235: You've Come Again
It wasn't surprising that Ambrosius knew about Horcruxes. Despicable Herpo the Foul had existed since ancient times, long before Hogwarts was even founded.
As a Hogwarts student, Ambrosius had his own reasons for coming to the Dragon Field.
Everything had been part of Merlin's calculations.
That legendary wizard seemed to have foreseen that Ambrosius would end up here, which was why he had taught Heimdall the art of prophecy.
Through the prophecy, Heimdall had most likely been referring to Ambrosius. But unfortunately, they had missed each other—leading to the mistake of assuming John was the prophesied one.
"Do all these old wizards have to leave behind ridiculous trials?"
John looked at the youthful Ambrosius, his face full of speechless frustration.
This man had been frozen in the Dragon Field for nearly a thousand years—technically achieving a strange form of immortality.
"As you can see, I'm already dead. To be precise, even my soul is about to dissipate."
Ambrosius spoke about his impending demise as casually as if he were discussing what to eat for breakfast.
He showed no fear in the face of death, only a serene acceptance. "My recklessness left me with nothing but a lingering soul. This power is far from enough to seal the Ice Casket again."
As he spoke, he stood up, dusted himself off, and motioned for John to follow him in a certain direction.
While walking, he continued, "I used time magic to trap the Ice Casket, but as you've seen, not even time can resist eternal freezing."
"Because of me, every dragon that has entered this place has been frozen. They cannot unravel time, nor can they stop the Ice Casket."
Before John's eyes, a deep blue box appeared.
Even in its current state, the chilling aura radiating from the casket sent a wave of cold through him.
"But I've discovered a truly permanent solution." Ambrosius grinned like a sly fox, his eyes narrowing into slits.
He pointed at the Ice Casket and said, "I can't deal with this thing. That Merlin couldn't either. Only you can."
"Me?" John hesitantly pointed at himself.
Ambrosius's voice grew distant and ethereal. "Only a forbidden force can seal away another forbidden force."
In that instant, a spark of realization flashed through John's mind.
He lowered his head and looked at his own hands.
Ambrosius chuckled. "Looks like you've figured it out. The only way to deal with this thing, something that does not belong in the human world, is to banish it from this world."
To remove it from this world—exiling an artifact like this—there was only one method. Another forbidden force.
John sorted out his thoughts and shook his head. "I'm afraid that's impossible. Time, soul, and an immense amount of magic—I'm sorry, but I have none of those."
All three were essential conditions, yet John lacked all of them.
Back when he entered the Door of Objects/Everything, he had relied on a Time-Turner, a Dementor's soul, and a supreme magic crystal—three forces colliding in a massive explosion.
Right now, out of the three necessary conditions, the only one John could barely meet was the supreme magic crystal.
The time sand in his left hand was already half consumed, and the soul in his right hand was nowhere near the level of those twenty-plus Dementors from before.
He rejected Ambrosius's idea outright. Even with the name of Merlin, Ambrosius was still being too fanciful.
"Cautious, yet disregarding certain rules—you really are just like me." Ambrosius wasn't the least bit angry. On the contrary, he looked at John with admiration, clapping his hands. "You're right. With your current strength, it's indeed impossible. But…"
Ambrosius pointed outward. This dreamlike realm was identical to the golden chamber outside.
With a bright, knowing smile, Ambrosius said, "Souls—aren't there plenty of them?"
John followed the direction of his finger, and in an instant, he understood what Ambrosius meant.
The countless dragons buried in the Dragon Field—their souls were an immense source of power.
But even with such an overwhelming amount of souls, without a corresponding force of time, it still couldn't be done.
John turned to look at Ambrosius, this so-called Merlin, who simply grinned at him.
"It's been a pleasure meeting you. If you don't mind, please complete what I could not and accept this insignificant power."
Ambrosius grasped John's hand, his soul gradually turning into golden light. He smiled, carefree and resolute.
"I leave it to you."
And with that, Ambrosius vanished completely.
Crack~!
The scene before John quickly faded away.
His consciousness returned to his body, and a crack appeared on the ice crystal.
Immediately after, web-like fractures spread across the entire surface.
With a forceful push from John, the ice shattered completely.
A narrow gap emerged on the Ice Casket—the very one that Ambrosius had opened with his soul.
It was also the only flaw on the Ice Casket.
Freed from eternal frost, John's left hand shone brilliantly.
