NOTE: This chapter answers most of the discrepancies related to Herpo the Foul, the Order, Ekrizdis, and Horcruxes. If you ever feel doubt related to Herpo the Foul's certain actions later, you can go through this chapter again, as it has all the answers.
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Chapter Begins:
There were five Cursed Vaults at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Vault of Ice, Vault of Fear, Forest Vault, Buried Vault, and Sunken Vault, their insides hidden not only from the Characters' gazes but also from the Timeline due to the special Bounded Field surrounding them.
The said Vaults existed in almost all timelines of the Harry Potter Bubble.
However, what made the Vaults in the timeline of Kai's Main Mission unique was that they also housed Horcruxes of the grandest wizard the Harry Potter Bubble had to offer—the wizard who had already surpassed his original timeline, becoming unique—the wizard with whom all myths had begun—Herpo the Foul!
Even before Kai had infiltrated the Cursed Vault of Ice during his first year at Hogwarts, he had doubts regarding these Horcruxes.
Death the Artificer had told His scion that even if Kai were to destroy all the Horcruxes, Herpo the Foul wouldn't try to prevent it from happening.
That had puzzled Kai because, as per the magic involved, losing the Horcruxes also meant losing a part of himself for Herpo the Foul.
It was only later, much later, after meeting with Ainz Ooal Gown, that Kai came up with a logical theory.
Originally, Grand Wizard Herpo had created an Inferi Horcrux only.
Realizing the foul nature of his creation, which ended up with him gaining the title of Herpo the Foul, he tried to end the Inferi, who now shared half the powers of his creator.
Of course, the Inferi, being of the same potential as Herpo the Foul himself, survived all the latter's attempts to destroy it, wreaking havoc in the world.
Seeing no other option, years later, Herpo the Foul sought external help, assuming the face of Sage Merlin and joining the Order of the Immortal Lotus.
At that time, Herpo the Foul's goals were simple.
The Order needed someone to sit on the Blue Seat, as the Immortal Lotus had to bloom seven times with seven colors to reach completion.
Taking advantage of that, and curious about the Imperishable Artifact Magic itself, Herpo the Foul agreed to join them in return for their help in dispatching the Inferi.
Through their help, Merlin successfully became a unique existence, assimilating all Merlins from various timelines. However, when the time came to join the Order, Herpo the Foul turned his Staff into his second Horcrux, letting it become an Imperishable Artifact instead.
Meanwhile, Herpo the Foul resumed his original identity, dissociating himself from the Blue Seat.
By the time the Order realized they had been tricked, it was already too late.
However, this was also the moment when things began taking a much fouler turn.
Herpo the Foul shared equal powers with the Inferi before joining the Order. By assimilating all his selves from various timelines, he became as strong as the rest of the Order's members, his strength only less than that of the Deep One.
So, even when he divided his powers equally again with the Staff of Merlin, it still left him with a strength that lingered between the Mirror and Pillar Timelines' Characters.
And all the Inferi across the timelines had sensed this as well. Willingly becoming one wasn't an option for them anymore, as Herpo the Foul, backed by the Order, would still overpower them.
So, the only option left to them was to become the strongest… letting their respective Timelines protect them.
With no Order-like faction helping them, they had only one way to do so.
As per the original Magic of Horcrux creation, the caster could divide his soul only seven times—a limit that remained no matter if Horcruxes created their own Horcruxes.
So, the Inferi created five Horcruxes, gaining unimaginable strength and becoming… Lord Ekrizdis!
This much the Ad Infinitum and the enhanced Lucky Intuitions had figured out on their own after hearing Ainz's story.
Now, Kai believed the reason Herpo the Foul and the Order chose to seal Ekrizdis under Azkaban and his Horcruxes at Hogwarts was not that it could have affected Herpo the Foul's strength, but because… they couldn't.
Keeping Ekrizdis alive was the Timelines' way of cautioning against a rogue Herpo the Foul's indiscriminate intervention, it seemed. Not only that, but the Order also linked the existences of all Ekrizdis and his sealed Horcruxes, making them unique, without the power that should have accompanied this process.
The Order had no choice but to seal the evil, then.
Later, Death began corroding Lord Ekrizdis, making him His puppet against Herpo the Foul, who had effectively become immortal through the Blue Seat of the Order.
That's why Herpo the Foul wouldn't mind the destruction of the Horcruxes, as that would only weaken Ekrizdis the most.
If he was right, then Herpo the Foul was waiting for him to destroy all of Ekrizdis' Horcruxes before making the grandest move, Kai believed.
But, as per the deal between him and Death, Kai must destroy the Horcruxes as only then could Herpo the Foul be killed.
No matter how paradoxical it felt, one thing was sure.
The moment he obtained all the Horcruxes, it would be equivalent to ringing the death knell for this timeline.
Standing in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library, Kai eyed the bookshelves toward which the Compass' needle was pointed, finishing his thoughts.
[No Prophecy this time?] Timeline asked, speaking to him through a monstrous book. [Never took you for an overconfident one.]
Kai put away the Item, and, with one thought, the bookshelf in front of him ceased to exist, revealing a foggy, dark corridor that magically expanded inward, leading to a humongous, arched door.
"There's no shame for the weak to rely on external power," Kai replied, taking a deep breath.
Lilith fluttered off his shoulders, disapparating to Arya Stark, who was playing Darcie's role at Malfoy Mansion right now.
In Lethifold's place, a regal armor manifested on Kai's body, drowning the damp, dark surroundings in golden light.
A small smile surfaced on his face as his heart boomed, taking joy in the feeling of the unknown.
"I…" Kai said, stepping into the foggy corridor. "… am not weak anymore."
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