Tendrils of crimson fire-clouds slithered from Wayne's sleeves, morphing into various shapes that orbited before him.
Grindelwald recognised this instantly – it was Dumbledore's signature magic. Only Dumbledore could weave Transfiguration, Alchemy, Potions and Charms together so flawlessly.
"Boy, let's see how much of this magic's essence you've truly grasped!"
With that, he extended a finger from his right hand, sending forth a silver arc of light trailing a long tail towards Wayne.
The fire-clouds rapidly converged, layering into a thick shield before his chest.
BOOM!
Wayne's pupils contracted.
The cloud-shield before him exploded violently, leaving only a paper-thin remnant that barely dissipated the spell's power – yet another curse followed immediately after.
Wayne hastily Apparated away, landing on a rocky outcrop.
Such terrifying power!
Seeing the deep furrow ploughed into the ground, it was hard to believe this was magic cast by Grindelwald bare-handed.
It wasn't that he couldn't withstand it with the Aegis Shield, but dodging was simply more cost-effective.
A rare pressure settled in his heart, yet Wayne felt exhilarated.
"Now this is what a Dark Lord should be like!"
"Boy, this is barely the beginning," Grindelwald sneered, flipping his palm skyward!
The Fiendfyre surrounding him surged forth in great masses, while the firebird overhead swelled severalfold, vaporising the Sea Serpent completely.
"Even Fiendfyre has its limits!"
Ice-blue light shimmered in Wayne's eyes as temperatures plummeted violently around him. Frost spread across the sea's surface, visible waves of frigid air advancing towards the firebird.
CRACK! CRACK!
The blazing Fiendfyre froze mid-air, flames still visibly burning within the ice blocks. Under the relentless assault of cold, the Fiendfyre's offensive was completely neutralised.
Multicoloured light flared in Wayne's palm as he thrust it forward violently.
Grindelwald's eyelid twitched madly as he hastily erected a magical barrier, pouring power without restraint until the normally invisible shield became corporeal.
Twin giant ice arrows accompanied the Final Spark – being struck head-on would undoubtedly result in complete impalement.
The three attacks landed in succession, shattering the shield... yet the delay gave Grindelwald just enough time to Apparate away.
Wayne's aura intensified further as Phase Rush activated, his magical power boiling. Another Final Spark shot towards Grindelwald's landing point.
The two wizards wove between Apparition and spellfire, each magical collision stirring tsunami-like waves and unleashing boundless gales.
Dumbledore's eyes widened.
Only at this moment did Dumbledore realise – even having already overestimated Wayne's abilities, his assessment still fell far short of the young wizard's true power.
Only he and Grindelwald could continuously Apparate during combat without disrupting their rhythm—even Voldemort couldn't manage it.
Compared to high-skill combat techniques like Apparition, Voldemort preferred overwhelming his opponents with Dark Magic.
Wayne was the third.
"Is this kid really only twelve?"
Grindelwald spread his palms flat, engaging in a pure contest of magical power with Wayne as the rocks beneath their feet cracked and shattered.
Absurd magical power, devastating spells, and reflexes sharp enough to cut glass.
He now fully believed Wayne had the ability to beat him half to death in his current state.
Grindelwald was already grateful Wayne hadn't drawn his wand. If he had, the fight would've been far more humiliating.
Wayne suddenly surged forward, cutting short their stalemate.
A streak of light shot toward Grindelwald. Instinctively, he moved to counter—but stopped dead when he saw what it was, catching it in his hand instead.
"Mr Grindelwald, I don't think you'll refuse now, will you?" Wayne also drew his wand, levelling it at him from a distance.
After a stunned pause, Grindelwald threw his head back and laughed wildly.
"Good, good!"
"Wayne Lawrence, if you'd been born in my era, the world would've been far more interesting!"
Grindelwald raised his head again, his aura intensifying with every passing second.
The difference between him with and without a wand was night and day.
As a traditional European wizard, even capable of wandless magic, Grindelwald still preferred using a wand—it even shifted his mindset.
Case in point: his opening move was a massive surprise for Wayne. A fiery avian monstrosity broke through the ice, its wings blotting out the sky.
Grindelwald's robes billowed as his magic coalesced into tangible gusts, like a conductor wielding a baton. With a few effortless flicks, two colossal violet blades sliced through the air.
Elegant. Dominant. Unyielding.
This was Grindelwald's combat style!
But... would Wayne back down?
Boom—!
Boom—!
