HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

The levitation spell was applied to the extremely fast-moving, sharp ice spikes that crashed down on her head.

The binding spell transformed into several ribbons of light, wrapping around several larger chandelier fragments and the entire chandelier frame, forcibly altering their landing points.

The Frost Spell landed precisely on the path she had anticipated Krum might charge forward, instantly freezing a smoother, more dangerous surface of ice.

This series of operations was performed smoothly and efficiently, completed in the blink of an eye.

The massive chandelier was pulled and crashed down not far behind her, scattering ice shards everywhere, but she skillfully deflected the fragments that posed the greatest threat to her.

However, just as she completed this thrilling "bomb defusal" operation—Krum moved.

He wasn't scared off at all by the rain of icicles he created!

Amidst the roar of the explosion and the swirling ice crystals, he moved like a cheetah that had been lying in wait, completely ignoring the ice trap that Hibiscus had created.

That burly body burst forth with astonishing speed, actually stepping directly onto the smooth ice surface, relying on its powerful core strength and the puck player's ultimate control over balance, rushing towards Furong at high speed in a manner almost like ice skating.

The ice beneath his feet even cracked continuously due to the immense force of his push.

The distance between the two closed in the blink of an eye.

Furong caught a glimpse of Krum charging towards her like a bull out of the corner of her eye, and a warning bell rang in her heart.

She only had time to cast a banishing spell in her haste.

The tiny ice crystals controlled by the levitation spell immediately shot out under the spell's command, but Krum's figure did not stop at all. He simply raised his arm to shield his eyes, letting the sharp ice crystals glide across his body, leaving behind blossoms of blood.

Then—"Disarm you!"

Krum's cold voice rang out, and a condensed red light burst forth from the tip of his wand.

boom!

The red light struck the magic barrier that Hibiscus had hastily failed to complete, shattering it like fragile glass.

The immense impact not only shattered the defenses but also knocked the wand from her hand.

The exquisite wand, its tip inlaid with a pearl, traced a high arc in the air before finally landing far away among the rubble at the edge of the arena.

Fleur Delacour stood there, slightly out of breath, looking at her empty right hand and then at Krum, who was pointing his wand steadily at her.

A hint of resentment welled up in those beautiful blue eyes, but she quickly lowered her head and admitted defeat.

Krum slowly lowered his wand, his chest rising and falling slightly. He showed no elation of victory, only a slight nod, and in his deep, slightly hoarse voice, he said succinctly:

"You lost."

Whoosh—!!!

After a brief silence, the Durmstrang stands erupted in thunderous cheers.

The falcon's voice cracked with excitement again: "Unbelievable! Viktor Krum! He seized that fleeting opportunity! A perfect surprise attack! He defeated Fleur Delacour! Durmstrang takes the first game!"

The students at Beauxbatons were filled with regret and sighs. Karkaroff wore a satisfied smile, while Mrs. Maxim shook her head slightly, but her gaze towards Krum also carried approval.

Furong took a deep breath, trying to calm her turbulent emotions.

She curtsied in an impeccable Beauxbatons curtsy, her voice remaining calm despite a slight, almost imperceptible tremor: “Brilliant tactics, Mr. Krum. I underestimated your ability to create chaos and seize opportunities.”

She turned and walked toward her wand, her steps seeming heavier than when she came.

Cedric stood in the wrestlers' waiting area, looking at Krum, who was like a god of war on the ring, his palms slightly sweaty.

Krum's strength lies not only in his power and speed, but also in his terrifying intuition to seize opportunities in chaos and his almost ruthless tactical execution.

A formidable opponent!

The falcon's voice rang out at the opportune moment, full of fervor: "Ladies and gentlemen! After a short break, we will begin our second match of the day! Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts will challenge Victor Krum, who has just displayed terrifying strength! Let's wait and see!"

Chapter 144 The Champion!

The brief respite passed in the blink of an eye.

Cedric stood at the entrance to the players' tunnel, taking a deep breath and trying to calm his pounding heart.

In his mind, the ruthless blow that Krum delivered to defeat Fleur kept flashing back, and the opponent's unwavering will and terrifying sense of balance lingered in his mind.

Amidst deafening cheers, he and Krum stepped onto the ring simultaneously.

Cedric stood ramrod straight, his face bearing the characteristic gentleness and firmness of the Hufflepuffs.

He didn't have Fleur's magical animal bloodline, nor did he possess Krum's overwhelming strength and arena instincts. What he had was a fairly solid foundation, decent resilience, and a series of spells he had learned from books.

Their eyes met, then they nodded to each other knowingly. Light flickered on the stone tablet, finally freezing on a random screen: Time Converter Workshop.

Space twisted and shifted, and a bizarre, dimly lit workshop filled with machinery instantly replaced the arena.

