What… was that?
Voldemort was genuinely shaken.
He had heard the incantation Nolan spoke. He had seen the casting gesture. By all logic, it should have been the Patronus Charm.
A widely known defensive spell.
Almost every Hogwarts student encountered it at some point. Not all could master it, but that was never the issue.
The problem was something else entirely.
A Patronus was born from purity of spirit. It should appear as a silvery, translucent guardian, radiant and serene.
Not… this.
Not something that looked like a blood-soaked beast from a nightmare.
Boom!
The Killing Curse collided with the crimson creature.
That terrifying green light, a spell feared across the wizarding world, melted away like snow meeting fire, dissolving without a trace.
"So this is magic?"
The mockery on Nolan's face was unmistakable, sharp enough to sting.
Voldemort's voice dropped, cold and heavy.
"You think this is all magic is capable of?"
The Killing Curse was one of the three Unforgivable Curses, yes.
But its reputation did not come from overwhelming power alone.
It was feared because it was fast, efficient, and lethal in combat.
Magic itself was far broader than that.
Countless spells existed, strange and varied. Some defied imagination entirely. Just as he had once cursed the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts, shaping fate itself through magic.
Compared to that, the Unforgivable Curses were merely tools.
"Stop him!"
Voldemort shouted.
The Death Eaters surged forward at once, rushing toward Nolan.
Meanwhile, Voldemort remained at the center of the plaza, beginning a new incantation.
Slow.
Painfully slow.
No wonder such spells were rarely used in direct combat. At that speed, no one would survive long enough to complete them in a real battle.
Still, Nolan did not relax.
The Patronus had given him a way to resist magic, but it did not make him invincible within it.
Magic remained his greatest uncertainty.
Behind him, his psionic blade unfolded, curving like the scythe of death as it carved through the Death Eaters without hesitation.
Voldemort laughed, his voice filled with anticipation.
He was close now.
So close.
True magic… something Nolan could never comprehend.
And that arrogant man would never break through the wall of followers shielding him.
Nolan's expression darkened slightly.
He needed support.
With a flick of his hand, spatial energy surged.
A portal opened.
His greatest strength had never been his personal combat ability.
It was the endless mechanical army he could summon at will.
The gateway widened, revealing a vast chamber beyond, metallic and cold, filled with countless machines standing in silent readiness.
The moment the portal opened, their eyes lit up.
Step. Step. Step.
Massive war machines marched through.
The sudden shift stunned everyone present.
"What… what is this?"
Balthazar stared in disbelief. Even Maxim looked shaken.
Magic constructs?
But such numbers… what kind of magical power would it take to sustain them?
"Damn it, those are LockTech combat units!"
A Death Eater shouted, his face pale.
They might look down on non-magical people, but Nolan's machines were something else entirely.
In this modern world, technology was everywhere.
And these mechanical soldiers had long since earned a reputation that inspired fear.
No one had expected Nolan to summon them like this.
Through a portal.
Voldemort's expression tightened.
This was bad.
Very bad.
"Die. Earthrend!"
He drove his wand into the ground.
The instant it touched the surface, it fused with it.
Then the earth began to tremble.
The ground split apart like a living thing, massive cracks racing outward. Several mechanical units fell into the widening chasms.
Beneath the surface, molten heat surged, threatening to swallow everything whole.
Voldemort laughed again, exhilarated.
"Now do you understand what magic is? And this is only the beginning."
"Phantom Requiem!"
A gray mist billowed behind him, and countless ghostly figures poured forth, rushing toward Nolan like a tidal wave of death.
Yet Nolan stood still.
Not because he had no response, but because his options were limited.
Against something like this, the Patronus was his only answer.
"Mr. Locke!"
David and Peter Parker shouted at the same time.
David raised his hand, chanting urgently.
"Gate of Souls!"
The Merlin Ring blazed with light.
A shadowy portal opened, and several spectral knights rode out to meet the incoming horde.
This spell countered the phantom swarm.
But spells depended on their caster.
David was talented, but still inexperienced.
Summoning those few knights had already pushed him to his limit.
The knights fought fiercely, cutting down ghosts one by one.
But there were too many.
They were overwhelmed in moments.
David staggered, his face pale from backlash.
But he didn't care about himself.
Without the knights… Nolan was finished.
He closed his eyes, unable to watch what came next.
Then
Boom!
The ghosts crashed into the crimson guardian, dissolving one after another.
