The storm raged, chaos consuming everything in its path.
Amidst the destruction, Harry knelt before the fallen, colossal golden thunderbird.
I'm still alive, thank Merlin, the thunderbird's fading consciousness echoed in its enormous mind.
Alive?
Good.
It didn't want to die. The will to survive had kept it going, but that alone was not enough.
Its sharp eyes fluttered, the light fading. No matter how it fought, it couldn't stop the trembling and the inevitable darkness creeping in. Its fate was sealed.
"Do you wish to live?"
Tom's voice broke through its despair, and the thunderbird's pupils constricted.
"I am asking you," Tom said, reaching out to stroke the great bird's head. "Do you want to live?"
The thunderbird could not answer, only watch him silently, struggling to keep its eyes open.
"Very well, I understand."
Tom seemed satisfied. Without turning, he called out, "Severus!"
...
Within the heart of the blizzard, a cloud of black billowed, awaiting its chance.
Kavi's eyes darted around, searching for Snape.
Tom Riddle's unparalleled mastery of Flight Charms granted immunity to damage and impossible speed. Kavi had never encountered such magic and couldn't find any way to counter it.
"Severus!"
The voice from outside the storm startled Kavi, but the two spells that followed brought instant regret.
The storm noticeably weakened, and Kavi's body froze.
He struggled, but found himself face to face with that familiar sneering visage.
A wand, sharp and deadly, was raised.
Then came that cold, familiar voice...
"Divine Sharpness."
Thud!
A gaping wound tore from Kavi's right shoulder to his left abdomen, black-red blood gushing.
He crashed, his wand falling uselessly to the ground. His left hand lay limp, a golden feather emitting a faint glow in his palm.
As Kavi fell, the blizzard he had conjured with the Weather Anomaly Charm dissipated.
But the dark clouds remained overhead, the torrential rain and gale unabated.
"..."
Snape stared at the Garuda Feather in Kavi's hand; an object far too dangerous to touch. Only Tom could handle such an artifact.
Suddenly, Kavi, clinging to life, endured the agony inflicted by Snape's Divine Strike and clutched the Garuda Feather tighter!
To everyone's astonishment, Kavi slammed his fist against his chest, forcing the feather directly into the wound!
"Ugh, haa..."
The pain stole his voice.
His body convulsed, a bulge slowly moving across his chest towards his back. A soft, wet "plop" followed, and blood trickled down his spine. A pair of fleshy wings erupted, quickly covered in downy feathers.
Kavi's body transformed into that of a bird, his head becoming avian, his hands turning into claws.
Thud, thud...
He staggered to his feet, bracing himself against the waterlogged ground.
He opened his mouth, flesh and teeth glued together, panting. "Ha, hahaha..."
He looked at his claws, feeling a power he had never known before. The pain in his eyes was eclipsed by unconcealed excitement.
If Tom were to delve into my mind now, he'd sneer, "Never had it so good, eh? A little power and you lose your mind?"
Kavi's magic had surged past "Elite Auror" level, reaching that of a "Legendary Wizard."
But it was merely an artificial boost, like forcibly cramming power into the Lanlock dragon. Ultimately ineffective. Dumbledore could defeat him with one hand.
Furthermore, his forced fusion with the Garuda Feather accelerated his physical decay. Tom calculated that Kavi had less than five minutes to live.
"He can even do a sit-up now?"
Tom laughed. "Did you wander in from another film? Who do you think you are? A shonen manga protagonist finally reaching his evolved form, ready to challenge the god-like villain? Are you about to unleash your 'ultimate technique' and challenge me to a duel?"
"Stay here for now."
Tom patted the thunderbird's massive head. "If you can't even last this long and die prematurely, you have only yourself to blame."
Tom stood.
"Your Excellency, the Dark Lord?"
Kavi's voice was hoarse. He looked up at Tom. "I did it, just as I promised. Now, shouldn't you uphold your end of the bargain?"
All reverence was gone from Kavi's tone. He believed that he was now among the world's elite!
Didn't you see Snape flee?!
While Snape knew he couldn't defeat Kavi in his current state, that wasn't his primary reason for distancing himself. He sensed Tom was about to attack and simply didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.
"..."
Tom looked at the grotesque bird-man before him, his tone indifferent. "You do realize that I wanted you dead just moments ago, don't you?"
"..."
Who can understand this insane Dark Lord? Does he really have such a desire for control that he even wants to dictate the moment of my death?!
Kavi didn't care anymore. Go ahead and use my Climate Anomaly Curse!
"Heh heh! I'll just—"
The instant his eyes met Tom's, he died with a snap.
A hasty, pathetic end.
His brief display of arrogance extinguished by a simple gaze.
One moment he was fixated on those unique emerald eyes, the next he was gone.
He could have had five minutes of life, but his arrogance and misjudgment had bought him only five seconds.
Ashok found Kavi's demise rather comical. Even his simmering hatred had eased, replaced by an unexpected emptiness.
However, Ashok couldn't fathom how Tom had killed Kavi.
He refused to believe Kavi had simply dropped dead.
Kavi's bird-man form had radiated terrifying power that even frightened him, yet against the Dark Lord, he was nothing more than an ant.
He thought he understood the Dark Lord's terrifying power, but was he still just a frog in a well?
"..."
Ashok glanced at Kavi's body, turning to ash on the ground. His gaze shifted to Tom, filled with ever-growing awe.
Ashok was right. Almost everyone remained ignorant of the true extent of Tom's power.
For example, Tom's Basilisk-Eye Gaze could kill anyone below the level of a "God of Magic," including "Legendary Wizards."
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