HP - Shadow Monarch!

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]

Third Person POV

Romania.

...

...

Snape saw only darkness as he found himself within the painting. He didn't feel as though he was still on planet Earth but rather in a dimensional space created by the Dungeon.

Pure darkness and emptiness were all he could see at that moment, until it began to materialize, creating an even darker space around him. Snape finally felt himself touching the surface of a floor, when suddenly he sensed a gaze from afar, far beyond what his eyes could perceive in that darkness. In his mind, he could see the figure of a knight clad in red armor, as if observing him and awaiting his arrival.

"Who is that?" Snape murmured, frowning as he saw the entire place begin to materialize completely. He now found himself in a straight corridor lined with large pillars, with suits of armor stationed at each one, standing in a saluting position.

Flames began to burn in braziers mounted on the walls, illuminating the entire area. Snape now had a full view of the corridor.

"Where am I... This dungeon is different from the last one..." he murmured, fascinated, looking around for a while. Determined to move forward, he took his first step. This dungeon was far more organized than the first one he had explored.

The previous one resembled a cave or a wolf's den; this place, however, seemed to be some sort of medieval castle corridor. There was no apparent threat until he approached the first suit of armor. As soon as he touched the one in front of him, both the armor on the right and the one on the left, positioned by the pillars, began to move.

The suits of armor lifted their heads, turning toward him. Following their lead, all the other suits of armor along the corridor activated as well. They drew their swords from their initial positions and advanced toward him, preparing to strike.

"I see... So, my enemies this time are knights..." Snape commented, his hands empty, as he readied himself to test them first.

He waited for the knight on the right to attack. The armor raised its sword and launched a vertical slash at him. Snape skillfully dodged and then delivered a direct punch to the armor. The impact was so strong that it dented the suit, sending it flying several meters backward, though it was not immediately defeated.

"He's tough..." Snape analyzed.

The next moment, the knight on the left was already close and attacked. Snape swiftly ducked under its horizontal slash, showing remarkable reflexes, and kicked the knight's leg, causing it to lose balance. Before the armor could swing its sword again, Snape appeared beside it and delivered a direct punch to its head, denting the helmet.

Snape was now at level 53, having grown significantly since level 46, when he had left the Forest of Death. He used the strength he had recently gained to prepare for his fight against Dracula. The punch was so powerful that it knocked the knight's helmet off the armor, revealing nothing inside but emptiness. The rest of the armor fell to its knees before collapsing to the floor, its head rolling down the corridor, striking the legs of other knights advancing toward him.

"Well, if that's how it's going to be... Let's see." Snape said as the knight he had punched earlier was already back on him.

Snape pulled his sword from his inventory, lightning crackling around his hand as the blade appeared. He clashed his sword against the knight's blade as it charged at him. The knight seemed to struggle to push him back as their blades connected, but Snape held his ground firmly without yielding.

"I am stronger than you!" Snape declared before shoving the knight back and cutting it in half. The armored body fell lifelessly to the ground.

Meanwhile, more knights were approaching. A multitude of them advanced to attack him. Snape quickly prepared himself and charged forward, starting to counter them relentlessly. He struck here and there, using his agility, which far surpassed theirs. Despite being strong and durable, the knights were slow. Snape's speed, combined with the power of his blade made from enchanted cursed metal, quickly began to take them down one by one.

The last head fell to the ground as Snape surveyed the group of 30 defeated knights. Their armor was riddled with fatal cuts, and their bodies lay motionless on the floor.

"The first group is done," he murmured before turning around. He raised his free hand and caught an arrow that nearly grazed his head. Looking forward, he saw more knights approaching, this time accompanied by several archers.

This time, Snape didn't wait for them to get close. He ran toward the enemies as arrows flew in his direction. Using his wand, he stopped the arrows mid-air before sending them back. With a transfiguration spell, he transformed the arrows into blades, which pierced some of the attackers. However, their armor was sturdy enough that the blades only inflicted minor injuries before reverting to their original arrow forms.

"Damn... I need to conserve magic," he murmured as he put his wand away. It felt wasteful to use magic against these foes. Quickly, he advanced, cutting down the knights one by one while dodging the attacks aimed at him. Soon after, he had dealt with that group as well.

But this dungeon seemed unwilling to give him a moment's respite. Acting on instinct, he raised his wand again, creating a shield right in front of him. The next instant, flames surged toward him, exploding in the area where he stood. When he reappeared, still safely enclosed within his magical shield, he realized he was no longer facing just archers and knights. Now there were mages as well.

The number of enemies had increased in the next section of the corridor. There were about 50 knights, 20 archers, and 10 mages beginning to cast new spells. These were not simple wizards like those trained at Hogwarts; they were mages with staffs, murmuring incantations before unleashing their magic.

