BOOOOOM...! BOOOOOM...! BOOOOOM...! The sky above the South Downs looked completely torn apart, the once peaceful countryside now resembling a land abandoned by the gods. People watching from afar could only stare in dread, two colossal behemoths tearing into one another beneath a storm-filled sky where crimson lightning poured endlessly like rain. As for the culprits… they were far too small and far too fast for anyone to properly see. People could only feel the violent shockwaves whenever they clashed, each impact echoing like the nonstop tolling of a massive gong, powerful enough to make anyone’s heart tremble. --- SHEEEK…! SHEEEK…! BOOOOOM...! From opposite sides, two jets of energy tore through the chaos before colliding violently, releasing a heaven-shaking explosion that sent a massive shockwave sweeping across the region. Neither said a word. Locked in completely, they continued pouring more and more power, their bodies overflowing with magical energy as deep and endless as the oceans themselves, each trying to overpower the other. CRACKLE... CRACKLE... The air wailed like a living thing under strain while thick jolts of destruction leaked from where the two magical energies clashed, tearing long craters through the earth and shaking the ground beneath them. Maverick’s teeth clenched. He had never felt his magic raging this chaotically before. Although he had been able to keep up with the old Dark Lord, even suppress him at times, he had never once managed to turn that into a true advantage. Could it really be experience? Maverick never denies that he is an outright cheater when it comes to his achievements in magic. His System practically hands everything to him on a silver platter, be it magical energy, spells, knowledge, experience, or even muscle memory, all of it gets integrated directly into him. But once the process was completed, the feeling left behind always feels so natural that it truly seems as though he had personally lived through every bit of it himself. Was that really not the same as genuine experience earned through years upon years of struggle and battle? When it came to power, or raw magic, the advantage had always been his. Its just that Grindelwald, this shameless old thing, always managed to slip away whenever it seemed like he was about to be overpowered in their deadlocks. And in that regard… call it slipperiness, Grindelwald was unquestionably better than him. BOOOM…! A bolt of thunder flashed just inches from Maverick’s face, instantly tearing those thoughts from his mind. He clenched his jaw tighter and pushed even harder, feeding more power until the deadlock began moving toward Grindelwald again. SHEEEK…! And just when Maverick thought he had finally gained the advantage, Grindelwald twisted his body sharply to the side once again, causing the jet of magic to rip past him and vanish into the distance. Maverick barely even had time to curse before his magical senses screamed at him. The experienced old Dark Lord obviously had no intention of giving him a moment to breathe, and taking advantage of the opening, his wand lit up with the unmistakable color of death before firing in the very same instant. Maverick was no amateur when it came to dodging either. In the split second before the curse reached him, he forcibly twisted his body to the side as well, the deadly spell barely grazing past his face. For some reason, the bastard always aimed for his head. All of it had happened within a split second, Grindelwald twisting aside, countering instantly, and Maverick narrowly dodging in return. From the start, their “duel” had been this relentless pattern, clash after clash, dodge after dodge, the two of them exchanging attacks faster than people could even follow, but neither had managed to secure a real advantage. The only place where the deadlock seemed to break was below them, where the feathery manifestation clearly held the advantage over the draconic phantom. Anyone who knows Maverick well would say trying to play fire against him was a terrible idea. That said, the two behemoths still fought like ancient monsters unleashed upon the land, tearing across the region and reducing everything in their path to ruin. It was almost unrecognizable now, grass, trees, hills, all of it had vanished beneath molten cracks and burning rubble. Following that exchange, the two warlocks paused for a heartbeat, both studying each other calculatingly before briefly glancing down at the devastation below them. Lightning crackled endlessly across the dark sky, its flashes painting their faces in cold light while powerful winds caused their long coats to flutter violently. Grindelwald turned his gaze back first, but he didn’t initiate an attack this time. Instead, his eyes slowly swept