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A basilisk was a strange creature born when a chicken's egg hatched beneath a toad.
Strictly speaking, despite its name, a basilisk should not actually be considered a species of snake at all. Yet, bizarrely enough, it possessed overwhelming dominance over all serpentine creatures. It was, in every sense, the king of serpents.
A basilisk's methods of killing were most wondrous. Aside from its deadly venomous fangs, it also possessed a murderous gaze—anyone caught in the beam of its eyes would die instantly.
Spiders fled before the basilisk, for it was their mortal enemy, while the basilisk itself fled only from the crowing of a rooster, which proved fatal to it. Perhaps because it originated from a chicken's egg, it feared the crowing of roosters?! It didn't quite make sense, but in the magical world, that might very well be the reason.
Regardless, the basilisk would always be the king of serpents. And that was why Castelobruxo had gone to such lengths to obtain its flesh and blood from Tom, even paying a considerable price for it.
The snakes inhabiting the Amazon Ruins had lived under the influence of magical energies for generations. After centuries of evolution, they were no longer ordinary venomous reptiles but entirely new magical species.
Their venom was deadly, and their scales possessed formidable magical resistance.
When Castelobruxo first discovered the ruins, they had planned a direct assault. They barely managed to kill a handful of snakes before forcing their way to the third checkpoint inside.
Only then did they realize their mistake.
There were snakes ahead of them. And snakes behind them.
Hundreds of giant serpents, each capable of shrugging off Blasting Curses with their bodies alone, surrounded them from every direction.
In the end, the headmaster sacrificed his own life, and two professors were lost as well, allowing the rest to escape with their lives.
The casualties had been devastating.
But the more dangerous the ruins appeared, the more it proved how extraordinary they were.
So Castelobruxo never abandoned its efforts to explore the site.
It wasn't until reports of a basilisk appearing at Hogwarts reached them that they devised a new plan: using druidic transformation to turn themselves into basilisks in order to counter the venomous snakes guarding the outer areas.
The potion they had used last time wasn't fully developed, and they had only managed to create a single basilisk. It hadn't lasted long before the transformation was forced to end, preventing them from reaching the deeper sections.
This time was different. Not only had they prepared ample supplies, but the potion itself had also been improved. The magical consumption was lower, and the transformation lasted much longer.
They began with two basilisks because that was more than enough to handle the enemies here. The remaining professors conserved their strength in the rear, ready to rotate in and replace the transformed pair when necessary.
The strategy worked beautifully.
Under the pressure of two basilisks, combined with the instant-death power of their gaze, the giant anacondas that rushed forward were utterly suppressed. They trembled in fear, unable to muster any resistance.
The professors behind them seized the opportunity, unleashing spell after spell and cutting down the serpents one by one.
In less than five minutes, the first obstacle had been completely cleared.
With the two basilisks leading the way, the expedition pressed deeper into the ruins.
The site itself was enormous, far larger than the fake ruins Andros had created.
Broken stone pillars were scattered everywhere, but most of what remained were rotting tents, fitting the image of an ancient tribal settlement.
Their destination lay at the very center of the tribe. There stood a temple, enclosed within its own separate perimeter.
Jeanne followed at a measured pace from the rear, carefully maintaining her distance.
She wore the Invisibility Cloak Tom had borrowed from Harry. Combined with the fact that every obstacle along the route had already been cleared, there was virtually no risk of her being discovered.
A thick miasma blanketed the ruins, reducing visibility to almost nothing.
Even the oxygen supplied by the Bubble-Head Charm was affected by the surrounding air. Every few minutes, the professors had to drink another vial of antidote.
The village was also riddled with traps. Occasional blades of compressed wind and hidden arrows sliced through the air, each carrying deadly intent.
The group advanced with extreme caution.
The professors rotated shifts continuously, ensuring that two basilisks were always present to form the first line of defense around the team.
Watching from behind, Jeanne gave an approving nod.
Castelobruxo's professors were quite capable. Even under this kind of relentless pressure, they could perform at the level expected of them, and their teamwork was exceptionally smooth. Unfortunately, their individual strength wasn't all that impressive.
By her standards, they fell short of Hogwarts' Heads of House. They weren't even on the same level as that one-eyed old professor.
But she didn't care about any of that. The reason Jeanne had come here was simple: she had only one mission—ensuring that the most valuable treasure in the entire ruin ended up in Tom's hands.
As for everything else, if it was worth taking, she wouldn't mind helping herself to it along the way.
Robbery was a grave sin. It violated the core commandment God had laid down in the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not steal... Given Jeanne's devotion, she would never commit such a blatant violation of divine law.
That was, of course, if it was for her own sake. If it was something Tom had asked of her, the situation was entirely different.
Besides, nothing truly belonged to anyone. The wealth of the past, the treasures yet to be uncovered in the future—every precious thing under the sky rightfully belonged to whoever managed to claim it.
Only God held absolute dominion over all things that existed. And if He chose not to take them, it was merely an act of mercy toward humanity. People should be grateful and offer thanks for the Lord's grace.
For mortals to complain would be nothing short of irreverence—a challenge to divine justice that would invite punishment.
So even if she were ordered to haul away every treasure in the entire ruin, Jeanne would carry out the task without hesitation.
"..."
Jalter could naturally sense what Jeanne was thinking.
When Tom had first assigned this mission to Jeanne, Jalter had assumed he wanted her to handle it. She had been secretly pleased for quite a while.
But after understanding Jeanne's reasoning, she quieted down.
Someone capable of producing a dark side like her... how could they possibly be a normal person?
In a sense, Jeanne was even more unhinged than she was.
Sometimes, Tom's words felt like divine revelation to her—absolute truth itself. It was righteousness twisted so far that it had looped back into something terrifying.
Even Jalter, a being born from negativity and resentment, found herself a little unnerved.
...
..
Meanwhile, Castelobruxo's professors fought their way through obstacle after obstacle, finally arriving at the ruins' central region.
Jeanne had assumed the next step would be entering the temple itself.
So she quietly moved a little closer.
But suddenly, rustling sounds came from the surrounding undergrowth.
Everyone was already on edge. In their current state, even the slightest disturbance drew immediate attention.
The moment the sound appeared, more than half the professors raised their wands, their expressions turning grim.
Whoosh!
The first shadow shot out of the darkness and landed on the trunk of a towering tree.
Then came a second.
A third.
More followed.
Over a hundred figures clad in black robes emerged, forming a semicircular encirclement around the Castelobruxo expedition.
Only after all of his subordinates had taken position did the leader slowly remove his hood, revealing a pale, bloodless face.
Isabella, who was leading the team, immediately changed expression.
"Vampires?" she exclaimed.
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.
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