Ghost's Evolution

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Voldemort let out a sigh of relief, thinking he had saved his life. However, his happiness was premature. He realized that Ivan was still glaring at him, and he couldn't afford to miss this perfect opportunity for revenge.

Ivan, determined to take advantage of the situation, began to unleash a barrage of spells aimed at Voldemort, including bone-crushing, disabling, and more. Finally, a spell struck Voldemort, producing a loud crack, and he was forcefully ejected from the speeding train.

Voldemort reluctantly attempted to cast a protective spell, but Ivan's magical assault was too overwhelming. It propelled Voldemort into the air, and he tumbled heavily on the ground, his cloak torn to shreds, revealing his true appearance. He was no longer the snake-like monster from the future but a handsome 34-year-old man, with a chilling look in his eyes.

Severely injured, Voldemort realized the true extent of Ivan's power and acknowledged that he was no match in a magical showdown.

As Ivan confidently advanced toward Voldemort, Voldemort suddenly lifted his head, his eyes emitting a bright light, and he shouted, "Nagini, attack"

The ground split open, and a massive python rose into the sky, its jaws wide open, lunging at Ivan. This was Voldemort's loyal pet, Nagini, who was his most trusted and intimate companion.

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Ivan remained composed. As Nagini's jaws closed in, Ivan leaped forward, striking the lower jaw and exclaiming,

"Expelliarmus"

Nagini let out a howl as it was launched into the sky and crashed heavily back to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. If the snake weren't inherently resilient, Ivan's punch would have been fatal.

"You know, my true expertise lies not in magic, but in close combat. There's something uniquely satisfying about delivering blows to the flesh. Would you like to experience it?" Ivan taunted, flexing his fists, eager for another round.

Voldemort, watching his pet Nagini's uncertain fate and Ivan's mocking smile, couldn't help but cough up blood.

Among wizards, a common understanding was that physical vulnerability was the Achilles' heel of their kind. Without magic, they were hardly stronger than regular people. Ivan's exceptional physical abilities had turned this assumption on its head. He had thoroughly outmatched Voldemort, who was not only physically injured but had also underestimated his opponent's prowess.

Voldemort, enduring the pain, contemplated using the Displacement Phantom to escape, plotting his vengeance for another day. But his expression changed when he realized that his escape spell was ineffective. It appeared that the surrounding space was somehow restrained.

Ivan understood what was happening as he saw Voldemort's terrified expression. He had arranged for the Red Devil to use his supernatural powers to lock down the space. With this power in place, there was no escape. Ivan didn't care about Voldemort's other magic tricks; in his eyes, they were child's play. If Voldemort wanted to escape, it was at Ivan's discretion.

"What's the matter, Dark Lord? It seems you can't run away. How about we have a little chat before I finish you off? I have some questions for you, and if you answer honestly, you might just spare your life."

Voldemort seethed with anger, having never suffered such a defeat in his life. He hadn't felt this powerless since childhood. Even when facing Dumbledore, he always had some means to fight back. But now, he was under attack from Ivan's associates, powerful beings, and he could no longer entertain thoughts of escape.

Voldemort had already initiated dark magic to create several clones of himself, ensuring that even if he died, he had a chance to be resurrected. However, when Ivan mentioned this, Voldemort's face contorted in shock. "How did you know about my soul fragments?"

"I'm not sure many people possess my level of magical knowledge. The first time I encountered you, I sensed that your soul was fragmented. It seemed to be the result of creating clones with your soul. You must be aware of the drawbacks of such soul fragments, even if the absorbed soul power compensates for the damage during the creation of the clones. The lingering effects of an incomplete soul are unmistakable: irritability, quick temper, inability to think clearly, and a propensity for self-destruction. Now, you are the primary subject. Once I find a shard, I can use your master soul as a guide to curse and destroy the other soul fragments. You will never be able to resurrect. So, I suggest you answer my questions truthfully."

Gritting his teeth, Voldemort realized his final trump card had been exposed. "Who are you to know this? How did you discover my secret?"

"I don't think many people can rival me in magical knowledge. I deduced your secret when I first encountered you. Now, if you don't answer my questions truthfully, I'll use other methods to extract the information directly from your mind, such as Divine Mind Ingestion. So, it's in your best interest to answer honestly. You might have a chance to save your life."

Voldemort felt cornered by Ivan's audacious tactics. Even though he initially hoped to negotiate with Ivan for clemency, he found himself outmaneuvered by Ivan's unwavering resolve.

"Fine, I'll talk. You want to know about this ambush. This time, I made a deal with high-ranking individuals in the United Kingdom to hand you over to them. If they couldn't capture you alive, they were authorized to kill you on the spot. Upon my success, I would receive support from the British high-ranking officials to establish my power. The British were surprisingly willing to deal with just me. They offered generous conditions and even paid a significant deposit upfront. Little did I know that it was a trap. If I had known your true strength, I wouldn't have accepted, no matter how attractive their terms were."

"As expected, I was too hasty and driven by personal gain. I'm not British, but they were willing to grant me an Earl's title to gain my allegiance. This is unprecedented in British history." Voldemort's revelation shed light on the situation but left Ivan somewhat uneasy.

"Dr. Ivan, the British have dared to plot against us like this. We should make them pay" The Red Devil, who had just returned to Ivan after defeating the Death Eaters, couldn't help but interject.

Ivan waved his hand dismissively. "It's unnecessary. This was, in fact, a test from the British side. They have already compensated me, haven't they?"

The Red Devil was taken aback. "Compensation? Where is it? I haven't heard about it."

"The compensation comes in the form of that Earl title and the ability to choose your territory. The news has already circulated earlier. You may think the British high-ranking officials are naïve to grant such high status to a foreigner, but it's not because of my foreign origins. The titles and territories are a reward for services rendered and an acknowledgment of my identity. They were prepared before they ambushed me. Had I been captured, I would have become their captive, forced to conduct research in their laboratory for the rest of my life. Now that the capture attempt has failed, we've demonstrated our formidable power, and they offered the title and territory as compensation."

The Red Devil suddenly understood. "I see now. I thought we were at a disadvantage. Maybe we should pay a visit to the King of England and give them a piece of our mind."

"No, I'm not planning to go anymore. I'll return to Skull Island to continue my research."

"Don't you want the title and territory?"

"Of course, but it doesn't matter whether I'm present or not. The titles and territories will be handed over to me, and I'll have Kerry manage them."

With the matter resolved, Ivan was about to recall the Red Devil and let him depart. However, he noticed a change in the Ghost's behavior.

The Ghost approached one of the wizards he had slain, placed his hand on the corpse's head, and slowly lifted it, forming a claw with his five fingers. He extracted a phantom from the corpse, a soul, and compressed it into a dark ball. Ivan, with his keen perception, could see the tortured face inside the ball, silently screaming and suffering, though no sound emanated. Soon, the small ball was consumed by Ghost.

Astonished, Ivan realized that the Ghost was devouring the souls of the deceased. The Ghost then continued this process with the other fallen wizards, consuming their souls. Ivan did not attempt to stop the Ghost; he wanted to observe what was happening.

Once the Ghost had devoured the soul of the last wizard, he approached Ivan and bowed, paying his respects. Simultaneously, a surge of spiritual power flowed into Ivan's mind.

"Ghost greets its master."

Ivan, taken aback, mumbled, "No need for formalities."

"Ghost, you... you can speak"