Death Descends!

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Tom glared with a cold, almost murderous look.

But when he turned around and looked at the lingering old man, his expression was normal, showing no trace of sorrow or joy.

Even a moment later, a warm smile appeared on his lips, Buddha reuniting after a long separation.

The old man clicked his tongue in admiration.

This level of self-cultivation is truly remarkable; no wonder Tom has obtained all of the original body's memories, no longer as naive as he was at sixteen.

Indeed, in his view, Tom at this moment was no longer that sixteen-year-old boy, much less Voldemort.

Tom is a completely new character—profound, reserved... almost perfect.

He likes mature, grown-up boys like that.

"What are you doing here?" Tom asked tentatively.

"I've been here for hundreds of years, always serving as the administrator."

The old man really moved among the bookshelves like a librarian.

"Several popes may know of my existence, but they may not be able to see me."

He walked to a bookshelf, stopped, and precisely took out the book that Tom had already read.

After flipping through certain pages, the old man couldn't help but shake his head and smile.

It turns out that after Tom read the Prehistoric Mysteries, he altered the content to prevent others from having the opportunity to learn them.

The old man raised his arm, and the text was immediately restored.

Tom squinted, showing no embarrassment at being caught on the spot. Instead, he stared at the unguarded back, pondering whether to launch a sneak attack.

He wanted to kill but was hesitant, or perhaps he was just too weak a man but had a strong craving for the kill.

In the end, Tom held onto the wand in his sleeve and did not make a move.

Let's play it safe first... and proceed cautiously.

The old man reached out and stroked the bookshelf, as if caressing a lover. He didn't turn around, yet it was as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

He laughed and said:

"You don't even dare to make a move? You were killed by Stark once, died by Voldemort once, and sensed his memories... and you're starting to fear?"

With your current mindset, let alone me, even if I learned all the Prehistoric Mysteries and fought one-on-one without restraint, I would never be a match for Stark.

"What's the point of arguing?" Tom said dismissively.

"Voldemort spent seventy years reaching the pinnacle of magic, and all his memories are in my mind."

He is not me, but I am him.

And then there's the Prehistoric Mysteries... Give me time to fully digest it, and even if the Stark have Ravenclaw Ring, I'll leave them far behind."

The old man shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the bookshelf and through the wall, where he seemed to spot a young boy rushing toward them.

He wasn't going to waste any more words, so he turned around, stared into Tom's eyes, and said:

"I saved your life, and helped you go to your Death. In return, what about our promise, Tom?"

"You want me to ask Death for Elaine..." Tom's lips curled into a smirk as he held up the Stand User in his pocket:

"I don't know who this woman is, but she must be very important to you, right?"

Tom raised his wand and pointed it at the clay figure:

"Whether you're Slytherin or not, you saved me and taught me so much, I'm very grateful..."

"But all that was just idle talk." The old man looked at the clay figure and laughed, "Stop beating around the bush, just say it."

"But..." Tom smiled broadly.

"Going to meet Death is a matter of life and death, and I feel that the help I've given you so far hasn't been enough."

If you want her, you have to... pay more!

"But we made an agreement beforehand," the old man said calmly.

"Yes, and they even made an oath, with death as the penalty for breaking it." Tom raised his wrist:

"But I have died many times already. Do you see any trace of the oath still remain?"

If one party reneges on their oath, they will die for breaking the vow.

Tom can resurrect indefinitely; the oath has long been broken.

"So, what do you want?" the old man asked, looking up at him.

"Kill two more people for me, and I'll give you the stuff," Tom said.

"Killing Dumbledore and Stark shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

The old man looked up and, in the twilight, saw dark clouds hanging low outside the window, as if a storm was brewing.

He turned to look at Tom and said softly:

What if I refuse?

"What do you mean? You don't want this woman anymore?!" Tom gripped the clay figure tightly, his voice laced with threat. "This may be Deathly Hallows, but I can destroy it with a single spell."

"No, I'm planning to change the deal." The old man shook his head, his voice rising from the autumn wind.

What transaction?

"I saved you and taught you the Prehistoric Mysteries..." For the first time, the old man did not smile, and his words carried a hint of murderous intent.

"In exchange, I want you to serve... Death with your body!"

Tom's pupils contracted sharply. He tried to wave his wand, but suddenly realized that he couldn't move his body.

It was as if a nail had appeared out of nowhere, pinning him to the spot.

"Tom, you truly are a descendant of Gaunt; we even share the same thoughts." The old man chuckled, his mockery palpable.

"You can alter the contents of these books, but I can't?"

Tom was so shocked that he even forgot the pain in his body.

The old man waved his arm, as if summoning something, and said in a mocking tone:

"I was the first to discover the existence of the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets and to build the Hogwarts plumbing system to hide Chamber of Secrets."

