I Desire to Become a Demon

"Lord Armand..." Skylar slowly began, "Please stop bluffing. If you wanted to possess Draco to achieve your goal of resurrection, you wouldn't have waited until now. With Draco's mental strength and soul power, he absolutely cannot stop your soul erosion."

"Hmm?" Armand raised an eyebrow and said, "Why would you suddenly think that?" He looked up at Skylar seriously, while continuing to increase the power of the ring. Although the black aura surrounding him was getting thicker and thicker, almost like a black mist demon howling and swirling, the observant Skylar noticed that the oppressive feeling that followed did not actually increase. In fact, it just looked scary.

"Many years ago, when I was about six years old, I read through the family's books and documents and learned about the history of the House of Malfoy, which gave me many questions—"

"The House of Malfoy originated in France. Since landing in Great Britain in 1066, their Armand I served as William the Conqueror's closest and most trusted advisor on state affairs (equivalent to a modern government strategist), accumulating countless lands, servants, and wealth. Logically, the family should have flourished and multiplied without any problem (for comparison, William had 11 sons). So why, when I look back at the family history, do I find that the House of Malfoy has been passed down through a single line for several centuries?"

"Then, as far as I know, the House of Malfoy possesses mysterious bloodline talents similar to 'Parseltongue.' Moreover, by chance, I began studying the Malfoy's secret spells, and I unexpectedly discovered that they contain many powerful mental Dark Arts unknown to outsiders, whose power is comparable to the Three Unforgivable Curses most feared by modern wizards..."

"Logically speaking, if the House of Malfoy had such a powerful lineage, they wouldn't be in this state today... Even if they haven't produced a legendary figure at the level of Grand Sorcerer in every generation, they shouldn't have fallen to this point, forced to submit to either the pro- Muggle Dumbledore or the Pure-blood advocate Voldemort... After Voldemort's downfall, the Ministry of Magic even dared to send people to their doorstep to search for Dark Arts items..."

A hint of admiration flashed in Armand's eyes. "So, you've found the answer?"

"I used to think that intermarriage with outsiders diluted the bloodline, causing a loss of bloodline power, which led to the Malfoy descendants becoming increasingly reliant on intrigue and politics, neglecting the inheritance of magic," Skylar said slowly.

"And now?" Skylar's gaze blazed as he looked directly into Armand's eyes, noticing that the other's pupils had turned a deep crimson, like those of a demon from hell, sinister and terrifying. "I finally know the real reason—"

"It's you—Lord Armand II." Looking at Armand's eerie smile, Skylar became even more certain of his suspicions. He said coldly, "The decline of the House of Malfoy's lineage, the dwindling number of House of Malfoy members—it's all because of you!"

"Family history records that, starting with the third generation descendant— Armand II Malfoy —no one in the House of Malfoy family has ever awakened their bloodline power again..."

"Similarly, the family history also records that you once used the power of your bloodline, known as the 'Magic Eye,' to communicate with magic and create your own unique magical techniques, bringing glory to the family! However, a legendary figure like you, who should be revered and worshipped by future generations, is only mentioned vaguely in the family records, with only a few words recorded about you..."

"If I'm not mistaken—" Skylar's voice suddenly turned cold, "To further unleash the power within your bloodline, or perhaps to further strengthen your soul, you slaughtered the entire House of Malfoy!"

Upon hearing this, Armand could no longer contain his admiration and began to clap his hands loudly and earnestly, the resounding applause echoing eerily in Draco's dormitory.

"To deduce so much from such a small clue, your intelligence is truly admirable. In that case, I underestimated you. Although your personality isn't ruthless enough, you do have the potential to lead the House of Malfoy to glory. You have that ability..." Armand nodded to himself, as if talking to himself.

"You're right..." Armand looked up at Skylar, "When I experienced my first magical surge, I awakened the talent within my bloodline. At that time, there were 11 bloodline descendants in my family, including myself, but I was the only one who could awaken my bloodline talent. My family had high hopes for me... They gave me a lot of resources, as well as the family's secret spells..."

"I have lived up to the family's expectations. By the age of 14, I could master all the family's secret spells with ease, and even improve and optimize them... Under the family's arrangement, I didn't even need to enter Hogwarts to demonstrate my strength—that pretty boy Black was once taught a lesson by me; that brat Gaunt, relying on his Slytherin blood and ability to speak a few reptilian words, dared to yell at me, and I beat him senseless..."

"I fought for my family, plundering wealth and defending honor... The family grew stronger day by day, until one day... I got bored..."

"I believe that if it were you, you could understand how boring it is to do the same thing every day." Armand said with burning eyes, "Things became even more boring after I defeated the head of the then most powerful Gaunt family when I was 20 years old... I could no longer find an opponent who could match me, I could no longer find a challenge that could excite me, I could no longer find any value in my life. At that time, I was confused. What was I living for?"

"Just for that damned family? Just for worldly power? Or for inexhaustible wealth?" Armand asked, then gently shook his head. "None of those. Family, power, wealth—these are all illusions to me. Once I die, I can't take any of them with me..."

"Then it dawned on me—" Armand whispered, "We wizards are born into this world, possessing power that Muggle, beasts, and other creatures do not have. It is this world that gives us meaning in our existence. And what we should pursue is not wealth or power, but the truth of the world! The essence of magic! The pinnacle of power! The eternity of time! The immortal soul!"

"I want to pursue greater power, I want immortal life—" Armand smiled sinisterly, "So I created Horcrux. Although the old man and the family strongly opposed it, they ultimately gave in to my insistence and allowed me to create a Horcrux, only forcing me to swear an oath never to reveal its Horcrux to anyone. What they didn't expect was—"

"After creating the Horcrux, I felt a tearing sensation in my soul, that feeling—" he licked his lips, "Though painful, the feeling of being filled with power was truly captivating..."

"So I was no longer satisfied with the existing magical system, and tried to pursue even greater power..." His voice began to tremble, "I secretly built a Chamber of Secrets in the manor and began capturing Muggle to experiment on... When Muggle could no longer satisfy my needs, I began secretly capturing the servants in the house... then the illegitimate children... finally--"

"When I was 30, by accident, my Chamber of Secrets was discovered by my closest sister Agatha... She was such a lovely and charming young woman. Everyone in the family treated me as a respected and powerful figure, but only she truly understood my loneliness... But..." From the moment Skylar entered the room until now, for the first time, a human expression appeared on Armand's cold face, "But... why... of all people..."

"To prevent all my hard work from going to waste, I made a mistake and... I killed her..." Armand's face gradually turned cold, Skylar could even sense the savagery brewing in his eyes. "The feeling of killing a loved one with my own hands... it hurts... it's truly agonizing... but because of it, my power has grown wildly, more so than ever before... I finally understand the secret of soul magic..."

"The power of magic comes from bloodline, but the strength of that power depends on the soul and emotions. The most powerful emotions in this world are nothing more than love and hate..." Armand said, "Now that Agatha is dead... the only meaning of my life is power. I will pursue the pinnacle of power! Family is no longer my bond, but has become the shackles binding me..."

"I killed the old man first... then my mother... then my uncles and aunts... hahahahaha!" Armand's eyes were beginning to turn dangerous and crazed. "The remaining weaklings of the family, gathered together, are just a bunch of incompetent ants trying to put up a fight!"

"I killed them one by one, feeling their fear and despair with each death, and then looking back into my own heart—finally freed from the shackles of family, finally gaining true freedom. My blood and all my magic trembled with excitement, as if I had devoured the most delicious food in the world..."