#231 - Section 231

Do you know what happened to those who threatened me in the past?

"Stop with the 'you, you, you'! Do you agree to this deal or not?!"

As Ethan's words fell, the ring of fire surrounding them shrank inward again.

The intent of this threat was obvious: either agree or stay here.

"Impossible! I have no deal to make with you!"

Voldemort completely broke down, his hoarse throat emitting a beast-like sound, his scarlet eyes fixed on Ethan.

Now, Ethan was at the top of his list of people to kill.

How could he, a mere junior who came out of nowhere, try to pressure him?

Even if he was stronger than Voldemort in his current state, so what? He had Horcruxes and couldn't be killed.

If the plan was thwarted, so be it. It wasn't like there wouldn't be another chance. As long as he existed in this world, there would always be opportunities, it would just be a matter of waiting.

He would never humiliatingly bow his head like this.

That's right, he still had Horcruxes.

Ever since the failed attempt to seize the Philosopher's Stone at Hogwarts, the Horcruxes had been destroyed at a rate of one every few months, until the last one was destroyed a few months ago.

But he could still sense something, and there was still an anchor in this world, which meant he still had a Horcrux, just one that even he didn't remember, one he didn't know how he got.

After examining his memories during this time, there was only one moment when a Horcrux could have been created: the day he died.

And the sacrifice was himself, rebounded by the Killing Curse.

Even he didn't know about this Horcrux, so no one else could possibly know. Moreover, Harry Potter was still under Dumbledore's protection, making it the safest Horcrux.

Therefore, with Harry Potter's existence, he still had hope of making a comeback.

However, Voldemort was still unclear about one thing: his Horcrux, Hufflepuff's Cup, was stored in the Lestrange family's Gringotts vault, as Bellatrix had told him.

But this Horcrux was destroyed the day after the Gringotts break-in.

Voldemort didn't know whether this Balrog had personally done it or had sold his Horcrux as a treasure, allowing someone else to destroy it.

Logically speaking, the Balrog had no conflict of interest with him, and even if he discovered his Horcrux, he wouldn't destroy it directly. Doing a deal with him or threatening him, like now, would be more likely.

Or perhaps he had obtained the Horcrux but didn't know who it belonged to, so he simply destroyed it without a second thought.

Voldemort hadn't figured out exactly what had happened even now.

But in any case, he had put this debt on Ethan's head.

Another thing was that the Balrog's strength was increasing extremely abnormally.

When he fought him initially, although he was considered a fairly strong wizard, even among his Death Eaters, few were qualified to fight him, but he was still far from his level of strength.

But the commotion he had caused recently, which he had gone to see, was far stronger than before, and he had even managed to leave Dumbledore's presence unscathed.

This strength had undoubtedly reached the pinnacle of the wizarding world, and that last move proved it.

The opponent was extremely proficient in the Fiendfyre Curse, even more so than himself.

But even so, none of this was a reason for him to compromise.

"Is that so?"

"Then you can stay here now."

Ethan shrugged indifferently, as he was the one with the advantage now.

"Heh heh!"

Voldemort stared intently at Ethan with his scarlet eyes, showing no fear.

As long as he found an opportunity, he would reclaim everything he had lost today.

"I know your trump card: you created Horcruxes. As long as the Horcruxes aren't destroyed, you can't die no matter what."

"But I can seal you away. As long as I live for one day, you can forget about getting out."

Ethan sneered and waved his hand, causing the soaring orange-red flames around them to crash down.

"Wait!"

Just as the flames were less than two meters away from him, Voldemort suddenly shouted.

Abandoning his current deformed body, Voldemort was indeed not afraid, but being sealed away was something he couldn't accept.

Everyone knew that wizards could live for quite a long time, especially those with great power. If they played it safe, they could live for hundreds of years. No one knew how long this seal would last.

More importantly, although Harry, the Horcrux, was hidden and unknown to anyone, he was a living person, and clearly not long for this world. It was fine now with Dumbledore protecting him, but what if Dumbledore died? How many years could he live?

What if something unexpected happened and he died, or simply died of old age? Without a Horcrux, he would definitely be easily destroyed.

"What else do you have to say?"

Ethan, who had stopped the flames, looked at Voldemort with a mocking expression.

Looking at Ethan like this, the veins on Voldemort's forehead throbbed. From Ethan's eyes, he could see the meaning: he had been so tough just now, but now he had softened. Was this the Dark Lord?

But when you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head.

"Negotiations aren't impossible!"

Hearing this, Peter breathed a sigh of relief. He really thought he was going to die just now.

He had done so much to survive, even acting as a spy and killing his best brother. If he capsized here, he would really be unwilling.

"Isn't it better to face reality sooner?"

"Speaking of which, that Hufflepuff's Cup I obtained inside Gringotts was made into a Horcrux. Could it be yours?!"

"As everyone knows, the Lestranges are your loyal followers. It's very likely that a Horcrux appearing in their vault is yours."

"If so, then I apologize to you. I've already cleared that thing away."

Looking at Ethan's lack of sincerity, Voldemort could only snort and assert his presence.

As expected, his Horcrux was destroyed by this bastard.

"What kind of deal do you want to make?"

