Chapter 135: Dragon Duel

The Fireball Dragon struggles to rise from the rock wall, and John seizes the chance to swing his wand.

The surrounding giant rocks fly up, hover for a moment, then crash down like meteors toward the Fireball Dragon's position.

The giant rocks, accompanied by whistling winds, slam into the Fireball Dragon in the rock crevice.

The Fireball Dragon can only roar and leap into the air to dodge, yet several giant boulders still strike its back, producing a dull thud.

After a few blows, it finally scrambles up, fury blazing in its eyes, then snaps its mouth open, spewing three fireballs in rapid succession.

John waves his wand, and once again a stone wall rises.

However, this time the stone wall only stops the first two fireballs; the third pierces straight through, engulfing the silhouette behind the wall.

Oh my! John was hit by a fireball!

The Spectator Seats erupt with shocked cries, many instinctively covering their mouths, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Hermione's fingers suddenly clutch the seat armrest, she stands up directly, watching John's position with worry.

Yet the group of professors does not move.

As the flames slowly dissipate, no figure or charred corpse is seen in the smoke.

The Fireball Dragon still thinks its opponent has been reduced to ash and raises its head to roar in triumph.

Just then, the surrounding giant rocks suddenly float up again.

The Spectator Seats burst into boiling cheers again, and John—who somehow is now standing on a higher rock wall—waves his wand unscathed.

He knows the Barrier Curse can't withstand three fireballs, so he had already used the stone wall as cover to shift his position.

As John's magic spell is cast, the giant rocks quickly coalesce, compress, and finally reshape into a stone giant roughly the size of the Fireball Dragon.

Unlike the stone giant he sparred with Professor Flitwick, this stone giant's body is more solid and even has legs to support its movement.

The stone giant's eyes blaze with a faint blue light, it steps forward suddenly, and hurls a punch at the still bewildered Fireball Dragon.

The Fireball Dragon can only hastily block, yet the punch lands heavily on its head, and the stone giant's fist shatters under the massive force.

However, the next moment, the shattered stone pieces return to the stone giant's hand, coalesce into a new fist, and swing out again without delay.

This time the Fireball Dragon finally reacts.

Unwilling to be outdone, it swings its dragon claw, slapping the stone giant's head.

The stone giant's fist strikes the Fireball Dragon's chest, hurling it back several steps.

The Fireball Dragon's claw also smashes the stone giant's skull in one blow, scattering shards of stone.

Yet the headless stone giant does not retreat; it takes another huge step forward and punches the Fireball Dragon's head fiercely.

The Fireball Dragon, after another hit, spins, whips its tail sharply at the stone giant, tearing its body into four parts five splits, with stone raining down.

As the Fireball Dragon thinks it has finally dealt with this stone lump,

the four-parts-five-splits stones suddenly coalesce again, restoring their previous shape.

Before they are fully formed, the half‑collapsed stone giant swings its fist again at the Fireball Dragon's jaw.

The blow sends the Fireball Dragon flying dozens of meters, and the stone giant's fist shatters into a cloud of stone dust, only to reassemble in the air instantly.

This finally leaves the Fireball Dragon completely stunned, stumbling and falling to the ground.

The little wizards in the Spectator Seats watch this scene, eyes widening in amazement.

The Fireball Dragon is actually being pressed down while being hit?

Inside the Jing Ji Chang, the fallen Fireball Dragon finally regains its strength and struggles to rise.

But the stone giant has already charged forward again, raising its fist.

The Fireball Dragon finally realizes it cannot meet force with force, flaps its wings powerfully to soar upward, evading the punch and attempting to create distance for a flame attack.

Yet the stone giant gives it no respite; its legs thrust down, and its massive body leaps like a cannonball, charging straight at the newly airborne Fireball Dragon.

The huge stone palm grabs the Fireball Dragon's neck abruptly, then hurls it heavily toward the ground.

The Fireball Dragon's hastily expelled flame, still unformed, is snuffed out as its neck is seized.

As the Fireball Dragon is slammed onto the ground, kicking up clouds of dust, the stone giant follows closely, raising both fists and striking down fiercely.

Boom!!

The strike shakes the entire Jing Ji Chang, dust billowing like smoke waves, and the ground cracks into spider‑web fissures.

Amid the dust, the Fireball Dragon lets out a mournful wail.

As the dust slowly clears, the Fireball Dragon lies on the shattered ground, struggling to crawl up, its scales riddled with cracks.

It gasps, lifts its head, and stares intently at the stone giant advancing again, as well as the human standing not far away.

Rage churns in its eyes, still yearning for a death‑defying fight.

However, John does not wish to kill this fire dragon, and waves his wand again.

Vira Vito!

The shattered stones around the Fireball Dragon quickly coalesce into chains, winding around its limbs and massive tail like serpents.

Roar!!

