Chapter 44
Gray's assault was relentless, raining down blow after blow on the Ironbound initiate. His massive fists pounded the figure with devastating force, each strike leaving deep impressions in the soil and cracking the surrounding terrain. The man tried to fight back, but his efforts were futile against Gray's overwhelming strength. Trees shattered as Gray swung his prey like a ragdoll, roaring with unbridled fury. Just as the initiate's struggles faded, six more Ironbound initiates burst onto the scene, their enchanted armor gleaming with a cold light. They moved with precision, forming a crescent formation, their stances low and ready, weapons drawn. Gray glanced up, blood dripping from his claws, and smirked.
Without hesitation, Gray lunged at the group. His claws slashed at one of the initiates, who barely raised his shield in time, the force of the blow sending him stumbling back. Two others closed in from the sides, one thrusting a spear at Gray's ribs while the other swung a glowing blade aimed for his legs. Gray twisted with impossible agility for his massive size, swatting the spear aside with a roar, but the blade nicked his thigh, drawing blood. Snarling, he spun around and lashed out with a powerful backhand, catching one of the attackers in the chest and sending him flying into a tree with a sickening crunch.
The remaining initiates moved with chilling coordination, their tactics honed to perfection. One engaged Gray head-on, locking him in combat with a flurry of strikes that kept him occupied, while two others darted around, striking at his flanks. Two more hung back, weaving defensive enchantments over their comrades while the sixth kept a spear trained on Gray, waiting for an opening. It was a brutal, grueling battle. Gray fought like a beast possessed, every swing of his claws and snap of his jaws calculated to incapacitate or kill. His immense strength allowed him to toss one opponent into another, breaking their formation momentarily, but they regrouped quickly, moving as a unit to keep him off-balance.
Despite Gray's best efforts, the Ironbound initiates' teamwork proved too much. While two distracted him with relentless attacks, the others struck at his exposed flanks and legs, their enchanted weapons cutting through even his thick hide. One landed a blow on his shoulder, forcing him to stagger back, while another aimed a devastating strike at his chest. Gray roared, slamming his fist into the ground to send a shockwave that toppled two initiates, but the remaining four closed in, their attacks unrelenting. Slowly but surely, they pushed him back, their coordinated efforts overwhelming even his monstrous strength. With a final strike to his ribs, they forced Gray into a corner, his back against a massive tree, blood dripping from countless wounds as he panted heavily, his white mane matted with sweat and blood.
Seing this, Gray didn't hesitate further. He transformed back into his human form, gaining distance before consuming a magic-enhancing potion. His wand flicked as he cast Confringo, unleashing explosions that tore through the forest with terrifying force.
The damage was immense. Trees were obliterated, rocks were shattered into dust, and the very earth itself was scorched and cratered. The Ironbound initiates activated barrier spells on their armor to withstand the assault, but the spells began to falter under Gray's relentless attacks. Consuming another Arcane Elixir and another, which immediately had an affect as his hair stood up due to a foreign magic energy running through his body which made all of his magical veins visible as they glowed. Gray's magic potency reached unprecedented levels, elevating him to a height the wizarding world had not seen before—or at least the visible part of it. The changes in his body were just as outrageous; his magic sensitivity soared, allowing him to feel every inch of magic near him.
Overflowing with magical energy that felt like a tsunami, his spells became monstrously stronger. With this enhanced power, he cast Bombarda Maxima, performing the full chant and intricate wand movements. The explosion was catastrophic, obliterating a vast swath of the forest and sending shockwaves that even burned the air. Gray's body began to break under the strain, bleeding from his eyes, ears, and mouth, with his organs rapidly failing. Yet, his regeneration outpaced the damage, keeping him alive.
The Ironbound initiates struggled to hold their ground, their numbers dwindling as their barriers broke one by one. Of the initial seven, two fell to Gray's relentless onslaught, leaving the survivors to combine their barriers into a single unified shield. The shield held, but their counterattack came in the form of a massive bolt of lightning, so large it darkened the sky. Gray, bloodied and grinning through the crimson streaks on his face, chanted Evanesco Maxima, making the lightning vanish into nothingness. He turned his glowing gaze on the remaining initiates, smiling eerily through bloodied teeth. "Now then," he growled, his voice laced with malice, "say hello to death for me, would you." With that, he cast Protego Diabolica, conjuring a circle of deadly blue fire. The flames expanded into an inferno, incinerating their combined barrier and consuming the initiates in a fiery storm, leaving nothing but ash in mere moments.
The only thing left was one of the devices where a tired voice sounded, "Fuck, I lost seven Ironclad initiates. Stormblade is going to be pissed. We're already lagging behind other departments, but those blood bastards should arrive there soo—" His voice cut off as he stopped speaking, leaving Gray, whose injuries were healing while his sudden vast magic was somehow damaging his superhuman body. Given the sudden enhancement he had gone through, he should be dead right now. As he kneeled down, using his wand as support, he noticed highly magic-concentrated blood on the wand.
As he started to lose consciousness, the magic sensitivity brought on by the sudden increase in magic overwhelmed his already superhuman body. Even then, he took an empty vial and collected his blood, thinking, "Gotta… collect more… ingredients," before falling down. During the four hours the enhancement lasted, Gray's body was a war zone. The intense magic in his body continued to rampage, destroying his body while his healing factor fought to repair the damage. He bled continuously, but strangely, his blood was being absorbed by his wand for those four hours. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard as a group of people wearing dark crimson robes appeared.
"Fuck, idiot, wake up," a gentle yet emotionless voice sounded in Gray's ear as he muttered something in his sleep, "Hhmm, golden lotus," before turning to his side. "This idiot, wake up, they are going to steal all your ingredient" the voice sounded again. However, Gray remained sound asleep, deeply so, as the voice grew irritated for a moment before sighing, "Well, he did push himself over the top guzzling down that potion. What an adorable idiot." This time, the voice sounded gentle and caring as the figures approached Gray. The one leading the group looked at Gray for a second before removing his hood, revealing an inhuman head that looked demonic, with two large horns protruding out. "Ah, I guess those Merlin fanboys did their job, and it's time to do ours. Don't you think so, Rachel? I know you're awake," the man said as he didn't look at Gray but at his wand, which vibrated for a second before breaking and transforming into a girl.
The girl, called Rachel, appeared to be in her late teens. She had dark purple hair, gray skin, and wore purple clothes. A crimson gem was embedded in the middle of her forehead. "Hello, Sebastian Blood," Gray's wand—or Rachel, as she was called—greeted him. Suddenly, a crowd of figures wearing red robes surrounded her. Although there wasn't any malice in her voice, the way she spoke was far from friendly. She conjured pure darkness to wrap around Gray as Sebastian looked at her, shocked. "You… you've recovered, it seems," he muttered, before glancing at Gray. "Huh? I didn't think you would actually bond with a human wizard, let alone protect him," he said with a smile. "Oh, Lord Trigon would enjoy this." At the mere mention of Trigon, Rachel's expression morphed, her eyes glowing white as she exuded pure darkness, covering the skies entirely.
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A/N finally, she is here, after all this time, anyways, the wand was not merlin but rachel.