Chapter 193: Slaying the Basilisk, Playing with Heartbeats
Riddle hissed, and the Basilisk crawled in front of him, coiling itself up.
It raised its head high, flicking its forked tongue, its black eye sockets mixed with flesh and blood, looking incredibly hideous under the dim light.
"Smell carefully. Remember this scent.
Go, kill him."
The Basilisk opened its mouth, mixed with blood and venom, and its head struck down rapidly.
Aaron frantically dodged, not rushing to counterattack, but instead led the Basilisk in circles inside the Chamber of Secrets.
While running, the Longsword in his hand scraped against the floor, the sharp blade striking brilliant sparks against the rock.
The Basilisk lunged again and again, but relying on physical abilities far exceeding those of ordinary people, Aaronalways managed to dodge narrowly, without even breaking a sweat.
At this moment, Aaron's reverence for Hogge Gaius surged like an endless river.
Although training was exhausting and soaking in those Medicinal Baths was painful, this physique was truly amazing!
Having lost its eyes, the Basilisk couldn't effectively locate its target, only launching large-scale attacks by following the scent. Its body, dozens of feet long, constantly writhed, and black blood continuously seeped into the ground as it moved.
But it didn't care about the pain in its body or the massive blood loss; it seemed to possess endless strength until it killed its target.
More than ten minutes later, most of the pillars in the Chamber of Secrets had been knocked down, and a layer of sweat beaded on Aaron's forehead.
"Gaius, can you only run?" Riddle sneered.
"The drawing is almost complete, and the Basilisk has shed a lot of blood," Aaron said, leaning on his sword, standing on the right foot of Salazar Slytherin's statue.
Although his chest was heaving and his breathing had quickened significantly, his eyes shone with excitement.
Below, a massive Magic Array slowly took shape. The Basilisk's blood seeped into the formation, adding a chilling touch while also enhancing its power.
Hearing this non-answer, Riddle looked thoughtful.
A moment later, he also noticed the pattern on the ground and couldn't help but frown slightly, as he himself was standing in the very core of the Magic Array.
A hiss came from his mouth, and the Basilisk stopped its attack, but its head turned toward Aaron, silently locking onto its kill target.
"Is this your plan?"
"I suppose so!" Aaron said proudly. "This is currently the pinnacle work of my life. With the Basilisk's blood as an enhancer, this Magic Array has surpassed the Advanced Tier and barely reached the Ultimate Tier standard."
"You surprise me. Are people still using Magic Arrays to fight these days?" Riddle said meaningfully. "You are wasting your talent. Magic Arrays were phased out centuries ago, weren't they?"
"Maybe even longer ago." Aaron spread his hands, saying somewhat helplessly, "To be honest, I can't figure out why my tutor insisted on teaching me this stuff.
Elemental Magic Arrays have corresponding spells, such as the Flame Charm and the Clear Water Charm. Non-elemental ones are the same; corresponding to the Space Magic Array, there are Apparition, Portkeys, and Floo Powder; corresponding to Summoning Magic Arrays, there are Accio and the Ulong Chu Dong Charm; and there are even more spells corresponding to Defensive Magic Arrays, such as the Shield Charm, Patronus Charm, and so on.
As for Soul Magic Arrays, they are even more difficult, whereas Mental Acquisition and the Imperio Curse are much simpler, and the effects are not bad.
However, the Magic Array also has its advantages: it can maximize a Wizard's potential, releasing several times the power of a regular spell."
Riddle raised an eyebrow and sighed slightly, "In a real fight, your enemy won't give you time to prepare."
"Just practice more. If you're skilled enough, instant casting isn't impossible.
Moreover, the wonders of the Magic Array are not necessarily inferior to spells. I don't think this is a waste of talent."
"That makes sense." Riddle clapped his hands. "You truly surprise me!
However, you overlooked some important points. In the face of an absolute disparity in strength, a Magic Array won't help you."
"Indeed.
You are an Archmage, and I am only a Novice Magus. Even if I can boost my attack power by several grades through this Magic Array, it can only pose a threat to you, and not a fatal one at that."
"Good that you know. Everything you've done is meaningless."
"That may not be true."
"I'll wait and see, but before that, you have to survive first." Riddle said, looking at the Basilisk, and spoke in Parseltongue.
The Basilisk opened its massive mouth and lunged. This time, its target was exceptionally clear.
Aaron immediately adopted a stance, holding the Longsword horizontally in front of him, madly channeling the magic energy within his body into the sword hilt as if it were worthless.
Just as the Basilisk's poisonous fangs were about to pierce Aaron's body, the third Magic Crystal on the sword hilt emitted a brilliant light.
Swoosh!
A sharp silver light suddenly flashed, slicing through the darkness of the Chamber of Secrets.
The Basilisk stopped in front of Aaron, making an indistinct sound, but remaining completely motionless.
Riddle opened his mouth in shock and involuntarily shivered. Just now, he actually felt a fatal threat. That fleeting light contained the power to destroy his soul fragment.
The next moment, the Basilisk's enormous body split into two, the cut being perfectly smooth.
Black blood gushed out, and large amounts of flesh, blood, and white bones were exposed to the air.
"Ugh!!!"
