On the battlefield, Lucius and the others, who had long since fled far away, were already completely dumbfounded.
Even the two old German wizards had bright light flashing in their eyes.
Because the semi-transparent flame blooming on Link's forehead was only the beginning.
After that, clusters of flames continuously rose from Link's body, and before long he was completely covered.
And then, the entire battlefield changed.
Those blood-red thunder dragons, awe-inspiring and terrifying like heaven's wrath, simply couldn't break through that thin layer of flame covering Link's body. They could only rage helplessly around him.
Not only that, but the sharp-eyed Lucius also noticed that this thin layer of flame seemed to be getting thicker and thicker.
It was as if… these flames were devouring Voldemort's blood-red thunder dragons.
In fact, not only the Death Eaters and the old German wizards, but even Link himself was extremely shocked.
Unlike before, this time, even though his body was completely taken over by Mike, Link still retained part of his own consciousness, allowing him to clearly perceive the outside world in his mind.
From the very beginning of the battle, Mike had already given Link a huge surprise.
First was Mike's incredibly strong affinity for curse power.
Just from his earlier combat performance, his ability to skillfully control curse power, shaping it flexibly to aid his attacks, was extremely proficient, no weaker than Link's own.
And now, he had created this bizarre flame.
Others might not understand where these semi-transparent flames came from, but Link was perfectly clear.
This was obviously a super-high-concentration evolved version of Fiendfyre, condensed from curse power.
Based on Link's long-term use of curse power, this high-purity Fiendfyre was far beyond what he could currently create or control.
He strongly suspected that its appearance was because, after Mike arrived, this body's spiritual power and magic surged explosively.
But without a doubt, Mike's actions had opened a brand-new door for Link.
He had reason to believe that this high-purity Fiendfyre was one manifestation of what Dumbledore called the "curse power attribute deepening".
Of course, most importantly, this flame was just too fierce.
Not only did it have unimaginable destructive and defensive power, it even inherited Fiendfyre's ability to devour everything to strengthen itself.
Link couldn't even imagine, if one day he truly mastered this kind of flame, what an awe-inspiring sight it would be.
But while Link was still excited and shocked, the semi-transparent flames had already fully devoured the surrounding blood-red thunder dragons.
As a result, Link, no, it should now be called Mike, transformed once more into that terrifying beast-like form resembling a Qilin monster, his body even larger than before.
Up in the sky, Voldemort had already stopped his attacks.
As one of the most terrifying Dark Lords in history, he naturally recognized the horror of the flames surrounding Mike's body. It made him hesitate, afraid his own attacks would be absorbed again and actually end up strengthening his enemy.
But unlike his hesitation, Mike had no such scruples.
Seeing Voldemort motionless, Mike raised his head and let out a long, piercing roar. Semi-transparent flames condensed rapidly in the air, then suddenly shot out as a terrifying semi-transparent flame energy blast.
And this time, Mike had clearly learned from the last mistake. The energy blast split into thousands of light projectiles shortly after leaving his mouth, like fireworks filling the sky, covering Voldemort completely.
"What an arrogant little brat," Voldemort murmured, raising his arm. "But you don't really think you can win, do you?"
His arm fell heavily. In an instant, the heavens and earth shook.
An invisible, mighty force suddenly crashed down from above, instantly shattering all the light projectiles and turning them into real fireworks.
Then, without losing momentum, the force slammed viciously into Mike himself.
BOOM!
The huge sound echoed across the sky.
The ground within fifty meters of Mike sank in an instant, and Mike was crushed hard into it. Even the semi-transparent flames on his body dimmed greatly, pressed tightly against his skin.
This strike dealt massive damage to Mike. His already injured internal organs were now battered even worse, forcing him to cough up another mouthful of blood.
Deep inside, Link, hiding in Mike's consciousness, was also jolted by the searing pain and let out a muffled groan.
From his third-person perspective, he could clearly see that this body had just about reached its limit.
Moreover, Voldemort's attack was extremely strange. It carried no trace of magic at all, more like a manipulation of rules themselves.
That meant the semi-transparent flames couldn't absorb any energy from it.
Although, relying on the power he had absorbed earlier from the blood-red thunder dragons, Mike could probably still fight Voldemort for a few more rounds, maybe even end up at a draw.
But could Mike's consciousness really hold out any longer?
The answer, was yes.
Because without the slightest pause, Mike forced himself up the very moment he hit the ground. With blood-soaked jaws wide open, he roared at Voldemort once again.
Flames condensed once more, forming a spear-shaped light projectile.
"Ha! Incorrigible fool! This kind of attack won't work on me!"
Voldemort sneered and slammed his palm down again.
Buzz!
That eerie gravitational force grew even heavier.
But as if sensing Mike's determination, this time the light projectile wasn't crushed. Instead, with a sharp whistling sound, it shot straight toward Voldemort.
"What!?"
Voldemort's golden snake-like pupils suddenly dilated. Caught off guard, he forgot to dodge, and was struck directly by the blast.
BOOM!
The semi-transparent flames exploded in the sky, erupting into towering waves of fire that swallowed Voldemort whole.
Only then did he react, bursting out of the flames with a violent lunge.
But it was already too late.
The flames clung to him like maggots on bone, burning his flowing robes into ash, and began scorching his very body.
"AHHHH!"
A scream tore from Voldemort's mouth.
At the sight, Link couldn't help but laugh.
The semi-transparent flames' stickiness and devouring transformation ability far exceeded Fiendfyre's. Their nature made them nearly impossible to remove. Any attempt to dispel them with magic only fed them further.
And most importantly, right now, Voldemort was suffering pain no weaker than the Cruciatus Curse. Because these flames, born from Fiendfyre, also inherited its ability to destroy Horcruxes.
