Here is the thirtieth chapter in Book 3, for the first time in 5 months actually on time of the date it is scheduled to be released. I haven't released a chapter on time since chapter 10 but at last I promised I would get to this point before the end of Book 3 and here it is. With only 2 more chapters and an epilogue I should be able to maintain the schedule and complete Book 3 by the set end date of February 4th. I am back in schedule and will do everything I can to maintain it. There were no questions have been raised but there is one thing I did not address in the last chapter that I need to address here. In chapter 29 Ron named the new Chief of Police as Naoki Beifong and I didn't clarify who that was. She is the 3rd Beifong Chief of Police and is one of Bolin and Opal's kids who inherited her families metalbending abilities and decided to follow in the footsteps of her great-grandmother and great-aunt and join the RCPD. Naoki was chosen as her first name because that was Bolin's mother's name so it was done to honor that character and because I am unoriginal with names. Just thought I would clarify that, it will come up briefly again early in Book 4. Sit back and enjoy the 30th full chapter in the third installment of Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 3: Unity.
Disclaimer: As always I own nothing related to these two great works of fiction.
Chapter 30
Cresswell turned, still holding the mercury in his metalbending hold, at Harry's words just in time to see a male figure launch himself through the air and land on a separate earth platform nearby that he appeared to have created whilst in flight. It certainly was an impressive display of earthbending and marked the newcomer as a serious threat.
As soon as the man landed he reached out his hand and took control of the mercury. Cresswell felt his hold on the mercury vanish in a split second as the teenager, Cresswell put the man's age at about 16, pulled the mercury from Cresswell's hold and hurled it at Johannes and Delphini before he could prevent it. Cresswell was impressed at the boys skills as he effortlessly broke his hold on the mercury, no easy task given Cresswell's skill.
Ripping his axe off his belt with a roar of rage at their plan failing, Cresswell propelled himself of his platform to attack James for he had deduced that the Avatar's eldest son was the only one with the skills to oppose his metalbending. James was also the only metalbender other than the Avatar either in Team Avatar or his family so logic dictated that the teenager was James.
Their plan had failed because they had let the fucking Avatar had distracted them and now they just had to fight to get out regroup if they wanted to bring the Avatar to the justice he so richly deserved. However, given the sudden scream of pain and rage from Johannes, Cresswell knew that the mercury had hit his friend full in the face. There was no hope left for Johannes, the mercury would kill him even if they all escaped.
Cresswell landed on the other platform, bringing his axe down on James with as much force as he could muster only to have his blow blocked by James's own axes. The blow caused James to take a step back but didn't break his defense. As James countered, the duel was on.
Cresswell was a skilled duelist with an axe, his weapon of choice, but as with the metalbending he had met his match. James had clearly trained with axes as he countered every blow with one of his own from one of the two single headed s shaped axes he used. This was going to be a tough duel to win.
As soon as Ron had started the attack James had launched himself at the platform and pulled up his own platform to set his feet, take control of the mercury and hurl it right into Johannes's face in one smooth motion. The Water Enlightened was nearest and Delphini had reacted faster than the others by leaping off the platform to flee, a shame as she was the most dangerous of the 3 and James wanted to take her down first.
Johannes staggered backwards as soon as the mercury hit him, cursing as he pulled up water to wash the mercury that was already in his system away. James knew the Water Enlightened was likely going to die regardless of the outcome of the battle but he couldn't think of it as he had to intercept Cresswell's vicious opening attack and counter it with his own axes.
They exchanged blows and James fell into the routine of a duel and cut out all distractions from around him. The only way James would win would be if he focused solely on Cresswell and that was what he did. Anything else going on was lost to James as he sunk into his first life or death duel.
James's was the first line of attack and Ron followed his attack on a stream of Swamp water with Draco, Albus and Scorpius behind him on their own streams in his wake. They couldn't leave James alone against benders as good as the three they were facing. They had to press their attack and take the trio out as soon as possible.
"James has succeeded." Ron called out as soon as he saw the mercury hit Johannes full in the face. "Draco go aid James, Albus, Scorpius free Harry as I pass him then fall back. That's an order."
