The three of them were stunned by Su Yu's words. Hermione lifted her head from Su Yu's arms, confusion flickering in her wide, innocent eyes. Ron's mouth hung open, while Harry stood frozen with his wand raised in midair. The three of them looked as though they had been hit by a Petrification Spell.
Lockhart's legs, which had been trembling nonstop in fear, suddenly steadied. He straightened up, brushed the dust from his robes, and looked at Su Yu with interest. "Oh? How did you figure me out?"
The three children's eyes widened even further. He had admitted it just like that? He really was the culprit? Ron nearly dropped his wand, while Harry stepped forward and shielded Hermione and Su Yu behind him.
"Eliminate all impossibilities, and whatever remains," Su Yu said, staring at Lockhart, "is the truth!"
Lockhart tilted his head, a half-smile curling at his lips as he waited for Su Yu to continue.
"Your act was far too deliberate, Lockhart. With your cowardly nature, there was no way you would have come here." Su Yu spoke with open disgust. "You make me sick. At first, I thought it was just your personality, but now that we've come this far, I understand—I hate the smell of Voldemort on you."
Harry's mouth went dry, and his voice came out hoarse. "Su Yu, you mean—"
"Still haven't figured it out, Harry?" Hermione poked her head out from Su Yu's arms. "Lockhart opened the Chamber of Secrets. He strangled the school's roosters and painted those threatening messages on the walls. He led Slytherin's Serpent to those four people—and the cat."
Ron's brain could no longer keep up. He stood there as though steam might start pouring from his head, muttering, "Why does every Defense Against the Dark Arts professor end up becoming Voldemort's lackey?"
Grindelwald nearly kicked him in the head when he heard that. Ron, if you don't know how to talk, then shut up already...
At that moment, a tall black-haired boy slowly emerged from the darkness, wearing a gentle smile that made people instinctively want to trust him.
Lockhart bent at the waist and bowed to him, as respectfully as if he were bowing before a king.
Harry exclaimed in surprise, "Tom Marvolo Riddle? What are you doing here?"
Tom nodded to everyone, but his eyes remained fixed on Harry's face.
Harry stared at him. Tom had left Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet he stood there now looking no older than sixteen.
"Are you a ghost?" Harry asked uncertainly.
"A memory," Tom said calmly, his voice gentle. "I have existed in the diary for fifty years."
"Oh, Merlin's beard, is there anything more terrifying than this? Memories can come back to life..." Ron really did have a talent for quips. After saying it, he shuddered.
"Did you come to help us?" Harry asked, his eyes filled with sincerity.
Lockhart was so angry he laughed. "Haven't you figured out the situation yet, Harry?"
"What?" Harry forced out the word, clenching his fists.
Hermione was starting to think Harry was hopelessly stupid.
Su Yu spoke up and cut them off. "Tom Marvolo Riddle is Voldemort. As for the rest, ask Hermione after you get out, you fool."
Harry's face instantly turned pale.
Su Yu then turned to Grindelwald. "Shall we take him together?"
Grindelwald removed his hat, revealing a head of silver-white hair. The corners of his lips rose slightly. "Gladly."
"Then be careful, old man," Su Yu said. "I can feel him constantly gathering the power of Hell. Looks like another Voldemort has pledged himself to Hell. The only question is which Lord of Hell he serves." As he spoke, he did not forget to glance at Hermione. "Hermione! Lockhart is yours. Be careful!"
"I know! I'm not some decorative vase!" Hermione flicked her wand and straightened up from Su Yu's arms, positioning herself in front of Ron and Harry.
A blazing golden-red chakra flame suddenly erupted around Su Yu. Kurama's cloak instantly covered his entire body, and a violent current of chakra swept through the surroundings, sending every piece of rubble at his feet flying. His eyes snapped open. The intricate patterns of the Mangekyō Sharingan revolved in his left eye, its tomoe spinning rapidly; the pale purple ripples of the Rinnegan filled his right eye, with the power of the Six Paths faintly surging within. The two ocular powers intertwined, allowing him to see every movement of Hell energy around Riddle with perfect clarity. Golden chakra gathered around him into tangible claws, poised to strike.
Beside him, Grindelwald stood tall, his silver hair fluttering slightly in the cold current of air. His hands were empty, yet he radiated the calm dominance of a master of dark magic. He merely raised his gaze, his eyes indifferent yet carrying unquestionable control. Invisible magical fluctuations around him faced Riddle from afar, making even the air tremble faintly.
Three ultimate powers collided, producing a piercing tearing sound as fine ripples spread through space itself.
The battle was about to begin.
Riddle struck first. Free from the constraints of a wand, terrifying Hell energy poured forth at his command. Blackish-purple energy took the form of a savage giant claw from Hell, carrying heat hot enough to burn everything away and corrosive force as it lunged straight at the two of them. Wherever it passed, the ground was instantly eroded into black pits, while the stones hissed and smoked.
