"Portkey?" "This information is absolutely correct. As for what Barty Crouch Jr. did, he did not say, and I did not ask," Keresis continued, "I don't think I'll get an answer anyway; I just need to do what I need to do."
Hogwarts Castle was enchanted with various spells to prevent intrusion, and wizards could not Apparate here. Therefore, the Portkey was the only way to get Harry out of the school in plain sight.
Evan wasn't sure what Barty Crouch Jr.'s original plan was and what he intended to do by making Ron a warrior. Now that the plan had changed, none of that mattered. What was certain now was that he would make his move during the second tournament, using the Portkey to get Harry out of Hogwarts. Was he going to involve Harry directly in the match? Or was it a surprise attack on Harry while everyone was focused on the match? The second match is for the warriors to search for their favorite person in the lake; Ron's favorite person should be Harry. A strike in the depths of the lake would indeed be inconspicuous. Considering that Voldemort will not want to let the news of his return to strength spread so quickly throughout the magical world, maintaining proper concealment is necessary. To do it under the lake can also make Dumbledore not react immediately.
Previously, little Barty Crouch took advantage of the accident in the first match and proposed to let the Ministry of Magic send someone to set up the match venue, and the Hogwarts side should not intervene. It seems he already had some plans. He took advantage of the opportunity to set up the venue, hid the Portkey under the water, and then thought of a way to take Harry away. The whole process was fine, but Evan still had one question that needed clarification: Why did Voldemort suddenly become so anxious that Barty Crouch Jr. had to change the plan? He even risked being exposed and went to Hogwarts to inform Keresis about this matter through the Floo network. He had been hiding alone in the forest of Albania for so many years; it wasn't as if he couldn't even wait this long.
"Why is Voldemort in such a hurry?" Evan asked, "Did something happen?" "Bad news is coming one after another, and the specifics are unknown; the Dark Lord will not tell me his plan. So, we can only guess now. Do you want to hear it?" Keresis said, drinking the remaining dragon's blood inside the cup. He raised his head to look at Evan, licking the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking particularly eerie. Although he was still in Moody's appearance, Ivan felt that the blue eyes flashed with a layer of red light at that moment. This picture is enough to classify vampires as heretics, more evil than black witches. Imagine if that cup was not filled with dragon blood but human blood. The blood of a magically powerful sorcerer is far more attractive to vampires than a dragon's blood. "Tell me!" Evan and Keresis looked at each other. "This is just my idea; I think the problem should be related to that statue brought back from the Horseman's ruins." "Statue of an evil god?!" Evan said in surprise, raising a bad feeling. "Oh, you call that monster an evil god?!" Keresis looked at Evan and said slowly, "Those are terrible creatures left over from ancient times, and in a sense, they can indeed be called gods because their power far exceeded that of humans." "What is Voldemort doing with that statue?!" Evan paused momentarily, "He's not planning to summon an evil god, is he?!" "Not sure!" Keresis shook his head, "Summoning the monster on the statue is just a possibility, but I don't think he should do that because he doesn't have enough power to control that monster. Summoning it over is just taking his own life."
Indeed, Voldemort is not one of those fallen horsemen; he wouldn't be foolish enough to believe in an evil god and summon it. Doing so would not benefit Voldemort himself. The Evil Thing needed countless blood and destruction, an enemy of all mankind. Voldemort needed to rule the magic world, or even the whole world, to make others submit to him rather than complete destruction.
"He should have communicated with the evil god on the statue through some secret technique, made some kind of agreement, or knew something; that's why he became so anxious," Keresis said, "Speaking of which, I'm also to blame for this; when I brought that statue back, I had checked it; at that time, there was no longer any power on it; it was just an ordinary wooden statue, I didn't expect that."
In the ruins of the Fallen Horseman, Evan entered the spiritual world created by the evil god. At the last moment, the Book of Abraham sealed the power of that horrible evil god from descending into the real world, cutting off the connection between the statue and the evil god's body in the void, and the statue turned into an ordinary wooden statue. However, as the only item that the Evil God used to communicate with the real world, there may be some secrets left on it that Voldemort has discovered. Similarly, the evil god who failed one after another also needs Voldemort's help to descend into this world. Ultimately, the two may utilize each other to see whose means are more clever. Evan had guessed that Voldemort would join hands with the Evil God to become more powerful. Now, it seems that things are really going in the worst direction. He thought of Professor Trelawney's prophecy last year: Voldemort who returned would gain unimaginable power. Could it be the power of an evil god? It was beyond the world's imagination, turning Voldemort from the most dangerous dark wizard in history into a monster. A Voldemort with his soul torn apart is enough for Evan and Dumbledore to do their best to destroy. If the evil god's power is added, Evan can only put his hope in the secret treasure left behind by the Founders.
