The water screen shattered, and the golden eyes dissipated like phantoms. However, that brief glimpse was enough to leave a deep impression on everyone.
"Ahhhh!" A sharp scream broke the deathly silence at the scene. Like pressing a start button. Screams, wails! Collapsed emotions instantly swept through all the students like a bursting dam!
Like a single leaf covering one's eyes, that terrifying radiance penetrated their minds. Carving an indelible mark in their memories and retinas!
Seeing a stampede about to occur, Dumbledore raised his wand to his throat, his voice resonating like a bell: "SILENCE!"
In this deep and authoritative voice, the students gradually quieted down. Sobbing, they looked at their only support.
Headmaster Dumbledore said seriously: "Prefects, comfort the students from your respective houses. Do not be afraid. With me and the professors here, we will not let you suffer the slightest harm."
Upon receiving orders, Ravenclaw prefect Penelope calmed down slightly. She pulled a crying girl into her embrace, gently patting her back. Drawing upon her prefect's authority, she suppressed Ravenclaw's agitation.
But at this moment, she herself was extremely uneasy. Penelope turned her head to look at the towering castle standing in the moonlight. Right now, no one knew what was happening inside.
Ethan... Ethan was still in the castle! Would he be alright? No matter how outstanding he usually was, Ethan was ultimately just a second-year student!
Tonight was supposed to be just a competition between Slytherin and the Morning Star Club. Who had seized this timing to create this terrifying attack?
Penelope accidentally turned her head and happened to meet the gaze of Slytherin's prefect, Gemma Farley. Her face was also deathly pale. But whether Penelope saw wrong or not, she seemed to see a kind of composure in Miss Gemma's eyes. Just like during last year's challenge tournament.
Seeing the commotion gradually subside, Dumbledore said to Professors McGonagall and Snape: "We must immediately head to the castle! Those Slytherin children..."
Dumbledore didn't finish his words. But all the professors present clearly understood his unfinished meaning. Even just glimpsing through the water screen for a moment had such severe effects. Then what about those Slytherins who faced the terror directly?
Now, no one dared to imagine the answer to this question. The group hurriedly rushed toward the castle.
On the way, Snape had a thought. Was this incident related to Ethan Vincent? No, how could that be possible? Even if that brat Ethan was sinister, he had absolutely no channels or ability to create something so terrifying. What should be worried about now was whether Ethan, who participated in the courage test and remained in the castle, had also been caught up in this.
At this moment, Hogwarts Castle, Third Floor.
Zabini stared blankly upward at the golden eyes opening one after another from the pitch-black scales. Radiance was gazing at him.
Rustle, rustle... The black serpent body, massive as mountain ranges, continuously undulated and stretched. Thus, the golden eyes on its body were constantly sliding, repeatedly and endlessly appearing. Endlessly gazing at him.
The walls and the ceiling were moving. The world was spinning...
Without realising it, tears rolled down Zabini's eyes. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, and couldn't even think. Only humanity's most primitive fear filled his body.
However, facing the gaze of those golden eyes, he couldn't help but laugh. "Ah, ah!" Zabini fell to his knees with a thud.
Even unable to see, he knew that the others must be the same as him. Flint, Nott, Millicent, and Crabbe. All uncontrollably collapsed to the ground.
Victory had been right in front of them. They had passed through so many checkpoints before and endured so much torment. How had it become like this? What exactly was this?
Slytherin's glory... All thoughts, reaching his lips, became a single cry: "Praise the radiance!"
The golden eyes trembled slightly, as if pleased by everything they saw.
At the same time, Third Floor, Empty Classroom...
Ethan sat on a desk and trembled slightly as if sensing something. In the depths of his cobalt-blue pupils, a point of light ignited. It seemed the net was closing.
Ethan curved his eyes, watching a pale shadow drift in from the darkness at the doorway. It was Luna, who had pretended to faint to lure the Slytherins to the canvas's position.
The giant snake painting was a secret known only to Luna and himself. The other club members had only received instructions to "scare them a little and let all Slytherins pass through."
As for whether they would have suspicions afterward? Please. Ethan was the upright president of the Morning Star Club, a pure young painter who only wanted to bring great art to the world. How could he possibly do such terrible things? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
Click. "They are bathing in radiance." Luna said in that ethereal, floating voice.