Nolan stepped forward, blade in hand, cutting through the phantoms.
To his surprise, the psionic edge struck true.
They weren't invincible after all.
Good.
In the next instant, dozens of figures surged forward.
G5 units, armed with psionic blades, charged straight into the ghostly tide.
Nolan looked calmly at Voldemort.
"Is that all you've got?"
The earth-splitting spell had lost its edge once the terrain stabilized. And the phantom army was being torn apart by his machines.
More units poured through the portal like an endless tide.
Voldemort trembled.
Fear?
Was this… fear?
Impossible.
He roared internally, but his expressionless face betrayed nothing.
"Morgana, how long do you plan to wait?"
He turned toward Veronica.
No.
Toward Morgana.
Veronica's soul had already been suppressed deep within.
She stood slowly.
"What a mess," Morgana said, her voice calm. "I have a suggestion."
Despite the dark power radiating from her, Voldemort sensed something familiar.
The same instinct.
Survival.
"What suggestion?"
"We need stronger allies," she said lightly. "For example… the Dragon Emperor you mentioned."
Voldemort froze.
Retreat?
He feared death.
He had split his soul into Horcruxes to avoid it, sacrificing power for survival.
And now that he had regained a body, he had no intention of losing it again.
Dark energy surged around him.
The Death Eaters trembled with excitement.
This was why they followed him.
Power.
Overwhelming, undeniable power.
Surely, even Nolan Locke would fall before it.
At that moment, a towering mech stepped through the portal.
Voldemort's strength had exceeded Nolan's expectations.
The phantom assault alone had weakened his Patronus significantly.
Without psionic energy as a counter, things might have gone very differently.
So Nolan made a decision.
No restraint.
He activated the Apostle-class mech.
Inside the cockpit, he deployed the AT Field.
A crystalline barrier unfolded, isolating him from all external forces.
"Let's end this."
"You think you've already won?"
Voldemort roared.
"You haven't seen my true magic!"
Power gathered beneath his feet.
Morgana watched, intrigued.
"Advance."
Nolan gave the command.
Why fight personally when he had an army?
The magical pressure intensified, lightning crackling through the air.
Death Eaters gathered around their master.
Even Maxim stepped back, animating a stone dragon to cover his retreat.
"Cataclysmic Lightning!"
Bolts of lightning filled the sky, writhing like serpents.
Balthazar moved closer to Nolan, grief etched into his face.
Veronica was gone. Whether she could be saved, he no longer knew.
But for now, survival came first.
"David!"
He shouted.
Together, they were the only hope against this spell.
The lightning fell.
Peter Parker stood beside Nolan as the world was swallowed in blinding light.
Yet within the AT Field, there was nothing.
No heat. No force.
It was like watching a storm through glass.
Balthazar and David stared, stunned.
This barrier… it was absurdly powerful.
Outside, most of the machines remained operational.
Then Balthazar's expression changed.
"Wait… that wasn't an attack!"
The lightning faded.
The plaza fell silent.
Voldemort and his followers were gone.
Residual magic lingered in the air.
"They used the lightning as cover for a spatial escape."
Balthazar's voice was tight with frustration.
"They're gone."
Despair crept in.
Veronica was lost.
And now a group of dangerous dark wizards had vanished into the world.
But then he looked at Nolan.
Strangely, the panic faded.
Did they really need to worry?
Nolan stood there, calm as ever.
"Spider-Man, what are you doing here?"
Peter exhaled.
"Jiana detected the anomaly. I just didn't expect… this."
Even now, he struggled to process it.
Magic was real.
He had seen it with his own eyes.
Nolan nodded, glancing at the suit.
"How's the upgrade?"
Peter grinned.
"It's incredible. Without it, I'd be dead several times over."
"Good. Then head back and rest."
Peter hesitated.
"But what about "
"It's fine," Nolan said. "They won't get far."
Balthazar frowned.
"They've already escaped. I don't see how we can track them."
Peter looked at Nolan.
"You know where they went?"
Nolan nodded.
"They're trying to resurrect someone. The Dragon Emperor."
His gaze shifted eastward.
An ancient ruler. Sealed long ago by the sorceress Zi Yuan.
"I'll handle the rest. Spider-Man, go get some rest."
Nolan gestured toward Peter's injuries.
Peter clenched his fists.
"Let me come with you. I can't walk away from this."
Nolan studied him for a moment, then shrugged.
"Fine. Then you're coming."
The real battle had only just begun.