Voldemort really didn't want to argue with Ethan, fearing he would be angered to death.

"It's very simple. After obtaining Hufflepuff's Cup, I'm also interested in the other relics of the Hogwarts founders. Except for Gryffindor's Sword, which has always been at Hogwarts, the whereabouts of the others are unknown. I hope you can bring me Gryffindor's Sword."

Ethan quickly stated his goal.

There aren't many things in the wizarding world worth collecting. The few that have visible value and appeared in the original work are just those.

The ones he hasn't obtained yet are Gryffindor's Sword, the Invisibility Cloak, and the Elder Wand.

He'll still have a chance to get the Invisibility Cloak later. Dumbledore definitely won't let go of the Elder Wand unless he dies, which is something his old flame left behind.

"If you want it, go and snatch it!"

Voldemort looked at Ethan somewhat dumbfounded. He wanted it too!

If he could have obtained it back then, he would have definitely made Gryffindor's Sword into a Horcrux.

But that thing was in Dumbledore's hands, and he had no way to get it.

Even in his prime, he couldn't snatch it from Dumbledore. Now he's asking this useless version of himself to snatch it?

He's probably lost his mind.

0 Seeking flowers

"If I could snatch it, why would I be looking for you?"

Ethan said this with righteous confidence, even giving Voldemort a contemptuous look as if he were an idiot.

"You…"

Voldemort was furious.

Kill him, he absolutely had to kill him!

"According to your plan, isn't the final stage of the Triwizard Tournament when you're going to attack Harry Potter?"

"The main purpose is to use his blood to resurrect you. I just need you to add one step: use Harry Potter to trade with Dumbledore for Gryffindor's Sword."

"Given how much Dumbledore values him, plus the fact that you've been resurrected, the importance of that savior of his will be infinitely heightened. Dumbledore definitely won't refuse."

Ethan had already thought out how to operate it.

Ethan himself could also kidnap Harry to exchange for Gryffindor's Sword, but he didn't want to attract hatred.

Naturally, it was best for Voldemort, who already had so many debts, not to worry about more.

Otherwise, if he wanted to obtain Gryffindor's Sword, he would have to wait for Dumbledore to kick the bucket before making a move. Ethan didn't want to wait several years. Who knows when he would be willing to go offline without the Resurrection Stone as a pitfall.

"How did you know about the plan and even find this place?"

Voldemort had been brooding over this point.

If he hadn't accurately found him and said that if he left, it would ruin his plan, he would have left long ago. How could he still be here putting up with his anger?

Voldemort would never let go of the traitor who leaked his plan.

"I accidentally saw it during the Triwizard Tournament. After all, seeing that illustrious Auror, it's normal to pry into his thoughts, right?"

"Who would have thought the truth would be like this? It gave me an unexpected gain."

So it was Barty Crouch. If it was him, Voldemort was certain that he would never betray him.

It was just that he encountered this unscrupulous guy and was exposed by having his mind probed.

But this guy in front of him could see through him. What about others?

Although Barty Crouch also knew Occlumency, his level was really just so-so. Once Dumbledore became suspicious, then…

Looking at Voldemort, who was deep in thought, Ethan unceremoniously shouted:

"Can the deal be made or not? Say something."

"What can you offer?"

It wasn't that the deal couldn't be made. Gryffindor's Sword, no matter how precious, was just a dead object. It couldn't compare to the importance of Harry Potter in Dumbledore's heart. If he used Harry Potter to trade, he would definitely succeed.

Moreover, he couldn't kill Harry in a short time. At least until he made a new Horcrux, Harry had to live. It was appropriate to let him go back using this method.

There was also one point: this was a deal, and the Balrog would eventually come to pick up the goods.

When he was completely resurrected, he would properly tell him how to respect his seniors.

Even if the Balrog showed strength on the same level as him, Voldemort still had confidence in himself.

After all, even among those on the same level, there were strong and weak.

"I'll give you a chance to live. Is that enough?"

As Ethan's words fell, the surrounding flames became even more intense.

"Enough!"

Looking at Voldemort, who was extremely unwilling, Ethan was afraid he would grind his teeth to pieces.

"Hey, you, come over and be a witness. You know about the Unbreakable Vow, right?"

Ethan casually pointed to a Death Eater following behind Peter.

"I know!"

The Death Eater who was named by Ethan answered quite honestly.

He couldn't afford to offend someone who dared to threaten Voldemort and forcibly get something for nothing. Moreover, the other party's Legilimency was quite proficient. If he lied, the consequences would be imaginable.

"Good that you know!"

Then, under his witness, Ethan and Voldemort directly made a vow.

The vow required Voldemort to hand over Gryffindor's Sword to him within seven months, while Ethan didn't need to pay anything.

The reason it was seven months was because the final match was in June. Voldemort would definitely have no problem getting Gryffindor's Sword at that time.

Moreover, even if Voldemort was reborn, this vow would still be in effect unless he changed his soul, but that was impossible.

"Alright, then I'll leave first. Notify me after you obtain Gryffindor's Sword."

With that, Ethan waved his hand, dispelling the surrounding flames. After leaving a copy of 'Wizards' Mail,' he directly Apparated away.