From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 550 Empty Skeleton
The corpse in the dragon's lair belonged to a bronze dragon, and judging from its size, it did indeed match Ansu's age range.

But this bronze dragon, who came to life in undead form, actually called a mind flayer "Bardan"?

Even a heartless person like Xie Nian couldn't help but doubt the authenticity of this message.

“Bodean? No, I don’t believe it!” Will questioned in his mind. The mind flayer’s psychic network transmitted his doubts to everyone, including Ivy, who had only recently mastered psychic powers.

“A name I would have responded to, a name I never thought I would hear again, especially from an old friend.” The Mind Flayer, emerging from the Astral Prism portal, waved its tentacles and said with a hint of surprise.

“Friends?” Ansu’s spirit spoke through Will’s mouth, a storm brewing in his words. “Yes—and much more than that.”

"Until you kill me," the skeletal dragon demanded. "Do you intend to dance over my bones, Bodean? Killing me isn't enough for you?"

“Satisfied?” The mind flayer who called himself a monarch shook his head. “No, I have never enjoyed that process. You left me with no other choice.”

“You had many choices!” Ansu retorted angrily. “You were about to become a mind flayer. I decided to grant you a merciful end, but you chose to fight.”

The matter is now clear: the great founder of Baldur's Gate was infected by a Mind Flayer tadpole and refused his companions' offer to help him break free, thus turning himself into a Mind Flayer.

As the Mind Flayer tadpole undergoes its metamorphosis, some hosts will exhibit avoidance and protection of the Mind Flayer tadpole in their brains.

Perhaps Bodø/Glimt was in that state at the time.

However, this made Ivy feel wise about her decision to develop the [Phoenix Sacred Fire] suicide resurrection spell.

When a Mind Flayer Tadpole completes its metamorphosis, it consumes the host's soul. Therefore, even if a complete resurrection spell is used, it is impossible to bring back to life a person who has been eaten by a Mind Flayer Tadpole.

"Now you've brought these Mind Flayer victims to me again. Just how low has Bodean fallen?" Ansu's questioning hadn't ended.

Ivy couldn't agree with his use of the term "mind flayer." When a mind flayer completes its incubation, its former host ceases to exist in any sense.

Perhaps Baldur's rich adventures allowed the Mind Flayer before him to shape his personality using his memories, but it was by no means a continuation of Baldur's. Rather, it was a monster born from Baldur's corpse.

The Mind Flayer Lord approached the Bronze Dragon, attempting to gain his trust: "My dear Anzu, these adventurers—"

"Enough!" The bronze dragon's corpse had risen again on the earth, its claws kicking up mud and water that splashed in all directions. "I gave you everything, Bodean—and you repaid me with slaughter. Now it's my turn to repay you for that favor."

Anzu, the bronze dragon resurrected in the form of a hollow dragon, had no intention of wasting any more time.

The terrifying dragon head was raised high, emitting a roar that made the entire cave tremble.

"I am Baldur's Heart, I am the roaring one hidden deep underground!"

"Let my bones rise, let the storm gather. Behold, Bodean—the final storm is about to break."

The storm wall surrounding the bronze dragon Anzu shrank inward until it resonated with a burst of electricity within the dragon's hollow chest before exploding again.

"This time, you won't escape!"

That was the declaration of war from the Void Dragon Anzu, and the first to bear the brunt was Will, who was still floating in mid-air.

The dragon's immense spiritual power, linked with the Mind Flayer, triggered extremely abnormal phenomena.

If we had to describe it using a state, the best adjective would be "helpless".

Faced with the oncoming skeletal dragon claws, Will had no means of countermeasures and could only pray that his leather armor could withstand the power of the true dragon.

Just as the dragon's claws, with only a few remaining scales, were about to strike Will, a strange force ripped his ankle, pulling him out of the Void Dragon's attack range and severing his spiritual connection with the dragon.

"Adventurers! The Heart of Baldur you seek is no more. There is only a pathetic undead creature here!" It was the Mind Flayer who saved Will with his psionic powers. He retreated with the Border Blade, giving up a more advantageous position for melee combat to Lyezel, who wielded his greatsword, and Minsara, who was clad in adamantite heavy armor.

"The surface world is definitely more fun than the underground!" The drow elf's elegant longsword gleamed with the golden light of oath power. "Today we will become dragon slayers!"

Mingsara's Holy Slash not only pierced the Void Dragon's defenses but also severed a knuckle at the very tip of its claw. Without scales and flesh to protect it, the Void Dragon Anzu's physical resistance was far inferior to that of its living self. However, this also meant that it lacked the weaknesses of a living dragon. Moreover, because its physical body was limited, ranged attacks like arrows could easily pass through its hollow body, and even ordinary melee attacks had a considerable chance of missing.

Unlike Minsara, who made a name for himself on his first attack, Leezel's eternally burning blade, which he obtained from Afonas, was not so lucky.

Not only did it fail to inflict damage, but it was also caught in the other empty claw of the Hollow Dragon Anzu.

"Witness the fury of the storm!" Facing a numerically superior group of adventurers, Ansu planned to clear the area quickly. A surge of bluish-white lightning erupted from his hollow throat, transforming into a violent breath of lightning that crashed down on the adventurers with immense force.

The breath of a true dragon can be roughly divided into two categories: flames and freezing air are distributed in a cone shape, while acids and lightning are distributed in rays. The former has a large range but short distance, while the latter has a small range but long distance.

If the Void Dragon were to complete its breath attack, the surging lightning ray would likely pierce through the entire formation.

However, the appearance of the Mind Flayer Lord also means that the anti-magic adamantite constructs, the Shadowbreakers, who were waiting in the Astral Prism at Ivy's command, have been freed.

"Hostile target detected. Rule one: Protect the Creator!" Along with the cold, mechanical voice, a construct shimmering with the golden light of the rising sun appeared.

Although he was much smaller than the Hollow Bone Dragon, the runes etched by Ivy onto the adamantite plate were the key to fighting the dragon's breath.

Four powerful tentacles sank deep into the ground of the dragon's lair, while the open adamantite shield projected a cone-shaped anti-magic field directly in front, extinguishing the lightning flashing in the dragon's mouth.

Before Ansu could even comprehend what was happening, his throat was sore, the piston-driven adamantite battering ram kissed his head.

Bone fragments and rotting tissue flew everywhere, and Baldur's Heart let out a series of mournful howls before staggering and collapsing onto the white crystal-strewn ground. "What the hell is this thing?" Ansu waved the bone wings on his back, using the surroundings for leverage to get up, trying to get away from the heavy construct that had suddenly appeared in front of him.

"No, I am not a ghost. I am a war machine personally crafted by Archmage Ivy Doom, the Shadow Destroyer." The adamantite construct is not a single-threaded creation; speaking does not prevent it from launching an attack. The giant drill on its left arm spun rapidly, humming as it launched another melee attack.

Amidst the flying bone fragments, Ansu struggled to flap its wings, hoping to escape its opponent's attack range.

For a massive creature like the ancient bronze dragon, flapping its wings and taking off also signifies an attack. This wing-beating attack can not only blow away smaller opponents, but can even cause larger targets to stagger and lose their balance.

However, things are different now. Ansu is now a hollow dragon. His remaining wing membranes are riddled with holes and cannot hold the wind or provide the corresponding lift.

If the Shadow Destroyer's anti-magic field hadn't been activated, Anzu could have used magic to summon storms to aid his flight. However, within the anti-magic field, Anzu couldn't manipulate any magic to create magical effects outside his body, not even his instinctive takeoff maneuver.

"No! I am Anzu! Heart of Baldur! My roar will never turn into a wail!" The skeletal dragon tail, like a multi-sectioned whip, lashed at the Shadow Destroyer's eternally golden body, leaving not even a scratch.

The adamantine tentacles wedged between the ribs of the hollow dragon, firmly binding it in place. The gears and mechanisms underwent a few simple transformations under the power of magic, revealing the Dawn Cannon Crystal, which served as the core of rotation. The right arm, equipped with a battering ram, rotated backward and quickly formed a centrally symmetrical structure with the left arm, one in front and one behind.

Then, illuminated by the rapidly flashing indicator lights on its head, the adamantine construct that had trampled the Hollow Dragon under its feet unleashed a terrifying storm of destruction...

“Baldy’s Heart… Anzu…” the Mind Flayer murmured as he released Will, “I never imagined he would die in front of me again…”

As it turns out, dragon bones are no match for weapons made of adamantite, let alone two large siege weapons.

Apart from Leezel's leaping slash and Minsara's Holy Slash, no third adventurer's attack landed on the resurrected Anzu.

