58 Chapter 57: The Resurrection of the Dark Lord

The moment Leo got his hands on the championship cup, he felt a shift due to the portkey. But the place he was transferred to was strange. Normally, he should have been transferred to the entrance of the maze to show off his victory. However, the place where Leo is standing now is in the middle of a dark cemetery. Sensing an abnormal situation, he fully activates the defense mechanism of his ring and also activates "Sapientia" to be able to deal with anything.

"Ku, it might be part of the competition, but don't let your guard down."

"Understood... There's a human behind us."

As he turns around, an Expelliarmus disarming spell comes flying at him. It's not particularly powerful, but he dodges it just in case. At the same time, Ku extends a tentacle from his coat and cuts off the arm of the opponent. He approaches the fallen opponent to confirm who it is. The opponent was a man, but someone he didn't know. He was crouching with a clearly insane face. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like there was a shift in his soul.

"I think Crouch was like this too..."

"That's Barty Crouch. He swapped souls with his son and broke his mind to make him obey. Now, the one inside Crouch is my subordinate, Barty Crouch Junior."

A voice came from the back of the cemetery. Looking over there, Peter Pettigrew, who had escaped last year, was walking towards him carrying an ugly creature about the size of a baby. Using his "Eye", he understood what it was.

"It's been a while. Lord Voldemort. Did you arrange for me to be brought here?"

"Yes. I said we'd talk when I resurrected last time we met. Today! I will resurrect!"

"How? I don't intend to give you the Philosopher's Stone."

"You'll see soon enough. Wait for me for a while. My faithful servant will bring the final ingredient."

While observing Pettigrew preparing a large pot and magic potion, Leo contemplates.

(Cemetery... Corpse... The magic potion is for decomposing bodies... I see, I see... Who is the final ingredient?)

He had a rough idea of what the ritual was about. After a while, Barty Crouch Junior disguised as Barty Crouch and Harry Potter appeared via portkey.

"I've kept you waiting, my lord. I've brought Potter."

Harry is resisting but can't move because he's bound.

"Crouch! What's going on!? Why is Peter here!? And even Taylor who disappeared!"

"Shut up! You're going to be material for my lord's resurrection!"

While being tied to one of the tombstones, Harry saw an ugly creature on top of a pedestal - Voldemort.

"Voldemort...! Crouch, Peter! Stop it! Damn it, Taylor! Don't just watch, do something! You can handle these guys, can't you!?"

"It's useless. This guy isn't afraid of me. More than anything else, he's probably interested in the ritual we're about to perform."

Voldemort laughs. In fact, Leo wasn't interested in Harry at all and was very interested in the resurrection ritual.

"My lord... The preparations are complete."

"Begin."

As Crouch Junior watches and Leo observes, the ritual begins.

Voldemort is put into a large pot.

"Father's bone, unknowingly given. The father shall resurrect the son!"

The tombstone inscribed with Tom Riddle cracks, and the bone that emerges from beneath it is finely crushed and thrown into a pot. The potion changes to a vivid blue color.

"Servant's flesh, gladly offered. The servant shall resurrect the master."

Crouch Junior cuts off Pettigrew's right arm and throws it into the pot. The contents of the pot change from blue to a burning red color.

"Enemy's blood, forcibly taken. Thou shall resurrect the enemy."

Crouch Junior cuts Harry's arm. The blood that flows out is poured into the pot.

"Ah..."

Leo realizes something, but the ceremony is already over. The contents of the pot change to a dazzling white color, and a person rises from within.

The person was emaciated like a skeleton, tall, and his face was as distorted and ugly as a baby's, an inhuman face. Here and now, the worst dark wizard in history, Lord Voldemort, has been resurrected.

Voldemort savors the joy of having his own body as he looks over his body in every detail. He must have done so for about a minute.

"Dress me in robes."

Crouch dresses him in robes. His movements are careful and delicate as if handling fragile objects. Then he lovingly takes the prepared wand in his hand.

"Show your arm, Peter Pettigrew."

Pettigrew must have thought that the arm used as material would be healed by those words. He extends his armless right arm, but Voldemort grabs his left arm and checks the tattoo, the Dark Mark.

"They're returning. Everyone should have noticed... It will become clear how many are truly loyal."

Voldemort presses his finger against the tattoo. In an instant, the color changes from red to black. Leo observes this situation.

(Huh. That's well done. With that, you can send signals without anyone noticing. I'll take it as a reference.)

After a while, Death Eaters appear one after another around Voldemort by apparition. The Death Eaters approach their master, the Dark Lord, with fear and kneel to kiss the hem of his robe.

"Well done, my servants. How do you feel now? You all were living comfortably without any inconvenience. Why didn't anyone think to help their master?"

No one could say anything to those words. For a while, Voldemort continued to abuse and punish them with cruciatus curses.

"Now then, I have invited guests to my resurrection ceremony. The hero everyone knows, Harry Potter, and the young researcher, Leonard Taylor."

The Death Eaters turned their attention to Harry who was bound and Leo who was observing Voldemort.

"I'll talk about Taylor later in detail. First... Potter!"

A cruciatus curse explodes towards Harry.

Harry screams and wails.

"Hahahaha! Who would believe that this brat is stronger than me, the Dark Lord!? He's just a kid who can't do anything!"

The ropes binding Harry are untied, setting him free. Harry is lying on the ground in pain due to the cruciatus curse.

"Now, Harry Potter, your parents' enemy is right in front of you. I'm in a good mood right now. Let's fight one-on-one. You know how to duel, don't you? Stand up quickly!"

Voldemort forcibly makes Harry stand up.

"Now, bow. A duel requires manners. Bow, Potter!"

He forcibly bends Harry's waist to make him bow. Both of them face each other and hold their wands. The Death Eaters are confident of their master's victory, while Leo seems indifferent as he watches.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Green and red flashes collide in the air. What was thought to be Voldemort's overwhelming victory was evenly matched in the air. At this unusual phenomenon, Leo's eyes open wide.

(Is that... a resonance of wands? It's not impossible, but it's my first time seeing it. I'm lucky today.)

After that, mysterious phenomena continued, such as the apparition of the dead coming out of Voldemort's wand as Harry's flash pushed through. The dead obstruct Voldemort, allowing Harry to successfully escape using the championship cup he brought with Leo. By now, he should be protected by Dumbledore at Hogwarts.

"You... you... you! ...Well, it's fine. I'll kill you eventually! Now then."

The Dark Lord turns to Leo, who had been analyzing the current phenomenon.

"It seems I've kept you waiting."

"No, not at all. I'm satisfied with all the interesting things I've seen."

"If you're satisfied, that's good. Now let me get straight to the point. Join me."

A straightforward invitation from Voldemort.

The result of this invitation will determine the future of the magical world.

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Voldemort has returned!