Chapter 369 Dragon Fight
The other four Champions were all dumbfounded; they were still risking their lives entangled with Dragons, while Aaron had quietly dealt with the Opaleye.
Harry was slightly better off, as he knew Aaron could speak Dragon, he just hadn't expected Dragon to be effective in this situation.
Cedric, Krum, and Fleur found it a bit hard to accept; putting a Dragon Speaker in this event meant everyone else would just be background.
"Damn connections."
Fleur looked at Aaron, who was sitting calmly in Area Four, and couldn't help but curse him in her heart.
This method of cheating was truly fresh and unconventional, and no one could find any fault with it, but it just made her feel particularly indignant.
Aaron wasn't aware of what the others were thinking, nor did he care about the exclamations of the audience and judges; he was now fully focused on analyzing the battle situations in the other four areas.
After a quick glance, he immediately came to a pessimistic conclusion: there was no possibility of negotiation.
Fleur had hypnotized the Welsh Green Dragon, and once she got the Golden Egg, the Welsh Green Dragon would wake up.
He didn't know what the mother Dragon, finding one Dragon Egg missing, would do, but he was sure it wouldn't act as if nothing had happened.
Cedric's situation with the Swedish Short-Snout Dragon he had to deal with was much the same, and as for the Hungarian Horntail Dragon and the Chinese Fireball Dragon, there was even less to say.
The Hungarian Horntail Dragon chased Harry around like swatting a fly; although it looked extremely dangerous, it could never catch him, being led in circles.
An angry Dragon would not listen to reason, let alone after its Golden Egg had been taken away.
As for the Fireball Dragon, Krum's Conjunctivitis Curse had temporarily blinded it; in its furious state, it had gone mad, even trampling several of the Dragon Eggs it was guarding.
"This is tough!" Aaron muttered. Now it was a matter of who got the Golden Egg first; the Dragon that person dealt with would be his first opponent.
Finally, a few minutes later, Bagman's commentary resounded throughout the enclosure, "Harry Potter, our youngest Champion, has retrieved the Golden Egg in the fastest time!"
Looking up, Harry was seen circling above on his Firebolt, a Golden Egg clutched in his arms.
He looked particularly disheveled, part of his robes burned away, and his arm was injured, bleeding continuously, but the smile on his face was incredibly clear.
Crack!
The sound of chains breaking rang out, and a transparent barrier appeared before everyone's eyes, but then disappeared at an extremely fast speed.
At the same time, the Hungarian Horntail Dragon's body was also covered in a faint yellow glow.
It seemed to feel that some restriction on its body had been lifted, and it let out a roar of satisfaction.
Roar!
The deafening sound echoed through the sky, and Harryinvoluntarily shivered; the joy of getting first place and successfully passing was instantly replaced by terror, and he immediately controlled his Firebolt to fly out of the arena.
The other Champions' moods became heavy; Aaron Gause being a Dragon Speaker was already beyond their expectations, meaning he could win anytime he wanted, but he seemed to particularly value Adrian's request, not leaving first, which also indirectly kept the Opaleye Dragon away from them.
But now Harry Potter had surpassed them by getting the Golden Egg first, which made their mentality explode.
The weakest one passed first, leaving the most ferocious Horntail Dragon for them.
Whether it was Cedric, Krum, or Fleur, all felt immense pressure, and each of them involuntarily sped up their actions, trying to get the Golden Egg before the Hungarian Horntail attacked them.
"It's time to officially enter the fray." Aaron sighed slightly, "I didn't expect the first one I'd have to deal with would be the Hungarian Horntail Dragon; that's quite a challenge."
"Are you leaving?" the Opaleye said meaningfully, "I won't help you; they're not as easy to talk to as I am."
"I understand. Guard my Golden Egg; I'll come for it later."
"Good luck, Dragon Speaker."
Aaron smiled helplessly, then stood up and drew his black wand.
"Leave the Horntail Dragon to me for now; you all continue." Aaron notified the other three Champions with a Sonorus Charm, then waved his wand, casting a provocatively aimed Sleeping Charm at the Horntail Dragon's face.
Harry's Area Five was right next to Aaron's Area Four; the Horntail Dragon was originally hesitating which one to target, but now it didn't have to choose, directly spreading its wings and pouncing over.
Seeing this, the Opaleye decisively hugged its clutch of Dragon Eggs and retreated to the edge of Area Four, indicating it would not participate.
The other three Champions looked at each other, especially Fleur, who had a look of confusion; he couldn't really be planning to be the last to pass, could he? He was simply crazy.
However, even if they had more questions now, no one would answer them; getting their own Dragon Egg quickly was the urgent matter.
Aaron's provocation of the Horntail Dragon also fell into the eyes of every spectator; all the Slytherin students were bewildered, only worrying for him.
Adrian showed an interested smile, picked up Abbe, grabbed a fruit platter, and watched with great interest.
"Miss Chang, this..." Dumbledore asked doubtfully, "Do you know why he's doing this?"
"To avoid an arrangement he doesn't want to accept but finds very difficult not to accept," Adrian said meaningfully. As for whether Dumbledore could understand, she didn't care.
In the arena, Aaron looked at the diving Hungarian Horntail, calmly raising his wand.
"Protego."
A transparent shield covered him, easing some of the pressure.
"Next, Disillusionment Charm."
Aaron's figure then disappeared, and the Hungarian Horntail, which had just pounced, was also a bit stunned.
Where's the person? Where's that big person?
"Disillusionment Charm!" Bagman announced loudly, "This is a spell used by Aurors; I didn't expect Mr. Gause to have mastered such a spell."
"And a Shield Charm," Crouch turned to Dumbledore, "Are these two things a fourth-year Wizard should master?"
"Barty, to that I can only say Mr. Gause's talent is beyond your imagination."
Seeing it couldn't find anyone, the Hungarian Horntail roared to the sky, its cry piercing the clouds.
It flew into mid-air, its cold vertical pupils fixed on the ground below, and a stream of Dragon fire suddenly erupted.
Crimson flames swept in all directions, and the huge rocks in the arena rapidly melted under the extreme high temperature.
It knew very well that this person didn't have any magical flying tools, and the space of the arena was limited, so it was only a matter of time before he was forced out.
But it would never have imagined the immunity to flames of a Fire Dragon Slayer; Aaron was not only not flustered but also very calm.
If it weren't for a certain old scoundrel in the judges' stand seeing through his Disillusionment Charm, he would have wanted to experience being under the Dragon fire; apart from the impact, it was no different from soaking in a hot spring for him.
Just as Aaron was calmly delaying the Hungarian Horntail in this way, Krum obtained the second Dragon Egg.
The magical barrier in Area Three was then lifted, and the Chinese Fireball Dragon roared and shot into the sky. It struggled to open its eyes, and the first thing it saw was its Dragon Eggs, half-destroyed.
Rage struck its brain, consuming its reason, but seeing the Golden Egg in Krum's hand, a hint of understanding flashed in its pupils, and it flew unwillingly towards the other areas.
"Krum got the Golden Egg second; although dangerous, he is unharmed," Bagman narrated.
"Excellent, Viktor!" Karkaroff applauded excitedly.
"Oh no, the Chinese Fireball Dragon seems to have targeted Area Two; Miss Delacour is in danger."
Madam Maxime stood up anxiously from the judges' stand. Fleur had just managed to hypnotize the Welsh Green Dragon, and now with an enraged Fireball Dragon joining in, not only would her efforts be in vain, but her situation would also become extremely dangerous.
"Don't worry, Principal Maxime." Karkaroff chuckled gleefully, "The Dragon keepers will intervene in time, and Miss Chang also said she would save her life."
"It will be fine," Adrian comforted, "I have great confidence in him."
Roar!
The Fireball Dragon didn't bother with any fancy moves; it was very angry now, and as it flew towards Fleur, it spat out a twenty-foot-long stream of flames.
Just as Fleur was at a loss, a dirt wall suddenly rose from the ground, blocking the terrifying Dragon fire.
"Miss Delacour, please hurry up; I can't hold on for much longer." Aaron's impatient voice came through, followed by the Fireball Dragon's roar.
Because a red spell shot from an open space in Area Four, hitting the Fireball Dragon's face squarely.
It was the familiar formula, the familiar taste.
Another adult Fireball Dragon had its aggro drawn by the Sleeping Charm and flew towards Area Four, flapping its wings.
Whoosh!
Watching the Fireball Dragon fly away, Fleur breathed a sigh of relief, but her expression also became quite unnatural.
Even if this 'connected' person possessed the special ability of Dragon speech, this was just too arrogant; he dared to provoke two adult Fireball Dragons.
But the next moment, she had no time to worry about others, because with the Chinese Fireball Dragon's commotion, the Welsh Green Dragon already showed signs of waking up.
In desperation, Fleur could only resort to her old trick, hypnotizing it again.
At this moment, deafening cheers erupted in the arena, followed by Bagman's excited commentary: "Excellent! Cedric has passed the Swedish Short-Snout Dragon and successfully retrieved the Golden Egg!"
The sound of chains breaking followed, and the Swedish Short-Snout Dragon glared resentfully at Cedric, whose face was partly burned by the Dragon fire's heatwave. It wanted to continue attacking, but seeing the Golden Egg in his hand, it had to abandon the idea.
Its pupils scanned the arena; in Area Four, the Horntail and Fireball Dragons were bathing the ground in Dragon fire, and it wasn't suitable for it to join in, so it simply shifted its gaze to Fleur Delacour.
"Oh, no."
Fleur noticed the silver-blue Fireball Dragon flying towards her and immediately turned pale, speeding towards the Golden Egg.
Her speed was very fast, her right hand getting closer and closer to the Golden Egg; if she could get it before the Swedish Short-Snout Dragon flew over, she would be safe.
However, things did not go as planned; as soon as she rushed in front of the Welsh Green Dragon, it began to snore, and a stream of red flames erupted from its nostrils.