Upon hearing Ethan's voice, the branches—woven from bone and gristle—quivered slightly. Like a serpent awakening from a long slumber, they began to slither with a dry, sibilant rustle.
[Haah...]
Her lips parted slightly, exhaling a damp, ragged breath that betrayed a flicker of primal gluttony. The allure of dense, concentrated magic was finally stirring this long-dormant "tree" back to life.
In an instant, countless scarlet tendrils surged across the ground, weaving themselves into a shifting carpet of flesh as they slowly closed in on Ethan.
Pierce... drink... devour this body brimming with supreme magic!
The instinctive hunger twisted that once-pure face into something truly hideous.
"Another one eroded by the remains of the Death God, I see," Ethan murmured.
Even under the looming threat of death, his expression didn't flicker. He watched the distorted Nagini with the detached gaze of a judging angel looking down upon a fallen wretch.
The "hunchbacked girl," Naga, was indeed Nagini—Voldemort's Horcrux and a Maledictus. She was also a monster who had lost her humanity after consuming a fragment of the Death God. It was likely she had been sent to assassinate him under the direct orders of the Death God's avatar.
The moment he saw her face, Ethan understood everything. He was surprised, but only mildly so. After all, regardless of Naga's true identity, his goal remained unchanged: to use the "Lamp" of light to purge evil and seize the other half of the Death God's remains!
Click, click.
Sparks ignited between Ethan's teeth, reflecting in his cold, cobalt-blue eyes. The intricate syllables of a Dragon-Fire curse sat poised on the tip of his tongue.
But then, Ethan's eyes flickered, and the sparks slowly died out.
"...Wait, something's still not right."
"Swallowing a fragment of the Death God should twist both the body and the soul, just like that experimental maniac beneath Azkaban. But Nagini's physical form in the real world hasn't mutated."
She had simply been eroded by cursed blood, permanently trapped in the form of a beast. Ethan recalled the first clue he had found regarding the Death God's remains:
[The "Snake" that is not a snake swallowed the remains of the God. The soul fell into a deep slumber.]
[And the body gained a lifespan and power far beyond its own.]
"Body and soul... the consciousness falls asleep, leaving only animal instinct..."
As the scarlet branches drew closer, the suffocating scent of rust and iron filled the air, causing a fine rash to prickle against Ethan's skin. His eyes shimmered with the cold, calculating wisdom inherent to a Ravenclaw.
"...Nagini's body and soul are separate! Her body belongs to the beast, but her soul is trapped in a slumber caused by the Death God's fragment!"
In that case... Nagini might still be saved!
Ethan looked up at the head with its closed eyes. He pressed a hand to the side of his neck and grinned. "Practice is the sole criterion for truth. Before I'm forced to destroy your beautiful form, let's test my theory!"
After all, he wasn't a mindless killer like Voldemort; he had a sense of aesthetic.
The moment he finished speaking, a cold glint suddenly erupted from the side of his neck! A frigid chill poured forth, like clouds parting to reveal a piercingly bright crescent moon.
Stimulated by the sharp burst of magic, the scarlet branches on the ground lunged! They transformed into a dense thicket of needle-sharp arrows, raining down on Ethan from all directions!
[Give me... your power!!]
The head shrieked, though even more tears surged from her tightly shut eyes.
"Not this part!"
Ethan moved the "Crescent Moon" aside, revealing two side-by-side bite marks beneath it. Set into his skin like rubies, they radiated a scent of bloodlust and wildness. It was the mark Nagini had left when she bit him before.
"Nagini!" Ethan shouted, his voice booming like a war drum.
He stared directly into the face eroded by death and barked, "Do you no longer recognize the person you once begged so desperately for help?!"
It was as if someone had hit a pause button.
The moment Ethan displayed the bite mark, every branch froze. The sharp tips, capable of skewering flesh with ease, hovered less than an arm's length away from him. Another second, and Ethan would have been turned into a sieve.
[...Begged... for help...?]
A raspy voice echoed. Nagini's head trembled, her previous madness replaced by a slow, hesitant turn toward Ethan.
A long silence followed. Veins and vessels throbbed violently across her skin, a picture of agonizing struggle. It was as if reason were tearing through the chaos, fighting a war against instinct.
Then, those closed eyelids slowly fluttered open.