The Fireball Dragon, suddenly bound, roars, and its dragon flame erupts toward John again.

As usual, a stone wall rises, blocking the flame.

At the same time, the chains snap tight, restraining the Fireball Dragon's neck.

The Fireball Dragon's roar becomes hoarse under the pressure of the stone chains, its wings beating wildly, yet it cannot break free from the shackles.

This is a massive chain forged by John from concentrated magical energy, imbued with the Binding Curse, and it works perfectly.

Moreover, the Fireball Dragon is already gravely wounded, lacking the strength to break such restraints.

The stone giant then steps heavily forward, lifts its massive paw to press the Fireball Dragon's head, forcing it down hard onto the ground.

Under the dual pressure of the stone giant and the chains, the Fireball Dragon can only emit a grudging low growl.

Only then does John continue walking toward the Golden Egg.

The outcome is decided.

After a brief silence, the Spectator Seats around erupted with exclamations and cheers, the applause sweeping the entire Jing Ji Chang like a tide.

"Good heavens, Meilik defeated a Fire Dragon!?"

"And he captured it alive!!"

"Is this damn thing a second-year?"

"Hehe, that's my brother!"

John walked slowly under the gaze of all, because maintaining those two Magic Spells drained him greatly.

Finally, under the spectators' stare, he arrived before the Golden Egg.

The Golden Egg lay among a few genuine dragon eggs, flashing with dazzling golden light.

John reached out, intending to lift the Golden Egg.

Roar!!!

The Fireball Dragon, previously held down, suddenly let out a thunderous roar, its eyes blazing with red light.

Seeing that human dare covet its offspring, its ferocity erupted instantly.

Its whole body of scales bristled, and an unknown residual draconic might surged, struggling fiercely.

The chains quivered violently amid the draconic shock, the Stone Giant's arms suddenly sagged, and fragments of stone fell away.

John felt the magical power sustaining the chains being ripped, his Magic Spell gradually tearing apart.

Seeing the Fireball Dragon about to break free, John stopped hesitating, abandoned the sustaining spell, and rushed to snatch the Golden Egg.

Signaling that his challenge was successfully completed!

The Ministry of Magic staff immediately rose, preparing to suppress the Fireball Dragon.

But the Fireball Dragon violently snapped John's chains and, with a single palm, shattered the Stone Giant that lacked magical reinforcement.

Then it spread its wings, whipping up scorching gale, and with a speed faster than the eye could catch, dived straight at John.

At that moment John held the Golden Egg in one hand while brandishing his wand with the other, intending to defend, though his speed was a bit too slow.

Just as the Fireball Dragon's claws were about to tear John, Dumbledore intervened.

A silver barrier materialized out of thin air, the Fireball Dragon's sharp claws struck it, splashing magical ripples like sparks.

Dumbledore tapped his wand repeatedly, and the Fireball Dragon's massive body suddenly froze in the silver light, as if bound by an invisible giant hand.

The violent rage in its crimson eyes gradually faded, finally closing its lids as if sinking into deep sleep.

This sudden outburst startled the audience, who thought John had barely completed the challenge only to be slain by the Fireball Dragon.

Fortunately, Headmaster Dumbledore acted in time; otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Nevertheless, John's challenge can be considered completed.

And it was completed in a spectacular fashion.

"John Merick! He used masterful Barrier Curse and Transfiguration to snatch the Golden Egg from the Fire Dragon's grasp! He took less than ten minutes!"

At this moment Dumbledore loudly announced John's challenge as a success.

The whole venue instantly boiled with cheers, because John showed them a spectacular duel.

A single person defeated and suppressed a Fire Dragon that normally requires several adult Wizards to tame; although it eventually broke free, it proved his strength far surpassed the Little Wizards present.

At this moment, whether John cheated was no longer important.

What mattered was that he completed an almost impossible challenge single‑handedly.

John stood before the Fire Dragon, cradling the Golden Egg, bathed in a halo of applause and awe.

"Now we begin scoring."

This time Old Barty spoke.

Then the three Headmasters and Old Barty raised their wands together, a golden beam shooting into the air, coalescing into conspicuous numeric scores.

Dumbledore gave 9 points, Maxime and Old Barty gave 8 points, while Karkaroff gave 5 points.

The scoring results glittered in the sky, total thirty, and the venue erupted again with heated discussion.

Karkaroff's rating drew a chorus of boos, but he himself took it as nothing.

John gave a slight nod, not paying much heed to the scores.

Such a biased scoring mechanism cannot serve as the basis for determining the final champion.

It must have some other purpose, or simply to enhance the show's effect.

Afterward John, amid applause, walked out of the Jing Ji Chang holding the Golden Egg.

He did not return to the initial Xuan Shou Zhang Peng, but went to the Ji Jiu Zhang Peng on the other side.

