Chapter 264 263. Dragon.

Gloucestershire.

Inside the inner world of a certain snake, two young people sat facing each other: Severus, wearing only pants, and Nagini, clad in black lace underwear.

Nagini, clutching her cards with trembling hands, glared at Severus with righteous fury.

"YOU'RE CHEATING!"

"How can I cheat in your territory?" he drawled lazily, sprawling across the wooden floor she had created earlier for more comfortable play. "So stop making excuses. Besides, what haven't I seen?"

"You definitely cheated somehow! It's impossible to get a straight flush three times in a row!" she exclaimed, throwing her cards onto the small table, her voice thick with undisguised resentment as she folded her arms under her chest and continued glaring at him.

"Just luck, nothing more." He waved it off lazily, smiling slightly and settling more comfortably as he materialized a pillow beneath his head. "I'm waiting…"

"Fine… I lost, and I'll keep my word!" she snorted and… grinned wickedly, which somewhat puzzled him; he had even started preparing for revenge, but…

For almost the entire game, she had been sitting with her legs tucked under her, and when she stood up, he couldn't hold back a chuckle at the sight of a pair of pink socks on her previously bare feet.

"I don't recall those…"

"They were on me from the very beginning of the game." She lifted her chin, and as soon as she began removing the right one, a second immediately appeared underneath. "Though I can't recall exactly how many I have on anymore…"

"And she calls me a cheater… not an ounce of shame…"

"You started it!"

"So you don't deny it?"

"Hmph! As if! You're cheating, and that's a fact!" With a sharp sweep of her palm, a black, form-fitting, shimmering dress appeared on her, complete with a plunging neckline and a belt of denser fabric.

"Sigh... fine, I confess." He pushed himself up and raised his hands. "I cheated, so I lost..."

"That's right! You can't fool... wait!" She narrowed her eyes warily and stepped back a few steps. "This is too suspicious... you never give up this easily..." When he reached for his belt, her eyes went wide.

"And I have to undress..." After unbuttoning his trousers, he slowly began to pull down his zipper, looking at her with mocking amusement as she quickly covered his eyes, her face as red as a tomato.

"Stop! Don't do that!"

"Huh? What do you mean? I lost! That means I have to..."

"Enough! Do you think I don't understand that you're doing this on purpose to embarrass me?!"

"That's true," he calmly admitted. "But I still lost, so I have to take the punishment."

"N-no! S-stop! I still won't look!" But her slightly parted fingers suggested otherwise, and when she snuck a glance from his firm chest downward... she froze as she saw his trousers were still fastened.

"Just kidding." He chuckled, amusement in his voice. "But if you want to look..."

"I'll kill you!" Realizing she'd been pranked, she was about to rush at him, but at the last moment she noticed his body dissolving into white particles right before her eyes. His gaze was fixed elsewhere, and when she looked in that direction, she saw a bright green glow where her snake form had been, beginning to consume the darkness. "This is..."

"Yes, it's begun." He nodded with a warm smile, looking into her eyes. "Sorry, but I can't stay with you. And since you want to kill me, I'll be waiting for you outside. I'm looking forward to it. I'll even let you hit me once." He winked at her one last time before his body dissolved completely.

"I'll remember your words. Just try going back on them later," she whispered, clenching her fists tightly, feeling a wild excitement as the transformation reached its final stage and the green light consumed her. *...I won't forgive you...*

---

At the same time, outside, Severus rose from the sofa and grimly watched the crystal, which had grown nearly three times in size since he last checked, forcing him to significantly expand the space behind the glass.

But it did little to stop the magic bursting from the precious stone: the walls and floor were covered with new cracks every second.

Of course, since the house was an artifact with walls that quickly restored themselves, this wasn't a major problem, but if things continued at this rate, the destruction would outpace restoration.

Severus had long since stopped paying attention to that, however; he was far more concerned with ensuring that not even a particle of her magic escaped the house, as it could attract unwanted attention.

*This is… an interesting experience. I'm observing the evolution process from such a distance for the first time… though it's not surprising. It would have been strange if this hadn't happened after assimilating water from the Sacred Spring, dragon blood, and two full curses, a small portion of which had transformed into magic. But… peak of sixth rank… apparently I underestimated the density of magic in that water…* His eyes gleamed ominously, and he could only curse as he recalled the story of the old man who had destroyed what was likely the only Sacred Water source in the world. With it, he might have fully recovered by now and merged body, soul, and core, becoming a true Archimagus and beginning to study those creatures much earlier.

At the same time, Li Er, who was busy training the little ones, coughed heavily and began looking around in surprise, not understanding how this was even possible. He was a spirit, a disembodied being without any physical functions or needs.

A few seconds later, after the first long crack appeared on the crystal and a particularly powerful outburst of magic occurred, the door to the room flew open and Eileen rushed in, having suddenly sensed a powerful source of magic. She froze just a couple of meters from the door.

