Voldemort's plan for the time-space Gu Technique had reached this point, and while it couldn't be said to have reached its absolute peak, continuing to cultivate it would yield little further progress.
Once the Diary Horcrux had consumed enough other Horcruxes, enough "selves," consuming more Horcruxes offered diminishing returns for its growth.
This was not an issue in Voldemort's eyes before, as he felt no sense of urgency. He didn't know what Roger had been doing, or how much Roger had grown.
But the situation was different now.
Since entering the Ministry of Magic, a mere tip of Roger's iceberg had been revealed to him.
He could no longer pretend to be oblivious.
So, upon hitting a bottleneck, Voldemort decisively further nurtured the Diary Horcrux, that fragment of his soul recording his youthful thoughts, granting it a physical body! Logically, the next step should have been for the younger Tom Riddle to replace the older Voldemort, completing a self-replacement.
However, a small accident occurred in the process.
This was the time-space save plan that Grindelwald had mentioned.
Facing an opponent like Roger, Voldemort believed that only by becoming increasingly monstrous and less human could victory be possible.
He ultimately did not refuse Grindelwald's proposal.
This, in turn, caused a slight issue with the final step of the time-space Gu Technique.
Originally, Tom Riddle was supposed to completely devour Voldemort. Instead, their positions were swapped.
Tom became the "main self," while Voldemort transformed into a special Horcrux.
For Voldemort, this outcome wasn't bad.
All life possesses an instinct for survival.
Given the choice, no one wants to die.
Even though Voldemort was prepared to abandon his current self and achieve a better self for his ideals, he still didn't want to die if he had a choice.
After accepting Grindelwald's proposal, while becoming a Horcrux wasn't an ideal outcome, it did preserve a certain degree of his self.
But while Voldemort could accept it, the young Tom Riddle found it difficult to do so.
The very word "Gu" in Time Gu Technique revealed the essence of this sorcery.
It was a brutal art where numerous similar beings slaughtered each other to crown a Gu King.
Even though the Diary Horcrux had some advantages, it didn't mean it was absolutely safe.
If other Horcruxes could defeat the Diary Horcrux, Voldemort wouldn't interfere; he wanted survival of the fittest!
Tom Riddle had faced numerous near-death experiences during his process of becoming the "Gu King." On several occasions, he was just a hair's breadth away from total defeat, becoming fodder for other Horcruxes.
Voldemort, having endured various hardships, had developed the ability to accept the replacement of his current self by other selves without much psychological burden.
But Tom Riddle had not experienced those things.
In his eyes, Voldemort was the one who had tried to completely eliminate him multiple times! Although they were one entity, after countless battles between Horcruxes, Tom Riddle and Voldemort had developed a rift.
Originally, Tom Riddle could use the fact that Voldemort would eventually be devoured by him as an "internal stabilizer," but now...
Seeing the look in Tom's eyes, Voldemort didn't dwell on the topic.
Instead, he continued their previous conversation: "I know what's on your mind, but you need to consider the bigger picture."
"Let's talk more about the press conference."
"...The bigger picture, hahahaha." A mocking smile pulled at the corner of his lips. Tom Riddle muttered something under his breath but didn't press the issue further.
There was still Grindelwald between himself and Voldemort. Until he dealt with him, he couldn't possibly handle Voldemort.
Tom Riddle had no intention of being verbally aggressive.
Meaningless threats, in his opinion, were a sign of weakness.
The future would tell.
"There's nothing much to say about the press conference, just as I mentioned earlier."
"That young Seer's stance was firm, yet not firm enough, so in my opinion, it was 'lacking something'."
People's thoughts differ at different stages of their lives.
This was no exception for Voldemort.
The current Voldemort poured everything into his ideals. To gain the power to rule eternally, he was willing to accept anything.
Tom Riddle, however, was different. In his era, he believed more in "the strong rule"! Strength was correctness, strength was justice, and the strong were the answer to everything!
However, in the young Tom's view, the wizards around him were all mediocre and incompetent. Even Dumbledore was merely a seemingly powerful but weak individual.
As the saying goes, "The heroes of ancient and modern times are all in the present." He believed himself to be the strongest. Even if he wasn't qualified yet, one day in the future, he would stand at the pinnacle of everything.
But when the young Tom, as a Horcrux, traversed decades to arrive in 1992, the situation changed.
He was no longer facing a declining Dumbledore, nor the few cats and dogs of the British wizarding world.
A more cautious Dumbledore, Grindelwald making a comeback with his ambitions, and the legendary alchemist Nicolas Flamel, who had regained his youth.
And that utterly outrageous Seer, Roger Vergil!
What kind of lineup was Tom facing back then, and what kind of lineup is he facing now? To be frank, after Tom escaped the torment of the Time Gu Technique and truly arrived in the world, the first thought he had upon realizing what enemies he would face was…
Maybe we should just surrender? In this situation, do you think Voldemort still needs to struggle? Ruling these guys, are you serious? This was Tom's previous thought.
But after the press conference ended, Tom had a slightly different idea.
Just like when he saw Dumbledore back then, he looked at Roger now and felt a similar sensation.
To people like Rita Skeeter, Roger's statement was already quite strong.
A young wizard, only 12 years old, had delivered a sharp, firm statement against the political power of another country.
But Tom didn't see it that way.
Tom had witnessed firsthand, and remembered clearly, how Roger had crushed the political struggle caused by the Board of Directors back in the day.
It was precisely because he felt Roger's power that he had the thought of 'surrendering'.
But now, with Roger clearly possessing this level of power, why didn't he just flip the table? Why didn't he gather his allies and suppress all dissent? Instead, he's playing this 'don't say I didn't warn you' game.
In Tom's eyes, this was a bit too soft.
The strong are absolutely correct.
The strong must cruelly abuse and dominate the weak! This is what Tom Riddle believed a true strong person should do!
"This war… it seems like it can still be fought…"
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------