Tom raised a hand, halting the incoming spear of gray-black energy a hair's breadth from his skin. Thanatos's Gaze, indeed! The desolate grayness and lifelessness that had consumed the space was abruptly pierced by a radiant golden light.
"A mere avatar," Tom said, his voice indifferent as he regarded "Bastet." "Do not overestimate yourself."
Golden light exploded from Tom's open palm. The gray-black spear disintegrated, turning to ash as the avatar of "Bastet" vanished completely.
Crack!
A sharp, shattering sound echoed faintly, followed by a rippling distortion of the surrounding space.
...
One moment they were in that warped dimension, the next, they stood once more among the desert ruins. Malfoy, looking frantic, patted himself down, ensuring everything was intact. Finding himself unharmed, he lunged forward, grabbing Tom's leg and bursting into tears.
"Waaaaah… Master… I thought… I really thought…"
Tom kicked him away dismissively. "So little faith? You're demoted three ranks. Your new assignment? Assisting newcomers."
"tonic!!!" Malfoy wailed, tears and snot mingling on his face, as Tom booted him a second time.
It was a jest, of course. Malfoy's talent for ingratiating himself with new recruits was only surpassed by Harry. A thought that prompted Tom to lift his left hand and examine his palm. To save Malfoy, he had sacrificed a decade of his lifespan.
Insignificant. For a wizard of his caliber, living two or three centuries was hardly a challenge. Ten years was a pittance. Besides, true immortality was likely within his grasp in a matter of decades.
He examined Malfoy again, confirming the curse had indeed vanished.
"The curse is gone?!" Malfoy and Harry erupted in joy, jumping around like children.
"But Master, didn't you say…" Cassandra looked at Tom, puzzled. Hadn't he declared the only way to break the curse was to destroy the source? They hadn't destroyed anything of particular significance.
"I do recall… hearing something shatter a moment ago," Nagini mused.
Tom ignored his disciple's question, his gaze fixed on the mirror in the statue's hand. It was shattered. Following his line of sight, the others grasped the truth instantly.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Tom summoned the mirror from the statue. It was a dark gold antique, the handle small enough to be held in one hand, yet it was irrevocably broken. The System's analysis flashed in Tom's mind:
[Item: Bastet's Mirror (Damaged)]
[Quality: Mythical (Fake)]
[Function 1: Blessed by the Goddess of War, the "Mirror of Bastet" grants the wielder and their followers a 10% boost to all attributes, as well as special effects such as "Fearless" and "Warlike."]
[Function 2: Missing]
[Function 3: Missing]
[Description: The "Mirror of Bastet" is an artifact belonging to the Ancient Greek cat goddess and war goddess, possessing various magical abilities to bring victory in war to its wielder. However, the "Mirror of Bastet" is now damaged, its power reduced to less than one-tenth.]
"…"
Tom staggered dramatically towards the wall, leaning against it weakly, feigning collapse from "excessive grief."
"Master!"
"Tom! What's wrong?!"
"Sir, are you alright?!" Cassandra and the others rushed to his side.
Tom dared not look at Malfoy just yet, fearing his self-interest would lead him to think, Perhaps it would have been better had Malfoy died just now.
Finally composing himself, Tom stood straight and glanced back at Harry and the others. When his eyes fell on Malfoy, he was speechless.
"Sir, don't frighten me." Malfoy, misinterpreting Tom's expression, assumed he had done something wrong again.
"Draco… strive for improvement."
I, Tom Riddle, destroyed a divine artifact with my own hands to save you, Draco Malfoy! Waaaaah…
Tom resolved: the Malfoy family was bound to the Death Eaters for eternity. They would be his slaves until they were at least eighty.
Malfoy, oblivious to the lifelong debt his great-great-grandchildren would shoulder, grinned inanely, already composing a triumphant tale to recount upon their return.
"Do you know Bastet?" "Didn't before, but now I do! Allow me to enlighten you, he's a god from ancient Egyptian legend!"
"Professor Tom and I, just the two of us, soundly defeated him until he could barely squeak!"
"Oh? How did we accomplish it, you ask? That's none of your concern."
As Malfoy meticulously planned the perfect boasting strategy…
"Let's move. We must return quickly. I still have several sites on our seven-day Egypt tour to visit."
With a final word, Tom transformed into black mist, enveloping Cassandra and the others.
A deafening boom resonated as the space around them twisted, and Tom and his entourage vanished.
...
Egypt, a secluded shop in a wizarding town.
An old man, a sophisticated instrument fixed over his left eye, meticulously examined a small object in his hand, much like Harry and his friends had done upon their arrival.
Boom!
Space warped, and Tom and the others materialized abruptly. The old man remained unfazed. He had charmed his shop, allowing only trusted followers or those of superior power to apparate within. Therefore, these arrivals must be allies.
As for the slight possibility that someone of greater magical prowess appeared… Not to boast, but there were few in the wizarding world who eclipsed his own power. Surely it couldn't be Dumbledore or Tom Riddle?
Dumbledore was unlikely to visit, and even if Tom Riddle were inclined to venture here, he was presumably still in the desert...
Yet reality delivered a sharp slap to his face.
The old man stared dumbfounded at the sudden arrivals, "…"
"Dumbledore, long time no see."
Malfoy smirked smugly at the old man. "Didn't you boast of the formidable curse? My master shattered it with utter ease!"
The old man's pupils contracted in shock initially, then he sighed in relief. To this, he could only concede… Tom Riddle had indeed earned his reputation.
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