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Chapter 31 - The One with The Basilisk

Harry and Riddle did their job.Tom Riddle showed him the location and Potter opened the door. Gilderoy even memorized few sentences in parceltongue

[The Night of Christmas Eve]

The cold, oppressive air of the Chamber of Secrets hung thickly around Gilderoy Lockhart and Satoru Gojo as they stepped into the vast, ancient chamber. The echo of their footsteps was swallowed by the darkness that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. The oppressive silence was only broken by the distant hiss that reverberated through the stone walls, growing louder with each step they took.

They had entered the Chamber of Secrets, but what lay ahead was something far more dangerous than anything Hogwarts had faced in centuries. The Basilisk, a creature born of dark magic, had been slumbering here for nearly a thousand years, is now awake and itching to hunt.

The faint light of Gilderoy's wand cast long shadows across the walls, illuminating the serpentine carvings that decorated the Chamber. The Sentinels stood silently behind them, their mechanical eyes scanning the chamber for signs of movement, their systems prepared to engage.

"Ready, Gojo?" Gilderoy asked, keeping his tone light, though the tension in his voice betrayed him.

Gojo, still blindfolded but fascinatingly looking at the robots, gave a small shrug. "I've handled worse. Let's get this over with."

Gilderoy nodded, stepping aside as Gojo moved toward the center of the Chamber, where the Basilisk's lair lay. The great stone head of Salazar Slytherin loomed ominously at the far end of the room, and beneath it, a massive, shadowy form began to stir.

The hissing grew louder, and the very air seemed to vibrate with malevolent energy. Gilderoy stepped back, watching intently as Gojo prepared for the inevitable confrontation.

Suddenly, the Basilisk erupted from its hidden lair, its immense form coiling around the stone pillars of the Chamber. Its scales gleamed like polished emeralds, and its sheer size was enough to dwarf anything Gojo had faced before in this world. The creature's presence was overwhelming, filling the Chamber with an aura of death and ancient power.

Its eyes were veiled for now—perhaps instinctively—but its venomous fangs, each as long as a man's arm, glistened with lethal intent. The Basilisk reared back, letting out a deep, rumbling hiss that vibrated through the very stones of the chamber.

Gojo, unphased by the beast's size, cracked his neck and stretched his fingers. "Alright, big guy. Let's see what you've got."

The Basilisk lunged with terrifying speed, its massive jaws snapping toward Gojo with enough force to shatter stone. But Gojo moved just as quickly, his body flickering out of the Basilisk's reach in an instant. His Infinity was in full effect, the invisible barrier around him that should make it impossible for the creature to touch him.

The Basilisk, sensing something was wrong, paused for a moment, its great yellow eyes narrowing behind the protective veil. It hissed again, louder this time, and lunged once more with frightening speed.

Gojo barely moved, allowing the Infinity to do the work. The Basilisk's head collided with the barrier and recoiled, even with the vast difference in size the serpent couldn't even push the tiny human from its position. But the sorcerer quickly realized something was off. His attacks, while effective in keeping the beast at bay, weren't causing any damage.

"The damn thing's scales," Gojo muttered to himself. "It's like trying to punch a mountain."

He shot a glance toward Gilderoy, who watched silently from the edge of the chamber. Gilderoy hadn't stepped in yet, letting Gojo test the creature, but there was a growing concern in his eyes. The Sentinels remained inactive for now, standing by for Gilderoy's command.

The Basilisk coiled its massive body, preparing for another strike. Gojo dodged to the side as the creature slammed into the ground where he had just been standing, cracking the stone floor with its sheer force. Its movements were surprisingly fast for something so massive, but Gojo's speed outmatched it.

Even so, Gojo felt a growing frustration. His usual attacks weren't working. Curse energy or not, the Basilisk's magical resistance and the thickness of its scales made it nearly impervious to his offensive techniques.

"Fine," Gojo muttered, gritting his teeth. "Let's see how you like this."

He raised his hand, focusing his cursed energy into a single point. Reversal Red, a blast of pure repulsive force, shot from his palm, slamming into the Basilisk's side. The force of the attack sent the creature hurtling backward, crashing into the far wall with a deafening roar.

For a moment, the Chamber fell silent. Gojo smirked. "Thought so."

But then the Basilisk began to stir once more. Slowly, impossibly, it lifted its massive head, its scales gleaming as though nothing had happened. The blast had barely scratched it.

Gojo's smirk faded. "You've got to be kidding me."

The Basilisk reared back again, letting out another bone-rattling hiss. This time, its veil began to slip, revealing one of its glowing yellow eyes. Gojo, still blindfolded, remained unaffected, but the danger was clear. One direct look into those eyes meant death.Hence, Gojo can't use his strongest technique 'Hollow technique:Purple' as he would need to remove his blindfold to use it and that would make him vulnerable to the snake's instant-kill gaze.

Gilderoy, from his position near the entrance, watched carefully. He had known this wouldn't be easy. The Basilisk wasn't just any creature—it was a magical construct, created by Salazar Slytherin himself. Its venom could destroy Horcruxes, and its hide was nearly indestructible. Even Gojo, with all his power, was struggling to make a dent in the creature's defenses.

Gojo leaped back, dodging another strike. The Basilisk was relentless, its massive body coiling and twisting through the Chamber as it tried to catch the sorcerer. The beast's fangs struck the stone floor again and again, leaving massive cracks in its wake, but Gojo continued to move with ease, always staying just out of reach.

But as the battle raged on, Gojo's frustration grew. He couldn't keep this up forever. The Basilisk's skin was too tough to penetrate from the outside, and his usual techniques weren't working. He needed to find another way.

A plan began to form in Gojo's mind as he dodged another strike from the Basilisk. Its skin was nearly indestructible, but what about the inside? If he could get the creature to open its mouth, he could blast it from within.

He dodged again, this time letting the Basilisk's fangs strike close enough to graze the ground near his feet. The creature hissed in frustration, its massive head darting back and forth as it tried to catch him.

Gojo grinned, the plan solidifying in his mind. "Alright, let's see if you can handle this."

He deliberately slowed his movements, allowing the Basilisk to come closer. The creature lunged at him, jaws wide, its fangs gleaming with venom. Gojo stood his ground, raising his hand to allow his Infinity to block the attack.

As the Basilisk's mouth closed around him, Gojo's plan snapped into place. He would let the creature bite him—his Infinity would stop the fangs from piercing his body, but it would leave the inside of the Basilisk's mouth vulnerable. Once the creature had opened wide enough, he'd use red to blast it from within and end the fight.

But Gojo had made a terrible miscalculation.

The Basilisk's venom, unlike anything he had encountered before, was far more potent than he expected. As the creature's fangs closed around him, the venom surged forward, cutting through his Infinity barrier like it was nothing. Gojo's eyes widened in shock, realizing too late that the venom had a property that destroyed not just flesh, but magic itself.

Before he could react, the Basilisk bit down hard, its massive jaws closing around Gojo's arm. He moved at the last second, twisting his body to avoid being fully crushed, but the creature's teeth sank into his flesh with a sickening crunch.

Pain exploded through Gojo's body as the Basilisk tore through his arm, severing it just below the elbow. Blood sprayed from the wound as the venom surged through his system, burning like acid as it spread through his veins.

Gojo staggered back, his vision blurring as the pain threatened to overwhelm him. His arm—his entire arm—was gone, and the venom was tearing through his body, attacking not just his flesh but his very cursed energy. His usually impenetrable Infinity was falling apart, crumbling under the onslaught of the venom's anti-magic properties.