Thunderous applause erupted across the arena, shattering the winter air like breaking glass. Pulling aside the tent flap, Eda stepped outside. She felt no nervousness at all. Instead, she was excited.
Esmeralda "Battle Maniac" Twist.
Passing through an opening in the arena fence, Eda officially entered the enclosure. Hundreds upon hundreds of faces filled the stands, their cheers deafening. At the opposite end of the arena stood the bright crimson Chinese Fireball dragon.
The Fireball crouched low over its clutch of eggs, glaring viciously at Eda with its enormous eyes, as though if she dared take one more step forward, it would reduce the tiny insect before it to barbecue with its furious flames.
To the dragon, Eda was nothing more than a tiny, insignificant insect. But in Eda's eyes, the dragon was nothing more than an ugly, lizard-like reptile.
A deafening buzz swept through the stands as everyone waited to see what Eda would do, waiting to see how she would defeat the dragon.
Or perhaps, how she would be killed by it, though they knew that was almost impossible.
Gradually, the crowd quieted down. People whispered among themselves as they watched the motionless Eda facing off against the dragon. Why hadn't she made a move yet? Had the enormous beast frightened her senseless? Or had she failed to think of a way to deal with it?
Schadenfreude and unease spread through the audience as confusion filled their minds.
Ludo Bagman's commentary reflected the same uncertainty.
"We can see that Miss Twist hasn't moved at all. She's been in the arena for over two minutes now. What exactly is she waiting for?"
Just as people were about ready to demand refunds, Eda finally moved.
She raised her wand to her throat, looked up at the judges' stand, and called out,
"Professor! Professor Dumbledore!"
"Contestant Twist is calling for Professor Dumbledore, calling for one of the judges. What is she trying to do? Is she about to forfeit today's task?" Ludo Bagman's commentary gripped everyone's attention.
Most of the audience consisted of Hogwarts students. They knew Eda well enough to believe she would never give up. That simply wasn't her style.
But she still hadn't done anything, and now she was calling for Dumbledore.
What exactly was she planning?
Dumbledore stood from the judges' table and leaned forward to look at Eda. He had no idea why she was calling him, but he suddenly had a very bad feeling. He was certain the girl was plotting something outrageous.
Seeing that Dumbledore was looking at her, Eda continued,
"Professor, may I just kill the dragon? I thought about it, and capturing it alive would be too troublesome. I promise I'll make it quick and clean. The dragon won't feel any pain, and it won't trample its eggs either."
The entire audience exploded into an uproar.
Everyone knew Eda was formidable, strong enough to go toe to toe with professors. But even professors wouldn't casually declare they were going to kill a dragon. And "quick and clean"? Was she talking about slaughtering a dragon or butchering a chicken?
A dragon's skin and scales had been saturated with ancient magic, granting dragons extraordinary resistance to spells. Unless a spell was exceptionally powerful, it wouldn't even tickle them. Their scales also protected them from physical attacks, making them resistant to blades and axes alike.
Their tails, fangs, and claws were all deadly weapons, and they could breathe fire as well. Incredible defense, terrifying offense. And you were telling them someone could kill one?
Hadn't they noticed the row of adult wizards sitting closest to the arena? They were professional dragon handlers, stationed there to rescue the champions if necessary and prevent them from becoming dragon snacks.
The two contestants who had already competed hadn't dared face their dragons head-on. Krum had relied on a surprise attack against the dragon's weak spot. Fleur had used a lengthy spell to hypnotize hers.
Good grief. Twist walked in and immediately wanted to kill the dragon.
Who gave her that kind of confidence?
Had Twist gone mad, or had the audience?
But what happened next made the students think they might be the crazy ones.
Dumbledore suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs,
"No! Absolutely not! If that Fireball dies, you're paying for it in full! I won't contribute a single Knut! And if it's seriously injured, every Sickle of the medical expenses comes out of your pocket!"
The moment he finished shouting, Dumbledore sat back down. Less than a second later, he sprang to his feet again and yelled,
"And don't even think about taking the dragon hide, dragon blood, dragon heartstring, or anything else! The only thing you're allowed to take is that golden egg!"
Another wave of uproar swept through the stands.
Dumbledore actually believed Twist had the ability to kill a dragon!
Could someone please wake me up? I must be dreaming!
Although Dumbledore had sat back down, he still couldn't shake his unease.
This little troublemaker is getting bolder and bolder!
Madame Maxime looked at Dumbledore as though he were an idiot, convinced he must have forgotten to take his medicine before leaving this morning. Karkaroff wore a mocking smile, convinced the little girl in the arena had wildly overestimated herself, while Dumbledore had gone senile.
Kill a dragon?
Who did she think she was?
Eda turned unwillingly to face the Chinese Fireball, scratched her head, and pursed her lips, thinking to herself, I really do have a big mouth. There was no need to ask. I should've just killed the dragon. Then I'd just say it was an accident... What could anyone have done to me anyway?
She had no choice. If she couldn't kill it, then she'd just have to capture it alive.
Go around it and take the golden egg?
Impossible.
The word "go around" simply didn't exist in Eda's dictionary. When other people hit a brick wall, they turned back. Eda would stubbornly smash the wall to pieces.
Eda raised her wand and chanted,
"𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖞 𝕮𝖑𝖔𝖚𝖉!"
In an instant, thick clouds of mist spread across the arena, completely blocking everyone's view. The Chinese Fireball at the opposite end was swallowed by the fog as well, unable to see the tiny insect before it. Furious, it let out an earth-shattering roar.
Layers of mist swirled through the arena. The audience could no longer see what was happening.
All they could make out were bursts of dragon fire, while their ears were filled with the dragon's deafening roars and the tremendous crashes of something enormous slamming into the ground.
"The fog is far too thick. I honestly can't see what's happening in the arena!" Ludo Bagman's booming commentary echoed overhead. "Can someone tell me what's going on down there?"
The spectators were completely baffled. They didn't even know where to look. Apart from the occasional flicker of fire through the mist, they couldn't see a thing.
What the heck were they supposed to watch?
Fortunately, the students had never experienced Little Black Fatty before and had yet to grasp the true meaning of demanding a refund. They simply sat there blankly, staring into the fog.
After what felt like about two minutes, the mist gradually began to clear. Whether it had been dispersed by the dragon's flames or had simply faded on its own, the students could finally see the arena again.
"Merlin's beard! Can someone tell me what happened here!" Bagman cried out again.
The audience reacted much the same way.
One second they had been delighted that they could finally continue watching the match. The next, every one of them froze in place, mouths hanging wide open as the cold late November wind poured straight in.
The scene before them was simply unbelievable.
The enormous dragon lay sprawled on the ground like a small mountain. Thick vines had wrapped tightly around its entire body, binding it securely. Even now, the vines continued to coil tighter and tighter, as though trying to strangle the dragon to death.
But that wasn't all.
Every joint in the dragon's body had been locked in place by enormous stone shackles, pinning it firmly to the ground. The tremendous crashing sounds from earlier had clearly come from those stone restraints slamming into the arena floor.
The arena had originally been scattered with large boulders for the champions to use as cover against the dragon's attacks.
Now every single one of those rocks had disappeared.
The arena floor had become completely flat because every boulder was now piled onto the Chinese Fireball's body.
The dragon's muscles bulged violently as it struggled to break free of its restraints.
But with its body bound, every joint locked, and even its neck and tail pinned to the ground by ladder-shaped stone restraints, the Fireball couldn't even lift its head or twitch its tail.
Worse still, the more it struggled, the faster the stone shackles and vines tightened around it.
All the dragon could do was let out one agonized cry after another.
On the other side of the arena, Eda still stood exactly where she had been, as though the thoroughly trussed-up dragon before her had nothing to do with her.
If not for the wand she still held level in front of her, the students might have thought she was simply passing by.
Although it looked effortless, and the dragon had been completely subdued and nailed to the ground in only a minute or two, Eda had been fully focused inside the fog, not daring to relax for even an instant.
Even now, she still hadn't lowered her guard. She continued suppressing the dragon, giving it no chance whatsoever to break free.
...
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
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