Battle

Voldemort's new host was blasted into a sorry state by Borsat's Thunder. Pain and humiliation drove him into a complete fury! He struggled to his feet, murderous madness burning in his eyes. Holding nothing back, he pointed his wand directly at Silas and screamed the deadly incantation with all his strength: "Avada Kedavra!"

A blinding green light, a symbol of death, shot toward Silas like a venomous snake!

Facing the Killing Curse, which could snuff out a life in an instant, Silas showed no sign of panic. He did not even retreat. He merely brought his hands together swiftly before his chest, and the golden runes of the Ring of the Ragaddor flared to life, forming a circular shield of light before him, flowing with intricate energy patterns! "Bzzz—!"

The green light of the Killing Curse slammed viciously into the golden shield, releasing a muffled explosion of energy! Like waves crashing against a reef, the green light was forcibly blocked, shattered, and dissipated into nothingness! Vishanti Magic's defensive spell had successfully stopped the fatal strike of the Unforgivable Curses!

But Silas's counterattack was even faster!

The instant he blocked the Killing Curse, his left hand slashed open a portal beside him like lightning, while his right hand gathered the teal energy of Balzaha Lightning and fired it into the portal without even looking!

Almost at the same time, another portal silently opened behind Voldemort! The teal lightning slipped out of it like a ghost and stabbed straight at Voldemort's back!

This feint-and-switch attack, using portals for spatial jumps, was simply exquisite!

However, Voldemort was Voldemort after all! At the instant Balzaha Lightning was about to touch him, his reaction reached the absolute limit! His entire body instantly burst apart, transforming into a thick, roiling cloud of black smoke! The lightning passed through the smoke and struck a distant tree, blasting it black and charred!

The black smoke swiftly gathered and turned humanoid again. Voldemort was completely unharmed! He did not even pause to catch his breath before raising his wand once more and firing another deadly green light at Silas! "Avada Kedavra!"

The exchange of attack and defense was completed in a flash! Voldemort displayed the terrifying battle instincts and formidable mastery of Dark Magic expected of a top-tier dark wizard!

Silas's gaze sharpened, and he had no choice but to raise the Ring of the Ragaddor again for defense. He knew this battle was far more difficult than the one against Quirrell. This new host possessed not only greater magical power, but far more combat experience. Voldemort's soul also seemed to have fused more tightly with the host.

"Tch, this is getting a little tricky..." Silas muttered, though even fiercer fighting spirit burned in his eyes. He liked challenges.

Seeing that the Killing Curse and rapid exchanges could not quickly bring down Silas, a flash of ruthlessness and impatience crossed Voldemort's eyes. He decided to use more dangerous, harder-to-control Dark Magic with immense destructive range to create chaos and force Silas into a desperate situation!

He raised his wand high and chanted an ancient, evil incantation. From the tip of his wand poured terrifying flames that twisted like living creatures! "Fiendfyre!"

The orange-red flames ignited the moment they touched the ground. As if they possessed life and hunger, they madly devoured everything around them—dead branches, fallen leaves, even damp tree trunks! The fire spread rapidly, taking the forms of fire dragons, fire serpents, and chimeras. They roared soundlessly and lunged at Silas. Worse still, they were ravaging deeper into the Forbidden Forest!

Silas's expression changed drastically, and he could not help cursing. "Voldemort! Are you fucking trying to burn down the forest and rot in prison? How many magical creatures are in this Forbidden Forest? Are you trying to burn all of Hogwarts to the ground?!"

Watching Fiendfyre spread at an astonishing speed, Silas knew that if he did not stop it now, not only would this ancient forest be destroyed, but the flames might even threaten Hogwarts Castle in the distance!

"Damn it!" Silas knew he could not hesitate any longer. He had to stop this disaster!

He abruptly dropped to one knee and pressed both hands heavily against the ground, which had already been baked scorching hot. Vishanti power surged wildly within him with unprecedented intensity! He closed his eyes and unleashed the advanced transmutation and dispelling spell he had only recently mastered: "Lord of Hogus!"

A vast, gentle golden energy rapidly spread outward from him like ripples! Wherever the golden light passed, the raging blue Fiendfyre that devoured all things seemed to be affected by a higher law. Its destructive nature began to be forcibly twisted and purified!