Snape teleported before the destruction reached him, reappearing in the middle of the group. He began slashing through them again, targeting the mages first, while wondering if he would face only this type of creature or if something even more challenging awaited him.

Meanwhile, outside the painting, back on Earth—where the lingering energy of death still radiated, albeit weaker—a man touched its surface, trying to sense something.

"Father, it's been hours! How did he manage to enter that painting?" his daughter's voice echoed near him as she approached. This time, he maintained his human form, appearing to be about 40 years old, and stared at the painting, trying to comprehend what was happening. The area around them remained devastated, but his initial rage had now given way to a mixture of curiosity and concern. All he wanted was to understand how that human boy had managed to enter the painting and why it had reacted to him.

"I want to know the meaning of this. The painting simply reacted to his presence!" the man said, still puzzled, as his daughter looked at him, searching for answers.

"I know, Father, but even so, it's very shocking. I've never heard of anything like this before. I wonder what's happening here," he murmured, watching his daughter gaze at the painting with worry.

"You don't know anything about this boy, do you?" he asked.

She shook her head, responding, "No. Until now, I didn't even know his face. But I'm certain he's a student at Hogwarts. Especially because he doesn't seem to have much vitality left."

"You speak of his physical body... but no, he's older than he looks," Dracula said. He had sensed the boy's vitality and realized he was not merely 17 years old. "But it's also quite strange, because the boy's body seems to be 17, yet his soul... it's not. It's a bit older, perhaps around 30 or 31 years old." He wondered who this human was—or even if he truly was human.

As they continued discussing, a sinister energy descended from the sky through the window. "What's going on here?" At that moment, someone entered the castle, landing through one of the shattered windows. A woman with white hair and red eyes appeared, accompanied by a man dressed in noble attire who emerged beside her.

"Milicia, you've finally arrived," Dracula said, addressing his eldest daughter. Both of them bore distinct vampire characteristics. The only one who did not display vampiric traits, such as sharp teeth, was Rosaria, who was half-human. The others present were all pure vampires.

"Father, tell me what happened here. Who did this?" Milicia asked again. She had been called back after leaving her father's home just a day ago, following a visit with him and her younger sister. Now, she was stunned to see the castle bearing marks of battle across multiple floors, shattered windows, cracks in the walls, and destruction in various spots—especially on the floor they were currently on, which was completely devastated. Dracula stood facing the painting, which he had proudly shown off during her last visit with her husband.

"We were attacked. A human attacked us," Dracula said, still observing the painting with curiosity.

"A human? Lord Dracula, you're joking, aren't you?" the man, Milicia's husband, asked in a firm yet skeptical voice.

"Father, you must be exaggerating, right?" Even Milicia was doubtful as she glanced at the destruction around them. Everything looked as though it had been burned by the electricity Snape had unleashed throughout the floor.

"He speaks the truth, Milicia," Rosaria murmured. "Do you remember that human I told you about? The one I fought in England?" She began, her tone tinged with slight embarrassment. "Well... he appeared here a few hours ago and started a fight, invading the castle. He fought Father all the way to this floor and managed to enter the painting I bought," Rosaria explained.

"Father, what does this mean?" Milicia asked, unable to find the words to continue, clearly stunned by what she had just heard. Even her husband remained silent.

"I don't know what it means," Dracula muttered, stepping slightly away from the painting but never taking his eyes off it. "But I want you to follow my orders: summon all the high-ranking vampires from Romania. I want them all here. If that boy entered the painting and his presence vanished, he'll come back eventually." His voice carried a tone of seriousness and resolve.

"Father, you're not..." Rosaria began to speak but was interrupted.

"That boy invaded my home and destroyed part of it. I don't think I'll let him go unpunished, Rosaria. No matter what you say. But I won't kill him either. I want you to summon the strongest vampires here because when he comes out, I want him captured," Dracula said firmly.

"Father, is he really that strong?" Milicia asked, incredulous. She couldn't believe that her father, the most powerful vampire in the world, would need help dealing with a human.

"He's stronger than I thought, Milicia. And his strength grew during our fight. He managed to push me back to this floor and even knock me down before reaching the painting. I don't know what else might happen when he comes out, so it's better for us to be cautious and prepared," Dracula said, finishing with a serious tone as he kept his gaze fixed on the entrance to the dungeon Snape had entered.

Meanwhile, Snape was defeating the last knight. Hours had passed since he began, and more and more knights, archers, and mages had appeared to stop him, all of whom he eventually destroyed. He removed a few potions from the system's inventory and drank them before encountering a door at the end of the long corridor filled with obstacles.

As soon as he opened the door, he found himself in an audience chamber with a throne at the far end. A figure appeared beside him: it was a knight, the same red knight he had sensed watching him when he first entered the dungeon.

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