Harry and the other two watching from afar felt their stomachs churn at the sight, uncontrollably vomiting their breakfast and lunch.
Ultimately, they were only thirteen years old. Although they had experienced a lot, they had truly never witnessed a spectacle of this magnitude.
"Ehh?" Aaron curled his lip in distaste. "The psychological fortitude of you three is too poor. It's just a corpse, is it really that bad?"
"How is it not bad?" Ron's face was pale, and his legs trembled uncontrollably. "Any normal person would throw up seeing this! This is much scarier than Aragog."
Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement. At this moment, they suddenly felt a little envious of Ginny.
Being semi-conscious was terrifying, but at least she didn't have to worry about anything, nor did she have to be as frightened as they were.
"You still need to practice your courage!" Aaron shook his head disdainfully. He hadn't wasted his vacation.
Moer Gaius dissected a corpse right in front of him during the first lesson, and things only got more stimulating day by day afterward.
After two months, he had completely transformed. Forget the Basilisk, even a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood wouldn't make him flinch.
"What was that just now?" Riddle asked vigilantly. "That absolutely isn't magic a Wizard your age can use."
"Don't worry, I can't strike a second blow in a short time."
Riddle reacted, looking at the silver Longsword in Aaron's hand, and only managed to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that the three Magic Crystals on the hilt had all turned dull.
He had only just managed to escape the Diary, and he was about to be fully resurrected. If he were hit by that kind of slash now, he would die too unjustly.
"This sword was forged by my ancestor. The first Magic Crystal absorbs blood, the second absorbs stamina, and the third absorbs the user's magic power.
The power doubles with every Magic Crystal that lights up. Unfortunately, I can only strike one blow at a time.
Someone once used this sword to kill an adult Dragon. Today, I used it to slay a thousand-year-old giant serpent, so it hasn't been wasted."
"Very good, excellent." Riddle forced a smile. "The Gaius Family has successfully piqued my interest."
"How presumptuous." Aaron shook his head. "Lord Voldemort in his prime couldn't threaten our few families, let alone Tom Riddle!"
"Perhaps it wasn't that he couldn't threaten you, but that he didn't have time to." Riddle said meaningfully, his cold gaze sweeping toward Harry Potter.
In his view, Lord Voldemort's magic was invincible, otherwise, it wouldn't have instilled fear in the Wizarding World.
He was merely ambushed by the magic on a baby by accident, allowing those hidden Wizarding families to escape unscathed.
"Next, it's just you and me." Riddle picked up Harry's wand. "The descendant of Salazar Slytherin will defeat you, then kill the child who brought shame to Lord Voldemort, and once again reign over the entire Wizarding World."
"That may not be true."
"It seems you have great confidence in this array!"
"I prepared it specifically for you. I have to test its power, right?"
"Do you think I'll give you that chance?" Riddle laughed. "With my ability, I can completely leave before you activate this Magic Array."
"Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared.
Coincidentally, I am quite confident in my preparation."
Hearing this, Riddle's expression turned ugly, and he unconsciously moved his feet, trying to leave the range of the Magic Array.
"Are you scared?" Aaron teased. "It seems the infamous Lord Voldemort is nothing special now."
Riddle paused slightly. He clenched his hands and slowly raised his wand. "Even if you activate the Magic Array with your power, you won't threaten me."
"There are some things I wouldn't be satisfied without trying." Aaron threw his Longsword in front of Riddle, then drew his own wand.
"Confringo!"
"Cruciatus Curse!"
A red and a green spell collided in mid-air. Riddle's spell crushed Aaron's without suspense, the green quickly overwhelming the red.
"Do you see? This is the power of Lord Voldemort." Riddlesaid arrogantly. "Before you submit, experience the Unforgivable Curse!"
Seeing this, Aaron immediately communicated with the System in his mind.
"The magic points I've saved up for so long must be used at a crucial moment. Quickly raise my magic energy to the Archmage Novice Tier."
Soon, Aaron felt his own magic energy rapidly soaring until it broke the five thousand bottleneck.
As the Wizard's strength increased, the power of the spell naturally rose.
The retreating speed of the Confringo Curse slowed down significantly. Although it was less than two meters away from Aaron, it bought him more time.
"This is impossible." Riddle said in disbelief. "How could you still be hiding so much strength? You are only thirteen years old, and you've actually reached the realm of an Archmage."
"Don't worry, what's more surprising is yet to come."
Riddle was somewhat furious, but he quickly started laughing. "So that's it. Is this your trump card?
Activating the Magic Array with the magic energy of an Archmage—do you think you can kill me like this?"
"Under normal circumstances, no, but you can't free your hands right now."
Riddle's expression changed drastically. He truly couldn't defend himself now, and whether he could withstand it was genuinely uncertain.
"You are also within the attack range. If you activate the Magic Array, you will suffer the same damage."
"That's what they say, but you overlooked a few things." Aaron said, flashing a brilliant smile, which looked incredibly cold to Riddle.
"Although I am a few years younger than you, my physical constitution far surpasses yours.
At the critical moment, the disparity in physique is fatal. I can definitely take more punishment than you. After enduring the attack, I will certainly have one more breath left than you.
At this point, we're playing with heartbeats, gambling with our lives, but my chances of winning are slightly greater."