The Fire Dragon Breaks Free

Chapter 369 The Fire Dragon Breaks Free (4K) (2/2)

On Saturday night, the moonlight, like a cold silver veil, spilled across a specially cleared area deep within the Forbidden Forest. Here, far from the hustle and bustle of the castle, only the low murmur of the night wind whistling through the ancient trees could be heard.

Lin Qi stood quietly in the center of the open space, his figure as upright as a pine tree, as if he were a part of the night.

The moonlight illuminated his calm face and the jet-black raven perched on his shoulder.

Lin Qi gazed quietly at the bright moon in the sky, while the crow occasionally turned its head, its dark eyes scanning the silent night sky.

Time flows by while we wait.

Suddenly, the crow, which had been silent all along, flapped its wings very slightly, its small head abruptly turning towards the southeastern horizon, its pupils shrinking to two sharp dots in the moonlight. With eyesight surpassing that of ordinary birds, it was the first to spot several moving black dots slowly descending through the gaps in the clouds, almost blending into the night.

Lynch's gaze rose, landing on the deep velvet-like night sky. The black dot rapidly magnified in his vision, its outline gradually becoming clear—a solemn and powerful procession. Several Thestrals spread their broad, boned wings, gliding silently, pulling the heavy, specially made carriages behind them. Even more striking were the massive boxes covered in thick, dark canvas, also towed by Thestrals, following behind the carriages. They approached slowly, like tamed dark mountains.

Just as the group descended to a certain altitude and circled hesitantly, Lin Qi made a move. He casually raised his right hand, his thumb hooking around his middle finger and flicking it lightly, as if releasing an invisible coin. A point of silvery-white cold light leaped from his fingertip, then detached and rose, like a...

A tiny, cold moon hovered steadily about ten feet in the air in front of him, emitting a steady, gentle glow.

This light became an incredibly clear beacon in the vast, dark forest clearing.

The transport team high in the air reacted immediately.

"Hey! There's light down there!" shouted a wizard riding a broomstick, his voice cutting through the night wind. "The messengers are heading that way!"

The transport fleet immediately changed course. The Thestrals let out a low, almost inaudible whinny, pulling the massive cage wagon, heavily covered in canvas, towards the orb of light. More than thirty broomstick riders scattered like crows returning to their nests, their wands glowing faintly in their hands, warily scanning their surroundings.

The huge cage landed with a heavy thud, making the fallen leaves on the ground jump.

From beneath the canvas came heavy, scorching breathing, forcefully suppressed by magic, occasionally interspersed with the harsh scraping of chains, and a muffled growl that seemed to come from the abyss.

A man in a travel cloak with a messy beard tumbled off the lead broom and strode toward Lynch, the hem of his cloak still damp with the cold dew of the high sky.

"You must be Professor Lynch! I am Oren Thomas." His voice was loud, carrying the weariness of a long journey and a hint of relief. "All four big guys have arrived, sleeping like rocks. But to be honest, the Hungarian hornet woke up on the way and almost burned through the cage, so we had to cast a few more stun spells." He pulled a parchment scroll bound with a leather cord, the edges frayed, with a short black quill pen clipped to the cord. "This is a document; you need to sign it."

"This is a document regarding the entry and temporary placement of dangerous organisms. It requires Hogwarts' signature to confirm receipt and provision of space."

Lynch took the parchment scroll, untied the leather cord, and quickly scanned the terms in the moonlight. He drew a quill pen, neatly signed his name in the designated spot, and then handed the document back.

Oren took it and put it back in his arms. "Alright, the procedures are complete. From now until the competition, my people and I will take care of them and make sure they are in good condition and staying where they are supposed to be." He rubbed his hands together and pointed to the cages. "But for now, we need to let them wake up and move around a bit. Being cooped up all the way here isn't good for their joints and temperaments."

He said to Lynch in a familiar tone, "Professor, you'd better stand this way. Although they're wearing shackles and have binding spells, they're bound to be a bit grumpy when they first wake up, and it's common for them to spit sparks or wag their tails. Also, tomorrow during the day we need to finalize the protective and shielding spells around the area and confirm some details."

"No problem," Lin Qi replied, then took a few steps back to the side and stood still as instructed.