"Some time ago, he asked my people to search for the information left behind by the ancient warlocks in ruins worldwide," Keresis continued, "They brought him back many ancient tablets engraved with ancient magical writings; he might have learned something from them, I'm afraid." "Don't you know what your people brought back to Voldemort?!" "As a matter of fact, I don't!" Keresis laughed bitterly, a pale face flashing a trace of fatigue, "My ethnicity is not ironclad, how to say, in dealing with other vampire clans in the past, many thought that my approach was too conservative. They are not very much in favor of it. This time, I took the initiative to contact the Dark Lord."
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Evan understood Kreshkov's meaning: there were indeed conflicts and battles among the vampires. Although he was the nominal leader, he couldn't control the ideas of every clan member, especially with Voldemort's influence on the side. It seemed highly likely that the vampire clan was deeply divided, with one faction siding completely with Voldemort. It made sense why Voldemort had Kreshkov infiltrate Hogwarts; he likely wanted to keep him at bay for a while and take the opportunity to deal with other vampires.
Kreshkov's statement about bad news after bad news was accurate. The vampires were incredibly powerful, on par with the elite Death Eaters, and Voldemort, with their allegiance, became even more formidable.
"What's your plan if they truly ally themselves with Voldemort?" Evan asked.
"If they become completely loyal to the Dark Lord, they've made a different choice, attempting to address the issue from another angle. While I may not agree with their decision, I can't blame them, and I certainly don't have the right to stop them," Kreshkov replied, shaking his head. "Evan, you don't fully grasp the challenges our clan faces. Remember the being you saw in my memory fragment?"
"Of course!" Evan nodded, his brow furrowing as he recalled that monstrous image.
During their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Evan had used the Shield Charm to repel a Legilimency attack from Kreshkov, glimpsing a hidden memory. The horrifying scene had etched itself into Evan's mind.
It was an endless abyss, surrounded by black rocks stacked irregularly. At the highest point, an endless darkness loomed. In the abyss, a massive, grotesque creature resided, an amalgamation of the world's most terrifying beings. Its flesh was a dark, putrid purple, composed of rotting flesh covered in barnacle-like growths. It featured countless irregular holes, inducing an unsettling feeling. Above, it sported bright orange-red hair resembling the patterns of poisonous spiders. A bone-like spine extended downwards, twisting and contorting as it connected to a twisted and deformed torso. Amid this amalgamation, familiar magical creature traits, such as dragons, basilisks, manticores, and more, were visible. These traits appeared jumbled like someone had mixed hundreds of magical creature corpses. The overall effect was that of a nightmarish monster that, once seen, could never be forgotten.
Evan had speculated that this creature might be an evil god. He remembered Kreshkov saying that it was the destiny he and his clan had to confront, a fate they couldn't escape.
"As you can see, that entity and the evil god depicted on that statue are of the same ilk," Kreshkov slowly explained. "However, they are not identical; there's a fundamental difference. If I'm not mistaken, it could be the form Dark Lord aspires to take."
"What?!" Evan was shocked. Did Voldemort want to become that monster? Why would Kreshkov say that?
Upon reflection, Evan realized that perhaps the nightmarish monster from Kreshkov's memory had been transformed into a different form.
It wasn't a purely chaotic evil god born from the void but a creation of magic. Could it really be possible? Evan recalled the remnants left by Salazar Slytherin, where Hellebore, once subjected to dark magic, transformed into an evil god before Slytherin split it into three parts: the eye, the brain, and the body. While Evan had destroyed the eye, the whereabouts of the brain and body remained unknown.
Could the monster in Kreshkov's memory be the body of Hellebore? Combining the clues from Kreshkov's words, Evan considered an even more terrifying possibility.
"You're intelligent, Evan, but some things are better left unsaid due to your current limitations," Kreshkov remarked, avoiding Evan's questions. "All you need to understand is the kind of adversary you may face if Voldemort succeeds. Do you have the confidence to defeat such a terrifying creature?"
Evan shook his head. It was unlikely that anyone could defeat an evil god, even the ancient warlocks, with their immense power. The only option would be to seal the evil god away at the cost of self-destruction.
"If that's Voldemort's objective, we can stop him," Evan suggested.
"You don't comprehend. Certain things can't be prevented just because you wish to prevent them unless you can kill the Dark Lord right now," Kreshkov responded, shaking his head and closing his eyes. "But that's impossible. In that case, my people and I need his help, and from what I can see, he's the only one who can assist us in escaping that dreadful destiny. Some consider it a curse left by Salazar Slytherin, while others view it as a blessing..."
A heavy silence followed, and Evan refrained from pressing for further information, recognizing that Kreshkov had no intention of revealing all the secrets. Evan gained insight into many things through their conversation but was left with even more unanswered questions.
"Choose, Evan," Kreshkov said, reopening his eyes and speaking firmly. "Tell me, what do you intend to do after learning all of this? Do you want Voldemort to regain his strength as planned, or do you wish to stop him? Your answer will determine whether our cooperation continues..."