The evil god's power surged like a tide, shaking Ian's mind and trying to drag him into an endless abyss, to make him sink and become part of it.
"No!" Ian roared. He slammed the tip of his wand against his forehead. Magic jolted him awake. Biting his tongue, he traced an ancient protective rune in the air with his blood.
The evil god who called himself Set-Apep tilted his head slightly, revealing a puzzled expression.
"How interesting. You are the only one who can resist the summons. Why? Why reject eternal peace?"
"Because that isn't peace... it's death!" Ian gasped, his robes soaked in sweat. "You devour their consciousness and absorb their talents just to strengthen yourself. Your so-called 'equality' is just a mask for tyranny!"
For the first time, the evil god's expression changed. His perfect face twisted for a moment, revealing the hideous truth beneath: under that flawless exterior was a horrifying mass formed from countless struggling souls.
"You understand nothing!" Set-Apep's voice suddenly turned shrill. "Separation is the original sin, individuality is a curse! Only by becoming one can true perfection be achieved!"
As he roared, everyone in the city who was kneeling raised their heads simultaneously and spoke in one unified voice:
"Become one… become one…"
The sound surged like a tidal wave, crashing against Ian's ears.
Ian glanced around.
He realized that he might be the last person in the entire city who was still conscious.
Every single person's eyes reflected the same light, and every face wore the same expression: wizards, civilians, street vendors, and children.
Set-Apep quickly regained his composure, the mask of perfect divinity settling back into place.
"One last chance, Ian Prince. Kneel and join us. You will retain your consciousness and become my spokesperson. Refuse..." He spread his hands elegantly. "And you will become part of me, just like the others."
Ian took a deep breath.
Then, suddenly, he smiled.
There was no fear in that smile. Only resolve.
"You know what?" He said softly, his fingers quietly slipping towards a pocket at his waist. "I've been waiting for you to say that."
The evil god frowned slightly, as if sensing something was wrong. But it was too late. Ian pulled out what looked like an ordinary black stone and crushed it.
The moment it shattered, the shadows of the entire city came alive.
The crisp sound of breaking stone rang out clearly, even amidst the echoes of divine proclamation.
For the first time, Set-Apep's expression wavered.
He lowered his head to look at his golden body.
The awakened shadows were crawling up from his ankles like viscous ink.
"Hm?" You can use shadow magic too?" The evil god's voice lost its grandeur, revealing genuine surprise. "The dark priests of ancient Egypt should have been extinct long ago..."
Ian did not answer.
He retreated rapidly, tracing complex patterns in the air with his wand.
These were not ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, but rather a three-dimensional magical matrix formed from glowing lines. It was something he had painstakingly developed during his time in the Restricted Section at Hogwarts: a 'counterspell foundational construct'.
A fusion of alchemy and potion theory.
"Finite Incantatem - Ultimate Form!" Ian shouted the spell clearly.
A deep blue light burst from the shattered stone, resonating with the black shadows surrounding the evil god. In an instant, all the shadows in the city began to writhe, peeling away from the bases of buildings and from beneath the kneeling masses. They transformed into countless black spikes that shot towards Set-Apep.
The evil god let out a sharp scream, his wings of light spreading wide.
Blazing white radiance shot outwards like swords, instantly vaporizing dozens of the approaching shadow spikes. However, more shadows surged forward relentlessly, as if alive, searching for gaps within the radiant wings.
"Do you think such tricks can bind the sun?" Set-Apep roared, his entire body erupting in dazzling flames.
The light burned like molten lava; wherever it touched, stone melted and bronze instantly vaporized.
Ian was prepared.
His wand carved rapid zigzag patterns through the air.
"Ultimate Protego!"
His naming sense might have been lacking, but... A silver shield composed of hexagonal magical units unfolded before him.
Yet the moment it touched the blazing light, cracks spread across it like a spider's web.
Ian's pupils shrank.
This was his enhanced ultimate defensive spell, and it was ten times stronger than the standard Shield Charm. At the critical moment, he reached into a pocket at his waist with his left hand and pulled out a handful of silver powder, which he flung into the air.
"Phantom Manifestation - Supreme Bloom!"
This alchemical creation was born from his research into magical creatures.
From the tip of his wand, a massive thunderbird made of silver-blue light burst forth, its wings spreading wide to temporarily block the deadly radiance.
