Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 148 147: Swallowing the Soul! The Way to Ascension!

Followed out!

The black-robed skeleton in the mysterious tower actually followed out!

Ian hadn't even checked whether the black sand and other things he brought with him were "trapped" in the hazy fantasy. He turned his head with a stiff neck and saw a guy who made him feel cold all over.

He saw a mysterious skeleton in a black robe standing quietly behind him, as quiet as a ghost, with a pair of eyes burning with crimson soul fire flashing a heart-pounding deep light in the darkness.

Although the strange magic words covering the bones of the body had been extinguished, and the appearance of its bones looked much more normal, the strong sense of oppression that filled the whole body was increasing. It was not known whether it was because it had left the hazy illusion or because all the chains on its body had broken.

"Except your weapons!"

Ian almost subconsciously wanted to blast the black-robed skeleton away, however, the red light emitted from his wand strangely dissipated when it touched the black-robed skeleton.

Like little stars.

Disappearing.

The black-robed skeleton was not affected by the disarming spell, nor was its clothes blown apart or its arms directly fallen off - Ian's increasingly improved disarming spell did not have the desired effect.

"I just don't believe it! Pulling out the tongue and slitting the throat! Bah! It's useless!"

"The Divine Edge is Shadowless!"

"Heart-breaking and bone-cutting!"

"The soul is out of body!"

"Stuck a steel pipe in my front teeth!"

……

Ian, who didn't believe in evil, waved his wand as if it was automated, four shots per second, but all his magic had no effect on the black-robed skeleton.

It was as if they were eliminated by some mysterious force right when they were about to reach their target, leaving the black robe of the mysterious skeleton fluttering in the faint light that dissipated like a firefly.

"Ok?"

The mysterious skeleton's black robe fluttered too much, and the ribs that were hidden were vaguely visible. It even pulled its black robe tighter as if by a conditioned reflex.

"My magic didn't work because of my clothes?" Ian first looked at the black robe on the mysterious skeleton, which was obviously a magic robe.

It was able to remain almost intact after everything else in the tower had decayed, so it was certainly not an ordinary thing. There were many strange magic runes drawn on it, whose functions Ian could not distinguish.

Now that he had looked at it a little closer, Ian felt that this structure was somewhat similar to the Death Rune, but it was only the structure that was similar, and he didn't know whether it contained some kind of rules represented by God.

"No, not the clothes."

Although Ian couldn't tell what the magic runes did, he could definitely tell if they were taking effect, and his eyes quickly shifted to the chains on the black-robed skeleton's hands.

Although the black-robed skeleton followed out for some unknown reason and escaped the "imprisonment" and restraints in the tower, there were still many broken chains remaining on his body.

Ian could feel it.

These tempered chains still possess magical powers.

Rusty chains appeared from the gaps in the black robe, like shackles from the ancient past, still binding this extraordinary being.

"Is this also a way to ban magic?"

The curious little wizard had the urge to study it, but he had already quickly retreated dozens of steps and did not dare to rashly approach the black-robed skeleton, a guy whose origins and good and evil were completely unknown.

"I don't know. I don't have a brain." The black-robed skeleton raised its chained hand and pointed at its empty head, perhaps thinking that Ian's whisper was a question to it.

"We are so far away and I am speaking so quietly, how can you hear me?" Ian was a little surprised, and he deliberately whispered in a mosquito-like voice.

"I was born to hear the voices of all things."

No one knew what the black-robed skeleton remembered or not. It actually opened its mouth, which was no longer covered with flesh and blood, and beeped loudly in front of Ian.

"..."

Ian has a principle of not liking to see others showing off, but at this time his principle is more flexible. What can he do about a thing that seems to be completely harmless to magic?

Even if he jumped he couldn't hit the skeleton's head!
"What on earth do you want to do by following me... This world no longer belongs to you." Ian still hasn't figured out why the black-robed skeleton in front of him would follow him across the boundary between life and death.

