"Merlin, Merlin above! What in the world is that thing?!!!"
The referee shrieked, stumbling backward and falling onto his backside, looking up in terror and disbelief at—
That thing that could barely be called a "creature."
It was five or six meters tall, with a jet-black mane flowing without wind, like it was covered in an amorphous shadow.
Flames erupted from its body, yet it was also harmed by the flames, revealing scorched, bright red flesh, constantly dripping viscous blood, emitting a nauseating metallic scent.
Even more terrifying—Merlin! This creature actually had three heads!
Each head was enormous, thrashing wildly, with orange-red eyes that held nothing but endless bloodlust.
Strings of saliva dripped from its fangs, like several sticky ropes hanging down.
The three heads stared at them hungrily, their claws impatiently scratching the ground, leaving charred marks.
If a massive Troll was enough to inspire awe and fear,
Then a Troll would be nothing more than a single bite in front of this monster.
Extreme panic brewed into a deadly silence, pervading the wilderness.
Ludo Bagman was dumbfounded.
He froze in his lounge chair, his mouth agape in an "O" shape, staring blankly at the thing that looked like someone had opened the gates of hell and let it out.
His mind was blank.
Only one absurd thought remained:
If the esteemed Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports died during a competition he himself organized, he would probably be hung on a pillar of shame.
But… why hadn't this monster pounced yet?
The question remained unanswered.
It was interrupted by a piercing scream.
"Quick—quick, protect the students!!!"
The professional Aurors finally reacted, raising their wands and spewing various spells from all directions.
Spells like "Stupefy," "Petrificus Totalus," "Impedimenta"...
It wasn't that they were useless; it was more that they only had a visual effect.
"Roar!!!"
Cerberus was enraged, and a bright red light burst from its entire body!
It leaped directly into the air, instantly charging in front of the Aurors, opening its crimson maw and pouncing!
"Stop."
A clear voice sounded.
In the chaos, this voice seemed insignificant.
Yet, it was this insignificant voice that made Cerberus abruptly halt its movements.
"..."
The Aurors froze in place, looking in terror at the giant maw so close to them.
The heat of the flames, mixed with a strong metallic scent, assailed them.
Their bodies were just a second away from being bitten in half by the fangs.
"Don't eat them, you've got the wrong target."
Ethan walked slowly.
Under everyone's shocked and dazed gazes, he walked to the monster's side.
Like treating a small pet, he smiled affectionately and said:
"Our target is in the forest."
"Gurgle…"
Cerberus retracted its heads.
Suppressing its violent impulse, it waited, panting heavily.
"..."
Everyone was stunned.
It was too contrary to common sense; their brains couldn't immediately comprehend the scene unfolding before their eyes!
This child was the master of this monster?
How, how could this be?!!!
At this moment.
Ludo Bagman belatedly understood.
Why this monster, upon its first appearance, didn't immediately pounce and tear them to shreds.
Because its master, the one the Aurors thought needed protection and rescue, had not given the command.
The cold wind howled.
In the deadly silence, Ethan bowed to the dumbfounded crowd.
Like a performer at an opening, he politely said:
"Well then, everyone."
"I'm off."
With that.
Ethan raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Then, the massive three-headed monster let out an excited roar to the sky, its body suddenly lowering, muscles bulging.
The next second—
"Bang!"
It leaped up like a spring!
With a few bounds, it disappeared into the trees.
How to win the championship?
Ethan's idea was simple.
As long as he eliminated all other competitors and ensured his own passage,
Wouldn't he naturally be first place?
On the middle head of Cerberus, a round eyeball gurgled open from its forehead.
—Painting [Door in the Eye]!
Ethan closed his left eye, sharing the vision with Cerberus, watching the surrounding trees rapidly recede.
He curled his lips in pleasure.
Here I come, prey~
...
The Ilvermorny team.
They didn't split into groups; instead, all twelve of them stayed together.
Following the compass pointing north, they advanced cautiously and quickly.
Even when wild beasts, such as large aquatic mosquitoes or white apes, occasionally attacked, the outer members could give an alarm immediately.
"We're definitely going to be in the top ten this year, maybe even the school with the most placings!"
A young man named Jenny said, excitedly and alertly scanning his surroundings.
"Although our current batch doesn't have an outstanding student like Viktor Krum, we are all excellent overall!"
"And we've adopted a new tactic: no splitting into groups, moving forward as a tight-knit unit!"
"Maybe our names won't be in the top three, but of the remaining seven spots, at least half must be ours!"
"Alright, darling No more speeches, watch your step"
Beside him, a girl with acne on her face said sweetly.
The surrounding classmates all chimed in:
"Showing off affection leads to a quick death! Be careful a fierce beast doesn't jump out and eat you!"
"What's there to be afraid of?!"
Jenny confidently swished his wand, saying with full assurance:
"Even if there's a monster, my Incendio can easily burn them to ashes!"
After showing off.
The surroundings, however, were silent.
No one echoed him.
Jenny turned his head in confusion, seeing his teammates staring at him in horror.
For some reason, he felt inexplicably nervous.
Jenny swallowed, joking:
"What's wrong? Scared by my majestic might?"
"..."
His girlfriend's face was ashen, like it had been coated with quicklime.
Her eyes were wide open, as if she had seen something terrifying beyond comprehension.
After a few seconds.
She finally raised a trembling hand, pointing behind Jenny.
"Hey, this isn't funny at all…"
Jenny swallowed, slowly, slowly turning his head.
What came into view was an enormous head.
Orange-red eyes stared intently at him, and in the center of its forehead, there was an incredibly eerie eyeball, rolling around.
Saliva dripped from its fangs.
Then, in the shadows, two more heads appeared, one on the left and one on the right.
—This was indeed a monster with three heads.
"Ah… ah…"
Jenny's heart was about to stop; he stumbled backward but was pushed by his girlfriend from behind.
"In-Incendio!!"
He raised his wand, instinctively shouting.
"Whoosh!"
A pillar of fire shot from his wand, instantly engulfing the monster's heads!
"Roar!"
Hearing the monster's pained howl, Jenny's heart rejoiced:
It worked!
However.
"Roar—!!!"
A furious roar shook the heavens and earth, and Jenny's ears buzzed, deaf for a moment.
The flames were indeed effective; on the three re-exposed heads, there were large areas of burns.
Like a worn-out carpet, revealing the bright red interior.
But it was even more enraged.
It showed no sign of being deterred; instead, due to the pain of this injury, it became even more violent.
Jenny's heart sank to rock bottom.
Oh my goodness, I'm going to die soon.
"—Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
Clusters of screams echoed through the silent swamp and dense forest, startling large flocks of birds.
The Ilvermorny team, completely wiped out.
Not far away.
Two Slytherin students looked up, gazing in the direction from which the screams came, exclaiming:
"What happened?!"
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