It is likely that, besides checking post‑match injuries, the purpose was to prevent successful challengers from returning to their original tents and pressuring other contestants.

John sustained no injury, though his body was somewhat depleted.

After all, whether the Stone Giant or the chains that could trap a Fire Dragon, both were forged with massive magical expenditure.

In fact, there is a simpler way to obtain the dragon egg.

But such chances to duel a Fire Dragon are rare, so he wanted to test whether he could directly suppress a Fire Dragon.

Fortunately, he succeeded in the end.

After John completed the challenge, the next to take the stage was Furong.

She chose a tremendously powerful Stun Curse, causing the Welsh Green Dragon to fall into a brief slumber, then she claimed the Golden Egg.

To be fair, this move carried great weight.

Because a Fire Dragon's magical resistance is quite high, the Stun Curse, though effective, usually requires several Wizards to wield together to control a Fire Dragon.

Yet Furong achieved it alone, proving her strength far exceeds that of Wizards her age.

Although she was burned by the flames from the Fire Dragon's breath when taking the egg, it was no serious harm.

The third contestant is Krum, and he faces the Swedish Short‑nosed Dragon.

He maneuvered with the short‑nosed dragon for a while.

He used an Eye Illness Curse, precisely striking the Fire Dragon's eyes, making it roar in pain and briefly go blind.

Then, while the Fire Dragon was out of control, he stepped forward and took the Golden Egg.

It can be said to be very swift and decisive.

And the last contestant, naturally, is our savior, Harry Potter, who makes his entrance.

He faces the most ferocious Hungarian Tree Bee Dragon.

When Harry stands in the arena, facing the all‑black Hungarian Tree Bee Dragon with a tail spiked like a knife, it is evident that he is still very nervous.

But when the Tree Bee Dragon's flames surged forward, Harry quickly found his footing, waved his wand, and, like John, used a Barrier Curse to block the fire.

Without hesitation, he turned and slipped into a crack in the rock wall, using the terrain as cover to evade the Tree Bee Dragon's pursuit.

"Fire Crossbow Bolt incoming!"

During this period, Harry, while the Tree Bee Dragon had not yet pursued, waved his wand toward the sky and shouted.

However, there was no response; instead, the Tree Bee Dragon's tail swept horizontally, forcing Harry to roll on the spot to barely dodge.

Harry, rolling and crawling to evade the Tree Bee Dragon's tail strike, barely caught his breath before leaping again and ducking behind a Giant Rock.

He clung to the rock, his heart pounding like a drum, yet he did not lose his composure.

Looking up at the sky, he could faintly see a broom flying, which was Harry's Fire Crossbow Bolt.

It turned out the wand had not failed; the Fire Crossbow Bolt simply needed time to reach.

As the Fire Crossbow Bolt drew nearer, Harry held his breath and waved his wand again.

A stone slab was lifted by Magic, striking the Tree Bee Dragon that was closing in, forcing it to rear back and roar angrily.

Harry seized the fleeting moment and burst out of his hiding place.

After the Tree Bee Dragon steadied itself, it let out a thunderous roar, and flames surged forth.

The Fire Crossbow Bolt had already flown behind Harry; he leapt, firmly mounted the broom, and the Fire Crossbow Bolt instantly carried him soaring into the sky, the scorching flame brushing his feet and leaving a singed mark.

Seeing this, John understood that Harry's victory was assured.

The Tree Bee Dragon was trapped by chains in the Jing Ji Chang, and even if it could fly, it could not get out.

Harry only needs to circle in the high sky, look for an opening, and he can successfully seize the Golden Egg.

After Harry rode the Fire Crossbow Bolt, a confident smile finally appeared on his face.

Now it is his home ground.

Harry dove down like an arrow released from a bow, charging straight toward the stone platform where the Golden Egg rested.

The Tree Bee Dragon roared, spewing flames, but Harry deftly maneuvered the broom in a full turn, evading a scorching pillar of fire.

However, the position of the Golden Egg was also blocked by flames, forcing another ascent.

The Tree Bee Dragon also spread its wings and rose, chasing after Harry.

Harry did not ascend to the high sky; instead, he led the Tree Bee Dragon to circle and wander within the Jing Ji Chang.

After all, only by drawing the Tree Bee Dragon away from the Golden Egg could he have a chance to take it.

While darting between the rock walls, the Tree Bee Dragon grew increasingly irritable under Harry's clever flight path, its massive body colliding with the stone wall and producing a deep thud.

Harry timed it perfectly, suddenly gaining altitude; the frantic Tree Bee Dragon immediately followed, also rising.

As a result, the chain around its neck yanked it sharply, slamming it back to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. Harry seized the chance, dived down, and the Fire Crossbow Bolt streaked through the air like a meteor, heading straight for the stone platform.

The broom's tail brushed the edge of the stone platform; with a flick of his fingertip, Harry grasped the Golden Egg.