The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 588, page 597: When Night Falls (8)

Voldemort let out an angry roar, and all his magical power erupted at once! The magical power was like a tangible shockwave, shattering all the insects on his body and tearing the huge web to shreds!

He broke free of the net and continued flying forward. Ahead, a glimmer of light appeared.

The light was faint, yet it stood out starkly in the boundless darkness. Voldemort flew desperately toward the light, an endless swarm of insects behind him, and the light growing ever brighter before him—

He broke free from the darkness.

The hall is still there. The stone platform is still there. The mirror is still there.

Voldemort was panting heavily, drenched in sweat, the wounds from the insect bites still throbbing. He looked down at his body; there were no wounds. The insects, the bites, the devouring—it was all an illusion.

He looked at the mirror, his three scarlet eyes filled with apprehension.

The illusion in the mirror has disappeared.

Instead, he had his own distorted, inhuman face.

"This is a trap!"

Voldemort realized he hadn't found the real mirror. Behind the door was a narrow passage, the walls of which were covered with dense Titan runes.

These runes were unlike any texts I had ever seen before. They were not carved on the surface of the stone, but floated an inch above the wall, slowly rotating and emitting a cold, eerie blue light.

As Voldemort stepped into the passage, the ruins of the bronze door behind him were suddenly lifted up by an invisible force and re-embedded into the door frame, fitting perfectly.

Immediately afterwards, the runes on both sides of the passage lit up at the same time, the light was dazzling and intense, and the entire passage trembled!

The stone slabs beneath his feet began to move. Not shattering, not collapsing, but writhing and rearranging themselves like living things. Voldemort looked down; the slabs were rearranging, and with each movement, the structure of the passage changed. The path he had come from was gone; behind him stood a complete stone wall, similarly covered in runes.

He looked ahead, and the passageway ahead twisted, folded, and branched, like a piece of paper being crumpled by an invisible hand.

This is a living maze.

Voldemort snorted and raised his hand, unleashing a shattering spell at the wall in front of him. The spell struck the stone, blasting open a crater the size of a washbasin, sending debris flying—but the stones at the edge of the crater began to writhe, growing and healing at a visible speed, and a few seconds later, the wall returned to its original state.

The runes flickered on and off, seemingly mocking his futile efforts.

"hateful!"

He no longer wasted his magic and strode forward. With each step, the path changed. Sometimes the path ahead would suddenly disappear, replaced by a newly formed wall; sometimes the stone slabs beneath his feet would suddenly sink, revealing a deep pit filled with spikes; sometimes the walls on both sides would suddenly close in, pressing in with immense force.

Voldemort handled this with ease: Fiery Blaze blasted open the newly formed walls, the Levitation Charm held up the sinking stone slabs, and the Force Field held the closing walls in place.

However, his speed was greatly slowed down, and each step required more effort than expected.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the passage suddenly opened up. He entered a circular stone chamber with a huge stone pillar in the center, its shaft covered with floating runes. Seven identical passages surrounded the pillar, each with a stone tablet at its entrance inscribed with an ancient warning.

Voldemort walked to the nearest stone tablet. He had never seen the inscriptions before, but the will contained within them was directly translated into a language he could understand: "Seven paths lead to life and death. Choose the good and follow it; choose the evil and avoid it. Yet the good also die, and the evil also live. Which path to take, only the heart knows."

Voldemort stared at the cryptic text, his three crimson eyes narrowing slightly. Seven paths, paths of life and death, paths of good and evil. He closed his eyes, extending his senses into each path—those senses, like invisible tentacles, burrowed into the darkness, searching for the secrets at the ends of the paths.

At the end of the first passage was emptiness, nothing at all.

At the end of the second passage was a ball of flame, intense and violent.

At the end of the third passage was utter silence, with only a skeleton remaining.

At the end of the fourth passage was a door with a raven carved on it.

At the end of the fifth passage was a mirror, reflecting his distorted figure.

At the end of the sixth passage was darkness, and something was writhing in the darkness.

At the end of the seventh passage—Voldemort suddenly opened his eyes.

At the end of the seventh passage, there was wind. Not ordinary wind, but a free, cold wind from the far north, carrying ice shards and fragments of the aurora borealis.

That was the scent of the outside world, the scent of an exit.

Without hesitation, he stepped towards the seventh passage.

The moment he stepped into the passage, the stone pillar behind him exploded!

