A faint halo rippled outwards as a silver-white dragon soared upwards, its body shimmering with runes. As each rune sank into the dragon's form, it rapidly grew incredibly solid.
A Patronus?
Grindelwald frowned deeply.
He couldn't understand why Wayne would summon a Patronus at such a critical moment.
Alright, he admitted - this was the most powerful Patronus he had ever seen in his life. Its dozens-of-metres-long frame was even more imposing than a real dragon.
But no matter how enormous... wasn't it still just a Patronus?
The next moment, Grindelwald realised he was wrong.
A deafening dragon roar echoed through the heavens as the dragon fully extended its body. Its slightly short claws shot up, easily tearing apart the massive, fiery palm formed by magical power before the dragon's roar shattered it completely, dispersing it like smoke.
The emerald Killing Curse, upon striking the dragon's scales, was strangely eroded by the white light that shimmered across them.
"Impossible!" an elderly follower cried out in disbelief.
"This isn't a Patronus!"
Grindelwald's face darkened. He had allowed for his magic to be countered, and he'd never expected to defeat Wayne with just two simple spells.
But he couldn't accept it happening in this world-view-shattering manner.
In his understanding - indeed, in the education all wizards received - Patronuses could only be used against Dementors and Lethifolds, or at most to provide some positive emotions or transmit messages.
"This is a Patronus."
Wayne's figure floated upwards, merging with the form of the Star Forger Dragon King before settling at its brow. His voice seemed to transform into a dragon's roar, thundering through the air.
"Wizards are merely infants who happened to grasp weapons from behind reality. They thought they had mastered the complete mysteries, but little did they know this was merely the threshold to truth."
"Mr Grindelwald." Wayne, no, the Star Forger Dragon King looked down. "Don't let narrow modern magic constrain your vision."
"The Patronus Charm has been passed down since ancient times. Dementors appeared three hundred years ago, and Lethifolds were only discovered last century. Tell me, what was this spell's purpose in ancient times?"
Grindelwald seemed thoughtful.
Wayne was right - he had indeed become somewhat constrained.
After climbing to the world's peak, with only Dumbledore worthy of being called his rival, his study of magic had become complacent, treating it more as a means to achieve his goals.
"I stand corrected," Grindelwald said seriously. "I should indeed calm my mind and continue advancing."
"In that case, the ivory tower suits me better." Grindelwald raised his wand once more. "Lawrence, even if you've transformed into a dragon, I will still fight for Durmstrang and drive you away, the invader!"
Wayne nearly laughed in frustration. In just a few words, he'd been cast as the villain?
Typical of you, Grindelwald.
Your ability to distort truth and falsehood is stronger than Dark Magic.
Without saying anything more, Wayne willed the dragon's claw to descend. Grindelwald's wand whipped like a lash, firing powerful spells, but they all bounced directly off the descending talons.
The dragon's claw crashed to the ground as Grindelwald Apparated into the distance. The earth, already ravaged by the Final Spark, split open once more. Wayne's gaze swept across the sky and land until he finally spotted Grindelwald's figure atop a mountain peak.
The dragon's maw opened, spewing forth starlight.
Boom!
The mountaintop was sheared off by nearly a hundred metres in the violent explosion, sending clouds of dust billowing and triggering an avalanche.
'This brat is really fucking ruthless!'
Grindelwald, who had been Apparating continuously, appeared high in the air, a flash of lingering fear in his eyes.
Wayne seemed to have merged completely with this bizarre Patronus. With the Patronus's amplification, every spell was overwhelmingly powerful, making him dare not face them head-on.
Before he could ponder for more than a few seconds, another beam of light came crashing toward him, forcing Grindelwald to evade once more.
Taking hits without fighting back wasn't his style, but the Patronus was both offensive and defensive. Ordinary spells were utterly ineffective against it, leaving him with no way to break through its turtle-shell-like defence.
As he observed the several collapsed mountain peaks around them, a strategy formed in Grindelwald's mind.
His wand was swung so fast it left afterimages, gathering house-sized boulders together. While manipulating the massive rocks, Grindelwald still had to remain vigilant against Wayne's attacks.
Soon, an earthen giant, no less imposing than the Patronus, took shape. Grindelwald flashed onto the giant's shoulder.
"As hard as iron!"
"Protego!"
"Multiple barriers!"
"Roar!"
The earthen—no, now steel—giant, bolstered by multiple enchantments and reinforced to its peak, charged toward the Patronus with swinging fists.
In the distance, fiery, monstrous birds formed from cursed flames roared, continually escalating the scale of the battlefield.
The nearby wizards had long been struck dumb, staring at this world-shattering spectacle, utterly unable to express the shock in their hearts.
Smoke and dust had enveloped both combatants, making it impossible to see the specifics of the scene.
Through the swirling obstacles, countless people gazed toward the heart of the battlefield, their hearts filled with yearning.
"This is... a true wizard."
In the Great Hall, an unidentified student voiced the thoughts of everyone.
Yes!
This is what a wizard should be!
With mere gestures, they unleashed earth-altering power. Millennia-old snow-capped mountains became expendable, and Durmstrang Castle, originally nestled in the valley, was now transformed into high ground.
Every collision between the two giants released shocking shockwaves; every spell could have killed them countless times over.
Even Grindelwald's massive transfiguration alone was beyond their comprehension.
Those students who had believed mastering the Killing Curse made them powerful finally understood: it's never the spell that's strong, but the wizard.
Outside, Newt had long sensed the danger and released a bird, carrying him and Tina higher into the sky.
Watching the scene of Wayne's Patronus overwhelming Grindelwald, he felt both secret satisfaction and a touch of bewilderment.
