The moment Malfoy stepped into the classroom, he felt an overwhelming presence descend upon him, leaving him no time to react as he dropped to his knees instantly.
It was a supreme authority, so terrifying that Malfoy felt if he didn't kneel immediately, he would die under that dreadful oppressive force. Cold, terrifying, impossible to look at directly, towering above all living beings...
"Hmm?" Dudley, who was flipping through the Trunsoest Brass Book, glanced up and looked toward Malfoy kneeling at the doorway. His sanity had returned considerably, and normal thinking posed no problem.
"He found me?" Dudley's gaze sharpened. The previous events had happened so quickly that Dudley had no time to pay attention to Malfoy next door. But he hadn't expected Malfoy would have the courage to come over and investigate.
What should he do now? Dudley stared grimly at Malfoy, who knelt on the ground not far away, rigid as a stone statue.
"My presence only fills this classroom. When Malfoy stepped inside, he must have been overwhelmed by my commanding presence. He probably couldn't see my appearance clearly, or rather, was unable to look directly at me." Seeing Malfoy's condition, Dudley formed a theory and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"You... are you the Night Emperor?" Malfoy spoke with a trembling voice. The surroundings were too quiet, frighteningly quiet. He felt that if he didn't speak up, the other party might kill him outright.
"I... I know you. You once appeared at Gringotts. I was nearby at that time and felt your overwhelming presence." Malfoy continued.
Dudley narrowed his eyes without speaking, the iron-gray and dark red intertwined lines in his pupils gradually fading.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have intruded here. Please don't kill me. I can help you, do anything for you." To survive, Malfoy had no other choice at this moment.
From his father's words, he had learned that this self-proclaimed Night Emperor was extremely powerful—even the dark wizard who invaded Gringotts was no match for him. Moreover, this person could ignore Gringotts' defenses and come and go freely. Now appearing at Hogwarts, no one knew just how strong he truly was. Even the strange prohibitions that appeared at Hogwarts this time might very well come from the Night Emperor before him.
Such a wizard, powerful enough to inspire fear, could kill him as easily as snapping his fingers. In this situation, he could only choose to submit as quickly as possible to have a chance at survival. This was what his father had taught him. Fortunately, he hadn't seen the other party's appearance and had instinctively knelt at the first moment. Otherwise, he would already be a corpse by now.
"Help me?" Dudley spoke with a low, hoarse voice.
"Yes, I can do anything for you. Or, if you need money, I can give it to you. Our family has a lot of money and can definitely satisfy your needs," Malfoy said hurriedly.
Dudley pondered for a moment and spoke: "I allow you to become my follower."
Malfoy felt a surge of relief—at least he had survived.
"What do you need me to do for you?" Malfoy quickly asked.
"Gather the strong among the students and build a force," Dudley spoke flatly.
Malfoy's heart trembled—this reminded him of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters.
"I obey your will," Malfoy immediately agreed.
"I will tell you my honorific name. When you need it, you can recite my honorific name, and I will give you revelation and help," Dudley said.
"Yes." Although Malfoy wasn't sure what an honorific name was, this was obviously a way to contact the Night Emperor—perhaps similar to the Dark Lord's Dark Mark.
Immediately after, Malfoy felt words appear in his mind:
"You are the supreme Emperor."
"The embodiment of order, the manifestation of chaos, the source of all rules."
"You are order, and you are disorder."
These words echoed in Malfoy's mind, making him feel somewhat dizzy. From what he could understand, this so-called honorific name seemed to point to characteristics the Night Emperor possessed, as well as descriptions of him. Order, chaos, rules... Malfoy thought of those prohibitions and the punishments that appeared after violating them—that kind of flogging seemed to be an unavoidable attack no matter what.
"Don't reveal my affairs to anyone. You may go back," Dudley said indifferently.
"I obey your will." Malfoy didn't dare say anything more, kneeling on the ground and slowly backing out step by step.
The moment he left the classroom, the supreme authority pressing down on Malfoy dissipated like melting snow, but at the same time, a lash fell upon him. The prohibition in the corridor had taken effect. But this time, Malfoy gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound, retreating back to the adjacent classroom while kneeling.
"Malfoy, what's wrong with you? We just called you—why didn't you answer?"
"Malfoy, why are you kneeling on the ground? You..."
Crabbe and Goyle were shocked to see Malfoy retreating while kneeling.
"Shut up," Malfoy said in a low voice.
Crabbe and Goyle didn't know what had happened. They exchanged glances and didn't speak further. Malfoy said nothing more. His face was extremely pale, and he collapsed directly on the ground.
Only when truly facing that terrifying authority could one know what a fear-inducing existence it was. Malfoy's entire body was soaked with sweat, unable to muster any strength. He didn't know how he had returned, nor how he had dealt with that Night Emperor. He felt everything was like a dream. But the honorific name in his mind told him that everything that had happened before was real.
"Gather the strong, build a force—is he going to become the new Dark Lord?" Malfoy shivered. No matter what, he was now that person's follower. Even if drastic changes occurred in the future, he probably wouldn't be in trouble.
For a moment, Malfoy even felt an irrepressible excitement in his heart.
"Just wait, Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley. Someday, I'll trample you both underfoot." Malfoy clenched his fists.
Meanwhile, the light in Dudley's eyes completely faded, returning to normal, and the overwhelming presence also disappeared entirely at this moment.
"Although it's just a backup plan and may not be useful, it's good to plan ahead," Dudley thought to himself. Once reaching high sequences, one would need anchors of faith to stabilize one's will. Only this way could one ensure their will wouldn't be devoured, achieving balance between humanity and divinity.
Dudley stopped thinking about Malfoy's matter. His gaze returned to the Trunsoest Brass Book. This matter was not yet finished.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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