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After taking a peek into the man's surface thoughts Harry said, "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Why are there no magic users fighting for your righteous cause?"

The knight answered back, "The foul Witch Le Fay holds their oaths of loyalty to Merlin against them. Until Merlin is rescued from her clutches, they cannot fight at our side. You must not be a student of Merlin for you to be able to defeat these vile fiends."

Harry nodded back, "I am a student of the world and have learned much from it. As for these vile fiends, the metal bands around these men's necks cannot be removed easily and as long as they remain, they will not be able to use magic. You may do with them as you wish but I believe it best to keep the bands on for the remainder of their lives as nothing would be a crueler punishment than living a full life without magic."

The metal bands resisted grinding, melting, tearing, and corrosion, and even if an indestructible nail file was used on them it would take a decade of continuous use to file through the band. And since they were saturated with Anti Magic, it would take a very, very strong magic user to overpower them without killing the one they bound.

The man answered back, "The advice of a wizard is not to be taken lightly or ignored. I am not the one who will decide these men's fates but I will pass on your words to those who will. I myself am Sir Landford, a knight of Lord Gawain's."

Harry gave an appropriate bow and said, "Greetings Sir Landford, I apologize but I cannot give you my name. I am lost and wish to remain that way so that others seeking me cannot locate me. I ask a small favor, please do not inform others of my involvement today. Make up something if you wish, but I would appreciate it if I was mentioned as little as possible or not at all."

Landford frowned but only for a moment, "I would protest as such a deed deserves a suitable reward, but if that is what you desire I shall do all that is in my power to make it so. May I ask of your intentions for this land in the days to come?"

*Ping*

[New Quest: Rescue Merlin]

Free Merlin from his imprisonment to return to the present.]

Harry internally rolled his eyes and said, "What plans are there to free Merlin?"

Landford answered, "We have sent word south and across the channel to request assistance from others not taught by Merlin but I have little faith that help will arrive. Rumor has spread that Le Fay has a dragon guarding the land of his imprisonment and it is no ordinary dragon, but an Immortal Black Dragon!"

Harry's eyes shot up in surprise, his casual glance into the knight's thoughts didn't say anything the dragon being Immortal. This quest was impossible.

There are four types of dragons in this world. The most common type are the Magic Dragons, which are little more than beasts of concentrated Exotic Energy that take the form of a dragon. These however are widely considered imitation dragons and though powerful, are by a significant margin the weakest type of dragon. The dragons known by witches and wizards are all magic dragons.

Next are the Dragon Demon Sorcerers. Demon Sorcerers were Sorcerers or descendants of Sorcerers who underwent a dark ritual to merge their Chi with specific energies causing them to lose their soul and become demons. There have been thousands of Demon Sorcerers in the past but most have long since killed each other or have been sealed by good chi wizards. The only remaining Dragon Demon Sorcerer, the Demon Dragon of Fire Shendu, had his powers removed and from what Harry heard had been turned into a statue. The strongest Demon Sorcerers are immortal as their existence has merged with the source of their element but Dragon Demon Sorcerers are not considered true dragons either though many of their rituals require materials from True Dragons.

Above them are the Dragonkin, beasts and beings that contain the blood of True Dragons. They are the descendants of True Dragons and though some are weaker than the strongest dragon demon sorcerer, they are on average far more powerful. Dragonkin exist not just on earth but on other planets as well, there are many aliens who take the shape of dragons and most are Dragonkin.

And at the top are the True Dragons themselves, also known as Immortal Dragons. They are not gods but they are about as close as you can get to them. Immortal Dragons have enough power to wreck countries and have natural resistance to almost all forms of damage. Even the Ancient One using her Dark Energy would have difficulties defeating an Immortal Dragon. Not because an Immortal Dragon is stronger than the Sorcerer Supreme, but because an Immortal Dragon would be very difficult to harm, much less kill with magic of any form.

Harry had to stop himself from shouting but asked anyways, "How did Le Fay get an Immortal Dragon to work for her?"

Landford shook his head. His lord was the great grandson of Sir Gawain who was best known for slaying a dragon and they knew more about them than most. An Immortal Dragon should not be working for Morgan Le Fay no matter how powerful the Sorceress had become. "We are not certain. What is known however is that the dragon has not been seen on any battlefield."

Harry sighed and said, "Then I guess I'll check that out, you know where Merlin is being kept?"

Landford gave Harry the location and with that Harry walked away. His map had a pointer icon but he wanted to know the name of the location before blindly heading out. Once he was out of sight he transformed back into a Snowy Owl and flew in Merlin's direction.

As he flew further into the region, the taint in the air grew heavier and the sky grew darker and more oppressive. He was pretty sure it wasn't normal for giant beasts to be flying through the sky. One such beast which looked like a massive vulture with carrion black wings spotted him and changed its course for interception. Intercepting Mail Owls was a standard practice in times of war which was likely the job given to this vulture.

Harry had absolutely no intention of escaping, what's the point of maintaining his stats and ability to cast magic while in owl form if he has nothing to use it on?

He flew in close and watched as the great vulture raised its claws to swipe at him.

Harry then accelerated and rammed into the vulture, dodging the claws and smashing his head into the bus sized avian. Not surprisingly, he bounced off and the vulture wasn't affecting. He didn't think it would do anything, he just wanted to try it once.

His stats carrying over meant he had super speed and super strength compared to that of a normal snowy owl, but he was still vastly weaker than he was as a human. However only his physical stats were reduced in his owl form. His magic was powered by his mind which had not changed due to the nature of the Animagus transformation and since the Elder Wand seemed to be a part of his existence, his magic was only moderately more difficult to use but still usable.

The monster vulture recoiled more from surprise than the force of impact. It took only a moment to change its mindset from having lunch to aerial combat. It braced itself and swung its wings down to throw gales of winds to the left and right.

Harry was at the creatures left and his small body was caught up in the torrent of wind. A few heavy flaps of his own wings however was enough to escape the gale and brace himself in time for the vulture's second strike.

Harry increased his speed closer to his limit to gain some distance before the vulture could deliver it's following blow. It was good enough for experience in aerial combat and now it was time for the next phase.

Harry tried conjured objects for binding, water, ice, flames, and lightning, one after another. None had been used with enough power to defeat the vulture as he was simply testing their effectiveness in an aerial combat setting. Binding a bird with two large wings ended up being difficult without very large, very strong binds which didn't make it efficient. Water rolled off the vulture's feathers and it seemed birds were not as conductive of lightning as video games would make one believe. Ice however stuck to the feathers and fire burned the feathers, both were effective. Blunt force impact had some effect above a specific point but it was cutting spells and effectively used conjured blades that had the best effect in aerial combat. Second best was weaponized bindings like ropes with thorns or heavy clamps that punctured at the point of contact.

Harry was glad PETA didn't exist yet because even if it was a creature that was created with evil magic, they still wouldn't appreciate what Harry did to that monster before finally ending it. From the energy he absorbed he could tell the vulture was about level 70. Stronger than a Hogwarts graduate but not by that much.

Once Harry confirmed there were no other creatures or monsters or humans in the area, he flew down to the forest below and set up a base. Another reason he killed the vulture was because he was interested in its territory. He cast every spell he could think of to remove his presence and used transmutation magic to craft a small hole beneath a tree he found into a large fortified underground base. Next he used every secrecy and stealth spell he had to make sure it wouldn't be found and filled it with amenities and made a nice bed.

Harry had an innate sense for where his respawn point was should he ever die. As soon as he arrived, it set itself for the location he crashed into the moment he arrived in this time. Knowing his respawn point was lacking in safety made him feel more than a little exposed so he wanted to make a new one. Thankfully the means to set a respawn point was pretty simple, it was either set for the last safe area he was in or the last place he rested. When he died while training in the Room of Requirements or sparring with the Ancient One he would respawn there because that was still a safe place. But if he died against a monster or unsafe land, it would be set as the last safe place he rested. He was about to face an Immortal Dragon so dying was pretty much a given meaning he needed a good respawn point.

And though he technically didn't need rest, he still felt mentally fatigued from the nearly torn apart in the currents of between space thing and the flying all day thing and the fact that he hadn't slept in three days thing. So yeah, a nap would be really nice.

In addition to waking up refreshed, his nap also caused the Aging Potion and the remaining effect of the polyjuice potion to expire meaning he needed to take it again to stop looking like a fourteen year old.

He could just face the dragon normally but there were too many downsides and not enough upsides. Although anything he did in the past would likely correct itself eventually, he still didn't want a record of himself in shape or name so going as himself was a no no. Thankfully he prepared for this. The prior day he knocked out each of those black knights and collected their blood to make polyjuice potions for the peasants to replace them and lead the army to surrendering. However he kept a batch of modified polyjuice with each of those knight's blood for himself as well so he had a dozen or so people he could turn himself into for a day.

Harry considered a few plans and decided to do reconnaissance a few times. He could afford to lose a few levels and figure out what worked and what didn't before giving it his all.