Countless fragments of runes scattered like a torrential rain, and the entrances to the seven passages collapsed simultaneously, boulders falling and completely blocking any escape routes. Voldemort did not look back; his steps quickened and became more resolute. In the darkness ahead, the cold wind grew clearer and clearer.

The aurora borealis grew brighter and brighter.

however.

Just now.

"Whoosh!"

An arrow shot out from the hole! The arrow was incredibly fast, and its tip glowed with a ghostly green light, clearly coated with a deadly poison! Voldemort slightly turned his body, and the arrow grazed his shoulder before embedding itself in the wall behind him, instantly leaving a patch of corrosion on the stone wall, emitting bluish smoke.

"A clumsy trick!"

Voldemort snorted coldly, raised his hand and waved it, and an invisible force blasted the stone door open!

Pebbles flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

He passed through the broken stone door and entered a long, narrow stone chamber.

The walls on both sides of the stone chamber were densely covered with countless tiny holes. Several dried skeletons were scattered on the ground, some pinned to the wall by arrows, some crushed under large stones, and some already broken into pieces.

The skeletons still bore fragments of broken robes, and the patterns on the fragments revealed that these people were wizards who had tried to break into the ruins—and they failed.

"In the end, they can't compare to me!"

Voldemort took a step forward.

"Click".

A soft thud came from beneath his feet. His foot had landed on a slightly sunken stone slab.

He looked down and saw a stone slab whose color was slightly different from the surroundings. The patterns on the surface of the slab blended perfectly with the surrounding ground; if he hadn't had such keen senses, he wouldn't have noticed the slight difference in elevation.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"organ?"

Before the words were even finished, countless arrows shot out simultaneously from the holes in both walls! The rain of arrows was dense and overwhelming, coming from all directions without leaving any blind spots! The venom on the arrowheads traced eerie green trails in the air, weaving together a web of death!

Voldemort did not move.

He simply raised his hand and gently pressed down.

An invisible force field emanated from him, and the arrows aimed at him suddenly stopped three feet away from his body, hovering in mid-air like insects frozen in amber. They trembled and struggled, but could not advance an inch further.

Voldemort flicked his finger.

The arrows simultaneously changed direction, shooting back into the holes in the wall at an even faster speed than when they came! Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of explosions rang out, blasting countless holes into the entire wall, with rubble and dust falling in a flurry.

He continued walking forward.

With each step, new mechanisms were triggered: the stone slabs beneath his feet suddenly collapsed, revealing deep pits filled with spikes; the ceiling above cracked, and scalding asphalt poured down; the walls on either side thrust out massive stone hammers, sweeping towards him with immense force. Voldemort handled it with ease: a Levitation Charm held up the collapsing slabs, Fiendfyre vaporized the pouring asphalt, and a Shatter Charm shattered the stone hammers into pieces. The mechanisms that had once killed countless intruders were child's play before him.

At the end of the stone chamber stood a massive bronze door. An ancient inscription, faintly visible in the dark red light, read: "Offer your strength, and you may pass."

Voldemort stared at the words for a few seconds in silence. Then, he raised his hand and placed his palm on the door.

An invisible suction force surged from the doorway, seizing his magic. The force was powerful and greedy, as if it wanted to drain all his power! Voldemort frowned slightly, but did not withdraw his hand. He simply allowed the suction force to devour his magic, his eyes calm as if watching a performance that had nothing to do with him.

A few seconds later, the bronze door slowly opened.

Behind the door was an even deeper passageway, where faint glimmers of light could be seen in the darkness.

Voldemort stepped inside, the bronze door slamming shut behind him. He didn't notice that in the shadows above him, a small raven perched quietly on the stone wall, its dark eyes reflecting his departing figure. Ian silently counted in his mind, beginning to analyze the magic Voldemort had offered.

His trap wasn't just about giving Voldemort the power to defeat himself.

The passageway behind is more dangerous than the one in front.

Voldemort had only taken a few steps when the stone slab beneath his feet suddenly flipped! He was prepared, and his body instantly floated up, dodging the deep pit filled with spikes below.

But this time, there was more than one mechanism—the ceiling above them cracked open simultaneously, and countless enormous stone spheres rolled down, each weighing several tons.

With the power to destroy everything!

"It's so annoying!"

