the fight(chapter 66)

Chapter 66

Voldemort's fury ignited like a tempest. He slashed his wand through the air, summoning Fiendfyre. The cursed fire roared to life, taking the shape of a massive serpent as it slithered toward Gray, its fiery fangs snapping hungrily. Simultaneously, Barty Crouch Jr. pointed his wand and hissed, "Crucio!" while Wormtail shrieked a hurried incantation of Reducto, aiming directly at Gray's chest. The Ironbound Initiates, not to be outdone, combined their elemental prowess, launching spears of stone, arcs of lightning, and fireballs that converged in a deadly spiral.

Gray remained unmoving, his body bathed in an ethereal aura. With a flick of his wrist, he redirected the Fiendfyre upward, forcing it to coil into a harmless plume of flames. The Crucio spell dissipated mid-flight as if unwilling to touch his form, while the Reducto spell shattered harmlessly against the invisible barrier of raw energy surrounding him. The multi-elemental barrage froze in midair, each component dismantled and turned into harmless sparks. The only sound in the graveyard was the crackling of dying embers as Gray finally spoke, his voice a chilling monotone. "Is this all you have?"

Voldemort's eyes narrowed, his rage fueling his next strike. He jabbed his wand forward, snarling, "sectumsempa" Blades of invisible magic raced toward Gray, cutting through the air like razors. At the same moment, Wormtail conjured a swarm of Acromantula illusions, their shadowy forms scuttling toward Gray. Barty Crouch Jr., seething in frustration, screamed 2confringo" sending a powerful explosion hurtling toward Gray. Meanwhile, the remaining Ironbound Initiates combined their magic once more, summoning a whirlwind of sharp ice shards.

Gray still didn't budge. The Sectumsempra slashes dissipated upon reaching him, the cursed magic incapable of piercing his resistance. The Acromantula illusions faltered and flickered out of existence as Gray's mind overpowered their conjuration. The Confringo explosion stopped inches from him, frozen in time before imploding harmlessly into a burst of light. With a gesture, Gray sent the ice shards crashing into the ground, shattering them into harmless fragments. His gaze locked on Wormtail, who trembled under the weight of Gray's stare. "Your turn," Gray murmured.

Without raising his hands, Gray used the imprerius curse wandlessly. Wormtail's panicked expression faded into a vacant smile as he turned and unleashed a barrage of curses upon the Ironbound Initiates. The chaos was instantaneous; the Initiates retaliated with desperation, tearing into each other with violent spells. Voldemort roared in anger and cast "Avada Kedavra!" The green jet of death surged toward Gray, but he simply tilted his head. The spell veered off course, striking Wormtail squarely in the chest and flinging his lifeless body into the dirt.

"You'll need more than that, Tom," Gray said coldly. Voldemort screamed in fury, unleashing a flurry of spells: Bombarda Maxima, Incendio Inferno, and Diffindo. Each attack was larger and more destructive than the last. The air crackled with power as curses from Barty Crouch Jr. and the remaining Initiates flew toward Gray in unison. Yet none of it mattered. Gray's control over the battlefield was absolute. The Bombarda shockwave dissolved into harmless ripples. The Inferno scattered like embers in the wind. Even Diffindo's sharp edges failed to leave a scratch.

Then, Gray moved—not his body, but his will. He conjured a massive ice spear from the ground, not with magic, but through sheer elemental control. It soared into the air and split into dozens of deadly shards, piercing every Ironbound Initiate still standing. Their bodies froze and shattered under the force, leaving no trace. Barty Crouch Jr. tried to flee, casting Apparition spells frantically, but Gray's wandless magic bound him in place. "You were never going to leave here alive," Gray stated as he used Avada Kedavra to end Crouch's life.

Voldemort, now alone, hissed, "You think you're invincible? You're nothing but a pretender!" He cast a final Avada Kedavra, pooling all his malice into the spell. Gray let it hit him squarely in the chest, unfazed. When the dust settled, he stood tall, his expression unchanged. Voldemort's confidence wavered as Gray raised a hand, summoning a radiant star-like orb of energy. "hollow star," Gray whispered. The orb expanded, engulfing Voldemort in a blinding explosion of pure power. When the light faded, the Dark Lord was no more.

Gray crouched low, his glowing eyes locking onto the Battleforged Knights. The ground beneath him cracked slightly under the pressure of his stance, and the tension in the air seemed to hum with raw potential. "Well, let's get this done, shall we?" Gray muttered, a faint smirk playing at his lips. "I don't like what those bastards are cooking up."

The first Battleforged Knight, his voice steady and resonant behind his magically enhanced armor, started to speak. "Get ready, he is going to take on his ani—" But before he could finish, Gray vanished, his speed leaving a shockwave that rattled the battlefield.

The knight staggered back, his voice caught in his throat, as Gray reappeared right in front of him, a blur of motion that defied the eye. Without hesitation, Gray's fist drove forward like a piston, the force behind it so immense that the air itself seemed to scream. The punch connected with the knight's chest plate. The resounding clang of metal echoed, and a spiderweb of cracks splintered the magical armor. The knight was hurled backward, crashing into the ground like a falling meteor, carving a trench in the earth.

Before the other knights could react, Gray pivoted, his footwork precise and grounded, shifting his weight perfectly as he spun toward the second knight. His leg muscles coiled like steel springs, launching him forward in an explosive lunge. The knight swung his massive enchanted warhammer, a weapon imbued with runes of impact that could shatter boulders. Gray ducked under the swing with ease, his movements fluid and measured, and retaliated with a rapid uppercut. His fist drove into the knight's helmet, denting the enchanted steel and sending a shockwave through the air. The knight staggered, his grip loosening on his weapon.