radicalducati Chapter 197 Fangs Beneath the Rock Wall
Chapter 197 Fangs Beneath the Rock Wall
Chapter 197 Fangs Beneath the Rock Wall
Hogwarts, refreshed after the holidays, seemed revitalized, but like water rippled by a stone thrown in, it was also rife with rumors. The stories of Quirrell's tragic fate and the "monster outside the window," embellished and exaggerated, spawned countless bizarre versions that quietly spread through the Great Hall, corridors, and common rooms. The professors increased patrols and lectures, emphasizing castle security in an attempt to quell the panic, but the underlying tension, like an undercurrent beneath the surface of a lake, remained ever-present.
Cullen began to follow his earlier plan, frequently choosing to move through open areas, especially those within the castle facing the Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest. All his defensive gear was ready to be activated, his mind was like a fully drawn bowstring, and his Soul Prism, in its complete form, acted as an invisible alarm, constantly alerting him. To Voldemort, he was the hunter, lurking in the shadows, watching Cullen and the Philosopher's Stone as his prey. But to Cullen and Dumbledore, Voldemort was also the prey, only this prey was temporarily hidden in the shadows, impossible to catch.
A few days passed, and everything seemed to be back on track. Classes continued as usual, Quidditch training resumed, and life in the castle seemed to return to its familiar rhythm. Only Cullen, along with Dumbledore who was closely watching him, and a few headmasters, knew just how fragile this peace was.
As evening fell, Cullen finished her research in the library and prepared to return to Ravenclaw Tower. Fabian needed to tend to his Whispering Fern in the greenhouse, Ernesto had to go to the Astronomy Tower to organize some star chart data he had observed during his vacation, and Wesley had been called away by the Quidditch captain to discuss the new training plan. The four agreed to meet in the common room an hour later.
Karen walked alone back to the tower. He chose a wide, open-air corridor on the third floor of the castle. One side of the corridor was the castle's thick stone wall, and the other side was a waist-high stone railing, connecting the main castle and the north tower. Below lay the castle's base and the rocky shores of the Black Lake, offering a relatively unobstructed view. The setting sun painted the clouds golden-red, casting long reflections on the cold lake. A cold wind blew through the corridor, carrying the dampness of the lake.
Only a few people were scattered along the corridor. Karen's steps were steady, but his mind remained focused. Karen's glasses were constantly in thermal sensing mode, covering an area of several dozen meters around him, scanning for any unusual activity. The Soul Prism rested silently against his chest, without sounding any alarm.
Just as he reached the middle of the open-air corridor, near the archway connecting the towers...
A sudden change has occurred!
The Soul Mirror on her chest suddenly issued a warning, followed by an unexpected, bone-chilling cold that gripped Karen's heart!
"Danger!"
Karen's brain didn't even have time to issue specific instructions before her body reacted before her consciousness could!
He lunged sideways with all his might toward the inner side of the corridor, close to the castle's stone wall! At the same time, his left hand slapped the frame of his glasses across his face—the pre-set "anti-basilisk stare mode" was instantly activated! The multi-layered light-filtering structure inside the lenses clicked softly as it switched, and the world in his eyes instantly transformed into an image primarily based on thermal imaging, superimposed with strong light suppression and special spectral filtering!
Just as his body lifted off the ground and he fell to the side, he saw the terrifying scene unfolding on the rock face at the edge of the black lake below!
Boom!!!
The solid rock wall near the lake's waterline, covered in ice and snow, suddenly exploded as if it had been hit by explosives! Huge chunks of rock mixed with ice and snow shot into the sky like an erupting volcano!
A massive, suffocating shadow, carrying flying debris, ice shards, and murky lake water, burst forth with overwhelming force from the blasted hole in the rock wall! Its target was the very spot where Karen had been standing just a moment before!
Basilisk!
This was the first time Karen had ever seen it in person. Its head was as large as a carriage, covered with thick, dark green scales that shimmered with a metallic sheen. Its gaping maw was large enough to swallow an entire cow! A strong, pungent stench, accompanied by a chilling aura of death, instantly filled the entire space! Most terrifying of all were its enormous, vertical yellow pupils, like burning lava. Even through multiple layers of protective goggles, Karen could feel a cold, venomous will emanating from it, impacting her as if it were a tangible force!
Karen's sidestep saved his life! The basilisk's massive jaws, capable of crushing rocks, whistled through the air, almost grazing his back! Cold saliva and a pungent stench splattered onto his cloak! He could clearly hear the terrifying "crack" of the jaws snapping shut, and even feel the powerful gusts of wind from the deadly fangs scraping against his skin!
While her body was still falling sideways in mid-air, Karen's right hand had already completed two movements!
First, without hesitation, he hurled the enhanced rooster crowing device in the direction the basilisk was attacking! The small alchemical artifact shot out like an arrow, accurately targeting the top of the basilisk's wide-open mouth!
Second, he flicked his left wrist and threw several alchemical smoke bombs upwards, into the gap between the basilisk's head and the corridor ceiling!
"Throat!!!"
Just as the basilisk hissed angrily because its prey had inexplicably dodged away, the enhanced rooster crowing device was activated! Instead of a bright crowing, it instantly unleashed a visible, high-frequency, transparent wave! This wasn't just sound; it was a subsonic shockwave imbued with magical power! This shockwave, like an invisible hammer, slammed heavily and directly into the basilisk's extremely sensitive auditory system and balance organs!
"Hiss hiss!!!"
