When the sun rose, Asterion, Rose, Luna, and Cedric set off without delay, heading towards the mountain that seemed to grow taller as they approached.
Seeing the mountain up close, Cedric gasped, his eyes widening. "Incredible! Knowing that human capacity can create this makes me understand why wizards and witches were considered gods in the eyes of Muggles."
He spoke with genuine shock, his eyes fixed on the enormous monument raised by magic, filled with awe.
Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, and any other gods were wizards and witches in the historical context of the magical world. What humans considered gods were merely wizards and witches who had reached the pinnacle of each element.
However, even though wizards did not believe in these magical gods, the wizarding community still respected these beings because they abandoned everything else and focused entirely on just one branch of magic—Innate Technique.
They became the very apex of all magic, without concern for anything else.
"Are they still alive?" Rose asked curiously, her eyes on Asterion, clearly directing the question to him. Luna and Cedric also looked at Asterion with curious expressions.
If there was one thing Noble Houses possessed, it was information and secrets, knowledge they monopolized over millennia, growing stronger with each passing century.
Seeing everyone looking at him expectantly, Asterion rolled his eyes but ultimately chose to respond.
"Whether the magical gods are alive or not, I don't know. But in the late 1800s, it was said that a battle took place beneath Hogwarts, involving what seemed to be ancient magic, likely a legacy of a magical god. Ranrok III, a goblin king, sought this power and started another goblin rebellion. A fifth-year student successfully stopped the goblin king by killing him."
"If you want to know more about it, Dumbledore enrolled in Hogwarts a few years later; he probably knows more than I do. I only read a few accounts about it," Asterion concluded, focusing his gaze on the mountain.
Rose's eyes sparkled as she listened to his words. If she could obtain that power, wouldn't she become even stronger? He complained about being too strong, but if there was a chance for her to grow even more powerful, Rose definitely wouldn't refuse.
Summoning the winged centipede, Asterion jumped onto it and looked at the other three members of his team. "Get on, we're flying up."
Cedric grimaced at the sight of the terrifying cursed spirit. He definitely didn't want to climb onto something so frightening, but seeing the steep mountain, impossible for him to climb alone, the Hufflepuff representative sighed helplessly.
Still somewhat hesitant to climb onto a cursed spirit—something he had always fought against during his time at Hogwarts—Cedric cautiously mounted it, keeping a wary eye on the Cursed Spirit, fearing it might attack at any moment.
In contrast to the Hufflepuff boy's caution and fear, Rose and Luna were as eccentric as ever, with Luna, in particular, stroking the cursed spirit's carapace with a sweet expression.
"I never thought I'd one day be flying on a cursed spirit," Cedric sighed wearily, looking at the cursed spirit with a complex expression.
"Not as impressive as flying on your own," Rose commented nonchalantly. She could imitate flight using her innate technique, so flying on a cursed spirit didn't seem that special.
"Luna, are you this friendly with all cursed spirits?" Asterion asked, noticing Luna petting the cursed spirit.
"No. I usually exorcise them when I encounter them. It's only when I see yours that I'm friendly. I might have a few screws loose in my mind, but I'm not stupid," Luna raised her head and looked at Asterion with a slightly offended expression, meeting the fourteen-year-old's red eyes.
"Can you blame him for asking something like that? Aside from Baskerville, even Asterion isn't as friendly with his cursed spirits as you are," Rose shook her head, speaking as she patted the platinum-blonde girl's hair, her almost silvery blue eyes looking especially cute.
Sometimes, Rose really wanted to open Luna's head and see what was inside. If her brain had any strange elements, she could understand it perfectly; the Ravenclaw representative was truly peculiar.
Asterion didn't wait any longer and controlled the cursed spirit, flying towards the mountain peak, the center of the entire King's Game arena, and the place where the second phase of the King's Game would take place.
"This mountain is really tall," Cedric commented, looking down with a touch of fear. His legs trembled slightly, indicating that the young man wasn't exactly calm about the current situation.
Rose noticed this and smiled mischievously. "Who would have thought that the Hufflepuff representative is afraid of heights~"
Cedric's face showed obvious embarrassment at her words; he could already imagine becoming the butt of jokes in his Common Room after the tournament ended.
"Don't worry, Cedric, my dad is also afraid of heights; it's a very normal condition," Luna tried to comfort Cedric, but it only made the young man's expression worse.
Not because of Luna's father, but because Luna herself was perfectly fine at this moment. He, a nineteen-year-old man standing 6 feet tall, was outdone by a fourteen-year-old girl standing 5'2"!
No matter how much he thought about it, Cedric knew he would be embarrassed for a long time. He knew his friends and was aware of how capable they were.
"We've arrived." Hearing Asterion's voice, Cedric's green eyes fell on the mountaintop. Contrary to what he had imagined, the entire area was perfectly flat, measuring about 100 meters in diameter.
However, this only made Cedric's expression more solemn. One hundred meters might seem large, but in a wizard's duel, a space of that size was barely adequate.
Thinking about having to fight in such a small arena against dozens of people at the same time, Cedric's face darkened.
"It looks like we're going to have trouble protecting Luna," Rose commented, her expression serious for the first time in the King's Game. She didn't think she would lose in a fight, but when it came to battling dozens of witches while protecting Luna at the same time, she could say with 100% certainty that she could protect her queen.
Asterion agreed with Rose's words. Things had indeed become complicated given the size of the arena; it was truly problematic to fight in such a confined space. Additionally, he and Rose had to be careful not to destroy the entire mountain with their attacks.
Then, Asterion's gaze fell on the throne in the center of the arena. It was empty and resembled a very high and wide stone throne, made of smooth slate-like ceramic. Someone could easily sleep on it like a bed. Luna, in particular, could sleep on it comfortably given her height.
Beneath the throne, some furs were provided for added comfort for whoever would sit on it during the second phase of the King's Game.
"Luna." Asterion looked at Luna and spoke calmly.
Luna understood what Asterion wanted and walked over to the throne under the watchful eyes of Rose and Cedric.
As she sat on the throne, the entire mountain began to glow intensely, the light condensing into a crown above the mountain.
At that moment, regardless of the team, everyone looked at the crown above the mountain and realized that someone had taken the throne!
The second phase of the King's Game had just begun!
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Next Chapter Second Volume: 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), 157 - Second Phase of the King's Game (12), 158 - Second Phase of the King's Game (13 e And), 159 - Death of Arcturus (1), 160 - Death of Arcturus (2), Chapter 161 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (1), Chapter 162 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (2), Chapter 163 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (3), Chapter 164 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (4).