Skylar and the Dragon
Skylar was the first Champion to take the court.
The whistle blew, Skylar walked through the tent entrance to the outside. He straightened his robe again, raised his head, and strolled leisurely into the arena.
The stadium is designed like the ancient Roman Colosseum, a circular arena with a wide central area containing various terrain features such as trees, rocks, and ponds, while brand-new spectator stands have been built around the perimeter.
The stands were packed with people, hundreds upon hundreds of faces watching him from above.
It was afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly. The golden sunlight slanted down on Skylar, casting a shadow behind him that made his tall figure appear even longer.
Sunlight shone on the boy's spirited and handsome face, blurring his originally somewhat youthful features; his figure seemed to be plated with a faint golden light, coupled with the charming halo of the Supreme Robe, a solemn and sacred golden aura emanated from his body, and his entire temperament instantly became as majestic as a mountain, so awe-inspiring and extraordinary.
Many young wizards couldn't help but have the illusion that Skylar was no longer the fourth-year wizard, but a war god clad in golden armor!
At the other end of the enclosure, a silver-blue Fire Dragon stood prominently, lying on a tall rock in the middle, its wings flapping slightly, perhaps shooing away flies. Not far from the Fire Dragon, a gleaming Golden Egg lay.
Skylar was lucky; as the first competitor, the Swedish Short-Snout was placed on the field early, and it was currently taking a nap with its eyes closed.
This competition was no challenge for Skylar; a Fire Dragon lying still, giving Skylar unlimited time to set it up, was far less difficult than his battle against the swarm of Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest.
Skylar lowered his right hand, which was holding the wand, and silently concentrated, mobilizing all the magic power in his body.
Suddenly, he raised his wand to his eyes, and the wand danced with incredible speed and fluidity between his fingers, leaving afterimages in the air!
In an instant, more than a dozen thick black vines sprouted wildly from the ground around the Swedish Short-Snout. The Dragon grew at an astonishing rate, multiplying into hundreds in the blink of an eye, binding the Dragon tightly to the ground. The Dragon let out a deafening roar, struggling frantically and trying to tear the vines off with its claws and teeth. However, the vines grew too fast— the Dragon had barely managed to break off a few vines binding it and was flapping its wings, trying to fly away from the danger, when more vines wrapped around its bulky body, pulling it down from the low sky and causing it to crash heavily to the ground with a loud thud.
The Swedish Short-Snout was now covered in wounds and enraged!
Among the known species of Fire Dragon in the world--
If we're talking about size and strength, then the Ukrainian Ironbelly is the one;
If we're talking about the wildest, most aggressive, and longest-range attack, the Hungarian Horntail are undoubtedly the best.
But when it comes to the destructive power of fire, no dragon can compare to even a fraction of the power of the Swedish Short-Snout!
The Swedish Short-Snout's flames are unique; it is the only dragon species capable of spewing bright blue flames, hot enough to turn wood and bone to Ashes in a second. While it cannot spew long pillars of fire up to fifty feet long like the Hungarian Horntail, nor can it unleash mushroom-shaped clouds of fire like the Chinese Fireball, its flames cover the widest area—if one had to describe them, they would be described as towering, monstrous waves of fire!
Therefore, it is evident that the flames of the Swedish Short-Snout are the strongest among all the Fire Dragon, both in terms of quantity (firepower) and quality (flame temperature)!
Enrage drove the Swedish Short-Snout mad. It roared incessantly, and the dense, silvery-blue scales on its body began to glow with a faint blue light. Then it opened its mouth—it breathed fire!
The dazzling blue flames surged like a towering, wild, massive wave, engulfing everything in sight. A blast of heat swept through the center of the arena, and even spectators in the stands could feel the intense heat hitting their faces!
Astoria covered her mouth with a worried expression, while Daphne and Morrie remained calm, clearly having a better understanding and appreciation of Skylar's strength.
Morrie joked, "Good heavens, look at this temperature, it could probably melt even the Black Gold forged by Goblin!"
Astoria clasped her little hands tightly together and said, "Isn't this very dangerous? Can Skylar handle it?"
Daphne patted her younger sister's hand and said calmly, "Don't worry, he'll be fine. How could a mere Fire Dragon possibly defeat him?"
Driven mad, the Swedish Short-Snout recklessly spewed blue flames at everything around it, even its massive body was engulfed in the flames. Under the influence of the fire, the tangled vines turned to Ashes the moment they touched them, but at the same time, the scales on the Fire Dragon's body were melted by the fire and peeled off piece by piece at a visible speed.
After enduring countless hardships and injuries, the Swedish Short-Snout finally broke free from the vines, spread its enormous wings, and flew into the sky!
It raised its head high and let out a long, deafening roar. The sharp roar pierced through the sea of clouds, hurting the eardrums of the audience, and making everyone present feel its anger.
In rankings of the most dangerous dragons, most Fire Dragon experts and textbooks on Fantastic Beasts would list the Hungarian Horntail as number one.
This is because the Swedish Short-Snout lived in uninhabited areas in the wild, and humans were not its main food source. Therefore, this dragon rarely came into contact with humans, and the number of accidents that caused its deaths was extremely low, almost the lowest accidental death rate among all dragons.
This creates the illusion that the Swedish Short-Snout is not very dangerous.
If you think this makes it a safe dragon species, then you're in for a harsh lesson from reality.
While the Swedish Short-Snout rarely attacks humans, this doesn't mean it's a good-natured baby dragon. Only experienced Fire Dragon experts know that when a Swedish Short-Snout is truly enraged, it is a force to be reckoned with, for it will show everyone what true terror lies beneath a dragon's fury!
