allendalepharm Chapter 206 The Invaders on an Empty Stage
Chapter 206 The Invaders on an Empty Stage
Chapter 206 The Invaders on an Empty Stage
The players' tunnel was filled with a stuffy smell of dust, broom grease, and sweat, creating a world apart from the hustle and bustle outside.
Karen pushed his speed to the limit, his footsteps echoing through the empty stone walls like a rapid drumbeat. As he ran, he frantically poured magic into the movement spells on his legs, while his brain worked at its limit.
Who is Voldemort's new host? This thought gnawed at him like a leech. He had secretly scanned everyone in the castle, from professors to students, even Filch and the house-elf in the kitchen, with his True Eye after the Basilisk crisis, confirming no unusual parasites! Therefore, the only variable was the Ministry of Magic official and his entourage who had suddenly arrived today! An Auror brought by Fudge? Or some inconspicuous clerk?
The target is most likely still the restricted area! Voldemort didn't know the Philosopher's Stone was an empty shell. He thought Voldemort had already escaped, but that makes sense. He'd already paid such a high price; he certainly wouldn't give up the Philosopher's Stone so easily.
The Guardian Communication just now received a reply; the principal will arrive immediately.
A fierce clash of ideas ensued. Without hesitation, Karen pulled out the black feather brooch given to her by Professor Castor from inside her robe and quickly pinned it to her collar. The subtle runes on the feather were instantly activated, and a faint but strange fluctuation spread out, interfering with any possible anti-tracking and tracking magic.
The third-floor corridor was right in front of her! Karen suddenly stopped in her tracks, pressed her back against the cold stone wall, held her breath, and activated the "Eye of Truth" to its limit.
The air in the corridor rippled like water after a pebble has been thrown in, creating distinct, chaotic magical ripples—the very remnants of the cold, slippery energy he had sensed in his fleeting moment on the court! The traces were still fresh, pointing towards the depths of the corridor—towards the hidden entrance leading to the "forbidden zone"!
There are people at the entrance!
Through the Eye of Truth, behind the seemingly ordinary stone wall at the entrance, a blurry humanoid silhouette was enveloped in a viscous, filthy, churning dark red magical energy! That energy was filled with violence, greed, and an extreme, soul-tearing pain.
It was the evil aura of Voldemort's main soul! But this powerful dark magic was now enveloped by an extremely weak, almost extinguished life force—the magic belonging to the host himself, as weak as a candle in the wind, as if it could be completely devoured at any moment!
"As expected—." Karen's heart sank. He had found a new host, but he didn't know who it was.
Just then, the faint life force shrouded in darkness fluctuated violently! It was as if the host was enduring some immense pain or a shock to its will! At the same time, the lead box tightly gripped by Karen's left hand suddenly became scorching hot! The secondary fragment sealed inside the box seemed to be strongly stimulated, frantically colliding with the inner walls, conveying chaos, pain, and a trace of instinctive submission and attraction!
Now! The host's will is unstable, and the fragments are resonating, creating a possible gap in Voldemort's control!
Karen no longer hesitated. Her right wand shot up with lightning speed, and the power of the Silent Spell instantly materialized!
"They'll all be petrified!"
A condensed, almost tangible, grayish-white beam of light tore through the air, silently yet with incredible speed, shooting towards the stone wall! The target was not the physical wall, but rather, under the Eye of Truth's lock-on, the location slightly below the core of the dark red magic power—the location of the host's torso!
puff!
The petrification spell's beam pierced through the illusory stone wall image in real vision without any hindrance, accurately hitting the humanoid silhouette shrouded in darkness!
"Nya-i!"
A suppressed, inhuman roar of extreme pain suddenly erupted from behind the stone wall! The sound was distorted and deformed, as if two voices were tearing each other apart—one was a weak human cry of pain, and the other was a shrill scream full of rage and resentment, like the hiss of a venomous snake!
The stone wall rippled violently under the intense impact of magic, spreading out like waves to reveal the dark entrance hidden behind it!
At the entrance, a figure collapsed stiffly to the ground, his body still in a forward-leaning posture, quickly covered by a layer of grayish-white stone. However, the instant he fell, a viscous, asphalt-like black shadow, churning with a dark red light, suddenly broke free from the back of his head! The shadow let out a silent, vicious shriek, filled with the fury of its plans being abruptly interrupted, and like a black poisoned arrow released from a bow, it shot relentlessly towards the denser darkness deeper within the entrance—the staircase leading to the "forbidden zone"!
It's trying to force its way in!
Karen's pupils constricted sharply. Voldemort's main soul had so decisively chosen to detach from its host! Was it because the host's life force had been instantly petrified and suppressed, unable to support it any longer? Or was it making a desperate gamble?
"Don't even think about escaping!" Karen hissed, raising her wand once more! This time, her target was the fleeing shadowy figure!
However, just as he was about to cast his spell, a powerful yet familiar gentle magic descended from behind him like a tide! At the same time, a blazing golden-red flame, accompanied by a clear phoenix cry, arrived first, like a burning spear of judgment, piercing with unparalleled precision the dark shadow that was trying to escape into the darkness!
Dumbledore has arrived! Fox has arrived too!
boom!!!
Golden-red flames and surging dark red shadows collided violently at the narrow entrance! A blinding light exploded with an extremely piercing soul scream! A violent surge of energy swept out like a hurricane, making Karen's robes flutter wildly, almost causing her to lose her balance.
The light faded. On the ground at the entrance, only one person remained, his face frozen in pain and shock—Karen didn't recognize him. The evil shadow had vanished completely in the phoenix's flames, leaving only the nauseating smell of burnt and sulfur in the air, and a lingering, bone-chilling malice.
silence.
Only Karen's slightly rapid breathing echoed.
Dumbledore slowly walked to the entrance, his silver beard and hair gleaming in the light reflected from Fawkes' tail feathers. He looked down at his host on the ground, then gazed into the darkness deep within the entrance, his azure eyes as deep as an abyss, churning with icy rage and all-knowing sharpness.
"He's finally come, Headmaster." Karen stepped forward, his voice slightly hoarse from the fierce battle, his gaze fixed on the dark depths of the staircase. "Too bad, he got away again." He opened his left hand, the lead box in his palm still burning hot, the secondary fragment inside still faintly agitated. Karen's attitude towards Voldemort was to strike while he was weak. This main soul, who already knew some of Voldemort's talents, had to be in his own hands, especially now that he was at his weakest.
"Run?" Dumbledore's voice was calm, yet it held a storm within it. "No, Cullen. He never truly left. This failure has only cost him dearly. That fire—it will break his heart." He paused, his gaze shifting to Cullen with a barely perceptible hint of approval and deep concern. "You did well, faster than anyone else. But you also saw that Tom is never short of patience or underhanded tactics. He's like the most cunning viper, always finding the weakest opening."
He took a step forward, leading the way into the dark entrance to the "empty stage." His aged yet upright figure resembled a mountain, heading towards the battlefield that had once been prepared for Harry, but was now occupied by Dark Kay.
"The real game is far from over. Follow along, and let's see what he's trying to find in this empty shell."
Cullen gripped the scorching lead box in his hand, glancing one last time at the distant cheers echoing from the stadium behind him. Had Harry already caught the Snitch? Wesley and the others were celebrating? He took a deep breath, suppressing the chill and heaviness surging within him. A steady glow emanated from the tip of his wand, and he followed Dumbledore, stepping without hesitation into the unknown darkness still tinged with the Dark Lord's aura.