Chapter 187: Eating and Taking
"They are just jealous of our talent! The coffee we made was actually very good, wasn't it? At least it didn't scratch people's throats like Uagadou's, right?"
In the Slytherin Common Room, Malfoy was stuffing his face with cake made by the House-elves, shouting loudly to vent his frustration.
Only Hermione and Ginny were a bit dazed. Looking at the room full of busy House-elves, they blinked and turned back to Su Yu. "So, you didn't just empty the Hogwarts School kitchen of all its food, you also kidnapped all the House-elves?"
"What are you talking about? Even if we emptied the food, we wouldn't know how to cook it. Shouldn't we kidnap the House-elves too?" Pansy said nonchalantly, trimming her nails and looking up at the two surprised girls.
"Exactly. If we didn't bring the House-elves back, wouldn't all this food just go bad sitting here?" Callis chimed in, high-fiving Pansy.
"Aren't you afraid Headmaster Dumbledore will kill you tomorrow morning?"
"Tch, who's afraid of who? At worst, we'll just fight!" Blaise continued to talk tough. All the Slytherin students felt that the second task was targeting them. They had never set foot in a kitchen in their lives, so hosting this kind of competition was just making things difficult for them.
Only Whisk was a bit sad; he felt his position had been usurped by others—and a whole crowd of them at that!
Goyle and Crabbe, having eaten too much during the day, were already experiencing a carb crash. They fell asleep halfway through eating, still tightly clutching roasted chicken drumsticks in their hands.
"Su Yu, also, are you sure Goyle and Crabbe aren't poisoned from eating too much burnt food at noon?" Ginny looked at the two, who were barely breathing, and felt a bit panicked.
"Ah? Is that so? Why didn't you say so earlier!"
A crowd of people rushed to rescue Goyle and Crabbe, finally sending them to the Hospital Wing before they could ease their minds.
Of course, boasting was one thing, but Su Yu and the others couldn't actually keep so many House-elves. At the strong insistence of Headmaster Dumbledore, they obediently released the hostages and returned the House-elves.
On Harry's side, he fell fast asleep from exhaustion as soon as he returned to his dormitory, along with the Weasley Twins. All three of them were completely worn out today. Harry suddenly realized that there was something more terrifying than fighting Lord Voldemort, and that was cooking meals for an entire school.
Only Ron spent the entire night running to the toilet, nearly defecating his intestines out. To support his best friend, he had eaten quite a lot of the 'delicacies' prepared by the Hogwarts School champions. Especially Callis's okra soup—he had watched several headmasters vomit on the spot, but refusing to believe it, he argued that they didn't understand delicious food. He then held back his disgust and drank everything in front of them, vomiting while claiming it was delicious. This scene deeply moved Callis, who swore she would make it for Ron again next time, though Ron waved his hands, pleading with her not to return good with evil.
At this rate, if the Sea Chef were here, he would not only praise the cooking but also wash his hands with orange-scented hand sanitizer and show off a latte with milk.
The second task thus came to an end, and everyone gathered their thoughts and returned to their normal classes.
However, Professor Snape grew increasingly harsh with Harry, because items had been disappearing from his office with increasing frequency and in larger quantities lately.
"Mr. Potter, I wonder if I might give you a friendly warning, if I may?" During Potions Class, Professor Snape found an excuse to punish Harry by making him sit in the front row, right under his nose. Glaring at Harry, he whispered slowly, word by word, "Do! Not! Break! Into! My! Office! Again!"
"What? I've never been inside your office!" Harry shouted, somewhat indignantly.
"Then can you explain where my Boomslang skin and Bicorn horn went? Those are my private collection. Look into my eyes, Potter, and do not think of lying to me!"
Harry wasn't afraid. He stared right back at Professor Snape. What a joke. Not to mention he hadn't stepped foot in Professor Snape's office at all, the two items mentioned had been stolen by Hermione back in their second year, not him. Why should he be afraid?
Professor Snape made some harsh threats and even brought out Veritaserum to scare Harry, but without concrete evidence, the matter had to be dropped.
Today was another day to visit Hogsmeade Village. Although it was already March, the biting cold wind still stung people's faces.
Kurama wore a small red scarf and held a fizzing whizbee in its mouth, darting quickly along the path to Hogsmeade Village. The candy in its mouth had just been swindled from Goyle and Crabbe.
"Kurama, why are you running so fast? Wait for me!" Hermione panted as she chased from behind, supported by Ginny.
"You two are just too slow! Hahaha." Kurama's silvery laughter echoed from the woods. She had woken up late today, having slept with Hermione last night. By the time she got up, Su Yu, Daphne, and the other girls had already set off for Hogsmeade, which was why she was in such a hurry to catch up.
However, on the way, she, Hermione, and the others had run into Malfoy's group, who had also woken up late, which led to her tricking them out of their fizzing whizbees.
"Goyle, stop crying. When we get to Hogsmeade, I'll buy you a whole cartload, alright?" Young Master Malfoy had a massive headache right now. Kurama had patted her butt and left after tricking them, leaving him, Pansy, and Astoria to coax Goyle. Knowing Goyle was simple-minded, she still bullied the poor guy and even tricked him out of his favorite fizzing whizbees. Kurama was becoming more and more lawless.
It had to be said that Crabbe understood his buddy best. He pulled a squashed Chocolate Frog—which might have already been dead—from his back pocket and handed it to Goyle, finally calming him down.
"Merlin's beard, thank goodness, or Goyle's crying would have deafened me." Young Master Malfoy looked at Crabbe gratefully, swearing to stock up on more sweets in his storage space next time—not just to deal with Kurama, but also to keep Goyle happy.
Buy them indeed! Not next time—he would buy them as soon as they reached Hogsmeade Village!
Meanwhile, Su Yu and Farley's group were sitting at a small table in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, sipping hot chocolate while watching the floating little cupids.
"In all my years of running this place, you're the only one who always brings a whole group of girls on dates. You playboy," Madam Puddifoot complained from behind the counter.
"Maybe I'm just popular?" Su Yu didn't feel insulted; instead, he took it as a compliment. As long as one was thick-skinned, there would be no worries.
Chapter 188: Bartemius Crouch Sr.
Harry felt that recently, Professor Snape and Headmaster Karkaroff of Armstrong Academy were acting increasingly strange; they were always whispering sneakily about something, and once, Karkaroff even showed his wrist to Professor Snape!
As for Malfoy, he also sensed something was off; Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen of Mahoutokoro School of Magic was always following the headmaster of Uagadou, Asante Boakye, and they didn't seem as unfamiliar with each other as they appeared.
Because that morning, when Young Master Malfoy was mocking the champions from Mahoutokoro School of Magic as usual, Pansy caught a glimpse of Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen and Asante Boakye exchanging a very subtle glance, and then the two found a secluded spot to start chatting. As for the content of their conversation, it was unknown; Malfoy and the others were a bit too far away to hear what they were saying.
Ever since this discovery, they focused their attention on Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen and found that he often secretly sought out the headmaster of Uagadou for talks. Once, Malfoy even took the risk of getting a little closer and overheard a fragmented conversation.