The clear cry of the Patronus echoed outwards and for a brief moment, the kneeling citizens regained a flicker of clarity.
A few wizards even clutched their heads in agony.
Set-Apep's light wings trembled violently and unleashed twelve intersecting blades of radiance. The silver-blue Thunderbird was instantly sliced into scattered motes of light.
But that brief moment was enough for Ian to react.
His figure vanished from where he had been standing, leaving only a few magical feathers drifting in the air.
"Spatial teleportation?" The evil god sneered.
"In this domain, where could you possibly escape to?"
He raised his right hand, palm upwards. The temperature of the entire city surged. Countless golden motes appeared in the air and rapidly condensed into hundreds of miniature suns. Every street and building was illuminated with perfect clarity.
Ian was forced to reappear in a shadow at the northwest corner of the city.
The spatial distortions caused by Apparition could no longer hide from the omnipresent light.
"Found you."
Set-Apep's voice echoed directly in Ian's mind.
Ian looked up to see the evil god already hovering above him. The black shadow bindings on his perfect golden body were burning away bit by bit. Even worse, the evaporating shadow energy was being absorbed and transformed; thin streaks of black patterns had begun to appear on the radiant wings behind him.
"A commendable attempt, wizard." The evil god's voice returned to its chilling gentleness. "Your unconventional magic truly surprised me. Now it belongs to me."
A chill ran down Ian's spine.
Not only was this evil god immune to magic attacks, he could also absorb and evolve from them.
Ian had to change his strategy.
Without hesitation, he thrust his wand into the ground and formed complex hand seals, rapidly chanting ancient magical incantations.
The earth trembled.
Not far away, the waters of the Nile suddenly began to boil.
A towering waterspout rose into the sky and transformed midair into the form of a massive horned serpent.
"A Horned Serpent summon?" Set-Apep seemed amused.
"You dare use the techniques of my own people against me?"
The Horned Serpent opened its jaws and lunged at the evil god, only to vaporize into a white mist the moment it touched the radiant wings.
Set-Apep didn't even move. With a casual flick of his finger, the mist condensed into countless ice crystals that shot towards Ian like a storm of hail.
Ian swung his wand rapidly, conjuring a massive mithril shield in front of him.
The ice crystals struck the shield with deafening force, each one as powerful as a ballista bolt. The shield was quickly riddled with holes. One shard pierced through it, tearing into Ian's left shoulder and spraying blood.
The searing pain sharpened his mind.
He realized that conventional magic could not harm this being.
Set-Apep had absorbed the talents of too many wizards, granting him resistance to nearly all known magic.
He needed to use something that the enemy had never seen before.
Ian suddenly lowered his wand and pulled a small crystal vial out from inside his robes. Inside, a silver liquid churned.
Without hesitation, he drank it.
Immediately, he felt magical power surging through his veins; this was a super-enhanced magic amplifier that he had developed using moonlight flowers and mandrake roots.
"Magical Resonance!"
Gripping his wand with both hands, Ian pointed it at his temple.
A visible wave of magical energy spread outwards from him. Wherever it passed, the kneeling wizards suddenly convulsed.
Ian was forcibly establishing resonance with the core of their magic.
"What are you doing?" For the first time, Set-Apep showed a hint of caution.
"You absorbed their magic, but the connections remain." Silver light flickered in Ian's eyes as he spoke. "Now... feel the backlash!"
Dozens of controlled wizards screamed in agony.
Their wands flew into the air and formed a circular array. Each one began casting its owner's speciality magic: fireballs, lightning and toxic mist.
But all of it was redirected towards Set-Apep.
The evil god was forced to raise both hands to create a defense. For the first time, strain appeared on his perfect face.
As expected...
Since he had absorbed those powers, they could now harm him in turn. The backlash of the absorbed magic also resulted in the temporary loss of that portion of knowledge.
Various spells exploded against his wings of light. Though they failed to inflict substantial damage, they clearly slowed his movements.
"A clever trick," Set-Apep growled through clenched teeth.
"But do you think this is enough..."
His words were cut off abruptly as Ian had already finished preparing his next spell.
Pointing his wand toward a nearby pyramid, he shouted:
"Ultimate Transfiguration - Architectural Animation!"
labored.The massive pyramid trembled violently.
Its stone blocks shifted and reformed as if they were alive, transforming within moments into a colossal sphinx over a hundred meters tall.
