Three hours had passed, and though the a tinued, its iy had lessehe movements were no longer as fast or fshy as they had been at the beginning.
The massive mountain, o over a kilometer high, was now almost unreizable. It wasn't just the mountain—the surrounding rocky desert, especially on the side where the battle had raged, was now scarred beynition. Deep craters and long gashes carved into the earth marked the sheer iy of the fight.
It wouldn't be hard for Maverick to end the duel. The illusion charm was his most useful spell now. It might not fool the old man as easily as an average wizard, but it didn't have to.
All he needed was to catch the old man off guard—a single moment to nd a fatal blow before the old wizard noticed anything.
But Maverick wasn't in a hurry. The duel would end when he decided it was time.
Morvain's every move was deliberate, his as sharp and precise, every spell executed with perfe—a result of years of practical experience.
Maverick, oher hand, was simply , learning, and studying every trick as the fight progressed, using it to refine his own way of dueling.
Although it wasn't easy—far from it—he found the battle extremely difficult. There were even a few close calls with those greeh beams, but he pressed on, tering the old man's every spell and movement.
If anyone asked what he needed mht now, the answer was simple: experience. And Morvain had plenty of it.
...
Boom!
Two curses collided in midair, log in a fierce struggle of power as searing energy lit up the battlefield.
Crackle!
Crackle!
They surged bad forth, each trying to overpower the other, but her mao break through.
"Why are you doing this?" the old man suddenly shouted, his wand outstretched, magic surging from it like water bursting from a broken hose. "What's in this for you? Money? Fame?" His voice screamed with frustration, each question sharper tha.
The dark figure across from him stayed silent, fully itted to the battle, matg his power without a sound.
"Speak, you insufferable ..." He excimed, anger evident in every word. "I'll give you all the money you need. turies of amassed wealth..." He pressed oe the rising fury in his voice. It was clear the old wizard was feeling desperate, as the figure he had once dismissed as a mere paroving to be anything but.
He kept shouting, the frantic words of a desperate man on the brink of losing everything. "Fame? You've kept me here for hours! That alone should be enough..." His hand pressed forward, straining as if to pour every st drop of his magic.
Woosh!
Unfortunately, that small burst of power did almost nothing, pushing forward for only a brief moment before being forced back.
Crackle!
Crackle!
"Damn you!" he cursed under his breath, then yelled again, "Enough! None of us will walk away from this unscarred..."
Maverice again tuned out the old man's ranting, though he couldn't deny there was some truth to his words.. As long as the duel tinued like this, with her side revealing their trump cards, there would be no end in sight.
Crackle! Crackle!
Rumble!
The stalemate persisted, destructive bolts of lightning fshing and arg through the surrounding ndscape.
Suddenly, with a decisive twist, the old man leaped to the side, g his magic.
Woosh!
Maverick's curse shot forward and bsted into the mountainside.
Boom!
trary to Maverick's expectation, the old man chose not to terattack this time.
He stood panting, his furious gaze locked on the crimson eyes of the mask. The shockwave and swirling dust from the aftermath struck him from behind, but the old man stood firm despite his battered, half-dead appearanly his tattered pants fluttered in response.
His body was riddled with wounds and gashes, yet there was no sign of surrender.
Maverick too was exhausted, badly injured in several pces, though the alchemical suit hid the full extent of his injuries.
The staredown sted a moment, then the old man spoke, his tone surprisingly steady. "Bloodraven... right?"
Maverick raised a brow under his mask. This was the first time Morvain had used his alias.
"You're strong. In fact, apart from those seven, I doubt any wizard or witch could kill you..." he panted, his aill simmering but his voice calmer than before.
"Why do this?" he paused, his tone sharp. "I meant what I said. Money—galleons, gold, Muggle currency, whatever you want..." He narrowed his eyes. "Just let me apparate out of here." His voice was steady, as if he expected his words to be obeyed.
"You die, and everything you possess will be mihe figure opposite him finally respohe distorted words only served to fuel the old wizard's rage further.
Rumble!
Magic fred from the old man. The build-up e was being palpable.
"CURSE YOU, !" he yelled, his voice full of anger, almost on the brink of madness.
Maverick remained alert, his Magical-Sense never faltering.
He watched as the old man raised his hand, fog on the ring on his finger. A piece of part—or perhaps the skin of some animal—appeared in his grasp. With a swift motion, the old man used his wand to slice a gash into his arm, letting blood drip onto the part.
The old man's narrowed eyes met Maverick's.
"You've forced my hand... I will skin you first, and then only kill you."