However, at this very moment, Skylar's long-prepared magic was complete!
Skylar created his own protective magic— Gods' Protection!
Centered on Skylar, a sharp wind howled, and magical energy radiating a strong white light rapidly gathered, swirling around Skylar like a magical tornado enveloping Skylar in its eye. Then, the indistinct magical tornado gradually materialized, with faint wave-like magical energy appearing on it, surging and rolling—to outsiders, Skylar appeared as if he were being enveloped by a white Water Dragon carrying terrifying waves and an awe-inspiring presence.
The Swedish Short-Snout spewed out intense blue-purple flames from its mouth while slamming its body against the barrier with its claws outstretched in a pouncing motion.
Bang!
The Swedish Short-Snout let out a deafening, piercing scream. The entire dragon somersaulted backward and landed on the ground in a sorry state, but it still couldn't stop the subsequent impact. Its entire body rolled uncontrollably in the opposite direction, kicking up huge clouds of dust.
Around Skylar, the Winky protective shield still stood tall and undamaged!
A unified cheer erupted from the surrounding stands—"Skylar! Victory! Hogwarts! Victory! Skylar! Victory! Hogwarts! Victory!..."
Skylar spoke slowly, and despite the surrounding noise, his voice still clearly reached the ears of everyone in the room.
It was less like he was speaking and more like he was chanting—he opened his mouth and loudly chanted in a mysterious and ancient language. His voice was deep and powerful, like a song, like a chant. Every word and every sound was like thunder at the end of the world, vibrating the eardrums of everyone present. The crowd was stunned into silence. Dumbledore even stood up from the judges' table, his usually calm face showing a rare look of shock and disbelief.
Although Professor McGonagall was the Head of Gryffindor, Skylar was considered her prized student, and she cared for Skylar no less than anyone else. She Albus, do you know what's going on with this child?"
Dumbledore first frowned deeply, then relaxed his brow. He shook his head and said, "I'm not entirely sure, but it sounds like dragon language, and it could very well be the lost Ancient Dragon Language..."
Madame Maxime and several professors nearby immediately showed expressions of disbelief.
In this day and age, let alone the Ancient Dragon Language, there are almost no wizards left who can speak the dragon language.
Karkaroff snorted loudly, his face full of disdain, and said, "Albus, you're just bragging... You yourself don't know a language, and you think it's coming from a fourth-year student? When did Hogwarts become so powerful?"
Several professors and Madame Maxime, who knew Dumbledore, frowned upon hearing Karkaroff's words. Just as Professor McGonagall was about to retort, the audience gasped in unison!
Every Hogwarts student has read the textbook * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them * (it's on the first-year students' reading list). In this book, author Scamander explains that Fire Dragon are the most dangerous of Magical Creatures, and that no Fire Dragon, regardless of species, can be tamed.
Wizards might be able to force Fire Dragon to submit through torture. For example, it is rumored that Gringotts once trained a Fire Dragon to be unable to resist when it heard a certain noise, so that Goblin who knew how to make that noise could easily pass by the Fire Dragon, while others could not. In this way, the Fire Dragon could be used as a guard to watch over the underground vault.
However, this is not true taming!
Once the Fire Dragon breaks free of its restraints and soars through the sky, it will no longer be suppressed and may even retaliate fiercely.
The adage "Fire Dragon cannot be tamed" is an ironclad rule that wizards have learned from countless lessons over the past thousand years. This concept has been deeply ingrained in the minds of all wizards, and no one doubts its validity. However, this ironclad rule was broken today in front of hundreds of Hogwarts teachers and students!
Skylar's Ancient Dragon Language was majestic and powerful, like a thunderous roar; each syllable carried the majesty of Ancient Divine Dragon, filled with the oppressive power of a superior over a subordinate, suppressing the unruly Swedish Short-Snout until its head, limbs, and body were all prostrate on the ground, unable to move, only able to let out pitiful and powerless cries.
It's the Dragon's Might!
It is the awe of the ancient ancestor's power that all Fire Dragon and wyverns are born with, imprinted in their blood, and which they cannot resist as a form of restraint and oppression!
Of course, the Ancient Dragon Language is profound and has been lost for a long time. Even Professor Binns' records cannot be considered a complete inheritance. Therefore, Skylar did not truly master the language completely; he had only just begun to grasp the basics.
However, this passage of Ancient Dragon Language was carefully selected by Skylar and prepared specifically for this moment. It's the last message left behind by the Ancient Divine Dragon, deciphered by archaeologists; it could also be considered a Prophecy. If translated into human language, it roughly means: --
"Dear descendants of the dragons, though the dragon blood has faded, do not abandon hope in your hearts, uphold the pride of the dragon race. The long night will eventually pass, and suffering will not last long. When the dragon's horn sounds again, may you still be flying ahead..."
The Swedish Short-Snout was completely powerless to resist. Skylar smiled easily, walked up to the Fire Dragon, and gently patted Fire Dragon head as if patting a puppy. Then he picked up the Golden Egg and held it high towards the judges' table.
The audience, which had just quieted down, erupted into a deafening roar once again.
Having completed his mission, Skylar did not return to his tent, but instead walked to the vicinity of the stands, intending to stand and watch the performance of the next three Champion.
The competition rules only state that those who have not yet participated cannot leave their tents without permission, lest they "refer to" or "copy" the methods of Champion who are ahead in the competition order, which would be unfair to those Champion have already finished their competition. However, there is no requirement for Champion have already finished their competition to return to their tents.