Which meant Voldemort was being burned not just in body, but in soul.
But Voldemort was still Voldemort. Link's glee at revenge hadn't lasted long before he saw Voldemort suddenly open his mouth unnaturally wide, like a snake dislocating its jaw.
Then, the flames clinging to him surged into his mouth like a retreating tide, vanishing completely.
"Hic!"
Voldemort let out a fiery belch, then lowered his head to glare at Mike again, his scarlet eyes filled with hatred.
The magic surging from him grew more and more violent under the force of this hatred, until even the surrounding air crackled sharply.
Even Mike felt a twinge of fear, anyone could see it. Voldemort's next attack would be unprecedentedly powerful.
But just as Mike and Link braced themselves to face the coming storm, Voldemort's expression suddenly changed. He jerked his head to the side.
Everyone's eyes followed.
Then they all saw it, two black dots flying rapidly against the moonlit sky, heading their way.
As they drew closer, Link suddenly realized, they were knights, shrouded in black cloaks, walking on air.
Unlike ordinary wizard knights, they rode neither thestrals nor broomsticks, but skeletal horses with no wings, their eye sockets glowing with green fire.
Creatures like these shouldn't have been able to fly, but somehow, they were.
And their "flight" was bizarre. It wasn't really flying, but more like galloping on solid air. Link even faintly heard hoofbeats.
"No! How could they be here!?" Voldemort roared hideously, then turned on the fully-armored Death Eater. "It was you! You betrayed me! You filthy mudblood!"
The armored Death Eater said nothing, just spread his hands and shrugged at Voldemort.
Though his face was hidden by his helmet, Link had the eerie sense he was smirking.
Voldemort must have felt it too, because the next moment he lashed out with a Killing Curse.
The green light shot forth, but the armored Death Eater didn't move, as if he had given up resistance.
Yet at the last instant, with an unscientific, un-magical burst of speed, he flickered aside and dodged.
That enraged Voldemort even more.
But before he could strike again, the knights arrived.
Without a word to Voldemort, they cracked their wands, summoning a silver whip of light that coiled tightly around him.
"No! You can't do this! I still have time! I want revenge! I want to kill them!"
Voldemort struggled madly, endless black magical mist pouring from his body, battering the whip and the knights themselves. But no matter how he fought, the whip remained unshaken.
The two knights only pulled harder, dragging Voldemort through the air.
Their speed was terrifying. In the blink of an eye, they had flown hundreds of meters, disappearing from Link's sight.
The armored Death Eater also stepped forward.
He bowed to beast-shaped Link, then led the surviving elite Death Eaters into an already-open portal, and vanished.
Link was left stunned, unable to speak.
He still couldn't quite believe it. The great and mighty Voldemort… had been dragged away like a dog on a leash, by two mysterious skeletal horse knights?
It was absurd!
But if it was real, then just how powerful were those two skeletal knights?
The thought alone left Link with a sinking heart.
He suddenly realized, this world seemed to have gotten even worse because of his arrival.
But right now, he didn't have the luxury to keep thinking about it.
Because with his enemy gone, Mike was growing more and more violent.
Driven by killing intent and beastly instincts, he finally turned his gaze toward Lucius and the others, slowly opening his blood-soaked jaws.
"Uh… is he staring at us now!?"
The tall Goyle said uncertainly. But before his words finished, Lucius suddenly burst into action, grabbing him and Crabbe, and Apparated them away.
Pettigrew and Barty Jr. were equally quick, but they chased after Voldemort instead.
As for the few unlucky ones left behind, their fate was grim.
Because the energy blast in Mike's mouth had already condensed, and came crashing down on them.
The explosion roared again, and those Death Eaters didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to fuel for the magic flames.
Even after this, Mike was still unsatisfied. He turned his gaze next on the two German wizards, as well as Arkam and Yoyo.
This, Link could no longer tolerate.
He knew words alone couldn't stop Mike now, but fortunately, he had prepared for this.
In pure spirit form, Link swiftly opened his data panel, and invested the golden skill point he had won earlier from the Triwizard Tournament into Occlumency.
[Occlumency Lv.6 acquired!]
As the golden prompt flashed through his mind, his utterly drained spiritual power suddenly exploded with growth. It surged out from the wellspring of his mind like a flood, washing away vast layers of "mud."
Seeing this, Link finally smiled.
The effects of upgrading Occlumency far exceeded his expectations.
Under his lead, the torrent of spirit power swept across his entire mindscape, then turned to besiege Mike's true form at its center.
At last, Mike sensed something was wrong.
He stopped focusing on the wizards, Arkam, and Yoyo, and instead unleashed a wild barrage of indiscriminate attacks.
Deadly semi-transparent flames tore the battlefield into a blazing sea of fire, while the energy blasts he hurled formed flaming mushroom clouds in the distance.
For a time, the night, quiet since Voldemort's departure, blazed brighter than day, even more chaotic than before.
But alas, it was all useless.
Link's assault on Mike's core was like a storm. Against such overwhelming spiritual force, even though Mike's emotional power and magic far outstripped Link's, he was helpless.
He was once again locked up inside the cage of the mind that Link rebuilt.
"Ma… ma…"
Inside the cage, Mike had returned to his withdrawn state, softly murmuring.
Hearing this, Link sighed, speaking with emotion, "Don't worry, brother. I'll take care of your mother. And of course, Emily too."
At those words, Mike finally calmed down.
He fell silent, staring at Link, eyes filled with complex emotions.
Link nodded to him, then returned to his body.
"Ha!"
Once back in control, Link felt unbearable, bone-deep pain radiating from every part of his body.
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