Since she couldn't escape, Hydrus had no choice but to fight head-on.
She wasn't defenseless!
Facing Bod Grey's provocation, Hydrus took a deep breath and responded with a powerful dragon's breath.
With no reservation, she unleashed it in full force, turning the sky red.
The flames, a mix of blue and orange at the core, warped the air with intense heat.
Yet Bod's face remained a disdainful smile.
His wand quivered slightly, and an ice wall appeared, completely blocking the dragon's breath.
"Shhhla!"
Bod appeared behind Hydrus, waving his wand in rapid succession. Orange-red magical energy shot forth like bullets from a machine gun.
The ice wall had not yet been broken, and Hydrus, unprepared for this sudden ambush, was struck by the magical blasts.
"Bang, bang, bang…"
Bod's attack used no spells at all.
He simply projected his magical energy. Only someone supremely confident would dare do this against a fire dragon.
Insufficient power would not only fail to harm the dragon but would also enrage it.
But Bod's strength exceeded Hydrus' imagination—he could wield it effortlessly.
Each of his magical blasts pierced her dragon scales, making blood spray.
Bod could have killed her with an Avada at the start of the ambush, but he wanted to torment her before she died.
He blamed the recent misfortunes of the Grey family on Hydrus. In his view, it was a bit of misplaced anger—ungentlemanly—but Hydrus wasn't entirely innocent.
Hydrus gritted her teeth. After surviving the first wave, she maneuvered in the air, dodging as best she could.
But Bod only needed a flick of the wrist to cast, while she had to make large movements to evade.
Soon, exhaustion set in. Her movements slowed, her body was riddled with wounds, and half her body was soaked in blood.
Bolo bolo da…
"Is that all you've got?"
Bod traced a circle with his wand. Spotting an opening, a thick stream of magical energy struck the young girl.
"Evil Dragon Hydrus—you have a fearsome name, but you're too weak."
The girl seemed spent. She couldn't even maintain her dragon form and plummeted toward the ground.
Bod's smile of satisfaction appeared—this obstacle to the Grey family's rise was about to be removed!
"Avada—"
But just then, Hydrus opened her eyes mid-fall. Even if she never sang again, she could act in films—her acting had fooled Bod, giving her time to switch forms.
"Watch this!"
Shhhla!
A green beam tore through the sky—but Hydrus was gone.
Bod froze—she had escaped?
No matter. With his mastery, tracking her Apparition was easy. He began to analyze the magical residue she left behind.
But the next moment, he heard a whooshing above!
Looking up sharply, Hydrus descended from the sky, landing in front of him! She hadn't fled—she had seized the opportunity to counterattack!
Bold!
"Take this punch, old geezer!"
A heavy fist struck Bod's face.
Half his old teeth shattered and flew apart; one eye socket cracked, half his face mangled, bone exposed.
Hydrus had trained in mixed martial arts for two and a half years in her previous life, and now it paid off!
"Ah!!!"
Bod staggered, falling.
Hydrus gasped and switched back to dragon form.
Bod had underestimated her—costly mistake. She wouldn't make it twice.
Seizing the advantage, she accelerated, diving toward Bod.
Taking a deep breath, her dragon breath gathered in her throat, ready to show him why she was called "Evil Dragon Hydrus."
But Bod's willpower was immense. In less than a second, he regained composure.
He glimpsed Hydrus charging, enraged, and swung his wand fiercely through the air.
Above Hydrus, lightning crackled.
"Boom!"
A bolt of lightning struck her before she could exhale, hitting her body.
Huh?
What magic was this?
That was Hydrus' last thought. Then she expelled a plume of black smoke, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted completely.
She plummeted as Bod followed rapidly, intending to end the Lestrange line himself.
Yet he marveled—how could this girl's body endure such a strike?
A normal wizard would have been incinerated. Hydrus merely fainted.
This was ancient magic!
"Avada—"
Perhaps Bod hadn't checked the almanac today. The timing was unlucky for Avada—it was destined to miss.
A massive flaming phoenix appeared from nowhere, flying toward him.
Bod's expression changed drastically, astonished.
Not because of anything else, but because this phoenix's flames were blue—like a gas stove flame.
Having followed old Lestrange from continental Europe to England, he knew this magic well. Back then, it almost burned all of Paris!
Although this blue phoenix was smaller than the original dragon that had ravaged Paris, it was still beyond his current ability to withstand.
Damn—research had stalled, and two books were lost! Bad luck!
Bod didn't stop casting the Killing Curse. How could he watch Hydrus survive and escape?
This kid was too powerful for her age. If she kept growing, she'd be a menace.
"Watch this!"
A green beam shot from his wand toward the falling Hydrus.
Simultaneously, another green beam came from a different direction, colliding perfectly with Bod's, causing a significant explosion.
Unfortunately…
Bod shook his head. She Apparated away decisively.
Tch, who even had dealings with this little girl? Misfortune!
He immediately tried a healing spell on his left cheek—but it didn't work.
Damn it, this brat's punch was like black magic—healing spells couldn't fix the wound.
Half his face ached and was numb. This would leave a scar!
Groggily, Hydrus seemed to hear two people talking.
One old, one young.
The young man said, "Uncle, she's badly hurt. Will she survive?"
The elder replied, "Her future is clear. She won't die here. Come, help me."
"Alright, Uncle," the young man said, waving his wand to lift something heavy. "Can she really bring us the future we want?"
The elder smiled. "This time, more clearly than ever before, child."
"Okay," said the young man, clapping hands. "I hope my efforts aren't in vain."
"Of course not. This time, he's on our side too."
"Indeed," said the young man, "It's incredible he agreed to your plan."
"What's incredible?" The elder poured a bitter, fishy potion into Hydrus' mouth. "He wants the wizarding world to improve. If the goal can be achieved without harm, he won't refuse."
The young man cast multiple healing spells without a wand. Moments later, he said, "Ah, she's waking…"
Hydrus' eyes opened slightly, vision blurry.
The elder said, "I can't appear yet. It's all up to you now."
"Okay, Uncle," the young man said, leaning close. "I'll take care of this naughty little kitty. She won't hurt herself with her claws."
Hydrus moaned in pain, her sight gradually returning. She saw a somewhat handsome face, bright eyes filling her vision.
She felt she had seen these eyes somewhere… so familiar.
"You can't wake yet, Princess," the young man teased. "If you do, it'll be troublesome."
Faint!
Hydrus closed her eyes again. The last words she heard were:
"Hero saves the beauty, but don't fall in love with me, Princess. I'm not a prince. Even if I were, you're too young to be a princess."
What the—still talking about princes and princesses in this day and age…
Feeling warm all over, Hydrus finally fell into a deep sleep.