Ron didn't hear the response as he pulled the waning stream towards the platform but he did hear the sounds of ice being thrown from behind him so at least the boys had heard him. Trusting that they would be able to fall back, Ron jumped off the stream and landed on the original platform making sure to avoid the spilt mercury that was still on the platform before his water washed it away.
As Ron landed, Johannes was just washing away the last of the mercury that James at thrown at him, a look of hatred and madness in his eyes as he glared daggers Ron. Ron smiled, it was time to end this fucker once and for all and he was going to enjoy it. With the mercury in his blood now, Johannes would know he was a dead man walking and would not go down until Ron put him down.
The only regret Ron had was that this wasn't going to be a fair fight, he would have liked to have dueled an unimpaired Johannes but alas he wasn't going to get that chance. This had been their best plan and when it came down to preventing Harry's death and a subsequent war, Ron would use any tactics he could to win.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time bitch." Johannes snarled as he spat out a gob of mercury and saliva. "I may be about to die but I'm dragging your pureblood ass with me into the afterlife. If I am going to die, you're coming with me wanker."
"Looking forward to it." Ron said as he detached his hammer and began to swing it as he looked for an opening. "Say hello to Leach for me, he's waiting for you wherever I send you."
Johannes just smirked as he raised his arm and tried to bloodbend Ron. Given his desperate circumstances, Johannes had no reason to avoid the madness of bloodbending anymore. Ron felt the attempt but it was muted and he could tell that the mercury was impeding Johannes's bending abilities in some way, not that he could have bloodbent Ron given Ron's own skill.
Snarling Johannes pulled out the two halves of his Southern Warrior spear that had been strapped to his back and attached them in one smooth, well-practiced, move. Then he deftly tossed it to his left hand and drew his machete with his right as the spear was in the air. Twirling his weapons, he sneered at Ron. Clearly Ron's attack a few hours ago had not caused any lasting damage, that or the mercury had somehow numbed any pain from taking the hammer to his shoulder.
"Put that special hammer down and fight me like a man then." Johannes taunted. Ron smiled, this was exactly how he wanted it. "You tried it before and it failed. Don't be a coward this time. If I am going to die, I want to do so with honor as we fight the way our Tribe dictates such a fight. Remember, this is to the death."
"My pleasure." Ron said dropping his hammer and pulling out the two halves of his own spear from his back before drawing his own machete. "I accept your challenge and wouldn't have this any other way. Let's settle this like men of the South with weapons and not bending. To the death traitor."
"You going to die tonight." Johannes snarled. "But at least you will go out with honor in fair combat."
"Bring it bitch." Ron said raising the machete in his right hand in a salute to Johannes, one that Johannes returned as honor dictated when two men of the South dueled to the death with their nation's weapons. "You and I knew it would come down to this the moment you showed up in Republic City. I've been waiting to take you out for a long time."
"Same, everything has led to this moment." Johannes said as he launched his attack at Ron. "Come on then let's settle this once and for all."
Ron smiled he countered Johannes's machete blow with his own weapon. The two men clashed steel a few more times before they broke apart and began to circle one another.
It had been years since Ron fought a proper fight against another Southerner wielding their two traditional weapons but the moves had been ingrained into him since as soon as he could hold them. The moves all came back to him as he and Johannes prodded each other with their spears to test one another and occasionally came to blows with their machetes but it was more a dance at the moment than a fight.
As James was doing against Cresswell, Ron was in the zone for the fight and not focused on what was going on around him. Ron knew he would have to be careful because Johannes was a true warrior who despite being in his 6th decade of life was still in excellent shape and his skills were well documented in the rolls of Southern valor. However, Ron had youth, skill and no poison in his blood on the older man.
Suddenly Johannes lunged with a bellow of rage and started the duel in full force. Ron easily parried and countered the blows of the machete and the spear staff while trying to avoid the spear tip. It only took a few minutes for Ron to realize that the poison in Johannes's blood was effecting his skill, making a shade slower and decreasing his reaction time a hair.
As they clashed and locked weapons chest to chest, Ron pushed the other man back with as much strength as he could muster. The poison caused Johannes to stumble slightly and reacted with less speed than he normally would be able to. That was all Ron needed. As soon as he had his opening, Ron took it without hesitation.