The once-dispersed Lock of Time reappeared in his palm, and the symbol of endless cycles—the Möbius strip—fractured, transforming into golden threads coiling around his arm.
[Ding! Mission completed. Rewards: +2 Free Attribute Points, Blessing: Oakwood Mage]
[Oakwood Mage: Increased magic perception, enhanced magic extraction, boosted magic damage]
John grasped his wand in his left hand. The red oak wand now felt like an extension of himself.
Raising his right hand, the black threads on his fingers spread outward.
The golden chamber collapsed, and everywhere his eyes landed, the spirits within the Dragon Field became strikingly visible.
The black threads seized the spirits, pulling them toward John's direction.
The Fiendfyre was on the verge of being completely frozen. Black threads spread across the entire Dragon Field, like a tidal wave of darkness engulfing the land.
In Heimdall's gray-white eyes, John's current form was reflected. Even as the entire Dragon Field trembled violently, Heimdall did not step away.
He knew it was time to assist. His voice echoed in every corner of the Dragon Field.
"O souls of dragons, for the sake of protecting your homeland, offer forth your final strength."
The lingering spirits upon the dragon corpses ascended toward the sky.
Countless specks of light gathered, descending into the black tide below, starkly distinct in contrast.
John absorbed the souls of the dragons.
With a grasp into the void, the Silverwick Sword appeared in his right hand.
The dragon souls clung to the blade, causing it to radiate dazzling brilliance.
The power of time in his left hand transferred onto his wand. The red oak wand erupted with a radiance as blinding as a miniature sun.
Time in the left hand, souls in the right.
Behind him, two wings unfurled—one golden, one dark—continuously absorbing energy.
As the two forces clashed, a terrifying power distorted the surrounding space, encasing John completely.
The Finite Gauntlet, having absorbed the full energy of five super magic crystals, teetered on the brink of shattering. The Philosopher's Stone magnified the magic a hundredfold.
Powerful magic clashed with time and soul energy.
A massive circular formation, with John at its center, enveloped the Icebound Casket.
John aimed at the tiny gap, striking simultaneously with his wand and sword.
Gold, silver, black, and purple.
Four forces twisted together into a single devastating blow, piercing straight into the Icebound Casket.
His body felt unbearably heavy—he could feel dozens of souls surging through him.
Letting out a dragon's roar, golden scales emerged across his skin.
"I need something that can eternally oversee the Icebound Casket." His consciousness wavered, while the dozens of souls within him rushed forward, pouring into the casket one after another.
But it still wasn't enough. The Icebound Casket could even break through time itself.
Time would erode. Souls would perish.
He needed eternity!
Lacking something truly eternal, John felt his power gradually weakening.
At that moment, a voice came from behind him.
"As your senior, I feel obligated to teach you a few things."
A hand, riddled with cracks, firmly grasped John's left hand.
The golden light of time burned ever brighter, finally transforming into a dazzling flame.
"This is the Eternal Flame—Gubraithian Fire."
The appearance of the Gubraithian Fire pushed the four forces to their critical limit.
And then…
The limit shattered.
Time around John froze, even the raging torrents of energy came to a standstill.
Clarity returned to his gaze, and he looked behind him—but the voice from earlier had already vanished.
The spot where the Icebound Casket once rested was now replaced by a gaping rift.
A familiar sensation— the Gate of Matter/Object/Everything.
John's hands were covered in savage wounds, the piercing pain only now registering in his mind.
The supercharged magic crystals embedded in the Infinity Gauntlet had shattered completely.
Swirling purple magic wrapped around his body, slowly being absorbed into him bit by bit.
John took a step forward into the rift—he was already an old acquaintance of this place.
As he entered, the mirror vanished from sight, replaced by endless, raging flames.
"Gubraithian Fire."
The so-called Eternal Flame burned ceaselessly, much like Fiendfyre.
But unlike Fiendfyre, which endlessly devoured everything in its path, Gubraithian Fire simply burned—never spreading, never moving.
Within the flames, the Icebound Casket emitted an eerie, bone-chilling cold.
Something inside seemed to stir, but it could not escape.
A single oak wand was planted in the ground, rapidly growing until it became a towering tree.
It was Ambrosius's oak wand.
The flames burned without harming the tree, while the Icebound Casket was completely sealed within, unable to break free.
"You've ...come ..again."
An old man's voice sounded beside him.
John's lips curled into a slight smile.
Some people die… but never truly perish.
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