Su Yu's gaze sharpened as the Mangekyō Sharingan activated instantly. Genjutsu shrouded Riddle in an instant, attempting to disrupt his control over the energy. At the same time, Su Yu unleashed Banshō Ten'in, invisible gravitational force violently pulling at the giant claw from Hell in an attempt to divert its path. Chakra beneath Kurama's cloak surged wildly as brilliant golden-red light blazed from his hands and met the attack head-on.
The instant Su Yu restrained the giant claw from Hell, Grindelwald's spell erupted. Several streams of blazing blue fire transformed into fiery serpents and coiled around the claw from the side. The moment the three forces collided, an earthshaking explosion rang out. The shockwave completely collapsed the broken walls around them, dust filled the air, and fragments of stone rained down from the ceiling.
Riddle snorted coldly as Hell energy surged again. Several blackish-purple energy blades formed around him, moving at extreme speed as they sliced through the dust and slashed indiscriminately toward both of them.
Su Yu activated the Rinnegan and unleashed Shinra Tensei. Invisible repulsive force burst forth, knocking every incoming energy blade away. The blades slammed into the walls and blasted out one crater after another. At the same time, the Mangekyō Sharingan released the first form of Susanoo. A pale red skeletal frame protected his body as Kurama's chakra fused with Susanoo. Su Yu leaped into the air, his chakra claws slashing fiercely toward Riddle.
From the rear, Grindelwald precisely controlled his magic. Silent binding spells tried to lock down Riddle's movements, while dark magic and cursed power silently seeped into the Hell energy, weakening its corrosive force. His magic was precise and ruthless, every strike targeting flaws in Riddle's energy flow. Together with Su Yu's ocular techniques and the power of the Nine-Tails, they formed a perfect pincer attack.
Suppressed by their combined assault, Riddle only grew more violent. The energy of Hell erupted completely, forming an enormous blackish-purple energy storm around him. Roaring, it swept across the surroundings, corroding all magic and chakra. He spread his hands, condensing Hell energy into a pitch-black energy sword. Relying on pure Hell power, he swung out blade auras capable of tearing space apart, clashing continuously with Su Yu's Susanoo claws and Grindelwald's magic. Every strike shook the entire Chamber of Secrets. Cracks spread across the stone pillars, and rubble kept falling from above.
Su Yu pushed both ocular powers to their limits. The Mangekyō Sharingan's genjutsu continually disrupted Riddle's mind, creating gaps in his energy control, while the Rinnegan constantly unleashed Six Paths Techniques—sometimes gravitational force pulling, sometimes repulsive force blasting away. Golden-red light, the blackish-purple storm of Hell, and Grindelwald's pale golden magical radiance intertwined. The entire Chamber of Secrets teetered on the brink of collapse amidst this battle of unprecedented scale.
Grindelwald's expression remained calm, but his spells came faster and faster. Countless magical runes silently appeared in the air, forming a complex magic array that attempted to seal Riddle's Hell energy. With a slight movement of his fingertips, an incomparably sharp Silent Disintegration Curse struck Riddle's shoulder directly during a moment when Su Yu's ocular techniques disrupted him. The blackish-purple Hell energy was instantly torn open, and Riddle's body lurched to one side.
Su Yu seized that fleeting opening. The powers of the Rinnegan and Mangekyō Sharingan merged as Kurama's chakra condensed into his strongest attack. A golden-red chakra beam carrying the power of the Six Paths blasted toward Riddle's chest. At the same time, Grindelwald unleashed a binding spell, locking Riddle's movements tightly and leaving him no room to evade. The three powers collided once more, dazzling light illuminating the entire ruin as the roar of the explosion lingered without end.
Yet before the blinding light and thunderous roar had faded, the black-robed figure struck at the center of the ruins did not fall. Instead, a low, chilling sneer emerged. There was no longer even a trace of young Tom Riddle's restraint in that laughter—only the brutality and arrogance of an Abyssal Lord.
The dust filling the sky was suddenly scattered by a violent blackish-purple current of Hell energy. Riddle, once handsome yet sinister, was undergoing a horrifying transformation—his black robes shattered inch by inch, burned to ash by Hell energy. His exposed skin gradually turned a deathly ash-gray, while his veins bulged wildly like black vines, winding across his entire body and coursing with Hell power as thick as ink.
A pair of enormous black skeletal wings slowly grew from his back. Dark red bloodlight gleamed along their edges, and every flap raised a chilling wind sharp enough to tear skin. A vertical crack opened across his forehead, faint crimson Hellfire visible within. His lips stretched wider, exposing sharp fangs. The Hell energy around him was no longer scattered, but had become tangible black mist. Within the mist, a huge phantom writhed. His entire being had completely evolved toward the form of a Lord of Hell, his aura more than ten times stronger than before. Space twisted continuously under the pressure of that ultimate darkness, even forming tiny spatial cracks. The ground itself began to sink, turning into scorching, charred earth.
"You lowly ants dare block the path of a god?"
Su Yu narrowed his eyes, staring at the black skeletal wings and the vertical mark on Riddle's forehead. He softly said, "This is... Lucifer?"
Before you continue