This statement seemed without beginning or end. But both people present understood its meaning.
Ethan jumped down from the desk, his shiny black boots clicking on the ground. He strode to Luna's front. Bowing slightly, left hand behind his back, right hand naturally extended with palm up. It was a standard dance invitation pose.
Ethan looked up at Luna from below and smiled: "Let's celebrate our victory."
Luna smiled slightly. Raising her slender, pale little hand, she placed it on Ethan's palm.
Ethan's smile widened. Gently grasping it, he straightened up. His other hand was about to gentlemanly support Luna's waist when he suddenly thought: "We should have some background music."
Raising his hand, he snapped his fingers with a click. Magic [Soul Shriek].
In an instant... [Ahhhhhhhh!] Like countless sharp nails scraping glass, the anguish contained within made one's scalp tingle. Countless screams overlapped, instantly echoing throughout the entire room!
No. Nearly the entire Hogwarts! The lingering sound even reached outside. Making those young wizards who had finally calmed down shudder again.
What exactly was happening? Would Ethan be alright? Senior Penelope thought anxiously, her eyes reddening.
At the same time, this harsh and mournful wailing also made Dumbledore and others rushing to the third floor change colour drastically! They looked at each other gravely and quickened their pace. Ethan and the others must be safe!
Amid the screams...
Ethan and Luna gently swayed their bodies in the empty classroom. Outside the window, a bright moon hung high. Scattering pure moonlight that spread over both of them. As if draping them in a layer of light gauze.
Indeed. Just the giant snake's body only had pure fear. It couldn't even petrify like the basilisk. But that didn't mean it couldn't be combined with other paintings.
[Fusion Artwork – Radiant Pupil (Door in the Pupil + Breaking Out of Shell)]
[Effect: Brings intense hallucinations, forcibly planting radiance in observers' minds. Those with weak will suffer months of coma]
Mm. Coma was better than petrification. Sleeping soundly through a perfect semester. Ethan felt he was truly kind.
As for whether they would dream and what they might dream of... hehe. With Radiant Pupil growing upon the snake body, everyone would think this was the monster's innate effect. Thus, they would fear this monster even more.
In reality, it was a composite Chimaera!
[Your club members displayed powerful abilities to everyone! Spreading the Morning Star's reputation!]
[Breaking Out of Shell progress increased by 5%]
Blue subtitles flashed before Ethan's eyes.
[Your artwork brought everyone intense shock!]
[Soul Fusion increased by 3%]
[You greatly spread the lamp's mysteries.]
[Making the world comprehend radiance's wonder!]
[Breaking Out of Shell progress increased by 10%!]
[Breaking Out of Shell progress: 41% becomes 56%]
[Shell-breaking progress exceeds 50%]
[You obtained extraordinary material: Luminous Essence.]
In an instant, Ethan felt brilliant light blazing in his skull, golden flames transforming into power flowing into his eyes! Ethan couldn't help but blink. Then he felt a cool drop of liquid flow from his eyes.
[Liquid flowing from cracks, extremely spiritual. Using it for pupil painting yields twice the result with half the effort.
Pupil painting! Ethan's spirit lifted, wild joy bursting from within! He looked at this drop of pure white liquid floating in midair. Even in the dim classroom, it was dazzlingly bright. Nothing could obscure its radiance.
This extraordinary pigment, "Luminous Essence", could perfectly be used to paint the basilisk's eyes! This system was truly intelligent! Providing exactly what was needed!
Everything was ready. Only the last condition remained... a method to resist the basilisk's eye curse.
"I must be able to look directly at the basilisk's eyes, see their appearance, and then perfectly paint them. Having pigment alone is insufficient." Ethan thought internally.
Just then, subtitles appeared again:
[Light the lamp, you can pass through dense primaeval forest into deeper places.]
[Tonight, entering dreams with passion, you will enter this hidden land.]
Forest? Ethan recalled. Last year, he had accidentally entered the Mirror of Erised and explored that deep, dark forest. It was there he learnt about Herpo's mansion location. Thus exploring secrets and lighting the lamp in his skull.
And now, this lamp would lead him into the forest's depths again. Seeking deeper mysteries.
Ethan thought: Perhaps there, he could find a method to resist the basilisk's gaze.