Chapter 370: One on Three, Be a Dragon and Leave a Way Out
"Aguamenti."
Fleur instinctively used the most effective spell, and a thick jet of water shot out from her wand, extinguishing the flames.
Before she could even sigh in relief, a roar filled her ears.
A giant claw landed in front of her, cracking the ground in a spiderweb pattern, and when she looked up, she saw a pair of cold, playful vertical pupils.
"Stupefy!"
A red spell shot from Zone Three, hitting the Short-Snout Dragon's nostril.
The Short-Snout Dragon turned its head, letting out an angry roar, but made no other move, as if it were just a warning.
But Aaron, who had just walked over, his face drastically changed; he could understand the meaning of that roar: When are you going to wake up?
At the same time, its tail also swept across the Welsh Green Dragon's head.
Thwack!
With a dull thud, everyone present skipped a heartbeat.
The Welsh Green Dragon opened its eyes, casually stretching its massive green body.
Seeing this, Fleur's face turned pale; she knew all her efforts had been in vain.
Whether she wanted to admit it or not, a four-on-two or even five-on-two situation was now inevitable.
The Welsh Green Dragon looked at the human in front of it, a hint of disdain flashing in its eyes; it was the least trouble-seeking among Dragons, and as long as Wizards didn't provoke it, it could pretend not to see them.
"Watch your Dragon eggs." The Swedish Short-Snout Dragon snorted, then looked towards Zone Three, its nostrils twitching slightly as it spat flames at an empty spot.
Damn it!
He ran into one with a higher IQ.
Aaron cursed inwardly, quickly dodging the flames, while simultaneously dispelling the Disillusionment Charm on him.
Since he had been discovered, there was no need to remain invisible; maintaining the Disillusionment Charm also consumed magic energy.
As he was forced to reveal himself, the Hungarian Horntail Dragon and the Chinese Fireball Dragon also realized they had been tricked, and immediately spread their wings and flew over.
They had thought that contestants couldn't leave the designated area without getting the Golden Egg, but now it seemed they had overthought it; the Wizard who had provoked them had already run off, and they had just been exercising their lung capacity in the arena.
"Ah! This was a miscalculation." Aaron scratched his head helplessly, then looked at Fleur, "Miss Delacour, I really didn't expect you to be the last one."
"I didn't expect it either, there were too many surprises." Fleur forced herself to calm down, "Now is not the time for sarcasm; if we don't want to die, we can only cooperate."
"You're right." Aaron waved his wand, casting a Shield Charm on Fleur, "I'll hold off the Horntail Dragon, the Short-Snout Dragon, and the Fireball Dragon. As for the Welsh Green Dragon, due to the rules, you're on your own."
"Okay… wait, what did you say?"
"It's exactly what you understood." Aaron gave a bitter laugh, "You'd better be quick; holding off three Dragons without being able to go invisible is a lot of pressure for me."
"You…"
"Stop talking nonsense, do as I say." Aaron interrupted Fleur, then pointed his wand at a rock in the enclosure, using Transfiguration to turn it into a longsword and a shield.
This level of Transfiguration could be mastered by some fourth-year Wizards, so he wasn't worried about being too astonishing.
"Gaius has conjured a sword and shield; it seems he's going to fight the three Dragons." Bagman explained, "While I personally think it's quite gentlemanly, I must say it's incredibly reckless."
Dumbledore looked at Adrian, whose smile was growing wider, and felt extremely puzzled, "Miss Krayn, you don't seem worried."
"I just want to see how much he's grown these past few years, but I didn't expect him to still be holding back now.
He hasn't used some of the magic I know, let alone what I don't know."
"That's not the point!" Madam Maxime frowned, "Every Wizard has their secrets; it's natural for them to master knowledge beyond textbooks.
But the problem is, he's currently facing three fierce adult Dragons, and he definitely won't be able to handle them with just a sword and shield."
"He's not Godric Gryffindor; he's only fourteen, how good could his dueling skills be?" Karkaroff said disdainfully.
"I know my brother." Adrian said calmly, "Since he dared to agree to my request to pass last, he has a certain level of confidence.
He must have considered the worst-case scenario before the competition: all four other champions passing, leaving him alone in the arena.
However, he has already convinced the Opaleye, so the worst-case scenario is only one-on-four, and now it's just one-on-three."
"I see." Dumbledore nodded in realization, then he suddenly thought of something, opening his mouth in surprise, "You mean you made him the last one to pass the first task?"
Madam Maxime and Karkaroff also turned to look at the incredibly young judge, not understanding why she would do such a thing.
Even if you are fair and just, and don't use your position to give your brother any advantages, that's one thing, but there's no need to play it so hard!
"This was also a last resort for me!
There are some things I have to manage, but I can't show favoritism, so I could only try to make him retreat in the face of difficulty.