Wet, clear black eyes—shimmering like a mountain spring—looked at Ethan with a mixture of shock and joy. Her voice trembled as she spoke:
[Is it you, my Master? Ah, you've come for me...]
M-Master?
Ethan's rock-solid composure nearly shattered at that sudden ambush of a title.
...He felt like he'd been hearing that word a bit too often lately. It wasn't as if he actually had that kind of hobby.
"Ahem," Ethan cleared his throat, removed his pure white mask, and nodded. "Good. It seems you can still hold a conversation. If you'd gone completely mad, I would have had to burn this beautiful form of yours. That would have been a waste."
[Beautiful... am I...?]
Nagini looked at Ethan in a daze, seeing the genuine admiration in his eyes. She looked down at her own twisted, grotesque body. Even back when she was still human, Ethan had never looked at her like that.
[Heh... you really are... as unique as ever.]
Nagini spoke softly, her eyes curving into a smile.
"Let's skip the pleasantries," Ethan said, his eyes burning with intense curiosity. "You have a fragment of the Death God's soul, don't you? What exactly happened to you? After Grindelwald, what did you go through to end up like this?"
His questions came like rapid-fire, completely unreserved. His tone was light, as if he weren't facing a terrifying monster but simply catching up with an old friend.
At his words, Nagini's face grew a shade paler, and her tree-like body shuddered.
[...Yes, I do have the remains of the Death God. It is within my body.]
Meeting Ethan's suddenly brightened gaze, Nagini's expression softened. [I am, of course, willing to give it to you. But before that, let me answer your other questions... regarding how I became this way. And, regarding the Death God's true identity!]
Ethan's eyebrows shot up, a flash of genuine astonishment crossing his face.
The Death God's true identity!
The remains were a discarded body, which meant that before becoming a "God," the Death God must have been a real "person." But Ethan had never found a single clue about this. History books held no records. It was as if the "God" had simply appeared as naturally as the sun rising or the stars fading.
Nagini continued: [After you disappeared, I stayed with the Dumbledore Army, searching for the whereabouts of Grindelwald and my last family member—the Obscurial, Credence Barebone. During the final battle, Credence... eventually succumbed to exhaustion and died.]
Ethan nodded. He knew this part of the story. Although the Obscurial had eventually turned back to the light, helping Newt defeat Grindelwald's forces, he had still perished. Or rather, surviving that long with an Obscurus was already a testament to his extraordinary talent. No wonder Grindelwald had coveted his power.
"Man, the Dumbledores really have the worst luck," Ethan remarked, clicking his tongue. "They could star in their own tragedy series."
But Nagini's next words hit Ethan like a sledgehammer, jolting his spirit.
[...After that, Credence became the 'Death God.']
Ethan: "??!"
His eyes widened abruptly, his usually calm face showing a rare look of shock.
The "deceased" Obscurial, Dumbledore's nephew, was the Death God?!!
The Dumbledore family really is full of talent!
Ethan nearly choked. If he wasn't so good at processing information—and if Nagini had any reason to lie—he would never have believed the Death God was that kid.
"Sigh, that kid's luck is something else! I knew his role wasn't over!"
"Does dying just turn you into a god? Maybe I should give it a try..." Ethan rubbed his chin, falling into serious thought.
Nagini: [...Master, everyone's path is unique.]
She advised him worriedly, terrified that her newly recognized master might choose to drop dead right in front of her. After a pause, she continued: [I don't know how he did it, but the scent on these remains belongs to him. I could never mistake it!]
Ethan: "Well, you two certainly had a... close relationship."
Nagini: [...]
Her branches shook as she took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing the overflowing dark power within her. Her dark, grape-like eyes welled with tears as she rasped:
[I shamelessly beseech you once more, Master! Please, help Credence! He has lost himself! He is less a god and more a puppet of fate! How can someone who has entirely discarded their past, their body, and their humanity ever be a proper god? Just as Voldemort fears death, Credence can never control something he himself is afraid of... but you are different.]
Nagini looked up at Ethan, her eyes filled with absolute trust and conviction.
[You are someone who can dominate fate. You paint destiny; you are not controlled by it. Please... take Credence's place and become the God of the New World!! Set this poor soul, wrapped in the shackles of fate, free.]
---As a child, he was swapped at birth, lost his parents, was tortured into an Obscurial by his foster mother, targeted by Grindelwald, and finally died of exhaustion.
