The liquid in the pool began to boil like scalding water, and a foul stench filled the cave, making it almost suffocating.
Taurus truly lived up to being an elite of the secret order. Even in such a harsh environment, he methodically prepared the potion in the pool before him.
"Add the thing you mentioned earlier," Voldemort's voice came from within the pool.
"You'd better think this through," Taurus narrowed his eyes. "If the fusion fails, you'll either die or go mad."
"Just put it in. Death cannot claim the great Voldemort."
Seeing how confident the man was, Taurus didn't stop him and directly brought out the divine remains the organization had prepared for Voldemort.
These divine remains came from four deities: the Midgard Serpent Jörmungandr, the world-destroying wolf Fenrir, the goddess of death Hela, and the ultimate black dragon Nidhogg.
In ancient prophecy, they were said to be the culprits behind Ragnarök. But when Ragnarök truly arrived, the prophecy didn't seem entirely accurate…
The divine remains of these four gods were a "set" painstakingly gathered by the secret order, but due to the overwhelming resentment and killing intent within them, no one had been able to withstand their power.
Now that they were being used on Voldemort, there was no need to feel any regret.
To the secret order, if Voldemort successfully fused with the remains of the four gods, all the better—they would gain a powerful ally. If the fusion failed, the ruined Voldemort could still be put to use, and some of the resentment within the divine remains would be drained. Either way, they wouldn't lose out.
"Put in Jörmungandr's remains first. I've always liked snakes," Voldemort commanded continuously from the bottom of the pool.
Taurus's face turned ashen, and he kept reminding himself internally: don't get angry with a dead man, it's not worth it, there's no need.
He lined up four boxes on the ground, then took out three small bundles and casually placed them beside the boxes.
After waiting for a moment, when the surface of the pool began to shimmer with diamond-like ripples, Taurus knew the time had come. He picked up the first small bundle and threw it into the pool.
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" Taurus's cold voice echoed through the filthy cave. At the same time, the diamond-like ripples on the pool's surface shattered, and blue liquid splashed everywhere, hissing as it struck the cave walls.
Under the normal process, Taurus would next add "flesh of the servant" and "blood of the enemy," but the secret order had modified Voldemort's resurrection ritual by incorporating the divine remains of four deities.
Taurus opened the first box and took out a massive bone fragment from within, the box having been enchanted with an Extension Charm. The fragment alone was as tall as half a person.
"Bone of the Midgard Serpent, grant him an endless hunger to devour, until the end of the world."
The moment the bone was thrown into the pool, a roar seemed to transcend time itself, resounding throughout the cave.
That single roar caused cold sweat to break out across Taurus's body. Trembling, he waited until the bone fragment sank into the pool before tossing in the second bundle.
"Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master."
What he threw into the pool was, of course, not his own flesh. It had been cut from Bellatrix in Azkaban. He was neither Voldemort's servant nor willing to sacrifice his own flesh, so he could not fulfill the ritual's requirements himself.
After throwing in Bellatrix's flesh, Taurus opened two more boxes. One contained a piece of decayed flesh, and the other held a tuft of dark fur.
"Flesh of the goddess of death, grant him authority over the underworld; fur of the world-devouring wolf, allow him to consume heaven and earth."
After adding the divine remains of the two deities, the surface of the pool returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
Looking at the still water, a sense of unease rose in Taurus's heart. He had a faint feeling that something dangerous was brewing beneath the surface.
Taurus even felt the urge to abandon everything and flee the cave. But that was impossible. Everything he had was given by the secret order; he could not betray its plans.
He forcibly suppressed the unease in his heart and continued by adding the enemy's blood. This was the easiest component to obtain—one could simply grab a random wizard in Diagon Alley and draw a vial of blood. After all, there were few wizards who had no enmity with Voldemort.
However, Taurus had not been careless. This vial of blood had been carefully selected. Its owner was named Neville Longbottom.
Once the blood entered the pool, the delicate balance seemed to be broken. The liquid began to boil again, and diamond-like sparks flew everywhere. Wherever they landed on a person, they instantly formed large blisters.
Enduring the pain, Taurus opened the final box and poured in the dragon's blood of the ultimate black dragon, Nidhogg.
The dragon's blood completely detonated the pool. Like a volcanic eruption, the surging liquid engulfed Taurus. This powerful ascetic of the secret order let out only a muffled grunt before disappearing, not even having the chance to deploy his domain.
After a long time, the commotion in the cave gradually subsided. Aries, who had been driven outside the cave by Taurus before the ritual began, cautiously returned.
The terrain within the cave had completely changed. Aries nearly lost her way inside, but eventually she reached the pool.
At this moment, the liquid in the pool was as black as ink. Everything had fallen into an eerie stillness, and Taurus was nowhere to be seen.
Summoning her courage, Aries waited by the pool for a while. Just as she was growing impatient and considering returning to report to headquarters, things finally began to change.
The inky darkness in the pool started to fade bit by bit. After some time, Aries saw Voldemort curled up at the bottom. Like an infant, he continuously absorbed the pool's liquid into his body, then expelled it after filtering it.
With each intake and expulsion, the color of the liquid gradually lightened.
When the pool finally became crystal clear, Voldemort opened his eyes.
With a splash, he stepped out of the pool naked. He was tall and thin, like a skeleton.
"I have never been this powerful. I am now invincible… Dress me!" A cold, sharp voice sounded beside Aries.
Born with a high affinity for divine remains, Aries had lived a smooth life from the very beginning. She had never done anything like serving others, so Voldemort's command angered her.
But when she raised her head and met Voldemort's gaze, she faltered.
Those were blood-red eyes, with vertical pupils and a bright orange glow within—just like a snake's. There was not a trace of human emotion in them, not even negative emotions such as hatred.
Voldemort's appearance had also changed drastically.
Aries had seen him before—a handsome young man. That had been the appearance of the soul fragment within the Horcrux, the form Voldemort had at the time of creating it.
But now, he was nothing short of a monster.
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI