Hey guys,
Super busy at work this week, so I haven't had much time to write. Sorry for the late update... 🙏🙏
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For all his insanity, Voldemort's command over magic was frighteningly refined, fully deserving of the reputation that followed him. And with how flashy the man liked to be, tonight's performance could not have asked for a better actor.
The stage was the skies, and thanks to the Founders, the entire city had become a cage around him that denied all spatial movement, leaving Voldemort with no path but battle.
The Dark Lord did not disappoint. As soon as Maverick brought him above London, the entire sky was set ablaze with flashing spells. The very first exchange was a violent collision that sent shockwaves rippling across the city like a tidal wave, exactly how Maverick wanted the night to begin.
He controlled the pace perfectly, never using enough force to completely overwhelm Voldemort. Instead, he fed the man just enough hope to make him continue escalating the battle. The louder and flashier things became, the better.
---
As the battle erupted overhead, the ground operation began as well. Personnel from both the magical and non-magical sides were already spread across the city and prepared for action.
Maverick's father, Michael, personally directed the operation of the non-magical forces, while witches and wizards were mixed into the teams to provide extraordinary support, essentially the first line of response.
In total, there were around fifty thousand uniformed personnel, including Metropolitan officers, the British Army, personnel from the Royal Navy, intelligence agencies, and even the Air Force, while the witches and wizards numbered only around five thousand.
It can't be helped. The population disparity between wizards and Muggles was simply too large. Even so, such smooth cooperation was only possible because Maverick had prepared long in advance, such as replacing Fudge with one of his own people. It was all about connections and influence.
Likewise, having the Prime Minister as his father and the Queen personally giving the green light made things much easier. So whether by coincidence or careful planning, everything ultimately aligned in his favor.
Of course, questions were inevitable, especially from the non-magical side. The main ones were who exactly these people in strange uniforms carrying sticks were, what was going on, and many more, with some even questioning their supervisors' sanity.
Understandable that the officers were confused, suddenly being told out of nowhere that magic was real and these people were here to help.
Magic was then demonstrated, perhaps it was the first time in modern history it had been done so openly to such a large gathering of non-magicals. But it was only done briefly to remove any doubts, though the shock on their faces could not be hidden.
And because the briefing was conducted that very night itself, even if they wanted more answers, they could only wait for now, because the chaos had already begun.
Meanwhile, the Great Magi and Archmages operated separately, intervening wherever the frontline forces could not respond quickly enough.
Olympe Maxime, Edward Garling, Dumbledore, the two Great Magi of the British government, along with several connections of Maverick's, together brought over a dozen Great Magi, which was no small number considering only around a hundred witches and wizards of that rank were recorded to exist.
Each Great Magus acted as countless extra eyes and hands across the battlefield, covering ranges ordinary Magus-rank wizards simply could not.
The Archmages needed no explanation, and with the Four Founders and Merlin overseeing the operation as well, the massive destruction and noise from the "duel" never truly placed the public in danger. Everything had been planned and controlled from the very beginning, and the operation moved exactly as intended.
That being said, the aftermath of the clashes was still very much felt throughout the city. The public experienced the tremors, the noise, and the destruction caused by the battle, but only to the extent that it left them tense and unsettled. The only ones completely shielded from the effects were the elderly and children.
The media had also been carefully arranged by Maverick beforehand, ensuring cameras and reporters were already waiting when the chaos began. Tonight's events, after all, would matter little if the world failed to witness them.
On the magical side, it was Isabella who took responsibility, the instant the Triwizard Tournament concluded, she got herself and her staff ready to start the operation from this side.
From the non-magical side, WNN served as the primary network responsible for capturing everything and broadcasting it live to the world, while the local networks joined the coverage shortly afterward.
Naturally, such a massive commotion could never escape the attention of agencies like the BBC and other major British news stations. In any case, the more eyes on it, the better.
Maverick went as far as arranging for WNN to provide its feed to major broadcasters around the world. Networks that were not even in London could still televise the incident live, pushing the viewership even higher.
And because WNN was partly owned by Maverick's mother's side of the family, making those arrangements was hardly difficult.
Mere minutes after Maverick and Voldemort first collided in a spectacular exchange of magic that illuminated the skies in two contrasting colors, the live broadcast started.
The rest unfolded naturally, started as breaking news in the middle of regular daily broadcasts, first through WNN's feed alone. WNN was a global news network carried by most cable operators around the world, so it did not take long for the events unfolding over London to reach televisions across the globe.
Most people could not believe their eyes at first, thinking the footage had to be some sort of commercial or special effects showcase. But as more major networks began broadcasting identical footage and anchors confirmed the events live on air, televisions around the world were soon overwhelmed with nonstop breaking news.
People watched the broadcasts without blinking, while countless others desperately tried contacting friends and relatives in the city.
London was a city well connected to the whole world. No matter the country, chances were someone knew a person living there. Because of that, photos and videos of the chaos quickly spread through MMS across the globe, and even people far away from a television soon found out and tuned into the news.
Networks were airing live phone calls with people caught in the middle of the chaos, alongside countless pictures sent in from different locations around London. The fear, confusion, and destruction in the background of every recording and every voice call had long since erased any suspicion that it might be fake.
Maverick saw this coming long ago. At this point, even if the ICW voted together to bury the truth, it would already be impossible.
Memory charms alone could no longer solve problems on this scale. Plus, thanks to the technological era Maverick helped push forward, the world was now flooded with digital evidence that could not simply be erased with magic.
---
Maverick dragged the battle on for almost an hour, not only exchanging violent spells with Voldemort but also deliberately putting the true power of magic on display for the world.
If Tom had a favorite spell outside the Unforgivables, it was undoubtedly Fiendfyre. He wielded the cursed flames with terrifying skill, though sadly for him, Maverick was equally fond of playing with fire.
He answered Tom spell for spell, sometimes with fire of his own and other times with something different. At one point, he even raised an entire river into the sky simply because he can, and why not? Everyone knows water beats fire, so it was a perfectly logical move.
In any case, the purpose of tonight was to leave the world with a memory it would never forget and a message certain people would understand clearly.
Although he carefully avoided going too far, the power he demonstrated was already enough to make certain people abandon some thoughts. There was no escaping the ICW's questions afterward, but that's a matter for later.
---
Now, one hour might not sound like much when trying to prove something to the entire planet, but thanks to all the preparations Maverick made beforehand, it was already more than enough. By now, the existence of magic had been witnessed by countless people across the globe, and for the rest also, it was only a matter of sooner rather then later.
And speaking of time, it was finally about time for this unprecedented drama to come to an end.
He had just blasted Tom across the city, sending him crashing into an empty section of a street, the exact location Maverick had chosen for the final act to unfold.
It wasn't a coincidence, though. Very little about tonight was. A group of reporters from the BBC, WNN, and several other networks just so happened to be nearby alongside a large crowd of pedestrians.
Even the supposedly empty section of the street had been prepared beforehand. Only after coordinating with the people behind the scenes did Maverick choose to send Tom hurtling in this direction.
He slowly descended beside the small crater left by Voldemort's impact and waved his hand, sweeping away the dust and smoke. After all, the people needed to clearly see the kind of monster he had been fighting.
The reaction from the nearby crowd was immediate. Gasps and whispers spread everywhere. Words like "devil" and "demon" reached Maverick's ears more than once as people stared at Voldemort's horrifying appearance.
Of course, the crowd's reaction to Maverick himself was not exactly subtle either. He even caught a woman softly whispering, "What a handsome angel," making his brows twitch slightly. From the corner of his magical sense, he noticed she was holding a baby while staring at him with her mouth hanging open.
Outwardly, however, Maverick paid the crowd no attention, his gaze remained fixed entirely on Voldemort.
At the same time, police and other uniformed forces rapidly secured the area, forming lines along both sides of the street while keeping the crowd under control. Gradually, the noise faded until silence settled over the entire scene as everyone waited for what would happen next.
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Author's Note:
I deliberately narrated the fight with Voldy this way instead of detailing every exchange, partly because it would drag the arc out too much and also because it was honestly redundant.
It's obvious the MC is just playing with Voldemort, there won't be much suspense in the fight anyway.
Don't worry, though, tonight doesn't end with Voldy going offline. The main course is still coming.
I've posted an auxiliary chapter about the rewrite, so do check it out if you haven't already.
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