The golden radiance struck like two molten spears of light, stabbing straight into Arthur's eyes and piercing deep into his brain with the precision of surgical blades.
"AHHHHH!" Arthur's scream tore through the Chamber like the wail of a banshee, his voice cracking with terror and rage. "What... what is this?!"
He instinctively covered his eyes with both trembling hands, but the golden light penetrated through flesh and bone as if they were nothing more than tissue paper. Even the darkness behind his eyelids came alive, constantly shifting and writhing like living shadows.
In his daze, Arthur watched Ethan's figure twist and transform before him, becoming something monstrous. His face turned pitch black as midnight, leaving only those cobalt-blue eyes burning with inhuman, crystalline coldness. They gazed down at him with the indifferent cruelty of a god observing an insect, becoming the only cool tone in this radiance that seemed capable of melting human bones and flesh.
No... no! How could he be defeated in a single encounter?
Arthur clawed at his cheeks with desperate fingernails, golden tears streaming from his eyes like liquid fire. "How could I be defeated by a mere second-year... how could I stop here..."
His wand clattered to the stone floor, rolling away with the forlorn sound of hope abandoning its owner.
Ethan looked down at Arthur kneeling on the cold stone and spoke with the patient tone of a teacher addressing a particularly slow student. "It seems you still don't understand. Magic is the power of the soul, not age."
The idiotic Lockhart despite his advanced years, and Harry who destroyed Voldemort at barely seventeen. Two stark examples of this truth.
"Moreover..." Ethan raised his hand, placing his five fingers against his chest in a gesture of theatrical introduction. His spine straightened with regal bearing as his lips curved in satisfaction. "I'm also a genius."
Hand over left chest, spine straight, heroic and spirited like a young emperor claiming his throne.
"No... NO!" Arthur threw back his head like a wounded beast, roaring his unwillingness to accept defeat. His eyes nearly burst from their sockets with the intensity of his rage and desperation.
The next second... "BANG!"
The sealed wardrobe suddenly exploded outward from within, pitch-black magical power surging forth like a tide of liquid darkness! The corrupt energy coiled around Arthur like something hatching from a nightmare cocoon, transforming him into something that was no longer entirely human.
Ethan's eyes blazed with excitement as he shouted with genuine delight: "That's more like it! Little Tom!"
Ending too quickly wouldn't provide the proper experience. The show must go on.
Struggle! Struggle with all your remaining might. Fight until you're completely exhausted, only to discover you've been firmly bound in spider silk all along. Only then will the most delicious fruit of despair finally ripen.
Ethan waved his wand with a theatrical flourish and roared: "Avis!"
Whoosh! Golden light streaked through the air like a volley of luminous arrows, leaving brilliant golden traces throughout the Chamber's vast space.
"BOOM!" The magical projectiles pierced through that pitch-black cocoon, pinning it heavily against the ancient stone wall!
Instantly, the wall fractured like a spider's web; massive stone blocks crashed down with earth-shaking thunder, raising choking clouds of dust that filled the air with the scent of powdered limestone and ancient secrets.
The Chamber fell into an ominous quiet that pressed against the eardrums.
Ethan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the swirling dust cloud. Through his enhanced vision, he could see that the core's black magic hadn't been destroyed. Instead, it surged and climbed with renewed vigour, mixing with Arthur's original magical essence like oil blending with water.
The fusion completely distorted Arthur's human form into something that belonged in nightmares.
Oh, entering phase two. Ethan licked his lips with predatory anticipation. His eyes burnt bright as torches while his heart pounded against his ribs like war drums echoing in his ears!
Extremely excited!
"I was originally planning to let you live a bit longer," came a hoarse voice from within the dust cloud. It sounded like Arthur, yet carried undertones of someone infinitely more ancient and malevolent. "Let you live until opening the true Chamber, then I would usurp your body for my own purposes... What a pity. I can only say you chose the wrong enemy."
"Thud, thud." Heavy footsteps rang out like the approach of an executioner, each impact sending vibrations through the stone floor.
A figure even taller than Hagrid emerged from the dust cloud, gradually approaching with the inexorable patience of death itself.
When he finally appeared before Ethan in all his grotesque glory, Ethan couldn't help but release an appreciative "Oh," his eyes widening with the fascination of an artist viewing a particularly striking piece of abstract sculpture.
Arthur's form had swollen beyond recognition, muscles bulging in unnatural ways that defied human anatomy. His wizard robes hung in tattered strips, exposing bright red flesh that throbbed with visible pulse. Half his arm had grown as large as one of Hagrid's prize pumpkins, grotesquely disproportionate and covered in bulging veins. Every tendon stood out in stark relief, as if competing for control of his corrupted body.
And indeed, that seemed to be exactly the case.
With a wet pop that echoed through the Chamber, a massive eyeball opened on Arthur's shoulder like a hideous flower blooming. Using snake-like muddy yellow vertical pupils, it stared at Ethan with bone-deep hatred and malice that seemed to poison the very air.
