The moment they stepped into the forest, all three felt an indescribable sense of awe.
The trees were as tall as skyscrapers, their canopies blocking out the sun, with only sparse sunlight filtering through the layers of leaves, creating dappled shadows on the ground. Huge vines, as thick as pythons, climbed the trunks, some even slowly undulating—some kind of plant, yet seemingly possessing their own life. The air was thick with a dense, almost viscous, Magic Power aura. Each breath felt like inhaling the purest Magic Essence. Dumbledore felt his Magic Power, stagnant for years, begin to loosen slightly. Grindelwald felt it even more acutely—his Magic Power wellspring, nearly depleted after half a century of imprisonment, was now surging wildly, greedily absorbing the surrounding energy.
"Be careful," Ian's voice came from ahead, low and menacing. "Many things here are more dangerous than you think." Just then, a dark figure darted out of the bushes beside them!
The dark figure moved with lightning speed, rushing straight at Ian was walking at the front!
Dumbledore's wand shot up instantly, but before he could utter the spell, Ian had already moved.
He didn't even turn around; he simply raised his hand and gently grabbed it.
The dark figure was firmly grasped in his hand, struggling and hissing, revealing its ferocious fangs—it was a snake, but more bizarre than any snake they had ever seen. Its body was covered in iridescent scales, it had three eyes on its head, and it spewed out a faint green mist from its mouth.
" Forest Toad Snake," Ian said, holding it like a regular water snake. "Very venomous, fast, but timid. It generally won't bother humans unless you attack it first." He released its grip, and the snake fell to the ground, glanced at him in fear, and then disappeared into the bushes even faster.
A flicker of surprise crossed Grindelwald's heterochromatic eyes. "You even know that?"
Ian turned around and smiled slightly, "I... lived in this era for a while."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly. "You've been here before?"
Ian nodded, offered no further explanation, and continued walking forward.
The journey that followed was practically an exhibition of ancient creatures.
They saw a giant wolf, bigger than a horse, with snow-white fur and blood-red eyes, leading its pack down on them from a distant hillside—but after Ian looked up at them, the pack turned and ran, as if they had spotted a natural enemy.
They saw a giant eagle with a wingspan of over ten meters swooping across the sky, casting a shadow that obscured an entire grove of trees. The eagle spotted them, swooped down, its sharp talons capable of tearing through steel—then, when it was still a hundred meters away, it suddenly let out a terrified cry, frantically flapping its wings, and fled at a speed even faster than its swooping descent. Grindelwald watched the giant eagle disappear into the horizon, then thoughtfully observed Ian's retreating figure.
He became increasingly certain that the child held far more secrets than they had imagined.
Dumbledore noticed this as well. But he didn't ask; he simply followed silently behind Ian, remaining vigilant.
They crossed a meadow filled with strange flowers—flowers with a metallic sheen, petals sharp as knives, capable of moving on their own, chasing the direction of the sunlight. They bypassed a swamp that emitted an eerie glow, in which they occasionally saw the remains of enormous skeletons, the remains of unknown creatures.
Finally, Ian stopped.
His gaze pierced through the trees ahead, becoming incredibly focused and solemn:
"Arrive."
Dumbledore and Grindelwald both looked ahead, and then one
Their breathing stopped simultaneously.
At the edge of the forest lay a vast, scorched clearing. The clearing was at least several kilometers in diameter, its surface covered with a layer of black, vitrified material—rock that had been melted and solidified by extreme heat. In the center of the clearing lay a colossal creature.
That's a dragon.
But it was larger and more terrifying than any dragon they had ever seen.
The largest dragons of the future will only be a few dozen meters long. But the dragon before us...
It is at least 300 meters long.
Its body resembled a moving mountain, covered in jet-black, metallic scales. Each scale was the size of a shield, shimmering with a chilling light in the sunlight. Its head was like a small mountain, constantly spewing out wisps of smoke from its mouth and nostrils—the lingering Embers of dragon breath powerful enough to melt steel. Its wings were folded to its sides, yet even so, they resembled enormous black sails capable of blotting out the sky.
