paranoianovel Chapter 448: Tom’s Reckless Gamble
Chapter 448: Tom’s Reckless Gamble
Bang bang bang.Spells of light and shadow crisscrossed the chamber. Defensive spells, attack spells, and invasion spells shifted rapidly. Geral and Tom’s distances varied, some close, some far, making the scene dizzying.
Roar.
Another magical blast sent Tom stumbling back several steps, sweat beading on his forehead. "Good, you’re really good! To have this kind of strength at fourteen years old, you’re not much different from how I was back then."
In truth, he was bragging here. At fourteen, he definitely didn’t possess the power of the young man before him. The fact that he could barely keep up now was only because his magic and Cedric’s were overlapping.
Geral knew this perfectly well but didn’t expose him. "Strength at fourteen? Sorry, I don’t recall using any particular strength."
"Ha, how arrogant!" Tom’s expression soured. He felt mocked. "Do you think you’ve already won?" He turned his gaze toward where Ginny stood.
As if receiving a silent command, the wand in Ginny’s hand began to glow. Hermione felt her body stiffen, as if petrified. "Professor Zickrein..."
"Oh? You think this can force my hand?" Geral frowned, staring coldly at Tom.
"Human emotions are incredibly fragile things," Tom said, not answering directly, but instead launching into a monologue. "It’s precisely because of these weak ties that people can’t ascend to higher levels. People like us shouldn’t be bound by them."
Geral remained silent, his expression indifferent.
"I will help you, Zickrein," Tom said with a smile, softly. "Only when you shed these useless emotions will you become truly strong."
Humming.
As he finished speaking, the light from Ginny’s wand intensified. At the same time, a look of struggle and fear appeared on her formerly blank face.
Her consciousness had awakened within her body, and she knew what she was about to do. But she couldn’t control herself, only watching helplessly as she slowly strangled Hermione’s life with her own hands.
"What do you want?" Geral asked after a moment of silence, sounding as if he was giving in.
"Ah, I knew it!" Tom grinned widely, laughing. "Emotions are indeed fragile things. If you truly had no feelings, you wouldn’t have bowed to me."
"Without emotions, you’re not worthy of being called human," Geral replied sarcastically.
"I have no interest in discussing philosophical issues with you here, Mr. Zickrein," Tom said with a laugh. "Now, please put your wand down."
"No! Professor, you can’t!" Hermione cried out emotionally.
The young girl now understood that she had become Geral’s burden. If it weren’t for her, he would have defeated his opponent long ago.
But now, because of her, Professor Zickrein was being forced to put down his wand. She couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen if he really did!
Clack.
Without hesitation, Geral tossed his wand to Tom’s feet. The action was swift, with no apparent reluctance.
Seeing this, Hermione felt utter despair and, at the same time, a deep sense of emotion. Her initial admiration was transforming into a peculiar new feeling.
"It seems he can do it for you," Tom winked at Hermione, a smug smile on his face.
At that moment, Ginny’s wand lightly touched Hermione’s neck, and the young witch immediately fainted.
"Foolish, Zickrein," Tom said, turning his gaze to the blue-haired youth before him, shaking his head in mock pity. "Utterly foolish. Now that you’re unarmed, you have no power left to resist. What else can you do?"
Geral didn’t reply, his gaze calmly fixed on his opponent.
"Next, I will possess your body and use your hands to personally kill these young wizards," Tom said with a demented smile. "Of course, not just them! Your beloved professors will also die because of you! Tell me, do you regret it now?"
"You’re wasting too much time," Geral stated calmly, his eyes on Tom. "If I’m not mistaken, Professor Dumbledore should be here soon."
"Are you trying to scare me with Dumbledore?" Tom scoffed. "Do you really think I’m afraid?"
Though he spoke defiantly, he still raised his wand.
As much as Tom hated to admit it, he knew perfectly well that in his current state, he was no match for Dumbledore. He needed time to grow.
As long as he possessed Zickrein’s body, given five years, he would be able to sweep through the entire wizarding world. At that point, both Dumbledore and Voldemort would only serve as stepping stones for him.
Rumble.
As Tom waved his wand, the carved snakes on the surrounding pillars began to writhe. They detached from the stone and converged in the center of the chamber, joining head to tail.
Gradually, the snakes became one, forming a terrifyingly monstrous serpent. It lowered its head slowly, allowing Tom to step onto its crown.
"Now, for the final consciousness transfer," Tom said excitedly, looking at the unmoving Geral. "Under the gaze of Slytherin’s Kelba Serpent, our souls will merge into one!"
"So, Slytherin’s Kelba technique?" Geral said softly, his expression still impassive. "Using the Kelba Serpent as a sacrifice for a soul exchange. It’s indeed a good method for taking over someone’s body, but there’s a crucial prerequisite."
"What is it?" Tom asked, momentarily stunned.
"The caster’s mental strength must be higher than the target’s, otherwise, there’s a high chance of backlash," Geral stated, his brow furrowed. "Are you truly so confident that your mental strength surpasses mine?"
"Damn you, do you think..."
Hum.
Before Tom could speak again, an immensely powerful mental surge erupted from within Geral. This turbulent mental energy spread out like a shockwave in all directions.
"What, what is this?" Tom stammered, his face filled with disbelief. In his eyes, he saw an unidentifiable being sitting on a golden throne. Just looking at it made his soul begin to collapse. "Zickrein, you actually..."
"What a shame," Geral said, sighing with feigned regret as he no longer looked at Tom. "If you hadn’t used this technique, you might have died a bit more peacefully."
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