The Real Net

The duel grew increasingly fierce. Grindelwald and Dumbledore's magic and methods far exceeded Sean's imagination. Père Lachaise Cemetery was completely destroyed. This already abandoned area had fallen utterly, and explosions and blinding light filled the entire world.

"Swoosh—Boom!" Grindelwald swung his wand, deflecting the crimson light that was attacking him. The light veered off course and struck the ground. Even though no vegetation remained, the spell still emitted the sound of a red-hot iron being plunged into ice water before exploding violently.

"Not enough, Albus!" Grindelwald laughed, even though he was too busy to deal with Newt, who was still casting spells.

Sean continued to plead with him.

"Professor Scamander! There's still a chance for this to turn around! But if you get involved, there's no room for further negotiation between the two of them, regardless of the outcome! You should understand that the peace of all of Europe comes from their peaceful coexistence!"

Newt didn't stop what he was doing; he just raised his head slightly and said, "No, Sean, you don't understand."

"So you understand now? Or tell me, if I don't understand, then teach me, damn it!" Sean shouted angrily.

"I've already said, I'm just following Dumbledore's orders."

"Bullshit! Why don't you old men listen to reason?!" Sean scratched his head in frustration.

He admitted that he was emotionally biased towards Grindelwald —but in any case, given the current situation, it was the right choice to let the two old men fight to a draw.

Otherwise, if these two were to completely break off relations, the whole of Europe and even the whole world would be engulfed in war.

Whether Grindelwald was arrested, defeated, or even killed on the spot, would anyone believe that an old man with so many schemes had lived peacefully for decades without making any plans?

The flames just now are the best proof.

Once things reach an irreversible point, not only will Grindelwald's backup plan be affected, but his loyal followers will also go mad.

Saints are not like Death Eaters, those opportunists who succumb to violence!

Moreover... Sean gasped for breath, his pupils trembling.

Grindelwald's personal charisma is undeniable. He ran the school for decades, serving as headmaster longer than Dumbledore. In that time, a new School of Magic, less than a century old, rose to prominence worldwide. What remarkable skill went into this?

Most importantly, Newmontgard's alumni are all over the world!

Sean's chest heaved as he looked at Newt and suddenly raised his hand!

"Expelliarmus!"

Newt probably still sees Sean as a second-grader, even though he is exceptionally talented.

With swift movements and decisive decisions, Newt sensed the approaching curse from Sean, but the two were too close. Newt wasn't wary enough of Sean, and his reaction speed wasn't as fast as it used to be.

The tan wand, with its uneven surface resembling an overused gardening tool, spun and flew into Sean's hand.

"I'm sorry, Professor." Sean's movements were small, but he was breathing heavily.

As he spoke, a red beam of light from the Stunning Spell Charm shot out from his wand.

"Sigh..." Newt sighed.

The Stunning Spell was blocked by the suddenly unfolding vines.

The yellowish-brown, withered vines formed a giant shield, protecting Newt from Sean's Stunning Spell.

Wood chips flew everywhere, but Newt's voice remained largely unchanged; he was still the same gentle and friendly teacher of Care of Magical Creatures.

"Sean, you are very courageous, and I am pleasantly surprised by how quickly you have improved."

"I'm sorry, Professor." Sean gasped for breath, a look of pain flashing in his eyes.

He absolutely did not want to take action against Newt —but he had no choice but to do so in order to salvage the situation.

"No need to apologize, kid. We always have to stand on our respective sides, don't we?" The vines swayed, revealing Newt's face, and he smiled gently at Sean.

"No, Professor, I absolutely do not want to stand against you. You have always taken good care of me—" Sean explained anxiously, holding up his wand, "But Mr. Grindelwald and Professor Dumbledore should have been on the same side. Their break would throw the entire Wizarding World into chaos."

"Maybe it won't be chaotic?" Newt chuckled. "Besides, I've lived this long enough to be completely useless without my wand."

"Then I can only apologize again, Professor..." Sean's eyes sharpened.

"Don't be silly, kid. I'm the one who taught you how to raise those little guys."

