bioinnovel Chapter 313 Perilous Situation
Chapter 313 Perilous Situation
Chapter 313 Perilous Situation
Amidst thunderous applause, Cedric Diggory slowly entered the arena.
His face was pale, his limbs were weak, and his bones were as soft as noodles that had just been taken out of the pot.
At this moment, hundreds of eyes were fixed on him, the pressure far exceeding that of a Quidditch match held at school on a regular day.
At the other end of the field, a silver-blue Swedish short-nosed dragon stood imposingly, its fierce gaze seemingly ready to unleash flames that could incinerate anyone at any moment.
Cedric was, after all, just a student who had just come of age, so it was only natural for him to feel fear.
How many people could remain calm when faced with a fire dragon that is over twenty feet long?
Moreover, this fire dragon is a female fire dragon in the egg-laying stage.
Cedric's ability to successfully enter the arena and face the powerful and dangerous fire dragon head-on already puts him ahead of many others.
Just as Cedric was calming himself down and observing the fire dragon opposite him, the Swedish short-nosed dragon was also observing him, its terrifying eyes fixed on the tiny human in its line of sight.
The Swedish Brachynotaurus folded its wings and crouched low with its massive body, like the best hunter in the world.
No, fire dragons are the best hunters in the world, and they are at the top of the food chain.
Cedric and the Swedish short-nosed dinosaur observed each other across the wide area, both of them behaving cautiously and neither making any rash moves.
"We see our first warrior, Cedric Diggory, has entered the arena!" Belvina's thunderous voice resounded throughout the stadium.
She then said loudly, "I must say, Mr. Diggory is a very handsome young man, and the girls who like him could line up from the castle to Black Lake."
A burst of laughter erupted from the stands. Everyone knew how popular Cedric was among the girls; he was practically Hogwarts' number one idol.
However, when Belvina, who holds multiple positions, mentioned this fact during her commentary, it sounded like she was joking, and it also made her seem a bit irresponsible.
Therefore, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall looked over immediately.
If Professor McGonagall hadn't been so far away, she probably would have already been stripped of her commentary rights.
However, to everyone's surprise, Cedric, who was talking to the Swedish short-nosed dragon, actually took action after hearing this frivolous old man's joke.
Perhaps it was the successful self-regulation of his emotions, or perhaps it was the unserious banter that relaxed him, but Cedric steadily raised his wand and aimed it at a stone in the arena.
"Mr. Diggory raised his wand, let's see what he's going to do—" Belvina's commentary continued, "Oh, he turned the stones on the field into a hound!"
The Newfoundland hound, transformed from stone, barked twice and then, under Cedric's control, charged straight at the fire dragon at the other end of the arena.
And then, that was it. The hound was instantly enveloped in dazzling blue flames and turned back into stone.
A gasp rippled through the stands. The Newfoundland Hound, transformed from stone, had such a short life; it was instantly killed by the Swedish Brachynotaurus.
If this applies to hunting dogs, what about wizards?
Could it also be instantly burned to ashes by the flames spewed by the Swedish short-nosed dragon?
"Oh, what a pity!" Belvina explained. "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Diggory was testing the distance at which the dragon could breathe fire."
Belvina was right; Cedric was testing the waters, using the Newfoundland hound he created through Transfiguration to find a safe zone.
Cedric waved his wand repeatedly, turning stone after stone into hounds that charged one after another toward the fire dragon at the other end of the field.
As expected, all the hounds transformed by magic were sent away by the blue flames and turned back into stone. Apart from their original location being changed, everything seemed as if nothing had happened.
"We cannot be certain whether Mr. Diego tested the waters to establish a safe distance, but we can be certain that the Swedish Brachynotaurus was enraged."
At that moment, a deafening roar drowned out Belvina's voice.
The Swedish short-nosed dragon roared angrily, its silver-blue scales gleaming brightly in the afternoon sun.
After Cedric and his hounds repeatedly provoked the apex predator, the fire dragon was successfully enraged. The short-nosed dragon roared to the sky, revealing all its sharp fangs.
Then, the Swedish Brachynotaurus, with its strong and powerful limbs, charged toward Cedric as if flying close to the ground, determined to kill the annoying little brat in front of it!
