Bab 244: Chapter 244: Path of the Fire God
The spell announced Grindelwald's arrival.
He forcefully positioned himself between Cyrus and Dumbledore, each of them now standing in a triangle, the tension and volatility between them intensifying.
In the stands, Hagrid clenched his larger than cauldron fists in anxiety.
"Do you think Grindelwald and Cyrus would team up against Dumbledore?" Every whisker on his massive face showed his worry for Dumbledore.
"Is this wizard called Grindelwald really that powerful?" Ginny asked. "Wasn't he defeated by Professor Dumbledore?"
Some legends have grown so distant that young wizards like Ginny hardly know who Grindelwald is, with most of their knowledge coming only from the repeatedly encountered Chocolate Frog card.
Hagrid pondered his words, then replied, "He's one of the most dangerous wizards in the world. Let me put it this way: people call Dumbledore the greatest wizard because he defeated Grindelwald. Understand?"
Throughout Dumbledore's life, he'd faced many enemies, but Grindelwald was the only one recorded alongside him on the same Chocolate Frog card!
It could almost be said that Grindelwald was Dumbledore's most brilliant triumph.
"He once lost to Dumbledore, but he's a truly terrifying dark wizard. I fear he'll join forces with Cyrus against Dumbledore," Hagrid said worriedly, which made Ginny a bit displeased.
"What are you talking about? If Grindelwald is a dark wizard, there's no way Cyrus would associate with him," Ginny retorted angrily.
Ginny and Hermione had a somewhat idealized view of Cyrus, like seeing their idol with a filter, imagining him as being too perfect.
In reality, Cyrus didn't intend to team up with Grindelwald, but his reasoning had nothing to do with good or evil—it was simply unnecessary.
As it turned out, just as Ginny had said, the moment Grindelwald appeared on screen, Cyrus put away his wand. He said something and then left.
Hagrid watched this and sighed in relief. "What a good man! He's a righteous person!" He wiped his eyes and was visibly relieved for Dumbledore. "I'm so glad you all are friends with him!"
"I'm curious about what they said," Ginny muttered, pursing her lips.
In the Forbidden Forest, time rewound to the moment Grindelwald first appeared.
"You're a bit late. Things here are already over," Cyrus said softly, but after a pause, he corrected himself, "Or maybe not late—perhaps just in time for you. I won't intrude on the two of you."
He put away his wand and turned to leave but added, "The magical drones can only transmit visuals; they can't capture sound yet. So if you have anything to reminisce about, feel free to talk~"
Cyrus left in such a carefree manner that he left Dumbledore and Grindelwald staring at each other, somewhat at a loss.
When two men over a century old are left alone, the atmosphere naturally becomes awkward. After all these years, there should have been plenty to talk about—especially for Grindelwald, who likely had countless grievances to express.
But they were no longer young, nor so easily swayed by emotion.
After a long silence, Grindelwald finally broke it. However, he didn't immediately bring up the past. Instead, he glanced in the direction Cyrus had left, looking puzzled. "How much does he actually know? I wouldn't imagine you'd go around telling people about us. That's not your style—you must be ashamed of our history."
"That's what I'm wondering as well," Dumbledore replied calmly. "He seems to know many things that he shouldn't."
Reflecting on everything Cyrus had done over the past year or two, there were many instances where Dumbledore thought Cyrus shouldn't have known certain things, yet he seemed to know more than anyone else.
For instance, Vault 12, ancient magic, the location of every Horcrux—even the long-lost Slytherin wand, which Voldemort himself didn't know about—and… his own history with Grindelwald.
However, Dumbledore didn't dwell on this too much. Ever since Cyrus emerged from the diary, he was destined to be different from Voldemort.
He possessed magical abilities that Voldemort could never fathom and could perceive ancient magic. Perhaps he had even inherited some gift of prophecy.
It was Grindelwald's comment, however, that stung him.
Dumbledore's blue eyes locked onto Grindelwald's. For the first time since their reunion after fifty years, he didn't look away. He said seriously, "I have never been ashamed."
"Ah, I can see that. You've changed so much, Dumbledore. It's as if I never truly knew you," Grindelwald said with a face full of regret.
