Salazar Slytherin

Faced with Sean's wand and words, Leon Schneider both laughed and cried. He shakily raised his wand. "Wallerup, I'm so Envy of you, I'm dying of Envy..."

Before he finished speaking, his wand suddenly expanded out of thin air, and then the dormant red magic stirred again, and the Unbreakable Vow was triggered by Leon Schneider.

"Wallerup, even if it's you, what can you do? You're just a pawn like me. This world will eventually welcome New God..."

The moment the words "New God" were uttered, that crimson magic surged wildly into Leon Schneider's heart, and through some unknown magic, his swollen, about-to-burst wand was infused with yet another surge of magic, seemingly stolen from the oath!

Sean immediately thought of what Sloth had done in his Soul World. His strange wand had also expanded and shattered at the last moment. It seemed that Leon Schneider had also learned something when he became Sin Vessel.

With a "crack" sound, the wand shattered completely, and then a chilling silver spell shot straight at Sean's face!

Sean anticipated that his opponent might fight to the death, so he quickly activated the Defensive Spell he had prepared beforehand. To be on the safe side, he also used Transfiguration to make the stone wall rise from the ground.

After a brief stalemate with the silver spell, the Protego Maxima shattered completely. The remaining power of the silver spell struck the stone wall, and amidst the explosions and crashes, a large portion of the three-foot-thick stone wall was smashed to pieces—the power was truly terrifying.

However, this ultimately did not harm Sean.

Frowning as he brushed away the dust, Sean saw Leon Schneider, whose face was deathly pale and whose wide eyes were fixed on the ceiling—his chest was covered in crimson cracks, as if it had been filled with magma.

He had completely lost his life, not only because he had broken his Unbreakable Vow, but also because the final curse seemed to have hastened his demise.

Sean frowned, recalling the other person's last words.

"Wallerup, even if it's you, what can you do? You're just a pawn like me. This world will eventually welcome New God..."

"New God... "Sean pondered the meaning of those words, his brow furrowed.

By merely uttering this word, he broke his Unbreakable Vow, meaning that the true goal of the Returners was to welcome this so-called New God.

And is that New God the master that Leon Schneider spoke of, the leader of the Returners has never appeared, or even the Bard that Sean guessed?

The other party's intentions are worth considering...

Shaking his head, Sean recalled what Leon Schneider had said before.

The other party set this trap against me in order to retrieve something...

Sean didn't think what they were talking about referred to the Thomas trio trapped in his ring or the previous Returners. It was more likely the Black Rhombus Crystal, the prop Sean called the "Obsession Entity."

Judging from its appearance, besides providing a Magic Barrier and enhancing the user's control over the Silent Mouth and Dementor, that thing must have an even more important function, otherwise the other party wouldn't value it so much.

Moreover, Sean hadn't forgotten the illustration he'd seen in "The Poet and the Greedy Wisdom Snake," in which the poet, after killing the Wisdom Snake and the Robin, had their blood mingle and eventually produce a huge Black Rhombus Crystal, from which the poet went to great lengths to obtain a fragment.

That fragment was exactly the same as the Obsession Entity.

Judging from the appearance, what I have in my hand might be some kind of treasure...

In addition, it is worth noting for Sean that not only does the Obsession Entity want to take his blood, but Leon Schneider also wants to resurrect one of Sean's enemies.

And this familiar method of resurrection and the materials used for it clearly indicate that the guy is Voldemort.

It seems that Voldemort has completely joined the Returners' side and now wants to obtain Sean's blood to complete the Resurrection Ritual.

He curled his lip; it seemed Voldemort could only target him now.

Currently, there are only three people who can be called Voldemort's enemies: Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Sean. The first two, whether they are the Returners or Voldemort, are obviously not to be provoked, so he is the easiest to bully.

"Tsk, you should have said so earlier," Sean muttered.

