"This isn't something that can be brushed aside with a simple 'ineffective work.' What exactly happened to the club during this period?" The Rune Serpent glared at Golden Knight, as if trying to nail him down with her gaze.
"It all started a month ago…" Golden Knight adopted a humble posture and recounted the events that had transpired within the club during that time, starting from the problems that arose in the breeding park. He even told the Rune Serpent about his and Thunderbird's speculation that the mastermind might be Phoenix.
"So, in just one month, the club went from a colossal entity with thousands of raw materials, controlling half of Germany, to a pariah, a rat scurrying across the street, having lost all its sources of supply?" The Rune Serpent was furious after hearing Golden Knight's account. She slammed the armrest, stood up, and pointed at Golden Knight. "You fool, why didn't you tell me all this sooner? Why did you wait until the club was on the verge of collapse before coming to me?"
"Why do you think…" Thunderbird interjected coldly. "Isn't it because you're afraid that if you saw the situation was bad, you'd just bail on your own? Haven't you always been like this for all these years, a cunning rabbit with three burrows? A cowardly turtle!"
Thunderbird's merciless mockery made the Rune Serpent turn her attention to him, leaving her back exposed to Golden Knight. "At a time like this, you still have the mood to mock me? I know you've always thought that I've been using the Elixir of Life to control and exploit you all these years, but please, use your dog brain and think carefully. If it weren't for my Elixir of Life, would you have been able to gain almost endless life? Would I be able to speak to you calmly while you're mocking me? Ultimately, all these years, I've always treated you all like my own flesh and blood!"
"Tsk…" Thunderbird seemed to be angered to laughter by the Rune Serpent's words. "What? Are you expecting me to call you 'Mother' like an innocent child? If so, why don't you show some of your motherly love and share the Elixir of Life formula with your precious children?"
"You…" The Rune Serpent's veins bulged as Thunderbird choked him. She then realized that she had never won an argument with Thunderbird, so she just waved her hand and said, "Stop talking about useless things. What we should be thinking about now is the future of the club and if there's any way to salvage it."
"Salvage? Salvage what?" Thunderbird snorted and shook his head. "If you go out now and dare to tell anyone you're a Silver Spears member, do you believe those wizards outside will immediately drown you in their spit?"
"Then what should we do?" The Rune Serpent at this moment behaved like a physically strong but simple-minded fellow, becoming irritable at the slightest difficulty. "You've been operating outside for so long; you must have a solution, right?"
"Solution?" Thunderbird extended his thumb and pointed backward. "My solution is to leave, to completely withdraw the club from Germany. Don't cling to Europe's territory. Go to North America. We have plenty of time to redevelop a club there, and the environment there is much better than here. Magical beast resources are countless!"
"Leave?" The Rune Serpent couldn't help but lower her head in thought for a moment, then muttered with a hint of hesitation, "But we've operated in Europe for so many years to build up our current foundation. Are we just going to abandon all those branches? Can't we find a way to create a direct transportation route to North America?"
"Rune Serpent, you're hundreds of years old, yet still so naive?" Thunderbird rolled his eyes at her in annoyance. "Why are you as wishy-washy as Golden Knight? How many raw materials can these few European branches squeeze out for the club each year? Now that Germany is under Andre's control, how many raw materials can be transported in? You don't want to withdraw from Europe, but I don't want to share my territory in North America with you!"
"You…" Always being mocked by Thunderbird, the Rune Serpent glared at him angrily at this moment, but Thunderbird showed no fear, staring back at her intently.
"Thunderbird! Can't you speak properly?" Golden Knight, standing behind the Rune Serpent, seemed to see the two at a stalemate and wanted to mediate, so he moved closer while speaking.
And just then, a sudden change occurred!
A short knife glowing with an eerie light suddenly appeared in Golden Knight's hand as he approached the Rune Serpent from behind. He raised his hand and stabbed it into the Rune Serpent's back!
"Ah!!!" The Rune Serpent, suddenly attacked, cried out in pain. Immediately afterward, a terrifyingly concentrated burst of magic erupted from her body, instantly forming several layers of protection on her skin.
"Azure Underworld Blade!" Thunderbird, opposite the Rune Serpent, didn't hesitate for a moment after seeing Golden Knight succeed. He drew his wand with a backhand, and a long blade made of blue Fiendfyre instantly condensed on his wand, which he swung fiercely at the Rune Serpent.
The Rune Serpent's shield was struck by the fire blade the moment it formed. The solid Azure Underworld Blade collided squarely with the shield, breaking through the outermost layer of protection in the blink of an eye. And Golden Knight behind her was not idle either. After that backstab, he immediately flicked his wand, materializing a translucent short spear with pure magic, and forcefully thrust it into the Rune Serpent's lower back, piercing through another layer of her shield.
