced the Witch-king's demonic horse to rear and retreat, its pained neighs filling the air.
"What a powerful flame!" the Witch-king of Angmar remarked, genuinely impressed. Though not as potent as Sauron's demonic fire, the fact that a human could wield such power earned his respect.
The Witch-king deftly maneuvered his horse to avoid the phoenix flames, raising his Morgul blade high and chanting a spell. The language was foreign to Dumbledore, its strange syllables and rhythms cloaking an unspeakable horror and evil.
Dumbledore commanded the flames to attack the Witch-king with relentless fury, then pointed his wand, sending a dazzling white light towards his foe. The Witch-king completed his incantation just in time. Boundless purple-black flames erupted, consuming the phoenix flames and sweeping across the hall.
Dumbledore drew a protective circle with his wand, shielding himself from the inferno. Despite his formidable skills, he struggled against the onslaught. Arthur Weasley, nearby, leaped to Dumbledore's side, narrowly escaping the flames. Amelia and Scrimgeour, with their strength, managed to hold their ground, but many Aurors were not as fortunate.
Those with quick reflexes and some luck banded together to fend off the flames. The less fortunate were engulfed by the magical fire, reduced to ashes in an instant.
"You need to leave now!" Dumbledore shouted, his wand sweeping the flames aside to save the remaining Aurors.
The Aurors understood that staying would only hinder Dumbledore. They glanced at him gratefully before using Apparition to escape the chaotic scene.
Seeing the flames blocked by Dumbledore, the Witch-king of Angmar let out a piercing laugh and suddenly became illusory, disappearing the next second.
"The power of the Nine Rings of Men..." Artel, watching the battle at the Ministry of Magic through the Isil crystal, couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. The Witch-king of Angmar's strength was indeed more formidable than he had expected. Especially now, with the power of the Nine Rings, he was proving even more difficult for Dumbledore to handle.
The Nine Rings of Men granted the Nazgûl eternal life and immense power, allowing them to move between the physical world and the shadowy realm, similar to the invisibility effect of the One Ring. Originally, the Nine Rings should have been in Sauron's possession, but when the system summoned the Witch-king of Angmar, it brought him along with one of the Nine Rings. This undoubtedly amplified his power.
Dumbledore, Amelia, Scrimgeour, and the others looked around, but apart from the demonic flames filling the air, they couldn't see anyone.
"Appear!" Amelia tried a spell, but it had no effect.
"Will he leave..." Arthur whispered. Before he could finish, he felt Dumbledore beside him suddenly cast a spell on him.
A screeching sound echoed, and the Witch-king of Angmar reappeared, his Morgul blade mere centimeters from Arthur's throat!
Arthur was startled and instinctively cast a sleeping spell, but the Witch-king's armor glowed, blocking the spell.
"You are impressive, wizard!" the Witch-king of Angmar sneered. He hadn't expected Dumbledore to detect his presence.
The Witch-king of Angmar's formidable power relied on Sauron and the Nine Rings, while Dumbledore relied on his own strength and wisdom.
"Return the hobbit to me, and I will leave! But know this, my lord Sauron will return, and next time, perhaps all nine Ringwraiths will come together!"
The Witch-king of Angmar's threat hung in the air. Dumbledore was silent for a few moments before he turned to Amelia.
"Go and bring the hobbit."
Amelia nodded, keeping a cautious eye on the Witch-king as she slowly backed towards the elevator. Seeing that he made no move to stop her, she felt a small measure of relief and proceeded to the Department of Mysteries on the ninth underground floor.
Scrimgeour and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief and surveyed the hall.
The damage this time was far worse than when Saruman had come. The first floor was completely in ruins, with even the second floor partially destroyed. Much of the damage was irreversible, as the structures were burnt to ashes.
The toll on the Ministry of Magic was severe. Twenty Aurors were dead, and countless others were wounded.
After a while, Amelia came up with Gollum, who still had iron chains on his hands and feet. He followed Amelia with a submissive look.
When Gollum reached the first floor and saw the Witch-king of Angmar, his reaction left no room for doubt in Dumbledore's mind.
"The Witch King? Your Majesty the Witch King of Angmar!" Gollum seemed to snap out of a confused state. Crawling on the ground, his body trembled as he kowtowed repeatedly. "The loyal servant of Sauron the Great, the great Witch King! Gollum really doesn't know the whereabouts of the One Ring... It's Baggins! Baggins stole it! Hohohoho... Baby, my precious..."
Dumbledore looked apologetically at the Witch-king of Angmar, knowing that Gollum had been driven mad by the Cruciatus Curse in Azkaban.
Though the Witch King of Angmar found Gollum's behavior peculiar, he paid it no mind. He reached out, grabbed Gollum, and hoisted him onto his horse. With a final, intense gaze at Dumbledore, he spurred his demon horse through the gaping hole in the ceiling.
"It's finally over," Arthur said, swaying slightly as he looked around at the devastation. Thinking of the fallen Aurors, he felt a profound sense of survival.
Dumbledore remained silent for a moment, shook his head, and found a relatively clean spot to sit down. He was waiting for Fudge to return.
The appearance of the Witch King of Angmar had made it clear to Dumbledore that the threat of Sauron could no longer be ignored. The wizarding world needed to prepare, unite, and find Gandalf if they were to have any chance of surviving the looming darkness.