- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 198
The initial plan for this duel was to limit Grindelwald’s Apparition and maximize the speed of his own body.
However, Grindelwald had turned the tables, using this to his advantage to restrict Leo. A single Fiendfyre dragon blocked all possible escape routes, forcing Leo to find a way to withstand it.
But this was actually within his expectations. Leo was well aware of Grindelwald’s insanely powerful Fiendfyre Curse.
So he had already prepared a countermeasure.
“Let’s give this a try then—Eight Gates Release Formation Taijutsu: Morning Peacock!”
Leo bent his legs and leaped into the air. Seeing the Fiendfyre dragon hot on his heels, he concentrated chakra in both hands, unleashing the Morning Peacock, a taijutsu move accessible through the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates Release Formation.
His hands became a blur, launching countless fiery fists created by the friction between chakra and air, striking the Fiendfyre dragon below like a Gatling gun.
Red flames clashed with blue flames, and explosions echoed in the air.
“Break through!”
The Morning Peacock attack wasn’t just producing flames from friction; it also generated air cannons from the rapid punches.
As Leo descended toward the Fiendfyre dragon, the red flames and the air cannons bore down on the dragon, creating a temporary gap in its body.
Taking advantage of the temporary opening, Leo dashed through the Fiendfyre dragon, heading straight for Grindelwald below.
Grindelwald frowned, quickly conjuring a Protego shield to block the barrage of fireballs Leo launched next.
At the same time, he moved his left hand, sending out an invisible wave that expanded outward from him.
“Let’s see if you’re still as fast.”
“Time magic again!”
Now less than two meters from Grindelwald, Leo was caught in the magical wave, and his speed instantly slowed by tenfold. His punches also slowed, and he could no longer generate the flames needed for the Morning Peacock technique.
At that moment, he realized Grindelwald, like Dumbledore, had used time-altering magic to slow down the flow of time around him.
Meanwhile, the Fiendfyre dragon that Leo had passed through hadn’t dissipated. It looped around in the air and aimed for Leo’s back once more.
“Second Form, activate!”
With a roar, Leo’s body swelled, muscles bulging into a hulking form. His physical strength, speed, and chakra were all significantly enhanced.
Even within the time-slowing effect of Grindelwald’s magic, he still managed to execute the Morning Peacock technique again.
His left hand unleashed the Morning Peacock to suppress the Fiendfyre dragon, while his right hand aimed his wand at Grindelwald and cast the Killing Curse.
There was no choice; given the strength of Grindelwald’s Protego charm, only the Killing Curse could break through. In this extraordinary situation, the Ministry of Magic permitted law enforcement to use the Killing Curse against Grindelwald and his followers.
“You are courting death! To all who wish to join my great cause, you may Apparate away now to spread our ideals.”
Grindelwald withdrew his time magic and Apparated to the top of a giant stone eagle statue above the cemetery. Waving his wand, multiple Fiendfyre dragons appeared around him, enveloping the entire graveyard.
He no longer wanted to engage in a wizard duel with Leo; he intended to destroy Leo, all the Aurors present, and the entire city of Paris.
“Not so fast!”
Leo raised his wand, aiming at Grindelwald standing on the stone eagle, and chanted:
“Expecto Patronum!”
A silver dragon burst from his wand and charged directly at Grindelwald.
“What a massive Patronus!”
All the wizards present gasped in astonishment upon seeing Leo’s Patronus.
Grindelwald frowned and quickly directed several Fiendfyre dragons to intercept Leo’s Patronus.
The opposing Patronus seemed strong, but it could at most match one of his Fiendfyre dragons. While it was somewhat surprising, he didn’t consider it a major threat.
However, just as the silver dragon was about to collide with the Fiendfyre dragons, it suddenly transformed into a small hawk, its speed dramatically increasing as it slipped through the gaps between the Fiendfyre dragons and reached Grindelwald.
Grindelwald quickly cast a Protego charm around himself, and the hawk transformed back into a silver dragon, slamming its tail hard against the shield.
The powerful blow knocked Grindelwald off the stone eagle. Although the shield remained intact, he looked considerably more disheveled.
“To reach this level, aside from Dumbledore, you are the first!”
Grindelwald’s expression had darkened considerably. Apparating to the center of the cemetery, he waved his wand, and the Fiendfyre dragons merged into a single, enormous Fiendfyre basilisk.
The massive Fiendfyre dragon flapped its wings and unleashed a torrent of blue flames from its mouth, spreading in all directions from Grindelwald’s position.
The sea of Fiendfyre flames aimed to engulf not only Leo but everyone present.
Those steadfast in their loyalty to Grindelwald remained unharmed by the flames, while those who had wavered due to the recent battle were instantly reduced to ashes.
Screams and shouts of panic filled the air, and both Grindelwald’s loyal followers and the wavering wizards began Apparating away in droves.
In the end, only Leo and Theseus, along with the Aurors determined to capture Grindelwald, remained on the field.
However, capturing Grindelwald seemed unrealistic, as only about a dozen wizards, including Theseus, Newt, and Tina, were strong enough to barely protect themselves from the Fiendfyre with their wands.
The rest of the Aurors couldn’t withstand the Fiendfyre’s assault, let alone counterattack to capture Grindelwald.
“You will all turn to ashes along with this city!”
Seeing the situation, Grindelwald swung his wand, unwilling to waste any more time, and Apparated away with his followers.
Leo summoned his Patronus to shield himself from the Fiendfyre’s attack. He turned toward Theseus and the others at the defense line and once again unleashed the Morning Peacock.
However, this time, his Morning Peacock wasn’t meant to attack but to precisely avoid each Auror, using only the flames and air to temporarily push the surrounding Fiendfyre away from them.
“Apparate away from here first, then find a way to control the sea of flames!”
With the Fiendfyre’s attack momentarily repelled, Theseus and the others immediately Apparated away from the center of the firestorm to the cemetery’s outskirts.
Seeing all the Aurors safely leave, Leo ceased his Morning Peacock technique, waved his wand, and Apparated away as well.
Though he hadn’t captured Grindelwald in this battle, he had demonstrated strength on par with Grindelwald. At least to the onlookers, Grindelwald couldn’t easily defeat him, which meant Leo had accomplished his initial objective.