However, transforming Fiendfyre across such a vast area, and at such a high energy level, was clearly countless times harder than dispelling a single attack. Fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on Silas's forehead, and his body trembled slightly from the immense energy expenditure. It took him nearly two full seconds—in a battle that changed by the instant, practically an eternity—to barely complete this large-scale transformation!

The blue fire beasts that had once bared their fangs and claws gradually collapsed and reformed, eventually turning into countless magical butterflies glowing with gentle golden light! No longer destructive in any way, these butterflies fluttered lightly over the charred woodland, creating a strange yet beautiful sight.

The crisis was temporarily resolved, but the overloaded spellcasting had drained Silas badly, leaving his breathing somewhat unsteady.

Watching the Fiendfyre he had summoned be dispelled in such an unbelievable manner, Voldemort's hooded face filled with shock and deeper wariness. The power this brat commanded was far too bizarre!

Silas took the chance to rapidly steady his breathing, his gaze locked firmly on Voldemort. He knew he had to deal with the source of this trouble as soon as possible, or Voldemort might resort to even more sinister tricks next time.

Silas had just forcibly transformed a vast area of Fiendfyre with Lord of Hogus. His magical power was heavily depleted, and his breathing had yet to settle. Voldemort had clearly noticed his weakness. Seizing the opening, he raised his wand again without hesitation, killing intent blazing in his eyes! "Avada Kedavra!"

Another deadly green light shot toward Silas's chest like an arrow loosed from a bow, accompanied by a piercing shriek through the air! This time, Silas's brief exhaustion and distraction made him half a beat too slow. He did not have time to form the Ring of the Ragaddor again for defense!

Damn it! I can't dodge it! Silas's pupils contracted sharply as alarm bells rang in his mind!

At that critical moment, the Levitating Cloak that had been quietly draped over his shoulders suddenly tugged backward as though it possessed a will of its own! A powerful force seized Silas and forcibly dragged him half a meter back!

That crucial half-meter was enough for the green light of the Killing Curse to graze past his chest and strike a large tree behind him. The trunk instantly turned black and lost all life!

Did you forget I was still here? A smug yet anxious thought entered Silas's mind directly, coming from the Levitating Cloak! Fly up, idiot! Get off the ground!

The collar of the Levitating Cloak suddenly rose like spread wings, carrying Silas skyward with a whoosh. He rapidly climbed out of the direct range of Voldemort's wand!

Still shaken, Silas took a breath and patted his chest. "Thanks, old friend! That was way too close!"

He looked down at Voldemort on the ground. Voldemort was staring upward, his scarlet eyes filled with fury and a trace of disbelief—he had not expected Silas to possess this kind of flying ability!

The Levitating Cloak's timely intervention had not only saved Silas's life, but instantly changed the tide of battle! With the advantage in the air, Silas could evade attacks more flexibly and strike from above. Control of the battlefield had returned to his hands!

"Alright." Hovering in midair, Silas rolled his wrist, his gaze turning sharp again. "Now it's my turn to strike back."

With the advantage in the air, Silas no longer held back. He took a deep breath and sank his awareness into the power of the Dark Dimension, which he had only recently unlocked. His hands formed a complex, eerie seal before his chest as ominous purple-black energy gathered and spiraled before him!

"Dark Dimension Summon!"

A portal instantly unfolded before him, its edges flickering with purple arcs of electricity. Within was darkness as black as ink, as if it led to an endless abyss! Heart-pounding howls and chaotic whispers came from beyond it!

Then, a massive black fire dragon formed entirely of pure dark energy, with a hideous face and no physical body, roared out of the portal! It radiated an aura of corrosion and destruction. Opening its huge jaws, it plunged fiercely toward Voldemort on the ground!

This was Silas's first time using the Dark Dimension's power in actual combat. Its might and sinister aura made even the air seem to freeze!

Seeing the dark fire dragon descending upon him, Voldemort's scarlet pupils abruptly constricted! He could sense that the dark energy within the dragon was of an extraordinarily high level—high enough to threaten even him! Taking it head-on was not wise!

