"Ancient magical runes?" Ashok asked, bewildered. It was the first time he'd heard of such a thing. "What are they?"
How is it that ancient magic requires specific learning conditions, yet these ancient magical runes do not?
"Oh, they're special patterns inscribed with ancient magic," Malfoy explained, regarding Ashok with an air of superiority. "Even people who don't know ancient magic can use them. That's right – no learning conditions required. You can use them as soon as you obtain them, but unfortunately, only one person can use each one."
"..."
Ashok understood. So, it's a powerful, single-use item. He opened his mouth, then hesitated. "How do you know about this?"
"Because Tom Riddle knows how to make them."
"..."
Ashok realized he had underestimated Tom Riddle.
Kavi poured his heart and soul, half his life's work into this, even killing innocent people and bearing the infamy… and it turns out Tom Riddle had already mastered it.
"..."
Ashok felt a strange mix of pity and amusement toward Kavi, the man who had slaughtered his village.
But hatred outweighed it; Kavi had to die.
"So, where do we go next?" Harry asked, eager to move. Now that they understood this "anti-magic," it was time to go and cause trouble for Kavi, right? He couldn't wait to show off his skills.
Nagini and Snape, however, were thinking more deeply, considering the broader implications.
"Tom, do you have a way to counteract this ability?" No wonder Nagini lacked confidence. After all her years as a witch, this was the first time she'd seen such a bizarre ability.
"No need to counteract it. It's useless against me."
Tom didn't deny that he could indeed deal with these ancient magical runes, but he felt it was unnecessary. He'd rather preserve them for research than destroy them.
"It might even be useless against you," Tom added, glancing at the others.
"..."
Tom's words left everyone bewildered.
However, there wasn't much hesitation. Since Tom Riddle said so, why panic? They would go and retrieve the Garuda Feather.
...
On the northern slope of the Himalayas, at an altitude of over 3,000 meters.
The environment here was primarily alpine grassland. There weren't many large, dense forests, but scattered groves of poplar and willow trees dotted the landscape.
A Ministry of Magic employee, who had descended from Hallownest on the mountain, respectfully approached Tom. "Professor, Hallownest is just a short distance further up."
Although Garuda's Sacred Nest was a sacred site in the Indian wizarding world, it wasn't actively guarded.
It was deemed unnecessary. It was also difficult to do so.
The Garuda Feather was extremely repulsive to most life forms; ordinary wizards couldn't even get close to it.
Therefore, the Indian Ministry of Magic's previous approach to Hallownest was to cast Muggle-Repelling Charms and some anti-wizard spells, and periodically send people on pilgrimages to inspect it.
This was why, even though Kavi stole the Garuda Feather, they weren't sure if it was him who did it.
They hadn't even considered the possibility that the Garuda Feather could have been stolen before.
Now, Garuda's Sacred Nest was occupied by Kavi, and the other Ministry of Magic wizards didn't dare even approach it easily.
"Professor, are we really not going to accompany you?"
Another Ministry of Magic employee looked worried. "That Sharma is no pushover. If it weren't for the fact that he's been staying in Hallownest for some reason, our men might all be dead."
"…"
Tom didn't speak, only waving his hand impatiently to dismiss them.
The Ministry of Magic employees were also quite helpless about this. "…"
But there was nothing they could do. Since Tom was determined to do it this way, they were powerless to stop him.
Originally, they were only worried that if Tom Riddle died here, their Indian Ministry of Magic would be held accountable by other Ministries of Magic controlled by Death Eaters.
Indeed, in the eyes of these Ministry of Magic employees, what could Tom Riddle do if they couldn't solve the problem?
How much stronger could Tom Riddle be than them?
Besides, if so many of them couldn't defeat Kavi Sharma, what could these so-called "professors" who are always keeping to themselves and their students possibly do?
It just goes to show that the Indians truly live up to their reputation; their confidence remains unmatched.
However, this was only because of their limited experience. People like Anand Singh and Caelan Tepesh, with their broader connections, clearly understood what kind of being Tom Riddle truly was.
Harry and Malfoy did their warm-up exercises while watching the departing figures of the Indian Ministry of Magic officials.
They had already decided that when they stormed in and saw this Kavi guy, they would just beat him to a pulp, showing him what a "tough guy among tough guys" and "Tom Riddle's right-hand man" really looked like!
"Tom, why aren't Professor Snape and the others affected by the ancient magical runes?"
Cassandra, gazing at the scenery on the mountain, finally couldn't help but ask.
"Although the ancient magical runes stored in that totem are gone…"
Tom chewed on a berry he'd picked from somewhere. "If I'm not mistaken about its magical traces, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced, or even rendered ineffective, against opponents whose magical power is equal to or even exceeds that of the wielder."
"..."
Snape, who had been eavesdropping expressionlessly, suddenly understood. That Kavi was quite powerful; the Ministry of Magic staff who came up were all weaker than him, which created the illusion that he could "completely suppress magic."
Nagini glanced down the mountain; apart from the wild grass swaying in the strong wind, there was no one to be seen. "Then… those Ministry of Magic wizards…"
"That's right, they were too weak."
Tom commented expressionlessly.
"..."
Cassandra looked a little annoyed. "Tom."
"Hmm?"
"I want to try too."
"Hmm."
"I mean…"
"I know. With me here, those little tricks won't affect you."
"..."
Cassandra paused for a moment, then smiled broadly.
She had initially worried that her magic wasn't strong enough to be of any use, but the all-powerful Tom Riddle was indeed the most reliable.
"..."
However, the other two present suddenly felt a bit dazed. They had thought they were the main force, but it turned out they were still the weakest.
"Scarface, I have a feeling we're going to be useless?"
"It's okay. If I'm not strong enough, I'll be a surprise weapon."
"How so?"
"Remember Ron Weasley?"
"That red-haired kid? Oh~~~ you're so mean, Potter!"
Malfoy instantly understood, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. He pointed at Harry and then looked up at the mountain.
Rustling sound~
Tom had already begun his ascent.
He was going up the mountain.
---
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