Did he have this ability himself, or did he take advantage of Ian's help? If it was the latter, it was understandable, but if it was the former, it was a little too scary.

Thinking hard.

Fortunately, this black-robed skeleton did not show any violent tendencies and was emotionally stable. Even after being bombarded with several spells in a row, it did not seem to have any intention of sneaking up on or attacking the little wizard.

“I need to be loved.”

When the black-robed skeleton saw Ian asking him questions, he finally stopped repeating himself like a tape recorder and instead stated his needs in his hoarse and low voice.

"..."

Ian was once again at a loss for words.

He had no idea what to say. If there wasn't a magical version of Bihu in the wizarding world, he would have really wanted to post a help thread online to ask for help.

A 1.8-meter-tall, purebred, loveless white skeleton is entangled with me?
"Is it possible that I'm just an underage wizard and can't give you the love you want?" Ian only emphasized his age but not his gender.

He was afraid of the mysterious black-robed skeleton in front of him, just like the little wizard.

"I need to be loved."

The black-robed skeleton began to repeat meaningless words again.

"Can I recommend someone else to you? See if you like centaurs. It's a cross-species love anyway. Centaurs are definitely more interesting than little human wizards like me."

Ian found that whenever he walked in a certain direction, the black-robed skeleton would follow him closely. The little wizard, who was only as tall as the legs of others, could not get rid of this guy at all.

"Anti-inflammatory! Anti-inflammatory!"

He felt that he needed the help of the Phoenix at this moment to take him to the Apparition. However, the Black Phoenix, still staying in the hazy illusion, did not respond to him and came to his side.

"As expected, Tiga is the only reliable one!"

Deep in the ancient and dense forbidden forest of Hogwarts, the night was as dark as ink, and the thin moonlight could only barely illuminate the winding path ahead. Ian hurriedly stepped on the carpet of fallen leaves and dead branches. He even started to jog all the way, but he still couldn't get rid of the black-robed skeleton who was walking slowly.

soon.

Ian discovered why.

Not to mention that invisibility has no effect on the black-robed skeleton's following. Even if he deliberately used magic to knock down some trees to stop the black-robed skeleton, the black-robed skeleton would still appear behind him after he ran away.

"Apparition!?"

When Ian looked back once, he saw the space distorted, and then a black-robed skeleton appeared in a red light, only a few meters behind him.

However, it was useless to get away from this guy no matter how far he was. The black-robed skeleton seemed to be able to locate Ian's position all the time, and then teleport to Ian's side after being blocked by obstacles for a while.

“This is really cheating…”

at last.

Ian gave up the idea of ​​running. He sat down on a huge rock and gasped, his breath forming fine white mist in the cold air.

Blending into the mist of the surrounding silent forest, a proboscis monkey peeked out from the treetops, eyes full of vigilance, and then leaped to a higher branch with a whoosh.

There were also some dangerous magical animals foraging at night. They followed the sound and showed their eyes in the jungle, but after hesitating for a moment, they immediately turned around and rushed back into the dense forest.

No matter which magical animal it is, they all have more sensitive intuition than ordinary animals. It is obvious that these magical animals have sensed the strong danger and chose to give up sneak attacks or flee quickly.

What the magical creatures were afraid of was not Ian, but the black-robed skeleton that had been following Ian like a ghost. Its black robe fluttered gently in the night wind, like the wings of a ghost in the dead silence, blending with the surrounding darkness, but inadvertently revealing an indescribable weirdness and mystery.

Full of oppression.

Like substance.

This is also the reason why Ian is extremely wary.

"How about I introduce you to some other humans? Don't worry, although the population of Great England is not particularly large, it is definitely full of talents in terms of XP!"

Ian didn't know whether those seniors from Hogwarts who seemed to be right at first glance could please the black-robed skeleton. At this moment, he really wanted to get rid of this guy who looked extremely dangerous.

A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist.

It was unknown whether Grindelwald and Dumbledore could solve this problem - Ian was pondering and weighing the pros and cons in his mind, trying to make the black-robed skeleton less interested in him.

however.