Above the arena is a giant, suspended hourglass, and around it hangs countless clocks of different sizes and shapes—on the walls, the ceiling, and even floating in mid-air, everywhere!

The gears and springs spun wildly, and the pendulum swung violently.

The sounds of "click, tick, and buzz" blended together, like a chaotic symphony.

Cedric and Krum immediately felt the pressure from the scene.

The chaotic noise continued to assault their nerves, and the fluctuating pace of time quietly disrupted their rhythm.

Krum still chose to strike first, but this time he was noticeably more cautious. Instead of immediately using a powerful spell, he waved his wand and said, "A booming voice!"

His target was a giant spiked gear pendulum clock on Cedric's head!

when--!!!

A deafening roar suddenly erupted, and the powerful sound waves, like a tangible hammer, slammed into Cedric.

At the same time, the giant pendulum clock, disturbed by the spell, suddenly accelerated, causing the surrounding gears to mesh wildly, and several sharp metal fragments were instantly sent flying, whistling as they shot towards Cedric.

This was a double whammy of sonic shock and physical debris; Krum cleverly used the environment to create the first wave of chaos.

Cedric was prepared.

He understood Krum's intention the moment he raised his hand, and immediately put a "close your ears!" spell on himself.

At the same time, he swung his wand rapidly: "Protect me!"

A silver shield instantly solidified in front of him.

However, the interference of the time flow slowed down the flying debris by half a beat.

Cedric was somewhat surprised, so he decisively removed his shield and calmly took a few steps back—the deadly metal just grazed past him!

Krum used the same tactic again, continuing his suppression. His wand flashed upwards: "Stunned!"

The red light shot out, but Cedric easily dodged it once again. Because of the hourglass's effect, even the speed of the cursed light began to gradually slow down.

Time became the biggest variable, but neither of them gave up on causing trouble for the other. As Seekers, their thinking was surprisingly similar at many times—at this moment, they were both moving closer to each other without prior agreement.

"Petrify them all!"

"Obstacles are numerous!"

"Immediately imprison them!"

Various spell lights continuously burst forth from beneath their wands, but under the influence of the hourglass, the spell lights moved slower and slower, and were then easily dodged by the two.

Krum's burly figure moved nimbly through the chaotic clock forest, his wand pointing precisely at a clock to Cedric's right that was spinning wildly: "Shatter to pieces!"

boom!

The clock shattered with a crash!

Countless gears of all sizes and broken springs, like a deadly storm of steel, poured down on Cedric in a fan shape, almost blocking all paths of evasion.

Cedric, not to be outdone, swung his cane rapidly at the clock above Krum's head: "Down with a thud!"

Clang!

The huge clock broke free of its hook and crashed down on Krum.

However, both the whistling fragments and the falling giant bell were visibly slowing down... and eventually they mysteriously hovered and stopped in mid-air!

Therefore, both men ignored the deadly threat before them, not even bothering to move an inch, and continued to swing their canes.

Just then—Clang!!

A deafening roar that shook the entire workshop suddenly erupted!

The hourglass above their heads instantly reversed, and before the two could react, the flow of time suddenly accelerated.

The previously still fragments of the clock seemed to be propelled anew by an invisible force, suddenly transforming into a torrent of death that shot towards Cedric. Meanwhile, the giant clock hovering above Krum's head crashed down with tremendous force.

The two were immediately startled. The change was too sudden and the attack too swift; they had no way to avoid it.

In a flash, Cedric and Krum's eyes met in mid-air. Without the slightest hesitation, they both made the same decision—raising their wands simultaneously, pointing them at each other.

"Retreat the enemy three feet!"

"Retreat the enemy three feet!"

Two swift beams of magical light brushed past each other in mid-air, striking each other precisely.

"Oh!"

Both were struck hard by the other's spell at the same time, and their bodies flew backward uncontrollably.

Cedric's backward flight was just enough to allow the deadly storm of debris to whiz past his chest.

Krum's flying figure narrowly avoided the heavy wall clock that crashed to the ground!

"Beautiful!" In the stands, countless spectators relaxed their tense nerves and burst into cheers.

The two fell heavily to the ground, neither of them having a chance to catch their breath.

Krum, with his strong physique, was the first to get up, but in his haste, he only had time to cast a banishing spell—a pendulum clock suspended in the air was driven by the spell to smash down hard on Cedric.

Cedric had just managed to get up from the ground, enduring the pain, when the head-sized pendulum clock came hurtling toward his head.

"Torn apart!"

Click—!

The pendulum clock was instantly blasted into pieces by Cedric's spell. But before the fragments could hit the ground, he flicked his wand upwards.

"A salvo of ten thousand bullets!"