Chapter 686
Natalia's Elimination
Chapter 686 Natalia's Elimination
"boom!"
The blonde girl's back slammed hard against the tree trunk, and she spurted out a mouthful of blood, which also stained her fair face.
Her vision blurred for a moment, and when it refocused, she saw the gorilla puppet holding a sharp branch, the sharp end pointing directly at her heart.
Even more chilling was the fact that the lizard puppet's cold claws gripped her shoulders, its tail wrapped around the girl's waist, its heavy breath spraying onto the back of her head, and out of the corner of her eye, she could almost see a row of menacing fangs.
The gorilla puppet looked down at her condescendingly and uttered in a deep voice: "Admit defeat?"
It leaned down slightly, looked at her, and asked, "Or should we seriously injure you before we admit defeat?"
Natalia forced a bloodied, bitter smile, her fingers groping laboriously among the fallen leaves until they finally touched the cold wand.
The gorilla just watched coldly, not stopping her actions, but the lizard's claws dug deeper into her shoulder.
The girl had no doubt that if she fought back now, those claws would probably tear her arm off the moment her muscles tensed.
The broken and terrifying trees around them are the best proof of how violent and terrifying these two guys are.
She closed her eyes slightly, suppressing the urge to cry, and with her last bit of strength, pointed her wand at the sky.
"Whoosh-"
A blinding red spark shot into the sky, piercing through the gaps between the leaves and exploding with a bang high in the air.
The gorilla released the branch, the lizard withdrew its claws, and they took a few steps back in unison before turning and disappearing into the shadows of the trees, as if they had never been there.
The next second, Professor McGonagall descended from the sky on a broomstick. She looked at Natalia, who was covered in wounds, with a complex mix of heartache and concern: "You have been brave enough, child."
Natalia gave a weak smile, and just as she was about to say something, she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Professor McGonagall waved her wand and gently lifted her with a levitation charm: "Madam Pomfrey has prepared white essence and healing potion. Hang in there."
The broom rose slowly and steadily into the sky, with dense trees below forming a dark green ocean that rustled in the breeze like waves.
Natalia barely opened her eyes and just then saw a Thestral spread its huge, bat-like wings and glide gracefully over the sea of trees. Its white, pupil-less eyes glanced at her from afar, as if silently conveying pity.
The broom sped up, the whistling wind sweeping across the girl's bloodied cheek. In the fading moments of consciousness, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind: Where in the Forbidden Forest is Wade right now?
The thought brought a self-deprecating smile to her lips, but she felt neither resentment at her defeat nor jealousy of Wade.
She never naively believed that Wade should go easy on her on the field simply because of their past relationship.
From the moment she threw her name into the Goblet of Fire, Natalia was fully prepared: to fight to the top, or to fall.
After witnessing the skill level of the other warriors, she had already come to her senses.
It's just... such a shame!
Before they could even face Wade Grey head-on, they were already eliminated by his creations...
This was just a half-finished product that Wade hastily put together for the competition. I wonder how amazing the puppet he truly crafted with care would be?
The bright lights of the Quidditch pitch drew ever closer, and Natalia let out a soft breath, allowing the darkness to engulf her consciousness.
……
Clementine ran wildly into the depths of the forest, daring not to look back or stop, just running desperately until her lungs burned, the only sound the thunderous pounding of her own heart. Natalia's incantation and the monster's roar were left far behind, until they vanished completely. Then, Clementine stumbled, her foot slipped, and she sank into a mud pit, falling uncontrollably.
"what!"
She cried out, and the wand flew out.
The sound of clattering footsteps came from nearby. Clementine watched helplessly as a hand picked up her wand, and in despair, she closed her eyes.
Then, the tall grass and trees around her were pushed aside, and a friendly voice came from above: "Human girl? Is she one of the warriors participating in this competition?"
Clementine looked up in horror and saw a young centaur looking down at her, his silvery-white sideburns seemingly glowing and his light blue eyes filled with pity.
The centaur looked at the girl, who was lying in the grass, looking terrified. Her honey-colored curly hair was mixed with weeds and dead leaves, and her cheeks still had some baby fat.
He frowned slightly: "You're still a minor?"
Clementine said, trembling, "Yes...yes."
The centaur said with disgust, "What barbaric humans! They actually send their cubs into such a cruel battle."
He reached out to Clementine, his strong arm pulling her up from the ground, and said, “My people do not participate in the human race, but I can escort you for a while—come with me.”
“Thank you…you…what’s your name?” Clementine asked softly, then quickly added, “Oh, right, my name is…”
"Needless to say."
The centaur interrupted her, looking ahead, and said calmly, "You don't need to know my name, and I don't want to know yours, because names are the beginning of entanglements, but we are destined to walk on different paths."
Clementine stood there, stunned, watching the centaur walk several steps before quickly following.
Centaurs hold a delicate and unique position in the Forbidden Forest, and ordinary magical creatures do not easily provoke them. Led by this blue-eyed centaur, Clementine safely traversed a section of the forest with complex terrain.
Compared to her previous tumultuous experiences, the peace of this step moved her to tears.
"This is the best I can do for you."
The centaur stopped, raised his arm, and pointed to the two paths ahead, divided by the rays of the setting sun:
“Keep going to the left and you’ll see what you’re fighting for, but if you follow the path on the right, you can safely leave the forest.”
Clementine gripped her wand tightly, a resolute look on her face: "I haven't completely lost yet, so I will never desert my post!"
The centaur turned his head and stared silently at the girl for a moment, his sideburns fluttering gently in the wind.
He suddenly said, "Mars is very bright tonight, and it aligns with Scorpio."
"What do you mean?" Clementine asked, bewildered.
But the centaur only gave her a deep look, then lifted its front hooves and lightly touched the ground before heading straight into the depths of the forest.
Clementine stood at the crossroads, suddenly feeling a chilling fear. She took a deep breath, gripped her wand tighter, and stepped onto the left path without hesitation.
(End of this chapter)