Countless writhing vines suddenly shot up in front of Leonard, howling as they rushed to meet the dragon.
The vines twisted together in midair, forming a giant hand that reached for the dragon.
The supple vines stood in stark contrast to the dragon's massive body. Even after those vines intertwined into a terrifying enormous hand, no one believed such a seemingly fragile thing could stop that unstoppable dragon charged with horrifying magic.
Yet the moment the two collided, something unbelievable happened.
The unstoppable dragon was grabbed by the giant hand of vines, and instantly fell silent. Only the dragon wings sticking out through the gaps in the fist, and the faint trembling of its claws, showed that the dragon inside was not dead yet.
A lush green light shone in Leonard's eyes. Drawing on the power of the World Tree, he wrestled against the Death God power inside the dragon.
Inside that giant hand, hidden from everyone else, the hand that looked full of natural vitality revealed a grotesque scene.
Countless fine vines burrowed into the dragon's body, spreading through it with scalp-numbing sounds of flesh tearing apart.
The Death God power inside the dragon rose up in resistance, and the two forces began devouring each other, using the dragon's body as their battlefield.
At first they were evenly matched, neither side gaining the upper hand. But soon the invading plant power grew stronger and stronger, forcing the Death God power steadily backward.
Leonard was not yet an Eternal Wizard, but he stood backed by the World Tree, and even the veteran Eternal Wizard Odin could not do without that reserve of power.
And Leonard was closer to the battlefield, with less loss along the way. Put simply, his signal was better. So in this invisible struggle, Leonard held the advantage.
Before long, the giant hand of vines in the sky shuddered slightly, then came apart into countless vines that drilled into the dragon's body.
The dragon that had originally been controlled by Death God power had completely changed. The areas corroded away by the rain had been woven back together and filled with vines.
It was no longer under Voldemort's control.
Its master now was Leonard.
"It... it was defeated just like that?" On the judges' stand, the headmasters who had narrowly escaped death stared at the giant hand in the sky, all of them feeling as though they were dreaming.
That dragon, which had completely suppressed Dumbledore, had really just been caught so casually?
"I must be having a nightmare," Maxime said in disbelief.
But reality was right there in front of her.
Right before her eyes, Leonard jumped onto the plant dragon. After saying a few words to Fleur, he flew off without looking back, leaving behind complete chaos in the arena.
After watching Leonard leave, Fleur hurried over to the judges' stand.
"Headmistress Maxime, are you all right?" Fleur asked with concern.
"I'm fine..." Maxime looked at the direction Leonard had disappeared. "That child... what was his name again?"
"His name is Leonard William... a very special person," Dumbledore said in a low voice.
His expression was not a pleasant one. After seeing Leonard subdue the dragon, he suddenly realized that the magic he had spent most of his life learning was actually inferior to Leonard's.
Barty Crouch from the Ministry of Magic had probably been frightened out of his wits. Looking at the unconscious spectators on the ground, he kept muttering that he was finished.
There was no need to think about it. Whatever the cause, such a serious accident had happened here, and as the person in charge, he was definitely finished.
As for Karkaroff...
Karkaroff's gaze flickered, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
"No matter what, let's get the injured back to Hogwarts for treatment first," Dumbledore said, looking at the spectators lying on the ground.
There were only a small number of them, but they would still be enough to keep Madam Pomfrey terribly busy.
"As for the rest of you, get some rest first..."
"This is no time to rest, Headmaster Dumbledore," Fleur said, looking at him. "It isn't over yet. Leonard said a group of enemies is approaching."
"Enemies? Who else?" Dumbledore froze.
By this point Voldemort should have been held off by Gellert. He should not have any subordinates left, and even the gray mist had been washed away by the rain.
Wait.
Given Voldemort's intelligence, he would never launch an attack blindly. If he knew Hogwarts had an Eternal Wizard, then he must have made other arrangements.
Arrangements capable of destroying Hogwarts.
...Death Eaters?
He looked toward a flourishing giant tree nearby, climbed it with magic, and gazed into the distance.
...
"Good heavens." Dumbledore looked far away and let out a cry of shock.
In the distance, a massive black cloud was drifting toward Hogwarts. Beneath it floated countless Dementors.
There were living people too, Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban, and behind them were countless ghosts.
Those ghosts, carrying vast amounts of Death God aura, surged forward like a tide. Among them, Dumbledore even recognized many familiar faces.
Those were clearly Death Eaters who had died long ago.
How were they supposed to withstand an enemy force on that scale?
Dumbledore dropped down from the tree, and the severity of his expression made everyone's heart skip.
"Dumbledore, what happened?" Barty Crouch asked, forcing himself to stay composed.
"Death Eaters. Not just the Death Eaters who are still alive, but the ones who are already dead as well. They're coming," Dumbledore said gravely.
His thoughts had already gone even further. He was wondering whether, if those Death Eaters died again, Death God power would be able to summon them back once more.
If that was possible, then this would be a completely hopeless battle. They would be facing a terrifying army that neither died nor feared anything.
"Death Eaters? Even the dead Death Eaters?" Barty Crouch's face turned green. Setting aside how dangerous the Death Eaters themselves were, he had once served as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Many Death Eaters considered him a sworn enemy.
Karkaroff was equally terrified. Even after throwing in his lot with Father God Odin, he could not forget his own past as a Death Eater. When he had been arrested, he had betrayed quite a few people. He was a traitor through and through.
"Death Eaters? Then... then has that man returned?" Karkaroff asked in horror.
"Yes. Not only has he returned, he has also become stronger." Dumbledore's gaze sharpened. "But we still have a chance. Come, we're returning to Hogwarts first. We have to set up our defenses before the Death Eaters arrive."
"We absolutely cannot sit here and wait for death!"
Dumbledore raised a hand, and Fawkes appeared out of nowhere.
With a beat of his wings, warm flames fell down, enveloping everyone on the judges' stand as well as the unconscious spectators. Then the fire drew back, and everyone appeared in the Great Hall of Hogwarts.