"I..." Sean was about to speak when Dave, who had been poised to act in his inner pocket, sent a message.

"It smells so good... I'm so sleepy... I want to sleep... I'm asleep..."

"Dave?!" Sean's pupils dilated in shock. Only then did he notice that a peculiar fragrance had filled the air.

Newt smiled gently, "It's just to let it sleep. Grind the eggshell fragments from the hatching of the Swooping Evil into powder and add a little cerebrospinal fluid from the Starlight Jellyfish. This is a powerful hypnotic powder for the Swooping Evil. This kind of hypnotic powder is also effective for many oviparous creatures. Just replace the eggshell fragments with the appropriate ones. It's an exclusive formula. I'll give you a form later as a gift to apologize."

Dave had no more ideas coming to mind. Sean habitually rubbed his fingers together, then stiffly looked down.

My fingers were empty.

A Niffler climbed onto Newt's shoulder and stuffed the ring Newt had given to Sean into its belly pouch.

"This guy's been with me for too long, and he's a bit more mischievous than its kind. I'll give him back to you later." Newt smiled at him.

"Old ginger is spicier..." Sean cursed under his breath, raising his wand again to cast Stunning Spell.

However, the yellowish-brown vines were like the strongest shield, blocking spells from any direction.

"Don't bother, Sean. Those little guys in my box will probably turn against me as soon as they see you, so I brought a lot of Stone Wall Demon Net. These things are too low in intelligence for you to attract—of course, you can't deal with them either. I used them to capture Grindelwald back then."

Sean frowned, and he slightly raised his left hand, calling upon the Obscurus within him.

However, Obscurus established contact with Sean, and the dark power belonging to the Obscurus began to stir, a terrifying sense of unease crept into his heart.

He felt the same way as Obscurus!

"Something terrible...it's waiting for me..." The Obscurus's senses seemed clearer than Sean's; it sent a fearful thought through its mind.

Sean abruptly turned his head and scanned his surroundings, but apart from the raging fire, the Guard Corps huddled in a circle of fire with panicked expressions, and Newt still attacking Grindelwald with his Wandless Casting, there was no other unusual food.

But his and Obscurus's intuition was right; that feeling of palpitation sent a chill down his spine.

Using the power of the Obscurus will cause a huge problem!

Sean looked around in fear. Flames illuminated the entire space, and a terrifying maw seemed to be lurking in the shadows further away.

It chooses its prey to devour!

"What is this thing..." Sean looked at Newt, but apart from using the Stone Wall Demon Net to protect himself, Newt was only focused on dealing with Grindelwald.

It wasn't Professor Scamander who did it... Sean had a gut feeling.

That means there's an even more terrifying third party lurking in this dueling arena!

Thinking of this, Sean, who was covered in a cold sweat, didn't care about anything else. He cast a Sonorus Charm on himself and shouted at Grindelwald and Dumbledore, who were still fighting, "Stop! There are other people here!"

However, the two were so engrossed in waving their wands that they seemed completely oblivious to Sean's calls.

"Damn it!" Sean cursed angrily after shouting several times without getting a response.

He saw that the red mirror beside Grindelwald had become completely illusory under Newt's constant attacks, and it seemed that the next spell would shatter it!

"FK!" Sean had completely lost his gentlemanly demeanor at this moment.

He is now in a difficult predicament.

The ring was stolen by the Niffler, which contained not only Magical Creatures but also many Magical Item that Sean had stored away. He dared not use the Obscurus's power, as his current magical strength was completely insufficient to restrain Newt.

The duel between Grindelwald and Dumbledore has reached a fever pitch, with Newt about to break the deadlock, and an unknown and terrifying thing lurking in the darkness.

For the first time, he felt so powerless, unable to do anything.

Sean frantically searched for the items he had won in the system's Lottery Draw, but to his dismay, he discovered that all the items he had so proudly drawn were auxiliary and developmental items, which were completely useless in the current situation.

Although Hermione Echo, had already cooled down, he didn't have time to cast dozens of spells.

Sean frantically patted all his pockets, trying to find something useful.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up!