He would have to polyjuice as a different person each time to prevent the dragon from thinking it was the same person lest the dragon throw him in the same cell as Merlin or do something that prevented him from dying.

Of course it would be nice if he could resolve everything without fighting, but there wasn't exactly a Charisma Stat and he wasn't going to hold his breath.

Harry took out several uniforms made of Basilisk hide he practiced his tanning and crafting on. It wasn't the best he could do but it wasn't bad for practice. He then adjusted their sizes, made them the same in general appearance, and lastly, changed the color of each one to something vibrant. Yes, he knew what he was going to do.

Harry used the polyjuice for the person who was the least threatening to look at and put on the blue uniform and headed out. He sealed the entrance to the hidey hole so that even insects and little critters couldn't enter and apparated out. One of the wards he set would prevent teleportation or apparition in but not out. That worked best since his respawn was not affected by any barriers of any kind or else he wouldn't have been able to respawn inside Hogwarts the few times he died while experimenting due to carelessness or danger.

It took another two hours to fly to where he was told Merlin was being kept at half his full speed since he set his respawn point pretty far from the target location as he figured it would be dangerous.

Once he was close enough he returned to is polyjuiced form and walked the rest of the way. The location was a cave set into a cliff that looked very stereotypical for a dragon's lair. There were even torches set on the wall surrounding the entrance and someone was sitting outside. Wait.. Harry double checked and confirmed though well hidden, there were secondary signs that showed that caucasian man in the black martial arts robes was ridiculously powerful. Yeah, Immortal dragons can easily shift into human form so that was probably him.

Harry walked calmly over to the cave and confirmed that the man sitting outside was reading something. Books weren't exactly common in this era so he was a little curious about what it was but doubted he would recognize it.

The man's attention was on Harry the moment Harry stepped out of the clearing though he didn't look up from his book. Harry then paused. While paused he walked past the guard and entered the cave. However the path into the cave went much further than Harry initially suspected and he reached the limit of his distance before he found the end. He unpaused which returned him to where he was in front of the guard.

Well, no point in being rude. Harry straightened up and said, "Greetings, I am the Blue Ranger of the Mighty Power Rangers. Are you the one guarding Merlin? I seek the means to ensure his release."

He looked up from his book and said in a low voice, "Polite, for a mortal. I have never heard of the Power Rangers though. I am Chiantang, the Black Dragon. The one you call Merlin will remain here under my watch for the next year. After that, he is free to do as he pleases. Now leave here with your life or it will be taken from you."

Harry asked, "Is there nothing that can dissuade you from this? The Power Rangers are prepared to offer much in exchange for letting Merlin free without combat."

Chiantang looked over Harry for a moment. "Hmm. You wear the treated skin of a Basilisk and though weak, you are certainly above most. Perhaps there is something you have which would interest me mortal, but it matters not. This duty is one I perform not just of service but as a favor to repay a debt. Some years ago my sister was seduced by an upstart offworlder Dragonkin and they were secretly married. He then shamed her, took her treasures, and left her heart broken and with nothing to her name. It was the Sorceress Le Fay who informed me of this allowing me to get justice for my sister and give that upstart what he deserved. I forced him eternally into his dragon form and made him undying after ripping his heart out and sticking it in a furnace so he can suffer for all of time. Le Fay called in the debt I owed her for informing me of that so she could request my service and she has paid a suitable price for it. Even if you could pay more, I owe no favor to you and my debt must be repaid. My services will only be for a year. If others wish to free Merlin earlier than this, they must slain Le Fay herself so that I no longer owe her a debt or defeat me."

Harry asked, "Others?"

Chiantang closed his book and said, "Yes, others. I gave you a chance to leave and rather than take it you decided to ask a question. I do not give second chances to mortals so you can take that answer with you to the grave."

He got up and struck at Harry but Harry was able to dodge and form a blade of Dimensional energy and counter. Chiantang didn't bother dodging and the blade shattered against his martial robes. He pressed his advantage without fear of retaliation and each blow had the force of a high speed semi truck. Harry threw himself back using the power from one of the larger strikes to gain some distance.

Chiantang smiled and said, "Not bad for a mortal. As a reward for making this at least a little interesting, I'll allow you to die under the power of a true dragon."

His form quickly became insubstantial and expanded out in a mass of darkness and power. A moment later it reformed into a massive one hundred foot long green dragon with a terrifying jaw, large wings, and powerful arms and legs.

Harry yelled, "Why are you called Black Dragon if you're green?!"

Surprisingly he answered and said, "I was born black but I prefer this form." He then exhaled a powerful breath of dragon fire Harry didn't bother to dodge. Heat above a certain temperature can't be felt by tissue as it burns away the flesh though the next part and the part after that would still suck.

A few moments and two excruciatingly painful instants later Harry was back in his hide hole. He moved over to the bed to rest since dying and reviving both made his existence ache.

After waking he went over the details he had. Chiantang wasn't going anywhere and his dimensional energy sword shattered on contact. His martial arts were above Mordo's and below the Mandarin, though he was many times stronger than either. His flames were also stronger than any fire magic Harry was capable of using. Not that any of that was really surprising. The name Chiantang wasn't familiar to him but it wasn't like Kamar-Taj and Hogwarts had all the knowledge in the world. In any case he at least had something of an outline to work with to make a plan.

The next Day Harry took a Polyjuice for the weakest looking guy and changed the color of his next Basilisk hide uniform to purple.

He returned to the site of the Black Dragon's cave and equipped himself with a magic staff that amplified his abilities.

Chiantang looked up from his book and said, "Another one?"

Harry shouted, "I am the Purple Power Ranger! Our Blue Ranger was sent to negotiate with you, but as he has not returned, it seems you have chosen death!"

Harry lifted his staff at the black robed man and summoned a dimensional edge using a spell he learned from the Grand Grimoire. Chiantang dodged the spell that cut space itself and nearly cleaved the cliff behind him in two. Harry was hoping that spell might break whatever cell was holding Merlin inside but he wasn't counting on it.

The human form of the black dragon struck out but the blow was stopped by a seven layered mystic shield. This staff couldn't amplify wizard magic but it was very good with other forms of magic. Harry threw a grenade over his shield and behind Chiantang at the cliff face. Chiantang ignored it and struck Harry's shield once more, this time piercing it completely though not fast enough to strike Harry before he dodged. Harry slammed the hilt of his staff to the ground and chains conjured from the energy of Krakkan's realm surrounded Chiantang as Harry used his fastest speed to jump back just as the grenade he threw three seconds earlier went off.

Chiantang wasn't able to break the chains fast enough to dodge the blast of the grenade Harry had squeezed one hundred Bombarda Maximas into.

Harry himself relied on the Basilisk robe and his own shields to protect himself but he was still sent hundreds of feet away from the blast.

The blast itself tore the cliff face to pieces but didn't destroy the whole thing. Harry sensed within the cliff was some structure that was being held together with powerful magics and it would not break with just that.

Harry twirled the staff in the air which called forth natural energy as well as energy from Valtorr's realm. Clouds started to gather as the dust settled and Chiantang's form was revealed. His black martial robes torn, blood and wounds over his body. It was mostly superficial but it at least proved that the True Dragon was not completely immune to magic above a certain degree and could even take damage from accumulated wizard magic.

A moment later the vibrant green form of the so-called Black Dragon was staring Harry down. He took in a breath but before he could release it Chiantang was struck by lightning from above.

Harry shouted, "The Power Rangers are not to be taken lightly!" He threw his staff down and the cloud descended to the ground. The Black Dragon was surrounded by water vapor that clung tightly to him and made it difficult to move around.

"Enough!" He shouted. He flapped his wings a few times and the spell holding the mist together broke and fell apart. Harry swung his staff once more as he gathered enough Dimensional Energy for another Dimension Edge. The spell cut into Chiantang's skin enough to draw blood but not deeply enough to hamper the immortal. The massive dragon launched himself forward towards Harry who jumped away but the hundred foot tall dragon changed directions with a subtle movement of his wings and reached Harry who threw his staff to the ground. Once it made contact, more chains appeared to wrap around the massive green monsters stopping his pursuit of Harry before he could shatter the chains.

Harry commanded energy from the realm of Ikonn to cast illusions of himself to make a dozen of him appear around himself.

Chiantang roared in outrage, "You Dare to Challenge a True Dragon to a contest of Magic?!"

His roar itself was filled with dragon magic which disrupted the illusions revealing Harry's position. The energies of the space were rendered deaf to Harry's command preventing him from further use of Sorcery. The various energies of the planes swirled around the field and strengthened as they bent to the will of the dragon's rage. A pantheon of glowing colors of light wrapped around the space and converged on their location.

Chiantang roared, "Die under the might of True Dragon Magic!"

The hurricane of impossible power locked the space and prevented any form of teleportation though Harry hadn't demonstrated his use of it. Even Wizard Apparition would not be able to penetrate the dense field of destruction bearing down on him.

