Chapter 77 - Invasion of Hogwarts (10)

Inside the barrier, Grindelwald looked at the world engulfed in flames with indifference.

"The world I see has no flames."

As he said that, shadows fell over the surroundings, and what was once a sea of white fire turned back into a green field.

Still holding a massive flaming sword in his hand, Dumbledore smiled and spoke.

"How many times can you change reality, Gellert? Five? Ten? Twenty?"

Then the man thrust the sword into the grass once more, and in the next instant, everything for dozens of kilometers burst into flames. The once green and lively land turned into a hell of white flames.

Dumbledore knew his former lover's Inborn Technique very well; it was extremely powerful and versatile, even more so than his own. But such a powerful Inborn Technique consumed colossal amounts of magical energy with each use. Not only that, the Inborn Technique itself placed a tremendous burden on the host's body.

Gellert only smiled and drew his wand. "We'll see who runs out of magical energy first, Albus."

Dumbledore furrowed his brow; he assumed they would both use their inborn techniques, but seeing Gellert drawing his wand, he realized something was amiss.

Knowing that Dumbledore possessed the Elder Wand, Grindelwald still drew his wand, which was at least audacious.

Dispersing the fiery sword, the Elder Wand appeared in Albus's hands.

Looking at the legendary wand that was now his, Grindelwald snorted dissatisfied.

"If it weren't for that fight on the beach, where you had help from your brother, resulting in the death of your sister, you would never have been able to defeat me and claim the Elder Wand."

The Elder Wand belonged to Grindelwald, but due to a minor slip-up, he lost the duel and could no longer wield the Elder Wand.

The possession of the legendary wand passed to Albus Dumbledore because he defeated Grindelwald, even if it was only due to a momentary lapse in attention when Dumbledore's sister died.

"A tragic day," Dumbledore commented with a sad, solitary sigh, looking at the wand in his hands. Fools would dream of possessing that wand, but he would trade without hesitation that piece of wood for his sister's life.

But Grindelwald only mocked the sorrow Dumbledore showed.

"A tragic day? You probably used your own sister's life to steal the Elder Wand from me, Albus. Remember, For the Greater Good!"

"That's not true, Gellert. I loved my sister; I would never use her like that." Dumbledore wasn't angered by his words, but shook his head and spoke with genuine sadness.

"Then you shouldn't have brought her to the duel," Grindelwald sarcastically remarked.

"Circumstances led me to bring her, and you know that better than anyone," Dumbledore retorted.

But Grindelwald's response wasn't friendly words; it was a cruelly inspired blast of pure magical energy against him.

Dumbledore was quick to send another burst of energy, colliding with Grindelwald's magic.

With a loud, long hum, the collision of magical powers sent waves of magical energy flying around.

Grindelwald made a crescent movement with the wand, sending deadly bolts at dangerous angles.

Beams of energy tore through the ground, leaving only destruction behind. Shockwaves and deafening explosions echoed.

Dumbledore simply apparated and appeared behind Grindelwald, pointing his wand and not hesitating to cast a "Confringo" and many other nearly instantaneous spells.

Grindelwald easily dodged the spell, smoothly moving to the side, and continued to evade each spell thrown at him with a surprising ease that could even astonish the most veteran of Aurors, almost as if he could see the future.

Dumbledore knew that Gellert was seeing the future with his Inborn Technique; no matter the spell he cast, the opponent would see it before he even launched it.

But Dumbledore knew that the future Grindelwald could see had a limit; when that limit was surpassed, Grindelwald wouldn't react in time to evade.

That's what happened in the following moments. Clones of Dumbledore surrounded Grindelwald in the center, and a barrage of spells was launched against the Dark Lord.

Grindelwald managed to dodge hundreds of spells at once with almost divine movements, but one in particular, camouflaged by dozens of other spells, managed to surpass his prophetic vision, leaving a lacerating cut on one of his shoulders.

Or at least, that's what Grindelwald saw in his future. Without a moment of hesitation, he apparated to a particular clone, and a gigantic dragon made of pure blue flames was unleashed from the tip of his wand, engulfing Dumbledore's real body in an instant.

Demonic blue flames spread uncontrollably over the scorched earth, leaving the environment even darker and more burnt.

But instead of reducing Dumbledore to ashes, the blue fire dragon was halted by equally strong white flames.

A sea of blue and white fire spread around, Dumbledore's long white hair fluttering around the white and blue embers floating in the air.

"You dare use fire against me, Gellert..." Dumbledore spoke calmly, waving his wand, and all the fire, including the Fiendfyre, shaped into a blue and white phoenix that flew against its own summoner.

"Protego Totalum." With a smile, Grindelwald invoked a sturdy shield in front of him, while moving his head aside, dodging the spell cast by Dumbledore who apparated behind him.

