In the stands, Cedric's grin vanished the moment Sakura appeared, his gaze fixed intently on the arena.
Noticing his shift, Professor Sprout asked curiously, "You seem particularly focused on this Mahoutokoro contestant?"
"Indeed," Cedric nodded gravely. "Wayne said she's the strongest among all the champions—the most likely to win."
Hearing this, not only Sprout but several other Heads of House and professors suddenly paid closer attention.
Even Snape couldn't help glancing over twice.
They knew Lawrence was on good terms with Sakura.
To be precise, Lawrence got along famously with all the female champions—one might say he knew them inside out.
For him to give such praise, Sakura must have her own exceptional qualities.
At that moment, the students of Mahoutokoro cheered in unison as Tomoyo unfurled a massive banner in the air, emblazoned with words of encouragement for Sakura and an adorable chibi portrait of her.
Such a conspicuous display naturally caught Sakura's attention, and she flashed Tomoyo a radiant smile.
Tomoyo waved her camera. Being far from the castle, electronic devices could function here, and she was determined to capture every brilliant moment of Sakura's performance today.
A piercing whistle sounded, and Sakura's expression turned serious.
What Crouch had said earlier—that the main test of this task was courage—was no empty boast.
Leaving aside skill, the greatest hurdle was simply having the courage to stand before a dragon.
Under the scorching, ferocious aura, many wizards would be too terrified to cast even the simplest spells, no matter how many they knew.
Like Cedric before her, Sakura observed the Chinese Fireball at the centre of the arena.
Compared to the lethargic Welsh Green, the Fireball was far more aggressive. The moment Sakura appeared, its slitted pupils locked onto her, and it snorted two small fireballs from its nostrils.
Sakura's wand appeared in her hand, twirling twice before a card floated out from her pocket, touched by the wand's tip.
A pink whirlwind enveloped Sakura, and amidst the crowd's gasps, a pair of pristine white wings unfurled from her back.
"And there it is! The Kinomoto family's inherited magic!" Bagman, having been briefed beforehand, commented smoothly. "She's taken flight—at incredible speed! The dragon's attention is drawn. Will she follow Cedric Diggory's strategy and complete the task by diverting the dragon's focus?"
Bathed in sunlight, Sakura resembled a true angel. Her adorable features, paired with those pure white wings, left countless spectators spellbound, their hearts racing.
Tomoyo frantically snapped photos, capturing Sakura's most heroic moments.
The dragon's eyes remained fixed on her before it suddenly unleashed a searing flame dozens of feet long.
"Wind!"
To everyone's astonishment, Sakura didn't ascend to evade—she chose to meet the attack head-on with magic!
A wild gale scattered the flames, and the Chinese Fireball felt provoked.
The golden spikes around the dragon's nostrils began to glow as it shot fireball after fireball. Sakura, undaunted, summoned the Water card after Wind. The clash of elements produced vast plumes of steam, swiftly dispersed by the raging winds.
Bagman's voice brimmed with amazement. "Sakura Kinomoto has chosen the most aggressive approach imaginable! She's holding her own against the dragon!"
At the judges' table, the panel was equally impressed. A fifteen-year-old student capable of matching a dragon with magic was nothing short of miraculous.
Koga's face wrinkled into a delighted grin. Finally, these arrogant Europeans were witnessing Mahoutokoro's true calibre.
Never mind that Sakura's magic had little to do with the school—no one else needed to know the details.
After this match, Mahoutokoro's reputation would soar.
Karkaroff's expression twisted with displeasure. "Foul! This has to be a foul! Why is she allowed to use that item?"
"The Clow Cards don't count as external equipment, but rather as the contestant's unique magic," Crouch explained coldly. "Even if the cards were handed to you, you wouldn't be able to use them. Therefore, contestant Sakura Kinomoto hasn't violated any rules."
Karkaroff's face turned ashen with rage. He snorted angrily and fell silent.
Cedric gaped at Sakura's performance, finally understanding why Wayne held her in such high regard.
She's... she's terrifying!
"Her hand is glowing!" Professor McGonagall keenly observed the change.
Everyone turned to look. The Command Seals on Sakura's hand were emitting a crimson light, sparking widespread curiosity.
Cedric hadn't used his Command Seals earlier, so no one knew their true potential.
"By the power of my Command Seal~ Enhance!"
Sakura's clear voice rang out. As she spoke, she felt her magical power multiply within her, becoming extraordinarily vibrant.
"Wave!"
Her wand tapped the Wave Card, and visible shockwaves radiated outward from the card's centre.
The fireballs hurtling towards Sakura were instantly dispersed. The Chinese Fireball, caught off guard, was sent flying dozens of feet by the tremendous force, leaving swirling dust clouds in its wake.
"Power!"
But Sakura wasn't satisfied yet. She produced another card, tapping it with her wand. A petite pink-haired girl materialised and merged into Sakura's body, causing her entire form to glow.
Sakura descended rapidly from mid-air. The dazed dragon had just shaken off its confusion when it looked up to see the small figure raising a stick high above her head, preparing to strike.
The crowd erupted in shock, many covering their mouths in disbelief.
Was she mad?
Planning to engage a dragon in close combat?
Thud~!
What happened next left the audience even more stunned.
After a heavy impact, the Chinese Fireball's eyes nearly bulged out of its skull. Dust clouds billowed as Sakura kept her eyes tightly shut, wildly swinging her wand about.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Between strikes, the girl let out frightened squeals. When no pained roars came after several blows, she dared to open her eyes - only to find the dragon had peacefully passed out.
Complete silence fell over the arena as everyone stared dumbfounded at the petite, adorable Sakura and the unconscious giant dragon.
Wayne's eyelid twitched violently from his vantage point in the air.
Was this the legendary case of "the pinker the outfit, the fiercer the fighter"?
Finally, Bagman's incredulous voice broke the silence: "Merlin's socks! What have we just witnessed?!"
"Contestant Sakura Kinomoto has defeated a dragon in direct combat! She employed some form of enhancement magic that granted her tremendous strength!"
"While she utilised the miraculous power of Command Seals, this still demonstrates her formidable capabilities!"
"Thank you for teaching us alternative wand applications - perhaps we should all try this next time we encounter dragons in the wild!"
Sakura's cheeks flushed pink as the glow around her faded. She quickly ran over to collect the golden egg, prompting cheers and applause from the spectators.
Compared to Cedric's refined Transfiguration approach, Sakura's direct combat style stirred far greater excitement amongst the crowd.
Had this occurred in ancient times, she'd undoubtedly have become the legendary dragon-slaying heroine immortalised in bardic tales.
Four minutes and twenty seconds - a full ten minutes faster than Cedric's performance.
Watching the Chinese Fireball being levitated away by several dragon handlers working together, Cedric swallowed hard.
"P-professor, the Holy Grail War doesn't have any direct combat rounds, does it?"
If even a dragon could be beaten black and blue, what would happen if it were him?
Even with a Shield Charm, he'd probably die on the spot, wouldn't he?
Professor Sprout offered an awkward yet polite smile: "Cedric, if you really encounter Sakura Kinomoto, just surrender immediately. Don't feel burdened. No matter what, you'll always be Hufflepuff's pride."
Cedric nodded stiffly.
...
At the judges' table, nine judges were scoring Sakura.
Although she'd borrowed power from the Command Seals, this was part of the competition rules. Zaka gave Sakura a perfect ten without hesitation. After brief hesitation, Crouch and Bagman also awarded full marks.
Had she used the Command Seal just to retrieve the egg, they would have deducted two points without question. But Sakura had directly defeated the dragon - giving full marks was perfectly reasonable.
Subsequently, Headmasters like Dumbledore awarded high scores of nine or eight. Only Karkaroff gave a mere five.
"She used Clow Cards and Command Seals! Needing so many methods just to get the egg definitely warrants point deductions. The champions' task was to retrieve the egg - defeating the dragon has nothing to do with the competition. I won't award extra points for that."
Faced with Karkaroff's stubbornness, the other headmasters wore expressions of disdain, while the audience enthusiastically cursed eighteen generations of his ancestors.
Wayne, hovering in mid-air, shot Karkaroff a sidelong glance and flicked his wand.
Two notes appeared on Dumbledore's and Crouch's desks, respectively.
After reading them, both men's eyes flashed with amusement.
"Ludo, come here," Crouch beckoned to Bagman, who scurried over eagerly. After a brief whispered conversation, Bagman nodded emphatically and raised his wand to his throat again.
"Ladies and gentlemen."
He addressed the other judges: "Mr Crouch has proposed a suggestion. For fairness's sake, our scoring criteria need some adjustment."
"We'll remove both the highest and lowest scores, making seventy the new perfect total. What does everyone think?"
"Absolutely not!" Karkaroff was the first to object.
However, Headmasters like Fontaine and Madame Maxime found the proposal perfectly reasonable - clearly also disgusted by Karkaroff's antics.
What if this bastard gave their champions unfairly low scores later?
With eight votes against one, Karkaroff could only watch helplessly as the rules were changed.
...
After a brief intermission, the next dragon appeared - an Antipodean Opaleye.
When Fleur's turn came, facing the weakest and most docile dragon species, her carefully prepared five-minute sleeping charm took effect easily. As rhythmic snores came from the dragon, Fleur retrieved the golden egg with ease.
Yet her score wasn't particularly high. Much of Fleur's magic relied on her Veela heritage, giving judges an excuse to deduct points. She ultimately received fifty-three.
Next came Cassandra.
In the stands, Tina sat up slightly straighter.
"I've long heard Lafferty boast endlessly about his daughter, though who knows how much of it is true."
"Newt, why aren't you saying anything?" Tina nudged her absent-minded husband with her elbow.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about what Rolf said – that Lafferty's daughter gets along quite well with Wayne."
Tina stared in astonishment. "Another one?"
She genuinely feared Wayne might one day be torn apart by these girls.
"Let's not meddle in the children's affairs. Let's watch the match." Newt shook his head, dropping the subject.
The sky suddenly darkened as storm clouds gathered over the arena.
Cassandra acted even more decisively than Sakura, forgoing any probing moves and immediately activating a Command Seal to cast a Weather Charm.
"Bloody hell!"
Wayne hastily flew away from the area to avoid being struck. The moment he reached safety, a downpour of lightning bolts rained down.
The Swedish Short-Snout's massive frame made it an easy target. A single lightning strike might not breach its defences.
But what about dozens? Hundreds?
Soon, the Short-Snout could no longer endure the relentless assault and took flight to escape the thunderous barrage.
This played right into Cassandra's hands. She nimbly manoeuvred towards the golden egg when suddenly, a jet of flame shot towards her.
Cassandra had overlooked one detail – among all dragons, while the Swedish Short-Snout might not be the largest or strongest, its fire is undoubtedly among the most formidable. Not only is the temperature extraordinarily high, turning the flames blue, but its range extends forty feet – about twelve metres.
In her eagerness to claim the golden egg, she'd rushed forward before the dragon had flown far enough away. The Swedish Short-Snout noticed her movement and wheeled around to pursue.
Caught off guard, Cassandra's robes caught fire at the hem. As she hastily conjured water to douse the flames, her control over the Weather Charm faltered. Several 'dragon eggs' were struck by lightning, their contents spilling across the ground.
Though she ultimately retrieved the golden egg without serious mishap, substantial points were deducted.
In the end, she scored only forty-two points.
Cassandra was deeply dissatisfied with her performance. This wasn't a matter of inadequate ability – it was entirely a lapse in mindset.
Yet there was nothing to be done now except to strive to catch up in subsequent events.
After the Swedish Short-Snout was led away, Wayne's spirits lifted slightly.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the dragon enclosure, and the audience gasped as they noticed the previously chilly air growing uncomfortably warm.
Then came a collective murmur of awe.
What a beautiful dragon!
Norberta's jade-like scales shimmered with a faint luminescence in the sunlight. Without any dragon handlers to guide her, she spread her wings and flew directly above her eggs, settling lazily atop them.
"Now presenting our fifth champion – from Durmstrang, Viktor Krum!"
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause. With the World Cup having recently concluded, Krum's fame was at its peak, and many had come specifically to watch him compete.
Yet Karkaroff's expression grew increasingly stormy.
During their nighttime inspection of the dragons, all the Headmasters had discovered one undeniable truth – the most dangerous dragon present was this mutated Norwegian Ridgeback.
Even the notoriously vicious Hungarian Horntail kept its distance, not daring to approach.
Given the survival-of-the-fittest nature of dragons, it was obvious who held the upper hand in strength.
He hadn't expected Krum to be so unlucky as to draw the toughest challenge.
The tent flap was pulled aside as Krum stepped out calmly, only to freeze momentarily upon seeing the dragon in the centre of the arena.
Then he produced the dragon model from his pocket.
He glanced down at the model, then up at Norberta.
This... wasn't a match at all!