As if to add insult to injury, Chiantang let loose his dragon breath into the hurricane of magical energies causing it to glow brighter than the sun and speed its convergence on Harry's location.

A few moments later Harry was back in his hidely hole and returned to bed for another nap. His only thought was, 'damn, so that's dragon magic huh?'

Once he woke he got out his next Basilisk Hide cloak. His equipment hadn't survived either death though he always respawned in at least a shirt and never naked. If he did die with his equipment intact it would somehow return to his inventory and re-equipment itself once he respawned.

He got quite a bit of information this time. What was most surprising was the effect of wizard magic. An amplified explosion spell had so much effect and unlike Sorcery spells, they couldn't be affected by the magic commanding powers of dragon magic. Thankfully he used a grenade instead of casting any wizard magic himself so he wouldn't give himself away as a wizard. He also got a good look at the recovery speed of a true dragon that he would have to overcome if he wanted to finish him.

The next basilisk hide uniform he took out would be colored black. He only had a dozen of them from his practice runs and he really hoped he would be able to get enough info on how to beat Chiantang before he ran out of them.

Harry returned once more and this time instead of reading in his human form, Chiantang remained in his green dragon form. However he didn't clean up the location. The parts of the cliff that had broken off from Harry's attacks remained. Which was kinda the point. Dragon Eyes can see through any form of invisibility so he couldn't sneak past the dragon before. The point of the senseless damage was to make enough cover to hide behind.

Before getting within his range Harry conjured a hundred black mice and allowed them to scatter into the field. He then removed a Shrinking Solution from his inventory and drunk enough to render himself the size of a mouse and he used the Reducio charm on his clothes to shrink them to his size. He approached the rubble scattered around the cliff face and slowly made his way through it to the entrance that led to Merlin.

The black mice got Chiantang's attention but the wizard magic that made them up was invisible so to his senses they looked like ordinary mice. Such creatures were beneath his notice so after confirming they were nothing he went back to ignoring them.

Harry was able to make it past the rubble and into the cave entrance without trouble thanks to his distractions and prior preparation. Both prior Power Rangers made no effort to conceal themselves and with the mice to make Chiantang ignore small movements the Immortal Dragon wasn't expecting a tiny infiltrator. The Shrinking Solution hadn't even been invented yet.

Harry spent a few hours slowly making his way through the cave. He paused before each corner and confirmed nothing was on the other side while paused before continuing.

Eventually he found the heart of the cave and found a red magic barrier. He wished it would be a nice set of bars or perhaps a door with a small window he could slip Merlin a Shrinking Solution and let him slip through, but no, it was an airtight magic barrier.

Harry used a few Wizard concealment spells and took the antidote to the shrinking solution while removing the shrinking charm from his clothes allowing him to seemingly appear before the magic barrier.

On the other side of the barrier was an old bearded man in a chair reading from a large tome. Next to the chair was a shelf with other books and a bed. When Harry appeared, he closed his book and said, "What's this? Who are you? A strangely dressed servant of Le Fay's?"

"Actually, I snuck past the Black Dragon and came to rescue you. Got any ideas on how to open this barrier?"

"Eh?"

Seems the man known throughout history as the greatest wizard of all time wasn't expecting that.

He quickly said, "This barrier is formed from the heart blood of the Immortal Black Dragon. It cannot be broken except by his will or his death. You must leave here at once and obtain the aid of the Sorcerer Supreme! Only he can help me now."

A voice echoed through the cave, "So it is a Black Ranger now? How many more of you must I deal with?"

Dragon fire filled the cave and Harry found himself back in his hidey hole. He figured Merlin speaking with him must have risen some alarm on the other side of the barrier his spells didn't affect.

Although Merlin said to get the Sorcerer Supreme, Harry couldn't do that because the Kamar-Taj and the Sorcerer Supreme were aspects of his future, though it was a different one at the moment. The auto-correcting feature of Time Travel only applied to things far away and things that were unknown. Going to Kamar-Taj meant getting scanned by the wards again for the first time which meant he would need to figure out a way to make it forget it scanned him which meant disabling it and reassembling it. And that was just for the wards. It was far more complicated than that should he actually meet the current Sorcerer Supreme.

Anyways, he only needed one more test before going all out, a combat test.

The next day Harry used the Polyjuice for the largest person he had and colored his robe red. He also equipped several pieces of armor and accessories beneath his robes to increase his defense and strength using energy from Cyttorak's Crimson Cosmos which was half saturated into the armor. Next he got out his giant heavy sword made from the bones and fangs of the Basilisk. The sword was one of his better attempts at using Goblin crafting techniques and the sword's edges had Basilisk Venom magically imbued into it.

Harry approached the massive green dragon who once more got up and said, "This grows tiresome. How many of you are there?"

Harry swung his heavy sword in the air and said with a low, scottish accented voice, "You would not believe me if I told ya."

The dragon slowly got up and walked over to Harry who took a stance. He shouted, "I am the Red Power Ranger. Let me see the strength of the one who fell the others."

Chiantang swiped with his fist and Harry used his sword to deflect the blow. The force shook every bone in his body and made him feel as if the 'black' dragon was wearing a two story house and using it as a boxing glove.

Harry used the force of the blow to ready his swing and with a jump forward he sliced into the dragon's torso. A special feature of his weapon was that his sword's edge vibrates at high speeds and with the sharpness granted by the Basilisk fang edge, the blade was able to slice through the skin and muscle though it bounced off the bone.

Rather than recoil as one would normally expect, Chiantang pressed forward and attacked with his jaws while preparing his swing to attack should Harry dodge.

Harry neither evaded nor dodged, he removed an edge of this sword that turned out to be a smaller sword and jumped off his blade to target Chiantang's eye.

The massive beast had not been expecting this and was forced to turn away or lose an eye. He swiped his claw where Harry should have been after jumping through the air but Harry had jumped backward while airborne using a retractable wire that attached the heavy sword to the removable blade.

Chiantang shouted, "Cheap Tricks!" And let loose a roar of flames.

Harry hid behind the sword which glowed with heat but didn't break.

Harry shouted with his fake accent, "You think fire can kill the Red Ranger?!"

It probably could if the black dragon continued but it would take a while. Harry's current gear was enchanted with his strongest Flame Freezing Charm which would prevent fire from burning him though it would eventually run out.

Thankfully Chiantang bought his bluff since he couldn't feel the magic of the Flame Freezing Charm so he had no idea why his flames weren't working and couldn't feel the strength of the charm waning with each moment.

Chiantang swung his tail and Harry stuck his sword into the ground to meet the tail. Scales broke off but as his tail was far more heavily armored than the dragon's chest and the strike wasn't able to deal significant damage to his tail before the force of the blow sent the blade skyward along with Harry who nearly dislocated his shoulder just holding onto the blade during that strike.

Chiantang jumped into the air and with a flap of his mighty wings overtook the soaring figure of Harry's swordsman form. The massive dragon rolled in the air and Harry got behind his sword and braced for impact as the rolling dragon's tail swung overhead with the force of a meteorite.

Harry's last sight was the fragmented pieces of his sword and the pieces of his own shredded body falling from the sky.

Two painful instances later and Harry was back in his hidey hole. He wasn't exactly happy that he could still feel the pain of death for something that should be quick and painless but he had long accepted it as the price of reviving from the dead.

After adjusting from the ache of revival, he went over the details of the fight once more.

The sword's unbreakable properties were probably used mostly up from the dragon breath and even if it weren't that tail swing in the end could likely have smashed a mountain to pieces, much less a half indestructible prototype sword made of bone. The Basilisk venom seemed to have had no effect as the sheer strength of the dragon's magic burned it away before the Black Dragon could even notice it. The strength of his arm swing was in the one hundred ton range and he was an expert in flight combat.

However, he did have weaknesses. He was over reliant on his defense and healing abilities and didn't seem to have much experience in fighting someone who could harm him, though harm is a relative term. Chiantang's bones were like reinforced diamonds and the edge of his blade didn't even nick the bones of his ribs before being bounced off.

A small sword piercing the dragon's chest through the gaps of the ribs into the heart may not work due to the size of the heart and healing factor but the brain would be an even harder target as even a surprise attack on the dragon's eyes using his fastest speed was easily dodged.

Harry paused and went over his inventory. There were a few things he could use but most wouldn't do much. Even his so-called Reality Bomb wouldn't do much against an Immortal Dragon as such a being could likely survive in a space where the laws of reality were broken. Harry didn't have any other one hit kill type attacks. Well, there was the thing which got him here, but even if he successfully set up a repeat of that, it would only send the Black Dragon into the past or future. Merlin was very specific that the Heart Blood Barrier could only be dispelled by Chiantang's will or death or else he would have mentioned banishment as an option.

Maybe he should just send a letter to the Sorcerer Supreme and call it a day. However he wanted to give it his all first.

Harry decided to do both. He did think of a plan which might work but before doing it he'd send a letter to the current Sorcerer Supreme that included everything he learned from his battles with Chiantang. Even if he lost or was imprisoned or worse, the details of the letter should enable someone else to beat the Black Dragon.