A magnificent, fiery red tail feather appeared in his hand.

This is something Dumbledore gave him; it can summon Phoenix!

Sean would never keep life-saving items in his ring; he was used to keeping them close to his body.

He had used this Phoenix Feather when he was trapped in the Slytherin Common Room, but the Phoenix hadn't been summoned successfully. Sean wanted to ask Dumbledore afterward, but was put off by more important matters. He couldn't find an opportunity to see Dumbledore later, so the question was left unresolved.

However, Sean had some suspicions. Slytherin Common Room was very secluded and enchanted, so the Phoenix's teleportation couldn't be a panacea.

But summoning Phoenix here shouldn't be a problem now.

Sean doesn't need the Phoenix to save him; he needs the Phoenix itself!

Fawkes' soul became entangled with Dumbledore's sister Ariana's, and then he was trapped inside the body of the Phoenix!

Ariana's identity is of utmost importance!

She is Dumbledore's sister, and from what he knows, Grindelwald feels guilty towards Ariana.

Perhaps she can persuade these two red-eyed old men to calm down!

Sean raised the Phoenix Feather and waved it forcefully, then looked expectantly into the air.

Time ticked by, and Sean's face grew stiff.

It did not appear; it did not appear with the golden-red flames of the Phoenix.

Sean, unwilling to give up, flicked his tail again, but still received no response.

"How could this be... Even if there's Anti-Apparition Jinx here, it shouldn't be like this..."

"Even if Ariana doesn't want to get involved in these two old men's affairs, she should still come to see me. I summoned her after all..."

Sean couldn't understand it.

How could it not be summoned? The Guard Corps can come via the Portkey and Apparition, so how could the Phoenix not be able to come?

How could the Phoenix not be summoned...?

Sean raised his head, his face pale, his pupils contracting sharply as if a string in his head had snapped.

Yes, how could the Phoenix not be summoned?

Unless... unless the Phoenix is simply unable to answer my call...

Sean looked up at the sky in disbelief. Dumbledore, shrouded in rain, had a somber expression and an unyielding shadow in his eyes.

Phoenix... it's Phoenix! No, to be precise, it's Ariana!

Dumbledore Grindelwald, most likely because of Ariana!

The Phoenix cannot be summoned, Dumbledore did not appear by teleporting with fire just now.

That means that Ariana's entangled soul with Fawkes is likely in an extremely dangerous situation.

Dumbledore intervened because of Ariana!

Sean had wondered who was behind the Guard Corps, and Grindelwald pointed out the names of those Pure-blood families and said something like that.

"Those inhuman bastards!"

Gormlaith Gaunt said that Slytherin himself was awakening, Dumbledore had taken care of it; the Ghostly Horned Serpent was also dealt with by Dumbledore...

He had told himself that the key to the Realm of Illusion had been stolen... the key connecting reality and the Otherworld had been stolen...

The hazy environment, or the Otherworld, if explained in simpler terms.

That is the transit station for souls on their way to the Underworld.

Sean's Adam's apple bobbed awkwardly.

What if the mysterious force behind it isn't a living wizard, but rather... a wizard who has returned from the long river of history? What if those Pure-blood Wizard are obeying... the commands of their true ancestors?

Neither human nor ghost... isn't that exactly the state?

And isn't the entanglement of Ariana's and Fawkes' souls exactly what they excel at?

Sean looked up and seemed to see withered scrolls turning forward, wheels that had crushed flames and blood reversing their course, and the fallen giants rising one after another.

A gigantic net, shrouded in smoke and dust, decaying and withering, is descending...

Sean took a deep breath and immediately looked at the two people in mid-air.

The most urgent task now is to stop them!

"Professor, yes—" Sean paused, then continued shouting at the two, "Phoenix! Where's the Phoenix?!"

His shouts echoed through the night sky.

"Thud!!" A piercing cracking sound rang out, and the red mirror beside Grindelwald shattered, sending up a cloud of crimson mist.

Sean seemed to see Dumbledore looking at him.

He pulled out another wand, a black one with evenly spaced protruding nodes.

"Gellert." Dumbledore raised another wand.