Following the path directly led to the competition venue, without encountering anyone along the way, clearly a deliberate arrangement.
Contestants were forbidden from divulging any information about the competition.
Arriving at the opening, he proceeded directly through the passage towards the interior of the arena.
"Adrian!"
"Adrian!"
"Adrian!"
With Ethan's entrance, the entire arena erupted in deafening cheers, and banners of support rose from all directions of the four houses, a reception that the previous two Hogwarts champions hadn't received.
In their hearts, Ethan, despite his age, was undoubtedly the rightful champion of Hogwarts.
His numerous actions had proven his strength, coupled with the power he displayed at the Quidditch World Cup, making the Triwizard Tournament championship seem like a sure thing.
If only Ron and Harry weren't holding him back, it would be even better.
Only Dumbledore seemed somewhat dazed, the cheers echoing around him stirring a sense of déjà vu.
Gellert had been just as popular in his day, attracting a large following wherever he went.
He himself had faced such scenes numerous times, with countless supporters.
It seemed Tom had experienced something similar as well.
Now it was Ethan Adrian's turn, but where would he end up?
Just thinking about Ethan's personality gave Dumbledore a headache, wondering if it was a good thing or a bad thing for the wizarding world.
Dumbledore himself was uncertain.
However, considering Gellert, himself, and Tom, those with talent were rarely well-behaved, often having special quirks, and Ethan's current situation seemed normal for a genius.
As for the future, he couldn't worry about it.
Voldemort alone had consumed his entire life.
Although he had some guesses about Voldemort's other Horcruxes, he was completely unaware of their location or condition.
That alone was enough to cause a headache, and he simply didn't have the energy to deal with Ethan's affairs as well.
Meanwhile, Ethan, facing the cheers from the stands, enthusiastically waved back in response.
Once the countless flashes from the cameras on the platform subsided, Ethan turned his attention to the targets he was about to face.
A Peruvian Vipertooth, about fifteen feet long, with smooth scales, a brassy color all over, and a black ridge on its back, was among the smallest of the dragon breeds.
Then there was the Hebridean Black, thirty feet long, with rough scales, purple eyes, a row of shallow but razor-sharp ridges on its back, a tail like a pointed arrowhead, and bat-like wings.
Finally, there was Ethan's chosen target, the Australian Opaleye, with pearlescent scales that shimmered with rainbow colors, and eyes without pupils, making it the most beautiful of the dragon breeds.
In this competition, he not only had to win, but win beautifully.
The most direct method, of course, would be to use intimidation, which would directly obtain the golden egg.
But that would lack spectacle, and the spectators outside wouldn't even know what had happened.
Using the Summoning Charm might only be appreciated by a few who understood its significance, as casting it on magical objects was a contest of magical power, excluding certain alchemical creations, of course.
Ethan didn't make the first move, and naturally, Richardson Clarence and Hilda Donahue didn't budge either.
They were all waiting for Ethan to act first, as they had received instructions from their respective headmasters before the competition, knowing that facing Ethan head-on was practically impossible.
They could only hope to find an opening to exploit during the competition.
Just as Ethan didn't make the first move, the dragons couldn't restrain themselves any longer.
A stream of bright red flames shot straight towards Ethan and the others.
Ethan, due to his magic resistance, didn't feel anything special, but the hair of the two champions beside him was on the verge of curling in the high heat.
Ethan, however, was pondering a question: had his animal affinity stopped working?
Was it because the dragon had just laid an egg?
Or was it due to an environmental stress response?
Or perhaps it was because they had been too frightened by Onyxia these past few days?
If that were the case, Ethan had no more reservations.
He had been thinking that if his animal affinity was working, and the dragons directly handed over their eggs, he would have to be careful not to overdo it.
But now, it was time to go all out!
A pillar of rock shot out from the side of the Australian Opaleye, striking it squarely on the chin at a forty-five-degree angle.
The audience members sitting nearby clearly heard a "crack."
Accompanied by a miserable wail, a series of blood droplets and shattered rainbow-colored scales rained down from the air.
The crimson flames that had been heading straight for Ethan and the others abruptly changed direction, spewing into the empty space to the side.
Of course, this burst didn't last long before it came to an abrupt halt.
Looking at the Australian Opaleye, its entire face was crooked, especially around the chin, where the pearlescent colorful scales were shattered and stained with blood.
This distressed the dragon keepers from the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary who were watching nearby; this blow had directly disfigured the Australian Opaleye.
This particular Australian Opaleye was quite popular, not only beloved by the staff at the Dragon Sanctuary but also highly regarded within the dragon community.
Many dragons of other breeds would court this Australian Opaleye during their mating season.
They wondered if it would still be so well-received when it returned to the Dragon Sanctuary.
And to inflict such damage on a dragon with just one move.
They truly couldn't imagine what the consequences would be once the battle truly began.
Previously, these Dragon Sanctuary staff members had thought that the three dragons would pose some difficulty for Ethan, and that he might have to resort to clever tactics to get through this competition.
After all, they had only heard of Ethan's reputation; they hadn't actually witnessed the scene at the Quidditch World Cup, but they lived with these dragons day and night and knew how troublesome they could be.
But now, it seemed that they should be worried about the dragons instead.
Just the small display of skill just now revealed Ethan's mastery of Transfiguration; taking down these dragons would be a piece of cake, especially with them unable to fly.
Thinking of this, they felt a pang of anxiety.
Although the Ministry of Magic would compensate for any losses, including the dragons' rental fees, medical care, nutrition, and other expenses.
But these things weren't within their control either. Besides, they had developed feelings for these dragons after spending so much time with them. Theirs was a dragon sanctuary, and they didn't have the habit of raising dragons like pigs to be slaughtered.
Those who chose to work at the dragon breeding grounds were mostly people who loved dragons.
Therefore, they were quite worried about these dragons in the arena, but they couldn't break the rules and run up to surrender on their behalf.
Just as these dragon handlers were watching with worried eyes, Ethan raised his wand.
In mid-air, a thick black mist churned and roiled, and a huge red behemoth emerged from the black mist.
Its unfolded wings obscured the sun in the sky, and half of the arena and the stands were under its shadow.
Estimated to be over two hundred feet in size, its fiery red scales were thick and hard, gleaming with a metallic luster. The frills on its neck and the edges of its wings were purplish-gray, and its pupils emitted a terrifying pressure like molten lava.
In an instant, the entire competition venue became silent. Even the fire dragons shrank back and folded their wings.
Countless spectators held their breath, watching the red dragon in the sky with fear and fanaticism.
At the press conference in early August, the British Ministry of Magic had announced this spell, but those who hadn't seen it in person only had a concept of it.
Now, after facing this spell directly, they realized that the spells they had learned before were all dogshit. The two couldn't be mixed together at all.
Richard Clarence and Hilda Donahue, the two champions who were in the same group as Ethan, were also frozen in place, their faces pale as large beads of sweat dripped down.
Why would such a monster come to participate in the Triwizard Tournament?
This round was fine; the opponent was a fire dragon, so they wouldn't have to face this monster.
But what about later?
If they faced it directly, how could they fight?
Thinking that they might face Ethan directly later, the two had the intention of buying tickets back home overnight.
They couldn't participate in this Triwizard Tournament at all.
Even Karkaroff and Madam Maxime were breathing a little faster.
Now it could be truly confirmed that this little devil had strength far beyond their own.
Letting him participate in this Triwizard Tournament was really a sin!
Damn red-haired brat!
"Dumbledore, do you know what spell he's using?"
There were few wizards who saw this scene who didn't want to learn it.
Karkaroff was no exception. If he could learn it, he wouldn't have to flee even when facing the Death Eaters' purge in the future!
Although the Ministry of Magic said that Ethan had used this spell, they didn't even give it a name. They only said that he had summoned a fire dragon, and then nothing else.
"I don't know. This spell has never been recorded."
Dumbledore also looked at this fire dragon with a solemn expression.
He could see that this was not a fire dragon transformed by Transfiguration, but a real one made of magic. It was a bit like the Patronus Charm, but with great differences.
Ethan had said that he had obtained Ravenclaw's treasure. This was a spell from the founder's era, but if that were the case, there would definitely be records of it within Hogwarts.
Regarding this, Dumbledore only had one guess: this was a spell invented in Ravenclaw's later years. After it was invented, it was placed in her secret chamber and never used outside. After all, Ravenclaw herself was famous for her intelligence, and was very proficient in the creation and invention of spells.
As for this spell being invented and created by Ethan himself...
Dumbledore had never considered this.
First of all, to create such a spell, a lot of knowledge accumulation was required, and countless trials and errors had to be carried out in the middle. Ethan simply didn't have the time and energy to invent and perfect a spell of this level.
Even himself, even if he had the idea, it would take years to perfect this kind of spell.
Ethan naturally didn't know what others were guessing. The red dragon flying around the arena once before landing with a bang.
The commotion was like a small earthquake, and it could only be said that the arena temporarily built with magic was still solid.
Then, it directly stretched out its claws and slapped the fire dragon. Accompanied by a burst of scales breaking and the "clatter" of iron chains, the fire dragon fell down peacefully. Even the iron chains that trapped the fire dragon were broken.
The last Australian Opaleye looked at its two companions who were lying in pools of blood with broken scales and felt that it wasn't unacceptable to have its face crooked, and immediately rolled over on the ground, exposing its belly under the red dragon's gaze.
What was this behavior?
Ethan couldn't even bear to look, and wouldn't it be indecent for a mother dragon who had just laid eggs to make such a pose?
With the three fire dragons unable to resist, Ethan naturally collected all fifteen golden eggs.
As for Richard Clarence and Hilda Donahue, who originally wanted to fish in troubled waters, they stood in the arena, shaking like sieves, and didn't dare to move at all..
Chapter 264: Ludo's Regret
At the first moment the competition ended, the staff of the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed into the arena towards the fire dragons.
This time, they really lost a lot. Hopefully, it wouldn't leave any sequelae for these fire dragons.
Ethan, who had successfully obtained all the golden eggs, walked out of the arena amidst the cheers of the audience.
Hilda Donahue and Richard Clarence, who were in the same group as Ethan, also had no face to stay here and followed Ethan behind in a daze.
Originally, Hilda Donahue of Beauxbatons was prepared to continue expanding Beauxbatons' advantage and maintain the lead in points.
That way, even if there were any mistakes in the next competition, there would still be room for adjustment.
As a result, she had directly messed it up herself.
Although the current situation was that no matter which participating champion faced Ethan, they wouldn't get a good result, who knew if they would push this responsibility onto her.
After all, in the end, someone had to be pushed out to take the blame.
Hilda Donahue was quite familiar with the set above.
Richard Clarence's mood wasn't any better either. Last time, Phineas Dumbledore had obtained such a small number of points, and this time he was afraid it would be even worse.
In the first competition, Durmstrang's score was left so far behind, how could they play later?
Following the passage to the outside of the arena, Regis McKellen, who had been waiting again, immediately trotted to Ethan and the others.