Harry spent a week preparing for the final encounter and made a few arrangements which he hoped would bare fruit in the future. A day after his last fight, the Black Dragon would occasionally fly around to scout the area as four consecutive days of showing up likely made him paranoid. He wasn't wrong either, but he had no way of readying himself for what Harry Potter had in store for him.

For the last fight, Harry didn't take a polyjuice and had to make a large amount of equipment from scratch. Much of it required a large area to make, forcing him to make a new base on an empty plot of land far away from anyone who could be watching him.

Harry used a portal to head to where Kamar-Taj was near and paid someone to deliver a letter to the temple at a certain time. If by then he hadn't won the Sorcerer Supreme would be informed and make his move.

Once Harry finished his preparation he arrived once more. This time however he didn't change the color of his Basilisk skin so he could keep it green and beneath it he wore a full set of the best armor he could make.

Harry only had a single heavily enchanted knife but his gear looked tailored for martial combat.

Chiantang noticed him and sneered, "Damn mortals. Sending children now? I swear the next time I see him I'll have my brother grant me leave to slaughter as many of you as I please. I don't know where you Power Rangers come from but I will find you."

Harry smirked and shouted, "What the hell is a Power Ranger? I've never heard of them before, you crazy or something?"

Chiantang was dumbfounded, but only for a moment. He shouted, "You dare mock me?!"

The moment the black dragon moved to attack Harry tapped the pendant on his wrist causing the anti magic stored within to release into the body. He gave a wry smirk and shouted, "It's Morphin' Time!" and a moment later Harry's small form grew in size and height to match Chaintang's own. His armor grew with him though his basilisk cloak was unequipped and returned to his inventory.

Chiantang growled, "Growth Magic? Another Sorcerer Dares?!" He roared once more and the magic energies of the land fell to his whims. For a moment.

Several bursts of energy from the anti magic mines Harry shrank himself to place around the lands earlier went off filling the space with Anti Magic energy. Harry wouldn't be able to call for more energy from other planes once Chiantang did his dragon magic domination thing but it had little effect on existing magic and Harry stored loads of Anti Magic energy within those mines and set them go go off at the slightest stimulus. Of course this also meant he was more limited in what magics he could use. The only reason he would be able to use magic at all was because of all the training he did while wearing anti magic binding cuffs.

The coming storm of magic called forth by Chiantang died under the suppression of Anti Magic and Harry's giant form ran up to the massive Black Dragon and punched him in the face.

Harry wasn't using growth magic, but a growth potion. His equipment however was currently normal size. Prior to arriving, Harry took a special Growth Potion to allow him to match the dragon in size and at that size he equipped a set of massive armor saturated with energy from Cyttorak's realm. Due to Harry's unique physiology, increasing and decreasing his size didn't actually affect his stats, but it did allow him to equip the enormous, Strength Energy saturated armor he made which did in fact boost his strength significantly. Using these means, Harry's strength could approach the level of the Immortal Dragon for a time until the armor exploded or he burned through the Growth potion from heavy physical exertion. He then used a Shrinking Charm on himself and his equipment to temporarily return him to normal size that he could dispel with some anti magic stored in a pendant. This gave the illusion of growth magic to make Chiantang look down on his strength.

He was still way weaker of course, at about a third of his estimate for the Black Dragon's strength, but as long as he kept the fight on the ground he had an advantage. Cyttorak's energy didn't just increase strength, it reinforced momentum which made it ideal for attacking and blocking.

Chiantang opened his mouth to release his dragon breath but Harry landed a flying knee into his jaw forcing it closed. Harry had to disable at least one of Chiantang's arms for his plan to work and he was only going to get one shot.

The Black Dragon grabbed Harry's leg and pulled him down while leaning in to bite his head off but Harry had set his hands together and slammed them down into Chiantang's nose.

Harry got released when Chiantang instinctively moved to grab his nose giving Harry the opening to deliver a flying elbow drop onto Chiantang's knee. It didn't break but Harry did feel a little bit of a crunch when his Strength Energy empowered elbow guard met the dragon's armored kneecap.

Chiantang's wings beat a step to throw him back to gain some distance but not into the air. Harry confirmed in the last fight the dragon's pride wouldn't let him take flight unless Harry himself took to the skies since he'd been challenged to a physical contest.

Harry charged forward before the immortal beast could release his dragon fire but Chiantang instead spun around to whip his spiked tail at Harry.

Harry had no intention of taking another trip into the sky so he dropped back and kicked the tail up as it passed over him to deflect it. He threw himself from the ground at Chiantang to strike as hard as he could at the monster's armpit in an attempt to dislocate Chiantang's shoulder from underneath.

Chiantang however had taken in a breath as he spun around and the moment Harry made contact the dragon released his fiercest fire breath.

Harry blocked it with an armguard charged to the max with the Flame Freezing charm but this breath was far stronger than any the dragon had released before and it would take only a few moments for the charm to expire.

Harry took it as his chance and smashed his other arm onto his chest which caused the chest armor to shatter into pieces. Harry directed those pieces to cover Chiantang's right arm where they gathered together in Harry's attempt at recreating the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.

Chiantang's arm was bent behind him and held there by the interlocking bands and Harry took out his knife and struck with all his force through Chiantang's chest where the knife stuck itself into his rib. There the dagger glowed.

The dagger was similar to a spell grenade but released the mass accumulation of spells on the point it stabbed. The spell Harry crammed as many of as he could into the knife was a healer spell, the basic Bone Removal charm. Although he doubted it would actually cause the rib bone to vanish, it should still have an effect as wizard magic seemed more effective than other types against Chiantang.

The hilt of the dagger glowed the moment the spell was released into the rib which had another effect. Harry had set up another Block Transfer Computation formation around the area with this point as the center and the knife as the target.

Chiantang started glowing blue as the formation's effect successfully took place. Chiantang stopped his flames and used his other arm to strike at Harry but he did slowly, at only a fourth the speed he had been as Time deceleration had been applied to Chiantang through a non-magical means.

Harry used his left arm to block Chiantang's strike and charged his right arm with a new spell. It looked like a thin band of white light spinning around his forearm over his fist to elbow. It was a rapid cycle cutting spell and turned his fist into a chainsaw.

Harry shouted and used every fiber of strength he could muster to slam his fist into Chiantan's chest.

One feature of this formation was relative momentum. As Chiantang's time had been reduced by a quarter, Harry appeared to be moving four times faster and his fist shredded through the black dragon's chest and hit his rib.

Chiantang roared with power and rage, the blue glow flickering as the immortal dragon's will fought against the laws of space and time. The arm Harry was blocking was increasing in strength and cracks formed all over the makeshift bands of Cyttorak.

Harry knew he only had this one chance to finish it so he drew in the stored strength energy from his leg armor and forced it into his arm. His arm was going beyond the limit of energy his flesh could sustain and was about to explode, but in the next instant the rib he was pressing against broke through and his chainsaw fist pierced deep into the immortal dragon's chest and into the heart.

A wave of black energy exploded from Chiantang's body and threw Harry back and to the ground.

Black static spread over Chiantang's body and his knees gave way. The hole in his chest wasn't closing to Harry's relief. The Black Dragon looked over to Harry's near broken form and noticed the damage to Harry's arm was recovering. He said, "I see. There was only one of you. Well played. Be warned though young immortal, there will be consequences for your actions today. And just like you, I shall return."

The black static turned to lightning and consumed his body before exploding outward and seeking Harry Potter. He had no time or strength to move or dodge before the Black lightning entered his body.

*Ping*

['Immortal Dragon Chi' Perk Acquired]

[Dragon Path has risen to rank 5]

Harry leveled up four times which felt rather hollow all things considered. However the Dragon Chi Perk was certainly a hell of a reward and it granted him access to another path which started at rank 5 instead of rank 1. The Path's autocorrections gave a bare bones understanding of how to use it but he was still an amateur in its use. For now anyways.

Harry took the antidote to the growth potion and re-equipped his proper clothes. A few moments later Merlin exited the cave and looked over the damaged landscape caused by all the fights Harry and Chiantang had together.

Harry hadn't taken a polyjuice for his Black Ranger getup since the Shrinking Solution, just like the Growth Solution, didn't go well with Polyjuice so Merlin recognized him as the one he saw die under the Black Dragon's flames.

Merlin asked, "Where is the Sorcerer Supreme?"

Harry answered back, "I sent him a letter, he'll probably show up later."

"What?! Then where is Dragonslayer?"

Harry asked, "What's Dragonslayer?"

"A sword created by the Dragon King and given to man to keep his brother, the Black Dragon in line. Only Dragonslayer has the power to kill the Black Dragon and the Sorcerer Supreme has it."

"Oh. Are there ways of killing him without Dragonslayer?"

"Well, of course there are, but Dragonslayer is the quickest and only real option for most mortals. Where is.. What has happened here? And how are you alive?"

Harry wondered how many people in the history of time and space have ever confused Merlin this much.

