Kyle tried to manifest Lightning Release: Kirin several more times.
However, his progress was lackluster. Every time he summoned the Kirin, its point of impact remained stubbornly fixed right on top of Kyle's own head. If the old butler hadn't been standing by to cast a Super-Strong Shield Charm, Kyle wasn't sure how many times he would have died by now.
After Kyle was struck by lightning yet again, Grindelwald strolled out of the castle with an air of unhurried grace.
"Your control over magic isn't the problem."
"Then what is it?" Kyle tilted his head, looking toward his father.
"Why do you insist on using Chidori to guide it?"
Grindelwald's words struck Kyle's mind like a bolt of lightning.
Dammit! I fell into a mental trap!
Sasuke had to use Chidori to guide Kirin because he couldn't directly control the lightning within the storm clouds. But Kyle wasn't a standard shinobi; he was a wizard!
With a simple Weather Charm, he could manipulate the lightning within the clouds directly, rather than foolishly trying to guide it with Chidori.
Seeing Kyle's look of sudden realization, Grindelwald smiled. "Try it again."
Kyle rubbed his nose sheepishly and looked up at the Thunderbird in the sky.
Understanding his intent, Arashi immediately responded. Lightning once again coiled around its wings. A moment later, a hideous lightning beast poked its head out from the pitch-black clouds once more.
This time, Kyle didn't foolishly use Chidori. Instead, he drew The Phoenix's Vow.
The light of a charm ignited along the blade's edge. As Kyle swung the sword forward with a heavy strike, the lightning beast Kirin came crashing down from the sky with a roar.
This time, its landing point was no longer Kyle's head.
Azure lightning decimated a massive swathe of trees around the impact zone. The surging electricity instantly ignited a wildfire within the woods, and the ground was stained a scorched black under the fury of the lightning's rage.
Arashi landed beside Kyle, looking somewhat exhausted. It nudged Kyle repeatedly with its large, fluffy head. It wasn't even an adult yet, and Kyle was already exploiting it as manual labor.
One had to understand that the magical energy required to manifest Kirin was quite significant for an adolescent Thunderbird. From start to finish, the work of condensing the Kirin had been done entirely by the bird alone; Kyle had merely used a Weather Charm at the very end to guide its landing.
Seeing Arashi's weary state, Kyle hurried to have its personal house-elf caregiver bring out a mountain of food. This Thunderbird was now a combat partner capable of assisting him with Kirin—he had to treat it well.
The morning after solving the control issues with the Forbidden Jutsu Kirin, Kyle received the Resurrection Stone back from Grindelwald—the item Snape had been longing for.
The Resurrection Stone ring, which had been one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, had already been broken by Grindelwald. Along with it, the fragment of Voldemort's soul inside had been destroyed.
In the living room, Kyle sank into a soft armchair, toying with the black, diamond-shaped stone in his hand. "Just turn it three times to call back the souls of the dead?"
Grindelwald gave a slight nod. "In a sense."
Kyle turned the Resurrection Stone thrice in his hand, but since he had no target he wished to recall, the stone showed no reaction whatsoever.
Ugh... I'll just leave this thing for Snape to play with.
Grindelwald had said that the Resurrection Stone couldn't truly bring the dead back to life; it only summoned a cold, despairing soul. Still, as one of the three Deathly Hallows left in the mortal world by Death itself, was the Resurrection Stone's utility really that basic?
Kyle silently observed the stone in his hand. Comparing it to the nine Tailed Beasts left behind by the Old Man Six Paths in the Naruto world, the Resurrection Stone felt incredibly lackluster. The gap wasn't just a small margin.
Kyle casually tossed the Resurrection Stone—something Snape would have cherished as a priceless treasure—into his ninja tool pouch and stood up.
"Dad, I think I'm ready to learn the Fiendfyre curse."
Last year, after Kyle encountered Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest and saw him using Fiendfyre with great skill, he had asked both Dumbledore and Grindelwald for permission to learn it. However, both Great Dark Lords had refused his request on the grounds that his magical level was not yet sufficient to control the flames.
Grindelwald raised an eyebrow, noncommittal. Seeing his expression, Kyle knew he wanted to see his control over fire before making a decision.
Kyle held his index and middle fingers vertically in front of his lips. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A searing fireball instantly engulfed Grindelwald.
Grindelwald reached out casually, playing with the flames surrounding him. Ghostly blue tongues of fire licked at his fingertips, yet he felt no heat.
The temperature of these deep blue flames clearly exceeded that of a standard Fire-Making Spell, though they hadn't yet reached the level of Fiendfyre.
Excellent. Kyle's control over fire was significantly higher than he had imagined.
With a casual wave of his hand, Grindelwald dispersed the flames around him and gave Kyle a slight nod.
"I have no doubt you can master the Fiendfyre curse. However, before that, I believe it is necessary to provide you with one more insurance policy."
"What is it?"
"You must first learn another spell: Finite."
Grindelwald stood up and signaled for Kyle to follow him to the spell training room. Just as they were about to leave the living room, he suddenly paused.
"If possible, try not to spit the Fiendfyre out of your mouth in the future."
Kyle touched his lips. "Why?"
Grindelwald weighed his words, trying to sound tactful. "It makes you look like a stupid dragon."
Kyle: "..."
Are you looking down on the 'Rose of the Battlefield' and the 'Hogwarts Dance King'?
So what if I like breathing fire from my mouth!
The two arrived in the training room, standing opposite each other at a distance.
"Finite can resist almost all continuous charms. I expect you are no stranger to its precursor."
Finite Incantatem could be considered the foundational spell for Finite. From that foundation, another relatively advanced magical technique had emerged: the Parry.
"Attack me with your best fire magic," Grindelwald said, drawing his wand. "I'll demonstrate it for you first."
Kyle's hands slowly formed a 'Horse' seal.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Kyle: I just damn well love spitting fire from my mouth!
A stream of scorching fire erupted from Kyle's mouth, instantly expanding in mid-air into a massive sea of flames. It blotted out the sun as it surged toward Grindelwald, threatening to overwhelm him.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Grindelwald's mouth. For a second-year wizard to be able to use such a wide-range fire spell—his talent truly was terrifying.
Grindelwald thrust his wand into the ground and spoke softly: "Finite."
A crack appeared at the point where the wand met the floor, spreading rapidly across the training room's tiles. Radiant golden light burst from the fissure, forming a wall of light in front of Grindelwald.
The crack continued to spread until it completely encircled the Majestic Destroyer Flame Kyle had unleashed. The intense heat of the light began to compress the flames in the center of the room.
The red and blue flames clashed fiercely. Soon, the Majestic Destroyer Flame began to retreat under the onslaught of the other magical force until it was completely extinguished.
Grindelwald leveled his wand at Kyle. "Now, it's your turn to cast Finite."
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