"Your bird has harmed me...so, you need to be responsible for its actions...give me flesh and blood." The black-robed skeleton had absolutely no interest in other humans at all.

It finally revealed the reason why it had been following Ian.

"Which bird? The Black Phoenix?"

Ian frowned in confusion.

"Give me flesh and blood, love, I need love...your bird said." The black-robed skeleton did not answer Ian's question, but began to mutter in Ian's ear.

"..."

Ian attempted to use a Transfiguration spell to create a device to clamp the black-robed skeleton's jaw. However, the device lost its function after he used magic to move it toward the black-robed skeleton and it came into contact with it.

"Wow~"

It turned back into branches all over the ground.

Ian's extraordinary talent of [Shape of All Things] cannot change this. No matter how much magic power he injects, the collapse of magic will only take a moment.

"If you want that ghost bird, I can give it to you..." Ian looked at the black-robed skeleton again. The broken chains did carry a strange power.

He found it difficult to understand why the black-robed skeleton could still use magic like Apparition when trying to catch up with him even though he was wearing a chain with such a terrifying [Magic-Breaking] effect.

"That's just an empty shell, the result of biological alchemy... isn't it your work?" The black-robed skeleton raised his finger bones and scratched his head as if extremely confused.

"I thought someone had finally punished the bird." There was some indignation in his voice, but more of it seemed to be a lingering fear.

"I just picked up the Black Phoenix egg. No, it was an egg given to me by my friend... Hiss, you are such a liar. Didn't you say before that you couldn't remember anything?"

Ian felt like he had grabbed the black-robed skeleton's chicken feet, and he didn't know if he could use it to coax the black-robed skeleton away. It would be best if he could return from the human world to the hazy fantasy world on the other side.

"I have no brains, but the resentment... has already penetrated deep into my remaining soul." The black-robed skeleton responded in a serious tone, but the little wizard didn't know how to find fault with it.

Ian had never lost his brain, nor had he died with only a remnant of his soul. He had no evidence to refute it, so the first thing he thought of was Voldemort's remnant of his soul. That senior had lost his brain on all levels, and he didn't know if the other soul fragments would "quantum synchronize" their hatred for him.

"We still have to find a chance to kill him."

Ian was a little worried.

of course.

What worries him most right now is the black-robed skeleton in front of him.

"What should I do so that you won't follow me?" Ian tried to negotiate with the black-robed skeleton. Even though the other party didn't seem to want to hurt him, he didn't want a tall skeleton staring at him when he was eating, sleeping, or even going to the toilet.

Are you still going to class?
Are you going back to the orphanage during the holidays?

Do I still want fame... Well, it seems like it doesn't make any sense now.

Anyway, he has lost his reputation due to various reasons. Being regarded as a necromancer or something can actually be considered a relatively good reputation he has gained in recent days?
"Give me flesh and blood."

The black-robed skeleton repeated it again, but did not continue to mention being loved or not. Perhaps it did not have much wisdom left, but it obviously realized belatedly that Ian was allergic to this word.

"How about using some pork and beef to stick them together? In this way... we can use lamb meat, focusing on its tenderness and youthfulness!" Ian really didn't know much about this kind of life alchemy.

He also doubted that alchemy would not work on this guy. After all, the chains on this guy could completely make all magical powers ineffective.

"..."

The black-robed skeleton fell silent again.

Ian thought it was dissatisfied with the type of meat he had chosen.

"I don't have the ability to get human flesh for you, but I can write you a list. If you have the ability, you can kill those people and stick their flesh on yourself." The young wizard began to count the names of his enemies, reserve enemies, and the remnants of the Death Eaters in his mind.

"I want my own flesh and blood."

The black-robed skeleton finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

"You are really making things difficult for an eleven-year-old kid like me."

Ian sighed heavily.

"Eleven years old?"

The black-robed skeleton was a little confused - soul fire was burning in its empty eye sockets, but the image presented in the soul fire was a glowing soul rather than the true appearance of the little wizard.

obviously.

