He'd successfully bribed the most terrifying Dark Lord in the history of the magical world, and moreover, the latter had actively accepted his bribe.
At this moment, the Briber potion within Dudley's body rapidly digested and absorbed. Simultaneously, the extraordinary characteristics of the Baron of Corruption emerged from within his body, quickly fusing with him.
Dudley finally took this step toward Sequence 6 of the Black Emperor pathway—Baron of Corruption.
Strange whispers and murmurs reached his ears. Dudley's face became somewhat distorted, as if countless people were speaking in his mind, luring him to fall into endless darkness and abandon self-control.
"Dudley, Dudley..." Harry's voice came from far and near.
It gradually awakened Dudley from the endless whispers. The situation in the Chamber appeared before his eyes again.
"What's wrong with you?" Harry asked urgently.
Everyone else's gazes fell upon Dudley at this moment.
Just now, they'd all felt Dudley's aura had become different. That terrifying oppressive force was involuntarily released from his body, making everyone feel fear.
Moreover, that feeling was different from the usual authoritative presence Dudley gave them. Dudley's aura had become cold, filled with unspeakable horror.
He no longer seemed like the brother, classmate, friend, or master they knew, but rather an emotionless, strange creature looking down upon them.
"I'm fine." Dudley shook his head.
The whispers in his ears gradually disappeared. He'd completed his advancement and become a Baron of Corruption.
Not far away, the basilisk possessed by Voldemort was observing Dudley.
Obviously, Voldemort didn't understand what had just happened either. When he controlled the basilisk to swallow the diary, he felt Dudley's aura had changed.
It was just that at that moment, he felt full of affection toward Dudley, and because Dudley had actively returned the diary to him, he was unwilling to immediately attack Dudley.
Thinking back now, Voldemort keenly sensed something was wrong.
However, he couldn't quite say what exactly was wrong.
"Dursley, what did you do?" Voldemort's hoarse voice came from the basilisk's mouth.
He began consciously resisting the goodwill toward Dudley in his heart.
"Just gave the diary back to you. What, don't you want it?" Through the Mirror of Erised, Dudley watched the basilisk's movements.
The current basilisk seemed to have been completely controlled by Voldemort.
Dudley might have even inadvertently helped Voldemort—his Mental Piercing had severely wounded the basilisk's soul, giving Voldemort the opportunity to possess and control it.
However, Dudley wasn't anxious. He could slowly wear him down.
"If you don't want that diary, you can give it back to me," Dudley said with a calm expression.
Hearing this, Voldemort fell silent for a moment, then controlled the basilisk to slowly open its mouth and spit out that black diary again.
Harry's group showed incredulous expressions seeing this.
From Voldemort's panicked reaction when Dudley summoned the diary earlier, this diary should be very important to him.
Yet now, he'd actually spit out the diary that the basilisk had swallowed.
What was this about?
Dudley's gaze fixed on Voldemort in the Mirror of Erised, occasionally using the Solar Ring to dispel the petrification effects acting on him.
At the same time, his extraordinary abilities were constantly at work.
From the moment he advanced to Baron of Corruption, he'd been using this sequence's abilities.
That was Distortion!
This was the most important extraordinary ability at the Baron of Corruption stage of Sequence 6. It could distort the meaning of a target's words, actions, and intentions, constructing an order favorable to oneself, thereby achieving the goal of restricting or influencing opponents.
This ability could not only distort the direction and target of an opponent's attacks but also distort conceptual things.
For example, distorting the meaning of "closing a door" to seal off a certain area and isolate it from the outside world.
Just now, Dudley had distorted Voldemort's questioning of him into Voldemort's questioning of the diary, making Voldemort overlook the diary's actual function and suggesting to Voldemort that if he didn't need the diary, he could return it to him.
This ability was somewhat similar to the Confundus Charm in magic, but more powerful and terrifying than the Confundus Charm.
Because Dudley's Distortion ability didn't target a specific fixed behavior but rather a concept—something magic spells couldn't achieve.
Just when everyone truly thought Voldemort was about to throw the diary back, the dark red light in the basilisk's pupils suddenly trembled.
"Not right... not right..." Voldemort's murmur came. He seemed to realize something was wrong and swallowed the diary he'd spit out again.
Pity, just a little short...
Seeing this scene, Dudley felt somewhat regretful.
Voldemort's strength was indeed powerful. Even in this state, he could still resist his Distortion ability and immediately counteracted after realizing something was wrong.
"It's you!" The basilisk's gaze fell upon Dudley. He was certain the strange situation just now definitely came from Dudley's doing.
However, even he, the Dark Lord, didn't know how Dudley had managed to do this so subtly.
"It's me," Dudley said as he walked step by step toward Voldemort.
"Dudley!" Harry cried out in alarm, wanting to stop Dudley from continuing forward. He was too close to the basilisk.
However, Dudley acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing forward until he stopped less than ten meters from the basilisk.
"Voldemort, how did you do it? I don't believe you're just a memory," Dudley spoke calmly.
"Memory? Heh heh, I'm indeed not a memory," Voldemort said with a cold laugh.
He didn't immediately launch an attack but looked at Dudley not far away.
This young man made him feel more threatening than Harry Potter.
However, he wasn't anxious either. He was fusing with the basilisk's body. Although this wasn't what he wanted, returning to the magical world in this way was also an acceptable method.
As long as he returned, he had ways to reshape his body. No one could stop him.
Not Dumbledore, not Harry Potter. The only one who made him feel uneasy was this Dudley Dursley before him.
As long as he killed him, everything could be resolved.
Looking at Dudley before him, Voldemort felt an unprecedented impulse to tear him apart, which made him feel excited, wanting to achieve it at all costs...
Seeing the dark red light in the basilisk's eyes fluctuate, Dudley smiled slightly.
Corrosion was already taking effect.
Voldemort's psychology was becoming dark, mad, greedy, reckless...
His rationality was gradually being lost under the effect of Corrosion...