Lockhart was thoughtful after hearing Tom's introduction. The soul illusion space indeed seemed like a valuable tool.
If he could observe Snape's potion-making process in real-time, he could repeatedly study Snape's techniques, timing, material handling, and other details. Similarly, after a battle, he could review the enemy's combat reactions to gather critical information.
As his mind churned with ideas, Lockhart recognized a sense of familiarity about the Horcrux's functionality, similar to the Pensieve in Harry Potter's world. However, the soul illusion space had distinct advantages. While the Pensieve allowed entry into memories, the soul illusion space not only permitted memory entry but also enabled alterations. This allowed for practice and experience accumulation.
Lockhart noticed Tom's expectant look and sneered. Letting go of his memories to simulate would be leaking information needlessly, and he doubted Tom's intentions.
He closed his eyes, concealing any memories related to the Marvel world. After a moment, Lockhart's eyes lit up as he thought of a scene. He quickly selected the memory, altered some details, and projected it into the soul space as per Tom's instructions.
Immediately, Lockhart felt a force attempting to absorb more information from the released memory. With a cold snort, he severed the connection.
Opening his eyes, he glared at Tom and said coldly, "Tom, I think you need to give me an explanation."
A red flame-colored whip appeared in Lockhart's hand, covered with dense barbs and sparking at the tip before disappearing. It was Kamar Taj's soul magic—a soul whip, specifically used for combat in the state of soul projection.
With a loud whip sound echoing through the space, Tom stepped back, a solemn expression on his face. A dark shield appeared before him.
"Professor, what happened?" Tom asked, feigning innocence.
"Nothing much, just helping you understand your priorities," Lockhart replied, looking expressionlessly at the dark shield.
This confrontation was expected. Voldemort wasn't like Dumbledore, who would at most conceal some information during research. The young Voldemort, however, intended to kill or puppetize him. Dumbledore's strength and prestige allowed Lockhart to guide him in studying the new magic system, but for Voldemort, especially a mere soul fragment, there was nothing to fear.
A battle would clarify the hierarchy—who was master and who was subordinate. Young Voldemort still possessed reason and wouldn't die for dignity's sake.
Tom's face grew darker at Lockhart's cold tone. The dark shield vanished, and a yew wand appeared in his hand. In the real world, he couldn't harm Lockhart, but in the soul space, he believed he had the upper hand.
Lockhart observed the yew wand and said nothing. If he encountered Voldemort in reality, he would flee, but he wasn't afraid of a young Voldemort with only one soul fragment.
As thoughts turned, Lockhart's soul body glowed with purple-gold light—a soul shell provided by the system. This product, while focusing on contract transfer, also offered strong defense.
Tom, sensing the high-quality magic of the purple-gold light, felt an ominous premonition. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, waving his wand.
A green light shot towards Lockhart, who quickly dodged. "Damn, how can a soul fragment cast a Killing Curse?"
The spell hit the wall, piercing it. Lockhart realized the Killing Curse Tom cast felt more like a pure magic attack than a true Killing Curse, which targets the soul.
The fragment's magic power was provided by Lockhart himself, and the wand was virtual, limiting the curse's power. Lockhart had little to worry about.
Tom's face darkened as Lockhart dodged. He unleashed a barrage of spells, each time chanting "Avada Kedavra!"
With each pseudo-Killing Curse striking, Lockhart waved his whip away and formed a circle with his hands. Magic surged outward, and red flame-colored lines formed a complex rune, summoning a huge red flame-colored shield—Tao Mandala Shield.
A flurry of green spells struck the shield, causing sparks. Tom's disbelief turned to rage as he continued casting spells.
Lockhart stood leisurely, watching Tom's efforts. Despite the barrage, the shield held, though on the verge of breaking. Tom's joy grew as the shield darkened, anticipating Lockhart's defeat.
However, as the spell casting continued, the surroundings began to feel unreal. The Tao Mandala Shield finally shattered, and Tom's face twisted with anticipation of Lockhart's capture.
But then Lockhart calmly uttered, "Sealing Ring!"
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