The location of the Giant Tribe was even further than he thought, the footprints kept extending forward, with no end in sight.
After walking for an entire day, they finally arrived at a more hidden valley, which should be the center of the mountain range.
And for some unknown reason, the constant chirping of insects and birds along the way had unknowingly disappeared, as if something terrifying was keeping them away.
Led by Newt, the group reached a hill and looked down from a distance.
Below was a valley, surrounded by huge caves that had been artificially excavated.
The giants they had seen before were now gathered and engaged in fierce combat in front of the caves.
"They're selecting the New Guar," Newt said, "The giants will choose the strongest one to become their leader. The simplest way is through such chaos."
"It's quite similar to the Fire Dragons," Kael whispered.
Previously, they had seen a similar scenario at the Romanian Fire Dragon Reserve, right?
"Indeed, it's quite similar," Newt nodded, "Or most Fantastic Beasts use this method to select the most suitable leader, giants and fire dragons included."
As they spoke, the valley gradually turned red with blood.
It was the blood of giants, continuously spraying out like a fountain, dyeing every stone red.
"I wonder how many will be left after they select the New Guar this time," Maxime's voice held a slight peculiarity.
"Don't worry..." Newt shook his head, "Though giants will kill the former Guar to confirm the identity of the new leader, the current situation is different. To not lose too much combat strength, they won't kill their opponents... Oh, look."
Newt pointed to the valley below.
Following his direction, Kael saw a relatively weaker giant knocked to the ground, but his opponent did not seize the opportunity to kill him, instead immediately sought out a new opponent.
Meanwhile, the fallen giant did not continue to fight, but consciously moved to the side after getting up.
There were other shorter or weaker giants there, who didn't qualify to participate in the battle.
"See that," Newt continued, "In such situations, falling means failure, and the last standing giant will become the new Guar until the next challenger appears."
Kael watched for a while longer.
Indeed, every fallen giant would consciously withdraw from the battlefield.
...
Just like before at the Romanian Fire Dragon Reserve, the battle among giants was also a prolonged process.
After quickly eliminating a few weaker competitors, the remaining giants entered a stalemate.
Kael and the group stayed on the hill for an entire week, and the battle still hadn't ended.
Initially enthusiastic, Kael was now somewhat bored.
The giants' battles revolved around limited tactics; you punch me, I'll kick you back. The first-time excitement of the visceral combat was indeed interesting, but watching for seven days straight became dull.
The good news was, during this time they hadn't seen Voldemort or the Death Eaters.
As Newt said, Voldemort seemingly had no intention of avenging Lestrange... No, to be precise, he had no intention of disturbing them.
"The Death Eaters launched a sneak attack on St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries..."
That morning, as Kael walked out of the tent, he saw Hagrid using the Two-Sided Mirror to talk with Lupin.
Because owl communications would reveal their location, they had been using this method to understand the outside situation during this time.
"The Death Eaters attacked St Mungo's?" Upon hearing Lupin say so, Hagrid couldn't help but shout, "How dare they!"
"In fact, they did," Lupin said, "The good news is, it was a targeted attack, most people weren't affected..."
At this point, Kael also walked over and leaned in to look at the Two-Sided Mirror.
"Oh, Kael." Lupin greeted him, "How's it going over there, haven't encountered any danger, have you?"
"No, not at all," Kael said. "By the way, the Death Eaters attacked St Mungo's, could it be for the Longbottoms?"
"No, it's not..."
Lupin's voice sounded strange, as if he wanted to laugh but held back.
"It's for Umbridge," he said.
"What?" Hagrid cupped his ear, "Who did you say?"
"Dolores Umbridge," Lupin repeated, "The Death Eaters attacked her ward and tortured her again in front of everyone."
"Huh?"
Hagrid looked more confused, "But why, Umbridge is not a member of the Order of the Phoenix."
"But she's part of the Ministry of Magic, and is a well-known anti-Dark Magic figure. Especially lately, her name has often appeared in the newspapers."
Lupin suddenly paused, seemingly trying to calm his emotions, then after a moment, he continued nonchalantly:
"The Death Eaters also said this is the consequence of opposing the Dark Lord. They wanted Umbridge to declare in front of everyone that the Ministry of Magic and the Order of Phoenix are worthless, and would never defeat the Dark Lord."
"Did Umbridge say it?" Hagrid asked anxiously.
"...No, she didn't." Lupin's expression grew more peculiar.