The eyes that had been flashing with a bluish-white light dimmed and went out, and the dragon bones that had been gathered together shattered into fragments again, or perhaps it would be more accurate to describe them as powder.

In conclusion, the ancient bronze dragon hidden beneath Baldur's Gate is now completely dead.

“Bodyan?” Will, who had escaped the clutches of the dragon from the clutches of the Mind Flayer, was still reeling from their previous conversation. “Are you really Bodyan?”

"I used to be, but now I am far more than that." The monarch turned to answer Will's question, and at the same time, he was making a confession to all the adventurers.

“I’ve always told you this—I’m just like you, an adventurer who aspires to greatness. By mortal standards, I’ve already achieved my goal.”

"As captain of the Eye of the Explorer, I have acquired enough wealth to build Baldur's Gate, but simply watching my city grow and prosper is not enough to satisfy me." The Mind Flayer still floated in the air, his small eyes revealing a look of longing. "The sea is calling me, so I have returned to her open embrace."

"Excuse me, Mr. Mind Flayer." The Shadow Destroyer, having completed the dismantling of the Hollow Dragon Anzu, returned to the adventurers and said in a polite tone, "This was an unauthorized breakout. Please return with me immediately to the Astral Prism and resume our duties."

"Escape from prison?" The Mind Flayer, interrupted, was not annoyed, but instead asked, "I thought the Comet Prince was the prisoner."

Guarding the Comet Prince was the official order, but in private, Ivy's more important instruction was to monitor the Mind Flayer's actions.

The unexpected question stunned the Shadow Slayer's flexible head, and the constantly flashing indicator light began to stay on.

Turning slightly, the Shadowbreaker tried to seek Ivy's help, but the latter was carefully examining a piece of dragon bone that had fallen beside him.

Unable to obtain the Creator's help, the Shadow Destroyer brandished its weapon, and the indicator light above its head turned a dangerous red: "Invalid question. Please cooperate with my work, or I will resort to force."

"What a pity." The portal to the Astral Prism opened beside the monarch. "It seems we'll have to talk about Bodean's story another time."

"Let him finish speaking." Ivy raised his head, while the dragon bone at his feet was carefully put away using the Grimoire of Destruction.

The hammer, poised to strike, was deactivated, and the indicator light above the Shadow Slayer's head returned to its usual calm, platinum color.

"In short, Bodean's adventure failed. The Eye of the Explorer ran aground on the beach, and all the sailors on board perished. But as captain, I was determined to return home in glory, so I went to the Tower of the Moon in search of the legendary treasure." The Mind Flayer shook his head, his deep purple tentacles swaying back and forth with his movements. "But it was a Mind Flayer colony hidden under the protection of the Shadow Curse. So, like you, I received a tadpole, became a Mind Flayer, and was controlled by the Mastermind."

“Ansu found me, helped me get rid of the mastermind’s notification, and brought me back home.”

"He tried every method he could find, but he could only move toward collapse with each failure."

“He doesn’t understand—what I want is not a cure, I’m not sick.”

“Ansu, Duke Steme. Do your allies always die?” Will asked, pointing to Ansu’s ashes.

“Sterme’s death was not my fault, but Anzu’s death was entirely necessary.” The Mind Flayer vehemently denied it. “Their deaths have caused me immense grief, especially Anzu’s. I cannot convince him to accept the status quo—the greatness I have achieved has exceeded even my wildest dreams, and he can only see a Mind Flayer gradually taking shape.”

“He came to my side while I was asleep. In his eyes, it was a merciful murder—I saw tears and felt his grief.”

“So I killed him, before he could kill me. Just out of pure self-preservation,” the Mind Flayer concluded.

"And then?" Ivy asked abruptly.

"What? That's it... I know very well what I've lost. Although I don't regret my actions, I do feel guilty about their necessity." The Mind Flayer lowered his head at the opportune moment.

"Guilt?" Ivy scoffed. "Judging from your attempt to turn your best friend into an undead creature and control his power, I feel not a single trace of guilt. Is that right, elven adventurer Bodean?"

Hollows are a way for some metallic dragons to achieve noble goals; for the sake of righteousness and ideals, they infuse their power into their bones, becoming undead creatures. But even the noblest desire to murder a close friend cannot justify an ancient bronze dragon accepting necromancy to defile itself.

From the moment the Void Dragon attacked the adventurers, or rather, the Mind Flayers, Ivy knew that Anzu's resurrection must have been the result of interference from someone.

(End of this chapter)