"He is almost losing control…" Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen whispered to Asante Boakye.
"Then find a way to increase the dosage!"
"But this will cause irreversible damage; he has already started to become delirious."
"What did that person in the black robe say? Does he have no way?"
"So far, there is no good method; we can only increase the vigilance."
"Then let's do that for now; don't let it affect our affairs."
Su Yu had only watched the Harry Potter movies and was not familiar with the content of the original work. When Malfoy returned to tell him about these discoveries, Su Yu also didn't know what the two headmasters were up to, or who that "he" inside was, but it was definitely not well-intentioned, and it was highly likely related to Lord Voldemort.
Therefore, Su Yu did not let his guard down and told Malfoy and the others to continue mocking the champions of Mahoutokoro School of Magic daily. If that didn't work, they would take the initiative, using Professor Moody's name to disable a few of those Japanese guys.
So, on Easter, Malfoy, under the pretext of checking for Death Eaters on behalf of Professor Moody, made a move against a few people from Mahoutokoro School of Magic.
"Hey, you lot, stand still!"
In the evening, just after the group from Mahoutokoro School of Magic finished eating, they were intercepted by Malfoy, who brought Goyle and Crabbe along.
"Come with me now. I suspect you are lackeys of Lord Voldemort. Do you understand what I mean?"
Malfoy walked with a swagger, standing at the entrance of the Great Hall with his arms crossed, looking as arrogant as a high-ranking officer.
"Malfoy, what right do you have to stop us? Who do you think you are, Headmaster Dumbledore?"
Kikuchi Tadao, with his hot temper, was the first to lose control and roar at Malfoy. He had been going crazy these past few months. Was this guy sick? Every day he would catch them and humiliate them, and he wouldn't forget to praise himself, saying that they, the Mahoutokoro School of Magic, were a bunch of boorish dwarves?
"Yo ho, a bunch of dogs, and you still dare to bare your teeth? Let me tell you, do you know Professor Moody? Do you know what he does? Fighting against dark forces is everyone's duty!"
As he spoke, Malfoy was the first to raise his wand and cast a slug-vomiting curse at the few people in front of him. But unexpectedly, even though Malfoy and Goyle and the others struck first, the people from Mahoutokoro School of Magic did not fight back from beginning to end. Malfoy watched as Kikuchi Tadao looked like he was about to grind his teeth to dust. When Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen came over, he still lowered his head to apologize to Malfoy and his group.
"Are they really that capable of enduring? This terrifying forbearance makes me feel afraid." In the Slytherin Common Room, Malfoy recounted what happened tonight with lingering fear. He really had an impulse to kill them directly at the time. He wasn't afraid of a barking dog, but he was afraid of a smiling fox; after all, a dog that bites doesn't bark.
"What's wrong with me laughing? Did I provoke you?" Kurama scratched Malfoy's hair with his little claws in dissatisfaction, turning it into a bird's nest.
Su Yu also felt like he had punched cotton. Since they were so capable of enduring, they could only wait until the final match. He heard the final match would be a chaotic brawl; killing them then shouldn't be a big problem, right? However, Su Yu was also secretly making preparations for the final match. After all, the ending of this installment wasn't very good. Su Yu knew the result and started deducing the process, but if the process couldn't be deduced, it didn't matter; just knowing the result was enough.
Harry had also been quite full of himself recently. Since he hadn't encountered any attacks all year, he had become a bit complacent. He actually started arguing with Sirius Black, just because Harry liked to play around and take risks. After Sirius found out, he scolded him, but the rebellious Harry didn't think he was wrong. Did he not know what Sirius was like back in the day?
"No one dares to do anything to me!" Harry thought to himself. (It's in the original work; he has this kind of personality. I can't help it, I'm also confused.)
Therefore, when Harry went out to play secretly again, he encountered the mentally deranged Bartemius Crouch Sr.
When Harry saw him, Bartemius Crouch Sr. was covered in scars and blood, his clothes were tattered, and he was standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, constantly talking to a big tree. Even when Harry called out to him, he didn't react.
Later, it was only after Bartemius Crouch Sr. became a bit clearer-headed that he urged Harry to quickly help him find Headmaster Dumbledore, saying he had urgent matters, and warned Harry that the Dark Lord was slowly increasing his strength and becoming more powerful.
But by the time Harry brought Headmaster Dumbledore over, Bartemius Crouch Sr. had disappeared again. This time, the headmasters and the Ministry of Magic personnel searched for a long time but didn't see Bartemius Crouch Sr.'s figure again.
It is said that during this period, Karkaroff even bared his teeth at Headmaster Dumbledore. After complaining to Headmaster Dumbledore, he even spat, but was pinned to a tree by Professor Graves (who was possessed by Grindelwald), who pointed his wand at his head and almost sewed his mouth shut, scaring Karkaroff so much that he didn't dare to enter Hogwarts School for a week.
But this is a case of when things go too smoothly, disaster strikes.
After Harry finished being complacent, only trouble remained.
First, he inexplicably encountered Bartemius Crouch Sr., and in the following days, he dreamed in class of Lord Voldemort blaming Wormtail and using the Cruciatus Curse to teach him a harsh lesson. The painful cries made the scar on Harry's forehead ache intensely, causing tears to stream down his face.
With no other choice, Harry had to go to Headmaster Dumbledore's office to find him and informed him of everything he had dreamed.
But what exactly the two of them said, Su Yu didn't know, but he could probably guess it; after all, it had appeared in the movie.
(Here is a personal speculation: I feel that Barty Crouch Jr. did not participate in torturing Neville's parents back then, because the original work is not like the movie. In the original work, Barty Crouch Jr. desperately pleaded that he was innocent, that he didn't participate, calling out for his father and mother, shouting that he was wronged, which was completely different from the other three. But Bartemius Crouch Sr. did not interrogate him, but directly sentenced him, and when Harry asked Dumbledore, Dumbledore replied that he didn't know.)
Chapter 189: The Final Match, Begin!
Days repeated in a cycle, day after day; daily classes, revision in the library, and evening strolls by the lake—dull, ordinary time moved forward in silence.
The traces of the spring breeze brushing against the Castle had barely lingered in one's heart before the vegetation had already grown lush and green. In just a fleeting moment, the gentle spring light completely dissipated, and the hot, bright month of June had arrived; the entire school year was also coming to an end.
The atmosphere inside Hogwarts Castle began to grow tense and excited. On one hand, students were looking forward to the final match of the Eight-Wizard Tournament in the week before the holidays; on the other hand, it was also time to prepare for final exams.
Under Hermione's guidance, Harry was learning the Impediment Jinx, the Reducto curse, and the Shield Charm. Except for the Impediment Jinx, which was content meant for the fourth year, the rest were things Hermione was teaching Harry in advance—content meant for the fifth year.
Su Yu and the other champions, as participants in the Eight-Wizard Tournament, did not need to take the final exams. At this moment, he and Daphne and a few others were sitting in the last row of the exam hall, doing their own things; as long as they didn't talk or walk around, it was fine.