A portal opened at the site and out of it walked a beautiful woman with black hair and dark energy permeating her flesh.

The woman took one look at Merlin and said with a scowl, "Has that vile filth betrayed me?"

Harry yelled back, "Chiantang said something about missing a hot date and won't be back until tomorrow. Did you want to leave him a message?"

Merlin summoned his staff and fired purple lightning at the woman who blocked it with a magic shield. Merlin shouted, "Le Fay! You dare show your face before me?!"

The woman, Morgan Le Fay it turned out, caused her shield to glow which absorbed the purple lightning and fired purple energy bolts from the lightning it absorbed. Merlin dodged rather than block as he was pretty out of it from being bound for so long.

Harry paused and went over his options. Morgan Le Fay has always been considered one of the greatest sorcerers in history and is a student of Merlin and is half Fey and is immortal. Oh, and if that weren't enough, she's read lots from the Darkhold, perhaps one of the most dangerous books in existence.

That black wave that shot out of Chiantang when he died removed the Anti-Magic energy in the area which wasn't something Harry expected. If that wasn't the case, Le Fay wouldn't have been able to make a portal to this location. Now that she was here, anti magic wouldn't affect her very much since her skill in Sorcery was far better than Harry's from what he could tell.

Well, that might work.

Harry unpaused and took a magic gun from his inventory and shot Le Fay. However her image faded to reveal itself as an illusion that had even fooled Harry's energy sense.

She reappeared and said, "A magic gun? You're from the future aren't you?"

Harry didn't answer. He tried to focus on his energy sense but she now appeared to be in several places at once though Harry only saw the one in front of him.

Harry tried to apparate out but it didn't work. He then remembers Merlin is a Wizard and also capable of Apparition meaning Le Fay would have set up a means to prevent his escape on arrival.

Merlin started sending out waves of green energy which passed through the illusions and bent around them while the original Morgan Le Fay started glowing.

Harry aimed and fired three shots but Le Fay transformed into a massive snake and dodged the shots. Harry fired at the ground causing an explosion but the snake had moved far faster than a snake should be able to and got clear of the way.

Harry countered by setting his hands on the ground and he cast a wide area transmutation spell.

Pillars and spikes of iron shot up from the ground forcing Le Fay to return to her human form and take to the sky as those with Fairy blood cannot stand the touch of cold iron.

Harry fired a few more shots but her skill at flying allowed her to practically dance through the sky and dodge Harry's remaining magic bullets. She looked like she was playing with him. Harry's senses weren't telling him more than it seemed she wanted him to know which was even worse than the situation with Chiantang.

Merlin fired several barrages of magic spells but they were either dodged, deflected, or absorbed by Le Fay.

The Sorceress smiled and said, "You certainly have lost your touch and your friend from the future has no imagination."

Harry figured that was said to get him angry so he yelled back, "Someone wearing that dress with that belt has no right to talk about imagination!" Yes he was insulting her fashion sense. A low blow for sure, but from her shocked and infuriated expression it seemed to have worked. And seriously though, a silver skull belt buckle?

A vast stream of energy and light shot from the horizon and stuck Le Fay who had been too distracted charging up a spell to kill Harry to notice. An old man of African descent appeared in the sky and fired blast after blast at Le Fay along with Merlin who added to the force. Morgan Le Fey gave one final sneer at Merlin and Harry before teleporting away.

Harry took a look at the new arrival and recognized Merlin's predecessor, the Sorcerer Supreme of this age, Makeen.

He looked at Harry for a moment before going over to Merlin and asked, "What happened here my friend?"

Merlin shook his head and said, "I don't know, ask him."

Makeen calmly walked over to Harry and said, "Who are you?"

Harry sighed and said, "Harry Potter, a student of Kamar-Taj of the fourth year of the 21st century. I was practicing a form of time math and when I checked my calculations the space time broke and I ended up here. Heard Merlin was in trouble so I went to help. I wanted a crack at the Black Dragon but I sent you a letter before facing him in case I failed which it turns out, I didn't. I used time math to hold Chiantang and Wizard magic to pierce his defenses and destroy his heart."

Makeen stayed silent for a moment before giving a weary sigh and said, "I am getting too old for this. Merlin should be able to return you to your time. Do not stay for too long."

Harry nodded, "Yes, yes, I know."

Makeen walked over to Merlin and berated him for getting sloppy for someone who was still in his prime. He told Merlin that once he had paid back Harry for his assistance he was to head straight for Kamar-Taj and finish his uncompleted training.

The Sorcerer Supreme left through a portal and Merlin asked, "You are both a Wizard and Sorcerer are you not?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah. Come to think of it, I heard the Heart Palace technique I learned was something you invented."

Merlin smiled and made a portal to his tower saying, "Follow me then, I know just how to repay you."

What neither knew was that not long after they left, Le Fay returned and used a spell for Time Viewing to see everything that had happened from the Power Rangers to the final fight to the conversation they had after she was driven away. No one had thought to cast any privacy spells after all so when Harry answered Makeen's questions, she heard his answers. Harry was only invisible when looking at him in the future, not the past. The immortal gave a wicked smile and said, "Harry Potter, 2004 eh?"

After arriving at Merlin's place which he cast half a dozen spells to clean due to the length of his absence, Merlin sat Harry down and explained the details of the Heart Palace.

One of the things Harry had never succeeded at was fusing mystical energies with exotic energy to combine Wizardry and Sorcery. Merlin basically told him the trick which involved a lot of visualization and practice.

Once finished, Merlin opened a portal to Harry's time though the same amount of time he had been in the past would have gone by on his return. Merlin didn't have to explain why as Harry knew the consequences of leaving for two weeks and returning the same day.

*Ping*

[Quest Completed: Rescue Merlin]

Reward: New Feature, Load Save.]

As soon as Harry took his first step in the present the Quest completion screen popped up. The full quest was to rescue Merlin and return to the present so he didn't technically complete it until just now.

Harry opened up his menu and confirmed the details. Load Save was basically an instant death he could use any time to kill himself and return to a save point. He still lost a level but the feature had a lot of applications. Should he fall into a tear in reality again, he could pause before arriving and Load Save, thus killing himself and returning to the present before arriving elsewhere. Due to the nature of his body, it was very hard to simply kill himself at convenient times. He could even use this feature to fake his death if he did it right. Though if he really wanted to fake his death he was more likely to charge his body with far too much energy and cause himself to explode, preferably with an audience around and cameras set up in advance he could use to record everyone's expressions.

He wished Load Save could be done without the dying, the losing of a level, and the pain, but there was a chance that having something so convenient would lead to abuse which would spoil him. He didn't want to be the type of guy who played online and disconnected every time he was going to lose.

Before heading back to Kamar-Taj, Harry used a portal to head out into the middle of nowhere and found a hidey hole. Not the one he used to rest, but a different one. Before his final battle against Chiantang, Harry set a few things here. There were a number of magical processes known by Wizard, Sorcerer, and Goblin which took a long time to complete so Harry set up as many as he could think of and now that he returned, he collected them. One example is a process which can turn silver into mithril and gold into adamantium. This process was special because once it started it could not be interrupted or else it would have to start over and the materials used could not be collected while in the process of transmutation.

Of course he didn't have that much gold to work with due to giving most of it to his bank but he had something just as good. Harry had several tons of scrap metal from his Crafting practices and a Philosopher's Stone and for the first time since acquiring it he was able to take it out and use it to turn his scrap into gold and silver. He did so somewhere close to the north pole of course after setting a dozen or so concealing spells which prevented anyone from showing up before he was done.

The Philosopher's Stone could turn base metals into Copper, Silver, or Gold, in addition to making the elixir of life, though the amount it can produce at any time is quite small. Since time does not pass in his inventory he can't collect it in there but at least for that time he was able to get five doses and set them aside for emergencies.

When Harry returned 1400 years later, only about a tenth of the gold had changed and a fifth of the silver. The process which changed it was similar to the half life decay of some materials except it broke down into something more complex instead of something simpler due to the treatment and alchemic formation used.

Something interesting he found when cross referencing some details he learned from his business contacts was that mithril and adamantium had both been discovered a while ago, though mithril had a different name, it was called vibranium.

Although it was only a fraction of the total, the total was measured in tons and though the separating was tricky, he was able to get a large amount of pure adamantium and vibranium for use in future projects. He still remembered the tail swipe of the Black Dragon destroying his sword and if what he heard about the properties of adamantium and vibranium were correct, he wouldn't have that problem in the future.

On Harry's return he went to the Sanctum Sanctorum which had been mostly quiet without him and he informed the Ancient One of his most recent adventure. The reason he didn't keep it to himself was simply because his actions could have further consequences the one in charge of the protection of the realm needed to know.

When finished she said, "I'd ask you to be more careful with the fabric of space and time, but I suppose these things happen."