Spinning on his heal, Ron used the butt of his spear to catch Johannes on the chin just as the man recovered and stagger him back again. Ron could see the poison had full effect on Johannes as the madness in his eyes had intensified and his form disappeared as he lunged at Ron with his spear as Ron completed his spin. Ron sidestepped it but not fast enough to avoid the spear drawing a line of fire across his abdomen.
Ron ignored the pain and blood as he pinned the spear's shaft to his side with his left bicep. Ron then used the heel of his right hand, still holding his machete, he shattered the spear at the joint. The move staggered Johannes because he had been trying to extract his spear from Ron's hold and Ron used that momentum to bring his machete down onto Johannes's exposed right forearm. He didn't have the force to sever the limb but the cut went to the bone and cause Johannes to drop his own machete with a howl of agony.
Before the now unarmed Johannes could react to the sudden loss of his weapons, and in a move that was second nature to Ron, Ron used the added reach of his spear to slash Johannes's throat with the tip of the spear. The razor sharp blade sliced through Johannes's neck like a knife through butter and was deep enough to almost decapitate him.
Johannes staggered back a look of shock frozen on his face as the blood poured from the long gash in his neck and stained the front of his dark blue warrior's tunic. The Water Enlightened didn't even try to staunch the blood, he just took another step back and fell off the small platform that Cresswell had created for them to taunt Harry from.
Ron heard a splash as he ran over to the edge to see that Johannes had fallen into a gap in the roots of the Banyan Grove tree. Ron could see Johannes's body, his eyes wide and blank in death, as it sank into the stagnant water and mud between the roots. They would have to return to find the body in time so that the spot did not become a memorial to Johannes but there was no doubt that Johannes, the Water Enlightened, was dead.
Ron paused as he watched the man's body disappear from sight, silently honoring the fight they had just had as was expected when two warriors dueled to the death. With Johannes dead, there was now only one Enlightened left alive on the planet.
Ron led out a sigh and groaned as the pain in his side came back to him as his adrenaline left him. Ron looked down at the angry red line cut in his tunic and knew he was bleeding freely but that it wasn't bad or life threatening. Ron looked up to see that while he had been distracted shit had hit the fan, hard.
As soon as Ron looked up and over at the duel between Cresswell and James he saw Cresswell use his off hand to create a pillar of earth out of the platform that caught James clean under his outstretched arm. The force of the blow sent James flying off the platform and crashing into the roots a good 10 feet away.
Cresswell turned to look at Ron and Ron could see that he had lost his entire right ear to James in the fight. The blood streaming down the side of his face but it didn't seem to be hindering him at all. Ron dropped his machete and readied his spear to throw at Cresswell but Cresswell sent a lava throwing star at him before he could react. He then used his earthbending to propel himself up and into the branches of the Banyan Grove tree and away from the battle.
"Ginny go take care of James." Ron shouted as he dodged the lava attack and turned to put out the resulting fire. "Neville go help her. Draco go after Cresswell, we cannot let him escape again."
Ron looked around and realized he couldn't see Harry, Scorpius, Albus and Delphini. How much had he missed during his duel?
"And where the fuck is everyone else?"
While Ron had been dealing with Johannes Harry, had watched from his chains as Scorpius sent several ice spikes at the ankle cuffs. Most missed, one grazed his calf inflicting a minor cut and one hit squarely on target. The cuffs broke and fell away, freeing Harry's legs. Then his son sent even more ice spike as the chains holding his wrists, two of the spikes finding their marks and shattering the chains but leaving the cuffs still on with a little chain attached to each cuff.
"Dad catch!" Albus yelled as he throw Harry's two short swords at him right as Harry began to fall from his suspended position. "We're going after Delphini."
Harry didn't have time to register his son's statement as he barely managed to catch the blades by the handles. Harry spun, using the momentum of the act to pull the blades free and send the scabbards flying. This was just in time for Harry to use a little airbending so that he could land on the roots at the base of the tree without hurting himself.
Looking around Harry saw Delphini as she was fleeing and sent a jet of air at the bitch to get her attention and force her to stop her flight. Delphini looked at him with a sneer and raised her hand. A vine came down from the canopy of the Banyan Grove tree that she grabbed before she used her bending to yank her up and into the tree.
