Thanks to Rhys's personal guidance and example, Astoria was undoubtedly one of the contestants who hated the Mystic Society the most. Coupled with the condescending attitude of the person before her, she could barely suppress the killing intent rising within her.
"That's a very good look. I like it."
The young monk from the Mystic Society naturally noticed the change in Astoria's expression. Not only was he not angered by it, he actually seemed even more delighted.
"I watched you hunt that black dragon just now. I have to admit, you are indeed walking the correct path."
That only made Astoria even angrier.
Who are you? What makes you think you're qualified to lecture me?!
The young monk paid no attention to the change in her mood and continued speaking to himself.
"Blood makes up roughly one-thirteenth of the human body's weight. What an interesting number! The gods have already revealed to us the importance of blood. Blood carries life. Whoever controls blood controls life and death..."
At that point, he lightly slapped his forehead as though suddenly remembering something.
"Oh! Did I forget to introduce myself? How careless of me. You may call me Capricorn."
Astoria narrowed her eyes.
Rhys had mentioned that codename before. She also knew that the Mystic Society had once sent Capricorn and two other monks to invade Hogwarts.
Of course, they were all dead now.
"What an unlucky name. You chose the name of a dead man."
Astoria mocked Capricorn without hesitation, immediately causing his expression to darken.
Several seconds passed before he replied in a muffled voice,
"What happened to Grandfather... was merely an accident."
"Grandfather?"
Astoria raised an eyebrow.
So the young man before her was actually the grandson of the Mystic Society monk who had invaded Hogwarts all those years ago. No wonder he had been so eager to inherit the name Capricorn.
However, if the Mystic Society had allowed him to inherit that title, then his strength must already have reached a considerable level.
At the very least, he must have fused with a divine remain.
After learning that the girl before him actually knew about his grandfather, Capricorn's mood underwent a subtle change.
Now, he wanted more than just the dragon heart in Astoria's possession.
His face gradually flushed crimson, and a dangerous aura began emanating from his body.
The knights nearby suddenly felt an inexplicable tremor deep within their hearts, accompanied by an urge to kneel and worship the young man before them.
Astoria was no exception.
However, she slightly stimulated the blood within her body, accelerating its circulation, and forcibly dispelled the strange feeling of reverence.
"Fall back. This conflict is beyond your ability to interfere with."
Astoria glanced at the surrounding knights and ordered them to retreat in a low voice, while subtly influencing them with her blood-manipulation abilities.
Only then did the knights break free from their strange state. They quickly scattered to both sides as though facing a formidable enemy.
Capricorn sneered.
"You might as well have kept them here as an ammunition reserve. Blind kindness will only get you killed."
As he spoke, tiny scales gradually began appearing across his face.
Astoria had no intention of falling for his trick.
She could sense that if those knights had remained any longer, the monk before her would have completely taken control of them and turned them into human shields.
"What an ugly thing."
Her wand slid into her hand.
Without hesitation, Astoria fired an offensive spell at Capricorn while simultaneously attempting to interfere with him using her Blood Domain.
Capricorn casually leaned aside and easily dodged the spell.
He even had time to mock her.
"You can manipulate blood, can't you? A very powerful ability. Unfortunately for you, I completely counter it, because I have fused a drop of divine blood into my body!"
Astoria sighed inwardly.
She raised her free hand and beckoned behind her.
The black dragon that had been lying stiffly on the ground suddenly rose to its feet, its shrivelled flesh rapidly becoming full once more.
Astoria had drawn the dragon blood hidden within the soil back into its body and was now using blood manipulation to control the dragon's corpse.
"The real battle starts now!"
The black dragon lunged at Capricorn, while Astoria's spells followed close behind.
Capricorn's gaze sharpened, and his expression became serious.
The situation had begun to exceed his control.
Meanwhile, the other contestants had also begun taking action.
Cedric stood on the shoulder of a gigantic earthen golem, looking at the dragon lying in a pool of blood before him, and let out a long sigh of relief.
He lowered his gaze towards the natives who had fought alongside him and gave them a gentle smile.
"The battle is over."
"The battle is over."
Hermione's figure disappeared for an instant before reappearing in the same place.
The dragon that had been flaunting its might only moments earlier had already become a corpse.
The blood-soaked dragon heart in her hand looked as though it had stopped beating long ago.
Daphne stood before the charred corpse of a dragon with a grave expression.
"I accidentally used too much force... Does a shattered dragon heart still count?"
No one could answer her question.
Neville Longbottom lay on the steaming ground, panting heavily. The air around him was filled with the stench of blood and the nauseating smell of roasted flesh.
"The battle is over."
A pale face appeared in Neville's field of vision. Neville remembered that this person was one of the wizards in the team, though he could no longer quite remember his name.
But just as he had said, the battle was over.
Some of the contestants had already completed the main quest. The strongest among them had chosen to act alone and personally kill the dragon they had targeted, but most had chosen to cooperate with the local inhabitants and fight alongside them.
Some contestants succeeded, while others failed.
Failure was not necessarily a problem. As long as they managed to retreat from the dragon's territory, there was still room to continue. They could seek further help from the locals, or regroup with their assigned teammates before making another plan.
Outside the arena, the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch was packed with spectators.
In addition to the students and professors of Hogwarts, many people from other magical schools had also come to watch. Under the leadership of their respective headmasters, they formed small groups in the stands, searching the screens for contestants from their own schools.
From time to time, the stadium erupted in amazement at an impressive performance by a contestant. At other moments, sighs of disappointment swept through the crowd when someone made a mistake.
Everyone watched the competition with an intensity no less than that of a Quidditch World Cup match.
In a corner of the stands, Helga and Rowena sat together, admiring their handiwork.
"You really came up with something this time, making these children hunt dragons." Helga could not help complaining. In her opinion, the main quest was somewhat beyond the appropriate difficulty.
Dragons were immensely powerful magical creatures that normally required several adult wizards working together just to subdue them. Killing one demanded even greater effort. For a group of students who had not even graduated yet, the challenge seemed somewhat excessive.
Rowena calmly glanced at her old friend.
"I think the difficulty is perfectly reasonable."
She seriously analysed the alternatives available to contestants who lacked sufficient strength.
"They can seek help from the locals. They can team up with other contestants. I even gave them an entire month. If they still can't complete the task under those conditions, then they might as well come back early and watch the rest of the competition."
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI