?!
Who is there?
Voldemort, who was indulging in immersive games with his long-unseen subordinates, paused in surprise. The moment he detached from those animals earlier, he had already noticed his perception of many Dark Marks had vanished—
But Tom hadn't thought to attribute this to someone secretly trying to trip him up.
First of all, in Voldemort's understanding, the Dark Mark technically has no conventional way of removal, with the only exception being Voldemort's death.
So although these Dark Marks shouldn't disappear in theory, it's worth noting that Voldemort did indeed die once. He took a reflected Avada Kedavra solidly, and at that time he was truly dead for a moment, only later pulled back by a Soul Artifact as a remnant soul to barely survive.
Alas, it was his first time dying, not much experience.
So even our Voldemort is at a loss, which is why he didn't kill Lucius when he saw him—during this period of wandering from the Albanian Rainforest to Great Britain, he also patiently gathered some information…
After all, without subordinates now, everything needs to be done slowly.
Voldemort was good at it too, since hiding his identity to gather information was far of a simpler task than when he was in his prime twenties dealing with several pure-blood rich ladies, wasn't it? The language of the steel wool—patience and wealth.
Moreover, those heartfelt words from Lucius just now did lighten Voldemort's long-standing gloomy mood a bit. Although it sounded fake, it's key to understand that due to some childhood shadows, Voldemort had a pathological pursuit of fame, reputation, and power, so he enjoyed this feeling of being flattered very much.
Otherwise, by his nature then, for someone like Lucius who quickly defected to the Ministry of Magic when he learned Voldemort had "disappeared," the first thing on meeting should be granting the Malfoy Family a personal Avada Kedavra to each member.
Although it's troublesome, it's a way to vent—
Then, isn't there a faster and simpler way?
William: There is, brother, there is!
"Avada Kedavra! (阿瓦达索命)"
What entered ahead of him was a green flash of lightning. Upon hearing the incantation, Voldemort's caterpillar-like brows twitched for a moment, the wand in his hand flicked, and the long dining table in the center of the room instantaneously stood up, turning into fragments as soon as it was struck by the "lightning".
Looking at the table blown into pieces, Voldemort sunk into a momentary silence.
What, right off the bat with the Killing Curse?
…Are you the Dark Lord or am I the Dark Lord?
Damn the password…
Seeing the unfriendly intruder, Voldemort no longer intended to inquire but lifted his wand, sending a ghastly green spell toward the outside of the room. However, the damaged doorframe came alive at that moment, blocking the spell only to end up shattered.
Voldemort's movement didn't stop, stepping sideways twice as the spell flew. A deep blue flame emerged from a purple-red mark appearing beneath his feet. Seeing the flame miss its target, it instantly transformed into an eagle, its sharp claw tip reaching for Voldemort's head.
"Humph." Voldemort snorted coldly, his black robe twisted and disappearing in a flash. As a hiss echoed, the navy-blue eagle began to warp and transform, almost in a blink turning into a giant fiery snake darting toward the wall—
"Boom—"
The wall on the side of the dining room close to the door in the Malfoy house was no longer existent.
The wizards' demolition goes much faster than a Muggle demolition team, and the previously cramped space of the dining room now becomes spacious through the connection to the stairway and the reception room. The blue fiery snake, having broken through the wall, did not stop but rushed toward the gray-robed figure standing at the stairway entrance—
"Watch out!"
Lucius shouted lying on the ground.
Seeing the fiery snake charging at him, its head held high and ready to bite, William merely shook his wand lightly, dispersing the blue flames instantly. However, the green light hidden behind the flames followed immediately, striking his chest right on target.
"Haha↓Haha↑Haha↑Haha↓Haha↑Haha↑!!"
Observing his opponent's gray face, Voldemort burst into frenzied laughter, stomping on Lucius's belly, causing the man writhing in intense pain, his platinum hair drenched entirely by his sweat—the eyes of the man started losing their light, witnessing the seemingly instant defeat of the figure by Voldemort, his face turned pale.
Did I… bet wrong?
"So that's how it is, dear Mr. Malfoy, so…"
Voldemort's manic laughter gradually halted, his voice turned icy, accompanied by faint "ssss" sounds as he spoke, he bent down, his tongue twitching slightly, "So you've already betrayed me, then…"
"Avada K…"
"Psssh—"
Blood began to flow along the black robe, as William lifted the Disillusionment Charm from his body; the "William" who had been hit by the Killing Curse nearby disintegrated into ash, and Gryffindor's Sword had already completely pierced through Voldemort's heart. The jubilant woman's face instantly gave way to sheer disbelief—
"Oi, do you like this surprise, Tom?"