The fire dragon's massive body resembled a heavy train rushing past, eliciting gasps from the stands. Some people even closed their eyes, completely unable to look at the arena.
They seemed to see Cedric's gruesome death, crushed to death by a dragon's claw, or burned to ashes by dazzling blue flames.
Just as the spectators in the stands were all holding their breath, Cedric, facing the short-nosed dragon head-on, remained extremely calm.
He was completely different from when he first entered.
Cedric waved his wand repeatedly in the arena, and hounds reappeared, launching suicidal charges at the short-nosed dragon.
"The hounds are trying to slow down the short-nosed dragon's advance, but it's no use!" Belvina's voice rang out. "The difference in strength between the hounds and the dragon is too great; they simply cannot stop the dragon from pursuing Digori!"
In the arena, one after another, the hounds were beaten back to their original form, either swatted away by a paw or scorched by flames, and some were even unable to get close to the fire dragon.
As Belvina said, the gap between the hound and the dragon was too great, and all their efforts were in vain.
"We see that Mr. Diggory hasn't given up; he's still doing everything he can to stop the dragon," Belvina said.
Will he be able to successfully evade the raging fire dragon?
Cedric waved his wand repeatedly as he fled at top speed. The disparity in size made him extremely agile, allowing him to dodge several potentially fatal attacks from the short-nosed dragon.
The Rathalos's close-range claws, its mid-range tail whip, and its long-range fire breath—none of the Rathalos's attacks could kill Cedric Diggory.
Meanwhile, Cedric Diggory, the champion of Hogwarts, though he looked like a wolf or a fox, was very close to success. He was getting closer and closer to the nest of dragon eggs that had lost the protection of the female dragon!
"A clever idea!" Belvina exclaimed. "Mr. Diggory has successfully lured the short-nosed dragon out of its lair!"
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At this moment, the audience in the stands couldn't even utter a gasp. Everyone held their breath and stared intently at Cedric, who was moving around the arena, as he slowly approached the dragon egg.
The dazzling blue flames illuminated Cedric's face. Using his hands and feet, Cedric forcibly changed direction and, with the help of a rock for cover, barely escaped the deadly flames.
The thick fire dragon's tail swept across, lashing out at Cedric. Cedric scrambled and rolled, dodging between boulders as they were sent flying. He avoided broken bones and limbs, and once again approached the fire dragon egg.
"So that's how it is!" Belvina exclaimed. "So those stones that turned into hounds weren't just to test the dragon's fire-breathing range, but also to provide cover and help Mr. Diggory retrieve the golden egg!"
Those boulders that Cedric turned into hounds and were then beaten back to their original forms by the dragon not only successfully angered the dragon and lured it away from its lair, but also formed a barrier along the dragon's pursuit route.
Although the barrier crumbled instantly, it successfully provided cover for Cedric, buying him time to approach the dragon's lair.
Finally, amidst the angry roars of the short-nosed dragon, Cedric successfully reached the dragon's lair.
"Cedric Diggory!" Belvina shouted. "He's seen the golden egg! Can Hufflepuff's Seeker get it? Just like he caught the Golden Snitch in Quidditch!"
After many hardships, Cedric the wolf-fox finally saw what the golden egg looked like; it was lying quietly in the middle of a real dragon egg.
Cedric reached out towards the golden egg, just as he did in Quidditch. However, the silver-blue Swedish short-nosed dragon was already close, baring its fangs and biting at Cedric.
At this critical moment, a hunting dog appeared out of nowhere and charged at the short-nosed dragon like lightning. The next second, as it charged into the dragon's gaping maw, rocks flew and applause erupted. Cedric Diggory had succeeded! He had narrowly dodged the dragon's jaws and successfully retrieved the golden egg from the dragon's lair!
Cedric Diggory, panting, held up the golden egg.
His handsome face was burned by the flames, and his sleeves were torn by flying pebbles. Although Cedric was incredibly cunning, he successfully obtained the golden egg. His cunning made his success all the sweeter.
"Cedric Diggory succeeded!" Belvina shouted. "The hidden hound saved its master at the last moment, buying Mr. Diggory one last chance. Cedric Diggory got the golden egg!"
