Bang! Boom!The massive head of the basilisk crashed to the ground, followed by its enormous body slamming down with a deafening roar. Thick, foul-smelling black blood gushed from the severed neck, flowing like a stream across the floor of the Chamber of Secrets.
Staring at the basilisk he had just slain, Sean took a deep breath. Then, gripping the transformed giant Sword of Gryffindor, he prepared to keep going—to kill Miles, who was possessed by Tom, and end it all.
For the safety of Hogwarts, for the safety of the students, and to punish evil and uphold justice—Sean believed Miles would definitely be willing to die and perish together with Voldemort's soul!
So, he didn't need to worry too much about Miles's life.Just kill him—and save Hogwarts.
Holding the Sword of Gryffindor tightly with both hands, Sean charged toward Miles.
But in that moment, the sword suddenly began to shrink rapidly, returning to its original size. It became a regular one-handed Sword of Gryffindor. Then, to his shock, it grew faint and translucent—and slipped right out of his grip, embedding itself point-first into the ground.
Brows furrowing, Sean reached out to grab it again—but his hand passed straight through the hilt.
He couldn't touch it at all.
At that moment, a prompt appeared on Sean's panel:
[Sword of Gryffindor]Magic Item, Enchanted Weapon, Relic of Godric Gryffindor.Only those who truly possess the qualities recognized by Gryffindor can pick it up.Highly effective against magic, magical items, and magical creatures.Can change its size to match the wielder's will and stature.
Staring at the prompt, Sean's eye twitched.
So… when I'm killing a basilisk, I have the qualities Gryffindor approves of. But when I want to kill Tom in Miles's body… suddenly I don't qualify anymore?
You're seriously giving me double standards… with a sword?!
Well, whatever.Sean hadn't counted on the Sword of Gryffindor in his original plan anyway.
Besides—The basilisk could resist magic, but Sean seriously doubted that Tom, even while possessing Miles's body, could do the same.
Looking at the prompts on the panel, Sean couldn't help but smile.
This was the first time he had gained three abilities from a single target.
And because the basilisk, unlike a wizard, had no complicated traits or preferences, all three abilities Sean received were highly practical. Although two of them were currently locked and exclusive to his Animagus form, their nature gave Sean a very strong hint about what his Animagus might be.
As for the magical toxin evolved from the basilisk venom—this became Sean's own unique magic.
This spell, Venomous Surge, could instantly poison anyone it struck. Currently at LV0, it possessed only the most basic infusion effect. To strengthen it, Sean would need to not only practice and raise its level, but also seek out powerful toxins. Casting the spell on those toxins would allow him to absorb their essence and evolve the spell with new effects.
The current version already carried the basilisk venom's notoriously persistent toxicity. Since that property had already been integrated, basilisk venom could no longer enhance the spell further. From now on, Sean would need to absorb different toxins.
For example—the venom of the giant Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest.
With that thought, Sean closed the panel and turned to look at Tom.
At this moment, Tom stood beside the corpse of the basilisk, stroking it silently. He had never imagined that such a powerful creature could fall at Sean's hands. He also hadn't expected that Dumbledore would send only a phoenix carrying the filthy Sorting Hat—allowing Harry Potter to obtain the hidden Sword of Gryffindor, and Sean Bulstrode to slay the basilisk with it!
Without the basilisk, more than half of his plan had collapsed.
Turning his gaze toward Sean and Harry, who stood in the distance, Tom's spectral face surfaced once again over Miles's features. His expression twisted with fury. He glared at Sean, eyes blazing, and shouted:
"Sean Bulstrode! I'll make you pay for this!"
Without responding to Tom's words, Sean simply raised his wand and gave a formal dueling salute. Then, without a word, he reached into his robes and pressed the white pocket watch.
The needle on the pocket watch spun in a full circle, and a flash of white mist enveloped Sean's body. In the next instant, all the physical strength and magical energy he had consumed during the previous battle were restored—reset to the exact state he had been in before the fight began, just as he had set with the timer.
Having done this, Sean and Tom cast spells at each other simultaneously!
The moment their duel began, Harry also raised his wand, ready to rush forward and help Sean—but as the clash unfolded, Harry quickly realized how naive his thoughts had been.
This battle was no longer something he could take part in.
The blinding light, thunderous roars, and blazing flames from various spells exploded between Sean and Tom. Some collided and canceled each other out, others twisted together and flew wildly into the surroundings, scorching the stone floor and blasting holes in the chamber walls.
Sean waved his wand, and a ripple of blue and white light expanded in front of him, reflecting a Stunner back toward Tom. In the same motion, he swung his wand downward in a smooth arc and released a Disarming Spell.
On the other side, Tom was just as skilled. All types of magic had been fully integrated into his spellcasting. Though this was merely a fragment of Voldemort's soul from his student days—and not the dark, green-robed madman who relied solely on the Unforgivable Curses during his reign as the Dark Lord—he was still overwhelmingly powerful.
Even so, Sean could feel it: the pressure was immense.
And gradually—he was starting to fall into a disadvantage.