[Notice: Apparition is allowed within the town area.]
[Notice: The town's residents are powerful and numerous. Proceed with caution.]
[Notice: If you encounter danger you cannot handle, focus intently to trigger the number mark on the back of your hand.]
The text on the notice board changed into three warnings, then quickly decomposed into nothing.
Are Apparitions allowed within the area? It seemed this town's space had been sealed off—you could use Apparition to move freely within it but couldn't enter from outside or exit from inside.
As for the other two warnings, they basically told competitors to be careful and cautious. But for Sean, having more magical creatures or dark beings here was actually better—that way he could gain more abilities. From this perspective, he should really thank whoever pushed him into the Triwizard Tournament.
Exhaling lightly, Sean waved his wand gently, immediately transforming into white mist that shot skyward towards a nearby six-story building.
Entering through a shattered sixth-floor window, Sean had just emerged from the white mist when he saw a wild Crup lunging at him, its foul stench overwhelming.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
With a light shake of his wand, the wild Crup fell to the ground, frozen mid-leap.
Looking at the fallen Crup, Sean nodded with satisfaction. Since obtaining the Level 4 Swift Casting talent from Voldemort's soul fragment in Ravenclaw's Diadem, his casting speed had reached a considerable level.
After dealing with the Crup, Sean immediately cast a Disillusionment Charm and silently explored other parts of the six-story building. According to his speculation, the tallest building in this entire town should have at least one clue.
Gasping heavily, Fleur finally emerged from the fog and entered this dilapidated town.
The previous maze had been thrilling but manageable for Fleur, though it consumed considerable stamina. Looking at the notice board formed from fallen leaves and dry grass ahead, Fleur took out a potion from her waist pouch and drank it down. Just as she put away the empty container and prepared to Apparate deeper into the ruined town, an invisible wave suddenly burst around her. Fleur, who had just begun preparing to Apparate, stumbled—her Apparition had failed.
No, not failed—it was blocked.
Fleur immediately realized she'd been hit with an Anti-Apparition Jinx. This type of spell was unique to wizards—absolutely impossible for dark creatures or magical beasts to cast.
But who? Krum? Or Sean?
No, it couldn't be Sean. Could it be Krum?
As Fleur speculated, Krum slowly emerged from the fog behind her. Seeing him appear, Fleur's expression turned ugly. "Krum, are you trying to eliminate a competitor early?"
Krum's head was slightly lowered. When he heard Fleur's words, he slowly raised his head towards her, revealing those dead, lifeless eyes, and cast a spell directly at Fleur.
A ball of yellow flames surged towards her. Seeing the yellow flames, Fleur cried out in alarm.
"Damn it, Krum—a Blasting Curse! Are you trying to kill me?"
Quickly dodging, Fleur no longer hesitated and raised her wand to fight back.
Bang!
Having just found his second clue and preparing to continue searching for more, Sean heard a firework-like explosion outside. He immediately went to the window of his current room. Looking at the purple fireworks appearing above the ruined town, he frowned.
Someone had triggered the number mark on their hand, producing a signal flare. This meant someone had given up the competition.
Who was it? Krum or Fleur?
Sean immediately moved, transforming into white mist that shot from the window and landed on the rooftop of a three-story building near where the purple fireworks originated.
Looking from afar, Fleur lay unconscious on the ground whilst Krum, covered in blood, knelt on the ground. Clearly the two had just experienced an intense confrontation, resulting in Fleur's unconsciousness and Krum being severely wounded.
What was going on? What deep hatred did they have to be so irrational? Or rather... one of them had been controlled.
Sean's expression immediately became grave.
Just then, two Ministry officials appeared near Fleur. Whenever a champion triggered the purple number mark on their hand, it opened a passage to the outside world, allowing two authorized Ministry officials to enter the competition grounds and retrieve the relevant champion.
Sean knew this. Originally he hadn't thought much about it.
But when these two Ministry officials entered and didn't immediately take Fleur away, instead joining the now-standing Krum to set up a magical formation for combined casting, he finally realized something was wrong.
Those two Ministry officials and Krum had all been controlled. They wanted to open another passage to a fixed location, letting whoever waited there enter.
Damn it. I can't let them open the breach.
Without hesitation, Sean raised his wand to cast at Krum and the two Ministry officials.
A red beam arrived instantly. Just as it was about to hit one of the Ministry officials, the previously unconscious Fleur suddenly rose like a puppet, blocking the red beam's path. This forced Sean to immediately stop his spell and instead, surrounded by black smoke, rush towards the three.
But unfortunately—having lost the initiative—it was already too late.
Whoosh!
Krum and the two Ministry officials raised their wands together. A blinding dark green pillar of light shot from between the three of them, thunderously striking the sky above the ruined town.
At that moment, people outside who were already feeling uneasy suddenly discovered that the magical light screen hovering above the competition grounds had dispersed into nothing.
Seeing this, Dumbledore's expression turned ugly as he immediately stood. He and Gavin exchanged glances, both quickly leaving the judges' platform and spectator stands. Others began whispering amongst themselves, thinking it was just an accident without sensing any problem. Only a very few people felt something was wrong from the earlier images.
Meanwhile, within that ruined town, the dark green pillar of light rose into the sky, forming a massive Dark Mark—a black skull opening its mouth as a pitch-black serpent emerged, with abundant green light emanating from the skull and snake, illuminating half the sky.
Streams of pitch-black smoke flew from the skull's mouth, falling towards various parts of the ruined town.