The Phoenix lifted its head, flapped its wings, and its chest puffed out. Vid thought it looked like a proud little child.
It didn't linger, just perched briefly on Dumbledore's shoulder, and immediately flew out, causing Dumbledore's hood to billow slightly.
"Boom——"
In the explosion, a stone wall suddenly broke open, and a ferocious snake head burst out. Its flat head was covered in black and red blood, and both eyes had been pecked blind.
Fox flew out with a whoosh, sweeping over the Basilisk's head. Its sharp claws mercilessly scratched at the Basilisk's wound, and black blood gushed out instantly.
The Basilisk was nearly driven mad with rage. It chased after Fox to bite, but despite its enormous size, it could do nothing to the nimble and agile Fox.
Vid said, "Even without anyone's help, Fox can handle the Basilisk on its own."
"But we can't take away the kids' fun," Dumbledore said. "Besides, we can't let it collapse the tunnel."
Indeed, the ceiling of the nearby tunnel was already shedding debris.
Vid didn't know what spell the headmaster used. He only saw Dumbledore wave his Magic Wand, and the Basilisk, as if strongly attracted by something, suddenly turned its head. After a moment of silence, its massive body swiftly crawled inside.
Vid and Dumbledore followed and always kept a safe distance from the Basilisk.
They both used magical silencing to avoid their footsteps alerting the Basilisk.
Ahead lay a very spacious area, with a ceiling higher than the castle's great hall. There were many stone columns carved with coiled snakes, and at the front stood a tall statue.
This room had been thoroughly disrupted by the Basilisk and Fox's earlier rampage, with many areas damaged, rubble strewn everywhere, and even one of the statue's hands knocked off.
At this moment, Fox perched on a fold of the statue's clothing, looking proudly at the Basilisk slithering among the stone columns below.
The pain of having its eyes pecked out tormented the huge creature. At times it lay still, listening as if searching for the enemy's position; other times, it would suddenly become enraged, ramming and thrashing to ease its pain.
Suddenly, the Basilisk raised its body, slightly tilting its head in what would usually be considered a cute pose, standing motionless.
Vid and the others vaguely heard footsteps coming from the tunnel.
The Basilisk suddenly became calm. It lowered its body, only its head slightly raised, circling the floor between the columns, moving toward the direction of the sound as if its vision was still intact.
The scales scraping against the ground created a faint rustling sound.
The Basilisk slightly opened its mouth, emitting a long sound akin to a human snoring——
"Hiss... ha..."
This sound was completely drowned out by the students talking and walking.
They might have just learned above that the Basilisk was an extremely dangerous creature, but subconsciously they still had the mindset of participating in a challenge——
Nervous, yet a bit excited.
"Merlin, that thing just now really gave me a fright!" Someone said fearfully, "Should we quit? This Basilisk must be over twenty feet long!"
"Don't talk nonsense! If you want to be a coward, then go!" Another person said stubbornly, "I don't believe the school would let us in a challenge where we could die!"
"How did you come down here not knowing everything?" Another student said, "I just asked the professor... He said Headmaster Dumbledore would ensure the Basilisk's gaze couldn't kill!"
Upon hearing this, everyone relaxed.
"Ha! In that case, isn't the Basilisk just a giant Ball Python?"
"Since we succeeded last time, we can do it this time too! We're working together, after all!"
"Be careful, its venomous fangs are also deadly, don't get bitten..."
The voices of the students grew louder as they approached the entrance.
Despite being unable to see, the Basilisk proficiently hid in the shadows and opened its mouth wide, its thin, pointed fangs looking extremely sharp.
Unaware, the students walked in, and perhaps because of the crowd, the few at the front lacked vigilance.
"Defeating a thousand-year-old Basilisk... This is the best graduation ceremony I've seen! Much more interesting than 'analyzing the causes of the Goblin Rebellion'..."
The boy speaking stepped into the room, still smiling, but his smile froze on his face, his expression turning to extreme terror!
The gigantic mouth lunged at him!
The boy was so terrified his mind went blank, his body rigid, unable to move, watching helplessly as the mouth large enough to swallow him whole loomed overhead.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely... He could even clearly see the pink soft flesh inside the Basilisk's mouth and the snake tongue retracting.
Suddenly, someone pushed him aside and pointed their Magic Wand at the Basilisk, shouting loudly: "Confringo!"
"Boom——"
Amidst the shrill screams, the battle between the students and the Basilisk finally began.
...
Vid naturally didn't get involved.
The Basilisk was terrifying to normal people, but since it couldn't deal with Fox, it surely wouldn't be able to handle Vid's Alchemy Creatures—Firebird Mikhail.
He turned to Dumbledore and asked, "What magic was that just now?"
When the Basilisk was about to swallow a student, Dumbledore suddenly used a silent spell that slowed its actions, giving those nearby a chance to rescue.
"Slow Spell." Dumbledore asked with a smile, "Want to learn it?"
Vid immediately said, "Of course!"
Dumbledore, while keeping an eye on the students, told him the spell. Vid used his knowledge of Ancient Magical Runes to break it down and found it highly familiar.
"——Slowing Charm?"
This was a spell they learned in their first year.
"That's right, you could say it's the enhanced version of the Slowing Charm."
Dumbledore chuckled and said, "I discovered at sixteen or seventeen that combining Ancient Magical Runes with the Slowing Charm's spell would have a very wonderful effect..."
"It seems quite useful," Vid said.
"Not always... You must know that against opponents whose Magic Power is close to or stronger than yours, this spell's effectiveness would greatly diminish," Dumbledore reminded.
"I understand," Vid said, twirling his Magic Wand and murmuring, practicing the new spell he just learned.
And so, Dumbledore watched Vid while keeping an eye on the students.
This wasn't difficult for him, as Professor McGonagall and others had also entered the Chamber of Secret to assist in protecting the students and to carry out the injured.
Dumbledore saw the Magic Wand in Vid's hand, within minutes, transform from initial imitation to fluent proficiency.
The Magic Power flow began as jarring, tentative, but in seemingly just a blink, it exhibited an astonishing state.
The Basilisk, which had just knocked a student flying, suddenly paused, and the students in front took the opportunity to cast a 'Defodio.'
Of course, the Basilisk wasn't literally torn apart, only shedding a few scales.
Dumbledore, with a look of admiration, praise, and a hint of complex emotions, watched Vid quickly master the Slow Spell, momentarily at a loss for words.