Chapter 335: The Corrupted Horcrux
Chapter 335: The Corrupted Horcrux
"Isn't it safe now?"
The goblin Gonuk asked through his mask, examining the corridor ahead. He took a step forward, and the air erupted with intense sparks that struck him, sending him flying like a tattered kite.
Faisal and Rahman approached to check on Gonuk. The middle-aged wizard Rahman said, "It's not serious. He's wearing protective gear and just passed out temporarily."
"Are there more hidden traps?" Crimi asked Felix in surprise. "Isn't the curse supposed to come from the black mist?" She picked up the curse detector and began scanning. Suddenly, the antenna-like device in her hand exploded, startling her.
"This confirms it. The curse is indeed present", she said with a grim expression.
"There are many more", Felix said. From his perspective, the seemingly empty corridor was filled with countless glowing points, each representing a curse. They floated like plankton in the air.
He turned to Crimi and asked, "In the part of the pyramid you've already explored, were there any magical items storing magic?"
Crimi shook her head. "We found several items that still retained some magic, like the golden dagger and the scarab amulet, but their power is very weak. Unlike the cursed items from the outside, innocent blood sustains the effect of the curse."
A while later, the goblin Gonuk regained consciousness. He immediately pulled up his shirt and let out a wail. Hermione then noticed that he was wearing a silver, form-fitting armor underneath.
"There's a hole in it!" he cried in pain. "I don't know if it can be repaired."
...
Felix walked at the front, with the others following about ten steps behind. They watched as he prodded the air, causing one curse after another to explode like fireworks.
The sheer number of curses sent chills down the spines of those following behind.
Felix occasionally stopped to examine the stone slabs on either side. He had initially thought that, given the size of these slabs, there should be at least a dozen ancient spells. However, the actual number was much fewer. So far, he had only seen three, including a complete black lightning spell.
Several slabs described the self-introduction of the wizard who created this chamber, including his travels. He mentioned being a traveling wizard from Greece who crossed the Aegean Sea and discovered a magic source—a tetrahedral gem—in the upper tomb of the pyramid. He then decided to create this chamber to benefit future generations.
"The curses in the corridor increase in strength as you progress. If you are not confident, do not force it. Leave the opportunity for others", Hermione read from the slab. "So that's it!" The others also looked enlightened.
"Is it because the ancient wizards were too powerful, and we are too weak?" Crimi said dejectedly, realizing they couldn't even withstand the weakest test.
"Don't jump to conclusions. These words might just be lies", Felix said, steadily moving forward. A suspicion was forming in his mind.
Was it true that ancient wizards were very powerful? From the perspective of ancient magic, they were indeed strong. However, in terms of the flexibility of their methods, they were far inferior to the present day.
Most ancient wizards did not know spells like apparition. Other spells, such as warding spells, domestic magic, and support magic, were not as well-developed as they are now. The famous ancient wizards, while magnifying their strengths, also exposed their weaknesses.
This was what Felix deduced from various magical notes, leading him to believe that ancient wizards were very secretive about their own knowledge.
The path ahead was rugged and dangerous. Felix had already instructed the others to stay far back. He draped himself in a cloak made from basilisk leather and fire dragon leather, inching forward and continuously clearing the curses.
These curses were intermixed with various powerful and bizarre dark magic spells, somehow preserved by the chamber's creator. They might be stored in a stone or the granite ceiling.
However, most of the spells within the stones had dissipated over time, leaving only faint glows and evil auras. They seemed to exist independently and were not connected to the overall defense system.
Felix was becoming increasingly certain that the owner of the Chamber was a Dark Wizard, a powerful one at that. It felt as if he had entered a museum of dark magic, where he could find traces of many modern dark magic practices.
Finally, he stopped in front of a bronze door, adorned with a bronze door knocker and no additional embellishments.
The Goblin, Gonuk, called out from a distance, "Can we come over?" He spoke with urgency; to the Goblins, everything here belonged to Gringotts. They had invested money and manpower to eliminate hazards for the Ministries of Magic of various countries, and in return, they sought the treasures within the ruins.
The group approached and lined up in front of the bronze door. Seeing Felix deep in thought, they refrained from disturbing him. His performance so far had already proven his formidable strength and extensive knowledge. They hadn't detected any of the hair-raising curses he had encountered.
After a long while, Felix let out a deep breath.
"Having trouble?" Hermione whispered. Her voice echoed in the chamber, as if she were speaking directly into their ears.
"I find it strange; there doesn't seem to be much danger ahead."
This puzzled him greatly. He glanced around at the others. "Move to the sides." Perhaps his expression was too serious, as everyone drew their wands and carefully moved to the side. Felix summoned the eagle-shaped magic lamp.
Once everything was in place, he extended his hand and knocked on the bronze door knocker. The knocking echoed, and everyone's hearts raced. A few seconds later, a crack appeared in the door. Dust began to fall, accompanied by a sharp creaking sound, and the opening widened. Then, a scraping noise followed, and Felix cautiously stepped back. Two dark shadows crashed down, raising a cloud of dust.
"Bang! Bang!"
The group, hiding on the sides, saw the true nature of the dark shadows. "It's a Basilisk!" Hermione screamed, her voice trembling. She would never mistake it; she had faced a Basilisk in her second year.
However, these were the corpses of two Basilisks, long dead. Due to being in a sealed space for so long, their emerald-green skin quickly began to decay upon exposure to the outside air, emitting a strong, foul odor.
"Ugh!"
Several of them gagged. Felix waved his wand, casting the Bubble-Head Charm on them. He himself was protected by the Ironclad Charm and strode confidently into the room. His suspicions were growing clearer.
The eagle-shaped magic lamp followed, casting light into the interior, illuminating the area that had been isolated from the outside world. In the empty square, dozens of Basilisks of various sizes lay sprawled, all of them dead. As Felix stepped over them, the colors of their bodies and the surrounding columns faded.
Felix walked straight to the center, where a circular altar stood.
On the altar was a life-size statue of a middle-aged wizard. He had silver-white hair and yellow eyes, and he smiled gently. In his hand, he held a tetrahedral gem, from which a dim light emanated. This was the Magic Source Felix had been seeking all along.
A crack ran from the top of the statue's head, down through the center of its forehead, almost splitting it in two. From this long crack, black, viscous blood had seeped out, now dried and forming an ugly stain.
Felix could almost imagine how, over the span of thousands of years, it had gradually been eroded by time, deteriorated, and cracked, transforming into its current state.
"Indeed, it is you, Herpo the Foul", Felix murmured softly, his tone a mix of admiration and mockery. "So, even a Horcrux can decay?"
As if in response to his words, the statue of Herpo—or rather, the Horcrux—began to lose its luster, turning dull and gray. With a gentle blow from Felix, it crumbled to pieces.
(End of Chapter)
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