The black-robed skeleton cannot see life, it can only see the soul of life.

"How about this, let's compromise. You swear on your family's ancestral grave that you won't continue to harass my life like this, and I also promise to help you when I have the ability to do so?" Ian asked tentatively after thinking for a moment. He was very good at making big promises like this.

"There is a contract between us."

The black-robed skeleton's voice was as hoarse as ever, as if there were a bunch of fish bones stuck in his throat.

"When?"

Ian blinked in surprise.

"The contract was established when you woke me up." The red lines on the black-robed skeleton rose again, and it gestured with its finger to Ian to look at his wrist.

"..."

After Ian did as he was told, he immediately saw a lit line on his wrist. Countless scarlet lines intertwined and converged into a pattern that looked like a blood-red sun.

"It's just that the back of my hand is not enough for you monsters who are older than the last." Ian just felt helpless. He had experienced this sense of déjà vu three times in the past year.

"What is the content of this contract? Don't try to lie to me... I have people behind me and above me... no, below me. I will ask them to verify whether what you said is true or not." Ian was scared by the Ouroboros "curse" of Slytherin. He felt uneasy, worried that the black-robed skeleton in front of him had also dug a big trap for him.

"You used your love to give me flesh and blood, and I will be at your service... for ten thousand years." The black-robed skeleton answered concisely and after a pause, he spoke again.

"This is not my behavior, but an established fact that I sensed when I woke up." These words from the black-robed skeleton explained why it had never been hostile.

"..."

Ian had some understanding.

Perhaps the crazy "deductions" from his [Mysterious Fantasy Experience Card] over there before was also somewhat related to this contract that was established without anyone's knowledge.

Think of this.

He figured out more things again. No wonder that bastard Black Phoenix refused to show up just now. Before the Black Robe Skeleton was resurrected, it pecked Ian's hand a few times.

I thought it was just an act of intimacy, but who would have thought that the worst thing was the phoenix! Ian bet with Voldemort's family that the so-called contract must be related to the black phoenix!
"Okay, okay, you work for ten thousand years first, and I'll think about how to give you flesh and blood." Ian did not lower his guard much, but it would not be bad if things were really as the skeleton said.

Ten thousand years.

It is certain that he will not be able to dig up the grave of his great-grandson. No matter whether he can find it or not, giving flesh and blood to the skeleton will definitely be a good thing for him.

"What... is called working?"

The black-robed skeleton tilted his head in confusion.

"Working means working without eating, drinking, or sleeping... Of course, there is not much work for you to do right now. I just want to study the chain on you first."

Ian was hesitating whether to get closer.

"Whoosh~"

Suddenly, there was a sound of breaking air in the woods, and a sharp arrow shot out from the darkness. It was as fast as lightning and flew straight towards Ian who was sitting on a big rock and touching his chin.

"Click~"

Before the protective equipment on Ian could take effect, the black-robed skeleton suddenly appeared in front of the little wizard and caught the arrow which was not much slower than a bullet.

"Something dirty is coming..." Ian looked at the broken fragments thrown on the ground, his tone a little annoyed. He knew that the arrow just now was aimed at his head.

"It's a monster."

The black-robed skeleton is truly a language genius.

His words calmed Ian's anger.

"You really have never looked in a mirror?"

Ian really admired the missing heart of the black-robed skeleton. Well, it seems normal to be without a heart, even Voldemort's residual soul does not look as evil as this skeleton.

"Da da da~"

Just when Ian was speechless, the archery attackers appeared. They came in groups, and accompanied by the sound of horse hooves, a group of half-man, half-horse guys slowly walked out of the shadows.

The leader was a burly but somewhat old-looking centaur with a gray beard and exaggerated muscles.

The other centaurs were also very muscular.

"Evil souls, and evil wizards...you have entered a restricted area that you should not enter." The leading centaur spoke in human language with an unusually stern voice.

