When the crowd had gathered, McGonagall and four members of the Patrol approached them, looking grim.
"As the game progresses, we will patrol the outside of the maze at all times. If you encounter any difficulties during the game and wish to be rescued, fire red sparks into the sky and we will come to your aid immediately."
"But firing the fire means the champion is giving up the game altogether, and it's up to you to decide!" Bagman added.
Ivan and the others nodded in agreement.
Bagman cleared his throat and used his wand to cast a Resounding Spell on himself. He then looked at the crowd on the stage and shouted, "Alright, let's begin the official match!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the final match of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me report the current scores!"
"First up is the Hogwarts champion, Ivan Hals, who passed with a perfect score, and currently has a hundred points!"
At Bagman's words, there was a huge round of applause from the crowd. Ivan looked around reservedly and saw his friends waving at him.
"Then there's Mr Harry Potter! He came in second with eighty-two points!" Bagman continued to shout.
There was another round of applause from the audience, but when Bagman started talking about Fleur and Krum, the cheering died down, and the only people applauding were Beauxbatons and the Durmstrang Wizards.
Bagman, having sufficiently galvanised the audience, pointed a finger at Ivan and spoke.
"Now … get ready, brave Ivan Hals, for my whistle!"
"Three… two… one, go!" Bagman shouted, counting.
With a short whistle, Ivan led the way into the maze.
Although the first two matches gave him a lot of advantage, the earlier he won the Goblet of Fire, the better, in order to ensure victory.
Not to mention, he would need some time to check the Goblet of Fire, so he didn't waste any time exploring the maze.
However, Ivan soon found out that the maze was much larger than he had imagined, and was so dark that all he could see were tall hedges. Entering the maze was like being separated from the outside world, and the audience's cheers and applause stopped abruptly, presumably because of some sort of soundproofing enchantment.
"Lumos ~ (flickering light)" Ivan waved his wand, and a light lit up from the tip of the wand and spread in all directions.
After about fifty steps, Ivan was surprised to find a fork in the road, which split into two tunnels.
"Left or right?" Yvonne hesitated.
If he made the wrong choice, it would take him a lot of time to get around it.
So Ivan chose neither, and instead set his sights on the massive hedge directly in front of him.
"I remember between two o'clock, what was the shortest?" Ivan asked, rubbing his chin, remembering that Bagman had not said anything about breaking the rules.
"The shortest length of line, of course! Reducto ~(Crushed to pieces)" Ivan pointed his wand forward, and a scarlet beam of light flashed past with a piercing roar.
By the time the dust cleared, there was an irregular gap in the tall hedge in front of them, through which Ivan stepped, wand in hand, and there was another loud explosion.
Since he could not find the right path, he would just create one!
"This is an infraction, a serious infraction!" Karkaroff shouted as he slammed his hands on the table and watched the video from the judges' panel.
Dumbledore, who was also watching the match, was frustrated. Ivan was bound to win the championship, but he kept coming up with all the wrong ideas.
"Strictly speaking, there is no rule against breaking these hedges, Karkaroff…" Dumbledore explained in a low voice. "You should know that there are specially reinforced charms placed on them, and that it would take an ordinary wizard a great deal of time and effort to break them, no easier than going through a maze!"
Dumbledore paused to look up at the floating crystal ball and continued, "And I think… Mr. Harls will soon pay for his actions!"
Karkaroff and Maxim were dubious, but when they looked up, they saw that the maze had changed.
Ivan's violent use of magic to clear the way seemed to have awakened the entire maze of silence, and the creatures of the dark emerged from every corner.
"Diffindo~~" Ivan waved his wand and blasted a giant spider that tried to attack him to death, then pointed his wand at the newly blasted opening.
Several long crab legs poked through the opening, and when they emerged, Ivan saw that they belonged to a giant Blast-Ended Skrewt several metres long.
It looked like a cross between a giant scorpion and a strange crab. Its hard, heavy shell was covered in vicious barbs, and what was even more frightening was that the Blast-Ended Skrewt's tail suddenly shot out a jet of hot fire. The powerful thrust caused the Blast-Ended Skrewt to crash into it like a spiked iron ball.
The narrow corridor of the maze was almost impossible to avoid, and Ivan activated the Ring of Magic the moment the Blast-Ended Skrewts crashed into him. He had no choice but to jump up, and the seventeen runes on his bracelet lit up instantly. A blast of magic carried him away from the Blast-End Skrewts.
The Blast-Ended Skrewt's enormous body was unable to restrain itself, and after Ivan dodged it, it crashed into the back hedge, its sharp crab legs sinking deep into the cracks in the wall.
Ivan, of course, would not miss this opportunity. He waved his wand and cast a Smashing Charm.
The Blast-Ended Skrewt's huge shell was tougher than he had imagined. After taking the curse head-on, its shell only cracked, but it was still alive and kicking.
However, the shattering of the shell broke some sort of balance. Just as the Blast-Ended Skrewt was about to erupt in flames again, its entire body suddenly exploded and blood splattered everywhere.
"What kind of strange creature is this?"
Ivan shook his head at the mess of crustaceans and bits of meat. It seemed that Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts still had room for improvement.