HP: The Arcane Thief

[Creatures are not the only thing Voldemort can send through the rift. He can also send out his magic.]

Axel's eyes widened as he looked at Martina and Akiko standing dangerously close to the rift.

"Back away!" he yelled.

?!

Akiko and Martina, who had completely let their guards down, were both confused and alarmed by Axel's warning. But they couldn't immediately move away. That's why Axel couldn't just run away on his own.

At this moment, they all seem to feel the burst of magic emerge from the rift. Yes, that's what the system meant. Through the rift, maybe Voldemort can't come himself. Maybe only amortal creatures who can turn intangible can pass through it. But... Voldemort can also send his magical attack through the rift as well.

This is Voldemort, the strongest creature in the Netherworld. His magical might is unfathomable. Even if he can send a small portion of his power through that rift, it still might not be something they could handle right now.

"What?!"

Akiko and Martina also noticed the change in atmosphere. But by the time they realized that something was wrong, they were too late to defend themselves.

'They'll die, if I don't help. Martina, Akiko and Rose. And if I help, I might die as well.'

This was what his mind knew. Thinking logically, he should have run away. But right now, he simply didn't have the time to think. Whether to run, or to protect, he had to make the decision instantaneously.

During times like these, do you realize who you truly are deep down. And thus, Axel ran... he ran with his full strength...

Towards the rift!

He arrived in front of Martina, Akiko and Rose just as the darkness spread out from the rift. Axel drew his wand.

[Limit Break]

[Light Infusion: Max]

[Arcane Barrier]

Axel used the special skill he had gotten as a reward for defeating the Demogorgon at Halloween and infused it with light magic. And something amazing happened.

A tremendous amount of magic was generated, enough to make Martina widen eyes as she felt it. Dazzlingly bright light erupted from his wand forming a huge shield that encompassed them all.

Martina looked at the scene in shock. Such powerful magic. It's might was even comparable to her full-powered Guardian Angel spell. Martina had an unmatched magical limit. Something that was only possible due to her gift [Child of Magic]. And she would be pretty much useless after that until she recovers.

Thus, she couldn't imagine how Axel could bring the same level of result when his magical capacity was clearly much, much lower than hers.

Axel's knees almost buckled as he felt the huge burden of the spell. Though his spells were always powerful, his magic capacity itself had not been too high yet. He was only 13 after all, and he hadn't done any specific training for increasing his magical capacity yet. But through several factors, he had gone well above and beyond his capability this time.

First of all, the [Limit Break]. Though it might get him some serious bedrest, Axel was able to drastically increase the amount of magic he was going to use by tapping into his soul.

Then there's his improved Fairy core wand. It already used to provide an amplification for all light affinity magics, but then he got it upgraded with the wood containing an extremely powerful light element. Considering that he was using a shield made out of light magic due to his [Light Infusion] skill, it's no wonder that the result would be much stronger.

Furthermore, his wand is no longer ordinary. It has become a powerful weapon with a sentience of its own. Axel could only harness a little bit of its powers yet, but at this moment of life and death, it amplified his magic far more than usual.

With all these factors combined, the power he was able to bring out in a single spell was enough to even defend against a full powered spell of someone like Dumbledore.

And it was a good thing he did. Because in the next moment, it happened.

"BOOOM"

They 'felt' the impact even before their brain registered the attack coming. It was that fast. They really wouldn't have been able to escape in time. The powerful layers of barriers Axel had created with all his strength were halved in an instant, and the rest almost broke too as they all shook due the impact.

Watching his most powerful spell crumple like paper, Axel simply couldn't believe his eyes. He... might actually die this time. His shield was too weak. No, the attack was too strong!

'This… is the power of Voldemort? This is what I have to fight against?'

Axel was shook. He knew Voldemort was powerful, but this? This is simply way beyond anything he could imagine.

But it also made sense. Voldemort was someone so powerful that the akashic records had to go so far as choosing its own champion to defeat him. Axel realized that he was too naive. He had made the mistake of Judging Voldemort's powers by the standards of this world.

With the power he just used, he might have been able to stop Voldemort before he was transferred to the Netherworld. But after going there and spending a decade conquering that world, Voldermort has ascended to a level that is far beyond what anyone in this world can contend against.

Just as his barrier was about to give out, another barrier made out of Lightning was errected in front of it, lessening the strain on Axel's shield.

"Raiton: Shield of Thunder God!"

"Not… today!" Akiko muttered through gritted teeth, using all of her magic as well. Her darkness ninjutsu was useless here, since it would mostly get converted into Voldemort's strength. But she still had her lightning affinity.

She isn't ready to die just yet. In the past, the world was bland, and all she could see was revenge. No one could match her talent and no one could understand her. She really didn't have much to live for.

