BOOM.
Above Hogwarts, dark clouds gathered in an instant. The starlit sky dimmed into bruised darkness as lightning crawled through the clouds like a furious heartbeat.
Elsewhere in the castle, Quirrell—still battered from Bludgers—jerked upright in bed.
That familiar tingling crawled over his scalp again.
Twice bitten by lightning already, he didn't need a third lesson to recognise the warning.
Voldemort woke with a snarl.
"Why is this happening again?!"
"What in hell is going on at Hogwarts this year—why does it keep getting struck by lightning?!"
A heartbeat later, Voldemort seized control, dragged Quirrell's body out of bed, and fled at speed.
"Dumbledore… it has to be him," he muttered darkly.
"You old bastard. When I rise again, I'll make you pay."
…
Theo, meanwhile, knew none of that.
He was busy learning—first-hand—why this was called a divine ability.
The moment Three Heads and Eight Arms activated, power exploded through him.
His bones popped and shifted. His body grew taller, broader, until in sheer mass he rivalled even Hagrid.
Then his neck, ribs, and back itched violently—
—and two extra heads and six additional arms burst forth.
His features reshaped into something fierce and uncanny. Hair whipping, eyes sharp, his whole form carried the brutal majesty of a war god stepping down into the mortal world.
Violent battle aura rolled out in waves.
Theo roared.
Then he tested it.
A casual punch—sonic booms cracked through the Room of Requirement.
A single stomp—the floor trembled, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
Even the Room's magic shuddered.
One pair of hands raised his wand like a staff.
Monarch of the Staff surfaced again—only now it felt heavier, more absolute, killing aura thick enough to choke.
Theo froze, instinct screaming.
If he let that strike land, the Room of Requirement might actually collapse.
He stared at his many arms, breathing hard.
"So this is Three Heads and Eight Arms…"
"Incredible."
"In this state, I'd crush my old self."
Then—less than ten seconds in—he felt it.
A sharp emptiness.
Theo checked his Origin Sea and his expression tightened. It was draining at a terrifying rate. If he kept going, the newly expanded sea would shrink back, wasting the foundation laid by the Demon-Taming Pills.
He deactivated the divine ability immediately.
"So… under normal conditions," he muttered, "ten seconds."
Ten seconds.
In the old legends, beings like Yang Jian and Nezha could fight for days once they invoked this form.
Compared to them, he was still an ant.
But Theo wasn't discouraged.
Ten seconds was plenty—if used correctly.
His attention returned to Monarch of the Staff, Radiance of the Sword.
While the divine ability was active, that talent had surged too—killing aura drawn in so dense it made the air feel heavier.
A thought clicked into place.
"Three Heads and Eight Arms… it comes from the Wu Clan."
"Born for close combat. Once the body shifts, spellcasting becomes awkward. The body outruns the wand."
His lips curved.
"That suits me."
"If Monarch of the Staff is already brushing the Dao of Power… then Wu traits are exactly the shape it wants."
Piecing it together left him almost giddy.
His strength had made a qualitative leap—and this time, without paying the old, steep price.
Still, he could feel it: the expanded Origin Sea had depth he hadn't fully tapped.
"Three Heads and Eight Arms is still a trump card," he muttered. "Day to day, spells are more practical."
"And if I can support that divine art… ordinary spellwork will be trivial."
His thoughts drifted to one person.
Hagrid.
If he could push that bond to Life-and-Death, he'd unlock the Eight-Nine Arcana—transformations, body-refinement, exactly what he was beginning to lack.
"Looks like I'll need to pay Hagrid another visit…"
Just then, a surge of virtue settled onto him.
Theo froze.
The System lit up:
[You refined Demon-Taming Pills and awakened Three Heads and Eight Arms, triggering a tribulation of lightning.]
[However, you reside within the Jade Void Palace, protected by fate and a Saint's blessing. The lightning dares not strike you.]
[Instead, it falls upon the avatar of Duobao Daoist outside the palace.]
[Duobao has set off for Meishan, intending to kill Yuan Hong and lure you into a trap.]
[Outside the Jade Void, he has no restraints. You are no match for him. The System strongly recommends you do not leave the palace.]
Theo's pupils contracted.
Voldemort is going after Hagrid?
In the original story, Voldemort hunted unicorns. He didn't target Hagrid directly.
But now—
The butterfly effect had turned the blade.
Theo shot to his feet and sprinted from the Room of Requirement. Without hesitation, he leapt from the eighth-floor corridor window.
"Broom—to me!"
His Nimbus Two Thousand tore free from the dormitory and rocketed toward him.
Theo mounted midair and blasted toward the Forbidden Forest, face hard.
If the changes were aimed at him, fine.
But if Hagrid was in danger because of it—
That was something he would not accept.
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