Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 352, Section 351: Confronting a Demigod

The air in the arena seemed to freeze for a moment.

The ancient Egyptian warrior still gripped his shield, his muscles taut, ready to meet Ian's forty-meter-long cleaver. But just as he was about to charge, ...

Anubis spoke.

Everything seemed to have been paused.

He seemed very concerned about some of the words Ian used.

Upon hearing about the materials used in aircraft carrier-grade steel, Anubis's golden pupils suddenly contracted, and his jackal head lowered slightly, as if he had pierced through the veil of time and space and learned knowledge he shouldn't have known.

“You come from the future.” Death’s voice was deep and resolute, not a question, but a statement. He gazed at Ian, his gaze not lingering on his physical form, but delving into a more essential level of existence—where the threads of time were intertwined and entwined in an anomalous way.

Ian paused slightly as he swung his forty-meter-long sword.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He hovered in mid-air, the blue flames of his jet engines reflecting the metallic sheen of his armor, his blade hovering three inches above the head of the ancient Egyptian warrior Seti.

As a person with a strong fighting spirit, Ian would certainly not launch a sneak attack when others are unable to resist. He is not from an island nation and is not the kind of person who likes to resort to sneak attacks.

"How did you know that?" Ian asked with interest, his voice coming through the visor of his armor, carrying a slightly electronic echo. His armor also incorporated a lot of technology.

For wizards.

It wouldn't be difficult for them to learn the technological methods that Muggles have already developed; they could cheat during the learning process, but at best, it could only be considered a form of rote learning.

of course.

The cramming he received from Ian was enough; his main focus was exploring how to combine magic and technology to create a fusion school of alchemy.

Anubis did not answer immediately.

His gaze swept over Ian like a scanner, from every inch of the composite metal in the armor to the magic flowing in his silver-gray right eye, and then to the seemingly ordinary money pouch at his waist that contained endless space.

As the ancient Egyptian god of death gently touched the ground with his scepter, the dust of the underworld moved without wind, forming a subtle vortex pattern of time at Ian's feet.

"Time has left its mark on you," Anubis finally spoke. "You are not a creation of this era."

Ian chuckled softly, the joints of his armor emitting a faint sound of hydraulic systems operating. He casually plunged his forty-meter-long sword into the ground, the blade embedding itself more than half a foot into the obsidian floor.

"As expected of the gatekeeper of the underworld, you have good eyesight." He shrugged. "But since you figured it out, how about you just open a back door for me? And lend me your oars?"

“The marks of time cannot be hidden,” Anubis said slowly. “You possess an aura that does not belong to this era. Your magic, your technology, your way of thinking… none of these belong to a world I know.” Anubis’s jackal mask revealed no expression, but his golden pupils narrowed slightly.

Ian was silent for a moment, then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

“You are smarter than I thought, much smarter than any other god I know,” he exclaimed. “At least you didn’t mistake me for some kind of raven.”

This was also a test.

however.

Anubis did not answer, but continued to gaze at him.

"Death is not bound by time, and even time itself dies." This is an explanation of his understanding of death, and a revelation of some of his authority.

He can see into the future.

He could be considered a prophet.

"Have you foreseen your own future?"

Ian asked curiously.

"You are very rude."

A complex emotion flickered in Anubis's eyes—not hostility, nor surprise, but a kind of...long-held scrutiny, as if he had foreseen this moment.

Someone with Ian's personality would naturally have a lot of contact with the gods.

A cynical magical genius, huh?

Every era will always produce a few groups.

"The trial continues."

Anubis did not press further; he simply nodded and then waved his hand. The air in the arena vibrated, as if some ancient mechanism had been activated.

Time began to flow again. In the center of the arena, Seti's face was ashen. This most renowned warrior of ancient Egypt was now covered in wounds, his bronze shield twisted and deformed, and the blade of his Hepash sword riddled with nicks. He looked up at the metal giant suspended in the air, his eyes filled with both anger and a profound sense of powerlessness.

Without hesitation, Ian slowly raised his machete, the blade reflecting a cold light in the sunlight.

"This is no duel!" Seti roared, his voice echoing through the arena. "This is a massacre!"

Ian tilted his head, and the neck joint of the armor made a "click" mechanical sound.

"Oh? So what kind of duel do you consider fair?" His tone was somewhat mocking. "Want me to come down and fight you hand-to-hand? That's not something a grown man should say."

"I didn't say that!"

Seti's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, veins bulging on his bronze muscles. He slammed his curved sword and shield to the ground, the metal clanging against the obsidian.

"I just want to admit defeat!"

He sat down cross-legged and stared up at Ian.

"You can kill me or chop me up as you please!"

This is clearly a sign that they've given up and abandoned their honor as heroes.

There is nothing we can do about it.

Because he was a battle-hardened warrior, this hero had a very clear understanding of the battle situation.

“I’ve already lost. I was destined to lose no matter what,” he whispered. “The moment you took flight, the moment you donned your armor and pulled out that damned weapon!”

“I knew it, I’m no match for you. This is not a fair fight at all.” With these last words, the ancient Egyptian warrior looked at the god of his civilization.

"But the trial is not over yet."

Anubis's voice echoed through the arena.

"You must complete your part."

His orders were very firm.

Seti could only manage a wry smile.

"I have lost the will to fight, and I have lost the right to be a warrior." He slowly put down the sword Kahesis in his hand, and the shield slid to the ground with a dull thud.

"I don't want to play anymore."

He looked up at Ian, his eyes filled with determination.

"You win, I will no longer resist."

After all, he was a warrior. Being chased around was quite humiliating. In any case, he was just a phantom in history, and all he had to do was give up some time of existence.

The Warriors have thought this through very clearly.

The arena erupted in uproar.

He gave up!

A phantom spectator roared.

"Isn't he a hero?"

"He betrayed history!"

Another person shouted.

"He gave up his glory!"

Seti did not respond to the loud insults and boos from the audience; he simply stood there quietly, like a statue about to collapse.

Ian looked at him.

A trace of complicated emotions flashed in his eyes.

"You are a true warrior."

He made a comment that can be considered as demonstrating a high level of emotional intelligence: "You understand better than most people that you are not facing an opponent from the same era."

Ian didn't say anything more, but slowly raised his machete.

Since you've put it that way...

The blade flashed like a cascading river, slicing through the air with a whooshing sound, cleaving Seti's figure in two. But there was no blood, no scream. Only a dazzling particle of light rose from his body, scattering like stardust before disappearing into the arena's air. Seti's figure, amidst the brilliant blade light, transformed into countless golden particles of light, rising like stars against the current towards the dark sky of the underworld.

There was dead silence.

Immediately following, a tidal wave of boos erupted. The stands erupted in uproar; the ancient spirits hissed deafeningly, some cursing Seti for cowardice, others tearing furiously at their shrouds. Several agitated spirits even attempted to jump off the stands, but were repelled by the arena's barrier.

"Cheater!"

"He killed a hero of history!"

"This is a desecration of the past!"

In response, Ian's "virtual audience" cheered even more enthusiastically.

"Ian! Ian! Ian!"

"The future will triumph over the past!"

"Wisdom triumphs over glory!"

"History is not the end, but the beginning!"

"Lord Ian is invincible!"

"The forty-meter-long broadsword is forever legendary!"

"I suggest directly awarding Lord Ian the title of 'Pyramid Cup' champion!"

……

These virtual beings, endowed with a library of witty remarks for later generations, are still the most eloquent. Ian made an exaggerated bowing gesture, and the metal joints of his armor moved smoothly.

Then, with one hand gripping the hilt, he easily lifted the forty-meter-long sword from the ground. As the last speck of light dissipated, the entire arena began to tremble violently.

The massive stone walls flowed and reformed like liquid, the gravelly ground melting into the black waters of the Styx, then quickly solidifying into a smooth obsidian platform. Twelve stone pillars, engraved with runes, rose from the ground, their tops ablaze with eerie blue soulfire. The sky was shrouded in a semi-transparent magical barrier.

An ancient Egyptian star chart appears above.

"A gladiator arena for wizards only," Anubis said in a low voice, his tone serious. "Magic is no longer prohibited; this is the stage for the second round of trials."

His figure appeared on the highest referee's stand.

His scepter struck the ground heavily.

"First attempt, passed."

"Second Trial: Challenge a legendary wizard of your own caliber."

Ian's armor clicked and creaked as its components contracted and folded as if alive, eventually transforming into a metal bracelet that rested on his wrist. His forty-meter-long broadsword shrank into a delicate paper cutter, which he casually tucked into his belt.

"An equally legendary wizard?"

Ian looked around, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"interesting."

He wasn't nervous at all; after all, this wasn't Ian's first time facing a legendary wizard. Just then, Anubis's scepter struck the ground once more.

"start."

A crack suddenly appeared in the center of the obsidian platform, and a figure draped in a robe of stars slowly rose. This person wore a crown made of gold and obsidian and held a serpentine staff, its tip inlaid with a gem that flickered with a ghostly blue flame. As he raised his head, Ian's eyes narrowed slightly.

This is a demigod.

Heca-Ur, a legendary sorcerer of ancient Egypt, is said to have stolen the power of the sun god Ra while in mortal form, ultimately cursed by the gods and forever teetering between life and death. Heca-Ur's eyes have no pupils, only the endless starry sky within. His voice is like the whispers of a thousand souls overlapping.

"Intruder...you have disturbed eternal slumber."

Ian's fingertips were already on the wand, but a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"A demigod wizard? Interesting."

Ian also pulled out his elder wand, and the way he held it was in the same vein as Voldemort's, giving him a slightly dashing air.

"I am invincible!"

Heca-Ur didn't waste any words, and lightly tapped his serpentine staff.

boom! ! !
The sky above the arena suddenly twisted as a burning meteorite tore through space, hurtling toward Ian with a long trail of flame! Divine flames danced on the meteorite's surface, the manifestation of the wrath of the sun god Ra.

Ian's wand shot up instantly.

"Fractus Spatium!" (Space Tear)

A twisted rift formed in the distance, silvery-gray magic, from which the meteorite fell and vanished without a trace. But the next second, the space behind Ian suddenly split open.

The meteorite shot out from there and struck him directly in the back!

"Spatial reversal? Well done."

Without turning his head, Ian pulled a small mirror from his purse with his left hand and tossed it behind him.

"Speculum Reflecto!"

The meteorite struck the mirror, which magnified instantly, and was bounced back along the same path, hurtling towards Heca-Ul at an even faster speed!

The demigod wizard slammed his staff to the ground.

A shield made of starlight appeared. The entire arena trembled at the moment of the meteorite impact, and the shockwave tore spiderweb-like cracks into the obsidian floor.

"Stone Spear Technique!" Heca-Ur immediately cast a spell, and the ground cracked open, with countless stone spears piercing out from the earth, pointing directly at Ian's location!

Ian flashed forward, a magic circle lit up beneath his feet, and he instantly appeared in mid-air, avoiding the fatal attack.

"Thunder Arrows!" He swung his hand back in mid-air, and three lightning arrows shot out, striking Heca-Ur with the force of thunder!

Hecar-Ur remained calm, held his staff horizontally, and chanted an ancient incantation: "Holy Shield Herus!"

A golden shield of light appeared, blocking all the thunder arrows. Sparks flew, illuminating the entire arena.

The "virtual fans" in the audience were already in an uproar:

"Ian! Take him down!"

"Hogwarts' pride!"

"Potion Master, Magic Master, Alchemist!"

This was the roar of the virtual fans. On the other side, the "phantom audience" representing ancient Egyptian history murmured softly, their faces filled with shock and awe.

"He actually managed to fight Heca-Ul to a draw?"

"This is impossible... Heca-Ul is a demigod!"

"That wizard...who exactly is he?"

As the battle escalated, the structure of the arena began to undergo drastic changes.

The ground stretched out continuously, and space folded layer upon layer, the original circular platform expanding into a vast area. Twelve stone pillars transformed into towers reaching the heavens, their peaks radiating beams of light that intertwined to form a grid-like barrier. The souls in the audience were horrified to discover that their seats were being pushed infinitely backward.

In the blink of an eye, the arena grew to a very large size. Clearly, the arena was constantly expanding as the battle intensified to ensure that both sides had enough space to cast spells.

Heca-Ur suddenly opened his arms, and the star patterns on his robes lit up.

“Ankh Udja Seneb!” (Life, Prosperity, Health)
Ancient Egyptian resurrection incantations echoed through the space. The obsidian beneath Ian's feet suddenly softened, and countless shrouds emerged from it, wrapping around his legs. Even more terrifying, he felt his life force being forcibly drained—the shrouds were absorbing his lifespan!
“Death magic?” Ian sneered. “Coincidentally, I’m also skilled in that.”

He let the shroud be wrapped around his waist, but pointed his wand at his temple:
"Memento Mori!" (Remembering Death)

The silver-gray magic spread like ripples.

All the shrouds instantly decayed into ash. At the same time, Heca-Ur suddenly staggered backward—age spots appeared on his face, and wrinkles spread across his skin at a visible speed.

"you……"

For the first time, shock appeared in the demigod wizard's Starry Sky Eye: "You reversed my laws of life and death?"

Ian flicked his wand.

"Just reminding you that death cannot defeat me."

Ian said this in a very calm tone, but it was also somewhat arrogant. After all, Anubis, the god of death, was not far away, and his words really showed that he didn't take Anubis seriously.

Heca-Ur was utterly enraged. He removed his crown, letting the obsidian and gold melt and reform on the throne, eventually transforming into a spear burning with blue flames.

In the name of Ra!

The moment the spear was hurled, space was torn apart, leaving a trail of burning light. This was no ordinary attack; it was a fatal blow imbued with the divinity of the sun god!
The power of rules is at work!

(End of this chapter)