chsdbacks Chapter 173 Harry Angrily Disembowels His Adopted Daughter
Chapter 173 Harry Angrily Disembowels His Adopted Daughter
Chapter 174 (6.8k long chapter) Harry, enraged by gaining his adopted daughter, commits seppuku.
Picking up where we left off, Ron split the willow-shaped magic staff in his hand into hundreds of ochre-colored roots, instantly binding all the time converters in the hall together.
At that moment, another tendril burst forth from the sky, wrapping precisely around Harry's waist, just like a dragon coiled around a pillar.
Ron braced himself in a horse stance, gripped the Willow Demon Cudgel tightly with both arms, and shouted:
"Mr. Salazar, do we want to go back a thousand years to the present without any discrepancies?"
"No, even earlier, 1010. That's the closest I can come to the exact time that brat went back in time."
"Even if you stay in the Middle Ages for a few more years, it's better than waiting for him to complete all his conspiracies and then dismantle them bit by bit."
Upon hearing this, Ron had a thought, and all the time converters in the hall started beeping.
The pocket watch hands spun like lightning, and the various hourglasses poured like flowing rainbows. Harry felt as if everything before him had turned into five-colored flowing light, as if he had fallen into a galaxy and was being swept back upside down.
Salazar seized the opportunity to gather the scroll and slipped into Harry's arms.
"I need to sleep for a while to avoid being sensed by my self from a thousand years ago. From now on, I can only rely on you and that little redhead."
"The only advice I can give you is not to trust any living being, including humans."
Harry patted his chest and nodded, "Brother, don't worry, I understand."
Salazar said no more, disappearing without a trace, like smoke rising into the sky.
Ron, in a fit of rage, stirred up the world with his magic staff, causing the surrounding scenery to reverse like a revolving lantern.
Umbridge, who had been lying on the ground, stood up straight and dragged himself out of the porch; Fudge and his officials also filed out of the gate and retreated step by step.
Time flows swiftly backward, and the pocket watches and hourglasses in the hall gradually vanish like bubbles, while the glass lamps on the four walls turn to ashes.
In the blink of an eye, the carved beams and painted rafters have all turned to yellow earth, and the turbid dust surges like a yellow dragon stirring up the sea, rushing towards us.
It should be noted that this Bureau of Mysterious Affairs is buried nine layers underground. By the time Ron stopped the Willow Demon Cudgel, the two of them had already been buried in the dusty world, where even breathing was difficult.
Ron silently shouted "Rise!" and the staff transformed into a hundred-foot-tall green peak. Hundreds of branches, like dragons reaching out their claws, coiled around the Time-Turner and Harry, bursting forth from the ground and soaring into the sky.
As the two landed, Harry spat out three mouthfuls of yellow dust, waved his staff, and chanted several cleansing spells before revealing his clean form.
Harry looked closely and saw that the two of them had landed in a vast, dark forest. He saw:
Ancient trees reach for the sky, their gnarled branches intertwining to block out the sun and clouds; wild grasses grow in abundance, their thorny tendrils reaching up to a person's waist. Strange creatures float in mid-air, some translucent like glass, others with eight wings and six eyes, all exotic beings that have disappeared after a thousand years.
Ron closed his eyes and concentrated, gripping the Willow Demon Staff tightly in his hand. Suddenly, the branches on the staff seemed to return to their hole like serpents, wrapping the thousands of time converters layer by layer and gradually drawing them into the cracks in the wood.
The once menacing stick instantly lost its edge and transformed back into a three-foot-long piece of ochre wood.
Upon closer inspection, the crimson flames that had been flowing between the wood cracks were now tinged with silver light, as if a galaxy were hidden within the decaying wood—truly a wondrous sight.
Ron had already exhausted seven-tenths of his strength by activating the hundreds of time converters.
His face was ashen, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, his chest heaving like a bellows as he gasped for breath, saying intermittently:
"Now... it should be... 983... during the Alba Kingdom period..."
"No, let me rest for a while first..."
Seeing his brothers were exhausted, Harry went to tidy up his belongings and then patrolled the area with his knife in hand.