"That's a skeleton! A moving skeleton!"

"This is a wizard who plays with the dead!"

"He is just a kid, but he dares to learn such a hateful magic. The people in the castle will not blame us. We are helping them to eradicate the festering maggots!"

"kill him!"

……

A group of centaurs were also roaring loudly, and some even raised their longbows again - and at this moment, a wave suddenly appeared in the space.

"Jiejiejiejie~"

A strange cry was heard.

The figure of the Black Phoenix appeared in front of the centaurs.

"Attack!"

"Damn it! This is a sneak attack!"

The flustered centaurs tried to shoot down the flying Black Phoenix, and then the Black Phoenix seemed to be constantly shuttling between life and death, its figure appearing and disappearing as it swooped down towards the centaurs.

It went straight through the nearest centaur, but when the terrified centaur covered his chest and looked down, he did not find any wound on his exposed chest.

"I'm still alive! I'm fine!"

The centaur cried out in fear, but when he turned to look at his companions, he saw that each one of their expressions was more terrified than the other.

"what happened?"

It looked back.

Suddenly.

His face turned pale.

I saw.

The black phoenix was holding a dull, slightly transparent figure in its mouth. The figure was raising its hands to struggle, and its face was exactly the same as its own.

The black phoenix raised its head and swallowed the entire transparent figure in one gulp.

"No!"

The voice of the attacked centaur suddenly stopped, as if an invisible force had strangled its throat. Its eyes began to fade, gradually changing from deep amber to light gray, as if it had lost all its vitality. This fading process quickly spread to the whole body, and the originally strong muscles and smooth skin began to become dull.

It's as if it had been eroded by the vicissitudes of time.

As the color faded, the centaur's body began to become fragile. Its limbs trembled slightly, and it seemed that it could no longer support its huge body.

Finally, with a dull roar, the centaur fell down like an ancient statue, shattered into countless pieces, revealing pale bones and broken muscle fibers.

obviously.

What it has diverted and swallowed up—is its soul!

"What an evil creature! What a terrifying power! Notify all our compatriots! Notify that school!" The leading centaur was so frightened when he saw the tragic deaths of his tribesmen.

The reactions of the other centaurs were similar to its own. All the centaurs were warriors who were not afraid of death, but they were only afraid of death. The horror of having their souls used as food still frightened them.

"Don't let these beasts go. They just murdered me."

Ian saw the centaurs begin to flee in all directions, and whispered to the Black Phoenix that flew back to his arms. He did not take out his wand, because after the centaurs' souls were devoured, purple flames began to burn on the Black Phoenix's body again, and a amount of magic power was fed back to him. Although it was not much, it was definitely better than nothing.

"Jiejiejiejie~"

The Black Phoenix flew up again.

however.

Before it rushed out.

The black-robed skeleton that stood still thought Ian was talking to it, so the mysterious skeleton turned its head slightly and looked at the centaur who was trying to disperse and escape.

The soul fire flickered slightly in its eye sockets, and the two empty eye sockets seemed to penetrate the darkness, staring at everything in front, and the red lines began to jump on its bones.

They flickered eerily in the moonlight, and some mysterious magical power seemed to be spreading out.

next moment.

"Ahhhh!"

Extremely shrill screams rang out one after another.

Even though they were fleeing separately in different directions, scarlet flames were burning on the bodies of all these centaurs at the same time.

There was no escape, no prediction, the flames seemed to burst out from their bodies. All the centaurs fell to the ground, screaming and wailing.

Those fires.

These centaurs were not burned to death directly.

The fire was more like a terrible magic, gradually corroding their skin and flesh. The skin of the centaurs began to dry up, like land that had been exposed to the scorching sun for many days, losing all its luster and elasticity. Their muscles began to atrophy, as if all the blood and moisture were being squeezed out bit by bit by an invisible force.

The surrounding trees seemed to be giving way, swaying gently in the windless environment.

"No!!! I was wrong!!!"

"Kill me! Kill me right away!"