Su Yu closed his eyes, thinking about everything that had happened recently, trying his best to connect them. First to be ruled out were definitely Principal Karkaroff and his group; they were just a bunch of clowns who had been scared out of their wits. Then there were the Mahoutokoro School of Magic and Uagadou; they were actually connected to the man in black who had appeared last year.
Was it Lord Voldemort's side? But who exactly was that man in black? Barty Crouch Jr.? Besides him, was there anyone else by Lord Voldemort's side right now? It certainly couldn't be Nagini, right?
Therefore, this final match would surely be fraught with crisis. However, fortunately, according to the news from Grindelwald, the final match location would still be the map of mountains and seas. This put Su Yu at ease. After all, he hadn't used the things his dad had given him last time, and he had plenty of trump cards. As long as he was inside the map of mountains and seas, he wouldn't be afraid even if the Devil himself came.
Soon, the final exams were all finished. When the bell rang for the end of the last exam, Hermione was the first to run over to celebrate with Su Yu.
"Student Yu-Su-Fley, remember to bring everyone to the Quidditch Pitch to assemble tomorrow morning after breakfast."
Professor McGonagall was up there organizing the test papers the students had just handed in. She looked up and reminded Su Yu.
"Alright, Professor McGonagall, I will bring them there on time, don't worry."
After saying this, Su Yu took Hermione and Daphne and walked out of the exam hall.
— — — — — — — — — —
"There are so few people here to eat this morning."
The next morning, when Su Yu arrived at the Great Hall, he discovered that there weren't as many people there as he had imagined.
"Chief, do you think there's a possibility that we just woke up too early?"
Callis followed in the middle of the group, yawning. She felt sure that she had just woken up too early.
Blaise tugged at her face. "It's you who woke up too late, idiot. They've already finished eating."
"Hehe, is that so?"
Today, many people came to the spectator stands of the Quidditch Pitch: the champions' families, a large number of members from the Ministry of Magic, and students who had already finished their exams.
Lucius Malfoy stood on the high platform with his wife. He had come today as well. Although the Dark Mark on his arm was still throbbing with pain, he had come nonetheless. His beloved son was participating in an incredibly dangerous match today, and this was more important than anything. He wanted to see it with his own eyes and cheer him on.
Following behind Ginny were the Weasleys. They were passionately discussing how the match would go. Beside them were many other parents; they had all come to cheer for their children.
"Go Neville!" "My little boy is the best!" Neville's parents even raised a banner in the stands to cheer for Neville, which made Neville feel a bit embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his head and checked his equipment one more time. Taking a deep breath, he waved vigorously at his parents and Parvati, who were cheering for him. That's right, he was dating Parvati. He was no longer that bashful little boy; his natural confidence could also win a girl's heart.
The students from the other seven schools had arrived at the competition site early and were now waiting for the final, late-arriving Su Yu and his group.
The group from the Mahoutokoro School of Magic wiped their wands, their smiles uncontrollable. They laughed sinisterly, as if they could finally take their revenge.
"Remember my words: pay special attention to the students from the Mahoutokoro School of Magic and Uagadou. If you can strike first, do it directly. Keep an eye on the students from the other schools as well. Don't be careless. This time, I don't know who the enemy is, so treat everyone else as an enemy."
Su Yu warned everyone in the team for the last time. Although he had instructed them many times, now that the moment had arrived, he would say it one more time.
This time, Sirius Black and Professor Lupin had not come transformed; they were with the Weasleys, constantly cheering for Harry, huddled together, looking very happy.
Even the parents of the champions from the other schools had mostly arrived. Banners were hung everywhere in the stands, colorful and vibrant, supporting their own children.
"Hello everyone, parents, teachers, and students."
Headmaster Dumbledore, with his tall, thin, and aged appearance, walked slowly onto the stage in the Great Hall. His silver-white beard and hair, which reached his waist, hung down smoothly, with most of it tuckable into his belt.
His half-moon spectacles framed a pair of clear, azure eyes, with gentle smiles and the wisdom of one who had seen through the ways of the world hidden in their depths. His long, crooked nose bore the traces of two old scars.
His wide, deep-purple cloak hung to the ground. His fingertips gently twiddled his beard. There was no trace of oppressive majesty about him, only an aura of composure and magnanimity. As he stood quietly, the noise of the entire Quidditch Pitch quietly subsided.
"The final match of the Eight-Wizard Tournament is about to begin. The content of this match is very simple. The champions will be randomly teleported to various locations around this map not far away, and then, according to the map's guidance, hunt magical beasts and search for treasure. In the end, a comprehensive score will be given based on the number of magical beasts the team has hunted and the treasure they have found. However, there is one point I must clarify in advance: this circular map is divided into eight areas, with 20 people assigned to each area. Every day, it will shrink by one circle until it has shrunk completely, which will take 30 days. The time ratio is still 1:10! Only 3 actual days will have passed outside."
"Whoa, running from the zone? Is it that advanced?" Su Yu said, crossing his arms and sighing.
"The way you put it, it really does seem like it." Kurama nodded on Su Yu's shoulder.
"If you feel your life is in danger, crush the bracelet on your wrist, and you will be teleported out. Alright, I won't say anything more. I wish all champions safety and success, and may you return in triumph!"
Chapter 190: Fleur Walks the Eagle
As Headmaster Dumbledore gave the order, students from various schools on the pitch began to queue up and walk into the map of mountains and seas. There were 154 contestants remaining this time, with the Mahoutokoro School of Magic having the fewest, only 14 left.
When Su Yu stepped into the map of mountains and seas, he felt an inexplicable suction force. Then, everyone around him disappeared, leaving only himself. Of course, Kurama had long since returned to his body, so it was still with Su Yu.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the midst of high mountains. The mountains were towering and continuous, with patches of strange Shatang trees growing, their branches laden with yellow flowers and red fruits.
Mountain streams meandered and surged, clear spring water flowing along gullies into deep pools. Birds and strange beasts shuttled through the forest, while clouds and mist perpetually wound around the steep peaks. Sunlight spilled through the gaps in the clouds, and the vegetation was damp with moisture.
He looked around. Clearly, this was not any place recorded in the classic of mountains and seas; it looked very much like a separate small space, probably for the convenience of the competition.
With a flash of light, Kurama jumped out of Su Yu's body, chasing after a few butterflies in the mountains, frolicking.
"It seems it was a random teleportation, separating everyone," Su Yu said, sensing his surroundings. He activated his Tenseigan to its maximum, but didn't find a single soul. He turned back and waved at Kurama. "Let's go, let's speed up and look around to see if there is anyone else."
In the blink of an eye, following the display on the map, he held Kurama and kept leaping and moving through the mountains.
"Can you tell? Kurama." After traveling for half a day, Su Yu asked the little guy in his arms.
"Yeah, something is very wrong. This place is not the classic of mountains and seas. Just looking at these demonic beasts, they aren't right; it's as if they were artificially cultivated. They have no intelligence, only primitive instincts."
