Chapter 415: How Dare You!

Chapter 415: How Dare You!

The disturbance was highly unusual, causing Voldemort to feel a mix of pressure and a faint sense of familiarity.

Sherlock had been hiding the Gaunt Ring in his left hand all along.

After finding it with Dumbledore at the Gaunt shack, Sherlock did not immediately use it to complete the Soul Stitching. Instead, he kept it until now.

From the day Draco first approached him, Sherlock had been preparing for this moment.

He was well aware of Voldemort's sinister intentions and had prepared a suitable backup plan.

Using the residual soul in the ring for Soul Stitching would certainly enhance Sherlock's power, but it would not be enough to completely overwhelm Voldemort.

However, during the Soul Stitching process, Sherlock would enter a unique state.

In this state, the amplification of his soul and magic power would reach its peak, and his strength would increase exponentially.

However, like the time limit for transformations in tokusatsu shows, Sherlock could only maintain this state for a very brief period.

That was why he only began to use the Gaunt Ring now.

In the next moment, without casting any spells, Sherlock began to levitate in mid-air.

He had experienced this unique state three times, and it felt as though, as long as he was within the range of Control Magic, he was the absolute ruler of everything!

Voldemort's originally arrogant face began to darken.

With his power, he could sense Sherlock's abnormal state.

Despite not holding a wand, and the wands that had been floating around him under his control now lying on the ground, Voldemort felt threatened from all directions.

Even the air seemed to be against him, an invisible force constantly suppressing him!

Not willing to wait for his doom, Voldemort instantly transformed into a cloud of black mist upon sensing the danger.

He rose from the ground, while the other Death Eaters and Aurors were shifting their battle from the sky to the ground, Voldemort chose to ascend.

Sherlock, of course, would not let him escape from the range of his Control Magic.

He seemed to have become the master of gravity, and the ground could no longer bind him. As Voldemort transformed into black mist and flew upward, Sherlock also rose into the air.

Without waving a wand or casting a spell, he merely moved his mind slightly and snapped his fingers.

An invisible Petrification Curse was instantly cast.

Without any visible beam, the gaseous Voldemort, floating in the sky, suddenly felt his body stiffen.

This spell, which had no warning and directly affected his body, did not cause Voldemort significant harm.

The black mist made his body intangible, rendering many conventional spells ineffective.

However, even though the impact was minimal, the method of casting still left Voldemort in shock.

He had never heard of such a spell-casting technique!

Even at his level, where he could cast non-verbal and wandless spells by sacrificing some of their power, the spells still left traces.

The spells only changed their method of release; their essence remained beams of magic power.

Sherlock, however, had altered the very form of the spell. Using magic, he could directly influence his target!

No matter how much Voldemort tried to understand, he could not fathom what had caused such a dramatic change in Sherlock in such a short time.

But he was clear that, in Sherlock's current state, there was a real chance to kill him!

The moment he sensed a threat to his life, Voldemort's only thought was to escape!

Although the Horcruxes made him effectively immortal, the experience of death was something he had endured long enough. If he had to go through it again, Voldemort would be extremely unwilling.

Moreover, he was well aware of the consequences if he were to be killed by Sherlock in such a public setting.

Thus, fleeing was Voldemort's wisest choice!

However, Sherlock would not let him get away so easily.

The black mist moved swiftly in the sky, but Sherlock was equally fast, continuously closing the distance between himself and Voldemort, preventing him from escaping the range of his Control Magic.

Meanwhile, after realizing that ordinary spells had little effect on Voldemort in this state, Sherlock changed his approach.

He directly released an Inferno Curse from the very center of the black mist that Voldemort had transformed into!

A crimson red light ignited at the center of the black mist!

Upon realizing what Sherlock had done, Voldemort let out a furious roar!

"Shameless!"

"Who are you to talk about shame?"

The moment the Inferno Curse ignited within Voldemort’s body, he halted his escape, and the black mist condensed, forming his figure in black robes in mid-air. He then pointed his wand at his own body and, without hesitation, cast a counter-curse.

Sherlock, of course, did not miss this excellent opportunity. He snapped his fingers decisively!

Invisible blades formed in the air, slicing through the spatial constraints and aiming to cut down Voldemort's body!

Voldemort's noseless face twisted in a grimace.

However, Sherlock’s Sectumsempra was blocked by a transparent shield in front of Voldemort. Although the spell affected Voldemort’s Armor Charm, both Sherlock and Voldemort could feel that the spells Sherlock was now casting were significantly weaker compared to before!

"This state of yours is temporary!"

Voldemort’s voice once again became manic and excited.

After giving himself enough time, he finally discovered Sherlock’s problem!

Sherlock himself had already noticed the omnipotent feeling he had been experiencing was fading. He frowned slightly, then without a moment's hesitation, stopped chasing Voldemort and instead landed on the ground.

The situation reversed in an instant.

Upon realizing that Sherlock had ended his terrifying state, Voldemort naturally seized the opportunity.

He immediately switched from the one fleeing to the one pursuing, while Sherlock, now bedraggled, began to dart around on the ground.

However, his movements, though seemingly chaotic, were actually bringing him closer to a great serpent that was tearing apart Aurors!

Elsewhere on the battlefield, there were a few particularly notable confrontations.

The battle between Bella and Silke, though not the most prominent on this large-scale battlefield, was exceptionally dangerous.

As Voldemort's most loyal servant, Bella seemed to use only the three Unforgivable Curses.

The spell she cast at Silke was the Killing Curse!

This spell, which was instantly fatal, could only be avoided physically, with no magical counter-curse. Yet Silke always managed to predict the direction Bella aimed at, as if she had a sixth sense. She would naturally dodge to the opposite side and then counterattack.

"I think I recognize you!" Bella barely dodged a Stunning Spell from Silke, but her wavy black hair was not so lucky and was burned off in large part.

She paid no attention to this, instead letting out a sharp, excited laugh.

"Eddie Butler! Is he your father? The Daily Prophet reported the day after I killed him that he had a daughter left in the world. I've seen your childhood photograph!"

Silke remained expressionless, showing no intention of responding to Bella’s words. She simply raised her wand and cast a spell.

"Sectumsempra."

This spell, invented by Snape, was naturally taught to her by Sherlock, and its creator had no objections to this.

The invisible blades collided violently with the Armor Charm Bella had just cast in front of herself. After shattering the charm, Silke’s spell was unable to cause any further damage.

"You must hate me, little girl, considering how your father died at my hands!"

Bella’s shrill laughter echoed, but Silke remained unaffected, still managing to sense the direction of her spell before Bella even raised her wand to cast the Killing Curse. She had ample time to react and dodge.

Not landing a single spell was frustrating, and Bella’s mood was far from the joy she was displaying.

So, she kept using words to provoke Silke, hoping to make her lose her composure and find some weaknesses.

But Silke never responded to her taunts. The only sound that came from her was the incantation of spells.

"Thunder Blast."

This time, the timing was perfect. Bella had just cast a Killing Curse and, while mocking Silke, had left herself completely unprotected.

The Explosive Curse caused significant area damage.

Bella had tried her best to dodge to the side, but she was still caught in the blast. Her black robe was torn to shreds, and her face was covered in dust, making her look utterly disheveled.

Now, she couldn't laugh anymore. Her face turned incredibly grim, but before she could glare at Silke with venom in her eyes, another spell seemed to predict her movement. It was cast simultaneously with the Explosive Curse, muffling Silke's incantation and giving Bella no warning at all!

The bright red spell struck Bella directly!

In the next second, she was completely immobilized by the Petrification Curse. Her entire body, except for her facial features, was frozen in place!

"Will you dare to kill me! Kill me!"

Bella's hysterical screams were piercing, as if they could rupture eardrums.

But after confirming her spell had hit, Silke didn't even spare her a glance.

She lowered her wand, and her usually emotionless face now bore a beautiful smile.

"You've all said that my instincts are always right."

Not far from Bella and Silke, Lucius was tightly gripping his wand but showed no intention of using it.

"Where is my son!"

He glared at Lupin, who was standing less than three meters away, almost shouting the question.

Lupin calmly looked at the wizard who usually lived a life of luxury and always considered himself a noble among wizards. He could clearly see that Lucius had no real desire to fight.

"He's safe, currently having afternoon tea with the little girl under the care of a house-elf."

Upon hearing that Draco was safe, Lucius's expression calmed slightly, but he still gritted his teeth and asked,

"What have you done to him?"

"We haven't done anything to him, Lucius", Lupin said. "The question is, do you really understand your son?"

"He is my son! I know him better than anyone else!"

"Do you truly understand him, or are you just imposing your own assumptions on him?"

Lupin's words left Lucius speechless.

He stood there, out of place amidst the chaos of spells flying around him.

Lupin was content with this. Unlike Sirius Black, he believed that people are complex and cannot be simply defined as good or bad.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield where the situation was rapidly changing, Sherlock had arrived in front of the great serpent named Nagini.

It was engaged in a struggle with Tonks, its thick skin protecting it from most spells. As Sherlock approached, Nagini quickly shifted its target and opened its massive jaws, as if to assist its master.

But when it lunged at him, Sherlock, to Voldemort's surprise, did not dodge. Instead, he reached out and touched the scales on Nagini's body before it could strike!

The same wave of energy that had emanated from Sherlock earlier now radiated from him once again!

Nagini froze as if its soul had been ripped out!

Seeing this, and recognizing that familiar aura, Voldemort realized he had no choice but to understand what Sherlock had used to boost his power so dramatically in such a short time. If he couldn't guess it now, he might as well kick his own head off!

"How dare you! You used my soul!"

Voldemort's anger and shock were genuine. He had never imagined that his Horcrux would become the means for someone else to gain such power!

So, how many Horcruxes has Sherlock "consumed" now?

Was Nagini the last one?

No one could answer Voldemort's questions.

But he didn't need to know the answer, because soon he would use his own life to verify whether his Horcruxes had been completely destroyed!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end