The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 581-590: When Night Falls 1

Yes.

It wasn't that he didn't want to ask for help; on the contrary, he desperately wanted reinforcements to appear, even if it was just to hold them off for a moment. But deep down, he knew better than anyone that asking for help was completely pointless.

Should we ask the Ministry of Magic for help?

Those officials sitting in the offices of the Ministry of Magic in London, pampered for many years, usually just pointed fingers at documents. Most of them couldn't even cast a stable Ironclad Charm smoothly, let alone fight against a master of dark magic like Grindelwald. Even if they came with reinforcements, they would only be throwing their lives away.

It could even disrupt Dumbledore's rhythm.

Should they seek help from the International Wizarding Federation? The wizard representatives from those countries are only concerned with weighing their own interests and passing the buck. They usually turn a blind eye to the forces of dark magic, but when it comes to a life-or-death situation, they will only retreat to protect themselves. No one dares to face the duel between these two legends.

Gleeson closed his eyes, the cowardly images of the Ministry of Magic officials flashing through his mind. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but his fingertips finally drooped.

They could only watch helplessly as the battle raged in the sky.

Just then, the battle in the sky suddenly escalated. The golden light around Dumbledore suddenly condensed, transforming into a golden lightsaber several meters long. He raised the Elder Wand high above his head, and with a fierce swing of his wrist, the lightsaber, accompanied by a whistling sound, slashed fiercely at the black fire clouds surrounding Grindelwald, like a sword of dawn.

The golden light was incredibly fast, without any unnecessary movements, and went straight for Grindelwald's core, instantly splitting a thick ball of black flame in two!

The moment the black fire was torn apart by the golden light, it emitted a piercing explosion, shattering into countless tiny sparks the size of rice grains. These sparks rained down from the sky like a black storm, densely covering the sea surface. The instant the sparks touched the seawater, they instantly stirred up a cloud of white steam, rising tens of meters high and enveloping the entire sea surface. The seawater was scorched by the high temperature and boiled, making gurgling sounds—a truly terrifying scene.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when the black flames dissipated, Dumbledore's figure slowly emerged from the golden light.

His condition is far from perfect.

A long tear ran from the shoulder to the waist in the white robe, the fabric charred black by the fire, with wisps of smoke rising from the edges.

Her long, silvery-white hair was scattered messily across her forehead, with a few strands clinging to her sweat-covered brow. Her cheeks were pale from the excessive consumption of magic power.

Blood was slowly seeping from the corner of his mouth, sliding down his chin and dripping onto his robe, spreading out in dark red spots. Even so, his right hand, holding the Elder Wand, remained as steady as a mountain, his wrist not trembling in the slightest, the golden light at the tip of the wand always shining brightly, his eyes clear and firm, without the slightest hesitation.

His aura remained calm and profound.

That's how reliable it is.

It seemed as if it would never fall, no matter what kind of attack it endured.

From the clouds opposite, Grindelwald's figure slowly emerged, looking even more disheveled than Dumbledore. His once exquisite black robes were now tattered, the sleeves almost completely torn, and the fabric at his chest was scorched with several large holes by the golden light, revealing his arms covered with burn marks of varying depths.

Some wounds were still oozing dark red blood beads.

The skin was burned by the holy magic of the golden light, and there were faint signs of ulceration.

His face was as pale as paper, his breathing was rapid, and his chest heaved violently, clearly indicating that his magic power had been exhausted to the limit. However, his distinctive heterochromatic eyes—one azure and the other dark gold—still burned with a mad flame, mixed with heavy exhaustion and obsessive unwillingness.

"this one?"

Grindelwald stared intently at Dumbledore, showing no sign of admitting defeat.

Grindelwald's left hand, hanging at his side, trembled slightly. In his hand was an ordinary wand that he had forcibly taken from a captured Auror not long ago. This wand was far less compatible with his old wand and could not bear his violent dark magic. At this moment, the wand was covered with dense cracks.

The black flames that flowed from the tip of the staff to the handle flickered and shone, as if they might be extinguished at any moment, along with the remaining magic within.

He stared at the Elder Wand in Dumbledore's hand, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes—greed, resentment, and a long-forgotten sense of loss.

But it was quickly replaced by madness.