What's most terrifying is its aura.
It was a pure, undisguised aura belonging to the Peak Legend. That aura enveloped the entire open space, making the surrounding air viscous and subtly distorting the space itself. Any life form below the Legend would instantly collapse before this aura, losing all will to resist.
Even top Wizard like Dumbledore and Grindelwald felt a battle cry originating from the depths of their souls.
But that trembling was quickly replaced by an even more fervent emotion.
The will to fight.
Dumbledore's eyes burned with an unprecedented light. He gripped the Elder Wand tightly, his body trembling slightly—not from fear, but from excitement. He knew this was the challenge he had waited his entire life for. Grindelwald's expression changed as well. His heterochromatic eyes now gleamed with a fiery light. A wild smile spread across his lips. " Ancient Dragon..." he murmured, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement, "These are the Ancient Dragon..."
Ian stood in front of them, also looking at the behemoth. His expression was still calm, but his deep eyes also shone with some kind of complex light - there were memories, emotions, and a trace of... nostalgia. He did not look back, but said softly:
"Are you two ready?"
Dumbledore took a deep breath and stepped forward. His steps were firm and composed, carrying the confidence of the greatest white Wizard:
"It's been prepared for a long time."
Grindelwald also stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Dumbledore. His smile was even more unrestrained and flamboyant:
" Albus, don't forget our bet."
Dumbledore glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Don't worry, I won't forget."
Ian turned around and looked at them. A smile full of anticipation, completely out of character for his age, appeared on his youthful face. "Let's go then."
He raised his hand and pointed to the slumbering Ancient Dragon:
"Use its power to forge your Legend!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Dumbledore and Grindelwald moved simultaneously.
Two figures, like two shooting stars streaking across the sky, sped toward the enormous creature!
Behind them, Ian watched them quietly, his smile growing wider.
"Ten thousand years ago..." he murmured, "How nostalgic."
In the distance, the Ancient Dragon that had been sleeping for so long finally opened its eyes.
Those eyes, like two burning suns, were enough to obliterate any living being the moment they met your gaze.
But at this moment, those eyes reflected two tiny human figures, yet radiating an indomitable fighting spirit.
The roar of the Dragon.
The entire mountain range was shaken.
Like a tangible shockwave, Cleansweep the entire scorched clearing! Wherever the sound wave passed, the vitrified rock on the ground shattered, turning into countless sharp fragments that shot out in all directions!
Dumbledore's figure suddenly stopped in mid-air, the Elder Wand drawing a graceful arc in front of him.
"Protego Maima!" As soon as he finished speaking, a semi-transparent barrier, shimmering with a pale golden light, unfolded before him, blocking all the fragments that were powerful enough to pierce steel. The fragments struck the barrier, producing a dense sound like a torrential downpour on banana leaves, but they could not penetrate it even slightly.
Grindelwald, however, adopted a completely different strategy. His body twisted eerily in mid-air, weaving through the gaps between the fragments like a fish. Each stray piece narrowly grazed his body, yet never quite touched him. His movements were uncanny and elegant, possessing an almost dance-like beauty, as if he weren't dodging a fatal attack, but performing a meticulously choreographed show. " Albus, you're getting old!" Grindelwald's laughter echoed in the wind. "You need Shield Charm for an attack of this magnitude?"
Dumbledore lowered the barrier, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I just didn't want to get my robes dirty."
Before the words were even finished, the Ancient Dragon's second wave of attacks had already arrived!
It opened its massive maw, and a torrent of blazing dragon breath, powerful enough to melt everything, erupted forth! This dragon breath was no ordinary flame; it emitted an eerie, almost white light—a terrifying force of extreme heat, capable of incinerating all matter and even Magic Power! Wherever the dragon breath passed, the air itself seemed to burn, leaving behind a twisted, lingering scorch mark! Dumbledore's expression grew grave. The Elder Wand swung again; this time, he didn't cast a defensive spell, but...
"Gcius Maima!"
