Opening his eyes, Asterion looked at the distant forest burning with demonic blue flames. All the trees in that place were set ablaze, making the flames grow enormously and seem like they would consume everything. They looked as if they would reach the heavens at any moment.
"In the name of Merlin, what happened there?" Cedric asked incredulously, staring at the distant forest burning in blue flames, his eyes wide open in extreme shock.
" Did someone die??" Cedric turned and asked Luna, who was crouching on the ground, drawing what appeared to be a woman wearing a veil and holding a scythe with a stick. Her blue, almost ethereal silver eyes were completely focused on the drawing.
Asterion looked at the drawing with a deep gaze and then looked away. For some reason, that drawing made him feel some unknown palpitations.
"No one has died." Her words made Cedric's face look relieved, but his expression changed to one of helplessness with her next words.
"Yet." She added with an innocent look, gazing at Cedric. Though she showed a mischievous smile on her lips, the young Hufflepuff could only let out a low, slightly sad laugh.
When Cedric was about to ask more, Rose appeared suddenly, carrying four other people. She casually dropped the four members of the German team and let out a more than relieved sigh.
She seemed relaxed and at ease, almost as if she had just unwound after a long period of stress.
Looking at the condition of the four German team members on the ground, Cedric quickly approached and checked on them. His expression changed when he saw Hans's critical condition.
He pulled out his wand and began chanting healing spells one after another. His skillful control of magical energy made Rose and Asterion look at him with surprised expressions.
Cedric truly impressed them, but sensing the twenty-year-old's magical energy reserves, they understood that less magical energy was easier to control.
After half an hour of casting healing spells, Cedric, with a pale and exhausted face, sat on the ground, tired. He raised his eyes towards Rose and asked with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Was all this necessary?"
Hans's condition looked terrible. With Cedric's treatment, his critical state stabilized, his wounds no longer bled, and he would survive, though with almost irreparable sequelae.
In this International Magic and Witchcraft Tournament, only death was not permitted; everything else was allowed. The situation only showed how brutal the upcoming challenges would be.
Although, compared to the Triwizard Tournament, this tournament was still more harmless, as every edition of the Triwizard Tournament ended in deaths.
"Do you think you would have survived that?" Rose didn't answer Cedric's question and pointed to the forest still burning with blue flames. From a distance, dragons, snakes, and firebirds could still be seen. It looked as if the fire was alive.
Cedric paused for a moment and sighed, shaking his head. "Impossible, I would have died."
"He used high-level dark magic, so he must face the consequences," Rose leaned against a tree and replied in a relaxed tone.
"A bunch of ants forced you into this state," Asterion, who had been silent, mocked Rose, making the white-haired girl grit her teeth in frustration.
Although she knew she had underestimated the ants, she still didn't regret it; the fight was more interesting than she had expected. Unlike Special Grade Wizards, who don't hold back their magical energy in attacks, one of the reasons for the absurd level of destruction by Special Grade Wizards, low-level wizards must conserve their magical energy for emergencies. This was unusual for Rose, who rarely worried about magical energy due to her talent.
"That guy is good; his innate technique involves heightened senses. If he were a Special Grade Wizard, he would be a tough opponent." Pointing to Hans, now missing an arm and a good part of his shoulder, Rose spoke while clicking her tongue in admiration. It was the first time in her life that someone had managed to at least see her traces.
Asterion nodded, though he didn't think Hans's senses were better than Neville Longbottom's. While the boy wasn't particularly strong against a Special Grade Wizard, he was strong against Grade 1 and lower wizards.
Remembering Rose's state during the fight, he couldn't help but think how similar Rose and her male counterpart from another reality were. Both were particularly sarcastic in battles they would inevitably win, though in rare cases, both showed a serious demeanor.
In short, it was a surprise to see Rose with a manic smile on her face, breaking limbs. Asterion had to admit, it was pure and wild brutality, which he found sexy.
"How long would it take for you to recover your magical energy if you were a Grade 2 wizard?" Asterion asked Rose, who was resting beside Luna.
Asterion was not unaware of the other teams' thoughts of exhausting them through many fights; it was the most obvious strategy when fighting someone very strong.
But whether it was Rose or Asterion, neither would run out of magical energy. Their incomparable magical energy reserves were not something mere Grade 2 wizards could deplete.
They were only limited by a fixed amount of magical energy they could use; exceeding this fixed amount would disqualify them from the tournament. However, both Rose and Asterion recovered more energy than they spent, creating something impossible in reality: a perpetual cycle of magical energy.
"Three minutes. And you?" After doing the calculations in her mind, Rose answered without hesitation. This was the regeneration rate of her magical energy when she was a Grade 2 witch, which was when she was about three or four years old.
"Five minutes," Asterion replied indifferently. He didn't have the absurd control over his magical energy that Rose did. At least not in the past; with his second innate technique, he could control his magical energy at the same level as Rose Potter.
