Blazing flames transformed into a giant dragon, roaring as it lunged at Dumbledore.
Fawkes, the Phoenix, soared towards the dragon. The two collided in mid-air, erupting in a dazzling burst of light.
Dumbledore, clad in silver-grey robes, appeared. His silver-white hair flew wildly in the wind, and his blue eyes gleamed with a cold light.
"Dumbledore!"
Grindelwald shouted, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. The tip of his wand trembled slightly, as if he didn't know what to say, then he shouted again, "Dumbledore!"
At the same time, he abruptly swung his wand, and a lightning-fast spell shot towards Dumbledore. But Dumbledore merely flicked his wand, deflecting the spell.
The two said nothing, nor did they utter incantations. They simply wielded their wands like whips, the light of their spells intertwining and colliding, as if each strike carried destructive power.
Whether intentional or not, most of the spells that were deflected or missed flew towards the nearby manor. Amidst deafening roars, the newly dispatched support troops from the organization vanished from the ground as soon as they appeared.
Not only that, large areas of buildings and concrete ground began to collapse, vehicles overturned, and weapon turrets twisted and deformed, becoming mere sandbags for the two to casually hurl at each other. The broken edges of the ground revealed the massive structures and panicked fleeing figures below.
At this point, both the Alliance and the organization's soldiers had ceased fire, desperately scrambling to flee to a safe distance.
Werewolves sprinted, bats flew in fright, ordinary soldiers regretted not having two more legs, while wizards swiftly Apparated a thousand meters away, watching the battle with awe.
"Dumbledore... Why is Dumbledore here?"
The Alliance members looked at each other in panic. Even Drayne was drenched in cold sweat, breathing rapidly, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, fingernails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain.
"Dumbledore... he's alone..."
Drayne's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, his chest heaving violently, yet he still said, "We should go help Mr. Grindelwald!"
He took a few difficult steps forward, as if his feet were glued to the ground, and just as he was about to raise his wand, Morrow lunged and held him down.
"Are you crazy?" Morrow roared. "Look over there! You might get killed by the residual force of the battle just by getting close! Mr. Grindelwald can't spare a thought for who you are right now!"
Dust flew and mist permeated the center of the battle. Fire danced wildly and grew with the storm. Tall stone pillars would occasionally emerge from the flat ground, sometimes stone giants or cages, as if even the terrain was changing.
The figures of the two appeared and disappeared within it. Occasionally, their gazes met, their eyes holding a metallic coldness, as if the person before them was their most hated enemy.
Anyone witnessing this scene would not doubt for a moment—if either side showed even the slightest weakness, they would be utterly annihilated by the other!
Drayne's pupils constricted, and veins bulged on his neck. He gripped Morrow's arm tightly, glaring at him, and squeezed out a hoarse voice through clenched teeth:
"Mr. Grindelwald... he's not well! He can't maintain this state for long!"
Even in such a hurry, he didn't forget to lower his voice, so only Morrow heard him.
Morrow looked at him in astonishment, then his face turned ashen white. He stiffly turned his neck to look at the battlefield, his lips trembling as he said:
"But... how can we help? All of us going up there would just be suicide... and it's so chaotic, with spells flying everywhere, we might even accidentally injure Mr. Grindelwald..."
Drayne seemed to be pulled back to reality by his question. His eyelids blinked slowly, and the arm holding his wand dropped limply, trembling uncontrollably.
He clearly realized that at this moment, they had no choice but to watch and wait... If Dumbledore didn't stop, Grindelwald had almost no chance of survival...
Perhaps he shouldn't have gone to such lengths to get Grindelwald out of Nurmengard. If not for that, he might have lived much longer, instead of burning away the remainder of his life in a short span of time.
Recalling Grindelwald's words to him over the past few days, Drayne suddenly realized that he seemed to have been delivering his last wishes, even choosing his future successor.
Did he clearly foresee his end when he broke out of prison?
Drayne's face was ashen, blood seeping from between his fingers.
He hated himself for being so slow-witted, thinking only that his immaturity had greatly disappointed Mr. Grindelwald, and only thinking of a long journey ahead under that person's leadership, but he never expected...