"Then we can kill them freely; no psychological burden." Su Yu was just saying that; when had he ever had a psychological burden killing anyone?
"Then let's earn some points first? Anyway, there's no rush to find people. They all have my badge, so they won't be in any danger." Kurama nuzzled into Su Yu's arms.
For the rest of the afternoon, the competition site looked like it had been hit by a disaster; everywhere were traces of destruction from Tailed Beast Ball. Su Yu clapped his hands together, activated Kurama Mode, and struck wherever he pointed. In just one afternoon, Su Yu's score reached over 300 points.
Killing one demonic beast was only worth 1 point, while the treasure in the final circle could reach a terrifying 10,000 points. Therefore, in the evening, Su Yu and Kurama sat around a campfire, eating roasted meat, and considered that they couldn't just keep killing monsters—earning points that way was too slow. They still had to rely on competing for the final treasure to get points.
Things were going pretty well for Harry too. His luck seemed exceptionally good today; he had walked the whole way without encountering a single demonic beast. He was just a bit tired, his feet hurt, and he hadn't earned any points, but nothing bad had happened, right? However, he could only eat dry rations at night because he hadn't caught a single animal.
Eating the hard, dry rations, he missed the time when Su Yu was around immensely. At the very least, he wouldn't have to wrong his stomach; they ate quite well along the way. Unlike now, in the middle of the night, he was a bit scared, so when he went to sleep, he simply slept while wearing his Invisibility Cloak.
Young Master Malfoy was currently drinking lemonade with Blaise and taking big bites of roasted lamb leg. That's right, his luck was super good; not long after coming in, he met Blaise. The two sat together by the campfire, eating roasted meat and bragging, having a great time.
The most dangerous situation belonged to Fleur. Not long after she started walking this afternoon, she encountered a giant eagle that was playing with her like a child, constantly teasing her, waiting until she was exhausted before eating her.
Fleur had tried casting spells at it, but the eagle's speed was truly too fast, and its defense was terrifyingly strong. The few times she managed to hit it, it didn't cause any damage; instead, it incited its ferocity, causing it to swoop down at Fleur even more violently.
Fleur didn't know how many times she had used Apparition. In this unfamiliar place, she didn't dare teleport too far, only being able to teleport to places within her line of sight. But this way, she couldn't escape the eagle's pursuit in the sky. Running from day to night, she was already somewhat exhausted.
But she couldn't give up. As the captain of Beauxbatons Academy, how could she be eliminated on the first day? Her pride couldn't accept such humiliation. So, even though she was in a disheveled state, she gritted her teeth and persisted. It was just waiting out an eagle, right? She could do it!
On Su Yu's side, after he finished dinner and had just lain down for a while, he heard the voice of Kurama, who was keeping watch outside, saying that it seemed to sense someone rushing towards their direction from not far away.
Su Yu didn't say a word. He activated his Tenseigan, which emitted blue light in the darkness. Based on the energy flow he saw, he quickly analyzed that the person constantly using Apparition towards him was Fleur. However, it seemed she wasn't coming specifically for him, but rather because something in the high sky behind her was constantly attacking her.
"Is Fleur fleeing?" Su Yu said.
"Possibly. I smell a strong sense of malice, but it's not Fleur's." Kurama sniffed, then continued, "What should we do? Should we intervene?"
"Let's watch first. What if she's just luring the enemy in?"
"Oh, you mean like granddaddy catching lobsters?"
Just like that, the two sat together and watched for a full half hour.
"Why hasn't she killed that eagle yet? She's been leading it around for half an hour. I'm tired of watching..." Kurama complained in Su Yu's arms; she was getting a bit sleepy from watching.
"Who knows? Maybe she wants to do something big?" Su Yu analyzed the scene before him.
"Hey! Fleur, do you need help?" Su Yu shouted at Fleur, who was panting heavily.
Fleur had just Apparated onto a large tree. Hearing Su Yu's shout, she was so startled she trembled, nearly falling off the tree. But then, the eagle in the sky took the opportunity to swoop down at her. She didn't have time to reply and could only Apparate away again. Her magic power was bottoming out, she was panting heavily, her lungs felt like they were about to explode, and she couldn't even speak loudly.
"She must be walking the eagle, right?" Su Yu said uncertainly. It was deep in the night, and his Tenseigan wasn't clairvoyance; he couldn't see every facial detail clearly like a live broadcast. Su Yu could only see the outlines of the energy flow in the distance.
"How would I know? She's not answering you, either. Is she afraid you'll steal her prey? Who does she think she's looking down on? It's only worth one point; she's really stingy." Kurama pouted.
"Fleur, are you okay? Do you need help?" Su Yu shouted again, concerned.
This amused the students outside who were staying up to watch the competition. Fleur was practically dying, yet you, Su Yu, still thought she was "walking the eagle." Fleur was tough, too; even in this state, she didn't say a word.
Chapter 191: The Final Competition (Part I)
"Why didn't you call for help sooner? You had me thinking you were hawk-taming or something…"
At the clearing at the foot of the mountain, Su Yu was grilling eagle skewers for Fleur over a campfire, asking her as she changed clothes and washed up in the tent behind him.
"I… I… I didn't have the strength to call out back then…" Fleur had just finished changing, her face still slightly flushed. She was actually still a bit afraid of Su Yu. This bad guy looked gentle and had an air of nobility, but he acted without hesitation. That ruthless demeanor had left a deep shadow on Fleur, so she spoke cautiously, terrified of annoying this great demon king.
Watching the refreshed Fleur walk gracefully out of the tent, Su Yu first handed a skewer of grilled meat to Kurama, then placed the rest on a plate on the table nearby.
"Eat something first, I just grilled them. By the way, did you run into anyone else along the way?"
"Thank you." Fleur was still a bit reserved. She carefully smoothed her dress and sat on a stool not far from Su Yu, picking up the eagle meat that had been chasing her all afternoon, and began to eat in small bites.
"Mmm, so good. Your skills are amazing, Yu-Su-Fley. I was running the whole way and didn't have the energy to look around, so I don't think I met anyone."
"Just call me by my name, no need to be so polite."
Hearing that she hadn't met anyone else, Su Yu stopped worrying about Fleur. After all, they weren't very close. He decided to let her finish eating and then go to sleep; he'd better get up early tomorrow to continue searching. After all, hunting monsters didn't give many points, so it was better to regroup with everyone first.
Kurama ate the grilled meat chunk by chunk, grease flowing from its mouth. It was so satisfying! This girl was really nice, bringing a late-night snack in the middle of the night!
Harry woke up, rummaging through his storage ring to see if he could find something to eat. He had been eating dry bread all day yesterday, and his cheeks were swollen this morning.
"Huh, I'm such an idiot. I clearly have a flying broomstick with me, why did I walk yesterday?"
Harry slapped his forehead, cursing himself for being a fool. He had transportation, why didn't he think of it?
After that, he went to the river to wash his face, got on his firebolt, and flew off to search for traces of the others.
Outside the examination grounds, Rita Skeeter had arrived at the spectator stands early this morning to interview the parents of students from various schools.
