Receiving its master's command, the basilisk raised its massive head and lunged viciously toward the three of them.
This horrifying creature measured over fifteen meters in length, its body thicker than the largest water barrel—
Yet when it attacked, its movements were quieter and more precise than the deadliest venomous snake.
As expected of the King of Serpents.
Riddle understood perfectly well that Lewis's group had come prepared for the basilisk.
That was why all three wore blindfolds the moment they appeared.
But wearing blindfolds also meant surrendering vision—the greatest form of perception.
And snakes, after all, were creatures specialized in ambushes.
Without sight, and unable to rely properly on hearing or smell to detect the basilisk, they should have been as good as dead.
What Riddle did not know…
…was that Lewis possessed the abnormal power known as psionics.
Nor did he know that while using psychic detection himself, Lewis had simultaneously linked that perception to all his companions.
Thus, when the basilisk struck—
Hermione and Ciri dodged to opposite sides as smoothly as though they could see perfectly clearly.
Only Lewis remained standing still.
Riddle initially thought the boy had simply frozen in terror.
Then something unbelievable happened.
Lewis's body suddenly expanded.
In an instant, he transformed into a winged serpent covered in radiant feathers—a feathered serpent far smaller than the basilisk, yet incomparably more majestic.
With one beat of its wings, the creature soared into the air, effortlessly evading the basilisk's strike.
"…A feathered serpent?!"
Riddle's eyes widened in shock.
"A legendary feathered serpent?! Your Animagus is a magical creature?!"
"No—that's impossible!"
"Ron clearly said your Animagus form was a giant eagle! What is this?!"
Riddle found the entire situation incomprehensible.
Unfortunately for him, he no longer had time to think.
Because the two girls had already targeted him.
"[Expelliarmus]!"
Hermione's attack was swift and accurate.
Before Riddle had even fully reacted, the spell had already arrived before him.
Unfortunately, her magical power was still lacking somewhat.
Riddle casually deflected the spell away.
But the real killing blow came from Ciri.
The young witcher had cast Haste on herself from the very beginning.
Combined with her already terrifying reflexes, her movements became lightning-fast.
Before Riddle could even track her properly, she flashed directly in front of him.
Her arcane sword slashed straight toward his head.
The attack came too suddenly.
Riddle had no time to defend himself and could only instinctively twist aside.
But when he saw the weapon she carried, he relaxed slightly.
"What era is this?" he sneered.
"You're still using primitive melee weapons?"
"Don't you know physical weapons can't harm spiritual bodies?"
Riddle relied fully on the fact that his body resembled a ghost.
He simply did not fear being cut.
Then—
"AAAAARGH—!"
A scream tore from his throat.
"T-the sword… it's electrified—!"
"What era do you think this is?"
Ciri sneered coldly.
"Who still uses ordinary weapons nowadays?"
"We use enchanted weapons."
In her haste, she had only applied a simple first-circle Lightning Claw enchantment.
Yet even that was enough to make Riddle convulse while speaking in static-filled spasms.
At the same moment, Hermione's follow-up attack arrived.
"[Stupefy]!"
Meanwhile, Ciri pressed forward aggressively while preparing her next enchantment.
To be fair, Hermione's spells truly lacked power.
But after enduring Lewis's brutal training regimen, her fundamentals vastly surpassed most students her age.
At minimum, she was strong enough to become genuinely annoying.
And that made Riddle furious.
Because if he ignored her attacks, they immediately disrupted his movements.
Even if they couldn't seriously injure him, they would at least throw off his balance.
And once that happened—
The terrifying woman charging at him with sword and magic combined would absolutely cut him to pieces.
Suppressing the lingering pain from the electric shock, Riddle barely blocked Hermione's Stunning Spell and attempted to retreat.
But Ciri's next strike had already arrived.
Her attack speed was absurd.
And her positioning was terrifyingly precise.
Though Riddle possessed extensive magical dueling experience, he had never encountered a swordswoman like this before.
Every dodge he believed elegant and clever looked full of openings in Ciri's eyes.
The blade of the Arcane Sword appeared exactly where he moved—
And struck his shoulder cleanly.
As a spirit body, Riddle naturally would not suffer permanent physical mutilation from a slash.
But magical damage was very real.
A crushing force slammed into him like a siege hammer.
For a brief instant, he felt as though his entire existence might be pulverized into dust.
Naturally, spiritual bodies could not literally shatter into powder.
But his form visibly dimmed and became more transparent.
At last, Riddle could no longer endure this brutal two-versus-one assault.
He was Tom Riddle.
A prodigy.
A master of dark magic.
And yet these two little girls were both monstrously powerful.
Even blindfolded, they fought as though they could see perfectly.
Every attack targeted vital points.
Especially Ciri—
Her magical power rivaled his own.