But looking at his current performance, he's probably going to fight to the end. However, it doesn't matter, it's not easy to fulfill my requirements, and it's a good opportunity to see his current strength."
Everyone exchanged glances, and after a moment of silence, they turned their attention to the arena.
Aaron looked at the Hungarian Horntail Dragon, the Chinese Fireball Dragon, and the Swedish Short-Snout Dragon surrounding him, and couldn't help but let out an awkward laugh, "Perhaps this is a misunderstanding, we can totally sit down and talk peacefully."
However, as he expected, these three Dragons had no intention of negotiating.
They were all furious now, only wanting to tear apart the two humans in the enclosure.
The Fireball Dragon made the first move, spitting mushroom-shaped fireballs from its nostrils, a crimson inferno gushing downwards with immense impact.
Aaron immediately sprinted, running out of the Dragonflame's coverage as fast as he could.
Just then, a giant claw covered in black scales reached out for him. Aaron's expression was grave; he slid to avoid the Horntail Dragon's attack and continued to dash forward.
But the next moment, the Horntail Dragon's tail swept over, a dense array of bronze-colored spikes like a rolling mountain of blades, sealing off all his escape routes.
Damn it!
Aaron cursed, leaping high the instant the tail swept past, then pressing the shield beneath him and sliding over the Horntail Dragon's tail.
After dodging the tail whip, he was met with dazzling blue flames. Aaron decisively threw out his shield, and while it blocked the flames, he climbed onto the Horntail Dragon's back, using his longsword to wedge into the Dragon scales to prevent himself from falling off.
Loud cheers erupted from the stands, and Slytherinstudents frantically chanted Aaron Gaius's name, with many even spontaneously pulling out banners.
In the judges' box, some who hadn't favored Aaron instantly fell silent. They had initially thought he was just a beneficiary of connections, but his knowledge of Dragonlanguage, the Shield Charm, and the Disillusionment Charm all proved his abilities. Moreover, he was able to move with ease while being surrounded by three giant Dragons, something they believed almost no one could do.
The Horntail Dragon noticed Aaron had jumped onto its back, immediately roared to the sky, and flew high, spinning 360 degrees.
Aaron clung tightly to the longsword, but he couldn't hold on for long before he was flung off, plummeting from a great height.
The audience gasped, some even turned their heads away, unable to watch the next scene.
"Arresto Momentum."
As he fell, Aaron calmly drew his wand and cast this spell on himself, ensuring a safe landing.
He had participated in countless extreme training sessions; he had experienced earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, and freefall, so he still had the ability to control the situation.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Bagman yelled incoherently, "Gaius adjusted his body in mid-air, he's descending steadily."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow; he had used this magiconce during the last Quidditch match to save Harry Potter, but he hadn't expected Aaron to have learned it as well.
"Oh, no, the situation hasn't improved; all three Dragons have noticed him." Bagman said anxiously, "If there's no other way, Gaius will have to face…"
"This is bad." Madam Maxime suddenly said, "Those three Dragons won't miss this opportunity."
The Fireball Dragon and the Short-Snout Dragon both flew high, two blasts of Dragon flame already poised to strike.
At the same time, the Horntail Dragon also swooped down, pinpointing Aaron's landing spot and pursuing him.
"Gaius won't die, will he?" Karkaroff wanted to laugh, but seeing Adrian's calm expression, he couldn't quite manage it.
"He won't."
"Miss Krayn, this is no joke." Dumbledore said urgently, "If necessary, I suggest immediately organizing Dragonhandlers to launch a rescue."
Adrian shrugged, placing Abe on the table, "You'll understand if you look at him."
Dumbledore was stunned for a moment, turning to look at Abe, who was gnawing on half a pineapple and occasionally waving his arms and cheering. His hanging heart immediately settled.
If Aaron truly couldn't handle the situation, his pet, which he had raised all this time, would definitely not be so calm.
"Now we just need to watch his performance." Adrian said with a triumphant smile, "I've waited so long for this moment; I don't believe he can still hide."
Roar!
The three Dragons seemed to have reached some kind of agreement, simultaneously opening their Dragon mouths the moment Aaron landed.
Their necks turned slightly red, and red and blue flames quickly surged to their throats.
"Holy crap!" Aaron noticed this scene, his face instantly changing drastically. He immediately looked up and shouted in Dragon language, "Don't push me! As Dragons, leave a line, so we can meet again later!"
However, it was no use at all. Blue and red flames mixed together, forming a magnificent, giant pillar of fire, whistling down like a meteor with an aura of destruction.
The red and blue pillars of fire had not yet reached the ground, but the terrifying temperature had already scorched the arena, the sand and rocks sizzling and transforming into a viscous, paste-like state.
"Ah! Things really don't go as planned!" Aaron sighed resignedly. He did nothing, used no magic, just stood there, ready to receive the baptism of fire.