Chapter 363: Disadvantage in Siege

When Alaric arrived at Azkaban with girls through the pre-arranged Portkey, he found both the Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic in a standoff.

He looked around and quickly realized the situation was quite complex.

They were currently on the top floor of Azkaban, and the debris from the ceiling indicated that the real top floor had been destroyed during the battle.

The ground was littered with shattered bricks, various-sized rubble, deep pits, cracks in the walls, and the bodies lying everywhere told a story of fierce combat.

Although the Extension Charm made Azkaban appear spacious, it still felt somewhat cramped at that moment.

Both sides of the battlefield were crowded with people... and non-humans.

On the Ministry's side, Alaric recognized many familiar faces. Leading them was his collaborator, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ms. Bones.

Beside her was Rufus Scrimgeour, leading the Auror team, along with many other witches and wizards from the Ministry who were not Aurors. 

These individuals, although from various departments, possessed decent strength and were capable of contributing to this battle—no, this war.

Additionally, there were quite a few wizards from the Order of the Phoenix.

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were among them, as well as Aurors Kingsley, Tonks, and the former Auror Alastor Moody, along with Arthur Weasley and Mrs. Weasley from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. 

Many members of the Order who were not Ministry officials were present as well.

However, Alaric did not see Dumbledore.

Counting those who had fallen or were lying on the ground, there were already over a hundred individuals, most of whom were injured and covered in dirt, but overall, they seemed to be in decent shape.

This was the entire force the Ministry could mobilize.

On the other side stood their old foes, the Death Eaters.

Compared to the Ministry, they looked quite pitiful.

At that moment, Alaric could only see a few dozen wizards belonging to the Death Eaters, while the rest lay defeated, their fates uncertain. 

The numerous black cloaks on the ground served as proof of their identity.

The standing Death Eaters were also in bad shape; apart from a few leaders like Barty Crouch Jr., most of the Death Eaters were barely able to keep their footing—after all, their average strength was significantly lower than that of the Ministry's side.

Historically, the Death Eaters had been able to suppress the Ministry due to their advantage of operating in the shadows, a solid backing of long-established pure-blood families, and their ruthless disregard for life.

However, at that moment, all of the Death Eaters' advantages had been nullified by Alaric's meticulous plans.

They were forced to make a desperate offensive instead of remaining hidden, and thus walked right into the Ministry's ambush, ending up facing the Ministry head-on without their strength having been diminished.

While they had previously occupied the initiative, it seemed they were now compelled to take action.

Many of the powerful pure-blood families had been taken out of the equation beforehand, resulting in a loss of most of their elite forces.

Moreover, their vicious and ruthless nature could not be utilized here, as the battlefield in Azkaban posed no risk to the Ministry—there were no innocent civilians to harm, the Muggle world would remain undisclosed, and the Ministry had lifted restrictions on combat spells, meaning the Unforgivable Curses were no longer exclusive to the Death Eaters.

In this situation, as mere guerrilla terrorists, how could the Death Eaters possibly stand against a formal army?

When the battle at Azkaban began, the Death Eaters' demise seemed inevitable.

...Or at least it should have.

But now, it was the Ministry, who initially had the upper hand, that appeared tense, grave, and apprehensive.

Conversely, the Death Eaters, who seemed on the brink of destruction, were actually smug and arrogant.

This was because, in front of the Death Eaters, Alaric saw a familiar, hideous, noseless face.

Voldemort had personally arrived at Azkaban.

It seemed he had only just appeared, but as a dark wizard who had once instilled tremendous fear in the wizarding world, Voldemort's presence alone was enough to terrify the Ministry's witches and wizards.

In fact, it could be argued that his previous death had an even more profound impact on them this time around.

After all, who wouldn't fear a demon that could not be defeated even by death?

For most of the righteous wizards present, rumors of Voldemort's resurrection had been circulating for months, with testimonies and evidence everywhere.

Yet, seeing the resurrected Voldemort with their own eyes was still a first for them.

Although they had long believed in his return—otherwise, they wouldn't have come here today—it was only upon seeing that hideous, noseless face that they fully accepted the truth.

Of course, their fear stemmed not only from Voldemort but also from the other beings he had brought with him, or rather, the other "beings."

Though categorized as "people" in the Ministry, they were not human.

These "people" stood at least twenty feet tall, dressed in tattered, shabby clothing, wielding enormous wooden clubs. To them, the floors of Azkaban were merely a small yard.

They were giants—brutal, low-intelligence humanoid creatures with a strong tendency towards aggression, living in tribal groups, and their diets even included humans.

As a result, although giants possessed considerable magical resistance, they had been nearly exterminated by wizards throughout the UK long ago. 

The ones present were brought in by Voldemort from the deep mountains of the continent.

Now, there were eight or nine giants in Azkaban, their presence making the space feel even more congested, led by their chieftain, Grawp.

For the Ministry, while these giants were a significant problem, they were not insurmountable, as ordinary Aurors could easily handle giants, and a small team of Aurors could take down an adult giant with ease.

However, when they appeared here, everything changed.

In such a confined space (for giants), supported by wizards, the giants could become deadly. 

With their immense size and magical resistance, they could easily break through the Ministry's lines, while the Ministry, hindered by the presence of the Death Eaters and Voldemort, could not engage the giants in a counter-offensive.

Meanwhile, in the air, hundreds of Dementors were poised to act, ready to coordinate with their allies for an attack.

Everything was decidedly unfavorable for the Ministry.

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