It was only when the Cloak of Invisibility was in the enemy's possession that Ivan realised how tricky it was.
However, there was one thing that puzzled him. When Harry had the Cloak of Invisibility, it was concealed by simply putting it on, and Grindelwald seemed to have complete control over it…
As time passed, Ivan focused half his mind on suppressing the surge of magic in his body, and the other half on dealing with Grindelwald's possible surprise attack.
Ivan was growing impatient and was about to cast a large-scale spell to force his opponent out of hiding when he felt a strong sense of danger from his right.
"Ray!" Ivan turned his head and quickly waved his wand. A bolt of blue lightning formed at the tip of the wand and struck to the right!
The lightning was incredibly fast, and Grindelwald had just raised his wand to cast a spell when it struck him.
Grindelwald's face fell. He had not expected his captor to have the ability to see through the Cloak of Invisibility.
Fortunately, the Cloak of Invisibility protected him from most of the lightning's power, and even so, he was able to feel the numbness of the current as it ran through his body.
Ivan was relentless and one hundred percent confident in his ability to sense danger. He flicked his wand and several invisible blades of magic flew out.
Grindelwald flicked his wand, and a large amount of debris gathered together to form a solid barrier of rock, barely holding off Ivan's attack.
Rolf watched Ivan fight an invisible man. Unable to help, he grabbed the Thunderbird's back to prevent himself from falling out of the sky.
Wait… where's Sniff?
Rolf, who had nothing to do, suddenly thought of his pet and partner. He quickly looked around but did not see them.
Rolfe grew anxious, worried that his partner would die in the aftermath of the battle.
After looking around several times, Rolfe breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Niffler was still alive and kicking. He was perched on the remnants of a brick roof on the second floor, trying to figure out how to get past the protective barrier.
Rolf was furious when he realized what the Sniff was doing. There was a fight going on, and if they didn't stop the Sniff, they'd all be dead.
Ivan, on the other hand, was having a hard time as well. He had been in protective mode for more than half of the time, but his attack on Grindelwald had not gone far.
This was different from the last time he had fought against Lord Voldemort. Ivan could clearly sense that he was able to suppress Grindelwald with this special state, but he was unable to defeat him.
At this rate, it would be difficult to defeat Grindelwald once the protection mode ended!
[Time remaining: 00:15…]
The system prompt sounded in his mind. Ivan raised his wand, determined to win in one shot. The alchemical device on his right wrist suddenly lit up. Under the constant supply of magic, a powerful thunderstorm instantly formed.
Grindelwald's face grew grave, and he pushed his Elder Wand to the limit of its capacity, causing a dark, heart-stopping glow to appear on it.
Rolfe didn't bother to sniff, as the spell they were both preparing already made him feel like he was in trouble.
Ivan and Grindelwald cast their spells at the same time, and the two forces collided.
An astonishing explosion then erupted in the room, which was no more than a few hundred square feet in size. Hundreds of lightning bolts flashed violently in all directions, and the terrifying shock wave sent tables, chairs, fireplaces, and rubble flying…
Rolfe grabbed a handful of the Thunderbird's feathers to stop himself from being blown away. He managed to survive the worst of the blast, then looked up in Grindelwald's direction. Even a legendary wizard would have been killed by such a fearsome attack.
Grindelwald, however, remained upright, as if he were not seriously injured, but had been forced out of his invisibility. His cloak, which had been made of some sort of silk, was now very dull and would probably be unusable for a while.
Ivan was also looking at Grindelwald. The only reason he did not pursue Grindelwald was because the large-scale gathering of magic had nearly caused the balance of power in his body to slip. During the delay, the powerful boost from the protective mode had disappeared.
The two of them stared at each other, neither daring to move. However, the house seemed to be on the verge of collapse from the aftermath of the battle. The surrounding walls were cracked, and huge rocks were falling from the roof…
"Is this place going to collapse?" Rolfe asked, looking around anxiously. He would have been hit by a falling rock if the Thunderbird hadn't reacted so quickly, and Ivan's reply made his heart sink.
"No, it could be worse…" Ivan glanced at the crack in the wall, which revealed not a courtyard but dark, deep space turbulence, evidence that it was not the room that had shattered, but a separate dimension created by Nicolas Flamel.
"What are we going to do? Call a truce?" Rolfe asked anxiously, apparently aware of the situation. He'd already tried using Apparition in this isolated space, and he was certain they'd die if the entire place got caught in the turbulence.
Ivan did not reply. Even if they tried to leave now, Grindelwald would not allow it. He would not sit idly by while Grindelwald left, either, should a breach be made and a storm of attacks follow.
Crack…
A crisp sound suddenly broke the tacit understanding between the two. As the entire space was collapsing, the magical barrier protecting the coffin also shattered!
The most excited of them all was the Sniff, which had been waiting for them in a blaze of fire and lightning. The moment the magical barrier disappeared, it charged in with its claws, stepping on Nicolas Flamel's coffin and clinging to the diamond-shaped crystal embedded in the wall.
However, before it could rejoice, a huge suction force pulled it up.
"Sniffle, fly!" Ivan seized the opportunity to sniff and steal the Resurrection Stone, casting a spell to pull it towards him so that Grindelwald would not snatch it.
However, the latter's reaction was not slow at all. With a wave of the old wand, the Sniff froze in mid-flight. Two powerful forces sandwiched it between them, and it felt like its body was about to be torn apart…