"I cast a spell on the champions of Hogwarts School before the competition started. Yes, you heard that right, but I didn't curse them to get hurt in the competition; I just cast a spell so they couldn't perform at their full potential. I swear they won't get a good ranking."
A parent from Uagadou School talked eloquently to Rita Skeeter, describing how he had cast the spell.
"Oh, Merlin's beard, this evil Uagadou Wizard cast a vicious curse on a group of our children. He swore that our children would suffer painful ordeals, and even had the audacity to say that he would cast these curses on all the Wizards of Britain. We will eventually meet a bad end. This is no longer just a matter for Hogwarts School; it is a matter for all of us. We must stand up and protect our children. Will this evil Wizard ultimately succeed?"
The Quick-Quotes Quill floating behind Rita Skeeter wrote down the story with added embellishments and then quickly flew off. She needed to rush back and write this article.
Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen of the Mahoutokoro School of Magic was squirming as if he had hemorrhoids, occasionally looking toward the Principal of Uagadou School.
"Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen, if you have hemorrhoids, go get them checked out. Don't wiggle around here like a maggot; it's giving me a headache." Grindelwald mocked the trash. He never looked down on anyone, let alone a Principal of a small Mahoutokoro School of Magic. Even if their Minister for Magic came, so what?
Upon hearing this, Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen didn't dare to move anymore. He lowered his head, not even daring to retort, only the sinister look hidden under the brim of his hat seemed to be enduring something.
"Soon, it will be soon. It's coming right away, you all just wait for me…" Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen muttered in a low voice.
"Cho Chang, are you done washing up? Can you help me get the eggs, please?"
On the other side, Daphne had woken up early and was making breakfast in the tent. She turned to Cho Chang, who had just finished washing up.
Nearby, Cassandra was holding a cup of cappuccino, looking at the map and analyzing which direction to go today.
This was all thanks to Cassandra's telepathic ability. As soon as she entered, she used her telepathy to sense Daphne and Cho Chang, who were not far from her, established a remote connection in her mind, and soon the three girls gathered together.
"Fleur, haven't you finished putting on your makeup yet?"
Light mist drifted in the air, and the creek at the foot of the mountain tinkled. Early in the morning, Su Yu, who had already washed up, had long since fried eggs, bacon, and sausages. Sliced toast was laid out on the table, and Kurama was gulping down milk, letting out a "Ha" sound after finishing.
"If Daphne were here, she'd say you have no ladylike image again."
Su Yu stuffed bacon into his mouth with chopsticks and muttered.
"Tch, like you're so elegant. You're almost swallowing the plate. Let me borrow your clothes to wipe my mouth." Kurama looked at Su Yu with disdain, then jumped into his arms and used his clothes to wipe its mouth. Of course, it also received a loving punch from Su Yu.
"Sorry, sorry, Su Yu. It was me who wasted time." Just as Su Yu and Kurama were messing around, Fleur walked out of the tent. She had been too tired yesterday and fell asleep the moment she lay on the bed. Perhaps feeling protected by the powerful companion Su Yu, she had slept in. She was blushing now, sitting next to Su Yu.
"It's fine, eat quickly, we'll set off once you're done."
Su Yu stopped messing with Kurama and continued eating breakfast.
"Eh? You agree to let me follow you? Thank you so much, Su Yu."
Fleur lifted her head happily when she heard Su Yu say "we'll set off." She felt as if she had seen a shining Joan of Arc, though that was a bit of a dark joke.
"It doesn't matter to me whether there's one more person or one less. Since we met, let's go together and see if we can run into anyone else on the road."
Su Yu shrugged indifferently. This wasn't a life-or-death battle where he had to kill all opponents he encountered. Beauxbatons Academy and Hogwarts School had always had a good relationship, unlike the other schools, so for the sake of reason and emotion, he couldn't do that kind of thing.
Chapter 192: Final Match (Part 2)
After finishing breakfast, Su Yu and Fleur set off on a flying magic carpet. After all, with Su Yu's speed, Fleur could never keep up.
Su Yu had only learned about this carpet after hearing Bartemius Crouch Sr. and the others mention it. He immediately had Malfoy use his family connections to get him one, and it turned out to be useful today.
The two of them and the fox sat on the carpet, flying forward at high speed. However, after half a day had passed, a problem that puzzled Su Yu even more arose. This shouldn't be possible—how could it have been so long without seeing a single person, let alone any teammates? It was just too strange.
"Could it be that we're moving too fast, leaving everyone else behind us?" Fleur asked, kneeling on the carpet as she voiced her conjecture.
"Is that so? We shouldn't be moving that fast, right?" Su Yu replied uncertainly. He didn't think he was moving that fast, did he?
"Who cares about them? Maybe they went off to play somewhere. Anyway, they'll protect themselves, won't they? I think it's best if we just fly toward the center of the circle and head straight to the finish line!" Kurama seemed exceptionally confident in that bunch of killers.
"Let's search for another afternoon. If we still haven't found anyone, we'll have to consider heading to the finish line circle to wait for them." Su Yu thought for a moment and finally made the decision.
With a loud "boom," a massive magical beast collapsed to the ground in pain. Farley stood on its head, her cold gaze sweeping over the magical beasts below.
"Magical beasts don't feel pain," she murmured. She then cast Crucio, and the magical beast began to tremble even more violently. Farley let out a scoff, thinking the beast was just getting too excited.
She then cast Avada Kedavra, ending its life.
"So boring. Should I just set off to find Su Yu, my little sweetie, and the others?"
A sinister, slightly yandere expression appeared on her face. Without Su Yu around to suppress her, she was becoming increasingly unhinged.
"Let me count: Callis, Daphne, Cho Chang, Pansy, Olivia... how did we end up as an all-female team?"
On the other side, Cassandra was counting the classmates she had already found, discovering that they had successfully formed an all-female group.
"Haven't we still not found Farley? If Farley comes, we'll truly be an all-female team!"
Callis was holding a bag of cheese crisps, munching away with a crunching sound, and spoke with her mouth full.
"But why haven't we found a single boy?" Daphne was actually still a bit worried about Su Yu. She didn't know if he had been eating well over the past two days, especially with Kurama following him around. It must be tough for him, having to take care of that little guy.
"Crabbe! You idiot, we're on the same side! Stop splashing water at me!"
Young Master Malfoy was currently in a river, engaged in a water fight with Goyle, Crabbe, Blaise, and the Weasley Twins.
Goyle had petrified himself to block for Blaise, while Blaise and Fred launched attacks against Malfoy, Crabbe, and George. Their wands were flying, and water projectiles were pelting toward the three of them one after another.
The most infuriating one was Crabbe. The big oaf had been dazed by the water projectiles and couldn't even distinguish between teammates and enemies anymore. He simply tossed his wand aside and started splashing water at Malfoy.
"Take my Water Dragon Bullet!"
Just as Malfoy opened his mouth to speak, a water ball from Fred hit him squarely in his open mouth.