Perhaps because Tom is no longer human, he doesn't fear the basilisk's gaze, Ethan thought with genuine regret. What a missed opportunity.
Look! Human flesh betrays me once again! If I could make greater breakthroughs in magical evolution, surely Headmaster Dumbledore would collapse in delighted surprise...
Seeing Ethan's contemplative silence, "Arthur", or rather, "Tom", speaking through Arthur's corrupted vocal cords, said with smug satisfaction: "Scared speechless, are we?"
"So-called magic isn't just shooting pretty 'fireworks' at each other like some children's game!"
Ethan blinked with genuine innocence and said with perfect sincerity: "I really envy you, Tom."
"Being an orphan with no family ties, you can act so recklessly without consequence. If I became like that..." he gestured at the grotesque fusion, "someone would feel sorry for me."
Tom's response was a moment of stunned silence. "..."
"DIE!" The corrupted "Arthur" erupted in a furious roar that shook dust from the ancient ceiling!
With one explosive step that cracked the stone beneath his feet, he appeared before Ethan in an instant! Like a living mountain casting its shadow over a mere mortal, he swung his hammer-like mutated arm down with enough force to crush bone.
"Portal," Ethan whispered softly, and a doorway instantly opened beneath his feet. He fell gracefully into the welcoming darkness as if stepping through his own front door.
"BOOM!" The tremendous force struck the ground and the incompletely closed portal with devastating impact. Stone slabs immediately rippled outward in concentric waves like water disturbed by a thrown boulder!
"Ugh." The corrupted magic invaded the portal's edge, making Ethan grunt with discomfort as he tasted copper in his mouth.
He frowned, a metallic taste rising in his throat like old pennies dissolved in wine.
"Arthur" looked up with malicious glee and laughed: "How foolish to flee to mid-air where you can't manoeuvre!"
He kicked off powerfully from the cracked stone, shooting upward like a grotesque cannonball toward Ethan's suspended form!
"Hmph, who says I can't move in mid-air?" Ethan retorted, raising a spiral-shaped card that gleamed with otherworldly light. "Fusion Nest! Fuse me with the Death Bird!"
Super fusion... even card players can undergo temporary transformation!
Unfortunately, this wasn't permanent life-level fusion, but only a temporary metamorphosis that would fade with time.
Instantly, an invisible shriek rang out that seemed to come from the very fabric of reality being torn!
"Ugh!" Ethan cried out in exquisite agony. He felt bone-breaking pain as his skeleton cracked and reorganised within his body, reshaping itself according to new parameters.
However, Ethan's grin widened to show far too many teeth, his eyes shooting out frenzied, mad light that belonged more to predator than prey! In the depths of his dark pupils, ghostly blue spirit fire blazed forth like twin stars being born.
The next second... "Splurt!" Along with spurting crimson blood, a pair of withered wings burst from Ethan's arched back like dark flowers blooming!
"Whoosh!" With a single light flap, he instantly circled behind the ascending "Arthur" with supernatural grace.
His wand transformed into a gleaming silver diamond-shaped staff, and he thrust it forward with lethal precision! The crystalline tip pierced deeply into "Arthur's" back, sending blood splattering across the ancient stones like abstract art painted in crimson.
"ARGHHH!" Screams of pure agony arose, echoing through the Chamber with the music of suffering.
"It's not over!" Ethan snarled with predatory satisfaction.
A mass of ghostly blue spirit fire engulfed "Arthur" like he'd been immersed in supernatural acid. The swollen muscles were instantly corroded, flesh turning black as charcoal under the otherworldly flames!
"AHHHHHHH!" Shrill screams echoed throughout the Chamber, bouncing off stone walls until they became a symphony of torment!
Under extreme pain, "Arthur" furiously swung his mutated arm backward in a desperate counterattack. But Ethan, having struck successfully, had already flapped his spectral wings and flashed far away with ghostly speed.
He watched "Arthur" plummet toward the stone floor, thrashing in impotent rage.
This Fusion Nest, while temporarily boosting one's strength dramatically, isn't very friendly to one's sanity, Ethan noted with clinical detachment.
Like now. Ethan, influenced by the Death Bird's predatory instincts, looked at "Arthur" like he was examining a piece of tender, juicy meat that would taste delicious when properly prepared.
Slurp.
"Arthur" glared at Ethan hovering in mid-air, his features twisted with pure hatred as he roared: "You're courting death!"
He raised his mutated arm, the massive appendage extending like some parasitic worm seeking fresh prey. His palm split open with wet tearing sounds, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth as it became a giant maw.
The grotesque mouth lunged upward to bite at Ethan with snapping jaws!
Great Merlin! That's nightmare fuel incarnate!
Ethan widened his eyes, suppressing the saliva gathering in his mouth, and snapped his fingers with casual authority: "Go."
