Back in Knockturn Alley, Burke had broken the Cloak of Invisibility in much the same way.
While it allowed a wizard to hide perfectly, it also had flaws and did not actually make the user disappear from this space…
The Cloak of Invisibility also had another weakness, and that was…not guarding your feet!
While Ivan was distracted by his conversation with Grindelwald, a white blur of light and shadow emerged from the ground and flew straight at Grindelwald.
The latter barely managed to react, and threw herself forward, rolling a few times on the ground to avoid turning into a skewer. Even so, a deep wound appeared on her leg and stomach.
Acute pain shot through Grindelwald's head, but he had no intention of healing it, as several white fireballs were already hurtling toward him…
"Achilles' Shield!" Grindelwald could faintly smell the scent of death, and the immense amount of magic in his body surged into his Elder Wand. With a powerful shake of his right hand, a magnificent magical shield appeared out of thin air.
The shield's surface glowed with a golden luminescence, and its interior was inscribed with intricate inscriptions that, despite being mere creations of magic, had been augmented by a vast amount of it, nearly solidifying and protecting Grindelwald…
The white fireball hit the shield and exploded, the explosion reverberating through the Chairman's office, sending shockwaves through the room and sending tables and cabinets flying in all directions.
"Wind!" Ivan waved his wand gently, and a wall of wind appeared in front of him, negating the incoming blast. He then flicked his wand again, and the smoke and dust dispersed.
Grindelwald appeared out of the smoke and dust. The enhanced Blasting Charms didn't do much to stop him. The Shield of Achilles shattered, but the Cloak of Invisibility held.
Ivan frowned, and with a thought, the illusory shadow of the unicorn charged forward in the light again. At the same time, its movements were not slow. It waved its wand again, and countless fine electric arcs struck towards Grindelwald!
As the two of them fought, the chaotic situation on the field had been calmed down by Connor and the others.
A large number of Aurors who heard the explosion rushed over from all over the country, and under the orders of several directors, the hundred or so colleagues who had suffered a magical backlash were sent to the infirmary.
Connor originally proposed that all non-combatants be moved, but this was opposed by some wizards, who were reluctant to miss this unprecedented showdown.
Grindelwald's power had been revealed during the standoff with the Aurors, and they were even more surprised when a young wizard, who appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, managed to overpower him.
"Who is this boy? Is he your British Auror?" the President of the Asian Association asked Pierce curiously.
Pierce naturally would not miss this good opportunity to promote himself and quickly explained.
"No, Sir Harls was not an Auror, but I'd say he was definitely the most gifted wizard the wizarding world has ever seen… You probably don't know much about him since you weren't in Britain. Harls single-handedly killed a troll when he first started school, captured several Dark Wizards disguised as professors during his five years at school, and, at one point last year, defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort, who terrorised Britain…"
"So you can relax," Pierce said confidently. "We're safe now that Hales is here."
The wizards looked at each other, but they did not doubt Piers's words. After all, they had all witnessed Ivan's prowess with their own eyes, and although they were shocked by his legendary feats, they found them acceptable. The only thing that surprised them was the danger posed by Hogwarts in Britain…
Troll and Dark Wizard…
Were the Headmasters and professors of Hogwarts blind?
Some wizards who were planning to send their children to Britain immediately changed their minds, wondering if they should send them to schools in North America or Asia…
While the wizarding moguls were chatting under their protective spells, a few freed Aurors drew their wands and tried to join Ivan in suppressing Grindelwald.
"Reducto ~ (crushing)"
"Petrificus ~ (All petrified)"
"Avada Kedavra ~ (Avada Kedavra)"
… .
As he waved his wand, multi-coloured magical beams shot out, aiming straight at Grindelwald.
"Impedimenta ~ (encompassing obstacles)" Grindelwald raised his hand and summoned several magical barriers to block Ivan's Death Curse. He did not even glance at the Aurors' harassing attacks. With a casual wave of his old wand, the spells rebounded back the way they came.
The Aurors, who had managed to regroup, were thrown into chaos.
More than a hundred of the North American Ministry of Magic's best Hitters had temporarily lost their ability to fight due to the backlashes of their magic. The only ones left were the lesser-skilled ordinary Aurors. It would have been fine for them to go along with the flow and capture a few Dark Wizards, but it would have been a bit of a stretch for them to face off against an extraordinary wizard like Grindelwald…
Grindelwald must have realised that there were still plenty of softies around to distract Ivan, for he immediately switched to a defensive stance. His magic was at its peak, and he pointed his wand at the ceiling, causing the chandelier to explode!
The flying glass and iron pieces transformed into sharp iron thorns under the influence of magic and flew towards Pierce and the others like locusts.
"Quick, cast your spells… and block them!" Connor roared, waving his wand to create magical barriers.
However, due to their pampered lifestyle, many so-called elite wizards' first reaction at the moment of danger was not to fight back, but to call for help from the Aurors.
In the end, only forty or so wizards were able to react in time, but their hastily constructed magical shields were unable to stop Grindelwald.
Fortunately, as the Iron Thorns approached, a large amount of white flames suddenly rose from the ground, creating a terrifying wall of fire that melted the Iron Thorns into molten iron…
"Stand back… Stand back! Nobody interfere!" Ivan shouted, as he controlled his Firebender to form a circle, separating the battlefield from the wizards.
A few hundred wizards would be more than enough to defeat Grindelwald without the use of spatial magic, but Ivan could not afford to lose many lives in exchange for victory.
Not to mention the fact that there were a number of prominent wizards present, and Grindelwald would have a hard time holding them hostage…
These were the people with whom Ivan wanted to bring about change in the wizarding world, and it was not in their best interests to project an image of cold-blooded ruthlessness.