"I announce that Fred's side is the winner!" Cedric, acting as the referee, announced loudly from the bank.
"Ptooey! Ptooey! How unlucky. I protest! We were two against four!"
Young Master Malfoy protested loudly.
"Protest denied, Malfoy."
——————————
Over at the Mahoutokoro School of Magic, the remaining fourteen of them had all gathered together using secret arts.
"Hehehe, this time I will definitely make these idiots die without a burial place," Tsuruta Gihei said, carefully wiping his katana, a cruel look on his face.
"Tsuruta-kun, this time I won't stop you. Go, go and kill those stupid Hogwarts School champions, avenge our fallen teammates, and let the glory of our great empire return to this land!"
Kikuchi Tadao sat quietly on a rock without even opening his eyes. "The champions of Uagadou School will also become your support. For the Demon King!"
"For the Demon King!"
The crowd below shouted in unison, and after speaking, they turned into streaks of shadows and left the area.
Harry rode his flying broomstick for half a day and finally saw his teammate, Summers from Hufflepuff!
"Hey, Summers, this is really great! I've finally found my teammate! God, this was not easy!"
Seeing Harry flying toward him, Summers also waved excitedly at Harry. "Harry, I'm here! This is great; I don't have to be alone anymore!"
——————————
"Fleur, Kurama, I think something is very wrong."
Su Yu frowned. "Logically speaking, there are about 20 people in each area. Because it's randomly assigned, it's possible to be all teammates, or to be alone, or just chaotic. But it definitely shouldn't be like this, where we search for half a day and can't find anyone. I feel like someone is targeting us!"
"But if someone is targeting you, I believe that. Why target Fleur?" Kurama's not-so-bright little brain couldn't quite figure this out.
"Huh? Is someone targeting me too? What for?" Fleur was a bit surprised, and she felt a little scared.
Su Yu looked Fleur up and down. Feeling his gaze, Fleur became even more frightened. She clutched her clothes tighter and stammered, "It... it wouldn't... be, right?"
"Who knows? What if it's a pervert? Hehehehe." Kurama mimicked a villain's laugh on the side.
"What kind of restricted goblin plot is this..." Su Yu knocked Kurama on the head and shook his own, letting the thoughts that had been interrupted by Kurama return to the right track.
"I can't think of a specific solution right now. Let's stick to the original plan: head to the center of the circle to rendezvous, and then we'll see what happens."
With no other options, the trio couldn't figure out the enemy's scheme, so since things had come to this, they decided to just eat first.
Su Yu and Fleur set up the tent, while Kurama used its tail to pick up branches and pile them into a heap.
"What are we eating tonight!"
Kurama was already impatient to eat dinner.
"Hmm," Su Yu thought for a moment. "How about we have tomato fish hotpot today?"
"Yes, yes! I vote with all four hands!" Kurama lay on the ground and raised its four little paws to show its approval.
"Then you go catch the fish."
"I suddenly don't want to eat anymore..." Kurama instantly wilted, all ten tails drooping. In the end, it still walked unwillingly to the river to catch fish.
Chapter 193: The Riot Begins (I)
In the blink of an eye, more than a day had passed outside, while more than ten days had passed inside the map of mountains and seas.
Thousands of students and hundreds of parents were on the stands of the Quidditch Pitch, watching their respective school champions intently.
"Are you ready, Headmaster Asante Boakye?"
Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen of the Mahoutokoro School of Magic exchanged a look with Headmaster Asante Boakye of the Uagadou School. Upon receiving a nod of affirmation, Mochizuki Seigen left the stands and headed towards the rear.
The audience in the stands suddenly felt the sky darken. Looking up and glancing to the side, they discovered that, at some unknown point, a massive stone platform had appeared above the Quidditch Pitch of Hogwarts School, enveloping the entire school.
"Isn't that the stone platform that the Uagadou School arrived on?"
A student from Hogwarts School shouted.
"Headmaster Asante Boakye, could you explain how your Uagadou School platform entered Hogwarts School without my permission? Furthermore, what is the meaning of this?"
Headmaster Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly.
But Headmaster Asante Boakye did not answer the question. He merely waved his wand, and four beams of light descended from the perimeter of the stone platform, merging into a cuboid that tightly enclosed Hogwarts School.
"Albus Dumbledore, I come on the orders of the great Dark Lord Lucifer to destroy Hogwarts School today!"
Headmaster Asante Boakye's voice had strangely changed into a woman's voice. She slowly floated into mid-air, black wings sprouting from her back. Her face began to deform, one half becoming a stunningly beautiful female visage, while the other half transformed into the image of a completely rotten, disfigured demon.
Below, Hermione felt a wave of nausea as she looked at the woman in mid-air with her hollow eye socket, exposed teeth and bone, torn and rotting flesh, and half a missing tongue, who could only speak indistinctly using the right side of her mouth.
"Who exactly are you? Where is the real Headmaster Asante Boakye?" Grindelwald pulled Dumbledore behind him and spoke these words coldly.
"My name is Mazikeen, the most loyal guard under the Dark Lord Lucifer! As for the Headmaster Asante Boakye you speak of, just a pathetic worm, long since turned into a meal. The taste was quite good. However, you needn't worry, it will be your turn soon enough!"
The six headmasters below all turned pale; they had not expected that the normally calm, wise, and kind-hearted headmaster of Uagadou School had already met his end.
As Mazikeen spoke, she slowly spread her hands, and portals leading to hell slowly opened. Countless monsters poked their heads out and quickly pounced on the chaotic crowd of students and parents.
The parents who had come with Uagadou School and the Mahoutokoro School of Magic also abandoned their disguises, taking advantage of the chaos to strike down those around them and gathering beneath Mazikeen.
Headmaster Dumbledore was burning with rage; his normally unruffled face displayed a rare expression of anger.
"Professors, all parents, prepare for battle immediately! You must protect all the students!"
Under Headmaster Dumbledore's call, the parents, who had been somewhat panicked, calmed down and pulled out their wands, joining the nearby Professors of Hogwarts School to begin blocking the monsters' assault.
"How on earth did they get in! Doesn't Hogwarts School have defensive barriers?"
A parent shouted in the crowd.
"There must be a traitor; our permanent resident wards were not opened, and not even the alarms were triggered!"
Professor Flitwick checked the barrier, while Professor McGonagall beside him had already begun to chant, "Piertotum Locomotor!"
"I've always wanted to try this spell..." Professor McGonagall said to the Professors nearby, "Do everything you can to protect the lower-year students and evacuate them! Prefects of each house, organize the upper-year students to begin resisting. Otherwise, we won't have enough manpower. As for the Slytherin side, Professor Snape will temporarily take command! I'm counting on you, Severus."
Professor Snape nodded upon hearing this and led the Slytherin students to begin their counterattack. The tutors of the other houses also joined their respective students, evacuating the younger ones while organizing the older ones into defensive formations.
"Professor Flitwick! I need the Salvio Hexia and Homenum Revelio spells!" Professor Snape shouted at Flitwick while casting Sectumsempra.
"Right away, just wait a moment! I'm casting it!"