Dark clouds gathered overhead, thunder rumbling as the young wizard pointed his wand skyward. Crimson lightning coiled around him, even flashing in his eyes as he declared to the heavens:
"Thunder!"
Crack!
Silver serpents of lightning danced wildly, scattering across the sky. The fiery bird was struck apart, collapsing lifelessly to the ground. With a deafening explosion, Grindelwald's attack was cleanly dismantled.
Yet the storm showed no signs of relenting. Under Wayne's will, the lightning redirected—straight toward Grindelwald himself.
The first Dark Lord's expression shifted. The surrounding space warped under the sheer magical turbulence, making Apparition impossible.
He had no choice but to endure!
Crossing his wand before him, four small silver shields materialised around his body, encasing him as the lightning barrage descended.
Grindelwald remained composed. Even at a severe disadvantage, he wouldn't just wait for death—he'd seize every chance to retaliate.
The nearby sea and beach were ravaged by their clash, forcing even Dumbledore, who'd been observing, to raise a shield against the shockwaves.
A thought crossed his mind.
'With Wayne's current strength and growth rate...'
'In a few years, what would Voldemort's Horcruxes even matter?'
As long as he and Wayne joined forces, Voldemort would have no choice but to watch helplessly as the two of them destroyed his Horcruxes one by one like bandits.
However...
Recalling that inconceivable suspicion in his heart, Dumbledore extinguished any thoughts of using force.
Troublesome. Extremely troublesome!
...
On the battlefield, magical power surged violently, spontaneously forming several small tornadoes that whipped up sand and seawater. Blue flames and crimson lightning filled the entire space, making it nearly impossible to discern the situation within.
This was truly a battle between top-tier wizards. Compared to them, other magical duels might as well be welders sparring.
Grindelwald had discovered a way to counter the lightning – Transfiguration.
He transformed everything transformable into massive suits of steel armour, channelling the lightning into the ground and seawater to protect himself.
Against ordinary Thundercloud Charms or Weather Magic, this tactic would have been utterly decisive.
But the crimson lightning controlled by Wayne possessed not only tremendous electrical power but also unparalleled concussive force. His transfigured creations were shattered again and again, all while remaining vigilant against the treacherous seawater beneath his feet.
The disadvantage persisted.
A darling of magic.
Grindelwald had never imagined that someone in this world could surpass him and Dumbledore in magical talent.
Lightning, frost, water currents, and that strange state which suddenly amplified his own magic's potency.
These were all Wayne's innate gifts. How could anyone possess so many bloodline talents?
Grindelwald couldn't comprehend it, attributing it only to magic's miracles.
"I can't hold on much longer." Grindelwald's offensive slowed slightly.
Both his current physical condition and the wand in his hand had reached their limits.
Just as he was about to call an end to this battle whose outcome was already decided, a thunderous voice exploded beside his ear.
"Mr Grindelwald!"
Grindelwald looked up to see an invisible blade flying towards him, slicing through the air and cleaving the steel golem in its path cleanly in half.
Grindelwald's figure blurred strangely as the blade passed straight through his body without causing any harm, dissolving into the sea.
At that moment, another Grindelwald suddenly appeared in mid-air, firing a deep red curse.
The previous 'Grindelwald' had merely been an illusion.
Wayne abruptly drew a longsword and brought it down in a straight slash, shattering the curse.
"Your wand can't last much longer, can it?" Wayne didn't press the attack, speaking calmly instead.
"Then let's decide this in one strike. Losing due to exhaustion and an ill-suited wand – I imagine you wouldn't accept that gracefully."
"You brat." Grindelwald tilted his head with a light chuckle. "I'm actually starting to like you. How did Hufflepuff produce a freak like you? You belong in Durmstrang."
"My strength can't overshadow my outstanding qualities."
Dumbledore, who also heard this remark, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"One strike it is. If you withstand it, I'll concede defeat!"
Wayne's robes billowed dramatically behind him, erupting in a riot of colours that somehow manifested as... black light!
Heavenly Ascension Mode – activated!
A water column rose beneath Wayne's feet, lifting him to an even greater height as he looked down upon Grindelwald like some youthful god of magic.
Wayne raised his wand, his eyes shifting colours like LED lights—crimson, azure, snow-white, gleaming silver, golden—before finally settling into a prismatic glow.
The tempest in the skies grew ever more violent, obliterating every obstacle between the two adversaries.
Grindelwald, too, ceased summoning more cannon fodder and instead levelled his wand, its length now wreathed in emerald light.
"Wayne Lawrence, the future belongs to you."
"But for now, it remains ours—the old guard."