If she landed another two strikes like that, he truly might be erased entirely.
What Riddle did not know…
…was that while he was the young Dark Lord—
Ciri was also an unfinished Child of Destiny.
A Source.
A once-in-a-generation magical prodigy among witchers.
In terms of raw magical talent, she actually surpassed even him.
Her only issue was control.
As for Hermione—
Though she was not a chosen savior, she was still the female lead of this world.
Right now Riddle only held an advantage because she was younger.
Give her until sixteen, and with Ciri supporting her?
Riddle would already be dead under their combined assault.
Compared to them—
Though Voldemort might be the final boss—
Tom Riddle himself was merely one fragment of that future monster.
And now two future heroines were personally serving him a beating.
What greater honor could there be?
The previously arrogant and triumphant Riddle lasted only two exchanges before he completely lost composure.
His body exploded into black smoke and shot backward to create distance.
The instant he landed, he shouted furiously:
"Basilisk!"
"Stop playing around and kill them already!"
What was the point of having a basilisk if it could not even handle a feathered serpent while its master got beaten senseless?!
But when Riddle looked toward the battle—
He discovered he had gravely underestimated the feathered serpent.
The radiant creature was surrounded by holy power.
Every time the basilisk approached, it suffered agonizing pain from the Anti-Evil Barrier surrounding the serpent.
Even so, the basilisk still could not land a single meaningful hit.
The feathered serpent was vastly more agile than a phoenix.
Its lightning-fast reflexes rendered every strike useless.
Meanwhile, each of its own attacks was devastating.
Whether fang bites or tail strikes—
Every blow carried divine power, functioning like a heavily enchanted weapon.
The basilisk's thick scales and brutal durability were meaningless before it.
Within only a few exchanges, the basilisk had already been beaten bloody from head to tail.
The recovered phoenix fluttered around nearby, chirping excitedly in support of the feathered serpent.
The matchup was simply too unfair.
The basilisk possessed deadly eyes—
The feathered serpent naturally wielded psionic power.
The basilisk had overwhelming size and brute strength—
The feathered serpent could fly and moved with supernatural speed.
The basilisk possessed nearly impenetrable scales—
The feathered serpent's attacks ignored defense entirely.
The basilisk embodied evil—
The feathered serpent existed specifically to punish evil creatures.
Every single advantage the basilisk possessed…
…was countered perfectly.
Thus the absurd scene unfolded:
A five-meter feathered serpent brutally suppressing a fifteen-meter basilisk.
Between physical injuries and the continuous holy damage from the Anti-Evil Barrier—
Even the basilisk's monstrous vitality could not sustain this forever.
For over a thousand years, the creature had served the House of Slytherin.
Never once had it fought such a miserable battle.
At last, unable to endure any longer, the basilisk attempted to flee.
Then its master's command rang out again.
The basilisk instantly turned toward the "softer targets" with desperate relief.
But Lewis had no intention of letting it go.
"[Crown of Glory]!"
The feathered serpent condensed brilliant holy radiance.
A magnificent golden crown materialized above its head.
The blazing light shone like a miniature sun.
The basilisk was instantly blinded by the overwhelming brilliance.
The creature screamed and slammed its eyes shut in agony.
Now even its lethal gaze was unusable.
Taking advantage of the opening, the feathered serpent swooped downward beside the basilisk—
And transformed back into human form mid-motion.
Then Lewis abruptly opened his pouch.
One after another—
Seven or eight roosters burst out.
"You actually brought roosters—?!"
Riddle froze.
Then realization struck him.
"So it was YOU!"
"You were the one who stopped Ginny back then!"
Seeing those familiar roosters, Riddle instantly understood.
Lewis had been guarding against the basilisk from the very beginning.
He knew perfectly well that rooster crowing was fatal to basilisks.
Unfortunately, Riddle was now too far away to stop him.
Taking advantage of the basilisk's temporary helplessness, Lewis used druidic magic to command the birds.
"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO—!"
Despite being deep underground in the dark Chamber of Secrets—
All the roosters crowed together like heralds of dawn.
"HISSSSSSS—!!!"
The blinded basilisk writhed violently the instant it heard the sound.
Its shrieks became frantic and broken, filled with unbearable agony.
The enormous fifteen-meter body rolled wildly across the chamber floor in pain.
Startled, Lewis immediately retreated with the roosters to avoid getting crushed.
The crowing continued.
And the basilisk's suffering only intensified.
Soon, wounds Lewis had already inflicted burst open once more.
Fresh blood began pouring from even previously uninjured scales.
Within moments, crimson streams spread across the chamber floor like rivers.
This "little black snake" clearly could not survive much longer beneath the rooster chorus.
Meanwhile—
Outside the castle—
The deepest darkness of night was beginning to fade.
At the horizon…
…the first light of dawn quietly arrived.
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