Under the impact of the massive amount of water, Tom Riddle's body nearly collapsed, making him appear extremely illusory.
He managed to get to his feet, his clothes wet.
The Ravenclaw crown on his head had been knocked to the side by the current, and his wand had been knocked out of his hand.
"What kind of wand is that?" Tom Riddle's eyes were fixed on the Elder Wand in Ivan's hand, fear and defiance on his face.
Tom's right hand moved slightly, as if trying to do something.
Even faster than him was Ivan's magic!
"Shadowless Blade!"
The invisible blade of magic instantly severed Tom Riddle's right arm.
"ARGH!" Tom Riddle howled in agony. No blood flowed from the stump of his arm, only a thick, dark mist.
"I thought you could really heal indefinitely in this state… but it seems that's all."
Ivan approached Tom Riddle, and when his right arm showed no signs of reforming, he sneered at him.
"You think you've won? Hales? If you kill me, those four girls will die with me!" Tom Riddle was clutching his wound, his face full of hatred.
Ivan ignored Tom Riddle's warning and cast another spell, this one on Tom.
The loud explosion echoed through the chamber, and Tom Riddle was thrown backwards against the wall in the corner.
Ivan didn't believe a word Tom said.
Ginny, who suffered the same fate in the original timeline, was restored after the Horcrux was destroyed, keeping Tom alive so that the deluded girls lying in the hospital wing would never wake up.
Tom Riddle tried to push himself up, but this time he could not. He gritted his teeth as Yvonne approached him.
"Don't forget, Hulse, that you and I have completed the ritual of blood-fusion, which means we are both Heirs of Slytherin! Dumbledore would never tolerate you!"
"Dumbledore is only helping you now because he wants to use you to get rid of me, and we can work together to kill him!
You will be the most powerful man in the wizarding world! No one will be a match for you! Everyone will have to submit to you, even me!"
Tom Riddle's expression was sincere.
"Really?" Ivan said noncommittally, waving his Elder Wand so gently that Tom Riddle's left leg exploded.
Ivan's gaze was cold, and he ignored the other man's words. Charms were cast, and with the help of the Elder Wand, they struck Tom Riddle.
After five or six spells, Tom Riddle could no longer maintain his human form, and the black mist parted, sending a black diary crashing to the ground.
"It's time to end this." Ivan's left hand reached into his pouch, where he had cast the Traceless Extension Charm, and produced a small, crescent-shaped package containing a basilisk tooth.
The black diary trembled, but Tom Riddle's strength was exhausted, and he could not summon the black mist.
Ivan did not hesitate to stab the basilisk fang into the centre of the diary.
Ink poured out of the holes, and screams filled the air. Ivan watched in silence. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
For half a minute, silence reigned.
When Ivan touched it again, there were no longer any notifications in the System's Magical Artefacts column. Apparently, this had become an ordinary diary!
Ivan, having no time to rest, went to the Ravenclaw crown and destroyed it with his fangs.
Ravenclaw's diadem, unlike the diary, did not absorb any life force, and its resistance was weaker, not worth mentioning in front of Ivan, who was holding the snake's fangs.
Seeing both Horcruxes destroyed in his hands, Ivan fell to his knees, exhausted.
Looking around at the storm-ravaged landscape, Ivan grimaced.
He never thought things would go this far.
They thought that there would be a limit to Tom Riddle's strength after his resurrection, but they did not expect him to find the diadem in the Room of Requirement.
This was despite the fact that the two Horcruxes were scheming against each other and Tom had not been able to fully revive himself. Otherwise, Ivan felt that he might not have been able to wait for the phoenix to call for help.
Ivan glanced at his Deathly Hallows.
He knew that this wand, which was made of Elderling wood and fitted with the tail feathers of thestrals, was extremely powerful and could be used to augment the fighting prowess of wizards such as Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort.
However, having personally experienced it, Ivan finally understood how powerful it was!
In the presence of the Elder Wand, each charm he cast had the same effect as an enhanced charm.
Combined with the ability to greatly reduce magical consumption, Ivan felt that he had never been so powerful!
He was very sure that no one in the entire wizarding world could defeat him!
Ivan would have taken the Elder Wand for himself if he hadn't still had his wits about him.
Ivan turned the Elder Wand over and over in his hands, but he could not find the inscription. The entire wand seemed to fit perfectly into one piece.
"I wonder how it's made? How strong must Peverell's third brother's alchemical water be to make these Deathly Hallows? It can't be really made by the Death God…"
As Ivan studied the Elder Wand, another voice sounded in the silent Chamber.
"Who am I? Where am I? What's going on here? Is there a flood?" Lockhart finally managed to get to his feet.
As Ivan had drained the two pools to get to Tom Riddle, Lockhart was also affected and nearly choked to death.
"And who are you? Do you know me?" Lockhart asked Ivan as he looked around the room.
"Shut up!" Ivan snapped, pointing his wand at him.
Lockhart shuddered. He could not remember anything, but he was still traumatized by having his wand pointed at him.
Seeing that Lockhart was behaving himself, Ivan began to test the effects of the Memory Charm, questioning him about how much he remembered.
It turned out that Lockhart had forgotten everything, including his name and where he lived, although he stubbornly believed that he was once a wizard…