Harry smiled, he knew that this bitch had wanted to end him and that she would only leave here over his dead body, her dead body or her arrest. Before Harry could react he saw his son and Scorpius follow suit with the plantbending move and chase after the mad bloodbender.
"Albus no! You can't fight a bloodbender." Harry called out as he launched himself into the air on a powerful air vortex and into the lowest branches of the vast tree.
Looking around Harry couldn't see his son, Scorpius or the Delphini. The tree was huge and dense in the canopy so Harry knew that it would be a while before he found them. Harry was worried about Al and Scorpius because of how dangerous Delphini was but there was little he could do until he got a handle on the situation.
Walking over to the safest part of the large branch, Harry looked over in time to just make out Johannes fall off the platform in a limp manner that made Harry believe he had been defeated at least, if not killed outright. Just as Johannes fell, Harry noticed his son lose his fight with Cresswell. Thankfully the earth pillar had been blunted and Harry could already make out Ginny and Neville heading over to help his eldest son.
Before Harry had time to continue his pursuit of Delphini, Cresswell launched himself at the tree and by some twist of fate was about to land on the branch Harry was on. Reacting instantly Harry flipped backwards on the branch just in time to avoid an axe swipe by Cresswell as he crashed through the canopy and onto the branch.
"Well looks like I have found the Avatar after all." Cresswell said with glee at the sight of Harry. "Looks like fate is on the side of justice after all. Shame I never met you back when you were a teen, you were a fine specimen of the human form."
"I'm flattered that a man like you would take an interest in me." Harry said sarcastically as he flipped the blades in his hands. "But I never swung that way. I don't care who you fuck, so long as he is legal and consenting he's all yours."
"I don't discriminate with my lovers." Cresswell said with a smile. "So long as they are 18-25 of age that is and share my views to the letter. Course sometimes drugs and alcohol are needed for that last little push, or some enhanced convincing, but such is life. I will enjoy even more once I am done bringing justice to you."
"Enough of this flirting." Draco's voice came from behind Cresswell his arms encased in thick ice that tapered to a point. Harry had no idea how Draco had gotten here but he didn't care, Cresswell was outnumbered and had no hope of escaping. "Stand down Cresswell, you're finished. There is no shame in surrender."
"Do you think I'll surrender?" Cresswell said with a manic laugh of a cornered fanatic. "Did you voluntarily surrender Draco after the Battle of the Elemental Academy?"
"I was badly wounded and had no choice but to allow myself to be arrested seeing as I was unconscious at the time." Draco admitted. "And I cooperated after the battle. I spent 10 years in the Catacombs for my crimes but I saw the error of my ways and helped the Avatar. If you work with us the world can be lenient."
"You're all that's left of the Enlightened." Harry pointed out. "Hermione is locked up for the next 27 years at least, probably the rest of her life, and the rest are dead, or at least defeated as I can't speak for Johannes at the moment. Surrender and I promise I will do everything I can to keep you off Death Row."
"You see Avatar that's the key thing here." Cresswell said twirling his axe expertly in his hand. "My choices are limited right now. What am I looking at if I do surrender? Y'all will bring a bunch of illegal and false charges against me despite the fact that I have committed no crimes and then what? Either I accept the false charges and spend the rest of my in segregation on the Earthbending Supermax Prison or I fight them and end up on Death Row and get hung or beheaded. No, I think I'd rather go out fighting you two and see if I can't take one of you bastards with me rather than face false charges."
"There's no hope for you then." Harry said with a resigned sigh as he prepared to attack. "If you can't even see the countless crimes that you and the Enlightened have committed then there is no hope left for you. No matter the ideology, fanatics are all the same. I will grant you your desire for a fair fight but I will try to take you in alive."
"Good luck with that Avatar." Cresswell said with a smile as he launched himself at Harry swinging his axe. "Because I am fighting to kill."
Harry easily parried the attack and countered the axe with his own blades. Sparks flew dangerously as he and Cresswell dueled in the branches of the tree. Draco attacked from behind Cresswell forcing the Earth Enlightened to counter Draco as well. Cresswell managed it with enough force to shatter the ice on Draco's left arm but not injure the waterbender.