A chilling current erupted from the tip of the staff, colliding violently with the blazing dragon breath in mid-air! The cold current and the dragon breath intertwined, unleashing a deafening roar, and a large amount of white steam spread outwards like a volcanic eruption, instantly enveloping the entire open space!
The steam was incredibly hot, hot enough to cook an ordinary wizard like a lobster instantly. But a thin, mist-like protective layer appeared around Dumbledore, shielding him from the intense heat. And Grindelwald was nowhere to be seen.
Dumbledore's brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed. A smile appeared on his lips:
"Still the same as always."
Suddenly, a roar of Dragon echoed from the steam—a roar filled with pain and rage!
As the steam gradually dissipated, Dumbledore see the scene before him clearly. Grindelwald had somehow circled behind the Dragon and was now hovering beside its massive body, holding in his hand a—no, not a wand, but a black spear that shimmered with an eerie light, which he had somehow acquired!
The spear pierced deep into the gaps between the scales on the back of the Dragon's neck, sinking in halfway!
"Where did it come from?" Dumbledore asked.
Grindelwald grinned, a smug grin spreading across his face. "I saw some unlucky fellow leaving behind a dragon spear when I was passing by. It looked pretty sturdy, so I borrowed it." Before he finished speaking, the Dragon reacted. It twisted its body violently, its massive tail Cleansweep down like a collapsing mountain! Grindelwald didn't take the hit head-on; he flashed away, Apparition dozens of meters away. The giant tail swept past where he had just been, creating a hurricane that ripped rocks from the ground, sending them hurtling in all directions like cannonballs! Dumbledore raised his wand, and an invisible barrier unfolded before him, deflecting all the Accio rocks. But his gaze remained fixed on the spear in the back of the Dragon's neck—dark red blood was slowly seeping from where the spear had pierced. The blood dripped onto the ground, instantly corroding the rocks into deep, smoking pits. "Its blood is deadly poison!" Dumbledore shouted.
Grindelwald nodded; he certainly saw it. But the dripping blood also revealed an even more important piece of information—while the Dragon's scales possessed extremely high Magic Resistance, the gaps between them remained a weakness.
" Albus!" Grindelwald shouted, "Cover me!"
Dumbledore didn't ask what he was going to do. The Elder Wand was raised high, and a thick beam of Magic Power, shimmering with seven-colored light, shot out from its tip, aiming straight for the Dragon's eyes! The light split into countless tiny beams in mid-air, raining down on the Dragon's eyes like a storm. The Dragon instinctively closed its eyes—the beams struck its thick eyelids, causing no real damage, but enough to temporarily blind it!
Grindelwald seized the opportunity, his figure flashing once more! This time, he didn't Apparition, but flew directly towards the Dragon's head! Although the Dragon's eyes were closed, its senses remained sharp. It opened its massive jaws, unleashing another torrent of dragon breath aimed directly at Grindelwald! Grindelwald's figure twisted strangely in mid-air, abruptly changing direction! The dragon breath grazed past his body, scorching the ground behind him into lava! But he also lost his balance in the process, his body plummeting downwards!
Just then
An invisible force supported him.
Grindelwald looked down and saw Dumbledore holding his wand, his azure eyes gleaming with focused concentration. The power was gentle yet firm, supporting him steadily before hurling him upwards! Grindelwald's body soared upwards like a cannonball, instantly passing over the Dragon's head and landing directly above it!
Grindelwald finally took out his wand.
A jet-black flame, seemingly capable of devouring all light, was summoned from his wand, instantly transforming into a gigantic, monstrous maw. It swallowed the fragments along with their impact! The flame was incredibly hot, yet strangely, it emitted no heat. It simply burned silently, devouring everything that approached it—matter, energy, even light itself.
Moreover, it was Grindelwald's unique, Fiendfyre, which he had cultivated for over half a century and which had reached a state of perfection.
Unlike the Fiendfyre cast by ordinary Wizard, Grindelwald's Fiendfyre is not a wild, uncontrollable destructive energy, but rather a completely tamed Fiendfyre, a loyal servant like a living creature.
The flames swirled and danced around him like countless loyal Fire Serpent, ready to devour any enemy who dared to approach!