"That thing?"
"What 'thing' are you referring to?"
In the mist-shrouded graveyard, Voldemort (remnant soul) was thoroughly perplexed. He could certainly perceive something extraordinary manifesting in the direction Tom was observing; the phenomenon was visible even from this distance. However, unlike Tom, he had no clue what was causing it.
Presently, though, Voldemort (remnant soul) wasn't particularly interested in knowing, as he realized Tom's attention was no longer on him. Logically, he should be launching a sneak attack, but past experience had taught him that such tactics were useless.
"Tonic!"
Voldemort (remnant soul) immediately cast a Flight Spell and soared into the distant sky. As for his four remaining "old, weak, sick, and disabled" subordinates, they were inconsequential. As long as he himself survived, that was enough. If those four imbeciles were fortunate enough to survive, he might mercifully rescue them later, provided, of course, that Tom was nowhere in sight. The other Death Eaters might want to capture him, but none of them—not even Nagini, Bellatrix Lestrange, or Barty Crouch Jr.—were a match for him.
As for Tom, he departed shortly after noticing the disturbance. First, he suddenly decided to spare the Voldemort (remnant soul)'s life; he had a notion that the man might provide him with some amusement later. Second, he still needed the House Cup reward for the "Savior" quest, and killing the Voldemort (remnant soul) would prematurely conclude it. Third, he was unusually concerned because Cassandra and Malfoy were still at Hogwarts. Dumbledore and Grindelwald were ignorant of ancient magic and were no match for that bastard Lanlock.
Now, in this graveyard, which was 'full of vitality, unlike its usual deathly stillness,' only Nagini and her large contingent of Death Eaters remained, along with the four captured idiots. They were still clamoring for the other Death Eaters to rejoin Voldemort (remnant soul), and were promptly beaten for their troubles.
"Take them back and lock them up."
After issuing the order, Nagini also set off towards Hogwarts.
...
On the ruins of Hogwarts, now merely a giant crater, the Lanlock Dragon flapped its wings, already irritated by the two wizards. Its two scarlet, bestial eyes locked onto their target in an instant.
"Roar~!"
Black and red energy converged, transforming into a rain of stars that crashed upon the earth in a massive area-of-effect attack! The entire landscape appeared to have been plowed, the grotesque devastation readily apparent.
The Lanlock Dragon's two bestial eyes lowered once more. It doubted that the two wizards could have survived, as its energy was not so easily withstood. However, as the dust settled, the Lanlock Dragon abruptly widened its eyes, looking utterly incredulous.
Below, on the shattered earth, a semi-circular, shimmering white barrier of light had appeared!
But the point isn't that my attack was blocked; the point is the nature of that defensive shield… it's ancient magic!
Damn Merlin… are you kidding me?
A century ago, at the zenith of its power, some brat who knew ancient magic jumped out and sealed it away without a word. Now that it had finally broken free, before it could even vent its morning grumpiness, another brat with ancient magic suddenly appeared out of nowhere. And judging from the nature of this defensive ancient magic, this brat's proficiency was clearly superior to the one from a hundred years ago…
Damn it, I can't fight back at all!
It had to flee. Once it could fully master the power within, it would fear nothing in the world! Including that damned brat with ancient magic below!
With that thought, the Lanlock Dragon turned and flew in another direction.
Below, Tom, who had just cast "Ancient Magic: Defense," dropped his barrier, pointed the Elder Wand at the sky. The originally dark red sky instantly grew overcast! Seeing the sky darken further, the Lanlock Dragon felt uneasy, and its wings beat even faster.
And the Elder Wand, which had been pointing at the sky, swung down again…
BOOM!!
A ferocious, thick bolt of lightning crashed down! A burst of shimmering, bluish-white electricity exploded on the back of the Lanlock Dragon! The intense pain left the Lanlock Dragon's mind blank, and its massive, stiff body plummeted from the sky like a crashing plane.
...
After striking the Lanlock Dragon down with Ancient Magic in the form of lightning, Tom finally turned his gaze upon the two old men with complex expressions. He had checked on the other evacuating people first, figuring that even if he arrived later, the two old men wouldn't have perished. And as he expected, the two old men were still quite energetic when he arrived.
After a long silence, Grindelwald finally managed to utter, "You're definitely more monstrous, kid."
"This…thing is indeed very strong."
Upon seeing the Lanlock Dragon, Tom had already determined that its magical power exceeded his own, but the problem was, this power wasn't truly its own. In summary, its strength was akin to his own, exceeding SS-rank (legendary wizard), but not quite reaching SSS-rank (god of magic).
"But it's only somewhat special."
The Lanlock Dragon was special because non-ancient magic had little effect on it. It wasn't completely immune; the immense power difference still allowed non-ancient magic to work, but given the Lanlock Dragon's strength, it would probably require Merlin's intervention.
"Tom...should we help?"
After witnessing Tom damage the monster, Dumbledore's tense mood finally relaxed. He wished to launch a "righteous gang attack."
"No, it won't last long."
The Lanlock Dragon's power wasn't its own; it was like a newbie who just left the starting area trying to play a max-level character that beats a demon king—the stats are high, but the character doesn't know how to play. Moreover, this energy was far too volatile; when Tom attacked it earlier, the energy within its body surged once more. Tom even suspected that if he were to attack it with ancient magic a few more times, it would explode on its own. Of course, it would require sufficiently potent ancient magic.
...
At that moment, the Lanlock Dragon finally managed to forcibly control its turbulent energy. However, the pain from its wounds and the agitation of its magic made it extremely uncomfortable.
This brat…
A flicker of apprehension crossed the Lanlock Dragon's eyes. I can't fight him now... I have to get away!
It lunged forward with a burst of power from its claws, simultaneously flapping its wings to take flight. A dark cloud of mist rushed towards it from behind at incredible speed. The Lanlock Dragon turned and unleashed a torrent of dragonfire! The magical "Tops Field" allowed it to bypass Tom!
After the dragonfire subsided, the mist dispersed, then coalesced in the air to form Tom's figure, who swung his Elder Wand at the earth!
Rumble...
The ground was instantly split into small hills, which were then uprooted by an invisible force! Tom pointed his Elder Wand at the Lanlock Dragon once more! A dozen hills hurtled towards the fleeing monster! The Lanlock Dragon twisted its body, dodging two of them. As the "mountain," more than ten times its own size, flew past it, the Lanlock Dragon was filled with astonishment. This too was ancient magic!
...
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