across the ruined landscape once more, his expression thoughtful, almost distant. Is he looking for Dumbledore again? Maverick mused. “How exactly did you accomplish this?” Maverick: “...” “Space... to construct a ward of this magnitude... I must confess, I am... impressed...” Oh... so he’s not looking for his ex? Then, considering escape? Heh... “Should you defeat me...” said Maverick with a smirk, “then I might tell you...” Grindelwald, however, appeared entirely uninterested in indulging his humor. “I assume Albus is waiting to intercept me should I choose to withdraw...” he asked instead. Maverick gave a small shrug. Actually, he had no idea. He also couldn’t sense Dumbledore within the range of his magical senses. Either that old man was really good at hiding, or he had left the range entirely. In any case, Grindelwald wouldn’t be getting away even if he wanted to. In truth, Maverick had yet to reveal any of his true trump cards during this battle, whether it be sorcery or his extraordinary characteristics, and had instead been fighting solely with the magic of the wizarding world. Hence the reason for the pressure he had been under during the last half hour or so of constant back-and-forth, seemingly repetitive exchanges. But the old Dark Lord truly was a monster, Maverick had to admit. In the beginning, Grindelwald had pushed him dangerously close even, to going offline, several times through the sheer ferocity of his combo magic and chained spellcasting. And that was with space magic being restricted. Of course, it affected both of them equally, but a veteran like Grindelwald undoubtedly must have a few tricks left in reserve should he was allowed every advantage. Then again, Maverick wasn’t someone without a few aces up his sleeve either. “You, the dignified first-generation Dark Lord, want to run away from a boy like me?” asked Maverick, trying to see if he could provoke the man instead. It didn’t work. The old Dark Lord didn’t even twitch, his eyes narrowed as though he was calculating a hundred different things. Sigh... Tom was so much simpler— Just as the thought flashed through his mind, his magical senses suddenly blared in warning, forcing him to throw up a shield of Eldritch magic toward the upper left side— BOOOM—! Though he was quick enough to react, the violent aftermath still sent him rocketing toward the ground like a falling missile. But then, barely an instant later, another warning exploded through his senses, and he turned sharply to see an enormous set of jaws opened impossibly wide, scorching energy rapidly gathering deep within its mouth. The sheer temperature was so terrifyingly high that he could already feel it... ROOAAAR! With a thunderous roar, despite being restrained by his own magical phantom, it still found an opening to lift its head slightly higher before unleashing a raging tornado of flames... Maverick had already regained control of his body while his hands moved rapidly through several gestures. Although the flames wouldn’t pose any particular danger to him, he still decided to get rid of the beast altogether. “Haah!” Only slightly troublesome. With one hand, he forced back the incoming flames hot enough to melt metal, while with the other, he exerted his will over the earth below, and instantly, the molten ground beneath the dragon began shaking violently. RUMMMMMMBLE! This was perhaps the first time he had truly used the power of elemental affinity in a real battle without holding back. First, he dissolved the phantom crow that had been wrestling against the dragon so he could focus entirely on the task at hand. Moments later, the molten earth suddenly collapsed inward with a deafening roar, and just as quickly, it erupted upward once more, forming a gigantic hand like that of an ancient titan. It seized the dragon’s colossal body in an iron grip. ROAAARR— Its roar was cut off instantly as the massive creature was violently dragged downward, as though the land itself had awakened to devour it whole. Maverick, however, still didn’t have a moment to breathe afterward, because he could already sense the old Dark Lord moving again, and quickly snapped his head upward in that direction. Hmm... honestly didn’t think him to escape vertically in an attempt to leave the range. Too bad though, the thing limiting space isn’t some spatial ward like he believe... And with that thought in mind, Maverick wiped the sweat from his forehead before a smirk slowly formed on his face, recalling how thoroughly the old Dark Lord had managed to pull that earlier stunt on him. To think I, me... actually got caught in an illusion, even for a moment. Tsk... embarrassing. Well, playtime’s over. Anyways, I’ve had my fun. Enough time has passed, and enough eyes must’ve seen by now...