Harry had no ability to tell the difference between when she was joking and when she was sarcastic. She continued, "You certainly obtained some gains however. A private lesson from Merlin himself and Immortal Dragon Chi of all things. I'm sure you've noticed we don't have much on the use of Chi for Martial Arts and we have nothing on Chi Magic. I suspect you will be capable of Chi Magic in the future but the only Good Chi Wizard I know of lives in San Francisco. I will write him a letter though and ask if he wishes to give you some lessons. As for using Dragon Chi in Martial Arts, there are those capable of teaching it but they are not among those I trust. It would be best if you seek your own path on that matter and keep it to as few people as possible. On another note, it would be prudent not to take off your shirt in public."

"Umm, why?"

She gave an innocent smile, "No reason, as long as you don't mind people staring at the black dragon tattoo that seems to have appeared there."

Harry conjured two full length mirrors, one in front and one behind him and lifted up the back of his shirt revealing the elaborate black dragon figure that seemed to be ascending towards the sky that covered most of his back. At least it looked cooler than Chiantang himself did.

Chi was something Harry had done a great deal of research both in and out of Kamar-Taj after his encounter with the Mandarin. Chi itself was lifeforce, pure and simple. Most humans have very little Chi except for children who are naturally energetic and have excess Chi which their body uses to grow into an adult. There are those who train all their lives to gather and Chi from the world to increase their own but such Chi requires purification which is very difficult due to high concentration of pollutants in the modern era. Harry's Chi however was that of an Immortal Dragon now. though it would be more impressive if the attributes such a thing passively granted weren't things he already had due to the nature of his mutant obscurus body such as healing, magic resistance, and tough physique.

Using it actively however was another story. Without control, he would take the expression 'Bull in a China Shop' to an unprecedented level. In addition to being able to use Chi Magic, he should also be able to learn Dragon magic which is the equivalent of Dragon Chi Magic. Since he got a few examples of how it worked while fighting Chiantang he wouldn't even have to start from scratch.

It didn't take long after his return to Kamar-Taj for Goose to find him and express her displeasure in Harry's absence for the last two weeks. Harry's room had an enchanted litter box, water bowl, and food dispenser which would take years to stop working so Harry wasn't physically needed. But Harry had always found some time to pet or hang out with his familiar and this ended up being the longest period they had been apart since the bond formed.

Harry made it up to her by offering to chauffeur Goose around London all day and take her anywhere she wanted to go which the Flerken 'graciously' accepted. There was also a junior chef cooking contest today Harry had entered himself in a few months back and Goose was not against attending.

After the day trip Harry got back to training. Merlin had told him how to fuse his Exotic energy with the other energies in his Heart Palace and he wanted to try that as fast as he could. Not for increased power through. Harry was aware he was not the only one capable of sensing energy and though few among the Sorcerers could do so without tools or physical contact, there were Wizards who could and likely others as well. When Harry was just saturated with his invisible Exotic energy, that wasn't a problem, but now he had other forms of energy within his body. Harry wanted to merge his Exotic Energy with his Sorcerer Energy so that the invisible nature of one would envelop the other.

According to Merlin, the process of merging one with the other was basically a form of visualization. He had to visualize his Exotic energy as something and his other forms of energy as something that was compatible with it. Being a chief, he decided to use food. He thought of his Exotic energy as butter. He then thought of his Dimensional Energy as mashed potatoes. Once the imagery clicked, he felt the inherent incompatibility of the two energies within him fall away and slowly merge together.

The other energies he would assign as other foods. Strength Energy from Cyttorak's Crimson Cosmos he'd think of as broccoli. Nature Energy he'd think of as biscuits. Mist Energy from Valtorr's realm would fit as popcorn and Ikonn's Illusion Energy he could think of as rice. Raggadorr's Binding and Anti Magic Energy he would think of as pancakes and Krakkan's Locking and Unlocking Energies he could see as steak.

Once he started the fusion he found he could increase the rate or slow it down, but he couldn't reverse it. That was fine, but he had to take his time to adjust to the fused energies and slowly adapt the spells he knew to use the fused energy. Technically, he could force a complete fusion right now, but then the spells he knew which used the energies on their own wouldn't work and he would have to make new ones from scratch.

This process of merging energies however only worked with Exotic Energy. Merging other forms of energy would cause one to disrupt the other or will cause one to try to convert the other into itself. Exotic Energy however doesn't follow the same rules which is why it is possible for it to be merged within a Heart Palace. That being said, since Wizards who try to use Dimensional or Nature Energy often explode according to the Grimoires of the Black Family Library, Harry might have been only the 2nd person in history after Merlin himself to actually do it. The Ancient One had told Harry he wasn't the first Wizard to try becoming a Sorcerer, only that he was the second to succeed.

Harry had intended to take his time safely testing the merged energies, preferably under the eye of the Ancient One in the Mirror Dimension, but things don't always go as planned.

A week after returning from his time skipping adventure, his London Residence got a package with his prize for 4th place in the cooking contest he went to with Goose. It was a very large, autographed, limited edition cookbook with a ribbon tied around it. Harry didn't bother removing the ribbon once he opened the package. He just placed it directly into his Inventory.

*Ping*

[Darkhold has become bound to Inventory and cannot be removed.]

Harry's last thought before his senses were enveloped by darkness was, 'Oops.'

«

*Ping*

[Darkhold has established a connection to the Nether Plane.

Spirit Body has been forced into the $%#&% %# $% Nether Plane.]

Harry woke in the semi-ethereal form which he often took while using battle meditation or exploring the astral plane. He clearly remembered his last sense which was the feeling of a book entering his inventory. He could now tell that the book itself was made of a special material reminiscent of Quirrel's turban that blocked his energy sense which is why he didn't feel the content hidden within the hollowed out book until it was too late. And now the Darkhold had trojan horsed itself into his inventory and it didn't want to leave.

The Darkhold was said to be written by the Elder Demon God of Chaos, Chthon, as a means to interact with a world he promised his sister, Gaea, he would not return to. The Darkhold was a loophole to this promise and contained all the knowledge the Elder God. Chthon could even make specific sections stand out to draw in the attention of the reader to learn what he wanted them to and act in a manner he wanted them to act.

Harry had long since determined that his inventory was basically where his mind and soul was located. Even if Harry died in a sealed room, his magic obscurus particles would be taken into his inventory and removed from his inventory at his last respawn point so without knowing where his save point was, he couldn't be killed in the physical world without great difficulty. That meant that to truly kill or harm Harry, he had to be attacked through his inventory, which now had a connection to an Evil Elder Demon God of Chaos.

Harry got up and tried to end his Battle Meditation but it didn't work, his astral body seemed to be locked in this plane and he wasn't getting out the easy way.

While in the Astral Plane, Harry couldn't pause, use his inventory, or even use his new Load Save feature as they all could only be done from his body. One reason Harry had yet to put any serious effort into creating powerful equipment for himself was because most of the Energy he obtained for Level ups came from Battle Meditation and he couldn't even use any item he created here. Sure, he could conjured a weapon using magic but he couldn't take from or place items into his inventory unless he was in his own body.

Through his inventory Harry felt the Darkhold's contents entice him to memorize it even as the specific contents that seemed to stand out shifted to become more and more alluring. He was doing his best to ignore it but it was like having someone whisper in your ear without being able to tell if it was your own thoughts or someone else's words. Unlike other books that were easy to ignore, the Darkhold was interactive and wasn't affected by the time stop of his Inventory. Eventually it would imprint itself completely on Harry and Harry Potter himself would be all but dead. What would take his place would be a servant of Chthon, or worst, a Vessel.

Harry himself was both emotion and logic driven but emotions can be manipulated and the logic of an Elder God born before life existed on earth could easily direct Harry to think that serving as Chthon's vessel would be a logical choice. He wouldn't even have to do it directly, he could just whisper into his subconscious until his conscious couldn't think of any reason not to do so and would even be willing to do it with glee.

That would be bad.

Harry wasn't sure how someone arranged this as it required knowledge of Harry's ability to become one with books with only the Ancient One and Snape having learned that, and the latter had erased the knowledge from his mind.

According to the messed up little pop ups, he was now in the Nether Plane, which just so happened to be the Plane of existence Chthon lived in and ruled. Chthon's power was chaos and knowledge. But that actually worked against Harry as it basically meant that the stronger you knew Chthon to be, the stronger he actually was. And since the Darkhold was telling him exactly how powerful Chthon was, it wasn't looking very good for Harry at the moment.

Harry decided to try walking around. Sitting down wasn't helping him distract his thoughts away from the promises of infinite power the book on his mind continued to whisper to him and he figured a good distraction would help prolong the inevitable or maybe buy time for a miracle. He couldn't even go through the other books in his inventory since the Darkhold was like a shining light and would draw his attention to it if he even thought in the general direction of the books in his inventory. He could already feel parts of his mind trying to break his mental discipline and go through every word of the Darkhold. He was pretty sure the part of his mind saying 'a single peak wouldn't hurt' wasn't a part of his mind at all.

