Compared to the beginning, Voldemort, now driven into a rage, had become even harder to deal with.
If he had still entertained the thought of drawing Draco to his side before, then after Draco revealed that he knew so many secrets, those thoughts had been thrown straight into the rubbish heap.
Especially after seeing Nagini's life threatened, Voldemort no longer had any intention of playing around or toying with his opponents.
The Killing Curses he fired one after another seemed to require no magic at all, appearing everywhere across the battlefield.
The sight left everyone stunned, and only now did they truly understand why Voldemort had such a "reputation" in the wizarding world, and why he could be mentioned in the same breath as Dumbledore, the strongest wizard of modern times.
The power he was displaying now was truly astonishing and terrifying.
But what no one expected even more was that Draco actually withstood the pressure Voldemort brought.
Perhaps it could not yet be called an even match, but the fact that he was not falling behind was already worthy of praise.
Snape and the others, especially, who were at the center of the battlefield, could feel Voldemort's terrifying pressure even more directly.
Of course, what puzzled everyone most was why Voldemort had suddenly become so "anxious."
"This ends here! All the Horcruxes you hid have already been found!"
"What childish, ridiculous nonsense!"
"If it's really nonsense, then why are you so furious?"
Voldemort's red eyes stared fixedly at Draco before him. "That doesn't matter! Because you will die here. Everyone will be killed by me. Whether it's the people who care about you or the people you love, I will kill every last one of them!"
That dense killing intent.
Those mad words.
Below, Harry Potter's face turned pale. The lightning-shaped scar that was already burning with pain felt as though it was going to burn straight through his brain.
Even so, he still steadied himself and stared fixedly at Voldemort on the battlefield.
"....."
What he did not know was that every one of Harry Potter's movements had been seen by Snape beside him. Snape's ugly expression looked as though he was guarding against something, as if worried Harry Potter would do something foolish.
After all, Snape still remembered the secret Harry Potter had revealed earlier with perfect clarity.
That sentence, that Harry Potter was Voldemort's Horcrux.
...
As time passed, Voldemort was still unable to take Draco down.
Rather, as long as Draco was willing, he was still capable of delaying him for a while.
At the same time, Voldemort also realized just how extraordinary the boost in strength from the wand in Draco's hand truly was.
And this was the first time Voldemort's gaze fell on the Elder Wand he had yet to use.
Just then, Voldemort's body shook.
What followed was a woman's scream, one that seemed capable of piercing the soul.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
As if sensing something, Voldemort looked in a certain direction.
That was exactly where Lockhart was, and also the direction Draco had been blocking him from reaching.
Although Draco could not hear that scream, he could see Voldemort's movements, and he instinctively followed his gaze. "Did it work?"
His pupils contracted.
There stood Lockhart, slowly lowering his wand, and Kreacher, bowing toward him.
And... that glaring spray of blood in the air.
That was also the sight that made Voldemort lose his composure.
"Nagini!"