If Voldemort needed his blood, Sean might actually give it up after some consideration—he burned old Tom Riddle's remains to ashes, and the replacement in the grave is now a skeleton model from Diagon Alley, made primarily of Yeti bones, and possibly with wild dog leg bones or something similar wrapped around it...

Sean was quite looking forward to seeing what kind of monster Voldemort would become after using such a "father's bone" to resurrect...

Or, why not deliberately take the bait? If I "accidentally" lose some of my blood, I can use Illusion Charm and blood packs... As for blood, I have plenty—sheep's blood, pig's blood, chicken blood—if Voldemort needs it, I can even get the blood of Troll.

Keeping this information in mind, Sean turned to look at the Chamber of Secrets.

This place was pretty much as Sean had imagined: a long, dimly lit room.

Many stone pillars, carved with coiled and intertwined serpents, towered high, supporting the ceiling that dissolved into the darkness above, casting long, eerie shadows across the entire room, which was filled with a mysterious, verdant mist.

The circular plaza where Sean is located is at the innermost part of the Chamber of Secrets, and at the end of the plaza is a statue as tall as the room itself.

Sean had to crane his neck to see the statue's face: it was an old, monkey-like face with a sparse, long beard that stretched almost to the hem of Wizard Robes carved from stone, and two Padfoot standing on the smooth floor of the room.

"Salazar Slytherin ..." Sean murmured the last name.

When Leon Schneider was having his magic drained, in order to save his life, he shouted Slytherin's name, hoping that the other would save him.

However, Salazar Slytherin did not appear.

An ordinary wizard would surely think Leon Schneider was insane—this most astute and powerful wizard among the Four Founders of Hogwarts had long since vanished into the annals of history.

But Sean knew that perhaps, the other party had truly returned in another form...

The wicked witch spirit, Gormlaith Gaunt, a descendant of Slytherin, once said that Slytherin was returning, and that it was he who had summoned her here.

After the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets was released, it was Dumbledore who dealt with the enormous monster. However, he also completely sealed the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. In addition, with the presence of the Returners, Sean was hesitant to explore the real Chamber of Secrets alone. He suspected that Salazar Slytherin had indeed returned and was currently staying in the Chamber of Secrets in some special way.

Leon Schneider's plea for help confirmed this, however, Slytherin did not appear...

Sean remained cautious. As one of the Four Founders, Slytherin's reputation was naturally outrageous. Even if he returned in ghost form, Sean did not believe he could defeat him.

However, since Slytherin did not show up, it might prove that they did not want to get involved.

Because Sean had read Slytherin's handwritten notes, and had also seen a piece of Slytherin's memory.

Although in most people's eyes, Slytherin is mean and shrewd, he distrusts those wizards who are not Pure-blood and does not think Hogwarts should accept these students—which has led to Slytherin House having a very bad reputation. Of course, this is also related to the mean and despicable methods of the Little Snakes.

However, Sean knew perfectly well that although the founder disliked wizards who were not of Pure-blood, he was not the ruthless schemer that was rumored to be.

"Hogwarts is a school, and even though many of the students here are not qualified to sit in the classroom, killing is still not allowed." These were the exact words from Slytherin's memory, and Sean still remembers them vividly.

Thinking of this, Sean looked up at the huge statue again. Slytherin had most likely returned as a ghost and was probably here—and the fact that the statue did not respond to Leon Schneider's cries for help meant that it was very likely that he still retained his memories and feelings from his previous life.

How could he, as one of the founders, target the school's students?

Otherwise, how could the bravest and most impulsive Gryffindor have considered him a close friend?

Then, perhaps...

Sean pursed his lips, and for safety's sake, he still held the card in his hand.

Then, he respectfully greeted the enormous statue in a loud voice, "Mr. Slytherin? Are you there?"

Sean's voice echoed for a long time in the empty, secret Chamber of Secrets, but nothing unusual happened.

He tried calling out a few more times, but still received no response.