Voldemort raised his hand, and a burst of fiery energy erupted, blasting the foremost stone spheres into fragments! Debris flew everywhere, and dust billowed!

More and more stone spheres poured out of the darkness, endlessly!

He ceased fighting, transforming into a streak of black light and flying deeper into the tunnel. The stone spheres rolled wildly behind him, causing the entire tunnel to tremble as if it might collapse at any moment!

A fork in the road appeared ahead. The passage to the left was engraved with ancient runes and emitted a faint blue light; the passage to the right was pitch black, with only endless darkness.

Voldemort did not hesitate and chose the left side.

As soon as he flew into the left passageway, the stone sphere behind him crashed into the entrance, completely blocking it. He stopped, glanced back at the pile of rubble, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Then, he sensed something.

The stone slabs beneath our feet began to sink. Not just one, but the entire passageway was sinking! The sinking was slow, but irreversible, and a viscous, black liquid began to seep from the walls on both sides. The liquid emitted a pungent odor, and wherever it passed, it left streaks of corrosion on the stone walls.

Voldemort leaped into the air, attempting to escape from above, but there was no exit above him, only a smooth ceiling that was also leaking black liquid.

He raised his hand, and a slicing spell shot towards the wall! The spell blasted a huge gap in the stone wall, revealing what lay behind it.

On the other side of the stone wall. This passageway has a double-layered structure, with the space between the outer and inner layers filled with that black, corrosive liquid!

Voldemort's expression changed slightly.

He stopped trying to break through the wall and flew forward at breakneck speed! The tunnel continued to sink, and black liquid surged in from all directions, gathering behind him into a rising black ocean! The faster he flew, the faster the liquid rose, as if the entire ruins were against him!

A stone door appeared ahead. There were no handles, no runes, only a huge, deep groove. The groove was shaped like an open palm.

Voldemort flew to the door and pressed his palm into the groove.

Countless tiny, needle-like spikes instantly emerged from the groove, piercing his palm! These spikes carried some ancient magic, frantically draining his blood and magic! Voldemort groaned, trying to pull his hand away, but found his palm firmly held, unable to break free!

"Offer your strength, and you may pass." The ancient words echoed in his mind, carrying an undeniable authority.

Voldemort gritted his teeth, letting the groove drain his power. Blood flowed from his palms, spreading along the groove's lines, staining the entire stone door crimson. Magic was drawn from his body, condensing into shimmering runes on the door's surface.

The black liquid behind him drew ever closer, reaching his ankles. The liquid was extremely corrosive; even his body, modified by deep-space forces, felt a burning pain!

Finally, the stone gate opened slowly with a deep rumble.

Voldemort abruptly pulled his hand back and rushed into the doorway. Black liquid surged in behind him, but was blocked by an invisible barrier.

He stood behind the door, panting heavily, looking down at his hand, riddled with thorns. The wounds were healing quickly, but the feeling of being drained of strength still lingered in his mind.

He raised his head and looked ahead.

This was a vast, circular hall. The dome soared into the clouds, its top invisible. The walls were covered with ancient murals depicting some kind of ancient ritual. In the center of the hall stood a high platform, upon which rested a stone altar. Above the altar floated a pale blue light, within which something could be vaguely seen rotating.

The only path to the high platform was a narrow stone bridge. Below the bridge was a bottomless abyss, and in the darkness, a low, breathing sound could be faintly heard.

Voldemort stepped onto the stone bridge.

The stone bridge was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. There were no handrails on either side, and the surface was covered with intricate runes that glowed faintly beneath his feet, as if confirming his identity. He walked slowly, each step cautious. He instinctively sensed that this bridge was more dangerous than any of the traps he had encountered before.

When we were halfway across, the bridge began to shake.

It wasn't just an ordinary tremor, but a rhythmic, heart-pounding pulsation. The pulsation grew stronger and faster, and the entire bridge shook! Voldemort steadied himself and quickened his pace—the stone slabs of the bridge began to crumble! Slabs fell from beneath his feet, plunging into the abyss, leaving a dull thud only after a long while!

"Damn it!"

He leaped into the air and flew towards the high platform! The instant his feet left the ground, the entire stone bridge collapsed with a roar, turning into countless fragments that plunged into the abyss!

Voldemort landed on the high platform, glanced back at the empty abyss, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Then he turned around and faced the altar.

Voldemort didn't know.

This is the ultimate trap that Ian has prepared for him.