The three of them immediately followed the footprints and walked in.
This door appeared to be a portal spell, leading to a different space. Upon entering, they found themselves in an ancient and magnificent palace.
The luxurious scene left them in awe; even Hogwarts seemed to pale in comparison.
They walked continuously, seeing columns adorned with gold edges, now shattered by spells—either standing incomplete or fallen to the ground.
Aside from these, numerous stone warriors lay scattered, having lost their magical power.
McGonagall's eyes shone brightly as she observed this.
Such stone warriors were plentiful at Hogwarts. McGonagall knew those statues could also protect Hogwarts.
She had long wanted to cast that kind of spell. Otherwise, two years ago, she wouldn't have made the massive wizard's chess set as a guard for the Philosopher's Stone.
...
At the deepest part of the cave, the battle between Cyrus and Voldemort was still ongoing.
Voldemort conjured a massive Pensieve Guardian, hurling it towards Cyrus and Dumbledore.
"Confringo!"
Cyrus flicked his wrist, instantly shattering the stone guardian into pieces!
The dissipated sand swept forward like a gray wind, resembling a thin veil. Voldemort cast several more spells, slicing through the veil, sending sharp blades slashing towards Cyrus!
Dumbledore wielded fiery tongues, and vibrant flames filled the entire cave in an instant.
Fiendfyre!
Bright red demonic fire blossomed in Voldemort's hands, like a burst of blood!
Three different flames intertwined continuously in this trial ground, merging into a sea of flames.
Cyrus walked through the fire, parting the flames beneath his feet. Even the Fiendfyre cast by Voldemort bowed before him. He wielded his spells, each strike causing the vault to tremble.
Cyrus and Dumbledore worked together seamlessly, driving Voldemort back step by step.
The goblin armor on Voldemort was in tatters. Cyrus's spells, infused with the power of ancient magic, were immensely powerful.
As for Dumbledore, his inherent magical strength, combined with the power of the Elder Wand, made him a formidable opponent, almost like a dark lord himself!
"Surrender, Tom. You are destined to fail today," Dumbledore advanced as he spoke, pressing Voldemort relentlessly and forcing him to keep his head down.
Cyrus felt he was almost redundant standing there.
He glanced deeper into the cave, planning to withdraw and complete his own trial.
Although it was called a trial, it was merely about obtaining Rookwood's memory. Normally, people wouldn't dare to look into a Pensieve under such circumstances, but Cyrus was different. He only needed to acquire the memory to view it directly in his mind.
He withdrew, leaving the battlefield to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore noticed this but didn't say much. In fact, they could have escaped long ago, but Dumbledore didn't want to see Voldemort using the goblin's body.
Unless Voldemort's goblin body was thoroughly shattered, how would he be desperate to obtain a new one?
After leaving the battlefield, Cyrus reached the place where Luckwood stored his memories. A massive sculpture extended to the dome. As Cyrus approached, the sculpture's left eye emitted a faint light, releasing a silver tear.
The tear fell, transforming into a ball of light. Cyrus caught the memory orb, which was not just a memory but also a token.
With a gentle touch, the memory opened.
It was still Morgana's memory. This time, Morgana invited the four guardians of ancient magic to her home, witnessing the miracle of her extracting the pain from her father's heart.
This technique left the four guardians extremely surprised. They were pleased with Morgana's talent but also worried about such magic.
Is it truly a good thing for a person to be stripped of their pain?
And using such power is fraught with danger!
Cyrus watched the memory in silence.
He understood the guardians' intention in leaving this memory. They wanted to use Morgana's example to warn the next guardian, but this approach only deters the noble, not the wicked.
For Cyrus, he wouldn't and couldn't abandon such power.
In the end, even if it wasn't magical power, even if it were an ordinary person wielding guns and swords, the mindset of the person holding those destructive weapons is what matters.
Cyrus's own soul was exceptionally strong, and with most of Voldemort's soul fragments now in his possession, he could control this power without his soul being affected.
The memory ended, and Cyrus opened his eyes.
Dumbledore and Voldemort's battle had also finally concluded.
The old Albus - I eat sweets all day - Dumbledore had shattered half of Voldemort's more than a century-year-old goblin-body.
Voldemort abandoned the broken body of Ranrok, once again turning into a humble black mist.
Turning into this form, Dumbledore could no longer do anything to Voldemort. However, Dumbledore didn't seem disappointed at all; rather, he had expected this outcome.
"Pathetic, Voldemort," Cyrus mocked. "Look at you. What's left in your life besides failure?"
"Failure? I've never failed! But you, do you think you're any better than me?"
Voldemort sneered.
"Do you really believe Dumbledore trusts you? This time he just needed your power. Think about it, if he defeated me, what would he do to you?"
Voldemort questioned.
Cyrus didn't respond, merely letting out a cold laugh.
Cyrus didn't care much about Dumbledore's attitude toward him.
Once he completed the trials and fully gained the power of ancient magic, he wouldn't need to worry about Dumbledore at all.
For now, as long as Dumbledore didn't stop him from continuing the trials, it was enough.
Dumbledore obviously knew about his pursuit of ancient magic trials.
Due to Cyrus's somewhat sensitive status, Mrs. Fitzgerald hadn't kept this matter from Dumbledore.
However, Dumbledore had never mentioned it, clearly indicating a tacit approval.
"Cyrus, the location for the third trial is in the headmaster's office, but as the headmaster of Hogwarts, I can't just let a wanted man like you freely enter the school," Dumbledore said with a grandfatherly smile.
This was clearly a hint.
"However, I suppose during the next Quidditch match, I probably won't be in the headmaster's office."
"Aren't you worried?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow.
"I believe I don't have the right to prevent anyone from seeking knowledge, as long as they are willing to take the right path," Dumbledore chuckled lightly.
Cyrus didn't plan on lying and gave Dumbledore a heads-up: "I can't make any guarantees."
Dumbledore didn't seem concerned. He looked up and saw McGonagall and the others hurrying over in the distance. Happily, he went to greet them, leaving Cyrus with an enigmatic remark:
"I heard from Snape that you've been to Godric's Hollow?" Dumbledore blinked and held up one finger.
"The last enemy to be destroyed is death."
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