Chapter 161: The Upper Limit
Tamara froze.
The magic condensing in her hand actually experienced a ridiculous moment of stagnation.
A strange sensation she had never felt before spread from her chest.
She did not care whether Ginny lived or died.
She never had.
In her eyes, Ginny was only a convenient tool, a stupid vessel, a pawn that could be discarded at any time.
Tears?
They were a symbol of weakness.
They were the filth of the incompetent.
She loathed this weak sincerity. She loathed this worthless self sacrifice, because it only made people more fragile, easier to destroy.
But in this instant, she suddenly thought of that night at The Burrow.
The confession in the corridor.
The embrace in the bathroom.
The sandwiches at the Slytherin table.
This damned body always made her think of images that slowed her reactions.
That unfamiliar feeling made Tamara panic, even more than facing death.
"No..."
"I don't need this kind of thing..."
Tamara roared in her heart, trying to dispel that weak emotion.
She did not want to be eroded by this poison called feelings.
She was Lord Voldemort.
She was the Dark Lord.
She did not need anyone's tears.
"Avada Kedavra!"
In that instant, the instinctive fear of death and the extreme repulsion toward this unfamiliar emotion finally overwhelmed everything.
Tamara jerked her hand up, and a dazzling green light erupted from her fingertips.
At that moment, she did not hold back at all.
She truly wanted to kill Ginny Weasley.
Only death could end this sickening weakness. Only destruction could allow her to find her invincible self again.
However, just as that green light, full of destructive aura, was about to pierce Ginny's chest, a shrill, agonised scream suddenly erupted from within Ginny's body.
The potion's effect had taken hold.
That cauldron of Soul Separation Potion, made with Acromantula venom and Tamara's golden bloodline, finally breached the remnant soul's last defence.
Like an invisible giant hand, at the very moment Ginny was about to be killed, it ruthlessly yanked that parasite out from the depths of her soul.
A thick cloud of black smoke gushed out from Ginny's mouth, twisting and struggling frantically in the air, trying to escape the vessel that was now rejecting it.
And in this very second, the fatal Killing Curse happened to collide with the mass of black mist that had just left the physical body.
Boom!
The green light and the black smoke collided violently in midair.
A crisp sound rang out, like glass shattering.
That remnant soul carrying the memories of sixteen year old Tom Riddle did not even have time to beg for mercy before it was instantly blown into oblivion under this terrifying magic, which came from its main body yet was filled with killing intent.
Total annihilation.
And the hand that had been death gripping Tamara's neck instantly lost all its strength.
With the dissipation of the remnant soul, Ginny went limp and fell heavily, slumping directly onto Tamara's body as she passed out.
Though her breathing was weak, her chest was still rising and falling.
She had survived.
Not because of Tamara's mercy, but because of that damned coincidence.
[Crisis resolved. Dark Arts permissions revoked. Virtue restrictions reenabled. Please continue to be a good person wholeheartedly, Host!]
"..."
Hearing that cheerful electronic voice in her mind, Tamara only felt a surge of stifled frustration in her chest.
Just a little bit more.
She had clearly had a moment just now when she was free from all restrictions.
If she had not been distracted by those damned tears, if she had not paused for that ridiculous single second...
She could have easily followed up with an Avada Kedavra on that foolish Potter, who was standing right beside her with his back turned, communicating with the Basilisk, the moment after she shattered the remnant soul.
What a perfect combination.
What a seamless scene of an accidental casualty in the Chamber of Secrets.
She had even found the perfect scapegoat in the remnant soul.
But now, the permissions had been revoked.
This once in a lifetime opportunity to eliminate the saviour without any system penalty had slipped through her fingers because of a single damned tear.
The Chamber of Secrets fell into deathly silence.
An indescribable rage spread from Tamara.
That almost suffocating, terrifying killing intent caused the temperature of the surrounding air to plunge toward freezing.
Even the Basilisk, which was still rampaging over there, slowed its movements because of the low pressure radiating from Tamara's vicinity.
Tamara lay on the cold, damp stone floor, gasping for air.
The burning pain in her throat and the exhaustion after brushing against death washed over her nerves in waves like a tide.
Gritting her teeth, she irritably raised her limp arm, wanting to ruthlessly push away the culprit lying on top of her.