The basilisk's deafening, furious roar instantly transformed into a piercing, agonizing wail! Its massive head stiffened abruptly, as if struck by an invisible hammer, and began to thrash wildly! Its lava-like, vertical yellow pupils clenched shut in agony! Its enormous body twisted and convulsed violently as its balance was disrupted! Gravel and ice shards were swept everywhere by its attack!
Almost simultaneously, the alchemical smoke bomb that was thrown upwards exploded with a "bang"!
There was no fire, only a cloud of grayish-white smoke that instantly spread out! This smoke not only instantly obscured the view, but also contained countless tiny alchemical dust particles that burst with blinding light, like countless miniature flashbangs detonating at the same time!
A blinding flash of light! Thick smoke! A pungent, acrid odor! In an instant, the upper half of the basilisk and the area below the corridor where Karen was located were completely enveloped!
Karen finally had some time to recover. The moment he landed, his right hand gripped the phoenix tail feather tightly against his body!
"Hiss!!!"
Amidst the thick smoke and bright light, the basilisk roared with even greater rage and pain, but there seemed to be a hint of surprise mixed in with it? It clearly hadn't expected its prey to not only dodge the fatal blow but also launch such a precise and effective counterattack in an instant!
Time seemed to stretch out indefinitely. Standing in the smoke, Karen finally had the chance to observe the basilisk with her True Eyes. The basilisk possessed powerful, violent magic, brimming with primal life force, like magma surging from the earth. However, at the very core of this raging torrent of magic, roughly behind the basilisk's head near its cervical spine, Karen clearly "saw" something entirely different!
It was an extremely condensed yet unusually thin and dim darkness! This darkness exuded an aura that Cullen was familiar with; it was undoubtedly Voldemort's soul!
As expected! Cullen and Dumbledore's previous guesses were instantly confirmed! Voldemort had lost Quirrell as his host, and his remnant soul had indeed attached itself to the Basilisk! He was using this ancient beast as a temporary body and weapon! But what surprised Cullen even more was the state of this soul shadow!
It was far, far weaker than the parasitic Voldemort soul he had sensed on the back of Quirrell's head! This was quite different from what Cullen had expected. He had thought that Voldemort's cautiousness meant he was in good condition, but the current situation was not like that at all.
If the soul that parasitized Quirrell was still "solid" despite its distortion, like viscous asphalt, then the darkness clinging to the basilisk now is as thin as dust scattered by a gale, its edges blurred and its core light dimmed to the extreme, as if it might completely dissipate at any moment! It seems to be able only to cling tightly, struggling to absorb the last drops of the basilisk's violent life force to maintain its own precarious existence, completely losing the relatively stable "sense of dominance" it had when it was inside Quirrell.
Of course, this extreme weakness also seems to explain why Voldemort became so cautious, and why he fled immediately after confirming Cullen's identity during the previous decoy operation. He couldn't afford any unexpected losses! But at the same time, being attached to a powerful creature like the Basilisk gave him the confidence to take a desperate gamble and launch a deadly attack!
I don't have time to look at it closely!
Karen drew her wand and pointed it downwards into the billowing smoke, preparing to engage the basilisk; the Fiendfyre spell was a last resort. However, the expected enraged pursuit or venom spray from the basilisk did not materialize.
The massive shadow writhed violently in the thick smoke, seemingly in agony from the intense light and sound waves, or perhaps wary of something. Then, Karen heard a loud splash of water!
Pfft! ! !
The basilisk did not linger! It abandoned the pursuit, its massive body suddenly contracting, plunging headfirst into the icy, black lake below amidst lingering, painful hisss and billowing smoke! A huge splash shot skyward, then quickly subsided. The lake churned violently a few times, leaving behind a massive whirlpool and spreading ripples, before soon returning to deathly stillness, with only broken ice blocks floating on the surface.
The thick smoke was dispersed by the cold wind, and the bright light and dust quickly extinguished.
Only Karen remained in the open corridor, surrounded by scattered rubble, ice shards, and the foul-smelling saliva clinging to her cloak. Below, a horrifying, nearly ten-foot-diameter hole was clearly visible in the rock face, its edges torn open, and lake water gushing into it. The surrounding rock walls and the lakeshore below were a scene of devastation, as if ravaged by a colossal beast.
From the start of the attack to the basilisk's escape, the entire process took less than ten seconds!
Karen gasped for breath, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, as if it would burst. The world behind his anti-basilisk goggles was still displayed in thermal imaging mode; he could see the outline of the basilisk's massive, rapidly cooling heat source remaining at the hole below, and the enormous heat source sinking and disappearing quickly in the lake. A cold wind blew across his sweat-drenched forehead, bringing a chilling sensation.
Just then, a sound of sparks burning and a "crack" as if space was being torn apart came from the air.
A figure appeared beside Karen. Tall, with white hair and beard, his sharp blue eyes behind crescent-shaped glasses swept over the mess and Karen standing there in an instant. A powerful yet gentle magical field unfolded like an invisible barrier, enveloping the surroundings.
Dumbledore arrived, and Fox's golden-red figure flashed past his shoulder.
However, the goal was lost. Only churning foam and spreading ripples remained on the lake.
The corridor was deathly silent, save for the howling wind and the suppressed sobs of students in the distance. Dumbledore's arrival, like a guardian deity descending in an instant, brought absolute security, yet also froze this terrifying, abruptly ended moment. The smoke of battle had not yet cleared, the prey's tracks had vanished, leaving only the icy lake water, the broken rock walls, and a boy standing beside the headmaster, still panting.
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