"Smoke Rope Curse?"
Muttering to himself, Voldemort hovered in mid-air, raising his palm. Large amounts of debris below flew upward, circling slowly around Voldemort's body before rapidly transforming into sharp snake fangs that shot toward Sean.
Seeing this, Sean's smoke-wreathed form retreated swiftly. His wand moved continuously like a conductor's baton as surrounding debris flew before him, transforming into shields to block the barrage of fangs.
However, those fangs transformed and struck with terrifying speed. Sean's shields couldn't keep pace. As the fangs rained down toward him, Sean swept his wand with practised ease, drawing out a wisp of white cold air from the tip.
"Frost Domain!"
A frigid wind swept past, freezing everything in its path with sharp cracks and snaps.
A thick ice wall materialised before Sean. Though the snake fangs were wickedly sharp and blindingly fast, they still couldn't penetrate the continuously freezing and thickening barrier.
Seeing the ice wall appear and the surrounding environment turn glacial, Voldemort's face showed a trace of surprise. He'd never encountered magic like this before. In the wizarding world, ice-based magic was exceedingly rare, and even Voldemort hadn't heard of one with such devastating power.
"Magic of this magnitude—you can't be nobody, and you also know the Smoke Rope Curse... Tell me, which Horcrux did you derive from?"
Regarding Voldemort's guess, Sean didn't correct him. Whether in the main body's or soul fragment's eyes, he was derived from some Horcrux. So Sean simply confirmed their speculation—perhaps it would have unexpected effects.
"The diary! I derived it from the diary. Two years ago, Lucius Malfoy stuffed the diary into a Weasley and sent me to Hogwarts. Then I released the Basilisk and ultimately occupied this body."
Voldemort's hands came together. Those snake fangs and debris immediately gathered, forming a massive fang like a stone pillar that shot toward Sean. Simultaneously, he said, "Interesting. From your appearance, you seem prepared to betray the main body?"
"We're all parts of Voldemort. You call that one who fell before an infant the main body, but in my view, there's no difference—all just fragments of a split soul. If occupying flesh first makes one the main body, then that soul fragment that's lost even its body is probably worse off than us."
"An interesting argument. Then why did you release me from Ravenclaw's Diadem?"
As he spoke, Voldemort suddenly opened his mouth, spewing a stream of blazing Fiendfyre. The cursed flames churned continuously around him, forming a massive fire serpent with a flickering tongue, lunging to devour Sean whole.
Seeing this, Sean mirrored the technique, also casting Fiendfyre. He opened his mouth, spewing crimson flames that became a fire serpent similar to his Animagus form but wingless, crashing head-on into Voldemort's viper.
The two Fiendfyre serpents entwined together, attacking and consuming each other in a display of raw magical violence.
Sean and Voldemort continued their conversation.
"Releasing you is naturally to merge you with me, strengthen our power, and in turn defeat that repeatedly failing false main body. As they say, the main body position rotates—today it comes to my house. Why can't I be the main body?"
"What about me then?"
"You merge and unify with me—you are me, I am you. Naturally we'll become the main body together!"
"Then who leads and who follows?"
"I awakened first, so naturally I lead and you follow!"
"But you're just a student-period soul fragment, while I'm from the peak period. You're inferior to me!"
The two Fiendfyre serpents mutually annihilated. Just then, Sean pointed three times in rapid succession. Three debris mountains suddenly transformed—countless chains shot from within, coiling toward Voldemort. The barbs on those chains promised instant dismemberment once they truly entangled Voldemort.
Voldemort raised his hand in a grasping gesture. Instantly, grotesque and rotting hands extended from the void, grabbing all the chains out of thin air, preventing them from approaching.
Simultaneously, even larger rotting hands erupted from the ground beneath Sean's feet, one above and one below, grabbing toward his body. Once caught, they would surely wring Sean's body into a twisted mess.
The rotting hands seized Sean, but in that moment, his eyes shifted, becoming vertical pupils. His body suddenly expanded and elongated as he performed his Animagus transformation, instantly becoming the White Serpent King.
Bang!
Broad white wings spread wide, their feather-like elongated scales like countless blades, instantly shredding the grabbing rotting hands into ribbons. Simultaneously, Sean soared into the air, his massive serpentine body hovering as he opened his mouth to spray blazing dragon's breath flames at Voldemort.
However, the dragon's breath flames seemed blocked by an invisible barrier and couldn't approach.
At the same time, Voldemort extended his hand again. A massive rotting hand far larger than before, almost able to completely grasp Sean in its palm, emerged from the void and lunged toward him.
Seeing the giant rotting hand block his path, Sean's body instantly shrank to finger-thickness, then used dragon fire acceleration, transforming into a white afterimage trailing a thin flame stream that vanished from Voldemort's sight.
Seeing this, black smoke exploded from Voldemort's body, forming countless black skulls that shot in all directions.
Sean, however, moved with supernatural agility, appearing behind Voldemort in an instant, his body rapidly enlarging to coil around Voldemort's form.
Just as he was about to strike, massive numbers of rotting hands reappeared, grasping Shaun's body inch by inch, rendering him immobile.
Looking at the restrained Sean, Voldemort's mouth curved into a cold smile. "You're still too young. Though your Animagus ability was indeed beyond my expectations, and this ability actually possesses tremendous magical power, for me, none of this matters. Once the Hands of Decay grasp you, you cannot escape!"
"I never said I wanted to escape."
Hearing this, Voldemort immediately sensed danger. Without hesitation, he tried to retreat and open distance.
But in that moment, Sean's eyes suddenly blazed with golden light, wisp after wisp, like a golden spider lily blooming in the darkness.
"Serpent King's Gaze!"