Voldemort's current body is indeed somewhat "fat and wide", as William felt himself wielding Gryffindor's Sword through three hundred pounds of pork, he could only place his foot on Voldemort's belly and press hard—
"Boom—"
Voldemort's figure suddenly wobbled and fell to the ground, his large bottom making intimate contact with the floorboards of the Malfoy family's house, which groaned under the strain.
"Such a sorry state, Tom."
William casually gestured, and the Gryffindor's Sword, which hadn't been tainted by blood, vanished into thin air, replaced by a redwood wand.
"You..."
Voldemort's eyes were filled with disbelief; his astonishment was almost beyond compare. He hadn't detected a single flaw in the opponent's Disillusionment Charm until the sword had completely pierced him —
Who is this person?
He looks no older than twenty, how can he—
Damn.
Voldemort instinctively raised a hand to cover his heart, but his other hand didn't stop, as his wand lightly tapped, and the wood splinters that had been blown apart by the Killing Curse began to move, forming into long brown-black snakes that slithered toward William. Fudge had already fainted from fear, while only Lucius's face still showed the ecstatic joy of surviving—
His courage isn't lacking; no wonder he's the kind of person who can withstand three minutes of Crucio and still talk without drooling.
Even as he was about to be bitten by those wooden snakes on his foot, William still had the leisure to let his thoughts wander for a moment, but his wand didn't idle either. A transparent force started to wind around his body, then transformed into a wind shield that exploded outward, smashing all the wooden snakes near him into pieces—
William's gaze returned to the figure of Voldemort, who should have been severely injured according to logic.
Interesting, should I catch him alive?
Multiple Soul Artifacts indeed ensure that Voldemort's soul won't die, so... I won't kill you, I'll just capture you alive.
As he said it, William's pupils lit up with a deep blue glow, which began to form lines, instantly sketching out a complex pattern—
Immerse in the illusion of the Sharingan! Infinite Moon Reading!
In Lucius Malfoy's eyes, the two who had been about to clash suddenly froze, with Voldemort's face still bearing a cruel smile, but the original crimson snake-like eyes now lost their luster and even showed a tendency to transform to a common light brown.
...What's happening?
Seeing the dining room suddenly fall silent again, Malfoy was momentarily bewildered. Having just experienced great joy and sorrow, ups and downs in life, he was surprisingly unsure of how to feel about this, so...
Lucius adjusted his wizard robe, and quietly chose a posture more comfortable for lying down before closing his eyes.
What's done is done, sleep first.
…
…
Meanwhile, in the dream world woven by William—Infinite Moon Reading, cough cough.
January 12, 1927.
London was covered in snow, including this dark-looking building.
The infant Riddle lay wrapped warmly, curiously gazing outside at the snowy scene.
But beneath that child-like innocent gaze, an unsettling malice lurked, and Voldemort's consciousness hid within the young body, unable to control even a finger, feeling somewhat terrified as he perceived everything around him with an unsettling sense of familiarity mixed with alienation.
Have I... been reborn?
Little Tom fell into deep thought.
Little Tom began a battle between his left and right brain.
Little Tom chose to fight against destiny.
Little Tom pulled his pants down.
Sensing the warmth in his pants, Little Tom began to cry loudly, and hearing his own annoying voice made Voldemort feel irritated, but soon, a nun dressed figure appeared in the room, robust-looking woman swiftly picked up the crying Tom and started changing his diaper skillfully.
She took off the diaper, frowned looking at it, tossed it, wiped Little Tom's bottom, and patted him twice while putting on a new one.
The dry feeling finally made Little Tom stop crying, the nun left the room after completing these tasks, leaving little Tom in his swaddling cloth, watching the sky outside grow darker and darker, then another figure walked in, still a woman—
But this woman looked somewhat emaciated, with dull, messy hair, pale complexion, ordinary appearance, looking fatigued.
The woman sat numbly at the only table in the room. She didn't pay attention to Little Tom, who lay on the bed staring at her intently, rather she sat there with hollow eyes fixed on the oil lamp on the table, appearing thin and hunchbacked.
And neither of the two in the room noticed a dim light suddenly appearing outside the snow-covered window.
It swayed unsteadily.
Like a lone boat in a blizzard.