There was one thing which gave Harry hope. Chthon may be able to access his soul through his inventory, but he could not take it unless Harry gave it to him. Harry hadn't memorized the Ancient One's private Library for nothing. Even in a situation like this, he still knew what could and could not be done. He simply had to figure out how to not be tricked or enticed into doing just that and hope Chthon would eventually grow bored of him.

The inky black void around him changed into a serene landscape with a beautiful night sky that surpassed the majesty of the sky he missed during his tutorial in the land of the dead. A few feet from him was a quaint table and sitting there was a beautiful woman who looked about twenty or so with silky black hair framing an enchantingly flawless face. She had pearl smooth skin that glowed under the dim moon light of the sky above and a black velvet dress that hugged her form leaving little to the imagination while still looking tasteful. Her eyes had a fascinating color close to violet but far more otherworldly. She wasn't looking directly at him however but was reading a book at the table.

Harry thought it was one hell of a low blow. He had been able to avoid most of the effects of puberty since the only woman he interacted with these days was the bald Ancient One and she was an aunt figure to him so he never thought of her that way. Now, his fourteen year old hormones which shouldn't even affect him in the astral plane, but somehow were doing exactly that, were being used against him as he faced what was basically the sexiest being he'd even encountered.

Still, no point in being rude. He said, "Hello, my name is Harry, nice to meet you," before taking a seat.

The 'woman' closed her book and elegantly set it to the side before turning to him with an irresistible smile. She spoke with a silky British accent that made him dizzy, "Hello Harry. It's nice to meet you as well. I'm sure you've already guessed it, but I'm the Lord of this Dimension, Chthon."

Harry did his best not to tremble as the negative emotion suppression he usually relied on seemed gone at the moment and after a breath to steady himself he said, "So what can I do for you today? I'm sure you didn't invite me here for my wonderful company."

Her beauty seemed magnified through her smile and she said, "No, I cannot say I did, wonderful as your company is sure to be. You're already doing far better than most. The innate mental protections granted to you are stopping my direct attempts to control you, but it is your own will that strengthens them. I'm very impressed."

Harry's fear of the woman was ebbing away which he knew to be a bad thing as his fear would keep his hormones from making him do anything stupid. Damn she was good.

She smiled as if his thoughts were clearly on display and said, "I'll make this simple Harry Potter. I want you. Not as a vessel, I already have another in mind for that. Not as an avatar either as once I have a vessel I won't need one."

Harry understood that she wasn't even bothering to hide the fact that his thoughts since entering this realm had been an open book to her. Harry asked, "If not as a vessel or an avatar, what use could you have for me? For that matter, how did you get the Darkhold to me? I didn't think you could just deliver it by mail. How did you even find out I could absorb it?"

She gave a smile that was as seductive as it was predatory and said, "How clever. You're correct of course. The Sorceress Le Fay discovered your identity and sought a means to strike back at you from her own time. However because she could not find you in the future, she was forced to use the Darkhold. That was where I learned of you and through Le Fay I took some steps. The Room of Requirements of your school was actually created from a spell of mine within the Darkhold. I too could not find you but since I knew you to be a wizard from Le Fay, I made sure you would enter that room as soon as possible. Although I cannot affect the room, I can see everything that goes on within so I simply had to wait for you to arrive. That is how I learned of and witnessed your gifts. As for getting the Darkhold to you, it wasn't difficult to manipulate Le Fay into doing so for me. After finishing my preparations I simply gave her a spell that she thought would send an attack into the future at you, but once the spell was cast it drew the Darkhold itself into the spell and directly into the future. By the time the Darkhold had reached the present, I had enough information on you to manipulate a few things to get it to you. And as for what I want from you? As I said before that's quite simple. I want everything. You're not aware of even a fraction of the gifts you have been given and through my power you can rise higher than any on the mortal plane."

Harry tried to remain oblivious to her attempt at seduction and pretend he wasn't blushing. He then tried to nonchalantly shrug, "Why would I want that? I mean it might be nice for a little while but wouldn't that get boring rather quickly?"

Chthon laughed with the clarity of a silver bell and said, "Indeed. Power is hard for others to obtain but you can acquire it as you please given enough time, thus it does not hold the same value to you."

Harry nodded and said, "Even if I became the strongest person ever, I would likely find ways to limit myself to keep things interesting. So a quick means to become powerful would just make it more inconvenient later when I need to limit myself."

Chthon leaned over the table giving a godly view of her cleavage and Harry had to use every fraction of willpower he had to stop himself from looking through the Darkhold for sex spells.

She stared into Harry's soul and could easily see he was not lying to her. Harry had gained a love of video games in the afterlife and enjoyed the feeling of doing one's best to grow stronger. A game where one was given the power to defeat everything right away without effort wouldn't be worth playing and since he considered himself a video game character, he took this as an outlook on life. Harry also lacked the connection to many others at the moment. It was something of a coincidence at this point in his life and would likely change soon, but there was no one he wanted the power to protect and no one he would give up his soul for right now. This meant Chthon's usual offers held little value to Harry. That being said, she was a flexible Elder Demon God of Chaos so she had other things to offer. There may not be any specific person on earth Harry would sacrifice himself to protect, but what about the earth itself?

Chthon said, "It is true that you hold no interest in what I have offered to others. That doesn't mean I can't give you what you want. Tell me Harry, are you aware of the deepest desire of your soul?"

Harry couldn't exactly trust his mind at the moment to give him an honest answer but it would be rude to remain silent so he looked back at his memories. Looking at the sky above him he sighed and said, "I just enjoy helping people." It was his hobby after all.

Chthon smiled and said, "I will take possession of the earth with or without your assistance. As I've said however, I want you. I will take you either now, or through my vessel on the earth, but one way or another you will be mine. Now however, I shall offer a concession. Give yourself to me and in return, I shall not take any action that harms anyone on earth."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the deal and did his best to ignore what she said before that. He answered, "I highly doubt that would be possible."

Chthon said with that silky voice that was still making him dizzy, "You enjoy helping people, but that is not all your heart desires. You want to live in a world filled with adventure and wonder. Chaos can be sinister but it can also be subtle. I can see the sky your heart desires and I must say, I think it has promise. If you give yourself to me, I won't reshape the world in a single moment, I will do it gradually, over the course of centuries. No one will die due to a sudden surge in chaotic forces. Instead, they will all be given the needed period to safely adjust. Over time, chaos will spread and humans will gain abilities while animals will become stronger, more fierce, and more numerous. Technology will experience several leaps forward due to a few chaotic breakthroughs and the world will advance into something beautiful. Accept my deal, and the world itself will become your game."

Harry shook his head to try and regain his wits and asked, "And how would I even be able to enjoy such a thing if I've given you my soul?"

Her flawless smile and glistening lips drew his attention in what he recognized as a sexual fascination spell. The fact that he recognized it made him realize his mental defenses had given in at some point during the conversation. He recognized the spell because it was in the Darkhold and without his awareness catching on another part of his mind had already started memorizing the Darkhold's contents. He remembered that memorizing the Darkhold was supposed to be a bad thing but for some reason couldn't quite place why it had been bad.

She said, "I never asked for your soul Harry. I asked for you. I want you, the whole you, and everything that comes with it. I won't take your soul from your delicious body, I want it right where it is. I want you to stand at my side in the world I intend to create."

Chthon edged herself further over the table close to Harry and with half closed eyes and a sultry tone, she said, "And I want you in my bed at the side of my future vessel."

Harry felt light and muddled and he couldn't help but be drawn into those fascinating magic filled eyes. However all the mind magic in the world wasn't able to cover up the one thing that was lacking in those perfect violet irises. There was no love.

That realization sparked something in Harry and through the fog of his mind he answered, "No."

Even with the Darkhold whispering in his ear, perfection itself staring him in the eye, his mind assaulted by the strongest and subtlest of magics, and his hormones trying to control his body like a puppet on its strings, he could never give himself to someone who didn't love him. Thanks to his mother and father, even if they were echoes, he knew what love looked like and thanks to his relatives, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, he knew what its absence looked like as well.

The world shattered around him as the illusion broke and he was returned to the inky black lands. Before him stood a massive formless creature seemingly made of ink and shadow with an indecipherable silhouette.

Jagged words erupted from the space itself, "I will have you Harry Potter. One way, or another."

The fear that had faded away returned in full swing and Harry's mind had made a comeback. He concentrated on butter saturated mashed potatoes while creating his favorite heavy sword. Rather than the standard rust color, this Eldritch Heavy Sword was blood red. He knew there would be consequences for fully merging his Exotic Energy into his Dimensional Energy without an adjustment period but he would be thrilled if he could just survive long enough to face such consequences.

Even though this was Chthon's Realm, the Nether Realm was one of the closest realms to earth and it was only due to the promise Chthon made to Gaea that prevented invasion. This however also meant that it was not isolated meaning he could still draw upon other forms of energy for combat just like during Battle Meditation.