Suddenly, Drayne remembered Grindelwald's praise and expectations for Wade Gray. He abruptly turned his head, but couldn't find that figure among the many black-robed wizards.
Although they all wore cloaks, Wade Gray, as Alchemist, had some special alchemical products hanging on him, which Drayne remembered clearly and would never mistake.
He grabbed Morrow, urgently asking, "Where's that kid? Did you see him?"
Morrow was stunned: "Isn't he with you and Mr. Grindelwald..."
Both of them instantly turned their heads to look at the spell-ridden battlefield, the veins in their temples throbbing, even feeling a sense of dizziness.
"He couldn't have... couldn't have been caught in it... and didn't make it out, could he?" Morrow murmured.
Drayne's lips opened and closed several times before he asked, clinging to a last shred of hope, "Can he Apparate?"
Morrow asked back in despair, "Thirteen years old... what do you think?"
Drayne's vision instantly went black.
...
The tremendous explosions rumbled underground, penetrating the thick layers of soil and reinforced concrete, still carrying a dull and oppressive force.
The walls and ceiling vibrated slightly, dust fluttered down, and a piece of peeling paint fell onto Dobby's head.
"They're fighting really hard up there," Dobby said uneasily, shaking off the paint and patting his head. "Are the Muggles using some really scary weapons?"
Mikey bit his lip.
When Professor Abigail gave a lesson on Muggle weapon development, they, the House-elves, had secretly listened in for a class. Thinking of those terrifying missiles and even nuclear bombs, Mikey's eyes unconsciously showed fear.
But then, he adopted a determined expression and said, "The most terrifying weapons are right in front of us... No matter what, we must destroy them all! We absolutely cannot let them harm Mr. Gray!"
Upon hearing this, Dobby puffed out his small chest, clenching his hands into fists and nodding vigorously. "Mm!"
While they were hiding in the shadows, they heard someone among the wizards mention Wade's name, and even heard Wade's voice with their own ears. The joy at that moment was indescribable.
However, with over a hundred Dark Wizards standing beside Wade, not to mention the most terrifying Dark Lord, Grindelwald, the House-elf, no matter how worried, dared not jump out and take Wade away.
Afterward, they overheard the sounds of people arguing and deliberating inside the underground structure, hearing them mention that weapons were deployed there that could render wizards unable to use magic and cause them immense pain.
Dobby and Mikey certainly hoped the Dark Wizards would be defeated, but Wade was among those wizards. And Muggle weapons couldn't simply bypass Wade, only attacking the other detestable Dark Wizards.
The two House-elves struggled internally for a moment before finally running underground together to destroy the machinery first.
"Even if we lose track of Mr. Gray this time, there will be other opportunities to find him again. But if he loses his magic and gets captured by Muggles, then it's all over!"
Mikey used this to convince himself and Dobby. The two elves, enduring their grievances, temporarily acted as helpers for the Alliance.
...
As the battle raged fiercely, another team was flying over Sweden.
The broom flew quickly, with the Rubik's Cube Golem blocking the wind in front. Then came Mabel, cloaked, holding a map in her hand. Finally, there was Peter II, with Mihail standing on its head, scorching two holes in its cloak, though Peter II didn't mind.
After receiving Marchioni's message, the Magic Golem team initially wanted to find that Adler, but considering the distance, everyone fell silent.
Neither the Magic Golems nor Mabel could Apparate, nor did they have suitable Portkeys. Their movement speed was entirely dependent on the broom's flight speed.
It had taken almost a day to fly from Britain, and it would likely take two days to fly from here to Adler's manor.
If they weren't lucky enough, perhaps by the time they arrived, the battle would have long ended, leaving behind ruins just like the previous few places. Then they'd have to spend another two days flying back.
"We're not going!" the Rubik's Cube Golem decided with a slap. "The Alliance can run around, but their stronghold can't run away!"
So, the one person and several Magic Golems did not leave this land, continuing to search. More and more castles were crossed off the map.
"This area has been searched. We can move to another place now."
Mabel drew an X on the map and was about to decide their next direction when she suddenly heard the Rubik's Cube Golem say:
"Huh? Aren't those people down there a bit strange?"