"Albus!" Grindelwald suddenly shouted, his voice hoarse and dry from excessive magical exertion, yet filled with undisguised provocation and obsession. Every word was ruthless. "Is this all you've got? Fifty years! A full fifty years! You've been trapped in that little castle at Hogwarts, teaching a bunch of kids basic magic, and this is all the progress you've made? Where's your former brilliance? Where's the ambition we had when we stood side by side? Are you content to be a puppet of the Ministry of Magic, a guardian of mortals?"

His voice, carrying the aftershocks of the black fire, echoed throughout the ruins, each word striking at Dumbledore's past and attempting to disturb his peace of mind.

But Dumbledore remained silent, offering no response to the insults nor showing the slightest emotional fluctuation. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He forcibly suppressed the surging emotions from the past that welled up inside him.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was filled with only determination and resolve. He seemed to know that any distraction at this moment would be fatal—Grindelwald's provocation.

It was merely a psychological tactic employed after the magic had been exhausted.

The two of them worked together really well.

It looks just like the real thing.

Then, Dumbledore subtly flicked his wrist, and the Elder Wand slowly traced a smooth and graceful arc in front of him. The movement was unhurried yet carried an unparalleled control over magical power. As the wand moved, the golden light surrounding him began to surge violently, no longer a scattered halo.

Instead, it rapidly condensed and compressed, transforming into countless tiny golden particles of light that spun rapidly around the wand. The surrounding air became viscous due to the high concentration of magic, and the Aurors below even felt that the magical energy around them was being drained away, all rushing towards Dumbledore in the sky.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the white figure, knowing that the strongest attack was about to begin.

"All curses have ended!"

Dumbledore gave a deep, low shout, his voice not loud, but carrying a power that could penetrate anything. He thrust the Elder Wand forward with a sudden jerk! A thick golden beam of light shot out from the tip of the wand. Unlike ordinary attack spells, this beam of light did not charge in a straight line, but instead flew several meters before striking the target.

Instantly, it split into hundreds of tiny golden beams, like countless golden meteors, shooting towards Grindelwald simultaneously from all directions, leaving no blind spots!

This is Dumbledore's signature move, a fusion spell he spent decades researching. It is not a single attack spell, but a beam of light that perfectly condenses the power of dozens of powerful spells into one, carrying the ultimate binding power of the Binding Charm. Once touched, it will wrap around the whole body and seal the flow of magic.

The central beam contains the solidifying power of the Petrify Charm, capable of instantly freezing limbs and magical pathways; the core beam contains the immense impact of the Stun Charm, striking directly at the core of the mind and magic; it also contains the penetrating power of the Armor-Piercing Charm, capable of ignoring most ordinary magical defenses.

Hundreds of beams of light, each with its own effect, were arranged in a staggered pattern, sealing off all of Grindelwald's hiding space, making it impossible for him to defend against them.

"And there's even modified magic?"

Grindelwald's pupils contracted sharply, a hint of seriousness flashing in his heterochromatic eyes. He could clearly sense the terrifying power contained in this spell, the ultimate power of the Elder Wand, and the culmination of Dumbledore's lifelong magic and magical attainments, which could not be resisted by ordinary dark magic defenses.

but.

even so.

He didn't choose to retreat or dodge; retreating now would only lead to being completely surrounded by the beams of light and falling into an abyss of no return. Grindelwald's eyes hardened, and he abruptly released his left hand, letting the cracked wand slip from his palm. The wand drew an arc in the air before falling into the boiling sea below, instantly swallowed by the water.

"Fierce Fire - Ten Thousand Shields!"

Grindelwald spread his arms, tilted his head back and let out a low growl. The last bit of magic in his body surged out without reservation. Black fiendish flames surged wildly from his limbs and bones. They were no longer offensive flames, but quickly condensed and piled up in front of him, turning into thick, burning fire shields!

The fire shield was formed from pure black flames, with dark purple patterns on its surface. It was as hard as steel, yet it carried the scorching power of the flames. One layer after another, layer upon layer, densely packed, with over a hundred layers, tightly enveloping his entire body in the very center.

This formed an impenetrable fortress of fire, isolating attacks from all directions.

The next second, the golden beam of light collided violently with the black fire shield!

Boom boom boom boom—boom!

The continuous explosions were deafening, far exceeding any previous collision. The sound waves swept in all directions, causing the reefs below to tremble slightly.

"Damn it!"

The Aurors covered their ears tightly, but were still dizzy and blood trickling from their mouths from the deafening roar. Each golden beam of light that struck the black fire shield burst forth with a blinding golden-black light, and terrifying shockwaves spread outwards, completely tearing apart the clouds in the sky.

The giant waves on the sea were whipped up even higher.