Oren turned and waved to his team, raising his voice: "Prepare to open cage number one! Wells Green Dragon, first! All groups, take your positions!"

The thirty-odd wizards immediately sprang into action, their movements swift yet revealing a well-trained tension.

Several wizards gathered around the first cage—the one containing the Welsh green dragon—and began unfastening the magic fasteners securing the canvas, chanting soothing incantations in their voices.

"Take it easy, open one side for some fresh air! Davis, prepare your binding spell! Don't wait for it to open its eyes!" Oren commanded, while he gripped his wand tightly and stood in a position that allowed him to have a general view of the situation and provide support at any time.

Just then, another clear, slightly younger but equally decisive voice rang out from the other side: "Clear the area around cage number three! Check if the ground binding spells are intact! If it comes out, head over there!" The speaker was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, with a head of fiery red hair that was quite conspicuous even in the dim light.

He was quickly inspecting the preparations around another cage, occasionally bending down to check the magical markings on the ground. His movements were swift and efficient, clearly indicating that he was another minor leader in the team.

Lynch's gaze lingered on his red hair for a moment.

The canvas was suddenly ripped open, revealing heavy iron bars that gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Inside the cage, the outline of the enormous creature became clear; its flanks, covered in emerald scales, rose and fell slowly with its breath, like a hill brewing a storm.

"Undrowsiness Relief Spell! Three, two, one!"

At a command, the green dragon in the cage twitched violently, followed by a suppressed growl, heavy with drowsiness and anger at being disturbed, that rolled from deep within its throat. It shook its massive head, spewing out two plumes of smoke with sparks from its nostrils.

"Okay, okay, come out for a walk, baby—" Oren said in a deliberately relaxed tone, as if coaxing a large, dangerous animal, while guiding the way with his wand.

The cage door was slowly pulled open by magic.

The green dragon tentatively stepped out of its cage with a massive, scale-covered claw, leaving a deep dent in the earthen ground.

A dent. It seemed to be still a little dizzy, shaking its head, but its amber vertical pupils quickly regained their sharpness, scanning the humans and the flashing wand light around it with wary and hostile intent.

"Keep your distance! Guide it to the middle of the open space! Don't provoke it!" the red-haired young man shouted, waving his wand as an invisible barrier glowed faintly in front of the area he was in charge of, just in case.

The scene instantly became quite lively.

As the green dragon fully emerged from its cage and stretched out its broad wings, the wind it created almost made several nearby wizards lose their footing. It raised its head and let out a clearer roar, a declaration of freedom, with a faint flicker of fire deep in its throat.

"Merlin's pants! It's trying to breathe fire! Calm down! Strengthen the binding spell!" Oren roared.

Several beams of light of different colors shot towards the green dragon from different directions, not as attacks, but as enhanced soothing and binding magic. The green dragon twisted its neck uncomfortably, suppressing the dragonfire it was about to spew, which turned into more angry smoke hissing out from its nostrils and teeth.

Meanwhile, preparations were being intensified at other cages, with chanting, the clanging of chains, the impatient heavy breathing and growls of the giant beasts, and the tense shouts of the wizards all mixed together.

Lin Qi stood quietly in the shadow of the ancient tree, watching the chaos under the moonlight.

Oren was loudly directing the overall operation, while the red-haired young man efficiently handled specific problems; the two worked together quite well. Managing a fire dragon was clearly a dangerous skill requiring courage, experience, teamwork, and a bit of luck.

Oren stared intently at the Welsh green dragon pacing restlessly in the middle of the clearing, occasionally spitting out sparks and thick smoke from its nostrils, estimating the time. It had already stretched its wings, stretched its neck, and flicked its tail a few times, sweeping a patch of bushes to the side—it had probably done its work.

"Almost there!" he roared, his voice cutting through the green dragon's deep breathing. "Prepare to guide it back to its cage! Take it slow, don't provoke it! Charlie! You take some men and apply pressure from the flanks, using gentle driving spells! Davis, prepare to reinforce the cage door seal!"

"Understood!" The red-haired young man—Charlie, as Oren had called him—immediately responded, quickly leading several wizards to the side and rear of the green dragon. They raised their wands in unison and chanted spells. The wands released a gentle but continuous invisible force, like a slowly moving wall of air, which, combined with the guidance from the others from the front and the other side, began to gently force the green dragon to turn around and face the open cage door from which it had emerged.