Grindelwald's blood surged with fervour, his voice ringing with the ambition befitting the first Dark Lord.
"No. Now belongs to me as well." Wayne spoke each word deliberately, then incanted the spell.
"Final Spark!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Dumbledore's expression twisted in alarm—this was the first time Grindelwald had cast the Killing Curse in battle!
Yet relief swiftly followed.
Due to their positioning, the trajectory of the green curse veered off-course. Even if Wayne's magic were pierced, the lethal strike would not land on him.
BOOM!
The prismatic beam collided with the sickly-green curse. To Grindelwald's shock, Wayne's spell had grown even more potent—his Killing Curse was devoured, eroded, and ultimately snuffed out.
The wand in his hand shattered inch by inch. He no longer had the strength to evade, quietly closing his eyes.
"Finite Incantatem!"
A steady voice reached his ears as a golden barrier rose. Dumbledore had apparated before Grindelwald without warning, holding an unusually shaped wand.
A full ten seconds passed before the multicoloured beam vanished alongside the golden barrier.
Wayne landed on the ground, slightly breathless.
"Mr Lawrence, I thought you wouldn't stop until you'd defeated me along with him," Dumbledore said jokingly as he descended beside him with Grindelwald.
Yet the gaze behind those half-moon spectacles revealed genuine seriousness in the old man's words. Having personally intercepted that spell, he now understood the immense pressure Grindelwald had faced moments ago.
"Give it a few more years."
Wayne responded to Dumbledore's teasing with equal parts humour and sincerity, his gaze involuntarily drifting to the wand in the Headmaster's hand.
Noticeably longer than standard wands at roughly fifteen inches, it bore distinct protrusions at intervals like human knuckle joints.
This was the Elder Wand—the most battle-effective of the Deathly Hallows.
Also called the Wand of Destiny.
The Elder Wand was the least sentimental, most coldly pragmatic of wands, concerned solely with power.
It would betray its master without hesitation upon defeat, even from a single disarming charm.
After a brief glance, Wayne averted his eyes.
Though confident in his own abilities, he held not the slightest interest in such faithless objects.
Dumbledore's satisfaction grew upon observing Wayne's complete lack of covetousness towards the powerful relic.
Truly a Hufflepuff - more dependable than any Gryffindor.
"You've won this time, boy," Grindelwald said with a sigh as he regained his composure.
"Age catches up to us all. You were right - this era belongs to you now."
"Were you inclined to wage continental war as I once did, you'd accomplish it with ease."
"Gellert!" Dumbledore frowned at him.
"Merely an analogy, no need for theatrics," Grindelwald muttered.
Wayne resumed his usual mild demeanour: "I won through considerable advantage. Had I faced Mr Grindelwald in his prime, I'd likely be running."
That version of Grindelwald - at the peak of his power, wielding the Deathly Hallows - would indeed overwhelm present-day Wayne.
"Defeat requires no excuses," Grindelwald dismissed with a wave.
"Let's go."
...
By the time the trio returned to the tower, sunset painted the sky.
Wayne made no further attempts to provoke Grindelwald, instead producing another lavish meal prepared by Gardevoir for the old man to enjoy.
"Albus, you must bring Wayne on your next visit. His house-elf's cooking far surpasses anything at your school," Grindelwald remarked between undignified mouthfuls, having resumed his frail elderly guise.
"That depends as much on my willingness as the Headmaster's permission," Wayne said around a chicken leg. "And Gardevoir isn't a house-elf."
"Then what do you want?" Grindelwald grinned. "I've no money—all my assets were confiscated."
"I do have some old followers who once served me. Do you need subordinates?"
"Gellert." Dumbledore sighed in exasperation.
Why was he always trying to tempt Wayne?
"What's there to fear?" Grindelwald said dismissively. "With Wayne's abilities, people will naturally gravitate towards him."
"Wasn't that how it was with you, me, and my junior back then?"
Grindelwald's expression suddenly dimmed. "I just want to find them a better path, free from the Ministry of Magic's foolish oppression."
Those who had stayed with him till the end were his most loyal followers.
Even though Grindelwald had threatened to fight to the death to ensure the International Confederation of Wizards showed leniency towards his followers...
These past decades couldn't have been easy for them—they were surely oppressed at every turn.
If Wayne could lend them some support, it would be ideal.
Of course, Grindelwald wasn't planning to freeload either.
Wayne would provide protection, and in return, those old comrades and their families ought to pledge their loyalty.
An equivalent exchange. Neither would owe the other.