Erwin chuckled. "Of course. Your Excellency's strength is legendary for good reason."
Grindelwald's eyes fixed on him intently. A slow, predatory grin spread across his face. "You've prepared a contingency! Very well, let's see it!"
With a commanding wave of his wand, Grindelwald directed the five fire dragons in the air. The torrents of flame ceased instantly. The dragons roared in unison, soaring upward and spiraling together, merging rapidly into a single, colossal entity.
The unified dragon opened its massive jaws and spewed an enormous wall of flame. The water dragons Erwin had summoned stood no chance against the intensified heat—their aqueous forms hissing and evaporating almost instantly, pushed back by the overwhelming power.
Erwin's eyes widened slightly. As expected of Grindelwald. His control over magical energy was breathtaking.
It required immense concentration to not only sustain five fire dragons simultaneously but to merge them into one without losing any magical potency. This was a feat of precision and raw power that Erwin, for all his talent, could not yet replicate perfectly. Compared to these legendary wizards, he still had room to grow in terms of pure magical control.
With a sharp flick of his wand, Erwin conjured a column of water that solidified into a thick, crystalline wall before him. The dragonfire struck it with tremendous force, releasing a deafening hiss and an enormous cloud of steam. The heat radiating through the barrier made the air feel oppressively humid, like standing inside a massive steam chamber.
Grindelwald's face showed the first signs of strain. The spell was taxing even for him, but he didn't relent. He aimed his wand at the fire dragon, and the flames in its maw surged even hotter, burning with white intensity. Erwin's water wall began to thin rapidly, evaporating under the relentless assault.
Erwin remained composed. Grindelwald recognized that expression—Erwin was holding something back, waiting for the right moment.
"Fine," Grindelwald muttered, deciding not to hold back either. He pointed his wand with renewed focus, and the dragonfire surged forward with doubled intensity, evaporating the water wall in mere seconds.
Erwin smiled faintly. Grindelwald was competitive, driven—but Erwin wanted to see the true depths of a legendary wizard's power. He wasn't trying to win this demonstration; he was trying to learn, to understand the ceiling of what was possible.
Erwin's gaze turned cold and focused. Within him, magic surged like a storm gathering strength. The air around him began to ripple, turning a violent shade of purple as raw magical energy scorched the ground beneath his feet. He radiated a palpable aura of power that instinctively kept everyone at a distance.
Grindelwald frowned, immediately understanding the intent. Erwin wanted a direct collision, a pure test of magical might.
But Grindelwald hesitated—not out of fear of losing, but concern for the boy's safety. Erwin was strong, remarkably so, approaching his own level in many ways. But raw magical reserves and decades of experience still created a gap.
He looked at Erwin questioningly. Erwin nodded slightly, his expression resolute. It was a clear challenge.
Grindelwald's lips curled into a genuine smile. If Erwin was confident, he would trust him. He straightened his posture, his expression freezing into a mask of icy, focused determination.
The shift in atmosphere was instantaneous and overwhelming. The students watched, barely breathing, but the professors understood what this meant. The four Heads of House reacted with lightning speed, Apparating to the perimeter of the grounds in perfect coordination. They raised their wands to the sky in unison.
"Protego Totalum!"
Dumbledore swept his wand in a wide arc, summoning all students from the exposed grounds into the safety of the castle with gentle but firm magical force. He added a final, shimmering layer of protection over the entire fortress—a translucent golden barrier encasing the structure.
Erwin glanced back, satisfied with the precautions. "Nothing to worry about now, Your Excellency."
Grindelwald nodded approvingly. With a dismissive gesture, his fire dragon dissipated into glowing embers that drifted away on the wind.
Then, two distinct auras ignited.
Blue and purple energy flared from the two wizards simultaneously. Slowly, impossibly, they levitated into the air, rising above the castle grounds. Above them, dark clouds gathered rapidly, casting a suffocating gloom over Hogwarts and the surrounding landscape.
In the unnatural darkness, Erwin and Grindelwald floated like twin stars burning with impossible brilliance. As their magical auras intensified, the colors burned brighter and more vivid, literally tearing the sky in two.
Blue and purple clashed at the midpoint between them, locked in a violent, trembling struggle for dominance. The colors were perfectly distinct, creating a bizarre, beautiful, and utterly terrifying spectacle. Neither side yielded an inch, creating a perfect, quivering balance of raw power.
The students held their breath collectively. This was witnessing history—a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
The professors watched with intense focus, eager to gauge the difference in power between the legendary Dark Wizard and Hogwarts' unprecedented prodigy.
The impact of their gathering magical forces rippled far beyond Hogwarts' boundaries. Even those miles away, anyone possessing even a trace of magical blood, felt a sudden, inexplicable chill run down their spines. Throughout magical Britain, wizards paused in their daily activities, looking up as if sensing something monumental occurring.
The true duel was about to begin.