SWDnovel Chapter 126 The Principle of the Killing Curse
Chapter 126 The Principle of the Killing Curse
Chapter 126 The Principle of the Killing Curse
"A...very novel approach to research, Professor Lynch." Dumbledore's gentle hum echoed in the dark office. "I must admit, theoretically, you can indeed bypass the most dangerous aspect of Dark Arts research—the active corruption of the soul when using them."
He paused for a moment, then leaned forward slightly:
"However, an unavoidable question remains: how can someone who has never cast the Killing Curse be certain that they 'know' all its secrets?"
"Dark magic, especially extremely evil dark magic like the Killing Curse, often transcends rigid theories and is more about intention, emotion, and... the sacrifice of the soul."
"How do you verify that your theory perfectly reflects those darkest practices?"
With a smile on his face, Lynch rolled the wooden crate on the side wheel, and the images in the air seemed to rewind slightly.
The moment was frozen in time when he used the Killing Curse.
He stood up and pointed to the straight, emerald-green light on the screen that seemed to originate from his fingertips.
"This brings up my research findings on the Killing Curse—the Killing Curse I use is a variant of the curse."
"As you can see, the killing curse I'm using here is different in appearance from the usual killing curse; it's a straight beam of light."
Dumbledore looked at the straight line in the picture, and it was indeed different from the twisted and spreading Killing Curse he had seen before.
Different wizards using the same spell will produce some differences, but such obvious differences in appearance do indicate their distinction.
"A...straight killing curse," he said softly, as if comparing the differences.
"Yes, I noticed that striking difference. It lacks that common, almost living twisted greed and appears more...concise and cold. That's very, very interesting, Professor Lynch."
"But...aside from these obvious physical differences, where exactly does your so-called 'variant' differ?"
"To successfully cast this spell, do you still need to genuinely desire to end the target's life at that moment?"
Dumbledore looked at Lynch, his face grave.
Lin Qi's smile faded, and he walked back to the chair in front of his desk and sat down.
Looking into Dumbledore's eyes, he said, "To answer your question, I do not need to be motivated by the desire to kill my target."
Dumbledore sat up straight: "How did you do that?"
Lynch did not answer immediately.
He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, as if organizing his thoughts. Finally, he calmly began, "Imagine a boundless sea. Above the surface is the realm of the living, and below the surface is the embrace of death."
"Each individual life is a ship sailing on this ocean. The body is the ship itself, and the soul is the crew that steers it."
"When the ship is damaged and the crew falls into the sea, that person dies."
"Generally speaking, you need to break through the ship's defenses before you can harm the crew inside."
"But the inventor of the Killing Curse was a genius; his Killing Curse doesn't harm the ship or the crew—it simply removes the crew from the ship!"
"Although the ship was not damaged, without the support of the ship, the crew members naturally fell into the sea and died."
"The reason why the Killing Curse requires a strong desire to kill the target is because it requires generating the power to transfer the target's soul away from the body."
"The Killing Curse I cast on Voldemort wasn't driven by such emotions; its motivation was to return life to its rightful place!"
"For Voldemort now, his true place is death."
"So...you can think of it as a special killing curse that is only effective against Voldemort's current state. In fact, although it is a variant of the killing curse, it can almost be considered a completely new spell."
Dumbledore fell into a long silence.
Finally, he said slowly, "A very... apt and brilliant analogy, Professor Lynch. No one has ever explained the relationship between the Killing Curse and death like you."
"But...to let life return to its rightful place," Dumbledore repeated slowly, "is a... powerful and awe-inspiring concept, Professor Lynch. It is imbued with a certain... almost sacred, judgmental meaning."
"But who decides, or even defines, the fate of a life?"
Lynch met Dumbledore's sharp gaze, his eyes equally deep and unwavering.
He didn't answer directly, but instead asked in a calm tone:
Are you asking me this question, or are you asking about death itself?
He slightly spread his hands, a gesture that was no longer one of ease, but rather a demonstration of intangible rules.
"I didn't decide anything. I simply observed and understood the misalignment between Voldemort's state and the rule of 'death,' and found a way to guide them back into balance. My role was that of someone who discovered the rule and applied it."
"I did not create the lock, nor did I define which door should be opened. I simply...discovered the phenomenon and utilized it. Whether I act or not, the lock and what it locks are there."
Dumbledore leaned forward further, the light behind his half-moon spectacles incredibly solemn: "To entrust the power of judgment to an abstract concept that we cannot understand or communicate with is perhaps the most dangerous of all options."
"Because it will ultimately become a mirror of the caster's inner values—what you 'think' is natural and what you 'think' is distorted, that spell will be guided by that."
"You today 'believe' Voldemort's state is blasphemous towards death. So the spell has taken effect."
"What about tomorrow?"
"What about the next life form that you 'think' its very existence is wrong?"
"Can your 'belief' always be absolutely synchronized with what you call 'the will of death itself'? Power, especially the power to define life and death, will always find reasons to expand itself."
He paused, the sharpness in his eyes lessening slightly, but his worry deepening.
"I cannot deny the revolutionary nature of your achievement."
"It cannot be denied that it may contain the decisive power we desperately need when facing Voldemort."
"That's why I hope you can use it more cautiously, to ensure that it doesn't get out of control, and to ensure that in the process of defeating darkness, we don't cultivate another form of darkness in our own hearts."
"Do you...agree?"
Lynch's smile faded slightly as he met Dumbledore's sharp gaze intently.