The System's voice faded into silence.
Lockhart gazed at his dull, lifeless soul across from him, his heart filled with complex emotions.
This frank encounter with the System—what had it achieved?
The results were positive, overall. His strategy of testing the System through multiple trading interactions had not been in vain.
Yet the sheer volume of information gathered during this meeting shocked him deeply.
The System did not exist in isolation. An organization operated behind it—evident from its use of "we."
The references to multiple worlds, test tasks, and other revelations had profoundly shaken Lockhart's understanding.
Ultimately, the System had returned to his body again, leaving him with final words.
This seemed normal, yet it had exceeded Lockhart's expectations.
He had made extensive preparations for this confrontation with the System.
Including contingency plans for dealing with complications afterward.
Of course, his philosophy remained simple: fight if you can win; flee if you cannot.
At minimum, he needed to safeguard his basic existence and free himself from System control.
Therefore, he had orchestrated this elaborate scheme—sacrificing his dream world and offering the two evil gods as meeting gifts.
He had separated from his soul and true spirit, temporarily becoming a purely conceptual entity.
His current state represented a concept of existence composed of the idea of "Lockhart." He was the embodiment of the collective understanding of Lockhart's identity. As long as someone remembered him, he could never truly die.
This served as Lockhart's final lifeline and the source of his confidence during the confrontation.
The System should have been powerless against him in this state.
When action becomes impossible, peace negotiations naturally emerge as the optimal choice.
This had been Lockhart's original vision.
Yet the System's final move—directly integrating into his conceptual body, returning to its previous bound state—carried clear implications.
Fortunately, the two parties had essentially reached a cooperative arrangement.
Lockhart felt satisfied with this outcome.
As for the final test assigned by the System...
Lockhart's expression remained calm and determined.
These were tasks he had already intended to pursue, regardless of external directives.
In the next moment...
Lockhart, a being composed purely of concept, slowly drifted toward his dormant soul.
Soon, the two merged into one.
Lockhart opened his eyes, feeling the familiar flow of soul power and magic coursing through him once again.
A smile formed on his face.
"System, I hope we achieve even better cooperation when next we meet," he thought silently.
No response came from the System.
Its silence confirmed it had truly gone offline.
Lockhart whispered to the System, but the familiar personal data interface didn't appear.
Only a curtain of light manifested before his eyes, displaying two lines of text.
The first line, illuminated by familiar blue light, read: Undertake one last world journey?
The second line, highlighted in warning red: 182 days, 23 hours, 57 minutes, and 23 seconds until System shutdown...
The seconds continued to decrease steadily.
Seeing that only half a year remained, Lockhart felt a pang of regret.
In six months, he could return to the Harry Potter world one final time.
This undoubtedly disrupted his previous return plans.
Nevertheless, Lockhart considered the exchange worthwhile.
Suddenly...
"Host, I have one final message for you."
"Due to your recent disruption of world consciousness, the System has severed your connection with the Harry Potter world to help you avoid being locked."
"Time flows differently between the two worlds now."
"You must understand that the energy levels of the two realms differ. Previously, time synchronization relied on your connection to both worlds, but that connection no longer exists."
"I have warned you about this before."
"I recommend that the Host returns as soon as possible. The longer you wait..."
The System didn't complete its statement, but its meaning was abundantly clear.
Lockhart drew a deep breath.
It was manageable. Nothing had completely derailed yet.
They simply needed to accelerate their plans.
Outside the massive god's form.
Grindelwald, Strange, Ian, Wanda, Thor, and the others waited for some sign of change in the divine entity.
Though they maintained faith in Lockhart, they harbored concerns about Dormammu and Mephisto's involvement. Claims of having no worries would be absolutely false.
"Mr. Grindelwald, how did you meet Master Lockhart?" asked Strange in a low voice, apparently finding the waiting tedious.
His undercover assignment had profoundly affected him. Constantly dancing on the knife's edge while provoking Mephisto had been an intense exercise in courage.
Not to mention Grindelwald's life-altering teachings.
At least from outward appearances, Strange seemed to find Grindelwald approachable.
"How did I meet Lockhart?" Grindelwald drifted into memories.
His first awareness of Lockhart had come through the meditation method heralded as a miracle in the wizarding world.
Their first actual meeting involved discussing meditation while disguised as a communicator.
It seemed meditation formed the common thread between them.
Indeed, at that time, meditation had been the only subject capable of capturing Grindelwald's interest.
"We didn't truly know each other until we fought," Grindelwald remarked with a slight smile.
Strange naturally accepted this statement and quickly asked with curiosity, "Who won your battle?"
"It ended in a draw," Grindelwald replied calmly.
He couldn't admit that he had merely wanted to test Lockhart's combat abilities before departing.
That would sound like defeat.
During his time undercover, Strange had learned to read people's emotions. Sensing a shift, he quickly changed the subject: "By the way, teacher, what are your plans after this?"
Grindelwald had considered his future course extensively.
The conditions he had promised Lockhart were now fully satisfied.
He had become relatively familiar with the new world's dynamics.
This world contained many powerful individuals, indicating a high upper limit of potential.
Extraordinary people abounded here.
It provided the perfect environment for wizarding development, far superior to the narrow confines of the wizarding world.
In truth, Grindelwald's visions of the wizarding world's future had grown increasingly bleak—fewer wizards, diminishing magical power, and eventually Muggles taking over, reducing wizards to clowns with a few special abilities.
All he had foreseen was endless despair.
This had led him to imprison himself in the high tower, awaiting the inevitable future.
But circumstances had changed. Everything was different now.
The new world's existence truly broke the cycle of despair.
Grindelwald's next step would be returning to the wizarding world to bring the remaining saints and his wizarding family to this new realm.
They would escape that hopeless future entirely.
"Next, I shall naturally continue studying magic..." Grindelwald responded calmly, as though this represented his genuine intention.
However, before he could elaborate further...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The enormous body of the god's soul began to tremble, and the entire space vibrated violently.
Great change was imminent!