"So much magic in just one being…"

"She's almost become a seventh-rank magical creature. There's nothing surprising about that," Severus answered without turning around, raising his palms. In the next moment, crimson runes flared on the walls, and within seconds they completely suppressed the surging waves of magic; the pressure evaporated.

A mixture of ink and true dragon blood in a nine-to-one ratio performed quite well… but I need to find ink worthy of such an ingredient. Still, now I can say for certain that the ancestor of those snakes was a monster, at least at the peak of the eighth rank, or perhaps at the beginning of the ninth. Only the blood of such a creature could contain such a powerful surge of magic in such a small amount. And one shouldn't forget that it's already several millennia old, and most of the magic has already dissipated…

By the time Severus emerged from his thoughts, there was already quite a crowd of magical creatures in the room: among them the cubs of other monsters and even the Black Hound, who had followed them out of curiosity, not because she was worried about her only friend.

But the most impatient-looking one was Drake, who watched the crystal with excitement, sensing a familial connection to it, which was not surprising since both of them originated from the same donor.

"Such high density of magic… as if… I'm standing before that terrifying creature again…" Li Er swallowed, whispering with reverence, which of course didn't escape Severus's keen hearing. Severus himself wasn't particularly surprised by these words, but rather felt a measure of relief, since he had bet that the monster in the crystal beneath the Tianzi Mountains was at least at the peak of Archimagus rank, or perhaps higher. But if it was only slightly stronger than Nagini now, then it shouldn't pose much of a problem. After all, in his time, he had even managed to kill a Grand Archimagus, albeit a wounded one. And since that creature was only mid-rank, defeating it would pose little challenge.

With each passing second, the precious stone was covered with more and more cracks, and the magic swirling around it finally began to stabilize, indicating that the ritual was approaching its conclusion.

Crack! Crack!

Poof! One large piece broke off and crashed to the floor, leaving a large dent and splitting into several smaller pieces.

*And these are worth keeping for myself. These crystals will provide good support when I transition to the rank of Archimagus, and if I'm lucky, I might even be able to reach the peak of the initial stage immediately…* With those thoughts, he extended his hand forward and a black vortex appeared directly under the precious stones, swallowing them.

Poof! Poof-poof! Poof! Several more pieces fell from the crystal and, upon contact with the floor, disappeared just as quickly, but that wasn't the most important thing. In one of the spots where a small piece had broken off, they saw rows of shimmering green scales, ten centimeters long, and these exposed areas were multiplying.

This continued for about another minute, until suddenly Severus sensed magic rapidly gathering in the area where Nagini's head had previously been. He had seen this once before, and there were only two possible outcomes: fire breath, which in this case was unlikely, or…

"Cover your ears!" Severus exclaimed sharply, reinforcing the barrier several times over and creating a dome around the unsuspecting magical creatures, because their enhanced hearing could cost them their lives.

"RAAAAAAAA!" An incredibly powerful dragon roar spread throughout the room, shattering the windows into pieces, along with the glass wall that was reinforced with numerous protective charms and runes.

And when the sound reached the others, the cubs squealed in pain, covering their ears, as did the other creatures and Eileen, whose face contorted. But thanks to the dome, the sound was still tolerable, and only Li Er watched the unfolding scene with the same reverence.

Thanks to this roar, the remaining part of the crystal shattered into pieces, revealing a creature of enormous size. Its form resembled a Chinese dragon, but without wings or limbs.

Nagini looked more like a vast serpent, but her muzzle and the aura she radiated made it clear what she truly was.

From the crown, along the back all the way to the tail, ran a yellow mane, especially lush on the head and the sharp tip of the tail.

But what also stood out were golden patterns along her entire body, large, broad, branching horns, and long white ear crests.

And as soon as her gaze focused on the creatures lying on the ground, she tilted her head to the side as if surprised and began to blink.

"Um… what's wrong with you?" A loud, deep voice, more like a man's, came from her mouth, and her gaze dropped to Severus, who was smiling reservedly at her, his smile somehow unnaturally strained.

"Nothing, but please shrink, or better yet, take human form, because you're too loud." Eileen backed him up with a nod, reacting with far more reserve to Nagini's new form because her emotions were naturally suppressed.

"Ryaaaaaar! Ryaaaaaar!" Drake growled joyfully, coming to his senses at the sight of his kin and circling her excitedly.

"Okay…" She finally realized what had happened, leaving her deeply embarrassed, though her huge, intimidating muzzle didn't show it. After a few seconds, she asked, looking away, "Um… how do I take human form?" All the sentient beings in the room turned toward Severus, except for Drake, who, like a child seeing his parent, was happily rubbing his muzzle against the larger snake.

"Um… shouldn't you be able to do that intuitively once you've evolved?" Severus asked, puzzled. She shook her head, which looked a bit comical and surreal. "Fine, then let's start by solving this problem." Pulling a chair over, he sat down and closed his eyes, steepling his fingers. *Where would I know this from?* he asked himself. It was a logical question.

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