Karkaroff's earlier favouritism and blatant double standards had already provoked widespread anger, and when the judges began scoring Jing Xue, who had no Headmaster present to support her, his behaviour became even more outrageous.
Dumbledore gave 8 points, Madame Maxime 7 points, and the Ilvermorny judge 8 points...
When it was Karkaroff's turn, he barely even looked at her before casually flashing a score of 2 points.
He did not even bother inventing an excuse. He merely snorted, his expression openly declaring that he was deliberately targeting everyone.
By this point, he had completely abandoned any pretence of fairness, lashing out at every potential rival in an attempt to suppress the competition and clear the way for Durmstrang's champion.
His disgraceful behaviour drew boos from throughout the arena, and even some of the Durmstrang students looked embarrassed.
Several Headmasters whose champions had been deliberately given low scores wore grim expressions. Restrained by their positions and the occasion, however, they merely stared coldly at Karkaroff rather than confronting him openly.
Suppressed anger hung over the judges' table.
"Er... well... let us thank the champion from Kunlun!"
Ludo Bagman's voice sounded slightly strained. "And now, let us welcome our next champion, Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts!"
Amid enthusiastic applause from the Hogwarts students, Cedric walked out steadily.
His expression was serious and his eyes firm as he headed directly towards the centre of the arena.
He placed his hand on the stone tablet.
The scene transformed, revealing a relatively gentle landscape of low, green hills.
The air was fresh, carrying the scent of grass and earth, and even simulated birdsong could be heard.
The surroundings appeared peaceful and serene.
At the centre of the tranquil hillside, inside a nest dug into a natural earthen slope, lay Cedric's opponent, a Swedish Short-Snout.
Its form was sleek and elegant, its silver-blue scales shimmering beneath the simulated sunlight.
Its head was smooth, its snout short, and its nostrils pointed upwards, giving the breed its name.
Compared with the previous dragons, it appeared somewhat less ferocious, but it was still enormous. Its exceptionally hot blue flames could reduce timber and bone to ash in seconds, making it a beautiful yet deadly creature.
"A Swedish Short-Snout!"
Bagman explained, "A beautiful dragon, but certainly not one to underestimate! Its flames are extraordinarily hot and produce very little smoke, yet they are incredibly destructive! Champion Diggory will need to be especially careful of its rapid bursts of fire!"
The Swedish Short-Snout watched Cedric warily, a warning growl rumbling from its throat as it pulled the golden egg in its nest closer and sheltered it beneath its body.
Cedric had clearly prepared thoroughly and already had a strategy in mind.
He did not attempt to manoeuvre around it or outwit it. Instead, he quickly raised his wand.
"Reducto!"
"Stupefy!"
"Lapifors!"
With several quick flicks of his wand, he sent spells flying towards the dragon's head and wings.
The spells burst against the Swedish Short-Snout's head, successfully drawing its attention and anger.
The Short-Snout let out an enraged shriek and suddenly rose from its nest.
Cedric's harassment had successfully provoked it.
Its massive body was fully exposed, and brilliant blue flames gathered deep in its throat, as though it intended to teach this audacious provocateur a lesson.
A concentrated burst of blue fire erupted towards Cedric.
He quickly used Transfiguration to turn a large rock in front of him into a stone wall, temporarily blocking the Swedish Short-Snout's fiery breath.
The wall rapidly glowed red and began to melt beneath the scorching blue flames, but Cedric had already moved. With several quick flicks of his wand, he sent more spells accurately towards the dragon's head.
The Swedish Short-Snout was furious. Just as it prepared to unleash another burst of fire, Cedric seized the opportunity and sent a ball of water created with Aguamenti straight into its open mouth.
The dragon was forced to swallow a mouthful of water and immediately began choking uncontrollably.
Cedric's harassment did not stop.
Spell after spell struck towards the dragon, and finally, thoroughly provoked, the Swedish Short-Snout charged after him.
Just as Cedric successfully lured it away from the nest and towards the edge of the arena, he decisively raised his wand.
"Bang!"
With a sharp crack, his figure vanished from the spot.
The next moment, he reappeared directly in the centre of the dragon's nest.
"Merlin! Apparition!"
Ludo Bagman's voice cracked with shock. "Cedric Diggory! He actually used Apparition to enter the dragon's nest directly! Merlin above, that was decisive!"
The entire arena erupted into an uproar.
Apparition was an extremely advanced form of magic, requiring not only a licence but also precise spatial positioning and strong mental control.
Using it in the middle of such a tense battle, right in front of a dragon, was extremely risky.
But Cedric had done it, and far more calmly and perfectly than he had two years earlier.
At that moment, Cedric stood inside the nest, while the Swedish Short-Snout, which had only just reached the edge of the arena, had not even fully turned around.
A calm, satisfied smile appeared on his face as he bent down and easily picked up the golden egg at his feet.
The entire sequence had been clean and efficient, without any unnecessary struggle or dangerous evasions.
The battle had effectively ended the moment the Swedish Short-Snout was lured away from its nest.
"Roar!"
The dragon let out an unwilling roar, but the arena's protective magic had already activated, and it slowly disappeared along with the surrounding hillside.
Cedric Diggory stood alone in the centre of the restored arena, holding the golden egg in one hand as he put away his wand, as though he had merely completed some ordinary task.
He gave a confident smile towards the Hogwarts stands, especially in the direction of Hufflepuff.
"Cedric Diggory used the most direct and effective method, a perfect Apparition, to successfully seize the golden egg!"
Bagman was almost incoherent with excitement. "I have to say, that requires tremendous courage! I certainly wouldn't dare use Apparition in the middle of a battle!"
The cheers from Hogwarts were deafening, and the Hufflepuffs were beside themselves with excitement.
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