But now, she was only beginning to discover hope. She had found her equals. She had found joy in training with Axel, and the rivalry with someone as powerful as Martina. Akiko wanted to live. And more importantly, she wanted Axel to live. To see him grow, and take down Kraken.

That's why she used one of her most powerful Jutsu. It takes a serious toll on her body to produce so much lightning, so she would be in pain for the next few days.

'No...'

Martina looked at Axel standing in front of her, protecting her yet again, and felt completely powerless. She had wanted to never be in this situation again. That's why she started making full use of her abilities. And yet, here they are. The things she had been working on, they weren't ready yet. All she had was another spell, which she didn't have the magic to cast.

Martina took out her knife and slashed her arm. A whimper of pain escaped her lips but she beared through, for Axel. The magic she could feel coming from the rift dwarfed theirs by a huge margin. But she couldn't give up, not when Axel was giving it his all.

"CLYPEUS ANGELICUS!"

Another shield appeared as Martina raised her staff, making it a triple layered defense. "You should have run away!" she said, before she pushed every last bit of magic she could get from the Blood sacrifice into the shield. Guardian Angel, the custom spell she designed after the Christmas incident had two versions, one for attack, and one for defense. This was the second version, 'Guardian Angel's protection'.

Axel felt the load on shield lessening as Martina and Akiko stepped up on either side of him with their own magic. That's right, he wasn't alone. He had the support of two of the most talented individuals of this generation. Whether he lives or dies now, he has already made his decision. There was no backing down now. All they could do now was—

"Let's give it our all!" He called out, using all the power from the limit break.

Voldmort's overwhelming magic clashed with the combined desperate defense of Axel, Martina, and Akiko. An incredible amount of magic gathered at one place, causing the space itself to be distorted. The wards covering the place were blown apart, causing the magic to spread into the surroundings.

'Keep going!' Thought Axel, only standing due to sheer will power. He never thought he would still be this weak despite two years of harsh training. But Voldemort was also someone who had had decades of preparation on him. This confrontation with Voldemort, it was too early!

Voldemort's darkness seemed all-consuming. It was eating away at their magic. The only reason they were safe right now was because the light attribute of his wand was somehow able to match that intensity. The only problem was, he simply couldn't continue.

Fortunately, the rift finally closed at this moment, just in time as their shields broke down. Their enchanted clothes quickly covered their bodies as the remaining darkness attacked them.

Axel looked back at Rose, only to see a protective layer of magic forming around her. That was the last thing he saw before he feinted.

"Axel? Axel!"

*Cough-cough*

Axel opened his eyes. Martina was currently gripping his hand while Akiko was checking his body for injuries.

'Fuck… it hurts to move,' thought Axel as he slowly got up. He removed the mask from his face and looked at himself. He had survived, miraculously, but the clothing which Martina had given him seemed to have completely lost its protective properties.

He looked at the girls. Both Akiko and Martina seemed ok, and even Rose seemed uninjured.

"Everyone… survived?"

Martina had tears in her eyes. "Yes! I'm so relieved…" she choked, looking like she really wanted to hug him.

"You really saved us," said Akiko. She did a dogeza. "I'll remember it."

At this moment, Rose Potter suddenly woke up hyperventilating. But then she looked around. The trees and vegetation within 100 meters were all dead, and Axel, Martina and Akiko Matsushima were sitting with her on the ground, looking quite battered.

"What—?! What happened?! Where is Voldemort?!"

The last thing she could remember was the overwhelming pain when Lockhart had activated the magic circle.

Martina patted Rose on her shoulder. "It's over now. We prevented that."

"And Lockhart?" Rose asked. "That bastard Kidnapped me!"

Axel pointed into the distance. "He's over there. Resting in pieces," he said, much to Rose's horror. Though, his hand fell back down. Apparently, he didn't even have the strength to lift it right now.

Martina produced a vial from her pouch. "Here, drink some phoenix tears. It'll help with the recovery."

"Phoenix tears?" Only a Valentino would use something as precious as Phoenix tears as an energy drink.

Axel made to take the vial from her, but his hands wouldn't budge.

"Let me," said Martina," leaning forward to pour it into his mouth.

But before the liquid could go into Axel's mouth, it flew out of Martina's grasp.

"What?!"

All four of them looked in the direction where the vial flew, only to see two unfamiliar figures standing there. They were wearing weird armour and had blue tattoos on their bodies.

"Poseidon's trident! Just looked at this place. You were right about keeping our distance, Nerio." said the bulky figure.

"Wasn't I? You would have gotten us in trouble," said Nerio.

"Who the fuck are you two?" Asked Axel, trying to get up. Rose and Martina had already stood up, on their guard due to the suspicious appearance of the two men.

But Akiko had a look of shock on her face as her eyes trembled.

"T-That armour… and those Markings…" she said, darkness surrounding her as her eyes darkened.

"You're from Kraken!"

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