Suddenly recalling past events, he began to recount in detail the grudges and conflicts between various ethnic groups over the past thousand years, as described by Salazar.
After hearing the ancient secrets, Ron looked surprised and uncertain. He caught his breath and said:
"Were the relationships between wizards and other races always this strained?"
Before he finished speaking, Harry's expression suddenly changed, and the ring knife at his waist was drawn with a clang, pointing directly at the rustling weeds.
Ron understood, and with a somersault, he leaped up, his willow wand transforming into a green python flicking its tongue, forming a horn-like stance with Harry, both pointing towards the wilderness.
Just as the two were on guard, a disheveled woman suddenly appeared from the parting of the tangled grass. Her clothes were torn, and her snow-white breasts gleamed and fell in disarray.
"Please, kind gentlemen!"
"The king's cavalry are chasing me!"
"Help me! I'll do anything!"
The woman, tears streaming down her face, threw herself into Harry's arms.
Seeing that he was within five feet, Harry suddenly tilted his wrist, which was gripping the hilt of the knife, and the ring knife at his waist appeared as if it had never been seen.
With a "snap," the woman's head was severed from her neck, and hot blood gushed out like a fountain.
As the corpse fell to the ground, it suddenly transformed into a bald, pointed-eared monster—a domesticated sprite that had survived for millennia.
Ron grinned and clicked his tongue when he saw the glowing light on Harry's wristband:
"If someone had told me before I saw this, I wouldn't have believed it even if a house-elf dared to cheat a wizard, even if they used a killing curse on me."
Harry glanced at the gauntlet, which still shimmered faintly, and said in a low voice, "This guy must have accomplices. We shouldn't stay here any longer."
"But where are we going?"
Ron leaned close to Harry on either side and said, "The Mystic probably also used these time-twisters from the Ministry of Magic to turn back time."
"If we had arrived before him, we could simply wait here. But if we had arrived later—where would we have been to look for clues?"
Harry thought to himself: That scoundrel Voldemort has always prided himself on being a pure-blood and a nobleman. He specifically chooses the relics of the four great rulers to forge Horcruxes; how arrogant he is.
If the locket had been hidden a thousand years ago, it certainly wouldn't have been disposed of so easily. Perhaps we should head straight to the ancient Hogwarts site; maybe we can find some clues there.
He then said to Ron, "Brother, don't panic. Come with me to Hogwarts for a quick look around."
Ron responded and climbed onto the Willow Demon Staff, which suddenly grew taller, towering dozens of feet into the sky.
He placed his hand on his forehead, gazed into the distance for a moment, then leaped down and said:
"Heading west, I can vaguely see the Scottish Highlands."
The two immediately took off their school robes, chanted a transformation spell, and transformed into medieval attire.
Harry, carrying his ring knife, and Ron, with his wand slung across his shoulder, strode westward at a brisk pace.
They had only walked a hundred paces when they suddenly heard the rustling of the wind deep in the dense forest.
No sooner said than done! A wolf-tooth arrow pierced the air and struck!
Ron hastily drew his willow-handed magic staff to meet the attack. The arrowhead struck the staff and exploded with a deafening roar, like a thunderclap in mid-air, startling all the birds in the forest into scattering and fleeing in all directions.
"Get out, wizard."
"This is not a place you are worthy to set foot in."
As the thunderous sound of hooves rang out, four or five horsemen rushed out, each wielding a strong bow and sharp arrows, blocking their path.
Harry cursed his bad luck, with centaurs blocking his way in front and elves pursuing him from behind, leaving him in a real dilemma.
He recited what Hermione had said: that once upon a time, the wizard Alois disrupted the order of time, causing many wizards of her time to never be born.
Fearing that causing a disturbance today would incur serious karmic consequences and disrupt the natural order, he immediately clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said:
"We have mistakenly entered this blessed land; we had no intention of disturbing you!"
"We have some elf pursuers behind us. We hope you gentlemen will grant us passage and will not linger!"
Despite Harry's kind words, the centaur leader did not respond, but instead drew his bow and shot an arrow with a "whoosh" as it hit the ground.
Flames shot out, blasting up three feet of scorched earth and revealing a large crater about ten feet in diameter.
"What does your death have to do with us?"
"Don't make me say it a third time."
"Get out."
Harry was enraged and, in a fit of rage, decided to kill all the scoundrels.
Just as they were about to make their move, they suddenly heard a shout from behind.
"Chain Avada Kedavra".
As soon as the incantation was uttered, a streak of emerald lightning shot through the forest and pierced the chest of the leading centaur.
The green light struck the first horse, but it didn't stop. As if it were alive, it passed through the body and pierced into the heart of the second horse.
After passing through four riders in succession, when they reached the fifth centaur, the man hurriedly summoned a magical barrier to resist.
A deafening roar followed, and the centaur neighed, sending one of them sprawling backward.
"Who are you?!" the centaur cried out in panic. "I'm from the Chiron tribe!"
Harry and Ron turned around sharply and saw a woman striding towards them.
Her hair was piled high like clouds, her eyes were sharp like swords, she wore a moon-blue silk dress, and her bare white jade feet made her look like a fairy from another world.
"What happened to the Chiron tribe this time?"
"They're still just a bunch of animals who don't even wear pants."
The barefoot woman pointed her magic wand at the object and uttered the words, "Heavy as a thousand pounds."
But then, as if an invisible mountain had pressed down from mid-air, a deafening roar ensued, instantly crushing the struggling centaur into a pile of minced meat.
The ground also sank three feet deep, with soil and rocks flying everywhere, resembling a blood pit that had been suddenly carved out.
Harry and Ron, who were watching closely, both gasped in shock.
The barefoot woman turned her face back, her cheeks splattered with a few specks of scarlet, like red plum blossoms in the snow, breathtakingly beautiful.
She blinked and said, "Are those little sprites chasing after you two?"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of them too."
Harry quickly clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said solemnly, "Thank you so much, sister, for saving my life! May I ask your name?"
Upon hearing this, the woman raised an eyebrow, twirled slightly on her toes, and performed a graceful curtsy.
"Royna Ravenclaw".
Ron's eyes widened like saucers, and Harry quickly brushed his hair and bowed.
"Hearing about someone is not as good as seeing them in person, and seeing them in person is even better than hearing about them. I have long heard of your great name, and it is truly an honor to meet you today."
Please accept my bow!
Upon hearing this, Rowena was taken aback at first, then put her hands on her hips and laughed heartily like silver bells.
"You speak quite well! Scarface, what's your name?"
"I am Harry James Potter, and I will never change my name or surname."
Ron introduced himself as "Ron Billies Weasley".
Rowena repeated the two surnames twice, then pondered, "Not noble..."
Her eyes lingered for a moment on the ring knife at Harry's waist and the wand in Ron's hand, then she suddenly struck out with her palm.
"Ah! I know! You two must have stolen the magical weapon from the noble wizard and are on the run!"
Ron was momentarily embarrassed and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, no, Miss Rowena, these magical weapons belong to us."
Rowena raised an eyebrow slightly. "Really? I don't believe it."
Harry jumped up and exclaimed, "Oh dear! Sister, how can you not believe me! If we really were thieves and stole treasures from that noble mansion, how could we allow them to hunt us down?"
"The sooner we finish off that bunch of arrogant bastards, the better we'll prove our mettle!"
Upon hearing this, Rowena's expression shifted several times, eventually turning into joy and affection.
"Interested in becoming my apprentice, Harry?"
"It's been such a long, long time since I've met a little wizard who suits my taste as well as you."
Harry was overjoyed, thinking to himself: As the saying goes, a wise teacher produces outstanding students, and the orthodox faith has few evil spirits. Sister Rowena is incredibly capable and is a sage praised by later generations.
If I want to learn those unforgivable and ruthless spells, who else can I seek out if not her?
Having made up his mind, Harry pushed aside mountains of gold and jade pillars, and bowed down in worship.
"Disciple Harry greets Master today!"
Rowena wrinkled her nose. "Just call me 'older sister,' it makes me sound old."
As the saying goes, "A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit." Harry had already been rebuffed by Helena over the matter of how to address her, so now he readily complied and respectfully replied:
"Since you say so, sister, Harry will certainly obey. However, there is no time to prepare the formal apprenticeship gift. I hope you will forgive me and allow me to make it up later."
Rowena waved her hand dismissively, "There's no need for that. Just stay by my side."
"I happened to be going to a nearby Muggle village when the protective barrier I left there was destroyed."
Ron was taken aback. "Miss Rowena, are you still protecting Muggles?"
"Why not? We are all human beings, and Muggles have no way to protect themselves from persecution by non-human races."
Harry pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Sister, please forgive me, it's not that I don't want to go, but I have important business to attend to and must travel to the Scottish Highlands."
Rowena tilted her head. "Where is this?"
Harry wasn't good at geography, so Ron quickly stepped forward to answer, "It's at the westernmost part of this forest."
As the saying goes, "A fine steed is hard to find, and even a discerning eye will yield to it." This scarred man was indeed a rare talent, so naturally, Royna was willing to accommodate him.
She immediately smiled, ruffled Harry's messy hair, and said, "Ah~ what a coincidence, we're going the same way."
"Once I've finished with my own things, I can go with you to that Scottish Highlands."
Harry cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Since you say so, I will naturally obey."
The three of them then traveled together to the village of Royna.
Before even reaching the village entrance, a stench of blood filled the air, and the metallic smell of blood rushed straight to one's head.
Upon entering the village, one sees:
Severed limbs and remains lay strewn across the ground, livers, intestines, and brains splattered in the yellow mud. One had been disemboweled, its internal organs spilling out; another had its skull smashed, its red and white splattered across the walls. Others had been chopped into dozens of pieces, scattered haphazardly by the roadside. Even the most horrific scenes in the deepest hell might not compare to even a fraction of what was happening here.
Although Ron had seen some bloody and gruesome scenes before, he had never encountered such a hellish scene.
His face turned deathly pale, his stomach churned violently, and with a loud "whoosh," he vomited up all the food he had eaten that morning.
Rowena coldly surveyed this hell on earth, her face remaining impassive. Turning to see Harry's calm expression, she raised an eyebrow and said:
"You seem to have a lot of life experience."
Harry remained silent, coldly surveying the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, before finally asking:
"Sister, do you know who committed such a heinous crime?"
"Fairies, elves, centaurs, sirens, werewolves... these non-human races are all possibilities."
"Of course, giants are an exception. If it were those big oafs who did it, all these houses would have collapsed."
Rowena took a breath, pointed her wand at the sky, and the old tree at the village entrance shook down hundreds of leaves with a "whoosh".
The leaves that touched the ground transformed into iron cavalry, all clad in full armor, wielding twelve-foot-long spears, their warhorses exuding a powerful fragrance.
"Go, slaughter all non-human races within a hundred miles."
Having said that, the cavalrymen suddenly gleamed with a fierce crimson light beneath their visors, and instantly split into several groups, galloping away with thunderous hooves that kicked up clouds of yellow dust.
Harry gazed at the hellish scene, sighed deeply, and strode to the center of the pool of blood. He clasped his hands together and chanted the Rebirth Mantra.
Rowena glanced at him sideways for a long time, his mind full of unresolved doubts. He then raised his wand and poked Ron, who was still dry heaving beside him.
"Hey red-haired kid, what's your best friend doing?"
"Ugh! This is a spell with a rather long incantation, used to appease the dead—ugh! soul."
Rowena was slightly taken aback. "There's such magic?"
As the two were talking, they suddenly heard Harry exclaim, "Oh dear! There's someone alive in this pile of corpses!"
Before he finished speaking, Harry had already rushed into the bloody mess and held out a small woman who looked like a blood gourd.
She was barely breathing, and her body was covered in so much flesh that she was barely alive.
Rowena's eyes narrowed, and with a light tap of his wand, the bloodstains all over the young woman's body peeled off like a snake shedding its skin, and she slowly floated over.
Upon closer inspection, one could see white bone where the skin and flesh had rolled back, and the breath coming out of its mouth was more out than in.
Rowena recited another healing spell, and the young woman's wounds instantly disappeared, and her hazy eyes gradually regained their clarity.
When the mind cleared, and she saw Rowena's face, the young woman's eyes were red and her tears rolled down like broken pearls.
"Sage... the little elf... the little elf killed everyone."
"Uncle Gray hid me under everyone's corpses and told me not to make a sound..."
The young woman cried her heart out, recounting in fits and starts how the little elf had wreaked havoc, almost passing out when she got to the most painful parts.
Rowena patted her shoulder gently and comforted her, "Come with me, you have the talent to become a wizard."
"I can teach you magic so you can avenge them."
The young woman was stunned for a moment, even forgetting to cry. "I... can I be like the Sage?"
"Of course, not everyone can escape the pixies' killing intent; you unconsciously used magic to protect yourself."
Rowena ruffled her messy hair. "What's your name?"
Upon hearing this, the young woman was at a loss for words, twisting the hem of her clothes and stammering.
"I don't have... a mom and dad..."
"So, so..."
"Then you can take my surname."
Rowena pulled her into his arms, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I'll call you... Helena."
In this scene, if a wandering poet from ancient times were here, he would surely applaud and recite poetry. Indeed:
Gray inherited his surname, and his adoptive mother gave him his real name.
His past is hidden in the dust, but today the world sees the truth.
Enough of this rambling. Rowena has recently gained two close confidants, one a beloved disciple and the other an adopted daughter. He is truly overjoyed, as if the clouds have parted and the moon is shining brightly.
Every day during the day, when they traveled to the Scottish Highlands, he would ride alongside Harry, teaching him in detail the various transformations of the Killing Curse.
As the sun set in the west, he tended to Helena's injuries by the campfire.
It should be noted that although Helena's skin and flesh had healed, her insides were badly damaged by magic. With the slightest jolt, she coughed up blood.
"Come here, Helena, take the potion."
Helena listened to her godmother's words, obediently came over, and ate all the food from the stone bowl.
Unexpectedly, before half an incense stick's time had passed, he coughed up blood again.
Seeing this, Rowena sighed, "I really should make a time-twister to carry with me, so I can go back in time and kill all those bastard elves beforehand."
Upon hearing this, Harry's mind raced as he suddenly recalled the verses spoken by Lady Chiron and Nagini in the Forbidden Forest.
He thought to himself: Lady Chiron once said that the way to break the cycle of calamity is not in the present or the future, but must be in the past.
Now that I have traveled through a thousand years, I am perfectly positioned to enter the "past." Sister Rowena is also known for her intelligence, so she must know the secret behind this.
Thinking of this, Harry quickly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "I have a question for you, sister. Is there any way to break the Blood Curse?"
He quickly added, "I know the rules of the balance rate myself. Sister, if you have any instructions, Harry will gladly die for you!"
Rowena was taken aback for a moment, a hint of disgust showing on her face. She couldn't even finish the pork rib in her hand, so she tossed it aside and wiped her hands on her skirt.
"It's so disgusting."
"The way you talk reminds me of a damn bald guy who always has this 'equilibrium principle' on his lips."
Harry frowned. "Is my sister talking about Salazar Slytherin?"
Upon hearing the name, Rowena's eyes lit up immediately. "You know that bald guy?!"
"puff!"
Ron tilted his head back and spat out the broth, which spilled out like a shower of flowers.
Harry clasped his hands in response, "It's just some hearsay. I wonder what this so-called Law of Equilibrium has done to offend you, sister?"
Naroina lifted the corner of her robe, straddled the stool, picked up the wooden bowl, took a sip of the meat soup, and mumbled:
"Because it's so annoying."
Dear reader, you may have heard that this law of equilibrium is also called the law of cause and effect. Everything in the world, with every action and movement, is subject to cause and effect, and there is no room for human will in any way.
If you are involved in this "cause," then the "effect" will follow you like a shadow, and no matter how powerful you are, you cannot escape it. However, whether the effect is good or evil, good or bad, no one can truly know the details.
Therefore, when faced with even the most serious matters, those wizards would never get involved in the slightest, nor would they incur any karmic consequences. They only wished to conduct a fair transaction, to achieve a balance, and to avoid suffering any unexpected calamities in the future.
"Just like the Killing Curse I taught you these past few days, an invisible connection has been established between us. The fish soup you're drinking has also established a connection with the fish in the soup."
"The only difference between the two is the importance of this connection."
"Salazar is like he has a persecution complex. When I ask him questions like what holidays Muggles celebrate, he tries to apply the law of equilibrium to me."
Upon hearing this, Harry felt his eyes twitching and he cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations.
Damn it! So all that Salazar's constant chanting of the law of equilibrium was just to keep himself from getting involved with me!
Back when I squandered all my wealth, half the wizarding world in England owed me favors. The threads of karma were more intricate than a spider's web. And yet, I still drink from large bowls and eat large chunks of meat as usual? You're just worrying unnecessarily!
He immediately suppressed his grievances and quickly asked, clasped his hands in greeting:
"Good sister, now that you know the truth, is there any way to break this Blood Demon Curse?"
"There is no solution."
Rowena answered readily and patted Harry on the shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"Accompanying him on his final journey before he becomes an animal is the only thing we can do."
Seeing her resolute tone, Harry could only sigh for a moment and swallow his worries.
Then they asked about the method of the Heart-Piercing Mantra, and the two gestured to each other in the moonlight in the forest.
The four travelers traveled for another three or five days, and then they saw that the mountains ahead suddenly rose up, with strange rocks everywhere; it was the Scottish Highlands.
The towering ancient trees covering the mountains and plains formed a dense, lush green canopy. No one could have imagined that Hogwarts would one day be built here.
Harry immediately sang a chubby greeting, "Sister, please wait here while my brother and I go for a walk in the woods."
After saying this, he and Ron each drew their weapons and went inside, searching for the place where Voldemort had hidden the Horcruxes.
This Rowena was also a frequent traveler in the martial arts world. Seeing that they were acting discreetly, he didn't ask any questions and rested at the foot of the mountain.
Helena was still young and had not been provided with a proper wand. As she traveled with the others through mountains and rivers, she was already so hungry that she was seeing stars.
But her stomach was rumbling, like a hollow drum being beaten.
Rowena, who doted on his adopted daughter, saw this and waved his wand. Several large trees at the foot of the mountain snapped in two, splintering wood that splintered back together to form a long table.
The surrounding rocks rolled in, and the invisible knives and axes sculpted them into cups, plates, knives, and forks.
She then plucked two green leaves, tossed them into the air, and they transformed into iron steeds that galloped away, leaving no trace. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she returned carrying a wild boar with its fangs bristling.
When Harry and Ron finally made their way back down the mountain after scrambling through the dense forest until sunset, they saw Rowena sitting casually with his chin resting on his hand, watching Helena wield her stone knife and fork with a smile. His demeanor was no less than that of a king or nobleman.
Rowena lazily picked up the stone cup. "So, Harry, did you find what you were looking for?"
Harry's bright green eyes lingered on Helena for a moment, then he clapped his hands and laughed:
"Thanks to your kind words, sister, I've finally found the answer!"
Having said that, he strode over to the young woman's side.
Helena obediently put down her knife and fork, blinked, and said, "Harry, is something wrong—"
Before he could finish speaking, a fierce glint flashed in Harry's eyes, and his ring knife was drawn with a clang. With a "snap," it plunged straight into Helena's abdomen, piercing right through.
"Voldemort!"
"I've been looking for you so hard!"
As the saying goes: "Having traversed countless mountains to find Tom, a sudden glance back sends chills down my spine. In the dim light, within the delicate skin of a beautiful woman, dwells the devil." But how did Voldemort possess Helena, and how did Harry, with his keen observation, see it all clearly? Let's find out in the next chapter.
(End of this chapter)