"I don't associate with losers."
"How dare you call me a loser?" Voldemort's voice was sharp, like a pitiful wretch shrieking after being pricked in a sore spot. But he quickly calmed down. "I haven't lost. Don't just look at temporary success or failure. Whoever lives longer is the true victor."
"I can guarantee that Dumbledore will die before me. And I will personally deliver death to him."
He was brimming with confidence. This was not just an empty boast.
Voldemort at his peak was still slightly inferior to Dumbledore, who possessed the Elder Wand. Otherwise, he wouldn't have feared him so much. But conversely, even with the invincible Elder Wand, Dumbledore couldn't completely defeat him.
And for Voldemort, who possessed Horcruxes, the power he wielded at that time was not necessarily his limit. On the path of magic, he still had the potential to go further.
They say youth beats age in a fight, and it's much the same for Wizards. If one gets as old as Nicolas Flamel, even with immense magic power, they are merely a paper tiger, posing no threat in same-level combat.
But Elijah had no intention of associating with him.
No matter how strong Voldemort's power was, it was merely aggressive, violent power. Everything he had was visible. Not to mention, he himself had inherited Voldemort's talent, even surpassing him. Now, with the foundation to learn Ancient Magic, he believed his future would not be inferior to Voldemort's.
But Dumbledore was different. Besides being strong, what was more terrifying was his unparalleled wisdom. Elijah did not want to be manipulated by him and end up not even knowing how he died.
Seeing Elijah's prolonged silence, Voldemort understood his meaning.
He became cold.
"It seems our conversation is about to end unpleasantly."
"Evidently."
"I never thought my school-aged self would be so cowardly, afraid to face Dumbledore? Scared out of his wits by him?" Voldemort sneered. His snake-like eyes gazed at Elijah, who bore his youthful face.
Elijah felt his whole body numb under that gaze, as if a faint current flowed through him.
He sensed danger.
"Since you're unwilling, why not give me the secret of Ancient Magic?"
Voldemort took a step forward in the fire. His powerful aura bent the flames as if a strong wind had swept through a field of wheat.
He finally completely tore off his disguise, revealing his greedy nature. His face at this moment was still humanoid, but it looked more like a python intending to swallow its prey whole.
"Hand it over, Elijah! Don't test my patience!" he roared, his voice strained.
"Ancient Magic is right before your eyes. It's you who cannot see it," Elijah whispered. "Just like a Muggle who cannot see magic power."
His words provoked Voldemort.
Voldemort himself was always resentful of the half-Muggle bloodline in his body.
That bloodline shamed him. It was his eternal blemish and his most secret shame.
Now Elijah directly compared him to a Muggle, which infuriated him.
He stared at Elijah, wondering if he shouldn't have included so many memories when he created the first Horcrux, or given it too much capacity for thought, leading to the creation of a personality that dared to defy him.
Something not under his control was, after all, a threat.
He finally made up his mind.
Originally, Voldemort didn't intend to fight Elijah because he didn't know if Elijah, after being resurrected, still counted as a Horcrux. He didn't want to destroy his own Horcrux with his own hands.
But now he understood.
Magic is might!
Voldemort's thoughts returned to that night before Halloween twelve years ago, the Ancient Magic that defeated him!
With that kind of power, killing Dumbledore would be effortless. Losing one or two Horcruxes was nothing. Anyway, he still had so many Horcruxes that even one less wouldn't matter.
Moreover, this person knew too many of his secrets. If he was unwilling to stand on his side, then he should be made to disappear forever!
The eerie blue flames continued to burn, reflecting on the water-like surface like a blooming field of flowers.
Elijah's gaze dared not leave Voldemort.
He hadn't intended to provoke him, but then he thought: must he be so timid even when facing a Voldemort who hadn't yet fully resurrected?
A weakened Voldemort was indeed a nuisance to him, but not yet a threat.
The tense atmosphere was suddenly broken by a bright spell!
Voldemort attacked without warning, not giving Elijah any time to react. When dealing with an enemy who could pose a danger to him, he was far less composed than in his duel with Harry in the original story.
The power of this spell was immense. Its light looked extraordinary. Before the spell even exploded, it vibrated the water-like ground beneath them, causing intense ripples.
The flames were bent!
He wanted to catch Elijah off guard, but he underestimated Elijah too much.
The light reflected in Elijah's golden pupils.
