#423 - Chapter 423 Ambush and Another Ambush

"That was amazing! In a flash, the Hogwarts champions delivered a crushing victory, with the Durmstrang champions barely able to mount any significant resistance before being eliminated," said Ludo Bagman excitedly.

Accompanied by the audience's gasps, Bagman's passionate voice rang out again: "The combat skills displayed by the three Hogwarts champions make me feel like I'm watching an elite Auror squad."

Bagman's commentary stirred the memories of the Hogwarts students, and they immediately began to discuss.

"Seriously, Potter and Cedric both came from Auror training programs. No wonder they look so professional. You know, almost all students from Auror training programs successfully apply to become Aurors. Looking at it that way, Durmstrang's loss isn't unfair."

"Right, although Malfoy hasn't been through Auror training, he's also a regular at the dueling club and has been practicing with Potter and Cedric for a year. Naturally, his performance won't be bad either."

"I think the main thing is that the Durmstrang champions didn't expect to be ambushed. Normally, the fourth and fifth teams entering the maze would use ambush tactics because they're so far behind."

As they spoke, the Durmstrang champions walked out of the maze dejectedly. They were clean, having obviously been cleaned up by the safety personnel.

Seeing this, Bagman took the lead in applauding: "Thank you to the Durmstrang champions for their wonderful performances in Transfiguration. They may have lost, but they are still honorable. Let's give them a warm round of applause."

Durmstrang Headmaster Karkaroff first glanced at Harry and his friends on the magic screen, who were skillfully cleaning up the battlefield, and sighed helplessly.

Students receiving Auror training… That's just too unfair!

He was hoping to at least wear down Hogwarts a bit so others could pick up the advantage, but the battle ended too quickly. These three from Hogwarts still have plenty of time to rest. It seems like the other schools are in trouble too.

Reform!

We need to reform after returning. We've learned a lot at Hogwarts this time. We'll just copy all the useful things back.

Then, he stood up and applauded his students vigorously, thinking that he still needed to care for his own students.

Meanwhile, the Beauxbatons champion team, led by Captain Fleur Delacour, was advancing rapidly through the first level.

Using the advantage of their charm magic, the dark creatures along the way didn't slow them down at all. They easily passed through the first level of the maze and arrived at the second level.

"The Beauxbatons team has entered the second level of the maze. Can they mount a good counterattack?"

"Oh, unfortunately, the ease of the first level made them lose their due vigilance. Champion Millie Monet was directly knocked unconscious by a Stunning Spell."

"Fleur and her teammates didn't try to dodge but instead started counterattacking directly. This tough style made Hogwarts' swamp traps useless. Look, Fleur used charm magic to force Potter and his friends into a momentary daze. Her teammate Jacques Dupont seized the opportunity to eliminate Malfoy. It must be said that this counterattack was very beautiful, but Malfoy's pre-prepared Shield Charm easily blocked Dupont's spell."

"The three from Hogwarts have woken up. Potter and Malfoy's spells are fast and dense, easily defeating Dupont. Next, three against one, there's no suspense. The Beauxbatons team regrettably ended their competition journey."

The cheers of the students rose and fell. They enjoyed this battle very much.

At this rate, it's only a matter of time before Hogwarts wins. They turned their attention to the Ilvermorny team, quietly anticipating the performance of the fourth champion team.

Unlike the first three teams, after arriving at the center of the first level of the maze, the Ilvermorny team didn't step onto the stairs leading to the second level. They calmly observed their surroundings and then decisively waved their wands, using magical traps to seal off the exit of the stairs leading to the second level.

Their strategy was obvious: since they started late, trying to compete on speed would only be asking for trouble. It's better to take a different approach. They decided to set traps on the inevitable return path and patiently wait for the first few teams to return.

Moreover, the first three teams in the lower maze would inevitably fight over the trophy, and with fighting comes consumption and even attrition. The Ilvermorny team wouldn't have to do anything. They could easily pick up a big advantage by just guarding here.

However, before any returning teams arrived, they saw the Durmstrang trio, who entered fifth, walking over. Ilvermorny was prepared for this, and Karl Johnson directly extended an invitation to the Durmstrang trio.

"Friends from Durmstrang, why waste your energy rushing downwards? How about a temporary alliance? We can ambush the returning teams together. As for the trophy…"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Krum and his teammates, and then added, "We can decide who gets it later, how about it?"

Karl was very confident in his proposal. As long as the three people from Durmstrang weren't stupid, they would definitely join the ambush.

If they didn't agree, it didn't matter. They could just open the road, and the newly laid magical traps could be used directly on them. Eliminating the Durmstrang team in advance wouldn't be bad either.

However, to Karl's surprise, Krum and his friends didn't say a word of nonsense. They raised their wands and fired three spells. If Karl hadn't been vigilant, he would have lost his fighting power.

"Are you crazy?" Karl roared while dodging. "What are we fighting for here? We haven't even seen the shadow of the trophy. Fighting like this will only benefit the first three teams for nothing."

"Okay, since you insist on fighting, then let's fight!" Seeing that the other side wouldn't listen, the Ilvermorny team decisively began to counterattack.

Three against three, who knows who will win. So what if you have Krum!

"The development of the competition is really unexpected," Bagman shouted excitedly. "First, the Hogwarts team and the Ilvermorny team prepared ambushes on opposite sides of the passage. If there are no accidents, they will be deadlocked for a long time."

"As a result, Krum and his friends arrived. They didn't accept the Ilvermorny team's invitation but instead fought with them. It looks like they're going to have a showdown here."

The students were also stunned by the performance of the Durmstrang team. They never expected Krum and his friends to be so tough, attacking directly without saying a word.

They also couldn't figure out what Krum and his friends were thinking. After all, if they formed an alliance, the Hogwarts team would really be in trouble.

Watching everything on the magic screen, Ilvermorny Headmaster Agilbert's face darkened. He glanced at Karkaroff unhappily and complained.

"Your school's champion's choices are really incomprehensible. It seems that for Durmstrang, fighting is more attractive than winning the championship."

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Madam Maxime also looked at Karkaroff. In their eyes, the Durmstrang champion team's choice was extremely unwise. Such fighting would only give the championship to Hogwarts for nothing.

Faced with the questioning of many headmasters, Karkaroff didn't speak, but his face was black throughout. To be honest, he was already regretting it.