"That was very astute of you, Albus." Seeing the Protego Totalum not holding up against the power of Dumbledore's spell, Grindelwald spoke before apparating hundreds of meters away.

Manipulating the blue and white fire phoenix, Dumbledore smiled and spoke gently. "We are at war, and war is not won by benevolence."

The blue and white fire phoenix dissolved, and a wave of flames covered the entire territory within the barrier. The flames began to spin, making the fire even more furious and full of destructive power.

Grindelwald's elegant hairstyle had long since unraveled; his short hair swayed with the furious flames around him.

"Since you said that." Grindelwald laughed and spoke. "I'll be a little cruel, Albus."

Grindelwald simply pointed his finger and whispered gently.

"Inborn Spell Manipulation – The Inevitable Future – Reality Manipulation."

Albus Dumbledore felt only a huge danger approaching.

The world seemed to slow down before Dumbledore; he gripped the Elder Wand and spun his wrist, a Protego Totalum was erected before him almost instantly, using his last milliseconds, Dumbledore forced his body to the side.

At that moment, time returned to normal.

Dumbledore only felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and looked ahead. The Protego Totalum was destroyed; there was no resistance against Grindelwald's Inborn spell.

Dumbledore didn't change his expression as he looked at the blood running down his arm and the huge hole in his shoulder. He used Transfiguration to create fake skin around the wound, stemming the blood, and focused on the fight.

"You dodged; I aimed for the head." Looking at Albus still alive, Grindelwald spoke with a tone of regret.

He knew he had only one chance to use this Inborn spell, as a second time wouldn't work against the man in front of him.

"That was cruel, Gellert. You changed reality in one attack; I almost died just now." Dumbledore spoke with a cheerful laugh.

"Yet you dodged; you truly are a monster, Albus," Grindelwald said, still shocked that Albus was alive after such an attack.

"I have to retaliate, Gellert, don't die," Dumbledore said with a serious and deadly look.

"Inborn Spell Manipulation – The Eternal Flaming Sun – Radiant Sun."

This time, Albus didn't condense a sword, but an arrow floating above his hand.

When the arrow manifested, a heat intense enough to reduce anything to ashes spread like an extremely hot wave!

Within a radius of ten kilometers, the ground turned into magma with only Dumbledore standing atop the sea of molten rock.

"This attack carries the temperature of the Sun's radiative zone, all concentrated in a small arrow, an arrow potent enough to destroy anything physical," Dumbledore explained to Grindelwald, who floated in the air.

"It was good to see you again, Gellert," Dumbledore spoke as if he were speaking to a dead man. Which, in his eyes, Grindelwald was.

Without waiting for his response, Dumbledore launched his attack.

There was only a blinding light for a moment, then a deafening explosion echoed, a gigantic white sphere with a red core manifested in the sky.

Hundreds of kilometers within the barrier transformed into a world of infernal magma and fire.

The entire barrier protecting the surroundings from the attack began to crack but remained standing despite the overwhelming assault from the most powerful man in the world, because Dumbledore managed to control the area of ​​impact, otherwise, this barrier would have already disappeared.

When the blinding light ceased, there was no one left inside the barrier except Dumbledore.

"Gellert..." Seeing everything empty, Albus showed a sad expression, but soon regained his composure.

"Argh!" Dumbledore suddenly groaned in pain and held his injured shoulder, yet he walked towards the exit, leaving behind a world of magma.

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Thoughts of the Author: Did Grindelwald die? You don't know, but I do, and I won't tell... hehehe ;D

It was hard to write this fight, I like both characters I created, Dumbledore and Grindelwald, defeating one didn't please me, but it was necessary. There will be only one more chapter about the Invasion of Hogwarts.

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My new fanfic > Mythological Tales: Ruler of the Golden Order (All chapters have a minimum of 3000 words.)

Next Chapter: Chapter 78 - Invasion of Hogwarts (11), Chapter 79 - Post-War (1), Chapter 80 - Heir of Salazar Slytherin (1), Chapter 81 - Heir of Salazar Slytherin (2), Chapter 82 - Heir of Salazar Slytherin (3), Chapter 83 - Salazar's Heir Slytherin (4), Chapter 84 - Sequels, Chapter 85 - Civil War (1), 86 - Civil War (2), 87 - Civil War (3), 88 - Civil War (4), 89 - Civil War (5), Chapter 90 - Civil War (6), Chapter 91 - Battlefield (1), Chapter 92 - Battlefield (2), Chapter 93 – Conflicts on the Battlefield (1), Chapter 94 – Conflicts on the Battlefield (2), Chapter 95 - The War Intensifies (1), Chapter 96 - The War Intensifies (2), Chapter 97 - The Death of Voldemort (1), Chapter 98 - The Death of Voldemort (2) And end of the first volume.