Maverick had no idea what was happening, but ohing was certain. The part the old man held radiated death. It was dark magic, the most vile kind he had ever felt.
---
Above the mountain.
"Not good..." Edward muttered, his eyes fixed on the se below.
"That looks like a tract... Demonology!" He added, narrowing his eyes then turned his head, as if seeing something the others couldn't.
Unfortunately, the two magus o him couldn't use Magical-Sense and could only perceive what they saw and heard. They gave the Arch-Magus a fused gnce, but the man paid no mind to their gesture. They watched him raise his hand and begin ting in a mysterious nguage.
...
About a kilometer away from their position, hidden under a Disillusio Charm, anroup of figures observed the devastation below.
At the forefront stood a tall, striking woman with thick dark brown hair styled in an updo. She wore elegant formal clothih a luxurious fur-trimmed cloak, radiating the presence of someone of high status. Her sophisticated, anding demeanor mirrored that of Edward.
Tht stood a little girl, barely reag the woman's waist. She had blonde hair and wore a uniform.
To her left stood two middle-aged men. One was dressed in traditional Middle Eastern royal attire, while the other wore a blend of wizarding robes and the same aristocratic style.
A little further behind were four more men—two in suits with firearms strapped to their waists, and the other two in bat-ready wizarding robes. Their postures exuded professionalism and alertness.
Eveallest among them barely reached the height of the tall woman's chest. It wasn't that the others were short; it was simply that the woman was abnormally tall, t over them as if she were a half-giant.
Booom!
They all flinched, except for the tall woman, when another explosion echoed from below.
"This has to stop," the man in royal Middle Eastern attire said, gng to his right and raising his head. His tone carried an at that matched his appearance. "Do something… stop these lunatics before they destroy my try's heritage!" His words sounded more like an order.
The other man, dressed in a mix of wizarding and traditional clothing, gave him a sideways gnce, his expression clearly showing disdain. "Sheikh Hassan, please show some respeadam Speaker. We're lucky she even decided to respond to your request."
The girl beside the woman also g him, her irritation clear. "Teacher will act when she wants to, old man..."
Her words earned a sharp look from the older man. "What a? You want the entire mountain to disappear, little girl?" He paused, his tone growing more annoyed. "And this is not something a child should—"
"Be very careful with what you say , Emir Hassan," the tall woman cut in, her voice firm aed, her French at unmistakable. It was clear that the woman and the girl shared a close bond.
(A/N: "Emir" is a title used to address certain rulers or leaders in Middle Eastern tries.)
The older man flinched, his eyes widening before he quickly fell silent, as though the very air around him had grown heavier under an invisible force.
After a moment of tense silehe other man said, "It's gone quiet," gng down.
The tall woman raised an eyebrow. "It seems the old fool is desperate," she said quietly.
"Teacher, what are they saying?" the little girl asked, gng up at her with curiosity.
The woman turo meet her gaze and offered a small smile before looking back below. "The criminal Morvaio be trying to iate. He's wealth to the... mysterious man he's fighting."
"You mean he's losing?" the man in wizarding robes and traditional attire interjected, a surprised expression on his face.
"Apparently so," the tall woman replied, but her expression suddenly shifted, her pupils trag. "'est pas bon..." she muttered in French, her tone solemn.
The little girl gave her a questioning look but noticed her teacher suddenly turn her head toward another dire and nod, as though in silent unication with someone.
Before the girl could ask, the oke again, her voice steady yet anding as she g the now timid-looking Sheikh. "Emir Hassan, stay close to Minister Yasir." She turo the others. "All of you, be on guard. Do not waver, no matter ressure you feel on your minds."
She then looked down beside her. "Fleur, stay close. Hold onto my robes," she said gently but firmly, switg to French for the st part.
Raising both her hands, the magical struct they stood in began to rise higher and higher, stopping only when the mountain beloeared half its inal size.
The woman started ting in a strange, unknown nguage, her eyes glowing with ahereal light. The others remained silent, their faces tense, but also filled with awe, as they began to feel the weight of powerful magic emanating from her like a heavy downpour.
They did not interrupt, uanding that something signifit and dangerous may be about to unfold from below.
Before their eyes, a barrier began to materialize, stretg outward in a massive circur formation, c at least a kilometer. Its sheer size was awe-inspiring.
To their surprise, another identical barrier formed far across from them, advang toward their own. As the edges moved closer, the two barriers began to ect, f a colossal dome that enpassed the entire mountain below.
—————————
Author's Note:
Just a quick update — up to Chapter 87 is already avaible on P AT r30n!
PAT r30n [.] / RyanFic