Peter II glanced down, frowning, and said, "Indeed."
There was a convoy on the road below, a dozen large trucks, all stopped by the roadside.
People in this country usually don't start work so early. If there was an emergency that had them traveling since before dawn, then stopping by the roadside to rest now was also quite unusual.
And beside the vehicles were vigilant black-clad soldiers, with radar-like machines slowly rotating on the front of each truck.
"What's strange? What's strange?" The cloak, unable to perceive that far, perked up and shouted, "Tell me!"
"Wait, I'll go down and you'll see!" the broom said, dipping its head and diving downward.
"Hold on!" the Rubik's Cube Golem stopped it. "The instruments below make me feel a bit of danger. Don't get too close."
"It's... it's those people!" Mabel's eyes slightly unfocused, and she said tremblingly, "I recognize their clothes!"
The Rubik's Cube Golem's eyeballs rotated 180 degrees backward, seeing Mabel's body trembling and even starting to emit dangerous black mist.
"Calm down, Mabel," it said. "Our goal is to rescue our master. You need to control your emotions, or you'll turn into an indiscriminately attacking Obscurus."
"I... I understand." Mabel took deep breaths, trying to calmly say, "They're here for a reason, I'll go listen in."
She slid down, falling directly from the broom. The cloak wrapped around her flapped loudly, rustling like a pair of wings.
In mid-air, the girl's figure transformed into a cloud of black mist, using the pre-dawn darkness to fall to the ground like a waterfall, quickly re-forming into a human shape.
Her pupils were white, and her eyes shimmered with a dangerous light. But then, the cloak fell onto her shoulders, and its hood pulled itself up.
"Be careful," the cloak whispered like a thief. "I've made us invisible. Approach slowly. Or go ask that Rubik's Cube fellow for a bottle of Draught of Living Death. You'll be more confident when you act."
It sounded like it was even more eager for revenge than Mabel.
Mabel tugged at the edge of the cloak, couldn't help but smile, and finally calmed down, running lightly toward them.
A young man was holding something like a briefcase, fiddling with the knobs on it. Green lines and numbers appeared on the palm-sized screen.
"No mistake," the young man told the person next to him. "The magnetic field values are abnormal, very consistent with the results after magical interference."
Another person with high cheekbones nodded slightly and said, "Satellites have also detected people frequently disappearing suddenly nearby. It seems their stronghold is just ahead."
"But..." the stout, bald man next to him said, "Isn't that place just the ruins of a Viking-era castle? I heard there are only a few walls and weeds left, and even the local villagers' children don't want to play there."
"Precisely why it's more likely to be a wizard's place," the high-cheekboned man said. "Those secretive fellows always hide their residences."
The young man silently nodded in agreement.
The high-cheekboned man walked towards the vehicles and said, "Get ready. Once the order is given, we'll attack immediately!"
Mabel blinked, then turned and quickly ran towards the Rubik's Cube Golem and the others.
The young man suddenly let out a soft "Huh?"
"What's wrong?" the bald man asked.
"The values just fluctuated. Maybe some magical creature passed by us."
The young man said, turning his head to look around.
The cloak's protection was very effective; he saw nothing, and neither did the bald man.
The bald man asked, "What was it?"
"I don't know... maybe a ghost, or some kind of invisible creature."
The young man mused, a mix of melancholy and yearning in his voice, "I really wonder what this world looks like through the eyes of a wizard."
"Whatever it looks like, artillery will make them yield," the bald man said indifferently.
"And if it doesn't?" the young man asked.
"Then the firepower isn't strong enough!" the bald man declared unequivocally, emphatically tapping his fist.
...
"Cough, cough!"
Grindelwald suddenly bent over, coughing twice, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The spell he was about to unleash on Dumbledore veered sharply off course, shattering a distant tree.
Dumbledore, however, didn't seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. His wand pointed directly at Grindelwald, but the light at its tip slowly faded.
"What are you hesitating about, Dumbledore?" Grindelwald raised his eyes, a mocking smile on his face. "Are you afraid to kill me? Or is the greatest wizard of all time incapable of using the Killing Curse?"
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