Tentacles of squirming darkness shifted in and out of existence sweeping back and forth over Harry at wind breaking speed. Harry used an image of buttered broccoli to saturate his spirit with Exotic energy infused Strength energy from the Crimson Cosmos. He wanted to overload his spirit with energy and self destruct like he could in the material realm with his flesh, but his spirit had well defined limits and he had never been able to draw in more energy than the limit of his spirit in the astral plane.

Harry moved faster than he ever had before and swung his heavy sword through the writhing tentacles striking him from every direction. However there was little else he could do. Chthon was the absolute law of this dimension and although he was weak against Eldritch magic, something his heavy sword counted as, that only meant Harry had some room to struggle rather than immediately get ground to pudding since no other form of magic would work against the being labeled as the first Black Magician.

The space voiced out as appendages coalesced from the inky void into creatures beyond mortal description, "Your use of magic is impressive for a wizard, but who do you think invented it? Let me tell you a little secret. There is no such thing as Exotic Energy. Your kind are the descendants of my children, beings capable of molding reality as they saw fit using My Power! What you generate and wield is nothing less than Chaotic Energy itself! Your kind once ruled the world under my power until they turned against me. With a single spell, they wiped my existence from their own memories and the memories of all others. They convinced themselves their magic had nothing to do with me, nothing to do with Chaos, and without the knowledge of my existence as an anchor I lost my throne in your world."

Harry knew what Chthon was doing. The Demon God was pressing Harry into a corner by informing him his own magic could never defeat Chthon. Harry's frantic mind had practically gone against his will and already started combing over the Darkhold in an attempt to find some means to escape or get out of this situation. But since Chthon controlled what parts of the Darkhold would draw in Harry's attention, it was only showing him means of getting stronger which would corrupt him, not a means to escape. Eventually Harry would reach a limit and be forced to use those means and with that there would be no turning back.

Of course Chthon wasn't trying to kill him, just pressure him. Harry could stop swinging his massive sword at the endless hordes of creatures now surrounding him while the space itself struck at him again and again just barely slow enough for him to dodge. If he stopped, Chthon would too since he had no intention of allowed Harry to die. But if he stopped fighting, Chthon would simply use other means to pressure him. Means like torture, or worse, more seduction. Harry knew that Elder Gods didn't really have a gender but Gaea was considered female and Chthon was considered male and the fact that 'he' just tried and damn near succeeded at seducing Harry would give him nightmares for a long time if he survived this with his sanity intact.

Even though it was only his spirit, he would tire eventually. And it seemed although Harry was technically destroying creatures made of pure energy, he wasn't absorbing them for experience likely due to Chthon's power. He wasn't given any path that would allow him to win besides the one Chthon chose for him. He was also pretty sure even if he knew of such a path, Chthon was probably using mind magic to prevent him from thinking of it. That meant he could never make a successful plan.

Harry was getting frustrated and even angry, something he hadn't felt in a long time due to the negative emotion suppressing effects of his power. However once he realized this, it did in fact give him an idea.

Harry concentrated on his anger and let it fill him. Just like hormones, anger can make people do stupid things. He never allowed himself to get angry at his aunt and uncle's because they would punish him for anything stupid he did while angry. Because of that, he had no idea what he would do while angry. And that was a better alternative than making a plan Chthon allowed him to make.

Harry shouted and rushed into the array of creatures and slashed with all his strength at anything that caught his attention. He no longer concerned himself with conserving energy, just dealing as much destruction and damage as he could. He dived deep into his memories of his childhood with his relatives and every unjust action they ever took against him. He thought about the so-called Wizarding World that sent him to that hell and forgot about him until he exploded! Harry gave completely into his rage with all his heart and soul!

A barrier within his mind snapped and golden streams of energy burst from Harry's spirit form like raging flames. Now he remembered. He'd recently acquired Immortal Dragon Chi and he had read from the Grand Grimoire. He could try Block Transfer Computations and turn into his Animagus form if absolutely necessary like his Godfather had in Azkaban.

Harry realized that before he awoke in this plane, some of his knowledge must have been sealed though thankfully it was the same seal rather than multiple seals. He didn't remember he had Immortal Dragon Chi until now but his pure rage was enough to awaken its power without consciously being aware of it which broke the seal.

Chthon didn't seem to mind and said, "You interest me more and more with every moment. Let me show you the power of True Chaos Magic!"

Exotic energy, or as Chthon stated it actually was, Chaos energy, was filling the space and conjuration and transfiguration and charms and hexes all seemed to occur through the space at the same time. At first Harry thought it was different but now with it raging through the space in various concentrations, Harry saw the similarities between the energy he could generate and Chaos Energy from this plane. Other forms of energy were always uniform. Unless tainted, the Dimensional Energy in one Sorcerer had the same feel as another. This is because it comes from the same source as long as they were in the same dimension. The Exotic Energy in Wizards however were each unique to them because they generated it. And this Chaos Energy may have felt different from his own Exotic Energy, but now that he knew where to look, it was simply the difference between one wizard's magic and another's, though far denser and less uniform overall.

From the Chaos Energy saturating the space came maddening creatures conjured from nothing that had their forms transfigured unexpectedly as they attacked in impossible to predict manners which caused strange effects with every movement. Harry used the strength enhancement and protection from magic of his Immortal Dragon Chi to fight back with his blood red Eldritch Heavy Sword but since Wizard Magic was effective against Dragons it came as no surprise that this Chaos Magic was the same since it apparently was in fact, the same.

Harry tried several different computations using Block Transfer Computation but any effect good or bad it had was garbled up in the torrent of chaotic energies which rendered the math of time and space meaningless and he wasn't being given a chance to setup anything large enough to have a strong effect.

He thought back to the times he remembered the Ancient One telling him where she had to face the Masters of other Dimensions in their own Dimensions but more often than not, that only played out in her favor through trickery, bluffs, or deals with other beings. Not much good at the moment.

There was one thing he remembered which gave him something of a plan. The one who wrote the Grand Grimoire had written a spell to break out of dimensions you are trapped in and although Harry never practiced it, he figured he might be able to use it even in his astral form. However he wasn't being given an opening to use it. Endless legions of creatures were being formed from nothingness and Harry's own wizard magic spells such as Finite Incantatem were not working to dismiss them or easily defeat them.

Space itself seemed to bend a fold and Harry could barely move a step without finding himself turned upside down or backwards.

Harry figured since Chthon wasn't going to just give him an opening he might as well just put everything he had into one shot since he wasn't exactly getting stronger as time marched on. It wasn't difficult to notice that the creatures that reformed after he slew them were slowly adapting to his attacks meaning any skill he had which could easily slay them wouldn't do so for very long.

Harry focused on the image of butter saturated pancakes to fully merge his Anti Magic and Exotic Energy and shouted, "Through these words I cast you back, seven rings top to bottom. Bind the magic cast it out, Finite Incantatem!" Seven rings materialized in the void around Harry and within that space the conjured creatures evaporated. This was a spell Harry designed which fused the concept of the Seven Rings of Raggadorr with Finite Incantatem, Anti Magic and Magic Cancellation in one. Since he fully merged the two energies together it was also the only anti magic spell he had and he was lucky he already had an idea on how to use it. Rather than cast on the enemy though, he cast it on himself. In doing so, parts of his mind he didn't know were still blocked off suddenly opened up and Harry regained his sense of self.

Creatures and tentacles that tried to enter the space of the rings evaporated as well so Harry used the chance to pour all his willpower into his soul as he focused his dimensional energy into a single point. Harry shouted "Critical Burst!" and forced the point to expand while contracting to create a critical point mass. Cracks formed around him and shattered his rings but the creatures and horrid masses didn't approach him.

The space itself darkly laughed, "Well then, go on through."

Critical Burst should first crack the space and then shatter it into a hole allowing passage into the space between realms known as the Crossroads. With the amount of energy Harry put into it there should have been an opening large enough for a tank to drive through with room on both sides.

Instead, the opening that formed in the center of the cracked space wasn't large enough for him to squeeze his pinky finger through. Critical Burst used pure Dimensional Energy to work and since his had fully fused with his Exotic Energy, the spell he was gambling everything on ended up a dud.

The darkness bellowed deeply, "Give up Harry Potter. There is no way for you to escape me."

Harry realized that Chthon had probably allowed him to use his plan not only to waste all of Harry's energy, but to give him hope just for a moment before smashing it to pieces.

The creatures around him slowly moved in but before they reached him the darkness cried out, "What?!"

From the tiny crack a flame emerged and lit the darkness like a torch in the night.

"No! He is mine!" rumbled the darkness.

The flames broke through the cracks and entered the Nether space, it burned away the darkness and all the creatures and black magic within. The void itself seemed to shatter and was replaced with a new sun. The flaming sphere didn't burn nor harm Harry who had nearly given up hope. It lengthened and shifted and wings emerged from its sides as it took on a familiar shape. The a woman's voice rang out from the fire bird, "He is not yours, and he will never be yours."

The shape of the flames tightened into what Harry now recognized as a phoenix. Which meant there was only one identity he could assign to this being. The Phoenix Force.