Harry Potter and the Hidden Treasure (Volume 3)

Chapter 425 Loyalty Or Death

As the whispers of the evil spirit grew louder, the entire hall began to tremble slightly.

The closer it got to the real world, the more evident the signs became.

Magic in the area was stirring, earth and dust falling through cracks in the wall, the light of the Green Magic barrier fading as if on the brink of collapse at any moment.

Now, even the vampires could hear the whispers of the malevolent spirit.

They looked around in panic, their faces filled with horror. Before this ancient, evil, and unknown creature, no one could stay calm!

Besides Evan, Caresius's face was also extremely grim.

He stared at an ancient Centaur being reconstructed with flesh and blood; he observed the malevolent magic, reflecting.

"The Centaur's magic is about to lose its effect. The monster inside is much more powerful than expected!" he whispered, "We better prepare ourselves."

"Don't worry, Caresius!" Voldemort said softly. "I have a plan to deal with what lies within. No matter how powerful it is, its power will eventually be mine. But before that, we must entertain our unwanted guests."

Voldemort seemed to have a plan, disregarding the evil spirit, while everyone else was caught up in the shock of its arrival signs.

His pale face showed a cruel smile as he looked with great interest at Evan.

Evan didn't know what Voldemort could do to deal with the malevolent god. It was hard to imagine.

Perhaps he had mastered some powerful dark magic that Evan was still unaware of.

Such magic would have to have a restraining effect on the malevolent spirit, but looking into Voldemort's red eyes, Evan felt things were not that simple.

Voldemort stared at Evan for a long time before slowly saying, "I feel you're trying to provoke me! Interesting, it's been many years since I've seen a wizard like you. I must say you resemble me a lot when I was young."

It wasn't the first time someone had said Evan resembled Tom Riddle in his school days.

Both were deeply obsessed with magic and had achieved unimaginable feats for wizards their age through various efforts, but there was a fundamental difference between them: Evan was determined never to follow Voldemort's path!

"Yes, unlike other young wizards, you have courage," Voldemort said softly. "I've always admired courage, so I'll give you a chance. Tell me your name, boy."

"Evan Mason," Evan whispered.

He stepped back, watching Voldemort cautiously.

"Choose, Evan," Voldemort said hoarsely. "Either you are loyal to the great Voldemort and gain unimaginable power and privileges, or you keep faith in Dumbledore and die here in obscurity."

"Where is Dumbledore?" Evan asked, without making a choice.

He glanced at the vampires around him and more than a dozen wands were pointed at him.

In the current circumstances, a word from Voldemort was enough to seal his fate...

"Don't expect Dumbledore to save you. I know him better than anyone and I know how to lure him into a trap. He's following the clues I left, far from the Centaur Temple!" Voldemort said cruelly, "And my vampire friends left an interesting spell there. By the time he deciphers it, it will all be over."

It was only then that Evan realized the reason for Dumbledore's disappearance.

He didn't know how Voldemort had deceived Dumbledore, but as things stood, he and Sirius could die here long before he could return.

"Tell me your choice, loyalty or death?" Voldemort said in a rough tone.

"Dumbledore was right about you; you'll never understand that death is not the worst outcome." Evan gripped his wand, "I see no choice here. I'll never believe in a monster like you who would give up his soul for eternal life! Even if only death awaits me, I'll fight to the end."

Evan gave his answer, controlling the magic as the light at the tip of his wand grew brighter and brighter.

"Fools like you are all the same; you'd rather die than surrender. How charming!" Voldemort's malevolent face smiled fiercely. "Since that's the case, give me the Philosopher's Stone you carry, then die."

Evan was surprised to find out that Voldemort had discovered the piece of the Philosopher's Stone he had.

"Do not be surprised, although my current strength is waning, I sensed that you had my curse upon you the moment you entered," Voldemort said with a cold voice. "Yes, I still remember this curse. In the year I was about to graduate, I found the Philosopher's Stone in the centaur colony in the Forbidden Forest, but there was that spell left by that accursed Gryffindor. I had no way to decipher it. So, I left a curse on the Philosopher's Stone to retrieve it later."

Evan stepped back, wracking his brain thinking about what to do next.

"I never expected to see you here after so many decades, almost forgetting about it. What a pleasant surprise!" Voldemort smiled maliciously. "Undoubtedly, the Philosopher's Stone you carry and the piece in this Temple form a whole. If I obtain it, I can control the monster within it and gain the power to be stronger than ever. Not even Dumbledore will be a match for me..."

"No way!" shouted Evan.

"Give it to me, NOW!" yelled Voldemort, "Then kneel before me and beg bitterly for mercy; beg for your death."

Evan saw no one move, but found his body swiftly flying forward towards Voldemort under the sudden and powerful force.

In front of him, furious fire erupted abruptly from the ground, scorching the surrounding area.

Evan waved his wand at top speed, creating a transparent magical shield around him like a wall of glass.

As he passed through the flame, the transparent magical barrier burned red-hot.

Then, with a dull thud, it shattered and dissipated.

Behind the flame, waiting for Evan, stood the cunning Voldemort.

Watching Voldemort approach, Evan held his breath. The wand in his hand emitted a series of unstoppable blue lights.

Boom, boom, boom!

Like a bomb, Evan's magic exploded beside Voldemort, impacting fiercely and violently shaking the chamber.

In the thick smoke brought by the explosion, Voldemort shouted, "Caresius, help me catch him! GRAB HIM!"

Caresius disregarded Voldemort's orders.

He did not act, simply stood and watched coldly.

Seeing Caresius do nothing, the other vampires followed suit.

This was a battle between Evan and Voldemort, and the vampires chose not to get involved.

"Idiots! I will make you pay!" Voldemort said with a hoarse voice.

He controlled the vampire he was connected to and struggled to evade Evan's spells.

The next moment, Evan felt a sharp pain in his wrist.

He looked down and saw that the curse of the black serpent bracelet seemed to be alive.

It writhed, growing larger and sliding through his blood vessels.

In just a few seconds, half of Evan's arm turned black...