"I located another team while you were gone. I'll wait for you to recover your magical energy before I start acting." Asterion said, warming up with a smile on his lips. It had been a long time since he fought as a Grade 2 wizard, a stage he quickly surpassed, reaching Grade 1.
"Asty."
Hearing his nickname, Asterion's lips twitched as he saw almost silvery blue eyes looking at him deeply.
"Don't call me Asty," he said harshly, not caring about the girl's feelings.
"Yes, Asty." With a serious expression, Luna responded, saluting like a soldier.
"What did I say seconds ago?" Asterion asked with a blank face.
Luna put her finger to her lips and answered with a genuinely thoughtful expression. After a while, she remembered and replied seriously, "Not to call you Asty."
"What should you do then?" Gritting his teeth, Asterion asked again.
"Not call you Asty, Asty." With an innocent look, Luna responded again.
"..."
Asterion's expression was unreadable at this moment. He looked wordlessly at the innocent-looking girl.
"Pfft~~" Rose in the background started laughing, hearing their conversation, especially Asterion's expression. "AHAHAHAHAH!!!!"
Cedric turned his face to look at the tree as if it were something interesting, but his shoulders shook, indicating he was holding back from bursting into laughter like Rose.
Sighing, Asterion surrendered. "Do what you want, but what do you want to say?"
"He's here," Luna said, making Asterion show a confused expression.
"Who's here?" Cedric asked the question Asterion was about to ask, both looking strangely at Luna.
"Another seer has arrived." She replied casually, her voice indifferent to the arrival of the Dark Lord.
Asterion remained silent. In the end, he didn't care about the arrival of Gellert Grindelwald. It was more than expected for the Dark Lord to come to Hogwarts, especially with the man's imminent plan about to be completed.
------------------
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/HPSCB
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
Next Chapter Second Volume: 141 - King's Game (9), 142 - King's Game (10), 143 - King's Game (11), 144 - King's Game (12), 145 - King's Game (13), Chapter 146 - Second Phase of the King's Game (1), Chapter 147 - Second Phase of the King's Game (2), Chapter 148 - Second Phase of the King's Game (3), Chapter 149 - Second Phase of the King's Game (4), Chapter 150 - Second Phase of the King's Game (5), Chapter 151 - Second Phase of the King's Game (6), 152 - Second Phase of the King's Game (7), 153 - Second Phase of the King's Game (8), 154 - Second Phase of the King's Game (9), 155 - Second Phase of the King's Game (10), 156 - Second Phase of the King's Game (11).
While Asterion didn't care about Grindelwald's arrival, others didn't think the same way. Hundreds of thousands of wizards and witches fell into complete silence; only the blinding flashes of cameras and the sound of the man's footsteps echoed throughout the place.
Gellert Grindelwald walked with his loyal adopted son following behind him with leisurely steps. He wore a simple black German suit with a gray tie, his hair perfectly combed, while a gentle smile played on his lips.
He looked like any kindly grandfather you might meet on the street, his charismatic aura emanating from his every gesture. However, one of his suit sleeves fluttered gently with his movements, revealing that he was missing one of his arms.
The duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald had a particularly costly consequence—the loss of one of the Dark Lord's limbs. Technically, Grindelwald should have died from Dumbledore's attack, but the seer sacrificed one of his arms to reshape reality and successfully survive the assault by the most powerful man in the world.
Grindelwald walked over to the VIP seats and smiled gently at the seven special-grade wizards present.
"Sorry for the delay, the traffic these days is terrible," he said with a cheerful laugh, his silver eyes falling on Albus Dumbledore.
"I see you're healthy, Albus." Ignoring the murderous glares from the ministers of magic from various countries, especially France and Germany, Joseph Weiss and Luis Delacour practically exuded a cold killing intent.
Joseph, as a special-grade wizard, looked at Grindelwald with a cold, deadly stare, already gripping his wand, ready to fight the Dark Lord at any moment.
"No fights, gentlemen and ladies, let's not forget the hundreds of thousands of wizards and witches present right now." Seeing the imminent battle, Albus had to intervene; a fight among seven special-grade wizards would easily kill almost everyone present without distinction.
Although Dumbledore's words prevented the fight from starting, they didn't alleviate the heavy atmosphere. On the contrary, anyone could see that the environment felt like a volcano, and when it erupted, it would bring a great disaster to all of England.
"What are you doing here, Dark Lord?" One of the few women who was a Special-Grade Wizard, Ingrid Bergström, the Swedish Minister of Magic, spoke coldly, her aura so icy it lowered the surrounding temperature.
"Ingrid, don't be angry, it wasn't anything personal." Transfiguring a chair to sit down, Grindelwald unbuttoned his suit and sat. His voice was gentle and warm.
