great-warnovel Chapter 279: The War Begins!
Chapter 279: The War Begins!
Chapter 279: The War Begins!
The long, drawn-out howl of wolves echoed from the forbidden forest, startling flocks of ferocious birds into flight.
The shadowy figures of wolves moved at high speed, appearing and disappearing among the trees, driving large groups of mutated beasts and monsters in a specific direction.
"If those giants don't want to leave, just bite their butts! Do I even need to teach them that?!"
Greyback stood atop his imposing and terrifying steel chariot, loudly rebuking the wolf pawns before him. These monsters would be the first wave to deplete the Hogwarts traps, and controlling their numbers would also benefit the werewolves' future rule over the Forbidden Forest.
"Have the flanks keep a close watch! Those centaurs, though badly injured, still can't distinguish friend from foe! Keep your distance!"
"Where's Snape! Ask him where the Infernals and the Pied Piper are!" Visibility was poor in the forest, so he had to shout.
"Your Majesty, he went with our men to track down Lily Potter, as you know," a sycophantic aide said.
"Damn it, we can't count on these wizards on the front lines!" he cursed casually. "Just like we agreed, we'll attack from the north, and they'll attack from the southwest," his aide added.
"They should be in position by now."
The Black Lake is located south of Hogwarts, north of the vast Forbidden Forest, southwest of the original site of Hogsmeade Village, and to the east of towering mountains and cliffs, where the long-abandoned Hogwarts Station is situated.
Greyback was making connections everywhere, aiming to create a siege of the castle.
The lake is teeming with aquatic creatures made up of mermaids, while to the southwest are hundreds of biphasic creatures controlled by the Pied Piper, as well as a horde of iniquities controlled by the Death Eaters that are unaffected by the biphasic creatures.
To the north lie the most powerful wolf army and the monster tide of the Forbidden Forest, and those crazed centaurs might also sneak out to take advantage of the situation.
Even if Hogwarts has the strongest barrier and the most powerful light cannons, it would still be overwhelmed when attacked from three sides. He didn't believe that the supposedly inexhaustible energy core could really last forever.
"How's the Death Eater's Portkey coming along? I don't want any little wizard to escape." Greyback grinned disgustingly. In his mind, those little wizards were all future core werewolves.
The destruction of a large number of substandard door keys at the same time and in the same location creates enough chaos to prevent anyone in this area from Apparating or using FlooNet for a short period of time.
Mentos is very easy; basically any adult wizard can do it, and the Green Flame Party is no exception, especially since they are mass-producing inferior products without considering the consequences.
"Everything is ready!" the aide shouted.
"Once the war starts, they guarantee no one can Apparate!"
"It should have been done a long time ago," the werewolf king muttered. The consequence of being a few days late was that Hogwarts had already received quite a few outside helpers.
"Let's go! I want to see Hogwarts drenched in blood! My son will not have died in vain!" Greyback laughed, flicked the reins, and the eight werewolves pulling the carriage roared as they charged off.
From Hogwarts' perspective, as a chilling wolf howl echoed through the Forbidden Forest, activity began to spring up in all directions.
A large number of birds took flight from the forest, followed by a rumbling sound as some trees were violently knocked down, raising huge plumes of dust.
Meanwhile, to the west, an oppressive and abnormal dark cloud was rapidly gathering and approaching the Quidditch pitch.
In the Black Lake to the south, amidst its clear yet eerily dark and deep waters, numerous bubbles rose from the lakebed, as if it were boiling.
The dull horn sounded underwater, but only the mermaids could hear it. Rapid currents stirred the water, making the surface look as if it were boiling.
"They're here!" The non-stop work these past few days hadn't affected Hermione. She stood on the Astronomy Tower, looking around with her telescope, full of energy.
Dumbledore stood beside her, silently watching the enemies around them.
"Everyone to your war positions! From now on, shut off the fireplaces! Order of the Phoenix, take to the skies!" McGonagall's booming voice echoed through the castle as she stood solemnly at the gate.
However, she soon sensed the abnormality in the space, and whether the fireplace was closed or not no longer mattered.
Although these Death Eaters hated them to the core, there was really nothing they could do about it.
Taking advantage of the high ground, everyone could see the monsters slowly emerging from the Forbidden Forest; their sheer number was breathtaking.
"How can there be so many!" Sprout, standing next to her, frowned deeply.
"We only have the advantage of terrain. Once they fill the trap with their bodies, we'll have no choice but to retreat back into the castle!" The wizards' bodies were still fragile, and no one dared to face the giant's club head-on.
McGonagall shook her head: "You don't think you're the only ones who've been busy these past six months, do you?"
She forced a smile, turned around, took a deep breath, opened her arms, and waved her wand.
"Stone blocks—mobilize!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud crash was heard, and a heavy stone statue leaped down from the ancient sculpture wall of Hogwarts, landing steadily on the ground.
Then came the second statue, and the third. They fell one after another in order, and then walked out of the gate in neat formation.
"Hogwarts has reached its most critical moment! Build defenses! Defend the castle! Protect the teachers and students! Fulfill your duty to the school!" Her booming voice commanded the statues, who silently marched down the hillside.
Sprout stared in shock at the army of hundreds of stone statues, wondering when McGonagall had organized it.
"I've wanted to use this spell for a long time." The usually serious principal rubbed his hands together with unusual excitement.
The statues didn't go far. Under McGonagall's control, they stopped inside the trap line, waiting for the monsters to rush over before they could truly come into play.
Huge waves erupted from the Black Lake, and several sea monsters with horse heads and fish tails burst out of the water. On their heads and bodies were more than a dozen ferocious mermaids. They brandished their weapons and made strange noises.
Then, one by one, heads popped out of the water—more mermaids!
Some rode horse-shaped water monsters, some were surrounded by Grindelwalds, and some wielded nearly half-meter-long mutated Loba worms, spraying disgusting venom and showing off.
"Don't worry about the mermaids for now! Their threat level will drop significantly once they're on land! We should prioritize dealing with the beast tide to the north!" Moody shouted from the air. The limited number of Order of the Phoenix members was too large an area to defend at the moment.
"Prepare for artillery fire!" Hermione's clear voice came from the Astronomy Tower; she was never one to wait for the other to make the first move.
Now that you've all gathered together, you'd better taste the fury that the sapphire brings!
The older students were already in place in the various towers of the castle.
After practicing the combined spellcasting hundreds of times, I can't afford to mess up at the crucial moment.
One by one, the pyroxene crystals embedded at the top of the tower lit up, gathering tremendous energy.
"shooting!"