Ever since escaping from Nurmengard, he had frantically scoured newspapers for any mention of Dumbledore. He had seen a witch named Rita Skeeter attacking Dumbledore in the papers, calling him a decaying corpse, and yet Dumbledore seemed utterly indifferent to it.
After all these years, Dumbledore had become calm, cold and rational.
But the Dumbledore in Grindelwald's memories was nothing like that.
Back then, he was passionate and ambitious, concerned about his reputation, his honor. His brilliance and everything about him were so captivating that it was hard to look away.
Only now did Grindelwald realize that everything he thought he knew about Dumbledore came from those brief two months in Godric's Hollow.
"You only saw the flowers in full bloom, so of course you're shocked by their withered state," Dumbledore said calmly. "But decay is the natural state of life. My beard didn't grow this long overnight. We are both over a hundred years old."
...
Cyrus walked deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
He wasn't heading towards the finish line but instead began searching for the magical creatures within the forest.
The International Confederation of Wizards had placed the information for the next match somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, and, unsurprisingly, it was guarded by those magical creatures.
"Not being able to fly is a bit of a hassle," Cyrus muttered.
Walking through the vast, dense forest made it difficult to even determine direction.
With the sudden influx of so many foreign creatures, it was likely that the original inhabitants of the Forbidden Forest were the most agitated of all.
"Just follow where the commotion is greatest."
Cyrus raised his wand and gently pointed it at the ground.
Suddenly, from the patch of dirt his wand aimed at, a sleek black snake slithered out, flicking its tongue in confusion before heading deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
Soon, another snake emerged.
Then another.
Countless black snakes began pouring out like water from a burst pipe, writhing and intertwining with each other in an overwhelming, continuous stream.
Just watching it was enough to make one's skin crawl.
But Cyrus remained unfazed. The ground beneath him was now completely covered in snakes, and from his golden, slit-pupiled eyes, magical power radiated intensely.
He opened his mouth and let out a raspy hiss.
"~~Go, find the strongest creatures for me~~"
At his command, the swarm of snakes dispersed.
The sight left many trembling with fear, especially the young Gryffindors who saw Cyrus as the epitome of evil. Anyone who dealt with snakes like that couldn't possibly be a good person, right?
Yet, despite such rumors, there were still some girls who found themselves drawn to him.
The students in Slytherin were clearly divided in their opinion of Cyrus. Some of their parents had already followed Voldemort and Barty Jr. to France, while others remained uncertain where their loyalties lay.
However, no matter which side the young Slytherins aligned with, their eyes gleamed with admiration as they watched Cyrus command the snakes with Parseltongue, secretly wishing they could wield such power themselves.
In just a few minutes, Cyrus had nearly mapped out the entire Forbidden Forest. The black snakes weren't real serpents but magical creations that, infused with ancient magic, moved like black lightning across the forest, returning a detailed mental map of its layout to Cyrus's mind.
He quickly pinpointed the location of a dragon.
It was a Romanian Longhorn, with black scales that accentuated its enormous golden horns.
The dragon was massive, stretching as long as six or seven people combined. Its jagged spine was connected to thick, devilish wings and powerful forelimbs. The wing membranes were thick and armored with scales for protection.
Beneath the dragon lay the blood-soaked corpse of a gigantic Graphorn. Its thick hide, usually impervious to magic, had been torn apart by the dragon's claws, spilling blood and entrails everywhere.
The Romanian Longhorn appeared to be preparing for a meal, but the sudden arrival of Cyrus immediately triggered its alarm and anger.
It roared at him, much like a lion defending its kill from hyenas, stepping over the Graphorn's body to protect its prey. Its four longest fangs were longer than Cyrus's arm!
Cyrus glanced down, noticing that there were no dragon eggs beneath the beast. Clearly, the second task was no longer connected to the Black Lake.
This was a male dragon, and although it wasn't as aggressive or easily provoked as a female guarding her eggs, its danger level was still significantly higher.
They are even better at combat!
Such a massive and terrifying creature, just appearing on the screen, was enough to make anyone feel suffocated, let alone facing a dragon in person.
But Cyrus didn't take the dragon seriously at all.
He ignored the Longhorn's warning and walked directly toward it.
The Romanian Longhorn felt provoked and, without hesitation, prepared its breath attack.
It took a deep breath, its abdomen swelling like Popeye after eating spinach, and the black scales around its throat began to glow red from the heat.
In the next moment, a fierce torrent of dragon fire was unleashed!
The flames distorted the air instantly.
In that brief moment, the trees touched by the fire seemed to have no time to react before they were reduced to charred remains, turning into white ash that crumbled away.
The damp Forbidden Forest suddenly became dry.
The ground beneath Cyrus's feet, which had been slick with moisture, dried up in an instant.
The foul-smelling, wet leaves shriveled as their moisture evaporated, turning yellow and brittle, crumbling at the slightest touch.
Even areas not directly touched by the flames began to burn due to the sudden spike in temperature.
The fire engulfed Cyrus.
The entire small section of the forest had already been consumed by a sea of fire. In an instant, the scorching flames rose from the ground, engulfing the towering trees that stretched dozens of meters into the sky!
The overwhelming blaze resembled a fiery red ocean, radiating intense heat.
"Roar!!"
The Romanian Longhorn dragon roared triumphantly, standing amidst the flames like a demon crawling out of hell.
"Is he really burned to death?" Seamus, though not personally acquainted with Cyrus, couldn't help but feel anxious.
He wasn't the only one with such thoughts—many other young wizards were equally concerned. In their eyes, a dragon was one of the most powerful magical creatures in existence, and no one could possibly survive its fiery assault.
The intensity of the flames was so extreme that even the rocks beneath them glowed red, almost melting under the heat.
However, Cyrus quickly proved that their worries were unfounded.
Amidst the blood-red flames, a shadowy figure walked calmly.
Cyrus was surrounded by fire, yet the flames seemed to avoid him. With each step he took, the fire parted to the sides, making way for him.
He walked through the blazing inferno, appearing like a deity in control of the flames. Then, in a clear voice, he spoke:
"Path of the Fire God!"
In an instant, the sea of flames split apart!
The searing dragon fire bowed to him, no longer spreading. The scorched black earth beneath his feet seemed as pure and untainted as a path to heaven.
Over a thousand wizards watched in stunned silence, witnessing the handsome young Headmaster illuminated by the firelight, as if he were a deity descending from the heavens, wielding the power of flames.
"My God, he's like a god..."
Many young wizards from Muggle families were struck by a profound sense of awe, thinking of the biblical figure Moses parting the sea.
In a world where no gods existed, it felt as though one might be standing right before them.
However, for Cyrus, this was merely a trivial display. Fire was something he'd long grown tired of playing with.
The Romanian Longhorn dragon seemed intimidated by Cyrus's power, but after all, it was a top-tier predator—a dragon!
Its most dangerous weapon wasn't its dragon fire, but, as its name suggested, the pair of golden horns atop its head!
Those horns resembled two towering golden spears. When a Romanian Longhorn dragon encountered a formidable foe, it would usually use its horns to pierce the enemy.
The dragon, whose massive body was larger than a train car, lowered itself, much like a bull preparing to charge. It wasn't submitting—it was readying its deadliest weapon.
Its fiery, torch-like eyes locked onto Cyrus's brilliant golden eyes!
"I don't doubt for a second that it could smash the Hogwarts Express to pieces," Ron said anxiously, "Those horns could pierce right through the train cars!"
"It's nothing," Hermione said, clutching Ginny's hand tightly, her voice trembling. "Remember? Ilvermorny's carriage was pulled by a big dragon! C-Cyrus will tame it!"
The muscles on the Romanian Longhorn's forelegs were clearly visible, even beneath its scales. Its sharp claws dug into the ground, leaving deep marks in the earth.
Then, it moved!
But instead of charging, it took off into the sky, soaring through the flames that blocked its path to the open air.
Ron stared in disbelief, sinking limply into his seat, muttering like a lost soul, "Did I see that right?"
"You saw right. That Romanian Longhorn dragon ran away..." Hagrid said, tears welling in his eyes. "It was scared! I always knew dragons weren't dangerous. They're just big, sweet babies. It's the wizards who are dangerous!"
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