The green dragon was clearly unwilling to go back.

It let out a disgruntled roar, its front paws bracing against the ground, its scales standing up slightly in the moonlight, and an ominous green light emanating from deep within its throat once more.

"Stay calm! Don't let it spew out!" Oren shouted, waving his wand as well. A light blue halo landed on the top of the green dragon's head, causing it to sway and interrupting its attempt to spew, turning it into more angry smoke.

Under the combined guidance and "persuasion" of various magical forces, the green dragon reluctantly and haltingly began to move back.

Each step caused the ground to tremble slightly, and its heavy tail swept impatiently from side to side, but it was eventually cleverly guided, and its massive body squeezed back into the cage door, which seemed small for its size.

Just as its last scaly tail tip retracted into the cage...

"Close the door! Reinforce it! Now!" Oren shouted sternly.

Several beams of light struck the cage door and latches simultaneously. The heavy iron door slammed shut, and intricate magical chains coiled and tightened rapidly, as if they were alive. Several wizards skilled in sealing immediately stepped forward, their wands pressed against the cage bars, quickly chanting reinforcement and shielding spells to ensure it wouldn't easily break free again.

From inside the cage came the dull thuds of the green dragon, thoroughly enraged, and its scorching breath. The iron bars hummed as it was pounded, but it could not break through the multiple restraints that had just been applied.

It was locked up again, but this time, it was fully conscious and furious.

The open space was temporarily safe, but the tense atmosphere had not dissipated.

Oren wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long sigh of relief. "First one done. Let it be quiet for a bit. Get ready for the next one—a Swedish short-nosed dinosaur! Everyone, stay alert!" He even took a moment to turn around and nod in the direction Lynch was.

Lin Qi nodded slightly in response from under the shade of the tree. He saw that the red-haired young man was also taking advantage of the break to gulp down water from his water sac. His fiery hair looked even more disheveled in the chaos, but his eyes remained focused and sharp, fixed on the next cage that was about to be opened.

The process of releasing and retrieving the second Swedish short-nosed dinosaur was not without its setbacks, but it was eventually completed.

Oren breathed a slight sigh of relief and signaled his men to prepare the third, relatively mild-tempered Chinese Fireball Dragon.

The canvas was lifted, the cage door opened, and the third fire dragon strode out, raising its head and letting out a loud, territorial roar.

It roared, shaking the leaves to their very core. Then it began its routine of stretching its wings and swishing its tail.

Just then, something unexpected happened!

"roar!!!"

A terrifying roar, completely different from the previous green dragon and short-nosed dragon, filled with rage and pure destructive desire, suddenly rang out from the fourth cage—the cage of the Hungarian Horned Bee Dragon, which should have been asleep under a powerful stun spell!

The sound was so sharp and violent that it hurt people's eardrums, and even the magical barrier around the cage rippled violently.

Immediately afterwards, blinding, almost incandescent flames burst forth from the gaps in the canvas!

The specially made fireproof canvas was quickly charred, curled, and melted under such concentrated and high-temperature dragon flames! Inside the cage, a tooth-grinding metallic twisting sound came from the thick iron bars, which were rapidly heated to a red-hot color and softened under the high temperature!

"Damn it! The tree bees woke up early! Everyone on high alert!" Oren's expression changed drastically, and he roared, his wand instantly pointing at the cage that looked like a volcano about to erupt.

But it was too late.

"Bang! Crash! Crash!!!"

With a deafening roar, the red-hot iron bars twisted and snapped like fragile tree branches under the frenzied impact of the immense force inside!

The covering canvas completely shattered into burning fragments that flew everywhere. A colossal figure, far more ferocious than the other fire dragons, covered in black scales and studded with bronze spikes, burst forth from the broken cage!

The air was instantly filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and molten iron. The shattered cage fragments, glowing with a dark red heat, scattered like meteorites, forcing the nearest wizards to scramble for cover.

The Hungarian Tree Bee Dragon has broken free of its cage!

Its amber vertical pupils burned with the raging fury of being imprisoned and forced into a coma. Its thick hind legs shattered the ground, and with a sweep of its long tail covered in spikes, it sent a wizard, broom and all, flying away before he could fully take off!