Voldemort's every move appeared as a slowed-down silhouette in his eyes. His dynamic vision was extremely strong. He reacted immediately the moment Voldemort raised his wand.
Although this dynamic vision couldn't speed up his own movements, it allowed him to perceive every action of his enemy in combat and grasp every detail of the fight.
Just like now!
As that spell shot towards him, the flames in front of Elijah suddenly surged!
Fiery blaze soared!
The flames spontaneously formed a wall, standing before Elijah. The powerful spell even created a vacuum zone in the fire shield. Shattered sparks dissipated before Elijah's eyes like eerie blue butterflies.
This was Voldemort's power. Even a casual spell had such immense destructive force.
However, very quickly the surrounding flames spread back, enveloping Elijah like a blue flower closing its petals to protect its pistil at the center.
Voldemort had actively sounded the battle horn, and Elijah naturally had no intention of kneeling. He held his wand high, and under his control the blue flames surged up to the dome. Within the flames, a Dragon with demonic horns charged towards Voldemort.
But his attack had little effect.
Voldemort used fire against fire. A Fiendfyre, more ferocious than the fire shield, transformed into a great snake, entangling with the Dragon.
The fire monsters bit with fangs and wrestled with their bodies.
Meanwhile, the true old Dragon in the vault was cowering in the corner, trembling and daring not to move.
The duel between the two grew more intense, with various spells flying everywhere. This battle was enough to prove how strong Voldemort's power was. To be precise, Elijah's magic power at this moment absolutely exceeded that of the not-yet-resurrected Voldemort.
The opponent was merely controlling the body of an ordinary Dark Wizard, but even so he could fight Elijah to a draw with his superb magic knowledge.
The knowledge Voldemort acquired during his travels after graduating from Hogwarts was immeasurable. Anyone who truly considered him a fool who only knew how to cast Killing Curse would be truly foolish!
The spells he casually cast had immense power.
Many of those Dark Arts were ones Elijah had never seen before, but their terror surpassed even the Killing Curse.
The Unforgivable Curses are famous not because they are incredibly powerful, but because they have no counter-curses. In reality, many Dark Arts have more power than the Killing Curse.
Elijah's practical experience was far less than Voldemort's, but fortunately the fire shield was both a powerful spear and a sturdy shield. Most spells could not penetrate the fire shield's defense. Elijah felt as if he were an artilleryman standing in a fortress, blasting away, without needing to worry much about dodging. He only needed to output his full power.
Of course, Voldemort was not stupid. He quickly realized that the flames Elijah released were not ordinary protective magic.
"Do you think this means I can't deal with you?" He smiled coldly, twirling his wand slightly and blocking one of Elijah's spells with a Shield Charm. Then his body shook, and he unleashed a spell like lightning!
No!
Not just one!
The foremost spell was like a black sun flying out, clearing the flames.
Voldemort's snake eyes reflected Elijah standing in the flames within that vacuum zone.
He revealed a cruel smile. Before the flames could re-converge, several more spells abruptly popped out from the shadow of the previous spell! Those dark green Dark Arts, like shadows, assailed Elijah.
They passed through the fire shield, missing Elijah by mere inches.
Through the gaps in the already converging flames, Voldemort saw Elijah's astonished expression.
The next moment a violent explosion erupted at the center of the flames!
Boom!!!
The impenetrable fire shield was destroyed from within, and the shockwave from the explosion shattered layers of flames!
The entire vault was filled with blue flame fragments, and sparks like a storm swept into every corner of the vault, blasting cracks into the luxurious carved beams and painted pillars.
Voldemort stood proudly in the fire.
"This is my true power!"
He stood as if in a wilderness, enveloped by a swarm of blue butterflies, which surprisingly made one feel vibrant and breezy.
Of course, in reality the shock from the explosion was scorching, and the blue sparks continuously burned Voldemort's skin. They showed no signs of extinguishing. Instead, they seemed to intend to take root like dandelions.
Wherever the fire butterflies landed, flames rose again.
The flames carried a numbing sting, so much so that even the Dragon was cowering.
Voldemort's triumphant expression suddenly vanished.
Because he saw the figure standing in the flames.
Elijah looked no different than before. Only his golden eyes seemed to have grown brighter. His right hand, holding the wand, hung at his side, while his left hand reached forward. His palm flashed with electricity as he gripped a dark green object.
It was one of the Dark Arts spells Voldemort had just cast.