A wave of foul-smelling thick smoke drifted from the entrance. Vid waved his Magic Wand and muttered a Spell under his breath to conjure a gust of wind that blew the stench away.
From the entrance came the sound of cries and curses:
"You did it, didn't you? Vid Gray, you're dead! You're dead!"
Amina shouted, jumping up and down.
Vid thought they would rush in immediately, but to his surprise, it took a long while before a few people entered, throwing out Spells without a word:
"Petrificus Totalus!" (×5)
The gleams of the Spells struck the invisible armor and ricocheted away, blasting holes into the wall.
It was only then that Vid could see them clearly—
They seemed to have used Aguamenti on each other, drenched from head to toe, especially Amina and Fleur, who looked incredibly weak and pale.
Of course, they all glared at him with hateful eyes, as if he was the one who had blown up the Ghoul.
Vid sighed, got up slowly, and asked, "Why did you roast the Ghoul? That smell, when it burns, is more foul than fermented Troll manure—I remember reading that in a book?"
"Urgh—" Fleur bent over reflexively, dry heaving, tears streaming uncontrollably, while her face contorted in anger: "Shut... shut up... attack!"
Spells tore through the air from different angles targeting Vid!
Even though the group hadn't mastered Nonverbal Spells, they had trained themselves to quickly and quietly chant the Spells. At that moment, judging from the gleams, it was hard to tell exactly what the Spells were.
But Vid didn't need to figure them out.
He moved his lips as well, suddenly flicking his Magic Wand, causing the vines coiled on the ground to spring up like venomous snakes, accurately meeting each of the Spells.
"Bang!"
As the vines exploded, Vid flicked his Magic Wand again, clearly chanting, "Vadivasi!"
The scattered rocks on the ground suddenly flew up, bulleting through the air to hit the wrists of several people, causing cries of pain to ring out almost simultaneously, and even two Magic Wands flew out of their hands.
Their Spells naturally missed their intended targets, and Vid didn't even need to use the Iron Armor Spell for defense.
Sirius, watching the livestream, slapped his thigh: "Ha! See that? I told you Prank Spells could be put to good use!"
Lupin smiled, feeling gratified: "Indeed... But getting the Spells that precise isn't easy, especially when attacking six people at the same time."
On the field, Vid did not pause for a moment; he leisurely approached the group while swiftly brandishing his Magic Wand again.
The chains originally wrapped around the Ghoul suddenly whipped out like lashes, swinging from behind everyone, catching Diego, who had no defense, pushing him against the wall with a scream.
On the other side, Asada Chinatsu quickly dodged, but lacking coordination, collided with Ryan, who was likewise trying to dodge. Both ended up getting tangled in the chains and fell to the ground with a "thud."
In that instant, Amina suddenly crouched, transforming into a Cheetah that ferociously lunged at Vid, her sharp claws glinting coldly!
When her strike was only inches away, she heard Vid suddenly say, "Lumos!"
"What?"
Ryan, struggling to break free from the chains, didn't expect him to use such a basic Spell, and looked up in surprise, just in time to see the tip of Vid's Magic Wand explode with an extremely bright light, like a miniature sun detonating in the gloomy Chamber of Secret.
"Ah—"
Several people screamed, instinctively raising their heads to cover their eyes, still feeling as though they'd been blinded.
The Cheetah, known for its keen sight, suffered even more severely from the impact. She let out a roar, instantly reverting to human form, curling on the floor, hands covering her eyes, shouting in rage and frustration, "Vid Gray!"
Vid didn't pause at all; he kept flicking his Magic Wand, sending repeated Spell gleams flying out.
"Bang!"
A moment later, the screams suddenly ceased, and six people lay sprawled on the ground, their swollen eyelids, and tear-streaked faces showing.
Their Magic Wands were also collected by Vid, who, instinctively wanting to break them, hesitated, remembering it was a competition. Stopping himself quickly, he glanced at them, then let go.
The Magic Wands clattered to the floor. Vid turned to look at an empty corner of the Chamber of Secret, asking, "I won't give them a chance to retaliate. Could I trouble you to take them out?"
The invisible Auror: "..."
Is he talking to me? How did he notice me? According to the rules, I shouldn't appear yet...
He was hesitating when Vid raised his Magic Wand towards the people on the ground again, still staring in his direction.
"Or..." The young Wizard politely asked, "Is it only if they're seriously injured that you can take them out? If that's the case, it's not impossible..."
"Wait!" The Auror finally spoke up: "This is enough! These six have been eliminated. I'll take them out now."
The regulations may be rigid, but people are flexible.
If he watched helplessly as these live people [Note: Students from international Magic Schools] got seriously injured under his watch [and under their headmaster's watch]—in their stunned state—as though being tortured...
Champion Vid Gray may not be in trouble, as his actions didn't break the competition rules, but the British Ministry of Magic would certainly be in a mess.
Watching his opponents, silvery-haired Fleur Delacour especially, being sent away one by one while unconscious, Vid calmly returned to the Golden Egg, sat down beside it, cradling his chin in one hand, the other hand swinging his Magic Wand gently, waiting for the next Champion to step in.
Suddenly, he looked up, focusing on a blue bird perched on a protruding rock above the Chamber of Secret for a moment before casually shifting his gaze away.
…
When those gray eyes stared directly at the camera, the entire audience paused momentarily.
They couldn't describe their feelings, only sensing for a moment that their hearts seemed gripped tightly.
After Vid turned away, many unconsciously let out a breath as if they had just surfaced from underwater.
After a brief silence, Madam Maxime snorted and said, "This little brat... Dumbledore, could he be one of your old friends turned young with an Age-Reduction Potion?"
"Hahaha, Olim, you do crack jokes." Ilvermorny's Agilbert laughed heartily: "But seriously, this kid's Magic skills are quite impressive!"
Karkaroff mocked, "Ilvermorny just lost two people in one go, and you can still laugh?"
"Why not be happy?" Agilbert spread his hands, saying, "My children tried their best; even if they lost, there's nothing to regret. Karkaroff, better pray your Victor doesn't meet him afterward!"
Karkaroff's face instantly soured, wanting to curse but fearing it would backfire if Krum lost later, grunted before saying, "Take care of yourself! You only have one student left!"
Durmstrang's three students haven't had a single elimination yet!
As soon as he finished speaking, before Agilbert could respond, Karkaroff suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He turned his head to see Castelobruxo's Headmaster Cavaleiro staring at him with a cold gaze, as if wanting to flay him.
Karkaroff: "..."
He suddenly realized that Ilvermorny still had someone, while Castelobruxo had been completely eliminated.
He chuckled awkwardly, secretly thinking: It's really embarrassing! If it were me, I'd quickly pack up and head home.
Karkaroff lovingly gazed at Krum, who had reached the Compass—then his face suddenly darkened.
Beside the Golden Compass were already a few Champions who had just ventured in. They looked somewhat weary and breathless as they watched Krum walk out from the depths of the passage.
"Oh? Looks like our star player is also about to face trouble?" Uagadou's Headmaster Adesso said cheerfully: "I hope he handles it as smoothly as Vid Gray."