Instantly, the ink-black snake head leapt from the giant painting with fluid grace!
"Hiss!" Fangs bared wide, carrying a chilling, terrifying aura that seemed to freeze the very air, it bit down on the extended arm in mid-flight!
With a savage shake of its massive head, it tore off a substantial chunk of corrupted flesh!
"...!" "Arthur" released an inhuman scream of pain that transcended human vocal range.
His eyes turned blood-red as he stared at Ethan, a desperate question arising in his increasingly chaotic mind: Damn it, just how many tricks does this accursed child possess?
Like some infernal torture chamber, endlessly producing one clever little instrument of pain after another.
But this had to be the limit of the boy's resources.
"Arthur" watched Ethan fall from mid-air as his spectral wings faded away, and allowed himself a vicious grin. Such magical consumption. This brat definitely can't maintain this pace much longer.
The fact that he hadn't summoned that powerful three-headed dog proved his magical reserves were running dangerously low.
As long as I continue these fierce attacks, not giving him a moment to breathe or recover. This damned brat will eventually be completely exhausted! Then he'll be at my complete mercy...
The situation indeed seemed to unfold as "Arthur" predicted. Under his relentless life-force-powered assault, Ethan's offensive capabilities gradually weakened. Finally, he could only exchange basic spells, his movements becoming more defensive than aggressive.
Finally... "BANG!" Ethan couldn't dodge in time and was heavily knocked away, his body crashing into the opposite statue with bone-jarring impact.
He fell to the ground, coughing up bright blood that splattered the ancient stones, gasping heavily as his chest rose and fell with laboured breathing.
At this moment, "Arthur's", or rather, Tom's condition was also at its absolute worst. His entire body was charred black like overcooked meat, with blood foam and new tissue seeping from his surface in a grotesque display of accelerated healing. His whole form was covered in bite marks and blast craters, resembling a battlefield more than a human being.
If not for the dark magic supporting his corrupted body like invisible scaffolding, he would have died long ago.
Arthur's original head, drained of excessive life force, had already withered like a mummified corpse. But under Tom's malevolent control, his mouth still opened and closed mechanically as he spoke: "Heh, I won."
He hauled himself upright and stalked toward the fallen Ethan, each laboured step deliberate and triumphant.
"You're still inexperienced after all, using full power from the very beginning," Tom gloated, his words rasping through Arthur's ruined throat, "Thus ending up in this pathetic state."
"However, to fight me—Voldemort, Flight from Death—to this extent, I must offer you praise." His tone carried the condescending approval of a master addressing a talented but ultimately inferior student.
"Unfortunately, there can only be one Dark Lord in this world." His voice dropped to a menacing whisper. "And that can only be me."
"Die!" The final word erupted with murderous intent.
Ethan panted heavily, steadily watching Tom approach with outstretched, clawed hands. The corrupted wizard wore an expression of smug confidence, as if about to shoot devastating magic from his palms to obliterate his fallen opponent.
Suddenly, Ethan spoke with perfect calm: "Let's end the warm-up here."
Tom stopped abruptly, his grotesque features shifting to show shock and confusion. "?"
He watched in disbelief as Ethan shakily stood up, throwing back his head and laughing with genuine joy: "Still trying to maintain your pathetic facade!"
"How pitiful, so clever yet utterly unable to recognise reality when it stares you in the face."
However, looking at Ethan's serene expression and confident posture, Tom felt an icy chill rise from his feet and spread through his corrupted body!
No... impossible... This brat is just bluffing! He has to be!
"ROARRRR!" A river of blood-red magic surged forth like rising tsunami waves, rushing toward Ethan to completely devour him in crimson destruction!
Ethan's cobalt-blue eyes reflected this approaching tide of annihilation with perfect tranquillity. He murmured softly, his voice carrying across the Chamber like a benediction: "The one who can't recognise reality... is you."
As his words fell like a final judgement, a brilliantly fiery red light blazed from around Ethan's neck! The radiance revealed a crystal-clear, bright red pendant carved in the shape of a curled spider, pulsing with inner life!
The Acromantula's Heart!
[Spider Heart]
[Type: Carved Artwork]
[Grade: Tier 2 · Blue Precious]
[Description: Thump thump! Thump thump! Frozen life given eternal pulse.
[Effect: Continuously replenishes wearer's life and magic; blocks one fatal attack for the wearer, but afterward falls into slumber, unusable for a period]
[Evaluation: Long-lasting enhanced vitality potion, life-saving artefact, contains the infinite power of gratitude and love]
The power of love is infinite!
Magic flowed from the pendant into Ethan's limbs and bones like liquid starlight. The energy made the magic in Ethan's blood boil and sing again! Power flowed through his arms, transforming his wand into a brush that radiated with brilliant, divine light!
Under Tom's shocked and horrified gaze, Ethan raised his transformed weapon high and roared with the authority of divine judgement itself:
"Tom, it's time... to accept your final judgement!"