This was no true deity—just a pretender. Determining whether the god Grindelwald had encountered was genuine was straightforward. Erwin had never laid eyes on one himself. Yet a false god could never extract talents from the likes of Grindelwald and Dumbledore. Erwin was certain of that much.
The entity before him packed considerable power, but it paled against a real god's might. The Lunar Sovereign regarded Erwin coolly, the radiant moon at her back now veiled in a crimson haze. Tendrils of black mist seeped from her form.
She bared her teeth in a vicious grin. "How did you sense it?"
Erwin met her gaze steadily. "That muddled divine aura of yours gives you away. Anyone who's brushed against real divine power would spot the fraud. A true god wouldn't stoop to your level—you're nothing but a mongrel."
Her features twisted into a snarl of fury. "Blasphemous worm, you'll pay for that!"
Erwin chuckled. "Of course I'll die one day—far in the future. You, though? You're done for today."
The false Lunar Sovereign threw her head back in mocking laughter. "Insolent speck, what nonsense is this? You think to challenge me? I am a goddess—the mighty Lady of the Moon!"
Erwin shook his head. "No, you're a thief. And the moon's rightful owner has returned. What do you reckon she'll do to a pilferer like you?"
Her face drained of color at his words. "Impossible. She can't be back!"
But even as she spoke, the sky shifted. A pristine moon bloomed overhead—the same portal, yet this time its aura thrummed with untainted purity. Cascading white hair trailed to the ground. She descended gracefully, each step rippling moonlight from her feet like liquid silver.
Erwin and Rowena Ravenclaw stared upward. This was the essence of divinity.
With her arrival, eyes flickered open across the wizarding world, piercing veils of distance to fix on the Isle of Avalon. "A god's return?" one murmured. "No—an energy manifestation!" another corrected. "The Lunar Sovereign. That signature is unmistakable."
On the isle, Erwin's expression hardened with vindication. Just as he'd suspected. False gods might siphon authority, but never wholly. A deity's essence was too profound; even a sliver could be roused with the right divine nudge.
The pretender gaped at the true Lunar Sovereign towering above. Her eyes widened in terror. "How... how can this be? Gods shouldn't exist anymore! You're just a shadow of stolen power!"
The Lunar Sovereign inclined her head, her gaze icy. A streak of moonlight lanced toward the thief. "Usurper. You forfeit your stolen life."
The false one recoiled, scrambling to muster her pilfered might. But facing the source, she stood no chance. The powers collided in a flash, her defenses crumbling like ash. No counterblow came; the moonlight surged onward, striking her full force.
A piercing wail echoed as she hurtled backward. The glow around her flickered and dimmed. She slammed into the earth, blood spraying from her lips. Yet a mad grin split her face.
"You're feeble," she rasped. "How many strikes can you muster? I've been eroding your authority for ages. Now that you're here, it's ripe for the taking—defenseless. Victory's mine, Sovereign. You can't end me with this fragment. Exhaust it, and I'll claim the rest. Then I'll be the one true Lady of the Moon!"
Her laughter spiraled into hysteria, visions of ascension dancing in her eyes.
But then, a voice cut from behind: "Is that right? Pity you won't live to find out."
The false god's mirth shattered. "When—?"
She whirled, too late. Starlight coalesced at Erwin's wand tip and lanced through her skull. Wounded and drained, she couldn't even raise a shield. One strike, and she crumpled—dead by Erwin's hand.
Rowena's form wavered, her essence strained from channeling such power. Erwin felt a rush of magic flood his veins, bolstering him by a third. Surprise lit his eyes. Three such kills, and he'd hit sixth-level reserves? False gods were rare prey, though. Without the Sovereign's intervention shattering the thief's hold on her authority—leaving her vulnerable for that fatal moment—Erwin's ambush might have failed.
The corpse withered swiftly, dissolving into a smear of dark ash. With her demise, moonlight erupted skyward, streaming back to the Sovereign. Her silhouette sharpened, more solid.
She turned her gaze to Erwin. He returned it evenly.
With a flick of her sleeve, an unseen force seized Rowena, binding her unyieldingly within the Diadem. The world outside faded from her awareness.
Inside the artifact, Rowena's brow creased in concern.
Erwin observed impassively as the Lunar Sovereign addressed him. "There. No eavesdroppers now. You've stirred something within, haven't you?"
He smiled faintly. "Not fully awakened—just fragments resurfacing. Plenty of riddles linger."
She nodded. "You sought the Isle of Avalon for me?"
Erwin shrugged. "Not initially. Curiosity drew me—who were these 'gods' of the isle? You lot should've faded ages ago, yet Grindelwald bartered with one. I had to know if any true deities lingered besides Death."
The Lunar Sovereign shook her head. "None. We're echoes now—manifestations tethered to remnants of authority. Time erodes them, and we fade with them."
...
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