"Has it not recovered? Or is it not here?" Sean muttered to himself.

Having received no response, he began to search the Chamber of Secrets thoroughly.

Because, according to Slytherin's memories, in order to prove who was better, the Hogwarts Authority was divided into four parts, with each of the four Founders holding a portion.

They agreed that in the future, whoever's descendant could gather all the powers of the four would become the true master of Hogwarts Castle.

Sean and Stephanie have found control of Ravenclaw, and the two of them have simultaneously gained partial access to the Room of Requirement.

Slytherin's authority was placed in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets.

The other party mentioned in his memory that he had left a small mechanism in the Chamber of Secrets as a test.

Sean initially thought the Basilisk was a test left by the other party, but the Basilisk had already been destroyed by Dumbledore. However, the magical brand described by Slytherin did not appear in the Chamber of Secrets.

It's impossible that Dumbledore it...

Sean felt that the test left by Slytherin might not actually be Basilisk.

However, the entire Chamber of Secrets was empty, except for the lifeless Leon Schneider and some traces of the Basilisk that had swum through it; there was nothing else.

The circular plaza beneath the statue is perfectly sealed, with no visible mechanisms.

"That's strange..." Sean muttered.

Logically speaking, those who can find the Chamber of Secrets should be descendants of Slytherin, since only Parseltongue can enter.

While it's appropriate to leave tests for one's descendants, it's inappropriate to hide the mechanisms for those tests so deeply, as this doesn't align with Slytherin's ambition to have their descendants control Hogwarts.

Sean searched carefully again, even flying up to the Slytherin Statue, but still found no mechanism.

Left with no other choice, he had to give up lingering in the Chamber of Secrets, as there was no more treasure there.

Sean glanced at Leon Schneider's corpse, shook his head, raised his wand, and flames engulfed the body.

He found a box and put the other person's ashes in it. For a moment, Sean didn't know who to give the ashes to. The Returners probably wouldn't care about the remains of a loser, and his parents probably didn't need them either.

Sean didn't think Leon Schneider's actions were right; he despised his behavior. But he could also sense that what Schneider said before he died was true.

He grew up amidst hardship; death absolves all hatred, so at least let him be buried with some dignity.

Having taken care of everything, Sean quickly left the Chamber of Secrets.

The room became empty again, and the tall stone pillars cast eerie black shadows that swayed in the greenish space.

Above the Slytherin statue, a misty figure suddenly emerged from inside the statue.

He was old and frail, wearing a long robe that dragged on the ground and even had several patches on it. His monkey-like face did not make him look comical; instead, it gave him a sense of shrewdness and deep-seated intelligence.

Anyone who sees this man's face will exclaim in astonishment— Salazar Slytherin.

However, everything about him was pearly white, except for his pupils, which were pitch black and incredibly deep, making them impossible to see through.

Slytherin shook his head as he watched the direction Sean had gone.

"How come he's not Pure-blood..."

He glanced at the ashes remaining on the ground, which had once been part of Leon Schneider.

"What a pity..." Slytherin sighed inexplicably.

He walked around the Chamber of Secrets twice with his hands behind his back. When he was near the entrance or the ceiling, a dark gray barrier would appear out of thin air. If Slytherin got any closer, the barrier would tremble and huge Runes would appear on it.

The Runes were written in gold powder, the handwriting bold yet dignified. If Sean saw them, he would recognize them as Dumbledore's handwriting.

Slytherin showed no displeasure at the barrier that blocked his way; he simply sighed with a sense of awe.

"The current principal is really quite outstanding..."

Outside the barrier, the air rippled slightly. At the stone wall that required Parseltongue to open and close, someone was covering their mouth to prevent making a sound.

Sean, of course, did not leave just like that. He had suspected it before, since Dumbledore been to the Chamber of Secrets, and if Slytherin existed, the two must have spoken.

Given Dumbledore's personality, how could he possibly leave nothing behind...?