"Ah!!!"
Overcome with rage at his defeat by a mere student, Voldemort let out a heart-wrenching scream. "I will give a painful death, Ambrosius!!"
Crash!
In Ivan's astonished gaze, Voldemort's physical form crumbled into ashes, scattering into the air. In its place, a dark, ethereal shadow flickered—neither solid nor entirely incorporeal.
"What is this?"
Ivan activated both his magic eyes and spiritual vision, scanning the entity.
All he could see were countless tiny, swirling black particles.
The feeling was eerily familiar, reminding Ivan of only one thing.
"A soul?!"
Alarmed, Ivan quickly commanded the Fiendfyre to form a defensive barrier around himself.
But to his shock, Voldemort's fragmented soul paid no heed to the flames. It surged forward, passing through the inferno as if it didn't exist.
"What's going on?"
Ivan's heart raced—he had never anticipated Voldemort having a contingency like this. His mind raced to figure out how to stop the incoming threat.
"Ambrosius~~~~!"
The shadowy remnant of Voldemort shrieked, its voice piercing and filled with rage.
It moved with terrifying speed, closing the 20-meter distance in the blink of an eye, clawed hands reaching for Ivan's throat.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck—!
"Expecto Patronum!"
Just as Voldemort's soul was about to strike, Dumbledore stepped in front of Ivan.
The old headmaster raised his wand, and the silver-white light flowed out from the tip of the wand like a stream of water. In an instant, it transformed into an exquisite phoenix, blocking Voldemort's shadow.
"Dumbledore!!"
Voldemort recognized Dumbledore instantly. He roared in fury, but the barrier of light held him back, preventing him from advancing.
Boom!!
The black mist as dark as ink surged out of Ivan's body, sensing the host's danger. It wrapped around him protectively, ready to defend its master.
Voldemort's fragmented soul recoiled, floating backward in a hurry. It paused mid-air, glaring with hatred at both Ivan and Dumbledore, before slowly dissolving into the encroaching flames.
[Complete Achievement: Defeat the Archmage (Unique)]
[Defeat the Archmage]
Requirement: Defeat an Archmage in a one-on-one duel (Once only).
Achievement Reward: 1 AP.
"What is that? And how the fuck am I supposed to block that?"
Ivan ignored the system prompt that had suddenly appeared. He focused on calming his turbulent magic, suppressing the Obscurus, and pulling it back into his body.
"An extremely evil black magic," Dumbledore explained as he cast counter-spells to extinguish the Fiendfyre. "Tom's remaining soul was anchored to Quirrell, relying on stolen life energy to cling to existence."
"Tom knew he couldn't survive much longer, so he burned through all his vitality."
A pure soul cannot cast magic, but the vitality stolen by the Horcrux gave Voldemort the ability to attack in his residual soul state.
In this state, most magic is ineffective against him.
Only magic containing strong positive emotions can fight against him.
"Then why can't Fiendfyre harm him?"
"Because of the Horcrux."
Voldemort's ghost is immune to Fiendfyre, not because Fiendfyre shares his origin, but because he is supported by the Horcrux.
"If it were an ordinary soul, it would be burned to ashes within minutes upon encountering Fiendfyre."
"Burned to ashes—does that mean the soul is scattered?"
"Not exactly."
Dumbledore shook his head hurriedly and explained: "Fiendfyre merely forces the soul to another plane, preventing it from lingering in this world."
The Horcrux acts as an anchor, tethering Voldemort's soul and stopping it from passing into death.
"I see," Ivan said in realization. "Without destroying the Horcrux, we can't fully kill Voldemort after all."
"Then why does the Patronus Charm work?"
"The Patronus Charm is one of the oldest and most powerful defensive spells available to wizards."
It not only repels Lethifolds and Dementors but also serves as a means of long-distance communication and reconnaissance.
In addition, a fully-formed Patronus can resist all magic born from negative emotions.
The negative emotions referred to here are not anger or destructive desires but rather pain, fear, loneliness, and similar feelings.
"You mean Voldemort's current state is like killing a thousand enemies but injuring eight hundred of himself?"
The agony of merging his soul with a mass of negative emotions must be unimaginable.
And according to Dumbledore, although Fiendfyre cannot destroy Voldemort's residual soul, he still has to endure the excruciating pain of the flames burning through him.
"Is there no way to seal Voldemort's residual soul then?"
"Sigh.. Indeed, there isn't."
Dumbledore looked equally troubled.
The Horcrux is the root of the problem, and Voldemort's wandering soul is more like a fragment of consciousness.
The relationship between them is incredibly complex.
Some might assume that the residual soul represents Voldemort's true self, and sealing it would mean sealing all the Horcruxes.
But this is comparable to thinking that the shortest distance between two points is always a straight line.
That rule only applies on a two-dimensional plane; in three or four dimensions, it no longer holds true.
Similarly, the relationship between Voldemort's primary soul and his Horcruxes is far more intricate.
"So, Professor, are you certain that the secret of Voldemort's immortality lies in the Horcruxes?"
"If I am not mistaken..."
Dumbledore stepped forward, raising the fallen diadem of Ravenclaw into the air. "Yes, this is a Horcrux."