I also built a statue of Slytherin and, after revising the Slytherin's Notes, placed it inside!

"I hope that a worthy descendant will follow the legend and enter the Chamber of Secrets once more." The old man couldn't help but laugh.

"We waited for over two hundred years, and the Gaunt was on the verge of extinction, and then you appeared."

Unfortunately, at sixteen, you were too disappointing; you were only focused on using the Basilisk to eliminate Muggle-born wizard and didn't discover the notebook.

The old man spoke in a calm voice, recounting stories of the past.

"Fortunately, fifty years later, your soul broke free from the Horcrux, not only finding the notebook but also being completely resurrected from its Horcrux state."

He looked at Tom and said, word by word:

"It was I who lured you to United States in search of the Slytherin's Wand!"

The one who carved the Prehistoric Mysteries on the obelisk... is me!

"I'm the one who will send you to Death, to help you obtain a complete soul...!"

The old man slowly walked to Tom's side, took the clay figure in his hand, and said disdainfully:

"Without me, you would have been killed by Stark four years ago, when you were still Horcrux;"

Without me, you would have been killed by the Stark again a few months ago in Ilvermorny;

Without me, your true form would have been killed at Hogwarts a few days ago and then trapped in the Limbo forever!

You think you're qualified to negotiate with me?!

Tom felt a sharp, stinging pain, followed by the appearance of ring-shaped text hidden beneath his skin.

The symbols all over his body, like black iron in a furnace, first turned crimson, then melted completely.

Tom recognized that the lettering was exactly the same as the Prehistoric Mysteries on the United States obelisk.

"You think the Stark obtained the obelisk, so why didn't they take the Prehistoric Mysteries?" the old man continued, relentlessly attacking his conscience.

"He sensed something was wrong! Although I don't know how he figured it out."

Fortunately, he dodged my specially prepared trap, but you didn't!

The magic on the obelisk can completely transform Tom's body, then control him and establish a connection with the Underworld.

This is also why he lured Tom step by step to United States to search for him.

The old man stretched out his right hand, clenched his fist, and punched Tom in the chest.

Tom felt his soul separate from his body, and he floated in mid-air.

But his soul still shimmered with the markings, and those symbols quickly spread throughout his body.

A powerful corrosive force made Tom roar.

He hadn't fainted; his repeated resurrection had made him able to endure the pain.

He wanted to commit suicide to escape this negative state, but unfortunately, his body was completely unable to move.

Tom's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He saw a familiar object appear in the old man's hand: the Ark of the Covenant.

Tom was clearly thrown into the River Styx, so why is he in his hands?!

This has been found... Tom was utterly devastated.

Because his heart was removed, he was no longer immortal.

The old man easily opened the Ark of the Covenant, took out the heart, and let it float in mid-air.

The heart began to turn black, and then, as if Grim, red hair grew out.

The fine, wispy red hairs, like clusters of red snakes, were so dense they sent chills down one's spine.

Without the old man making many movements, Red Hair spread throughout the room like a plant vine, climbing all over Tom's body.

Finally, it took root in the ground, as if it were connected to Inferno.

This description isn't wrong, because the old man is experiencing... Death!

Suddenly, he raised his hands.

It turned out that it had started raining in the room without any warning.

Upon closer inspection, one will notice that the bookshelves in the archives, after being splashed by rain, bent downwards in a distinct arc within seconds, as if a mountain had been pressing down on them.

The old man knew that he... had arrived!

He suddenly stretched out his arm, opened his palm, and all the raindrops that were being thrown at him fell into his hand.

Instead of turning into rain, the DiDi bounced up one by one, not in a straight line, but in a swirling arc, eventually gathering into a circle.

At this moment, the old man was no longer as gentle as before. His face was solemn, his fingers were slightly clenched, and the water wall fell into his palm like a glove.

At the same time, a young figure appeared.

William appeared just like that, and the instant he landed, he raised his wand high, flicking out a bolt of lightning from the tip.

Lightning, accompanied by torrential rain, struck the old man with fury.

The old man raised the arm protected by the water wall and pinched the lightning bolt containing powerful magic between his two fingers.

Use two fingers to pinch the electric arc.

Sparks flew wildly between his fingers, illuminating the old man's face with a gleaming light.

William waved his wand, and lightning ignited the water droplets, causing them to burst into a dazzling light that shot towards the old man's head.

The old man tilted his head, and although the old man was very close, he easily dodged the attack.

Only a few strands of hair, severed by a fierce curse, drifted slowly into the rain at his temples.

As the old man turned his head, he suddenly turned around and looked back.

It turned out that William's attack was just a feint. He appeared behind Tom and, before even landing, swung his longsword at Tom's head.

He wanted to kill Tom to stop... Death from coming!