Standing before the dark stone wall, Malfoy held a glass bottle in his hand, filled with a golden liquid that danced and swayed within it.
He quickly uncorked the bottle and drank it all in one gulp.
A sweet taste filled his mouth, making him feel satisfied.
This might not be the most powerful potion, but it was certainly the most wondrous. It could change a person's luck for a period of time—for the better.
Perhaps because the effect was immediate, or perhaps it was merely psychological, Malfoy felt that he could now obtain whatever he wanted, giving him the strange illusion that he was omnipotent.
He opened the trapdoor to the basement, illuminated the entire room with his wand, and descended the stairs.
Nagini's body was entangled in a tattered clothes rack, and she sized up the newcomer with her scarlet eyes.
The person who had come was the master's subordinate.
Nagini recognized him.
She couldn't eat him. If she did, the master would be angry.
But she soon noticed the murderous intent in Malfoy's eyes.
The tangled snake body unwound, sliding onto the ground.
Malfoy waved his wand.
The rough vines suddenly overturned the hard stone slab, leaping up unexpectedly and wrapping themselves around Nagini's slippery body.
A jet-black flame was suddenly summoned and flew straight toward the giant python.
The vines were extremely strong, pinning Nagini's struggles in place.
The flame touched Nagini's body without resistance.
As a raging fire, it successfully broke through her not-so-low magical defences and began to erode her body.
But Malfoy didn't find it easy.
Something very difficult to understand had happened.
Ideally, Fiendfyre should have caused fatal damage and destroyed the soul upon encountering the Horcrux.
But in this case, the situation had far exceeded the scope of what could simply be called troublesome.
Nagini's serpentine body was incredibly flexible, stretching out to its full length.
She turned and decisively bit off her own flame-covered tail, severing the section in one swift motion.
The flesh was mangled and bloody, turned inside out.
Nagini went berserk and struggled desperately to break free of the taut vines.
Malfoy frowned.
He dodged and fought within the narrow space while drawing the Gryffindor sword, coated with Basilisk venom, from his sleeve.
In an instant, the chandelier, sofa, chairs, and even the stone walls transformed into black iron chains, binding Nagini's movements once again.
Malfoy moved swiftly, manoeuvring left and right through the confined space before striking Nagini's smooth scales with a single, decisive blow.
The sword, enhanced with a Sharpening Charm and coated with Basilisk venom, pierced through Nagini's tough scales.
That characteristic did not slow the sword's penetration at all. It was like a sharp knife slicing effortlessly through paper as thin as a cicada's wing.
The gushing blood only fuelled her ferocity once more.
Yet the expected reaction did not occur.
The giant python did not turn into wisps of green smoke and dissipate.
Malfoy's expression darkened, and he had no choice but to move closer, tightening the chains even further.
The sharp blade pierced Nagini's skull, passing directly through the centre of her snake-like eyes.
But contrary to his expectation that the blade would kill the snake, scarlet blood flowed from the top of Nagini's head, and her strength suddenly erupted in one final burst.
She began wildly thrashing her thick, muscular body, as thick as a bucket, retaliating against the human who had dared to harm her.
Her enormous body overturned every table, chair, and bench in the room.
Her tail slammed against the walls, making the entire room shake.
Then she finally collapsed to the ground, seemingly dead.
A chill ran down Malfoy's spine and began to spread.
Why couldn't a venom-coated sword cause fatal damage to a soul weapon?
It seemed that Nagini had merely been provoked by the physical injury.
If she really were a Horcrux, she should have instantly collapsed after being contaminated with Basilisk venom.
But now, it seemed that the previous injuries had merely caused several non-fatal wounds, instead fuelling Nagini's ferocity.
Fortunately, wild animals were still wild animals.
Even if they possessed some intelligence, they were still no match for humans in combat.
However, Nagini was not merely a snake.
Voldemort was her master.
Therefore, Malfoy remained uncertain.
He prepared to take a few more steps forward and finish her off, confirming whether she was truly dead.
Just as he was about to draw his sword again and completely behead Nagini, the snake's head—which had been pierced by the sword and pinned against the cold floor—suddenly moved.
With her head still impaled on the blade, she suddenly sprang upward, blocking all the light from the window, and lunged fiercely forward.
Those snake-like eyes met Malfoy's for a fleeting moment.
Malfoy froze for an instant, as though he had been petrified by some curse.
That brief moment of eye contact completely triggered the trap Voldemort had set.
The terrifying mental shock felt as though it were about to pierce directly into his mind.
It was not a temptation meant to lead someone astray, nor the whispers of a demon, nor some sweet cannonball coated in sugar.
It was a fierce bombardment born from an intensely concentrated mental force, without concealment or embellishment.
Superior skill could not overcome profound accumulation.
The overwhelming impact of Voldemort's mind left Malfoy completely dizzy.
Just as he was barely beginning to regain his senses…
Nagini, in one final burst of strength, had already wrapped herself around Malfoy's throat.
His neck tightened, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Fortunately, Nagini's strength began to weaken.
Her taut body slowly loosened as she truly began her march toward death.
After all, she had suffered far too many injuries.
Just as her grip loosened, her fangs inevitably grazed Malfoy's right shoulder.
The crimson blood instantly turned black and began emitting a foul stench.
In an instant, Malfoy lost control of his right hand.
The venom rapidly numbed his nerves, and his wand slipped from his grasp almost immediately.
"Tear it apart!"
Malfoy barely managed to catch his breath.
He transferred his wand to his other hand and fiercely cast the spell at the now-stiff Nagini.
By this point, Nagini's head had been completely severed and was deeply embedded in the wall.
The power of the curse was beyond imagination.
Flesh and blood exploded against the stone wall.
Cracks spread inch by inch, and everything was reduced to dust.
Nagini was dead beyond any possibility of survival.
It was unclear what kind of magic Voldemort had cast upon her, but it had allowed her to continue moving even after death.
A terrible thought rose in Malfoy's mind.
But he wasn't certain.
His thoughts gradually began to slow.
Then an overwhelming wave of dizziness washed over Malfoy.
Amid the whirlwind of sensations, he tilted his head back and collapsed to the ground.
"It seems that Felix Felicis isn't working that well."
That was his final thought before he fainted.
He then fell forward, his forehead slamming hard against the cold marble floor.
Dark blood spread from the wound, seemingly threatening to engulf Malfoy completely.
But he felt no pain.
All his senses had temporarily failed, and he had fallen into a coma.
Nagini, having lost her head, was as dead as she could possibly be.
A snake and a human lay quietly in the dark room.
The snake had completely lost her life, while the human seemed to be not far from death.
No one knew what kind of great battle had taken place here.