As the whispers of the evil spirit increased, the whole hall began to shake slightly.

  The closer it got to the real world, the more obvious the signs were.

  Magic in the area became restless, the earth and dust were shaken down through the cracks in the wall, the light of the Green Magic barrier was fading, as if about to crumble at any time.

  Now, even the vampires could hear the whispers of the evil spirit.

  They looked around in panic, their faces full of horror. In the face of this ancient and evil unknown creature, no one could keep their calm!

  Besides Evan, Caresius’s face was also gloomy to the extreme.

  He stared at an ancient Centaur who was being rebuilt by the flesh and blood; he looked at the evil magic, thinking.

  “The magic of the Centaurs is about to lose its effect. The monster inside is totally more powerful than expected!” he whispered, “We’d better get ready.”


  “Don’t worry, Caresius!” Voldemort said in a whispering voice. “I have a way to deal with the thing inside. No matter how powerful it is, its power will eventually be used by me. Before that, we have to entertain our uninvited guests.”


  Voldemort seemed to have a plan but he turned a blind eye to the evil spirit, while everyone else was immersed in the shock of the signs of its arrival.

  His pale face showed a cruel smile and he looked at Evan with great interest.

  Evan didn’t know what Voldemort could do to deal with the evil god. This was hard to imagine.

  Maybe, he had mastered some powerful black magic that he didn’t know yet.

  Such magic would need to have a restraining effect on the evil spirit, but looking at Voldemort’s red eyes, Evan felt that things were not that simple.

  Voldemort looked at Evan for a long time before slowly saying, “I can feel that you are trying to irritate me! Interesting, I haven’t seen a wizard like you for many years. I have to say that you are very similar to me when I was young.”


  This wasn’t the first time someone said that Evan was like Tom Riddle in his school days.

  They were both very obsessed with magic, and through various efforts, they had accomplished unimaginable achievements for wizards their age, but there was a fundamental difference between them: Evan was determined to never follow Voldemort’s path!

  “Yes, unlike other young wizards, you have courage.” Voldemort said softly, “And I’ve always admired courage, so I’m going to give you a chance. Tell me your name, child?”


  “Evan Mason!” Evan whispered.

  He stepped back and watched Voldemort warily.

  “Choose, Evan!” Voldemort said in a hoarse voice, “Either you be loyal to the great Voldemort and gain unimaginable power and privileges, or continue to have faith in Dumbledore and die here in obscurity.”


  “Where is Dumbledore?” Evan asked, making no choice.

  He glanced at the vampires around him and over a dozen wands aimed at him.

  Under the current circumstances, a word from Voldemort was enough for him to meet his demise…


  “Don’t expect Dumbledore to save you. I know him better than anyone else and I know how to lure him into a trap. He is pursuing the traces I left behind, far away from the Temple of the Centaurs!” Voldemort said cruelly, “And my vampire friends left an interesting spell there. By the time he cracks it, everything will be over.”


  It was only then that Evan realized the reason for Dumbledore’s disappearance.

  He didn’t know how Voldemort fooled Dumbledore, but as things stood, he and Sirius might die here long before he could return.

  “Tell me your choice, allegiance or death?!” Voldemort said in a harsh voice.

  “Dumbledore was right about you; you will never understand that death is not the most terrible outcome.” Evan clenched his wand, “I don’t see any choice here. I will never believe a monster like you who would rather give up his soul for eternal life! Even if only death awaits me, I will fight to the end.”


  Evan gave his answer, controlled the magic, and the light at the tip of his wand became brighter and brighter.

  “You fools are all like this; you would rather die than surrender. How charming!” Voldemort’s wicked face grinned fiercely. “Since that’s the case, give me the Philosopher’s Stone you have on you, and then die.”


  Evan was shocked that Voldemort had found out the piece of the Philosopher’s Stone he had.

  “Don’t be surprised, even though my current strength is declining, I felt that you had my curse on you the moment you came in.” Voldemort said in a cold voice, “Yes, I still remember this curse. In the year I was about to graduate, I found the Philosopher’s Stone in the Centaurs’ colony in the Forbidden Forest, but there was that magic left by that damn Gryffindor. I had no way to crack it. So, I left a curse on the Philosopher’s Stone so that I could get it later.”


  Evan stepped backwards, racking his brain to think about what to do now.

  “I never expected to see you here after so many decades, after I almost forgot about it. What a pleasant surprise!” Voldemort smirked. “No doubt, the Philosopher’s Stone you have on you and the piece in this Temple are a whole. As long as I get it, I can control the monster inside, and gain power to become stronger than ever before. Even Dumbledore will be no opponent of mine…”


  “No way!” Evan shouted.

  “Give it to me, NOW!” Voldemort screamed, “Then kneel down in front of me and beg bitterly for mercy; beg for your death!”


  Evan didn’t see anyone make a move, but he found his body flying quickly forward, approaching Voldemort under the action of a sudden and powerful force.

  In front of him, raging fire rose abruptly from the ground, scorching the area around it.

  Evan waved his wand at the fastest speed, making a transparent magic shield that surrounded him like a glass wall.

  At the moment he passed through the flame, the transparent magic barrier was burned red at high temperatures.

  Then, with a thud, it shattered and dissipated.

  Behind the flame, waiting for Evan, was the sly Voldemort.

  Watching Voldemort getting closer, Evan held his breath. The wand in his hand emitted a series of blue lights unstoppably.

  Boom, boom, boom!!!

  Like a bomb, Evan’s magic exploded beside Voldemort, making a powerful impact that shook the chamber violently.

  In the thick smoke brought by the explosion, Voldemort screamed, “Caresius, help me catch him! SEIZE HIM!”


  Caresius turned a deaf ear to Voldemort’s orders.

  He did not act, just stood by and watched coldly.

  Seeing that Caresius did not do anything, the other vampires did the same.

  This was a battle between Evan and Voldemort, and the vampires chose not to get involved.

  “Fools! I’ll make you pay!” Voldemort said in a harsh voice.

  He controlled the vampire he was attached to and staggered away from Evan’s spells.

  The next second, Evan felt great pain from his wrist.

  He looked down and saw that the black snake bracelet curse seemed to be alive.

  It was twisting, getting larger and larger, sliding up along his blood vessels.

  In just a few seconds, half of Evan’s arm turned black….