Hearing this, Ingrid's face became extremely cold; the hand gripping the arm of the chair tightened so much that the wood cracked under the pressure of her strength.
"Hahaha," Ingrid laughed, her laugh full of veiled sarcasm. "It wasn't personal?"
"Three hundred and forty-three victims you killed!!!" she shouted, her voice echoing throughout the Quidditch stadium, the aura of a special-grade wizard spreading ruthlessly through the surroundings.
The hundred thousand wizards and witches felt as if a mountain was pressing down on their shoulders; even breathing had become a privilege few could afford at that moment. The ministers of magic who were not special-grade wizards were the most affected, as they were seated next to Ingrid.
The Italian Minister of Magic, in particular, was pale and had trouble breathing. He deeply regretted sitting next to this cold and cruel woman.
Grindelwald did not care about the woman's emotional outburst; he smiled gently at her and responded in a very simple tone. "Where you see murder, I see martyrs. They will be remembered as heroes when this world is pure again."
If Grindelwald had previously angered Ingrid, at this moment, the woman erupted from the purest fury.
"Innate Spell Manipulation – Hundred Winters – Glacial Era!!!"
But before the spell could be successfully cast, the powerful hand of Dumbledore touched Ingrid's shoulder. Looking down at her, Dumbledore spoke in an authoritative tone, his eyes calm as they met hers. "Calm down, Ingrid, or I will ask you to leave."
In the presence of the most powerful man in the world, Ingrid showed no fear; she shrugged off Dumbledore's hand and remained silent, fixing her eyes on the relaxed figure seated.
As if feeling her gaze, Grindelwald waved at her amicably and turned his curiosity back to the four giant screens positioned around the Quidditch stadium.
"England certainly has unique alchemical items," he commented, his chair intentionally placed next to Dumbledore's. His eyes focused on the screen showing the Hogwarts team, briefly settling on Luna before refocusing on Asterion and Rose.
Turning to Dumbledore, he rested his head on his hand and spoke with a laugh. "Rose reminds me of you at her age, always so arrogant."
"I wouldn't say the same; Asterion doesn't resemble you at all. Previously, he seemed like a block of ice. Fortunately, the child has improved this year," Dumbledore rolled his eyes and commented casually, his smile not fading since he had sat next to Grindelwald.
There was no responsibility, just the two of them chatting as they used to. There was no longer the most powerful man in the world or the fearsome Dark Lord. For a moment, it seemed as though they had returned to being simple boys that summer.
Both of them laughed at their own words.
"To what level did you restrict Asterion and Rose?" Grindelwald asked curiously.
"Grade 2," Dumbledore replied, looking at the two promising young wizards. He could see something happening between them but did not care, as it was part of his plan.
Unknowingly, Rose had the role of making Asterion more human, something that young Daphne had been doing the previous year. This could be seen in the significant change in Asterion this year; the boy seemed more like a normal child for his age.
What Dumbledore didn't know was that his successor was planning to marry Asterion, thereby uniting the factions and throwing away all his hard work of decades.
"You should have placed them at Grade 3. Both are too strong, even if they are limited to using only Grade 2 magical energy," Grindelwald commented casually.
"Hmmm…" Dumbledore simply nodded and continued watching the screen.
Looking at the two talking amicably, all the Ministers of Magic showed strange expressions.
"Is it just me, or do Dumbledore and Grindelwald seem to know each other very well, maybe too well?" The Brazilian Minister of Magic, Carlos da Silva Pereira, said with a curious tone, his eyes observing their close behavior with a slightly amused smile.
Unlike other present Ministers of Magic, he held no grudge against Grindelwald, making him the only one who seemed relaxed in the presence of the Dark Lord.
Hearing the Brazilian Minister's ambiguous words, Benjamim and Dmitri exchanged glances and considered a possibility, but immediately shook their heads, dismissing it.
It was such an absurd possibility that it would be tragically ironic. They were not in a fantasy book written by a woman desperate for money for something so ridiculous to occur.
--------------
Author's Note:
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/HPSCB
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 143 - King's Game (11), Chapter 144 - King's Game (12), Chapter 145 - King's Game (13), Chapter 146 - Second Phase of the King's Game (1), Chapter 147 - Second Phase of the King's Game (2), Chapter 148 - Second Phase of the King's Game (3), Chapter 149 - Second Phase of the King's Game (4), Chapter 150 - Second Phase of the King's Game (5), Chapter 151 - Second Phase of the King's Game (6), 152 - Second Phase of the King's Game (7), 153 - Second Phase of the King's Game (8), 154 - Second Phase of the King's Game (9), 155 - Second Phase of the King's Game (10), 156 - Second Phase of the King's Game (11), 157 - Second Phase of the King's Game (12), 158 - Second Phase of the King's Game (13 e And), 159 - Death of Arcturus (1).
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT