Yet, such an operation could not remain concealed indefinitely, especially with "'Carrick'" and "'Loken'" conspicuously heading towards the exit, unlike the other goblins. They were still nearly three hundred meters from the minecart when—
Thud!
"'Carrick'" seized another goblin. "Tell me! Was it you? You damned traitor!"
"…"
Instead of answering, the goblin stared blankly, gesturing behind him with a trembling hand.
Realizing something was amiss, "'Carrick'" turned.
Thousands of goblins were glaring at him. "…"
To his side, "Loken" had already retreated.
They were surrounded.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, "'Carrick'" feigned innocence, dragging the goblin he held back into the mass, attempting to blend in.
He was promptly shoved back out.
"…"
Harry and Malfoy knew the jig was up.
"Heh, Mr. 'Carrick', Mr. 'Loken', care to explain?"
A goblin stepped forward, one they recognized—the manager they had seen earlier. "Shouldn't you have left Gringotts already? What's your business here?" His beady eyes glittered with cunning, scrutinizing them like lab rats.
"Uh… this…"
Harry's eyes darted around nervously. He exchanged a glance with Malfoy, then grinned. "Get lost! You think you're worthy of an explanation?" He hurled the goblin in his grasp at the manager, knocking down two goblins who had lunged forward as human shields.
"Damn it! Seize them!"
The manager shoved aside the obstructing bodies, glaring at "'Carrick'" and "'Loken'"—only to be blinded by twin beams of light, one blue, one pink.
"Ah! My eyes!"
"I never imagined I'd be so… powerless!"
"Damn it! By Lanlock, what am I seeing?!"
Harry and Malfoy had reverted to their original forms.
"Tch! Making a racket!"
Malfoy, with a sneer, smashed the skull of the nearest goblin with Mjolnir! Then, with a sweeping motion like a battering ram, he sent five or six goblins flying, flattening those nearby.
Harry, wielding his pink longsword, kicked away a goblin charging with a battle-axe, then stepped forward, his monstrous strength cracking the stone floor. His explosive power propelled him to the goblin manager, ten meters away, in a blink of an eye.
A single slash, from top left to bottom right, sent a thick, crimson tide gushing!
The manager, who seconds before had regarded his underlings like toys, was cleaved in two.
Harry glanced sideways, dodging a flying hammer without looking. He whirled, his longsword flashing, and another ugly head was separated from its shoulders.
Their magic, comparable to an adult wizard's, granted them power far exceeding the goblins'. For a moment, the ferocity of the two wizards deterred the creatures from approaching.
There were too many goblins in the confined space. They dared not use area-of-effect spells. Even chariots weren't deployed, as they knew it would cause more harm than good, and friendly fire was all but guaranteed. Their best option, therefore, was a battle of attrition.
"Charge! There are only two of them! They can't possibly kill all of us!"
The short, stocky goblins, eyes bloodshot, surged forward, weapons raised.
But Harry and Malfoy had no intention of fighting to the death; that would mean certain doom. They needed to break free. While there were many goblins, the limited space meant they only had to deal with twenty or thirty at a time—but those numbers would be constantly replenished.
The minecart was less than 300 meters away. Considering those idiots hadn't damaged the cart or cut off their escape route, they were confident they could make it.
...
Within 300 meters of that minecart, given their physical prowess, they should have held off the attackers in less than half a minute. But the endless tide of goblins wasted over ten minutes.
Worse, both of them were injured.
Harry's glasses were shattered, blood from a head wound staining his scar. His hands and feet were covered in bruises and grime. Malfoy was in similar shape, suffering primarily from blunt-force trauma, making him look like he'd been thoroughly pummeled. The only thing unscathed was their girly dresses, clinging to their forms thanks to self-repairing enchantments.
"Get on it!"
Taking the hits, Malfoy and Harry seized the nearest goblins and hurled them into the oncoming horde. The impact bought them precious seconds. Using that opportunity, the two leaped onto the minecart and started it without bothering with the safety locks!
The goblins could only watch helplessly as they sped away.
"Damn it!"
"I was just about to say that. One of those wizards is that boy, the one who rose to fame—the Boy Who Lived."
"Wait… isn't that…?"
"Quick! Get that damned fire-breathing overgrown lizard up here to stop them! We can't let them leave Gringotts!"
...
In the Underworld speeding minecart.
Panting, Harry and Malfoy exchanged a grin. If they had been discovered any sooner, or if the minecart had been even further away, they might have been crushed to death.
"Scarface, surviving that felt pretty good, huh?" Malfoy asked. "I don't think I've ever heard you say that before."
"Get lost. I was just born then… What was that sound?"
They sat up straight, expressions hardening, ears pricked.
"ROAR!"
Turning toward the sound, they saw an immense creature flapping enormous wings, chasing the minecart.
"Damn it!"
Malfoy hurled Mjolnir, hitting the grey dragon squarely on the forehead, causing it to tilt its head slightly. The dragon seemed infuriated!
Catching the returning hammer, Malfoy watched as the dragon opened its blood-red maw, its throat like the abyss, and hellfire erupted!
Dragonfire!
On this minecart, with nowhere to hide… was this the end?
Harry pulled out the small bag he'd taken earlier; its contents gleamed with a dazzling, sharp silver light!