"You will pay the price for what you have done today!" Grindelwald was never one to rely solely on talk. Seeing a large number of monsters beginning to assault the temporary defensive line formed by Ministry of Magic members and parents, he had already used magic to strike at Mazikeen, who was still in mid-air.
With a loud "bang," the magic was blocked by Mazikeen with one hand. Immediately, Grindelwald felt a sharp sword aura slashing towards him from behind. He performed a roll and narrowly dodged the blow.
"Albus, your school's Anti-Apparition Jinx is truly disgusting!"
Cold sweat drenching him, Grindelwald cursed under his breath, then looked up towards the direction from which the attack had been launched.
"Lord Grindelwald, you are still as sharp as ever." Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen walked slowly out of the shadows, holding his wand in one hand and an ancient katana in the other. He licked the blade, his cold expression seeming to hide endless rage.
"Lord Grindelwald, your opponent is not the demon; get past me first. I have waited for nearly a whole year. Today, I will prove that my empire's Mahoutokoro School of Magic is the greatest school in this world!"
With that, Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen charged towards Grindelwald.
"Some people always underestimate the Dark Lord and the White Lord," Grindelwald spat and stood up. "Albus, I am going to release my restraints. I haven't used my full power in so many years; it seems some people have forgotten my terror!"
A massive amount of pressure suddenly began to emanate from Grindelwald, momentarily stunning Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen so that he could not advance any further. He stared with wide, incredulous eyes at the enraged first-generation Dark Lord before him, seemingly unable to believe it.
Grindelwald held his wand in one hand and waved his other hand, causing the entire stand to deform. Countless fragments, mixed with stones and dirt, crashed towards Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen. "It's been a long time since I've used my full power; I like this kind of violence! I hope you can take a beating." A cruel smile appeared at the corner of Grindelwald's mouth.
Dumbledore also released the Anti-Apparition jinx in the dimensional area. With a flash, he appeared above Mazikeen and brought down a blast of fire ring flames.
Chapter 194: The Riot Begins (Part 2)
How terrifying is a demigod who isn't slacking off? Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen could answer that. At this moment, Grindelwald had inflicted a dozen negative buffs on him. He was in excruciating pain while simultaneously having to defend against a dragon made of steel bars and concrete blocks that kept attacking him.
A giant blue Phoenix circled in the sky, its entire body composed of flames. Just as Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen let his guard down, it dove straight at him. Struck by the Fiendfyre Curse, Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen let out a painful wail as his body was repeatedly charred to ashes, only to recover again and again.
"What on earth is wrong with this guy? He can recover even under the Fiendfyre Curse?"
Ginny, staying close to her mother, was casting Expelliarmus and Confringo. Watching Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen being burned to ash by the Fiendfyre Curse and then recovering, she let out a scream. This wasn't even human anymore, right?
"Hehehehe, Lord Grindelwald, you are indeed as powerful as ever. But I am no longer a piece of trash to be slaughtered at will!"
Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen stabbed a blade into his own abdomen and sliced open his stomach, laughing crazily. His manic expression caused even Grindelwald to step back twice. "Lord Shuten-dōji, release all your power! I offer myself as a sacrifice to trample this land!"
Thick black smoke rose all around, obscuring Grindelwald's vision. After the painful wails of Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen and the crunching sound of bones being chewed stopped, a massive figure stepped out from the black mist.
He had five horns on his head, fifteen eyes, a crimson face, and stood six meters tall. His hand wiped his lips, cleaning off the blood left from just eating a person.
"The human realm! I have returned! And there is so much fresh food this time, this is simply wonderful!"
Shuten-dōji burped, swung the massive club in his hand, and aimed straight for Grindelwald's face.
"Just a stupid and arrogant oaf," Grindelwald sneered. With an Apparition, he appeared on Shuten-dōji's shoulder. The moment the giant turned his head, an Avada Kedavra was fired directly into his eye.
"Did you think I would strike your tough skin?" Hearing Shuten-dōji's scream, Grindelwald used both hands to continuously cast spells, attacking his most vulnerable spots: his mouth, eyes, and ears.
The Principals of the other schools were all rescuing the students on the scene. Together with the Aurors from the British Ministry of Magic, they resisted the army of monsters, but the number of monsters was simply too high. Soon, the temporarily formed first line of defense was breached.
Hermione, currently cloaked in the Kurama Cloak, stood in front of all the Gryffindor students. She sighed helplessly as she looked at this group of terrified students, especially Ron, who had been scared silly by the massive scale of the scene and was standing there motionless. She shook her head, turned around, and faced the incoming army of monsters alone.
It turned out that Professor Snape, who didn't know how to command, was the biggest obstacle for the Slytherin students. With no other choice, the seventh-year prefect stepped up. Although his status was usually lower than even the Malfoys, they were all in the secret realm now, so he had to temporarily take over command.
"Everyone, prepare to cast Depulso! Lower-year students in the back, get ready. Upper-year students, once you finish casting the Killing Curse, throw the Venomous Tentacula you're holding! Slowly move toward the Gryffindor side; Miss Granger is still over there, and we need to provide support!" Even now, the Slytherin students were keeping their initial promise. Slytherin was willing to be Miss Granger's support—this was never an empty statement. From the moment she begged them to save Su Yu in her first year, she had become the person all Slytherin students would protect with their lives.
Large swaths of Avada Kedavra were unleashed. This display made Minister Fudge's scalp tingle. So, when they had beaten him up back then, they had really gone easy on him. Thank goodness, thank Merlin, that they didn't just wipe him out back then.
"Firestorm!" Headmaster Dumbledore, who was fighting Mazken, didn't forget to cast an AoE spell, clearing out the mobs that kept popping up around them and easing the pressure on others.
"Old man, you dare to get distracted while fighting me?" Mazken said angrily, throwing the short blade in his hand directly at Dumbledore, but it was blocked by Protego.
This army of demons was completely different from the ones in previous years. This time, it was the elite of the elite. The Dark Knights charged in groups riding skeletal horses, while the demon archers behind them released volleys of arrows. At the very back, one could vaguely see the demon magic corps casting large-scale spells. This put immense pressure on the Principals of the other schools holding the front line. Many Aurors had already sacrificed themselves; to prevent the monster army from charging into the crowd, they had used their own lives to block the defensive line.
"I need support! And someone go deal with those damn archers and mages in the back!" Minister Fudge roared. At this moment, although he couldn't do what Dumbledore and Grindelwald were doing, he wasn't so scared that he was running away with his tail between his legs. He gritted his teeth and directed the Ministry of Magic staff on the scene to hold the front line, buying a glimmer of hope for the civilians behind them.
"Leave those in the back to me." A beautiful figure flashed past Minister Fudge and the Principals. Isolde transformed into a shadow and plunged straight into the rear of the monster army.
"It's over, Shuten-dōji." Grindelwald had finally finished charging his ultimate move. The sky was now covered in dark clouds, and a massive bolt of lightning descended with his wand. No matter how powerful Shuten-dōji's defense was, it could not withstand this lightning bolt, which was as thick as a water vat and resembled a heavenly tribulation.