The first fire shield shattered instantly, turning into a sky full of black fire and sparks; the second fire shield followed closely behind, collapsing in response; the third, the fourth, the fifth—layer after layer of black fire shields were utterly unable to withstand the powerful impact of the golden beam, shattering like paper.

The shattered embers of the flames flew everywhere, some landing on the ruins and burning the bricks to ashes, while others fell into the sea, stirring up more steam.

however.

even so..

Dumbledore's gaze remained steady as he continuously unleashed his magic, giving Grindelwald no chance to catch his breath, with hundreds of beams of light relentlessly bombarding him.

The innermost fire shield was about to shatter.

The moment the last fire shield shattered completely, a golden beam of light pierced through the flames and shot towards the spot where Grindelwald had been standing—but it was empty, without even a trace of magic left behind.

"Where?"

Dumbledore's brow furrowed slightly, and the golden light around him quickly receded, transforming into a thin protective shield that enveloped his entire body. The Elder Wand was held horizontally in front of him, his wrist slightly rotated, and his eyes warily scanned all the space above, below, left, and right, his senses fully activated, trying to detect Grindelwald's magical traces.

He knew Grindelwald's methods well. This man was most skilled at spatial teleportation and feints, and would not be easily defeated. The shield defense he had just used was just a smokescreen to buy time.

Just as Dumbledore was fully on guard, a hoarse, mocking voice suddenly came from behind him without warning.

He was so close, almost touching her ear, that he asked, "Albus, where are you looking?"

Dumbledore reacted extremely quickly, without the slightest hesitation. He turned around abruptly, and the Elder Wand instantly pointed in the direction from which the sound came. The tip of the wand blazed with golden light, ready to launch a counterattack at any moment—but the sky behind him was completely clear, without any figure or even a trace of black fire.

It was clearly a magical illusion created by Grindelwald.

Not good!

The moment the thought crossed Dumbledore's mind, a scalding and immense power suddenly surged from the void beneath his feet!

A gigantic hand formed from pure black flames tore through a spatial rift, suddenly reaching out with its five fingers bent and gripping his right ankle tightly!

The fiery palm was extremely hot, instantly scorching through his robes and causing a sharp pain in his ankle. The dark magic power within the fiery palm also frantically invaded his ankle, attempting to seal off his magical energy channels.

"What—"

"6

Dumbledore looked down and gasped, his pupils shrinking sharply. He saw Grindelwald's figure slowly appear in the dark mist below. He was hovering in the air, his face even paler, and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Clearly, casting this spatial attack had exhausted his remaining magic power.

But his heterochromatic eyes shone with an air of certainty as he stared intently at Dumbledore, his arm muscles taut, clearly exerting all his strength.

"Get down!"

Grindelwald let out a low growl and pulled his arm down sharply!

A terrifying force surged through the fiery palm, instantly throwing Dumbledore off balance and pulling him rapidly downwards! He desperately adjusted his posture in mid-air, channeling his core magic at full power to resist the pulling force, and immediately pointed his Elder Wand downwards.

Old Deng remained completely calm and chanted the incantation in a deep voice: "Yugadimurleviosa!"

A soft yet powerful golden light shot from the tip of the staff, striking his own body precisely. He didn't use this levitation spell for attack or defense, but rather cast it on himself, not to levitate, but to use the upward lift of the levitation spell.

Yes.

He was forcefully counteracting Grindelwald's downward pulling force!

The moment the spell took effect, Dumbledore's descent slowed abruptly, leaving him suspended in mid-air, the two forces resisting each other!

His body swayed slightly, but stopped falling rapidly.

But Grindelwald had already exhausted all his strength, giving Dumbledore no chance to catch his breath. Seeing this, he laughed loudly, a hoarse yet manic laugh.

"Not enough! Still not enough!" He raised his left hand again, black fire surging from his palm, and another huge black fire palm quickly condensed, suddenly reaching out and grabbing Dumbledore's left ankle! The two fire palms exerted force at the same time, and the pulling force instantly doubled, causing fine cracks to appear in the defensive light shield around Dumbledore.

"It's useless, Albus!" Grindelwald stared intently at him, his eyes growing increasingly crazed. "I've waited fifty years for this day! Today, you must lose! The feud between us must end today! Your beliefs, your protection, are utterly worthless before absolute power!"

The levitation spell's lifting power gradually weakened.

Old Deng's body began to slowly fall again, getting closer and closer to Grindelwald.