With the death of Nagini, the piece of Voldemort's soul within her disintegrated into nothingness.
Although this fragment had been turned into a Horcrux, it still maintained a certain connection with Voldemort's soul.
The soul, being the essence of life, is a complete whole.
Though it can be severed in special ways, no matter how far apart the fragments are in time and space, they still possess a stable and immediate connection to each other.
This connection is somewhat akin to the concept of quantum entanglement in quantum mechanics—two particles in an entangled state can remain correlated regardless of the distance separating them; when one is manipulated, the other instantaneously responds in kind.
Perhaps souls are composed of special particles and exist as a quantum system in a state of entanglement.
However, at the moment, Alaric had no intention of merging science with magic; this was merely his conjecture.
Nevertheless, the destruction of the Horcrux had immediate repercussions for Voldemort himself.
This process caused Voldemort immense pain.
Yet, the physical and spiritual torment was not what terrified him the most.
What truly instilled fear in him was the implication of Alaric's actions in killing Nagini.
While Nagini had gained considerable combat strength after Voldemort's modifications, she was still not a significant threat to a wizard of Voldemort's caliber.
Even Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, with all its magical abilities—like healing tears and resurrection—wouldn't be able to intervene in a duel at Dumbledore's level based solely on combat prowess.
So why did Alaric meticulously redirect Voldemort's attention at the start of their confrontation to ambush Nagini?
There could be many possibilities—perhaps Alaric feared snakes or simply sought to humiliate Voldemort.
However, most of these scenarios seemed unlikely.
The only possibility Voldemort considered rational was the one he most feared: Alaric had discovered his greatest secret.
That secret was Voldemort's means of immortality—the secret of the Horcruxes.
The reason Voldemort felt so audacious, daring to act in the wizarding world while the greatest white wizard, Dumbledore, was still alive, was that he had always felt invulnerable.
The immortality conferred by the Horcruxes allowed him to transcend this world, viewing reality from a higher plane.
After all, each death was merely a temporary setback; no matter what, he had a chance to start over. This belief led him to act recklessly.
But now, an unsettling premonition gnawed at him: his long-held crutch, the very foundation of his recklessness, might have been uncovered.
Despite the excruciating pain and rising panic within him, Voldemort maintained his composure.
He slowly struggled to rise from the ground, weakly asking Alaric, "What… have you done to me? Why… am I… so weak?"
Seeing Voldemort's facade of composure while internally panicking amused Alaric, who laughed lightly.
"It's amusing that you can ask me that question," he said, casually walking around Voldemort.
"Judging by your astonished expression, it seems you're more surprised by something else… Don't you know why you feel so weak?"
Voldemort's growing panic was evident, yet he stubbornly tried to hold it together.
"Let's put it this way: the very reliance that allows you to resurrect—the forbidden rituals you conducted over a decade ago—I've… already seen through," Alaric said, his chilling words striking Voldemort like a thunderbolt.
He could hardly believe it.
If Alaric had truly uncovered his secret, then…
Before Voldemort could speak, Alaric interjected, "Your next question will be, 'How do you know this?'"
"What do you mean… How do you know this?" Voldemort stammered, momentarily baffled.
This prescience left him feeling as though Alaric were a more powerful Legilimens, capable of breaking through his own mental barriers to discern his innermost thoughts.
In that instant, Voldemort's wariness of Alaric surged to new heights.
Alaric merely smiled at him, choosing not to reveal that he had merely guessed what Voldemort was about to say.
After all, even if Voldemort was cunning, being confronted with the exposure of his greatest secret would evoke a response akin to that of an ordinary person, leading him to unwittingly express his thoughts.
In this state of shock and turmoil, it was entirely natural for him to voice his confusion.
Alaric only needed to make a reasonable guess, and if Voldemort survived this battle, he might eventually reflect on it and, with his intellect, figure it out.
But for that to happen, he would first need to survive.
Currently, however, Voldemort was consumed by the revelation of his secret being unveiled, completely unaware that Alaric was leading him by the nose.
Meanwhile, Alaric continued to circle Voldemort, avoiding discussions of his "foresight" and instead elaborating on Voldemort's darkest secret.
"Tom Riddle, you're nothing more than a pathetic creature with great power," he taunted as he walked.
"Everyone thinks you're the Dark Lord, fearing your might.
But to me, you're just a madman living in your own delusions, trying to conquer the world using immature theories borrowed from Grindelwald, combined with your magical talent.
A being like you, who lacks original thought and merely acts recklessly due to your immortality, is nothing more than a joke."
"You filthy mudblood… How dare you say such things…" Voldemort countered angrily, wary as he pivoted to keep Alaric in his line of sight, fuming at the insults.
But deep down, he secretly hoped Alaric would continue speaking, granting him more time to mitigate the agonizing pain coursing through his soul.
The intense suffering resulting from the destruction of the Horcrux had severely diminished his combat capability.
If Alaric were to strike now, he could only escape, potentially ruining his carefully laid plans.
Voldemort perceived Alaric's current mocking banter as evidence that he was unaware of the significance of the Horcrux, possibly still doubting whether Voldemort's pained demeanor was merely an act.
Thus, he aimed to seize this moment of Alaric's misunderstanding to regain his strength.
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