At that crucial moment, Voldemort made a move that left Silas completely dumbfounded!

Voldemort suddenly raised his hand—not his wand hand, but his empty one—and rapidly traced an extremely familiar circle of golden sparks through the air!

Crackle—!

A golden portal almost identical to the Vishanti portal used by Silas instantly opened before Voldemort!

The next second, Voldemort stepped into the portal without hesitation, and his figure vanished instantly! The golden portal swiftly closed and dissipated after he entered!

The dark fire dragon missed its target and crashed into the ground, exploding in a burst of corrosive dark energy that ate a huge crater into the earth. But having lost its target, it soon dissolved into black smoke as well.

Silas hovered in midair, utterly stunned!

He stared fixedly at the spot where Voldemort had disappeared, his eyes wide and his jaw nearly dropping!

"I... what the fuck!" He could not stop himself from swearing, his voice full of incredulous shock and absurdity. "What... what was that?! My portal?! How could he use my portal?!" His expression looked as if he had eaten ten kilograms of Every Flavor Beans.

This was too ridiculous! The Vishanti portal spell was his unique ability! It had been granted by the system! It had only been made possible by combining his understanding of spatial theory from his previous life with this world's magical rules! How could Voldemort possibly know it too?! And that gesture, those sparks, that effect—they were almost exactly the same as his!

A terrifying thought flashed through Silas's mind: Had Voldemort somehow secretly learned his spell?

Silas's heart sank to the bottom. Voldemort having spatial teleportation meant his movements would become even more unpredictable, and the level of threat would increase exponentially! Moreover, the secret hidden behind this sent a chill down Silas's spine.

Although this battle in the Forbidden Forest had driven Voldemort away, Silas did not feel happy at all. The matching portal Voldemort had revealed at the end was like a thorn driven deep into his heart.

Hovering in midair, Silas's mind raced as he connected the clues:

1. He had sold the Suspended Ring he did not need to Borgin and Burkes.

2. Voldemort's fragmented soul desperately needed a way to move quickly and hide.

3. Borgin and Burkes had all kinds of Dark Magic items and channels.

4. Voldemort had just used a spell extremely similar to a Vishanti portal, but he relied on an external object.

"So that's how it is..." Silas muttered. The shock and confusion on his face gradually gave way to sudden realization.

He was almost certain that Voldemort—or his new host—had acquired that Suspended Ring from Borgin and Burkes by some means. Perhaps through threats, a deal, or that old fox Borgin offering it up himself!

Once he understood this, Silas was no longer so worried. He even felt like laughing.

He gently landed on the ground and dusted off nonexistent dirt from the Levitating Cloak, speaking to himself in a relaxed tone.

"That scared the hell out of me. I thought he had really learned my signature trick... Turns out he just picked up some junk I was done using."

No one understood the Suspended Ring's properties better than Silas. At its core, the ring was a powerful spatial beacon and magical power conduit. It could greatly reduce the difficulty and magical power consumption of opening a stable portal. But it had one major limitation:

"That thing is basically just an advanced key." Silas curled his lip. "Other than opening portals, it's fucking useless. It can't strengthen attacks or improve defense."

Silas himself had long surpassed the stage of relying on the Suspended Ring. His portals were an expression of his understanding of the Law of Space, part of Vishanti Magic, perfectly integrated with his own magical power. To him, the Suspended Ring had long become an outdated support tool.

"Even better." Silas stroked his chin, a crafty glint flashing in his eyes. "If he thinks he has the same mobility as me, maybe it'll make him misjudge things and get careless. Next time we meet, I might be able to give him a surprise."

Although Voldemort gaining teleportation abilities added another variable, Silas believed that an imitator dependent on external objects could never compare to true source power. In Voldemort's hands, the Suspended Ring was at most an annoying escape tool. It was not yet a lethal threat.

"Looks like I'll need to find a chance to take that ring back later." Silas made up his mind. "After all, littering is not a good habit."

Having figured out the key point, Silas stopped dwelling on it. He glanced at the woodland ravaged by Fiendfyre and Dark Magic, shook his head, and turned toward the castle. He needed time to properly process everything that had happened tonight.