Cresswell used the distraction to flip over Draco, bringing down his axe onto the ice on Draco's right arm while in the air, shattering it as well and cutting Draco's water supply off. Cresswell retreated a bit on the branch towards the end branch so that they could regroup for the next attack.
"Can you hold him for a minute or so?" Draco whispered to Harry.
"Yeah I can." Harry said. "Why?"
"Just trust me." Draco said, a phrase Harry never expected to hear. "When I say down, get the fuck down."
Harry simply nodded as he ran at Cresswell to give Draco the time he needed to do whatever it was he was going to do. Their blades met once again and flashed in the canopy as they dueled high above the Swamp. Cresswell was talented and could easily counter his moves but the blood loss from his missing ear was clearly effecting his skills and within a minute Harry had the upper hand in the duel.
Using the sword in his left hand, Harry caught the axe under its head with the upturned crescent hilt of his sword, ignoring the few layers of skin the axe removed in the process. With the blades locked, Harry forced Cresswell's blade away and to the side as he brought down his right hand sword onto Cresswell's hand.
Harry's razor sharp blade easily cut through the Earth Enlightened's thumb, index and middle fingers taking them clean off. Cresswell howled in pain as the axe fell from what was left of his mangled hand, off the side of the branch and tumbled down to the roots of the tree. Before he could cradle his maimed hand to his chest Harry heard Draco yell form behind him.
"Down!"
Harry instantly flattened himself to the branch in time to see an X shape of thin water cut through the air above his head and hit Cresswell clean in the chest. Draco must have pulled the water from the moist Swamp air and the leaves of the Banyan Grove tree to make the attach, a hard move to pull off but the near half-moon night had aided Draco's abilities.
Harry watched as the X made contact with Cresswell causing the man to take a step back and grunt in pain from the attack. The Earth Enlightened just stood there for a second looking at Harry and Draco as Harry stood to stare back at him. As Harry watched, a red X appeared on the man's chest and began to bleed freely, the water had been razor sharp likely because of how little Draco had used.
Cresswell didn't say anything to Harry or Draco but Harry could see the light was leaving the man's eyes. Before either could react, Cresswell fell gracefully backwards and off the branch.
Harry rushed forward as fast as he dared on the branch but he wasn't in time to catch the last Enlightened before he fell from the tree. There was a sickening sounding crack as Harry reached the edge of the branch and looked down to the roots below. Bent over a large root at the base of the tree was Cresswell's body, there was no doubt that he was dead. Harry back up a bit and turned to Draco.
"He's gone." Harry said without emotion. "The last of the Enlightened has died, the threat that their movement and ideology pose is finally over. That was an impressive move."
"Thanks." Draco gasped out as he collapsed against the trunk of the tree and slid into the junction of branch and tree clearly exhausted from the move. "I can't fight with a blade and couldn't think of anything to do to help you other than that but it worked. I had to strike when I did, I didn't realize you had incapacitated him until it was too late."
"It's ok." Harry said. "I'm pretty sure Cresswell would have jumped had he no other option, he wasn't going to be captured alive."
"Where are our sons?" Draco asked suddenly realized he hadn't seen Scorpius in a while.
"They are in the tree." Harry said gesturing around them. "Fighting Delphini."
"We have to help them, they need …" Draco said but before he finish or even stand, he passed out from the exertion of his attack.
Harry couldn't agree more with Draco but he had no idea where in the tree his son and Scorpius were. Looking up Harry hoped that they could hold off long enough for him to find them and end Delphini. He had a lot to say to his son, a lot to apologize for, and he could only do that if his son was still alive.
Albus and Scorpius pulled themselves up after Delphini, plantbending the vines to achieve this. Albus was not going to allow the bitch to get away with her crimes and he could see that everyone else was busy with the two Enlightened so it would have to be him and Scorpius. Albus knew the fight would be a tough one but he had a trick up his sleeve just in case. He hoped that it would work.
Besides, after what Delphini had put him through, he felt it was his duty to be the one to capture or if necessary, kill her to restore his honor after falling into her trap. In seconds he and Scorpius were on one of the highest branches of the tree and could see Delphini running towards the end of it as she tried to flee the fight.
Without pause Albus threw a throwing knife he had concealed for such a purpose. His aim wasn't great, it never had been, but he still managed to graze Delphini's left shoulder deep enough to draw blood, as well as the attention and ire of Voldemort's daughter.
