Battle of the Chamber of Secrets

"Not to boast, Rozier, but I've always been able to bewitch people at will," Riddle murmured, looking up at the massive statue of Salazar Slytherin. "So, basically everyone at Hogwarts, from students to professors to even the headmaster, has immense trust in me, believing I'm the genius Hogwarts has been waiting for."

Xiwen shifted his gaze from the Slytherin statue, his brows furrowing slightly as he looked at Riddle's handsome, almost otherworldly face.

"But I don't understand, with only you and Dumbledore, why were you so wary of me from beginning to end?" Riddle's expression twisted for a moment before he said bitterly. "No matter how gentle and elegant I appear, no matter how ambitious and outstanding I pretend to be, I can sense that you have never let down your guard. Never!"

Xiwen was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I thought we'd always been friends. I was just afraid you'd go astray."

"We were indeed friends." Riddle emphasized the word "were." "You could even say that for a long time you were my only friend."

"I always thought that Avery and Lestrange, along with the young Slytherin wizards, would eventually become your friends as well," Xiwen said.

"They don't deserve it!" Riddle said coldly. "They only submit to my power. I'm nothing more than a few lackeys who run errands for me. Those weaklings have never been my friends. Of all my peers, only you are worthy of being my friend!"

Hearing Riddle's words, Xiwen's brow furrowed even deeper.

"Riddle, making friends isn't just about status and power; the most important thing between friends is affection," he whispered, offering a word of advice. "Making friends for personal gain isn't difficult; all it takes is mutual exchange and equivalent contributions. But I don't believe that kind of friendship will bring you true friends."

"I told you, I don't need your lectures, Rozier," Riddle said indifferently.

"Only by setting aside all ulterior motives and allowing only profound friendship between souls can a friendship last forever." This time, Xiwen didn't stop his sermon; instead, he continued, "Such a friendship doesn't arise out of nowhere, but rather is a tacit understanding gradually cultivated through continuous and sincere reminders between two people."

"Riddle, that's precisely why I keep reminding you, hoping you'll get on the right path."

"I told you, stop your lecturing!" Riddle said angrily.

"If I didn't consider you a friend, why would I keep reminding you? With my resources, status, and power, wouldn't it be easier to suppress you until you can't rise again? Wouldn't that save the Wizarding World from more future troubles?" Xiwen ignored Riddle's anger and continued relentlessly. "The one who most wants you to be on the right path is not Dumbledore, but me, your friend, Riddle!"

Upon hearing Xiwen's frank words, Riddle's angry expression suddenly softened. However, it didn't seem like understanding or forgiveness; instead, he became like an iceberg, radiating extreme cold.

"I've never felt I'm on the wrong path, Rozier," he said coldly, his tone devoid of any warmth. "I don't need you to guide me down the path you've chosen, nor do I need the kind of friends you speak of."

"Also, my name is Voldemort."

The next moment, Riddle suddenly raised the wand in his hand—

Avada Kedavra!

A chilling green light shot towards Xiwen's location; it was Riddle's sudden killing Killing Curse!

The green beam of his Killing Curse was exceptionally thick and extremely powerful. Compared to the Killing Curse of other dark wizards, which resembled sparks from welding, Riddle's Killing Curse was more like a real thunderbolt, carrying the momentum to smash through the walls of the Chamber of Secrets and sweep across the entire Black Lake as it struck Xiwen.

Seeing this, Xiwen sighed softly and also raised his wand.

"As you wish, Voldemort."

Two intertwined blue and yellow lightning bolts hurtled towards the terrifying green light ahead, colliding violently with it.

Yellow, green, and blue colors formed the shape of lightning, intertwining and merging into a spherical lightning bolt. At its center, it seemed as if space itself had melted, transforming into an incomparably black hole.

"Is this what you call fighting power comparable to a Grand Wizard? I think it's nothing special!" Riddle shouted fanatically. "Show me your true strength, Rozier!"

Xiwen's expression remained unchanged; he simply stared indifferently at Riddle, who appeared to be insane.

He hadn't yet revealed his true strength; besides his half-petrified Sub-Soul, there was also a Soul Body from another world within his body that remained completely unmoved.

Xiwen wanted to see who was stronger between him and Riddle when they didn't use the power of their Soul Body. He wanted to see how his bloodline, modified by the tamed Maledictus Blood Curse, differed from Riddle's innate talent as a great wizard.

The two men's attacks grew increasingly fierce, and the entire Chamber of Secrets was illuminated by lightning of three colors, revealing every detail. Their combined power was so great that even the millennia-old dust covering the statue of Salazar Slytherin was shaken off and scattered to the ground.

"Rozier, if this is your full power, then so-called great wizards like Dumbledore and Grindelwald are far too weak," Riddle said arrogantly. "Can I take that as you looking down on me?"

He swung his wand fiercely, causing the green light to move slightly closer to the other side.

"I've pondered this Killing Curse day and night, without a single moment's pause, and I've mastered it to perfection," Riddle said. "And you? Ha, creating your own spells—is that really the magic you're best at?"

"How are you going to use a spell that isn't your strongest weapon to contend with my masterful skills?"

Xiwen paused for a moment, as all sorts of spells and incantations he had learned, including his own creations and Fusion Charm, flashed before his eyes. But when asked which one he was most proficient in, he couldn't quite figure it out for the time being.

Could it be that I'm only a step away from becoming a great wizard, like Riddle, possessing a magic spell I'm most proficient in?

He then recalled the exceptionally skilled wizards he knew; they all certainly possessed unique talents, but it seemed that this wasn't always the case.

Great wizards like Dumbledore and Grindelwald never hesitated to use a wide variety of magic. Or rather, they were extremely proficient in all kinds of magic and would choose the most suitable method of combat in the current situation.

Dumbledore's most proficient Transformation was not frequently used in battle; Grindelwald did not always use his most familiar Dark Magic in combat; and as for Miranda, a true master of spells, she often liked to use other types of magic to her advantage.

Thinking of this, Xiwen breathed a sigh of relief.

Every wizard is a unique individual and should have their own unique path of magic. He has no reason to doubt himself because of a casual question from Riddle.

He and Miranda each changed the future of the magical path in their own way, proving that even in the Wizarding World, talent doesn't determine everything!