"Why? Dennis, why did you betray me?!" The Rune Serpent didn't seem surprised that Thunderbird would attack her; instead, Golden Knight's backstab was what she couldn't accept.
"You talk too much, Mother!" Golden Knight muttered through gritted teeth, then added more force to his right hand holding the short spear, making the Rune Serpent's last two layers of shields precarious.
"Pfft!"
It seemed the pincer attack had worsened her injuries again. The Rune Serpent, beneath her mask, spat out a mouthful of blood in pain, but still forced herself to let out a loud roar, unleashing a terrifyingly powerful burst of magic. The sheer pressure alone forced the two back. Taking advantage of this forced gap, the Rune Serpent leaped into the air, her entire body twisting like rubber into a long snake, and shot toward the nearby exit.
Seeing the Rune Serpent trying to escape, Thunderbird flicked his hand and unleashed a row of Fiendfyre, attempting to block her path. But the Rune Serpent, transformed into her special form, was incredibly swift. She twisted her body to avoid the flames and slipped through the gap.
"Chase her!" Golden Knight roared, then raised his hand and cast an Anti-Apparition Jinx. Thunderbird also didn't delay, rushing out with his fire blade curse dragging behind him.
"You idiot, why didn't you just use a Killing Curse for the sneak attack? What impact can a broken knife have on her?" Thunderbird, who was chasing the Rune Serpent at full speed, couldn't help but complain to Golden Knight behind him.
"I think you're the idiot." Golden Knight also cursed angrily at this moment. "With the Rune Serpent's keen senses, could she not detect the movement of my magic? What's the difference between a spell like the Killing Curse, with its obvious killing intent, and a prank for us? And my knife is coated with rotting tissue. As long as she's not given time to recover, she'll rot to death all over her body in no time!"
"Let's hope so. If she gets away, none of us will have a good outcome!" Looking at the Rune Serpent constantly dodging and weaving in the corridor ahead, Thunderbird excitedly roared at Golden Knight, then accelerated and charged forward.
During his frantic run, Thunderbird occasionally unleashed a Fiendfyre blade, but as if to prove Golden Knight's words, the Rune Serpent didn't even need to look back, skillfully dodging based on her senses. However, the Rune Serpent, desperately fleeing for her life, seemed to truly be affected by the short spear stuck in her back. Her movement speed quickly slowed down, and she was eventually cornered by Thunderbird and Golden Knight in the corridor.
"You… why are you attacking me? Aren't you afraid the Elixir of Life formula will die with me? If you kill me, you'll all die soon too!" Cornered, the Rune Serpent struggled to lean against the stone wall, panting as she roared at the two.
"Stop bluffing." Golden Knight, also slightly out of breath, let out a long breath, then sneered. "Having followed you for so many years, I haven't been idle. I've long noticed that as time passes, your memory is gradually fading. In such a situation, would you, who are always cautious, rely solely on your brain to remember the formula? The Elixir of Life formula has already been backed up by you, stored in the basement of this manor, am I right?!"
"You… how do you know?" Hearing Golden Knight expose her secret, the Rune Serpent immediately panicked. "No, don't kill me. At worst, I'll share the formula with you, and then we'll go our separate ways. Don't you consider my years of nurturing you?"
"Your nurturing, I already repaid it back in the Acolytes era!" Hearing that a formula indeed existed, Thunderbird immediately took a step forward in excitement, raised his Azure Underworld Blade, and swung it fiercely.
Facing Thunderbird's full-power strike, the Rune Serpent, now seemingly in despair, struggled to straighten up and fiercely flicked her wand at him.
"Arcane Serpent!"
The spell cast by the Rune Serpent, who had appeared to be at the end of her rope, was surprisingly powerful! Two intertwined greenish-blue energy snakes suddenly shot out from the tip of her wand, spiraling toward the Azure Underworld Blade. Not only did they firmly block Thunderbird's slash, but the two magical long snakes actually wrapped around the Fiendfyre blade as if alive.
And just then, another change occurred!
"Avada Kedavra!"
Golden Knight, who had been behind Thunderbird, suddenly cast a Killing Curse, taking advantage of the magical stalemate between the two! But his target was not the Rune Serpent, but Thunderbird in front of him.
"Ugh!"
The sickly green bolt struck Thunderbird's lower back hard. Thunderbird screamed as he was suddenly hit by the heavy blow, and his body immediately went limp. Meanwhile, the Rune Serpent no longer looked heavily injured at all. She flicked and twirled her wand lightly, sending Thunderbird flying backward!