However, when her palm touched Ginny's warm back, the pushing motion froze halfway.
The girl's soft body rose and fell gently with her weak breathing.
Through the thin robes, that trace of warmth belonging to a living person continuously passed into Tamara's cold palm.
In her ears, she could even hear Ginny's weak but steady heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
For Tamara, who had just walked along the edge of death, this weakness and suffocation actually gave rise to a ridiculous urge to crave a bit of a living person's warmth.
The Chamber of Secrets was too cold.
Death was too cold.
And this warmth was like a life saving straw.
Even if the one pressing down on her was this stupid girl who had made her miss her chance and almost strangled her to death, that heavy weight miraculously suppressed the trembling deep in her soul.
It gave her a sense of peace.
A very bizarre sense of peace.
Tamara cursed softly in her heart, a flash of deep loathing crossing her eyes.
"...Truly insane."
No.
She could not stay in this castle filled with its sickening fairy tale atmosphere anymore.
These fools were using a poison called feelings to subtly erode the rational ramparts of the Dark Lord.
She had to leave here as soon as possible.
Albania.
That camp of Death Eater remnants hidden deep in the forests of Eastern Europe.
She had to go there, back to that territory filled with Dark Arts, slaughter, intrigue, and absolute submission.
She urgently needed to use pure darkness to wash away this sickening human warmth clinging to her.
To prove to herself, and to the entire wizarding world, that she was still that cold and ruthless Dark Lord, not a weak little girl who could be shaken by a few tears and an embrace.
Just as Tamara was vowing this in her heart, using ambition to numb herself, a cheerful electronic voice suddenly rang out in her mind.
[Ding... Zzz... System Defence Mode deactivated... Restarting...]
[Congratulations, Host! Successfully resolved the Chamber of Secrets crisis! And in the most perfect peaceful manner, with no casualties, you have achieved the clearance achievement!]
[Calculating rewards... Zzz... Affected by advanced Dark Arts residue, display module abnormal... Loading underlying data...]
A translucent light blue panel popped up over Tamara's retina.
But because of the previous crash, the interface flickered slightly this time, even exposing some progress bars that were usually deliberately hidden.
[Perfect Clearance Reward: All attributes +5!]
[Current Panel Data, Internal Development Version:]
[Love: 35/100]
[Wisdom: 44/100. Ding! Milestone threshold reached. Special skill unlocked: Basic Legilimency. Note: Allows the host to read others' surface thoughts and strong emotions. It is a small trick for enhancing friendship and understanding your friends' hearts!]
[Courage: 49/100]
[Life: 35/100]
Basic Legilimency?
Tamara raised an eyebrow, and the corners of her originally tense lips relaxed slightly.
Although the word basic sounded like an insult to one of the greatest Legilimency masters of the age, she had to admit that this was indeed what she needed most right now.
As for the system's remark about a small trick for understanding friends' hearts...
Tamara ignored it directly.
Seeing through an enemy's weakness and controlling another person's fear.
That was the true meaning of this spell's existence.
However, Tamara's sharp gaze quickly moved past that barely usable small reward to the 100 behind the values.
This was the first time the system had exposed the upper limit of the values.
"System."
Tamara narrowed her eyes and asked coldly and calmly in her mind.
"What happens if these values reach 100?"
[Oh my, you've discovered it!]
Although the system was still crackling, its tone carried a sickening excitement and fanaticism.
[Since you asked so sincerely, I'll reveal the ultimate goal to you in advance!]
[If all attributes reach the maximum limit of 100, your soul, Host, will be completely purified and sublimated!]
[Those dark and evil thoughts will all be cleared! You will become a thorough! Good! Person! Filled with love and peace, without any selfishness, and revered by millions!]
[In addition, the ultimate mission will be unlocked, and you can claim the final grand prize!]
A thorough...
Good person.
Hearing this hair raising phrase, Tamara's originally decent mood instantly fell as if into an ice cellar.
Becoming that kind of fool who sacrificed herself without reservation?
Erasing the pride and ambition belonging to Voldemort and remoulding her into a moral paragon from an assembly line?
Tamara looked up at the dark dome of the Chamber of Secrets, curled her lips, and let out a contemptuous cold laugh.
"Don't even think about it."