"Evil dark wizard! Your soul will be cursed!"

After a painful groan and struggle, the centaurs slowly fell to the ground like a puppet that had lost all its vitality, its body dried up like a mummy. It no longer had the pride and vitality of the past. The flames gradually died out after the centaurs fell, leaving only a charred and dilapidated scene.

The air was filled with a suffocating burnt smell - the trace of life being ruthlessly taken away.

"What bad luck!"

Ian quickly moved away from the ashes on the ground. Seeing the Black Phoenix land on his shoulder and the black-robed skeleton following, he decided to share the centaur's curse.

"To be honest, you were the ones who did it, so you are the dark wizards it's talking about." It can be said that even though Ian didn't feel the cursed aura, he was still extremely cautious.

"Jie?"

The Dark Phoenix seemed to be stating that she was not a wizard.

"Then we're talking about this one. It's the only outsider here... an exoskeleton." Ian and the Black Phoenix turned their heads almost synchronously and looked at the silent black-robed skeleton.

"??????"

The black-robed skeleton said nothing.

But it was obvious that it had realized how despicable Ian was. It was clearly following Ian's instructions to silence the witnesses, but in the end it was ostracized by Ian and the Black Phoenix.

"It's okay, you can handle it, I believe in you... and I ask you to help me resist Voldemort's curse." Ian walked along the narrow path under his feet towards the secret passage.

The empty woods were filled with rustling sounds. The white light of the wand illuminated the surrounding scene, and there were all kinds of slippery mosses on the wet path.

Some strange-looking fireflies were attracted by the light but did not dare to get closer.

"Bah~"

The black-robed skeleton stepped on a tiny mushroom.

Ian glanced back.

Run away immediately.

Just as some inexplicable black-robed skeleton was about to follow slowly, the tiny mushrooms under its feet began to expand wildly, and exploded in the blink of an eye, spewing out a large cloud of green smoke.

The obviously poisonous smoke dyed the black-robed skeleton green, but it still moved briskly and teleported to appear next to Ian who had already run a long way away.

"This is good stuff. Let me scrape some off." Ian had already taken out the bottle and brush and put on his chemical protective suit. When he saw the black-robed skeleton appear, he immediately stepped forward to collect the poison powder.

After a while.

The black-robed skeleton regained its color.

Ian also collected the powder in a test tube with satisfaction. Perhaps they stayed in this place for a long time, so they attracted a curious creature that would move around at night.

It seemed that it was not afraid of the black-robed skeleton, nor of Ian and the Black Phoenix. It slowly walked out of the dense forest, like a horse but much cleaner and more beautiful than a horse.

There are also some colorful butterflies, emitting fluorescent light, surrounding this amazing animal.

"It's a unicorn."

Ian was somewhat surprised by the encounter tonight. He had been to the Forbidden Forest more than once or twice, but he had never encountered a unicorn approaching him on its own initiative.

In fact.

The unicorn that came out was indeed not for him. The unicorn bypassed Ian and the black phoenix on Ian's shoulders and walked straight to the black-robed skeleton.

Its feet were on the ground.

Bow slightly.

The black-robed skeleton tilted his head and looked a little confused, but still reached out and touched the unicorn's head - this scene made Ian feel quite magical and incredible.

"You were so cruel when you killed the centaurs! How come the unicorn still thinks you have a holy soul?" Ian felt that either he was crazy or the unicorn that appeared was crazy.

It wasn't because the unicorn would show a disgusted expression if he got close to it. Of course, the unicorn would also let him touch it, but it would definitely not be as docile as it was in front of the black-robed skeleton.

This beautiful magical animal has a very bad temper.

The unicorn even expressed its desire to carry the black-robed skeleton.

Ian looked a little confused.

"You're actually a good skeleton!?"

He couldn't understand why he saw such a strange scene.

"Jie Jie~"

Dark Phoenix also echoed this.

The way it looked at the black-robed skeleton was as if it was looking at an enemy who had betrayed his class.

(End of this chapter)