"Well if it isn't the two most pathetic excuses for purebloods." Delphini said as she turned and stared daggers at them. "I was hoping that your blood traitor fathers would come after me but I'll just have to kill the pair of you first before I kill them as well. No problem, I enjoy executing traitors."
"I believe you won't find us as easy to defeat as you think." Albus said as he put his hands behind his back as if he was reacting for a weapon. In fact, he was signaling in Southern hand signs to Scorpius what he wanted his best friend to do. They often used the signs to talk in class when the teachers weren't looking or couldn't read it. Albus hoped that his best friend trusted him and his plan for fighting Delphini.
"Well seeing as Scorpius is shrinking back like the sniveling coward that he is, I think it will be easy to defeat such an excuse of a bender." Delphini said inadvertently confirming to Albus that his plan was in motion. "Do you really think a bender who's primary skill is reserved for women who can't do anything else could beat me."
"Well let's see." Albus said as he drew a machete that Ron had provided for him. His usual blade was back in his house having forgotten it when he ran away but Albus had been trained on the weapon of his people, on his mother's side, so he knew how to use it. "I may surprise you bitch, after all it was you who found out how to give me confidence."
"True but I am a bloodbender, therefore the most powerful bender in the world." Delphini said with a sadistic smile as she took a few steps towards Albus. "So you cannot hope to match my skills with your own pathetic abilities."
Albus didn't bother to reply he simply attacked with an overhand strike at the bitch who had pretended to be his friend all so that she could use him to kill his father. He barely made it a few steps when Delphini held out her hand and took hold of him in a blood hold.
"See, I told you that you couldn't hope to match me." Delphini laughed as she held Albus motionless in her power. "Now I will remove your blood from your body before doing the same to that excuse of a pureblood cowering behind you."
"That's what you think cunt." Albus grunted through the pain of being bloodbent as he concentrated on the bending required to heal oneself but applied it to his own blood instead of someone else. It had been his trump card that he had thought about ever since his capture and miraculously it was working. "Try this on for size."
With that Albus broke Delphini's blood hold and brought the machete down at her. To her credit Delphini reacted fast enough to jump back and flip out of the way of the blade with only a small cut from the tip of the machete but she still had a look of shock on her face.
"How?" She asked incredulous as she checked her minor injury. "No one has been able to do that to me. Only the Avatar State can break my blood hold."
"It was simple really." Albus said advancing on Delphini swinging the blade idly and resisting her multiple attempts to regain her hold. Each time she tried it became easier to prevent it as Albus grew in confidence at his new ability. "I didn't fight your will or power because I knew that I would fail on both accounts, your line is just too strong in bloodbending."
"We are the best." Delphini yelled as she continued to try and take hold of Albus with her bending. "It is unheard of for a normal bender, especially a weakling like you, to resist me."
"Strength is not measured by raw might alone." Albus said with a smirk. "I took the basic tenants of bloodbending and applied it to my healing skills, they are similar after all and can be used for the same thing if applied correctly. Then I just healed my blood of your hold, I can't bend while doing this because all my focus is on repelling you but I'm pretty sure my blade can do the work for me. Unlike you, I can fight without my bending."
"Wanker." Delphini snarled as she gave up trying to bloodbend him, drew her venom clad knife and lunged at Albus. "You will still die!"
Albus easily deflected it and used his superior strength and skill to jar it from her hand and over the side of the branch. As he did that, he saw that Scorpius had done what he had requested and fashioned a noose out of the vines with his plantbending and it was hovering over Delphini's head without her knowledge and waiting Albus's instructions.
"Forgive me dad, I'm sorry it came to this but there was no other way to defeat her." Albus whispered to himself before yelling. "Scorpius! NOW!"
In one fluid motion Scorpius lowered the noose and tightened it around Delphini's neck before she could react to what was going on. While she was gasping Albus dropped his machete, he didn't need it anymore, and tackled her out of the tree, hurling them both into space.
Delphini let out a scream of rage as they fell but it was suddenly cut off as the thick vine pulled taught and brought her to a sudden halt with a loud cracking sound. The sudden stop jarred Albus from his hold on her and he fell away from the bloodbender. He began to fall to the ground, smiling knowing that though he would probably die, he had ended Delphini once and for all.
