Adelaide struggled to slowly climb up from the cold, hard ground. She patted off the dust and grass clippings clinging to her clothes, her eyes quickly scanning her surroundings.
By now, most of the Wizards involved in the operation within Hogwarts Castle had rushed out, but to her surprise, the powerful Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen among the many figures.
It seemed he was still holding down the fort in the Great Hall of Hogwarts to control the situation. However, it didn't matter much; after all, they were currently facing only a little Wizard who had lost her wand and was defenseless, so there was no need for Dumbledore to step in for the time being.
"Ugh, ah!"
Just then, Amandine finally managed to struggle up from the ground, but immediately afterward, she let out a piercing, agonized scream. Then, as if all her strength had been drained, she collapsed limply onto the ground once more.
Hearing the scream, Adelaide was startled and hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to support Amandine.
However, when she touched Amandine's body, she felt a chill transmitted from her fingertips.
Amandine's face was as pale as a sheet of paper, completely devoid of color. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her lips were slightly blue; she had clearly lost consciousness entirely and fallen into a deep coma.
What on earth was happening?
Adelaide's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief and horror. She didn't understand why Amandine, who had been fine just a moment ago, would suddenly turn like this, and her condition appeared to be extremely critical.
Just as Adelaide looked up in a panic, preparing to shout with all her might for Madam Pomfrey to come and perform emergency rescue, a low, soul-shaking roar like muffled thunder suddenly rang out without warning.
That sound seemed to come from the depths of the abyss, carrying endless majesty and power, instantly drowning out Adelaide's shout completely.
This sudden roar made the entire space seem to tremble slightly, causing everyone present to involuntarily skip a heartbeat.
"Roar!"
Adelaide trembled with fear and instinctively turned her head.
The scene before her eyes shocked her so much that her eyes widened and her mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg. Amidst the group of Centaurs who had been firmly surrounding their target, a massive Black Dragon had abruptly appeared, three or four times larger than Amandine's Blood Curse avatar!
Its entire body was covered in a layer of pitch-black, hard scales that shimmered with a heart-stopping cold light. Its sharp claws were like forged steel, capable of easily tearing through anything. When its broad, powerful wings unfurled, they blotted out the sun, and a single gentle flap could stir up gusts of wild wind.
This blood-red-eyed Black Dragon was like a terrifying beast from ancient times, radiating an endless aura of death. Before anyone could react, it suddenly flapped its giant wings, creating a violent current of air that swept toward the surrounding Centaurs with lightning speed.
Those poor Centaurs had no time to make any defensive moves before being struck by this powerful force and sent flying, crashing heavily in the distance like kites with broken strings.
The Spider swarms on the ground were as insignificant as ants before the Black Dragon. Even as the surrounding Wizards exerted all their strength, firing spells at the Black Dragon like a rain of arrows, these attacks seemed to have no effect on it.
Spells flashing with piercing red and eerie green light struck the Black Dragon's iron-hard body one after another, producing a series of crackling sounds.
But these seemingly fierce attacks were like tickling to the Black Dragon, failing to leave even a single mark.
Adelaide stared at the Diadem atop the Black Dragon's head, which was almost invisible in the night, and a premonition of doom suddenly welled up in her heart. She seemed to realize something, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.
The Horcrux Diadem had likely merged its own soul power into the Blood Curse on Alice's body, forcibly catalyzing this World-Ending Dragon!
Merlin, please open your eyes and look! How the hell is anyone supposed to deal with this?!
Worst of all, this Black Dragon possessed by the Horcrux seemed to be guided by some mysterious power; it had locked onto poor Adelaide and regarded her as its primary target.
After easily clearing away those brave but weak Centaurs, it opened its bloody maw, large enough to swallow an entire hill, and lunged toward Adelaide with the force of a thunderbolt!
In an instant, Adelaide felt the blood in her body freeze. Her hair stood on end, and her skin pricked with pain—at this life-or-death moment, a wonderful yet eerie change came over her.
The magic within Adelaide erupted, forming a golden tornado that enveloped her. Her five senses evolved rapidly, and the world around her suddenly became exceptionally slow and incredibly clear.
Time seemed to slow its pace at this moment, allowing her to see the minute patterns on every scale of the Black Dragon and the cold glint on its hideous fangs.
Her right hand actually rose slowly of its own accord, as if manipulated by an invisible giant hand, gripping her wand and pointing it toward the sky. Then, a series of strange words she had never heard before and whose meanings she did not understand flowed from her mouth, her voice low and ethereal, like a mysterious incantation from ancient times.
Along with the chanting of these strange incantations, the vast starry sky that had been hanging high above suddenly shone with an unprecedented, brilliant light.
Adelaide's beautiful eyes lost focus. She looked up blankly, gazing at the deep and vast starry sky above her head.
Suddenly, many more dazzling stars appeared in the sky, like gems embedded in the black canopy, shining brightly.
As the incantations in Adelaide's mouth continued to echo, the brightness of these stars increased further, gradually connecting into an exquisitely brilliant Star Net.
The Black Dragon, with its massive body and terrifying aura, had been baring its fangs and brandishing its claws aggressively. But when it witnessed this eerie situation, it suddenly seemed as if it had been hit by a Body-Bind Curse, stopping all its movements. In its giant, vicious eyes, a hint of unmistakable fear actually emerged.
Its thick, powerful limbs began to grow somewhat stiff, and then it clumsily retreated several steps, as if trying to flee from this little Wizard who filled it with dread.
Then, the Black Dragon seemed to realize that simply retreating would not save it from danger, so it desperately flapped its giant black wings, attempting to take to the air and fly far away.
But it was already too late.
The incantation in Adelaide's mouth had reached its end. She gripped the wand in her hand and waved it forcefully, and the brilliant Star Net in the sky plummeted rapidly like falling meteors.
Under the astonished gazes of numerous Wizards and Centaurs, that brilliant Star Net, like an inescapable net from the heavens, precisely and unerringly enveloped the Black Dragon.
For a moment, a dead silence fell over the field. Everyone held their breath, tensely waiting for what would happen next.
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