However, unlike ordinary transfiguration, its eyes were set with enormous rubies, and ancient magical scripts were engraved on its chest.
"Ancient guardian magic?" Set-Apep recognized the inscriptions. "Where did you learn that?"
There was no answer.
The statue opened its ruby eyes and fired two blazing beams of energy while its massive forelimbs swung towards the evil god in the air.
This attack was clearly different.
Where the beams passed, the air itself crackled loudly as it ionised.
This time, Set-Apep did not take it head-on. His figure flickered as he dodged with unimaginable speed. As he spread his radiant wings, he appeared on top of the Sphinx's head and placed one hand on the magical inscriptions on its forehead.
"Spell analysis," the evil god said softly.
A horrifying scene unfolded...
From the point of contact, the magnificent stone statue began to rapidly disintegrate. The magical inscriptions darkened one by one, and in the blink of an eye, the statue reverted to lifeless rubble and collapsed into a heap. Meanwhile, a new set of ancient magical patterns appeared on the radiant wings behind the evil god.
"How many more tricks do you have, wizard?" Set-Apep looked down at Ian, his voice carrying the delight of a cat toying with its prey. 'I'm enjoying this process. Every attempt you make only makes me stronger.'
Ian's breathing became laboured.
Casting high-level magic repeatedly was already draining his reserves. Even worse, Set-Apep was right, every failed attack seemed to feed him new power.
The entire city was now unrecognisable.
The water level of the Nile had dropped due to intense heat and evaporation. Several pyramids had collapsed into ruins. The stone-paved streets had melted away.
And yet... The kneeling civilians remained miraculously unharmed.
They maintained their devout posture, though their faces had turned as white as paper.
The evil god was draining their life force to replenish his own.
"Give up, Ian Prince." Set-Apep slowly descended to Ian's level. "Look around you. What has your resistance achieved besides more destruction?"
Ian scanned his surroundings, his heart gripped by an invisible force.
He realized that the evil god wasn't wrong. Under his 'protection,' this city was heading towards destruction.
"Your magic cannot save anyone." Set-Apep continued, his voice as sweet as honey.
"But if you submit to me, I can restore everything. You will become my spokesperson, guiding these lost souls into the light."
Ian's vision blurred.
Not from fear or despair, but from rage.
He felt a pure, burning rage.
"You don't understand what light truly is." His voice was hoarse and his wand creaked under the force of his grip. "Light should not strip people of their right to choose. It should not devour individual will."
"Your 'light' is just another form of darkness!"
Though his mind wavered slightly under the evil god's influence, Ian's conviction remained unshaken.
He knew he was right.
Set-Apep sighed, as though dealing with a stubborn child.
"Pitiful little wizard. You're still clinging to the illusion of the 'self'."
He spread his arms, his radiant wings extending to their fullest extent.
"Without 'I,' there is no pain. Without 'you', there is no conflict. True bliss can only be achieved when all souls merge into one."
As he spoke, a powerful mental wave swept outwards.
Ian felt the edges of his consciousness begin to blur. His memories receded like a falling tide.
He saw his first day at Hogwarts.
He saw the Gryffindor Tower dormitory.
He saw the dust-filled Restricted Section of the library.
These precious memories were being pulled away.
And they were being stripped from his mind.
"No!" Ian bit down on his tongue again. The sharp pain forced him back to his senses.
He stared intently at the evil god's perfect face and suddenly realised something terrifying.
Countless familiar faces flickered in and out within that face.
The wizards who had been devoured, their features were subtly reappearing on the evil god's face.
"I understand now..." Ian gasped and then suddenly started laughing.
"You're not a god at all. You're just a pathetic amalgamation, a monster that can't even remember what it originally looked like!"
Set-Apep froze.
A flash of ferocity flashed beneath his perfect façade.
"What did you say?"
That reaction made it obvious.
Ian had struck a nerve.
"I said you're a fraud! A liar, even to yourself!" Ian shouted, pointing his wand directly at him.
"This 'unity of all beings' you talk about is only there because you don't know who you are anymore! You've devoured too many souls, and now you can't tell whose are yours and whose are others'!"
The impact of those words was immense. The radiant wings behind the evil god began to tremble violently. The faces absorbed into them twisted in silent screams.
Even the sky above the city flickered between light and darkness, like a failing lamp.
(End of Chapter)
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