Chapter 690
Lizard and Hope
Chapter 690 Lizard and Hope
"Merlin!" Hermione exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Has it been following Harry all along?!"
Ron's face also turned ugly, and he said angrily, "Does Wade not even spare Harry?"
“Don’t say that, they…they’re rivals.” Hermione clenched her fists until they were white, her lips trembling as she said, “Trying to defeat them is…it’s the right thing to do…”
“That wasn’t just any ordinary defeat!” Neville muttered from the other side. “Look at the state of the others… they had to be beaten half to death before they could leave…”
As Harry ventured deeper into the thorn wall, the bluebird followed, and the fleeting image of the lizard made Gryffindor's hearts clench.
However, at this moment, the camera has already cut to Clementine.
……
The girl ran wildly through the dark, forbidden forest, her robes torn in several places by branches and thorns. She gasped for breath, feeling as if a metallic taste was rising from her lungs.
"Ow—"
A roar came from the dense forest ahead, and the cheetah's eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, appeared and disappeared.
Clementine abruptly changed direction, simultaneously throwing out a spell:
"The flames are blazing!"
"boom!"
A pile of decaying leaves caught fire, emitting wisps of smoke, but before it could fully ignite, it was trampled out by the cheetah.
It rolled itself in mud, making it dirty and unsightly, but this freed it from the fear of ordinary flames.
The cheetah stood on a withered branch, its eyes seemingly filled with amusement as it watched the girl's retreating figure.
After running for a while, Clementine stopped and leaned against a tree to rest, her legs shaking so badly she could barely stand.
She turned around, and the bushes behind her were quiet; the cheetah had indeed stopped chasing her.
This had happened three or four times already, and even if Clementine was slow to grasp the situation, she was beginning to understand—
The leopard teased her like a house cat toying with a mouse, seemingly trying to drive her in a certain direction.
—What exactly does it want to do?
Clementine gritted her teeth and pondered, but when the sound of rustling leaves approached from behind, she still managed to lift her foot.
The predators were always by his side.
Although she really wanted to try it out—what would happen if she ran in the opposite direction despite the threat of the cheetah?
But whenever she tried, Jabari's tragic fate would flash through her mind.
Clementine bit her lip.
These cold creations seem utterly unafraid to kill.
She didn't want the other party to have their way, but she had no choice.
When a low growl sounded from the side, Clementine adjusted her course, even too tired to run anymore, but the cheetah never appeared.
"what!"
She sneered, a sudden surge of ruthlessness rising within her.
—Let me see what awaits me ahead!
……
The scene on the screen suddenly switched again, refocusing on the entrance to the thorn wall. Some of the thorns were as blunt as rusted nails, while others were as slender as snake fangs, jagged and intertwined, appearing extremely dangerous.
But after watching it for a long time, it gets boring.
In the audience, someone muttered in bewilderment, "Why keep shooting this empty shot?"
Only those with keen eyesight will notice the unnatural interplay of light and shadow on the thorny wall; upon closer inspection, they will discover the faint outline of a massive lizard.
Some people couldn't wait to tell others about their discovery, and then secretly looked forward to it with excitement.
Just then, a slender figure silently slipped through the bushes. Her steps were as light as a cat's, her presence barely noticeable. If the camera hadn't focused on her, most viewers wouldn't have spotted her. "What's this warrior's name?"
"Hope. She is Hope Cruise of Salem."
"Haha, look at this silly girl, she has no idea that danger lies on that thorny wall! I bet five Galleons she won't last ten seconds!"
"That's surprising. They looked weak, yet they managed to get here safely."
"I just don't know if she can dodge the lizards lying in ambush."
"What's the point of dodging the lizards? There's still Wade Gray ahead!"
The spectators, who were not directly involved, discussed the matter casually, and almost none of them thought Hope could pass this test. Only the students from Salem were so nervous that their faces turned pale.
"What should we do?" A freckled boy asked, his voice trembling. "Is there any way to remind her?"
"Calm down," Abby, the older redhead, snapped. "Keep a calm mind. Win or lose, it's an outcome we should accept!"
She said this, but her eyes never left the screen, and her clasped fingers trembled nervously.
“She’ll be alright, won’t she?” a little girl asked, her voice trembling with tears. She was Hope’s sister.
Her mother patted the girl on the back, but couldn't give a definite answer.
Immediately afterwards, the audience saw Hope pause in her steps just before stepping out of the dense forest, and then she used the Disillusionment Charm.
A soft gasp rippled through the stands, and some people smiled as they watched the girl blend completely into the environment.
……
On the thorny wall, the lizard stirred slightly.
It watched Harry walk into the entrance, and then waited for a while, but didn't see any new visitors.
However, the lizard was a very patient fellow; it hung motionless above the entrance to the thorn wall, its body turning to the same color as the wall.
Among the puppets, only it possesses the Disillusionment Charm, giving it the same ability as the chameleon.
The thorns were stuck in its abdomen, some even piercing through, but the lizard puppet felt no pain at all; at most, it just felt that the thorns were a bit of a nuisance.
Suddenly, its eyes shifted and fixed on one direction, remaining motionless.
A bluebird flew out of the woods, circled for a moment, and then perched on a branch, looking at the empty meadow in front of it.
But the lizard knew perfectly well that these "cameras" had no interest in the mundane scenery; wherever they were, there must be warriors among them.
The lizard suddenly became excited, and it unconsciously stuck out a small part of its tongue, which trembled in the air, its eyes fixed on the grass in front of the bluebird.
Some unqualified wizards can only remain still in one place when using the Disillusionment Charm; once they move, they can easily leave a trace.
However, Hope's Disillusionment Charm was perfect; even as she tiptoed toward the thorn wall, there was no sign of disharmony in the surrounding environment.
But the lizard still managed to detect it—the slight cracking sound of grass stems being broken, the unnatural collapse of plants, and the faintest breathing sounds.
It waited motionless for the moment the girl approached.
Suddenly, Hope's steps faltered at the entrance. Her transparent figure swayed slightly, as if she vaguely sensed some kind of threat. She silently raised her wand, her shoulders tensing.
However, her gaze was fixed on the depths of the dark passage, completely unaware of the murderous intent lurking above her—
"Whoosh!"
The lizard's tongue lashed out like a javelin!
(End of this chapter)