Commentator and referee Belvina declared Cedric's success, and the stands erupted once again, with everyone shouting, screaming, clapping, and cheering—a sound more deafening than the roar of a fire dragon.
At the same time, Charlie Weasley and other dragon tamers rushed into the arena, their wands aimed in unison at the enraged Swedish short-nosed dragon.
He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!
The dragon tamers chanted in unison, and several red-glowing stun spells were cast at the Swedish short-nosed dragon, which was struck by stone teeth. The stun spells landed on the dragon's silver-blue scales, and the sparks that flew out scattered like fireworks.
The Swedish short-nosed dinosaur, struck by the giant stone's teeth, let out a defiant roar and staggered to the ground, the earth-shattering sound echoing throughout every corner of the arena.
"Now, let's give another round of applause to warrior Cedric Diggory!" said Belvina. "As the first warrior to take the stage, Mr. Diggory withstood the pressure and achieved a winning start!"
Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the stands as all the Hogwarts students celebrated Cedric's success.
"Alright, now, please have the judges score Cedric Diggory," Belvina said. "Please score the first warrior."
As soon as the words were spoken, the audience in the stands held their breath once again, anxiously awaiting the judges' scores.
The first judge, Mrs. Maxim, raised her wand, and a silver ribbon-like substance shot from its tip, forming a huge number above her head: 8.
Next was the second referee, Igor Karkarov.
The headmaster of Durmstrang also raised his wand, the silver ribbon twisting above his head to form a large number: 5.
Instantly, deafening boos erupted from the stands. Everyone was booing Kakarov. How could Cedric Diggory's brilliant performance only get a 5?
The Durmstrang students in the stands lowered their heads in shame, unable to bear watching their principal's actions.
Mrs. Maxim, sitting on the referee's bench, turned her head in disbelief to look at Karkarov beside her.
The headmaster of Beauxbatons could never have imagined that the headmaster of Durmstrang could be so foolish.
The referee panel consists of five judges, three of whom are from Hogwarts. Is Igor Karkaroff planning to take on all three of them alone?
Even if Dumbledore and Barty Crouch, presuming on their status, didn't bother with Karkaroff, Belvina Black was still sitting on the other side of the judges' table!
"Professor Karkaroff gave it a score of 5, which is a very strict standard."
As she spoke, Belvina leaned down and looked at the shameless Karkaroff across Barty Crouch and Dumbledore.
Hearing Belvina's sarcastic voice, Mrs. Maxim was struck dumb, thinking to herself: It's over, it's all over.
At this moment, Mrs. Maxim only hoped that Belvina would not harm the innocent and that Fleur would not be implicated.
Karkarov, unperturbed by the boos, ignored the boos from the audience and the glare from Belvina. Professor Karkarov closed his eyes with a clear conscience, as if his judgment had been perfectly fair.
Igor Karkarov never seemed to have considered what would happen if Belvina gave Krum a zero.
Just then, the third judge, Dumbledore, raised his wand and gave the same score as Mrs. Maxime: 8.
Minute.
This is a fair and just score. Dumbledore's judgment was spot on. Cedric's performance fully deserves an 8.
However, given Karkaroff's recent score of 5, Dumbledore's 8 is bound to disappoint the students.
After a sparse round of applause, the fourth judge, Barty Crouch, raised his wand.
Mr. Crouch first gave Karkaroff a disgusted look before giving him his score: 10.
A perfect score. Even the notoriously strict Barty Crouch gave it a perfect score.
"Perfect score!" Belvina exclaimed. "Mr. Crouch gives it a perfect score, ten out of ten!"
Applause erupted from the stands. The Hogwarts students felt that Barty Crouch had done a great job; he was the fair referee.
Igor Karkaroff opened his eyes in surprise. He never imagined that Barty Crouch would give a perfect score. Was this really the Barty Crouch he knew?
Just as Professor Karkaroff was in shock, the last judge, Belvina, also raised her wand.
She glanced at Barty Crouch beside her, and the acacia wand immediately gave her a score: 10.
Another 10! Belvina gave it a 10, just like Crouch!
Applause erupted again from the stands as the Hogwarts students applauded Belvina. Professor Black was truly one of their own!
At this point, the scoring for the first Warrior, Cedric Diggory, has been completed. He scored 41 points thanks to his outstanding performance.