Opening his eyes, Asterion looked at the distant forest burning with demonic blue flames. All the trees in that place were set ablaze, making the flames grow enormously and seem like they would consume everything. They looked as if they would reach the heavens at any moment.
"In the name of Merlin, what happened there?" Cedric asked incredulously, staring at the distant forest burning in blue flames, his eyes wide open in extreme shock.
" Did someone die??" Cedric turned and asked Luna, who was crouching on the ground, drawing what appeared to be a woman wearing a veil and holding a scythe with a stick. Her blue, almost ethereal silver eyes were completely focused on the drawing.
Asterion looked at the drawing with a deep gaze and then looked away. For some reason, that drawing made him feel some unknown palpitations.
"No one has died." Her words made Cedric's face look relieved, but his expression changed to one of helplessness with her next words.
"Yet." She added with an innocent look, gazing at Cedric. Though she showed a mischievous smile on her lips, the young Hufflepuff could only let out a low, slightly sad laugh.
When Cedric was about to ask more, Rose appeared suddenly, carrying four other people. She casually dropped the four members of the German team and let out a more than relieved sigh.
She seemed relaxed and at ease, almost as if she had just unwound after a long period of stress.
Looking at the condition of the four German team members on the ground, Cedric quickly approached and checked on them. His expression changed when he saw Hans's critical condition.
He pulled out his wand and began chanting healing spells one after another. His skillful control of magical energy made Rose and Asterion look at him with surprised expressions.
Cedric truly impressed them, but sensing the twenty-year-old's magical energy reserves, they understood that less magical energy was easier to control.
After half an hour of casting healing spells, Cedric, with a pale and exhausted face, sat on the ground, tired. He raised his eyes towards Rose and asked with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Was all this necessary?"
Hans's condition looked terrible. With Cedric's treatment, his critical state stabilized, his wounds no longer bled, and he would survive, though with almost irreparable sequelae.
In this International Magic and Witchcraft Tournament, only death was not permitted; everything else was allowed. The situation only showed how brutal the upcoming challenges would be.
Although, compared to the Triwizard Tournament, this tournament was still more harmless, as every edition of the Triwizard Tournament ended in deaths.
"Do you think you would have survived that?" Rose didn't answer Cedric's question and pointed to the forest still burning with blue flames. From a distance, dragons, snakes, and firebirds could still be seen. It looked as if the fire was alive.
Cedric paused for a moment and sighed, shaking his head. "Impossible, I would have died."
"He used high-level dark magic, so he must face the consequences," Rose leaned against a tree and replied in a relaxed tone.
"A bunch of ants forced you into this state," Asterion, who had been silent, mocked Rose, making the white-haired girl grit her teeth in frustration.
Although she knew she had underestimated the ants, she still didn't regret it; the fight was more interesting than she had expected. Unlike Special Grade Wizards, who don't hold back their magical energy in attacks, one of the reasons for the absurd level of destruction by Special Grade Wizards, low-level wizards must conserve their magical energy for emergencies. This was unusual for Rose, who rarely worried about magical energy due to her talent.
"That guy is good; his innate technique involves heightened senses. If he were a Special Grade Wizard, he would be a tough opponent." Pointing to Hans, now missing an arm and a good part of his shoulder, Rose spoke while clicking her tongue in admiration. It was the first time in her life that someone had managed to at least see her traces.
Asterion nodded, though he didn't think Hans's senses were better than Neville Longbottom's. While the boy wasn't particularly strong against a Special Grade Wizard, he was strong against Grade 1 and lower wizards.
Remembering Rose's state during the fight, he couldn't help but think how similar Rose and her male counterpart from another reality were. Both were particularly sarcastic in battles they would inevitably win, though in rare cases, both showed a serious demeanor.
In short, it was a surprise to see Rose with a manic smile on her face, breaking limbs. Asterion had to admit, it was pure and wild brutality, which he found sexy.
"How long would it take for you to recover your magical energy if you were a Grade 2 wizard?" Asterion asked Rose, who was resting beside Luna.
Asterion was not unaware of the other teams' thoughts of exhausting them through many fights; it was the most obvious strategy when fighting someone very strong.
But whether it was Rose or Asterion, neither would run out of magical energy. Their incomparable magical energy reserves were not something mere Grade 2 wizards could deplete.
They were only limited by a fixed amount of magical energy they could use; exceeding this fixed amount would disqualify them from the tournament. However, both Rose and Asterion recovered more energy than they spent, creating something impossible in reality: a perpetual cycle of magical energy.
"Three minutes. And you?" After doing the calculations in her mind, Rose answered without hesitation. This was the regeneration rate of her magical energy when she was a Grade 2 witch, which was when she was about three or four years old.
"Five minutes," Asterion replied indifferently. He didn't have the absurd control over his magical energy that Rose did. At least not in the past; with his second innate technique, he could control his magical energy at the same level as Rose Potter.
"I located another team while you were gone. I'll wait for you to recover your magical energy before I start acting." Asterion said, warming up with a smile on his lips. It had been a long time since he fought as a Grade 2 wizard, a stage he quickly surpassed, reaching Grade 1.
"Asty."
Hearing his nickname, Asterion's lips twitched as he saw almost silvery blue eyes looking at him deeply.
"Don't call me Asty," he said harshly, not caring about the girl's feelings.
"Yes, Asty." With a serious expression, Luna responded, saluting like a soldier.
"What did I say seconds ago?" Asterion asked with a blank face.
Luna put her finger to her lips and answered with a genuinely thoughtful expression. After a while, she remembered and replied seriously, "Not to call you Asty."
"What should you do then?" Gritting his teeth, Asterion asked again.
"Not call you Asty, Asty." With an innocent look, Luna responded again.
"..."
Asterion's expression was unreadable at this moment. He looked wordlessly at the innocent-looking girl.
"Pfft~~" Rose in the background started laughing, hearing their conversation, especially Asterion's expression. "AHAHAHAHAH!!!!"
Cedric turned his face to look at the tree as if it were something interesting, but his shoulders shook, indicating he was holding back from bursting into laughter like Rose.
Sighing, Asterion surrendered. "Do what you want, but what do you want to say?"
"He's here," Luna said, making Asterion show a confused expression.
"Who's here?" Cedric asked the question Asterion was about to ask, both looking strangely at Luna.
"Another seer has arrived." She replied casually, her voice indifferent to the arrival of the Dark Lord.
Asterion remained silent. In the end, he didn't care about the arrival of Gellert Grindelwald. It was more than expected for the Dark Lord to come to Hogwarts, especially with the man's imminent plan about to be completed.
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Next Chapter Second Volume: 141 - King's Game (9), 142 - King's Game (10), 143 - King's Game (11), 144 - King's Game (12), 145 - King's Game (13), Chapter 146 - Second Phase of the King's Game (1), Chapter 147 - Second Phase of the King's Game (2), Chapter 148 - Second Phase of the King's Game (3), Chapter 149 - Second Phase of the King's Game (4), Chapter 150 - Second Phase of the King's Game (5), Chapter 151 - Second Phase of the King's Game (6), 152 - Second Phase of the King's Game (7), 153 - Second Phase of the King's Game (8), 154 - Second Phase of the King's Game (9), 155 - Second Phase of the King's Game (10), 156 - Second Phase of the King's Game (11).