Over the next several weeks, Harry's training under Severus Snape was relentless. Every day, he practiced Occlumency to shield his thoughts, Legilimency to probe and anticipate, and meditation exercises Roy had suggested to enhance his magical focus.
However, Snape's harsh teaching style often led to clashes.
"Concentrate, Potter!" Snape snapped one morning as Harry faltered during a mental probe."I am concentrating!" Harry shot back, gritting his teeth."No, you are flailing! A distracted mind is a dead mind in battle!" Snape hissed, his wand quivering slightly as he pushed Harry's limits.
Despite the tension, Harry progressed. Slowly, he learned to block intrusive thoughts, control his emotions under pressure, and sense foreign magical imprints. Roy, monitoring discreetly, noted every improvement and occasionally whispered advice through subtle magical means.
One day, as Harry meditated alone in a quiet corner of Hogwarts, he felt a cold, serpentine aura creeping along the edges of his consciousness. He froze. His heart thudded as a chilling realization hit him:
"The basilisk… the horcrux."
Immediately, Harry sent a secret message to Roy, detailing the location of the horcrux within the ancient catacombs beneath Hogwarts. Roy, ever vigilant, responded instantly and prepared to leave.
Roy vs. The Basilisk
Roy arrived at the hidden chamber, his Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, in hand. The basilisk slithered in the darkness, its scales glinting unnaturally, a faint aura of Ouroboros magic swirling around it.
Roy's eyes narrowed. He could sense the fusion of Voldemort's dark magic with the basilisk DNA—a dangerous and unstable horcrux.
"Time to end this," he muttered, drawing Ryujin Jakka. Flames flickered along its blade as he invoked Shikai.
The basilisk lunged, fangs bared, eyes glowing with deadly intent. Roy moved with inhuman speed, cutting a precise arc through the chamber. The flames of Ryujin Jakka danced along the blade as he sliced the basilisk cleanly in half, the magical aura collapsing instantly.
At that moment, Voldemort, who had just successfully fused his body with basilisk DNA to gain immense power, felt a sudden, devastating loss. The sixth horcrux—the basilisk itself—was destroyed. Rage and panic surged through him.
"Impossible!" Voldemort hissed, his newly enhanced body trembling from the backlash. He realized Roy's power exceeded even his expectations. Every move, every calculation Roy made, had been several steps ahead.
Roy sheathed Ryujin Jakka, his expression calm. He knew Voldemort's next move would be careful, strategic, and deadly. The game was far from over—but the balance of power had shifted decisively.
From a hidden vantage point, Roy's Conqueror's Haki subtly radiated through the catacombs, signaling that any direct attack against him would be fatal. Voldemort had been outmaneuvered once again, and he would need to rethink his approach if he wanted to survive the coming confrontation.