Riddle was about to explode with anger, his blood-red eyes fixed fiercely on Kael.
Even back in the orphanage when they called him a monster, he had never hated anyone so intensely.
But now, this person had appeared.
He was convinced beyond doubt that he was the heir of Slytherin.
That Kael... How dare he call him a fraud!
Riddle, in a fury, cast a spell...
"Avada Kedavra!"
A green light shot forward at great speed, but Kael was prepared and had already hidden behind a pillar.
"Sectumsempra!"
Kael had learned this from "Advanced Potion Making," where young Snape had recorded it in full. It wasn't difficult to master.
Riddle didn't dodge at all, and even had a mocking smile on his lips.
The Sectumsempra Charm passed through his body like it hit thin air, leaving only a faint black line.
And even this black line quickly vanished.
"Useless," Riddle laughed out loud, "Your magic can't hurt me at all... Avada Kedavra!"
Another green flash.
Kael hurriedly retreated behind the pillar.
"Do you think you can escape?" Riddle advanced step by step, "You must die; not even Dumbledore could save you!"
Sectumsempra was useless...
Kael felt a bit helpless; turning to technology when magic didn't work was just too unfair.
He thought of the diary beneath the statue.
Unfortunately, the distance was a bit far; it would take at least five to six seconds to run over, but exposing himself would result in a Killing Curse, making it impossible to reach.
However, at this moment, the Basilisk slowly emerged from the mouth of the Slytherin statue.
Kael initially wanted it to bite the diary, but upon careful thought, he gave up... Given the Basilisk's intelligence, it probably wouldn't comprehend what a diary was.
"Kill that fraud!"
"Kill him!"
They both shouted at the same time.
Riddle still harbored a sliver of hope, thinking that he had controlled the Basilisk a few times. Maybe he could appeal to familiarity and sentiment.
Until the Basilisk turned its head without hesitation, it was then that he was utterly in despair.
"Bang!"
This time, Riddle truly exploded, turning into a cloud of black mist, his wand falling to the ground.
But soon, the black mist gathered back together.
Although the Basilisk's gaze could directly affect the soul, Riddle was still a Soul Artifact. As long as the diary was intact, he wouldn't die.
"Fool, I am your true master, the real heir of Slytherin!" Riddle roared, "It has always been me giving you orders; it was me!"
But the Basilisk ignored this entirely. Seeing the small figure still alive and kicking, it clamped down directly on Riddle's head.
The next second, Riddle exploded again.
"Bang,"
"Bang!"
"Bang..."
For the next while, the Chamber of Secrets sounded like it was setting off fireworks, lively beyond compare.
Bolstered by his pseudo-immortality, Riddle didn't even try to dodge, persisting with Parseltongue in an attempt to regain control of the Basilisk.
Until he inadvertently saw Kael pick up the diary from beneath the statue...
Riddle's pupils shrank suddenly, and a terrifying realization sparked in his mind.
"He knows he's a Soul Artifact!"
Once this notion surfaced, it was impossible to suppress.
Especially when looking at the smile on Kael's face, Riddle panicked.
He no longer focused on the Basilisk, quickly picking up the wand on the ground and aimed it at Kael.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Crucio!"
"Confringo!"
...
In his haste, none of these spells really found their aim, and Kael easily dodged them.
Riddle's spells ended up striking the Slytherin statue behind, creating a gaping hole.
Numerous small animal bones and snake shed fragments fell out from the hole.
"Tsk... just look at what you've done."
Kael mocked, "You don't even respect Mr. Slytherin's statue, yet you dare call yourself his heir..."
Facing Kael's ridicule, Riddle ignored it. He only wanted to kill Kael, to retrieve the diary.
Luckily the Soul Artifact was difficult to destroy, so even if Kael had it, it didn't matter. He still had time.
"Avada..."
Just as Riddle was about to cast another spell, a pair of golden eyes suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Bang! Clatter..."
Riddle exploded yet again.
"Accio Wand!"
Ron's wand bounced twice on the ground before flying straight into Kael's hand.
At this moment, a mix of footsteps and voices suddenly came from outside the Chamber of Secrets.
"Here, Potter…come…open up..."
The voice was faint and intermittent, but it seemed to be Professor McGonagall.
Kael also heard Harry's name.
Perhaps the professors deduced that opening the entrance required Parseltongue, so they brought Harry, who was also a Parseltongue speaker.
Anyway, it seemed about time.
Looking at the continuously twisting black mist, Kael shook his head, summoned the Basilisk, preparing to let it bite the diary, ending this event before the professors entered.
He had broken quite a lot of school rules this time; he hoped they wouldn't deduct too many points later... but the Basilisk was probably doomed.
However, Kael didn't notice that as he prepared to put the diary onto the Basilisk's teeth, behind him, a golden object fell out from the hole in the statue.
The object, round in shape, looked like a golden pocket watch, but with a difference; it had five hands.
"Tap..."
The pocket watch fell to the ground, causing its five hands to move simultaneously.
Instantly, the Basilisk, which had just opened its mouth, began to fly rapidly backward, Ron's wand returned to Riddle's hand, and the bones and rubble on the ground flew back in reverse to the inside of the statue; three spells flew from behind into Riddle's wand, disappearing into its tip...
Time was rewinding.
Except for Kael, everything around him rapidly rewound.
All of this happened too fast.
When Kael came back to his senses, he found the Basilisk was gone, Riddle was gone, and Professor McGonagall's voice from outside was also gone...
The vast Chamber of Secrets left only him alone and the diary he held in his hand.
"What is going on… What happened."
Kael looked at the empty Chamber in confusion, feeling as if it were all a dream.
Could it be that Riddle had found a Time Turner?
But that didn't make sense, if time were rewound, why wasn't he affected...
Could it be he truly was dreaming!
Just like a few days ago, everything he was seeing was fake, and in reality, he was still sleeping in the Hospital Wing?
Kael reached for his thigh and pinched it hard.
It hurt!
This seemed to mean he wasn't in some bizarre dream.