New York, Blanc District.
Kaecilius strolled down the street, waving his wand and casting spells to drive away the people around him. Simultaneously, he extended his mental powers to scan his surroundings while sending out magical messages.
It was obvious from the previous battle that he was no match for Voldemort. So even though he had escaped, he couldn't be certain whether he had completely covered his tracks. Though he didn't know Tom Riddle's true identity, based on the information provided by Lockhart and what he had gathered during his time here, he could make a rough guess.
Facing such a formidable figure with concentrated power and authority, he dared not relax his vigilance for a moment. From day to night, he had traveled across several continents and visited many cities, using various methods to check whether anyone was following him. He chose to come to New York only after he felt reasonably certain there was no further danger.
Despite this, Kaecilius remained extremely cautious, prepared to be attacked at any moment.
Soon, he reached his destination—the gathering point from which he had received the magical message. It was an apartment building next to Luna Street. Looking at the tall structure, a realization flashed through Kaecilius's mind: this location corresponded exactly to where the New York Sanctum stood in the Marvel world. It had merely been converted to fit the wizarding world.
After all, the two worlds were extremely similar in many respects. It was only after Voldemort initiated the Imperial War that drastic changes had occurred.
He surveyed the apartment building and then the deserted street.
The next moment...
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kaecilius quickly activated the ring he wore, and with a fluid motion, red flame-colored threads emerged from his hands. They shot through the air like dragons, some flying high into the sky while others submerged underground.
Kaecilius closed his eyes tightly as a large number of red flame-colored threads swam back and forth. From underground to high in the sky, from apartment buildings to street lights, they shuttled back and forth, as if exploring or mapping something.
After a while, as if responding to a silent command, these threads flew quickly back to Kaecilius, pouring into the ring on his hand. A hint of joy appeared on his face.
Indeed, as Lockhart had said, the two worlds shared many similarities. This was also one of the hidden boundary-breaking points. Naturally, Kamar-Taj's choice of locations for the three major sanctums hadn't been made blindly. After all, their purpose was to guard the world and prevent invasions from dimensional threats. Every action they took, including the placement of the sanctums, was closely related to this mission.
The core criterion for establishing the three major sanctums was to position them at the weakest points in Earth's dimensional fabric. The purpose was to detect and prevent invasions by extradimensional entities as quickly as possible while reinforcing the space around these weak points.
Kaecilius had just used Kamar-Taj's unique detection method to confirm it. The weak points in the spatial fabric of the two worlds—the breaking points—were essentially identical. Currently, they had verified this only for New York, but according to Kaecilius's calculations, London and Hong Kong should follow the same pattern.
Kaecilius understood what this meant. They could bypass the enormous amount of time normally required to detect breaking points. The reconstruction of the three major sanctums could proceed much more quickly than anticipated.
However, this time, the role of the three major sanctums would not be reinforcement and defense. Instead, they would serve as points of arrival and return.
London library, nighttime.
Ian and Vera were both in the library, one sitting at a desk and the other on a sofa. Each held a book and appeared to be reading with great interest. But a powerful wizard sitting nearby would have detected subtle mental fluctuations passing between them.
Yes, the two were communicating telepathically.
"Vera, is there anyone trailing you?" Ian asked mentally.
"Probably not. This is the first time I've seen such dedicated Aurors," Vera replied sarcastically.
Indeed, the former Aurors of the Ministry of Magic had once been synonymous with inefficiency and incompetence. Unexpectedly, after the Dark Lord unified and reorganized the Aurors, they had become remarkably effective. Though individually of only average strength, they were like bloodhounds, relentlessly pursuing their targets.
Despite having eliminated several of the pursuing Aurors, it didn't seem to affect the continuous stream of replacements. They were like mosquitoes—annoying and seemingly endless. Kill one batch, and you couldn't finish them all before the next arrived. One after another, they kept coming, becoming increasingly irritating.
Especially with a Dark Lord of unpredictable power behind them, Ian and Vera had focused primarily on evasion.
"Wait a little longer. Tomorrow we'll turn around and head back to New York to see if any other mages have received the message," Ian communicated silently, then lowered his head to continue reading.
The two ceased their mental conversation, reading or thinking in silence.
At that moment, suddenly...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of deafening explosions reached the ears of everyone in the library. Instantly, all the readers were startled from their concentration, and panic ensued as people rushed to evacuate. Though no one knew precisely what had happened, it was obvious that a fierce battle was raging outside. At such times, escape was the priority.
Among the panicking crowd, Ian and Vera exchanged meaningful glances. They had sensed a wave of magical energy that was unmistakably familiar—it was the power signature of their mentor's disciples.
The two looked at each other without hesitation and, contrary to the flow, rushed toward the library's exit. Against the tide of the fleeing crowd, Ian and Vera moved with supernatural grace. They stepped lightly and floated into the air as gracefully as swallows, flying toward the battle site.
Amidst the shouts, warnings, and chaotic struggle of the crowd, Ian and Vera reached the library's exterior. The battlefield outside was alive with activity. Aurors swarmed in waves, constantly releasing spells, surrounding three wizards who stood opposing them.
Two men and one woman!
"Vice Principal Carter!" "Mr. Snape!"
Ian and Vera immediately recognized and called out to their familiar allies.
Indeed, during the previous events, Carter and Snape hadn't returned to the Marvel world with Lockhart. Carter naturally wanted to oversee the newly established Kamar-Taj School, as she was its vice principal. Snape's reason was even simpler—Lily had been resurrected and remained at Kamar-Taj, so of course he had stayed behind.
They just hadn't expected that "staying behind" would mean not seeing Lockhart for 37 years.
Ian and Vera didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately joined the battle. Carter, Snape, and Holm—the wizard from the ranks of the sorcerers—saw Ian and Vera coming to their aid. There was no time for explanations or lengthy greetings. They acknowledged each other with brief nods, then waved their wands and cast defensive spells.
"Reducto!"
"Diffindo!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Protego Maxima!" "..."
Spells flew one after another, constantly repelling or eliminating the attacking Aurors, who continued to press forward. These Aurors seemed endless, like ants. Killing them accomplished little, as they showed no fear—like puppets, they kept advancing relentlessly.
Ian waved his wand and joined the fray. Meanwhile, Vera began tracing intricate runes in mid-air, breaking through the confinement of the surrounding space.
And at the same time... Opening a portal!