https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-514-Now-This-is-a-Real-Flying-Broomstick/12538854/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-516-These-Three-Challenges-Are-Quite-Relaxing/12538856/
Chapter 515: The Final Challenge, Fire Dragons
Chapter 515: The Final Challenge, Fire Dragons
On the other side of the arena, with the help of the Fire Crossbow, Kyle soon spotted a golden figure amidst the Bludgers.
The Golden Snitch hovered near the stands, its round head tilting curiously as its shiny black eyes examined Kyle.
It seemed to realize it was supposed to keep moving only when Kyle flew towards it, but by then, it was too late.
The Fire Crossbow's greatest advantage was its agility and short bursts of speed. Despite the Bludgers' constant interference, Kyle managed to reach the Snitch before it could disappear again, gently grasping it in his hand.
The tiny creature was fluffy, like a warm dandelion, and it felt nice to hold. It didn't struggle, instead lying calmly in Kyle's palm and tilting its head to look at him.
"Puff... Puff..."
The moment Kyle caught the Golden Snitch, the Bludgers chasing him one after another turned into piles of powder and dissipated in the air.
As one of the Bludgers disappeared, it revealed a sparkling red gem inside, about the size of an egg. Kyle quickly flew over and caught it with his other hand.
The gem was dark red and roughly the size of a chicken egg, reminiscent of the Philosopher's Stone hidden in Hogwarts in terms of both size and color.
This must be the red stone Bagman mentioned earlier, though its purpose remained unknown.
Before Kyle could even put the stone away, the surroundings changed once more.
The remaining platform vanished, and he felt the entire Quidditch stadium start to spin. The people in the stands seemed to shrink, as if the entire space was expanding.
The ground reappeared, but Kyle didn't choose to land. He remained airborne, still clutching the Fire Crossbow.
He heard a loud roar fill his ears, and in the blink of an eye, a towering mountain rose up, filling the entire Quidditch arena.
Then came two piercing dragon roars.
It was the Swedish Short-Snout and the Hungarian Tree Peak that Kyle had seen before, both standing at the peak of the mountain.
"What's going on?" Kyle exclaimed in disbelief.
How could both dragons be here? Did whoever reached the third challenge first draw this grand prize? What about the challenges for the other two contestants...
Kyle's mind was in a jumble as he tried to make sense of the situation.
The appearance of the fire dragons pushed the atmosphere in the Quidditch stadium to new heights.
Just then, the Hungarian Tree Peak, startled by the sudden cheer from the crowd, breathed a forty-foot flame toward the stands.
"Ah!" The cheers turned into screams.
Students directly in the path of the flame panicked and scrambled to escape.
But soon, they realized that the flames didn't quite reach the stands... or rather, the distance between them and the dragons seemed much greater than it appeared.
"There's no need to worry, everyone," Bagman said. "The stands are safe, please take your seats... I never expected this situation, but Hogwarts' brave warrior has taken the lead with an absolute advantage.
"Now, there's something I must tell you in advance. The final challenge is a shared trial for all three warriors, which means the other two warriors will also arrive here eventually.
As long as you find all three red stones, you will pass this final challenge. Good luck."
A shared challenge for all the contestants?
Kyle understood now. No wonder—it would be far too difficult for a single person to face two fire-breathing dragons.
He jumped off the Fire Crossbow and, before Fleur and Krum arrived, looked up at the two dragons standing atop the mountain peak.
He finally knew what was inside the box he had seen that day.
This was also the favorite thing of fire dragons. They would usually collect Fire Ash Stones and place them in their lairs, including most of the dragon eggs, which were hatched from these very stones.
It's worth mentioning that the magical creature known to most wizards, the Fire Ash Snake, derived its name from this stone.
Now, these Fire Ash Stones were piled up on the mountaintop, right beneath the fire dragons.
Also, the kind of red stone he needed to pass through was mixed in with the rest.
The condition for passing this challenge was to collect three red stones.
There wasn't any in the first challenge, and there was one in the second... perhaps there was one in the first, but he just didn't find it.
Nevertheless, Kyle now had to figure out a way to get two more to pass this final challenge.
But what should he do... Kyle frowned.
Fire dragons were inherently irritable creatures, and as the first warrior to reach the third challenge, most eyes were surely on him now.
This made it quite challenging for him to pass through via "trade" without attracting attention.
Kyle pondered for a moment, starting to understand the meaning behind the third challenge.
Three people, two dragons. In other words, as long as two people were willing to distract the fire dragons, the remaining person could easily obtain the stones needed to pass.
However, who would distract the dragons, and who would collect the stones, was up to the warriors to decide... or perhaps they would all get along, with one person taking all the stones and then dividing them equally, or taking turns distracting the dragons... in any case, it was up to their abilities, and as long as they found the right method, passing this challenge would be simple.
But the premise of all this was that all three warriors were present; it would certainly not work with just Kyle alone.
"Should I wait for them?" Kyle hesitated. If he waited for Fleur and Krum, the time advantage he had accumulated from the previous challenges would be lost.
But if he didn't wait, he would have to face two fire dragons alone.
Kyle hesitated, then subconsciously took a step forward.
"Crackle..."
A few stones rolled down from under his feet.
Although the sound was not loud, the Swedish Short-Snout heard it and stood up. Its dark golden irises shifted slightly, looking in Kyle's direction.
Well, there was no more time for thinking.
Without hesitation, Kyle jumped onto the Fire Crossbow and darted out.
A roar came from behind him, and Kyle felt the heat on his back intensify. He instinctively ducked, dodging a scorching flame.
Kyle glanced back.
The Swedish Short-Snout had given chase, and fortunately, the Hungarian Tree Peak hadn't moved. It only turned its head to follow Kyle's movements, like a guard dog watching over its territory.
This lessened Kyle's pressure significantly, but at the same time, he couldn't use the speed of the Fire Crossbow to turn back and grab the stone.
An unsuccessful attempt, it seemed.
Kyle shook his head and turned in the air, preparing to shake off the massive creature chasing him.
But as they flew past each other, Kyle suddenly noticed that the Swedish Short-Snout had a long scar near its wing, one that its scales couldn't quite cover.
This was a rare sight, as not many creatures could leave a scar on a fire dragon... unless, of course, the opponent was also a fire dragon.
And the position of that scar looked somewhat familiar.
Could it be...
Kyle immediately recalled that when he was in the Fire Dragon Sanctuary, he had seen this Swedish Short-Snout before. Back then, this guy had gotten a good beating, and it was he and Newt who had helped treat its wounds.
One of the injuries was near its wing, and he had stolen half a bottle of dragon blood from that wound, so he remembered it vividly.
(End of Chapter)
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