In terms of raw power alone, Godric and the Great Dragon weren't even in the same weight class. In the realm of magic, dragons clearly held the advantage over humans.
Among human wizards, spells capable of permanently altering the landscape were usually classified as Forbidden Curses.
Godric Gryffindor had read descriptions of such devastating magic in ancient tomes, but he couldn't actually cast them himself.
Looking back at the charred, bottomless crater behind him, Godric's legs trembled.
In that moment, he couldn't help but recall the school motto Rey had mentioned: Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon.
The magma bomb gathered in the dragon's maw had created a massive, scorched lake bed with a single strike. Anyone who could stand there unmoved after witnessing that was definitely not human.
Godric was human, not a god. He couldn't produce magic of that magnitude.
Looking up at the giant dragon in the sky, Godric's feelings were complicated. He finally understood the true strength of the opponent he wanted to challenge.
Black Dragons were a rare breed among dragonkind, known for their near-immunity to magic.
This meant that most spells would bounce off this dragon like a tickle. Even spells that ordinary wizards considered powerful would feel like nothing more than a pinprick to it.
This Black Dragon was too strong. Far stronger than the Evil Dragon Soul Rey Faest had described.
However, while a single strike could change the landscape, if the dragon wanted to kill Godric, it actually had to hit him first.
Godric was a formidable wizard. As a master duelist, he had practiced Apparition until it was as natural as breathing.
The dragon's powerful attacks required at least a second or two of preparation. That was enough time for Godric to Apparate two or three times.
So, facing this display of overwhelming power, he was shaken by the dragon's strength, but he wasn't afraid.
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"Can my sword actually cut off that head?"
After witnessing that earth-shattering strike, even Godric's confidence wavered.
Seeing Godric standing still, the massive Black Dragon landed on the ground with a thunderous boom and roared at him.
Its ferocious head, long neck, and body covered in obsidian scales loomed over him.
The roar carried a foul, fishy wind and a spray of rain, pulling Godric's hair and beard violently backward. If he hadn't clamped his hand down on his wizard's hat, it would have been blown into the next county.
"Human, you still wish to challenge me?"
After displaying its power, the dragon spoke. The syllables were obscure and difficult to pronounce, but Godric happened to understand them. He knew a little Draconic.
Dragons capable of speaking Draconic and communicating with humans were virtually extinct in this era.
Only dragons that understood Draconic were considered part of the "True Dragon Race." Their intelligence was often no lower than that of humans. The others—like the Hungarian Horntail or the Ukrainian Ironbelly—were merely beasts that had inherited the dragon's form but not its mind.
"This dragon... is one of the last descendants of the True Dragons..."
The True Dragon Race, along with High Elves and Dwarves, had largely vanished long ago for reasons unknown.
In truth, Dragons and Elves were the darlings of magic. Humans, among the many magical races, were merely above average.
Facing the Great Dragon, Godric was shaken, but he had no intention of backing down. He let out a hearty laugh and shouted his reply: "Of course..."
However, he only got halfway through his sentence before the other three Founders appeared and cut him off.
Salazar appeared behind Godric and clamped a hand over his mouth, stifling the challenge before it could be completed. Rowena Ravenclaw immediately stepped forward, adding apologetically, "Of course we won't challenge you."
Meanwhile, Helga Hufflepuff grabbed Godric's hand, preventing him from drawing his sword.
Although the three of them didn't understand Draconic, they could tell the dragon was communicating with Godric.
And judging by the ambitious look on Godric's face, they knew exactly what the conversation was about. That was why they intervened immediately to stop him from doing something stupid.
The dragon showed no extreme reaction to the sudden appearance of the other three. Its dark golden eyes scrutinized them. After a moment, it raised its head arrogantly. "Then you should leave this place. Do not hinder my mission again."
The dragon's expression was profound. The "mission" it mentioned puzzled Godric deeply.
Don't ask how a dragon can have a "profound expression." The point is, Rowena and the others understood it perfectly.
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Having displayed its power and warned the four wizards, the dragon spread its wings and flew back into the dark cave beneath the main tower of the castle.
"Why did you stop me?"
Godric was somewhat dissatisfied with his friends' intervention. However, Rowena's next sentence shut him up instantly.
"This is where we are building our school. If you and that dragon actually fight, what will be left of this place?"
Rowena's tone was blunt, and her glare instantly withered Godric.
Hearing this, Godric's momentum deflated. Rowena was right. If the battle continued, nothing would remain.
If the school grounds were reduced to a cratered wasteland, there would be no school. Therefore, they had to defeat the dragon without destroying the landscape.
"So, what do we do now?" Godric wasn't a fool; he calmed down quickly.
"Let's go back first and discuss it," Rowena suggested. In her view, encountering a communicative Great Dragon was rare and required a careful plan.
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In Godric's Hollow, Rey was still staring at the southern sky, his heart already flying to the Forbidden Forest.
"Never tickle a sleeping dragon!"
As he whispered the motto, Rey knew exactly what had happened in the Forbidden Forest under the southern sky.
"Mother... is she okay?"
"Is the teacher alright?"
Helena and Terence walked up to Rey, all three maintaining the same posture, gazing south.
They knew something had happened over there, but they hadn't expected the disturbance to be so massive. Feeling the tremors all the way in Godric's Hollow made them worry.
"Such a powerful dragon... How did the Four Founders actually deal with it?"
Rey wondered in awe.
He came from the future Hogwarts. Since Hogwarts existed, the Four Founders must have won against the dragon. Otherwise, how could the school be established, and how could Rey be standing here?
Since he, the result, was standing here, the cause must come to fruition. It was an inevitable equation.
Just as the three of them were worrying, a breeze rippled through the grass of Godric's Hollow.
Not far behind Rey and the others, the four founders of Hogwarts appeared one by one via Apparition.
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