Real men never look back at explosions. As the lightning struck, Grindelwald snapped his fingers and turned to leave. The six-meter-tall Shuten-dōji was engulfed by the thunder, turning into fly ash.
"Albus, you haven't finished off this demon yet? It seems your skills really aren't what they used to be."
Grindelwald sat on a nearby rock, recovering his internal magic, while mocking his old friend. He even noticed a trace of... exhaustion on Dumbledore?
Immediately, Grindelwald stood up again and joined Dumbledore to fight against Mazken, who also possessed demigod strength.
"I certainly don't want you to die before me, Albus!"
Isolde was also on a killing spree in the rear of the monster army. With a short blade in her left hand and a wand in her right, she never uttered a single word. Silent casting combined with poison-tipped short blades—the title of the Black Rose of France would, from this day forward, be deeply imprinted in everyone's hearts.
Large numbers of demon archers and mages died at her hands, causing her entire robe to be dyed dark red.
Chapter 195: The Riot Ends
While everyone at Hogwarts School was fighting against the army of monsters, in a corner that no one noticed, a young girl wearing a viper mask sat there contentedly, swinging her bare feet and eating a lollipop.
"It seems I don't need to intervene this time," Luna licked her lollipop again. Her calm face betrayed no emotion, only her large eyes blinking.
"I told you, the few Headmasters, Professors, and students of Slytherin House could handle it. That big bad Su Yu even made me watch from the sidelines. I'd rather go back and look for Nargles; they stole my shoes again. But, I suppose I should thank them too, the way Su Yu puts my shoes on every time is so cute…"
As she spoke, Luna waved her hand, and a flash of red light turned the few monsters that had snuck up on her into teddy bears. She muttered to herself, "The Ancient Magic Su Yu taught me is surprisingly useful."
Blue Fiendfyre enveloped a red flaming Phoenix, constantly launching attacks at Maziken. The combined power of the two top-tier demigods left Maziken struggling to defend herself.
Watching the army of monsters steadily retreating, and after cursing Headmaster Mochizuki Seigen as a good-for-nothing, Maziken erupted with all her demonic energy, preparing to fight to the death with Dumbledore and Grindelwald. She knew clearly that even if she retreated and fled now, she would still be killed by her master upon returning. Since that was the case, she might as well see if she could take one of them down with her. With her strength as a demigod, she wasn't necessarily weaker than these two old things!
"Be careful, Albus, don't get bitten by that monster's final struggle." Grindelwald waved his wand, spitting out one offensive spell after another from its tip, joking with Dumbledore.
"Gellert, mind yourself. My old bones can still hold up!" It seemed Dumbledore didn't like Grindelwald's joke. Grindelwald shrugged, looking indifferent as he began indiscriminate attacks on Maziken again.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Ginny had gradually made her way to the front of the resistance line along with her parents. She had snuck back to the Gryffindor ranks and, seeing the students of Slytherin House holding the front line, asked Hermione, who was also fighting alongside them.
"What could happen to me?" Hermione turned around to find that Ginny had also arrived, and she was somewhat pleased. Under Hermione's influence, after the initial fear and subsequent internal struggle, many of these Gryffindor students had already picked up their wands and joined the ranks of those resisting the monsters.
"Our Gryffindor house isn't bad either!"
"Of course, our pride doesn't allow us to hide behind Slytherin House!"
"But you guys just hold us back…" a Slytherin student muttered, voicing a genuine feeling.
"Everyone, keep it up! Those monster armies are almost at their limit! Victory is right before our eyes!"
"For Gryffindor!"
"You lions are really noisy, it's so annoying! Don't block me from casting the Killing Curse, hey!"
Under the combined attack of Dumbledore and Grindelwald, Maziken finally could not resist and fell. Grindelwald's Fiendfyre seemed to have no intention of letting her go, burning her until she was reduced to ashes. Only then did he stop, panting as he sat down with Dumbledore on a chair that was still intact.
"I really didn't expect," Grindelwald caught his breath, took a bottle of water from his storage ring, took a sip, and handed it to Dumbledore, "that at such an old age, I would still have a time to fight side-by-side with you. It's truly incredible, Albus."
Headmaster Dumbledore was also panting with exhaustion at this moment. After glancing at Grindelwald, he still accepted the offered water bottle and drank, but didn't say much.
With Maziken's death, lacking the support of magic power, the gate to hell began to slowly close. Monsters that hadn't fully emerged were instantly sliced in two by the portal.
"Look! The portal is slowly closing!" a parent shouted.
"It's Headmaster Dumbledore! He defeated that terrifying monster!"
More and more students began to cheer, the joy of survival blooming from their hearts; some even began to cry.
Minister Fudge also let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, his entire limbs were trembling with fear. "I never want to come to Hogwarts School again! I swear…"
But his voice was drowned out by the cheers of others. Everyone was immersed in the joy of victory, while behind Headmaster Dumbledore, the figure of Professor Moody slowly appeared.
"Albus, the situation this time is very bad." Professor Moody came to Headmaster Dumbledore's side with an anxious face, reporting the battle situation. Many parents from other schools and Aurors from the Ministry of Magic had sacrificed themselves, including the Principal of Koldovstoretz School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Russia), that cute little dwarf old man. He had used his own life to hold off the charge of the Demon Knights, for the sake of a group of lower-year students at Hogwarts School.
"He was a great Principal. How are the other Principals doing in terms of injuries?" Dumbledore sighed, the list of the dead in his hand trembling slightly.
"Puchi," a sound of a sharp blade cutting through robes and sinking into flesh.
"What have you done!" Grindelwald waved one hand, and Professor Moody flew into the air. Then, as if his hands were shackled, he knelt down.
"Albus, are you okay?" Grindelwald didn't dare to delay for a second, quickly catching Dumbledore, who was about to collapse. Seeing the knife still bleeding from his chest, a trace of imperceptible panic appeared on his face.
The Professors cleaning up the aftermath nearby were also stunned. Has the world gone mad? Professor Moody assassinating Dumbledore?
Madam Pomfrey was still urgently treating the Wizards brought down from the battlefield. Turning her head, she saw Grindelwald running towards her, carrying Headmaster Dumbledore.
"Merlin's beard! What on earth happened?" Madam Pomfrey screamed, quickly running to Grindelwald's side, examining Dumbledore's wound while asking what had happened.
"There is a curse on this knife! My god," Madam Pomfrey felt that the continuously bleeding wound seemed to have some resistance preventing it from healing. "Quick, put him on the bed."
As she spoke, Madam Pomfrey pulled the surrounding screens shut. Grindelwald sat helplessly, isolated outside on the floor.
"I need blood-replenishing potions! Hurry, and also, quickly connect the Floo Network to St. Mungo's Hospital. Headmaster Dumbledore's injury cannot be treated here at Hogwarts School!"
Hermione hadn't expected that just moments ago everyone was immersed in the joy of victory, and yet a short while later, news came that Headmaster Dumbledore was seriously injured and undergoing treatment.