When had that boy, who was just a little kid when he first visited, grown to such heights?
Boom!
The Star Forger Dragon King executed a dragon tail sweep, a strike infused with stellar power that sent Grindelwald's giant flying like a cannonball toward Durmstrang Castle.
The intense impact, combined with the steel giant's own hardness, caused a large section of the castle to immediately collapse.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the achievement 'Sun Shining Bright, I'll Blow Up the School', reward: 20,000 points, one critical hit gift package.]
Eh?
Wayne, inside the dragon's head, showed slight surprise.
Does blowing up someone else's school count too?
Without even thinking, it was clear that 'blowing up a school' was definitely a mandatory achievement in the Demon King System, but Hogwarts was, after all, his home - Wayne had never considered doing something so extreme.
He never expected to accidentally complete it at Durmstrang.
As Wayne pondered this, his offence temporarily halted. Grindelwald seized the opportunity to quickly send a secret message through magic.
"Young Wayne, that's about enough. Do you really want to kill me?"
Grindelwald currently felt like his bones were about to fall apart. While it had appeared to be an even match just moments before, he had already used every last trick up his sleeve.
That manifested Iron Armour Charm, constantly maintained on the giant's surface, consumed enough magical power every second to drain an ordinary wizard dry.
To outsiders, it already looked terrifying enough, but only he, as the participant, could truly understand just how powerful that Patronus dragon really was.
So powerful it made one despair, as if facing not a spell, but a deity.
"Oh, right, I'd forgotten about that. Sorry, I got carried away having fun."
Wayne's reply came through the same magical communication, making Grindelwald sigh in relief, but the next moment nearly made him spit blood in anger.
"I'll hold back a bit more, but we should see this through to the end properly."
What did he mean by 'hold back a bit more'?
Had he not been using his full power just now?
The proud Grindelwald had never suffered such humiliation before. Even Dumbledore had to deal with him carefully back in the day, not daring to hold back - and now he was being looked down upon by a fifteen-year-old boy?
Soon, he didn't even have the mind to curse anymore, because Wayne had begun attacking again.
Grindelwald could only grit his teeth and continue holding his ground, spells raining down as if magical power meant nothing, and he could see the Patronus dragon's size continuously shrinking.
Gradually, Wayne also separated from the Patronus, appearing to run out of magical power as he began 'panting heavily'.
Finally, after nearly half the castle had been destroyed, the two stopped.
"Truly worthy of Mr Grindelwald, your magical power is not inferior to mine," Wayne praised with complete seriousness.
Grindelwald's mouth twitched, "...I should be the one saying that, you little monster!"
"Master!"
The Saints quickly gathered around, warily raising their wands towards Wayne.
"What are you doing!" Grindelwald snapped sharply, "Lower your wands! Have you forgotten the rules of wizard duelling? Where is your honour? Stand down!"
Grindelwald was genuinely angry - a bunch of clueless fools. Did they really think wizards of this calibre were all like Dumbledore with his gentle temperament, enjoying having wands pointed at him?
"Yes, Master."
Several Saints didn't dare argue after being scolded, retreating meekly.
In the distance, Keynes, seeing the battle had ended, flew over with dozens of Aurors on broomsticks, landing behind Wayne.
"Mr Lawrence, did you win?" Keynes asked nervously.
"Unfortunately." Wayne feigned a sigh, "Grindelwald is tremendously powerful. He and I are merely evenly matched."
Keynes's disappointment was palpable, but seeing both Wayne and Grindelwald drenched in sweat, he knew the two couldn't possibly determine a winner today.
As for having other Aurors strike while Grindelwald's magical power was depleted, he considered it for a few seconds before abandoning this tempting idea.
The students and professors from the castle had already rushed out and were standing behind Grindelwald. They truly didn't dare to make a move—these people had too many powerful connections behind them.
But it didn't matter. Lawrence was only fifteen this year. Wouldn't victory be assured in just another year or two?
For a moment, he straightened his back considerably and looked at Grindelwald with imposing momentum.
"Grindelwald, there are people in this world who can stand against you. Surrender and return to Nurmengard, and I might still spare your life."
In response to his arrogant remarks, Grindelwald merely responded with a cold sneer, paying him no mind.
Instead, he looked at Wayne: "Lawrence, do you see now?"
"These vermin control the wizarding world. Why don't you join me? There are already too many fools in this world - it needs clever people like us to provide proper guidance."
"Stop trying to bewitch people, Grindelwald!" Keynes' face flushed red with anger. "How could Mr Lawrence possibly join forces with a demon like you? He's a kind and upright Hufflepuff!"
Wayne's expression turned peculiar.
'So sorry to disappoint you.'
No, his apology should really be directed at Hufflepuff.
Grindelwald didn't know what to say either.
He desperately wanted to return to his youth, go study at Hogwarts directly, and then join Hufflepuff.
Wouldn't the path to controlling the wizarding world be much simpler that way?
After all, even though Lawrence had turned out this wicked, there were still so many people who thought he was a good person - this house's reputation was just too impeccable!
Keynes didn't know what Grindelwald was thinking about. The situation reached a temporary stalemate, with neither side daring to make the first move.
Finally, after collecting himself, Grindelwald spoke: "Lawrence, we'll consider today's match a draw."
Wayne nodded slightly. "I have no objections, but... what exactly are the terms of this draw?"
"Simple." Grindelwald sneered. "I promise not to invade other countries' Ministries of Magic for one year, and you'll give me one hundred years' worth of the Elixir of Life."
The first Dark Lord pointed his finger directly at Keynes.
"He'll pay."
"Eh?" Keynes was dumbfounded.