Harry didn't see the fight but he heard Delphini's yell and saw her and Albus fall from one of the top branches. Without thinking Harry dropped his swords, called a nearby vine to him with plantbending and jumped off the branch he was on to try and intercept his son.
The arc he swung on felt like forever so he used airbending to speed up as soon as he saw Albus was falling on his own. Not caring what had just happened to Delphini, Harry reached out his arm and just managed to catch his son's wrist as he fell saving him and causing even more strain to his already weary shoulders. Regardless, Harry had saved his son and they were slowly swinging around the tree as the vine pulled taught.
"Hold on son, I've got you." Harry grunted in pain as Albus looked up at his father and took his wrist in amazement at what his father had just done. "I'm going to throw you towards a pool of water so use your bending to arrest your fall. It won't be fun but you will survive. Whatever you do, do not tell your mother about this."
"I won't dad, thank you." Albus said through tears of pain and joy at his father's actions. Harry didn't say anything as he saw a pool of water and dropped Albus over it.
Harry was able to watch as Albus fell through the air and used his bending to pull the water up to catch himself and take him to the ground safely, albeit not smoothly. Harry smiled as he turned back to his own predicament only to realize that he was coming to the end of his swing and the trunk of the vast Banyan Grove tree was fast approaching his face.
"Fuck." Was all Harry could get off before he slammed painfully face first into the trunk of the tree and let go of the vine.
Harry stuck there on the trunk like a fly on a windscreen for a split second groaning in pain after a second knock to the head before he peeled off the trunk. Flipping in the air Harry saw the roots at the base approaching him and used the last of his strength to create a jet of air to stop himself from face planting into the root. Instead he still landed hard on his shoulder and rolled down the root painfully but when he came to a stop Harry knew he was alive.
After a moment to recover, Harry stood and surveyed the scene. Ron was running as fast as possible towards a glowing blue dot on the forest line that could only Ginny healing James. Neville and Luna looked meanwhile were heading towards where a battered and wet Albus was getting up, clearly not unharmed from his emergency landing.
Harry continued to look around to make sure that they had won. He saw Cresswell's broken body bent over a root near him, Johannes's body had not been recovered yet given the circumstances but that was it for the Enlightened. They at least were defeated.
Harry then looked up to the branches of the Banyan Grove tree knowing that Draco and Scorpius would be safe in them and would come down in time once they had the strength to do so. That was when he saw a sight that confirmed to Harry that this ordeal was final over.
Almost directly above him, suspended by a vine around her neck and rotating slightly in the wind was Delphini's body. Her neck was at an impossible angle, her eyes open and glassy fixed in a final expression of shock and hatred that death had not changed. Harry smiled knowing that at last both the Purists and the Enlightened had been defeated once and for all. Once again they had won.
Harry didn't remember anything more as in seconds blackness had overcome him and he had passed out from all that he had been through that day. The last thing that he knew before unconsciousness took him was that once again they and the world was safe from evil.
There it is, the dramatic confrontation of Book 3. It certainly worked better as a chapter in its own right rather then combined with the last chapter, though it did need more perspective cuts than normal but for a fight of this kind that was necessary. For the first time the main antagonist (antagonists in this case) have actually died at the end rather than be captured. This was done because it fit the story better to do so and nicely wrapped up the Enlightened and the Purists once and for all. From this point on, while they will be mentioned, they will not appear as philosophies on the next 2 books. As with the Purists and Enlightened representing fascism and communism respectively, the final 2 books will address 2 other extremist ideologies but I will not reveal them here. There are still 2 more chapters left, both of which will be on the shorter side with the potential of being less than 6,000 words each, plus an epilogue that is a little different from normal but works for Book 3 and its different nature to the other books in this series. The last 2 chapters are just to wrap up the final lose ends of Book 3 in a nice neat bow and prepare for Book 4. I am hoping that they will be released on time, I am expecting chapter 31 to not be delayed but there is a chance that 32 will be. That is all for this long post chapter note, as always please like, favorite, follow, review, this story and any questions asked in reviews or PMs will be answered at the start of the next chapter. Until next week.
Stringdog