"It wasn't destroyed by Fiendfyre?" Ivan blurted in confusion.
"Fiendfyre can destroy Horcruxes?"
Dumbledore was momentarily stunned, but soon, he grasped Voldemort's cunning trick.
Throughout history, few wizards had successfully created Horcruxes, and those who did hid them so securely that there were almost no records of anyone's Horcrux being destroyed.
Even Grindelwald didn't know how to destroy a Horcrux.
"Cunning Tom."
Before his departure, Voldemort had thrown Ravenclaw's diadem into the Fiendfyre.
However, the truth was, no Fiendfyre had ever been present in that area.
He intended to deceive them, leading them to believe that a diadem retrieved from Fiendfyre could not possibly be vulnerable to its flames.
Unfortunately for him, Ivan had read the original book and knew that even an ordinary magical fire could destroy a Horcrux.
"What is this?"
Ivan examined the diadem closely, though he already knew the answer.
"Don't you already know?" Dumbledore asked knowingly with a twinkle in his eyes.
"..."
Ivan smiled, unbothered by being caught, and replied openly, "Yes, this is Ravenclaw's diadem. It was stolen by Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter and ultimately left in the forests of Albania."
"My guess is that Professor Quirrell went there because he had uncovered a clue about the diadem."
"Unfortunately, he encountered Voldemort..."
"Alas."
Dumbledore truly felt sorry for Quirrell's unfortunate fate.
Meanwhile, Ivan found himself speechless at Voldemort's wastefulness.
"Ravenclaw's diadem, one of the treasures of the four founders."
"This should have been part of Hogwarts' legacy."
Ivan sighed, "It's such a shame to destroy it outright."
Considering how Voldemort had worn the diadem to enhance his strategic thinking, it was clear that the artifact did provide a noticeable boost to one's intellect.
"You could try, Ivan," Dumbledore suggested.
"What?"
Ivan hadn't expected Dumbledore to say that. Waving his hands in refusal, he exclaimed, "No, no, no! I wouldn't dare put it on my head!"
"Oh, sorry, that's not what I meant."
Dumbledore chuckled. "I meant that perhaps you could purify the malevolent soul within the diadem without destroying it."
"Purify it?"
Ivan was confused. "How would I do that?"
"There's a legend in the Dumbledore family," Dumbledore explained with a smile. "Whenever a family member is in need, the phoenix will appear to assist."
Ivan could only stare at him, speechless.
"Sorry, Professor."
Ivan interrupted, "I think you should be saying 'me,' not 'us.'"
Dumbledore and Ivan exchanged a silent look before the old headmaster continued, "My nephew, Aurelius, was once blessed by a phoenix."
Selective hearing? Willful ignorance? Ivan had no idea how to respond to that.
In Dumbledore's mind, it seemed a settled fact that Ivan carried the bloodline of the Phoenix family—whether or not his surname was Dumbledore.
The Phoenix bloodline was ancient, and no one now could say exactly what its purpose or significance was.
Perhaps Ivan's ancestors shared a common lineage with Dumbledore's own forebears.
"Now, I believe it is time."
"Time for what?"
Ivan noticed Dumbledore's gaze fall on his sycamore wand. He knew that the essence of a phoenix slumbered within the wood—but awakening it would not be easy and required time.
"Fawkes."
Dumbledore smiled slightly as he summoned his phoenix companion.
Fawkes, ever in tune with Dumbledore's thoughts, immediately soared toward Ivan.
The majestic bird hovered around him, and a wave of golden-red magic—resembling flames—poured from Fawkes' body.
Boom!
In the next moment, Ivan's sycamore wand ignited with radiant streaks of red-gold light.
But unlike before, the glowing lines did not fade quickly. Instead, they grew brighter and brighter until the entire wand was ablaze.
"This is..."
Ivan held tightly onto the wand. It burned with intensity, yet he felt no pain.
On the contrary, Ivan felt a comforting warmth.
The magic within him resonated with the magic of the sycamore wand, until a brand-new heartbeat stirred within his chest.
Bang, bang, bang~~
The rhythm of the heartbeat echoed, and the wand in Ivan's hand seemed to attract something unseen, slowly rising amidst the flickering flames.
Then, the fire transformed into a brilliant sun, and a new life began to take shape—growing and expanding before his very eyes.
But it still wasn't enough.
Ivan could feel the Fenix Spirit's yearning for more vitality.
But where would he find the vitality she craved?
"Ivan, the time has come."
Dumbledore, sensing Ivan's urgency, gave him a knowing look. "Now is the time to use it."
"It?"
Ivan's mind immediately turned to the Philosopher's Stone, entrusted to him by Dumbledore for safekeeping.
As soon as Ivan withdrew the Philosopher's Stone from his pocket, the red crystal radiated a dazzling crimson light.
The stone began to fracture, and molten fragments flowed into the sycamore wand as though liquefied.
"DEX!!"
Chiii~~~♫
The Fenix's melodious cry, like celestial music, resonated through the room, banishing the cold from the basement.
"DEX! You are no longer a phantom!"
Chii~♪
The vibrant bird descended gracefully, grasping the sycamore wand in its talons, and landed before Ivan, glowing with a spectrum of radiant colors.
__________
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