In the torrent of fate, he was like a paper boat—adrift, lost, and suffering. Even after discarding everything human to become a god, he had only become a puppet of fate. It was pitiable.
"And yet," Ethan murmured, looking at the distorted Nagini, "there was still someone who cared about you."
Nagini: [After that, I wandered everywhere, waiting for my inevitable transformation into a beast. I intended to have Mr. Dumbledore end my life at the very end... but I didn't expect Voldemort to target me. As my soul was on the verge of vanishing, I accidentally swallowed the Death God's remains, resulting in this state where my body and soul are split...]
Perhaps it was due to the unique nature of the Blood Curse that such a peculiar situation had arisen.
Come to think of it, if Nagini participated personally, would the Blood Curse cure research go more smoothly? Ethan mused.
Squelch, squelch.
The tree made of flesh and bone writhed, and from within, a mass of glowing, ethereal light slowly bubbled to the surface. The powerful, deep magic radiating from it allowed Ethan to recognize it instantly.
This was the piece of the Death God's remains he had been searching for!
[Give it... to you...]
Nagini's voice grew strangely weak, but Ethan, captivated by the remains, didn't notice. Like an offering, she wrapped her branches around the treasure—or perhaps the source of all evil—and submissively handed it to Ethan.
Ethan took it naturally. It was a round, soft-surfaced object that emitted a brilliant light and a faint, sweet fragrance.
[Congratulations! You have obtained a piece of the Death God's remains—The other half of the brain, the Fruit of Light!]
[Fruit of Light: This fruit is always eager to help dying lives, but it cares little for the final form the life takes. It takes root and sprouts within flesh, eventually merging with it completely.]
[Contains powerful magic for growth and mutation. Its beautiful, brilliant appearance is like the forbidden fruit that tempts one to fall.]
[Crush it or use a painting to seize its power to deal a heavy blow to the Death God.]
Another piece of the remains acquired!
Ethan's eyes sparkled with joy as he spoke quickly: "Another material for a Level 4 Advanced Painting! And with some artistic processing, it'll be judged as a 'heavy blow' to the Death God!"
"My grand plan for Hogwarts' transformation was just missing a complete piece of the remains like this!"
Previously, he'd had to defeat the monsters guarding the remains first, which usually damaged the purity of the materials. But this time, he had obtained a perfectly intact specimen!
"Heh heh heh~ It was worth all that time searching for clues. It really fell right into my lap."
Ethan curled his lips into a smile and happily stowed the treasure away. He looked up and smiled at Nagini. "By the way, we're researching a potion to cure the Blood Curse. Do you want to join—"
Ethan's words cut off abruptly.
Before him, Nagini was almost entirely withered! The previously plump, glossy scarlet branches had shriveled into a greyish-white mess. It looked as if countless matches had been piled together; the entire tree had shrunk by more than half.
Nagini's head hung at a crooked angle, her breath shallow and weak. Her once-vibrant black eyes were now turning dull and grey.
However, meeting Ethan's stunned gaze, she still managed a faint, raspy smile:
[Please... take my flesh, take everything I can give... Master. Please, become a true god who cares for the weak...]
She let out a long, slow breath, as if exhaling a lifetime of pain. A final spark of gratitude flickered in her eyes.
[Thank you for staying with me until the very end... my best Master...]
---This body was constructed by the Death God's remains. Losing the core was the equivalent of losing her heart! She would die rapidly within moments.
Only now did Ethan notice the warmth clinging to the fruit in his hand.
...She had carved out her own heart to give it to him.
"...Is this fate, too? A cursed person destined to die tragically?"
Ethan lowered his head, his fingers tightening around the fruit. Then, he suddenly snapped his eyes up, a sharp, arrow-like glint shooting from his cobalt irises!
"But I, Ethan Vincent, love saying 'No' to this bullshit thing called fate!"
As the words left his mouth, Ethan flipped his wrist, and a pyramid-shaped object suddenly appeared in his palm!
"Go, Ice Prison!"
"Freeze this collapsing Nagini right at the moment before her death!"
Under Nagini's stunned gaze, the magical artifact traced a graceful arc through the air. The moment it touched her—
BOOM!
Massive clusters of translucent, hardened ice erupted! Within seconds, a mountain of ice several meters high had formed, sealing Nagini completely within.
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze