"Don't forget, the belief I uphold is one you and I created together. You are the one who betrayed that ideal, Albus."
After driving Barty Jr. back, Grindelwald turned his gaze once more toward Dumbledore, who remained silent.
"Perhaps you are right. Over the past fifty years, there has been no great turmoil in the coexistence between wizards and Muggles. The Muggles continue to live freely beneath the sun, developing rapidly, while wizards remain unchanged, hiding in the corners of the world and barely lingering on... But this fragile balance will be broken sooner or later. You once recognized that as well."
"That is why I can admit that I was arrogant and ignorant back then. But you cannot."
As though accepting his fate, Dumbledore simply tossed the Elder Wand in his hand toward Grindelwald. After seeing the latter catch it steadily, he closed his eyes.
"There. Returned to its rightful owner. You need not explain anything further to me. Your beliefs and mine cannot be shaken by words... Kill me, and continue down that road of no return."
"An error remains an error. It does not become correct because the one committing it is powerful. You defeated me, yes, but the next me—or even someone wiser and stronger than me—will sooner or later stand up and correct everything you have caused. My soul will be waiting for you in another world, Gellert..."
"Heh. There is no need to provoke me like that."
Grindelwald let out a cold laugh.
"I have no intention of killing you just yet."
"Lord Grindelwald!"
Karkaroff, standing nearby, looked as though he wanted to speak but hesitated. Barty Jr., however, stepped forward anxiously at once.
"That is not what we agreed!"
"What part is different?"
Grindelwald glanced at Barty Jr. with a half-smile, then his gaze gradually cooled.
"From the beginning, I never said I would take his life. I only guaranteed that I would deal with him and ensure he would no longer be a problem for you Death Eaters... And even if I truly had promised to kill him, and now simply wished to go back on my word... what right do you have to bargain with me?"
"Dumbledore's life, and the life of your master Voldemort, are both in my hands right now. Forget a mere group of Death Eaters. At this moment, there is no one and no force in all of Europe capable of obstructing my will!"
He stared at Barty Jr., whose face had already turned slightly pale. His icy voice seemed capable of freezing the blood in Barty's veins.
"So you had best show me some respect, Death Eater... Your master's resurrection is only happening because I happen to be in a good mood and am willing to honor my promise. You would do well not to make me lose interest in keeping it."
"I... I apologize, Lord Grindelwald."
Barty Jr. took a deep breath, gave Grindelwald a shallow bow, then silently retreated under Karkaroff's watching gaze. Grindelwald, meanwhile, turned back once more and raised the newly reclaimed Elder Wand toward Dumbledore.
"But I will not be foolish like you and imprison an opponent I finally managed to defeat somewhere without restrictions, simply handing him the chance to develop in secret and escape. My Nurmengard has already been greatly remodeled especially for you, Albus... You can spend your remaining years there in peace, and occasionally listen to news of my victories as it reaches you."
"Now, one final question—where did you place Voldemort's soul?"
"Do you think I would simply tell you?"
Dumbledore asked calmly in return, without the slightest emotional fluctuation over the fate awaiting him.
"Of course not... But unfortunately, this Elder Wand you returned is a little too powerful. Powerful enough to allow my Legilimency to pierce through your Occlumency with ease... Stupefy."
A red light powerful enough to almost illuminate the entire underwater space shot from the Elder Wand and struck Dumbledore squarely in the chest.
Even the slight aftershock scattered from that Stunning Spell instantly made Barty Jr. and Karkaroff feel a wave of exhaustion. As for Dumbledore, who had taken the full force of it, there was even less need to say anything.
With no strength to resist, he collapsed limply, his body striking the ground heavily with a dull thud.
"Your master's soul has been carried on him all along, including that black diary..."
As he spoke, Grindelwald controlled Dumbledore's body and made it float upward. Under the effect of magic, objects began flying one by one from Dumbledore's pockets and from the more hidden inner layers of his robes, hovering around Grindelwald.
The sight left Barty Jr. feeling a strange, inexplicable terror.
Who could have imagined that this old man, now left at another's mercy and utterly powerless to resist, was actually one of the most powerful beings in the entire magical world?
Grindelwald had been right earlier. Now that Dumbledore had been defeated and the master had not yet returned, there truly was no one and no power capable of stopping this terrifying Dark Lord from doing whatever he wished.
That had not been within the Death Eaters' original expectations.
They had assumed that Gellert Grindelwald, who had once been defeated by Dumbledore even while holding the Elder Wand, and who had then wasted away in a tower for more than fifty years, should not possibly still possess strength on the level of Dumbledore or their master. They had even provided him with many precious resources to help him recover and grow stronger...
But who could have imagined that he was actually this powerful?
And now he had even reclaimed that mysterious Elder Wand!
Fortunately, he did not seem inclined to break his word...
"...Found it."
At last, an exquisite glass bottle filled with gray mist, along with a pitch-black diary, was pulled from Dumbledore's robes. They landed steadily in Grindelwald's hands, and he examined them with great interest.
"A Horcrux... Interesting technique. Even I never thought of using such a method to achieve immortality back then."
"As it happens, I have also reached the age where I should start thinking of ways to extend my life... I hope this Voldemort knows how to repay a favor and does not mind sharing the secret of his immortality with the person who saved his life..."
So that's how it is.
Listening to Grindelwald mutter to himself, Barty Jr. suddenly understood.
So this is the real reason he's willing to fulfill his promise and resurrect the master. He wants to obtain the master's secret of immortality!
Heh. And he calls himself unstoppable... Yet before death, he is still powerless and has to humbly beg the master for help. Just a brute with nothing but strength...
"Are all the materials needed for the resurrection ritual ready, Igor?"
After examining Voldemort's soul and the Horcrux for a while, Grindelwald finally withdrew his gaze and turned to ask Karkaroff.
The latter immediately answered with utmost respect.
"They are all prepared, Lord Grindelwald. I have them with me."
"Excellent."
Grindelwald nodded in satisfaction.
"Then it is time to return to the surface and summon your companions, so that they may witness your master's return together... You, and those who participated in the plan, all bear that thing called the Dark Mark, correct?"
(End of Chapter)