"Wh-why?"
Although Thunderbird, who had been heavily thrown back, had taken a direct hit from a Killing Curse, it seemed that due to his strong vitality, he had not completely died yet. However, lying on the ground, he had not only lost his wand but also couldn't even crawl. He could only barely lift his head to look at the two people in front of him.
"Sorry… my child, I didn't want to be so cruel to you, but your proposal was indeed very tempting. However, for me to follow you to America, facing you and Black Dragon who completely control that place, the risk is simply too great." Golden Knight, who had ambushed Thunderbird, spoke with regret as he walked over to the Rune Serpent, shaking his head and mocking. He pulled out the short knife from the Rune Serpent's back, and the Rune Serpent let out a pained groan, indicating that her previous injury was not entirely faked.
"Child?!!!" Hearing Golden Knight's address, Thunderbird stared at the two in disbelief. "Who… who exactly are you?"
Hearing Thunderbird's question, Golden Knight and the Rune Serpent simultaneously turned their heads to look at him. Then, in unison, they gently removed their masks and responded, one after another:
Golden Knight: "Who else could I be?"
Rune Serpent: "I am naturally the mother you have always hated so much…"
Golden Knight: "And also the leader of the club, the Rune Serpent, the controller of the Elixir of Life formula…"
Rune Serpent: "And your former companion, now the club's leader, Golden Knight…"
Golden Knight: "Originally, I was Minister for Magic Peter of the German Ministry of Magic, but unfortunately, that clone was destroyed by some brat who appeared out of nowhere, causing my injury to not heal even now."
Rune Serpent: "If not for that, I wouldn't have specifically designed such a trap for you. It's truly regrettable…"
Golden Knight: "Gerald, although you have always been the one vociferously opposing me, you are also the most capable one in the club."
Rune Serpent: "It's just a pity that I am not in my complete form right now. If you and Black Dragon exist at the same time, it's truly difficult to control…"
Golden Knight: "I didn't want it to be this way. If things had gone smoothly, if you hadn't pushed me so hard, we might not have been unable to coexist."
The Rune Serpent and Golden Knight finished their exchange, speaking in a rhythm that was remarkably harmonious, almost as if the same person was speaking, with only slight differences in tone.
At this moment, Thunderbird finally saw the true appearances of Golden Knight and the Rune Serpent. The facial features of both of them bore some resemblance to Peter's previous appearance. If one were to compare them more closely at this point, it would be noticed that their body shapes were also extremely consistent. However, compared to Peter, Golden Knight appeared younger, while the Rune Serpent looked to be around forty years old, and the sides of her cheeks, as well as the areas extending down from her chin, appeared to have a skin condition, with mottled patterns resembling snake scales.
"This… how is this possible! You were the same person from the start? But Golden Knight… he grew up with us!" Thunderbird seemed unable to accept this absurd truth for a moment, struggling to sit up, but feeling powerless. He could only roar in a hoarse voice, filled with grief and indignation.
"Gerald, oh Gerald…" Golden Knight slowly walked toward him, shaking his head and scolding him, "You are always so narrow-minded. The wondrous magic in this world is as countless as the stars in the sky. When will you, this reckless fellow who only knows how to increase the power of spells, understand this principle?"
As he spoke, Golden Knight also walked up to Thunderbird and gently squatted down, reaching out to remove the mask from Thunderbird's face. Then Golden Knight laughed mockingly, "You asked me earlier why I didn't use a Killing Curse during the ambush. Look, haven't I used it now? But speaking of which, your physique is truly unbelievably strong. You can still hold on after taking a Killing Curse from me. Since that's the case, letting you die like this would be a bit of a waste. Your powerful body can be used to re-create an entity clone. Although this body will also need to take the Elixir of Life like the main body, it can quickly increase combat power. Considering this, it's not a loss at all!"
With that, Golden Knight reached out to touch Thunderbird's body, seemingly wanting to recover the Elixir of Life on him. However, just as Golden Knight touched Thunderbird's body, the sensation on his hand surprised him greatly, causing him to involuntarily widen his eyes.
And at this very moment, another unexpected change occurred!
The Thunderbird, who had previously appeared very weak, suddenly extended his left hand and tightly gripped Golden Knight's right wrist. At the same time, he raised his right hand, and a long sword instantly appeared in his palm. Immediately after, he swung his arm and swept it back!
The sharp long sword cut through Golden Knight's neck as if a hot knife were slicing through butter, without any resistance.
*Pfft!*
Golden Knight's expression still held a look of shock, but his head suddenly felt light, then gradually moved away from his body. Immediately after, his neck cavity gushed out a stream of crimson blood like a fountain.
"Ah!!!"
The Rune Serpent in the distance also seemed to have been hit hard, clutching her chest tightly with her hand, her face suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat, as if enduring unbearable pain!
After cleanly dealing with Golden Knight, Alan first heavily tossed the body aside, then sprang up with a whoosh, standing upright. There was no trace of his previous weakness. And after standing up again, Alan didn't hesitate at all. He smoothly held Eclipse at his waist, then adopted a stance of thrusting a spear straight forward.
"Thunderclap Sword – Pierce!"
*Zzz!*
As Alan thrust his sword straight, a shocking pressure immediately surged from Eclipse. Then, a blue-silver electric light, like a laser cannon, blasted toward the Rune Serpent in the direction the long sword pointed!
The Rune Serpent, although heavily wounded by Golden Knight's death, had not forgotten her years of combat experience. Instinctively, she raised her wand as she watched the fierce lightning strike, and also shot out a greenish-blue spell to meet it head-on. It was the Arcane Serpent she had used once before.
The straight Thunderclap Sword – Pierce and the crisscrossing, spiraling Arcane Serpent collided head-on, maintaining a stalemate at the point of convergence and erupting in a violent roar. The intertwining magic surged outward, constantly expanding and forming streams of light mixed with silver and cyan. These light streams continuously poured outward, affecting the surrounding walls, floor, and even the ceiling of the corridor, causing them to either corrode or be annihilated.
Before long, the splendid corridor where the two were fighting was riddled with holes, especially at the center of the magic collision. The floor and walls, completely annihilated by the magic, almost drew a clear dividing line between the two.
This magic struggle lasted for nearly thirty seconds, until Alan, who was furiously outputting magic, felt completely exhausted. His magic was almost depleted, but the Rune Serpent on the other side remained strong. This made him secretly shocked. According to his estimation, after the two clones, Peter and Golden Knight, were killed, the opponent should have suffered severe negative effects. Why could she still display such strong combat power now? How exaggerated was this person's magic reserve?
*No, I'm no match for the Rune Serpent in a war of attrition. This old woman has lived for hundreds of years. Even if she's in a weakened state now, her magic power is probably several times, or even more than ten times, mine!*
Thinking of this, Alan immediately switched to holding the sword with both hands, then suddenly exerted force and lifted it upward, changing the almost world-piercing giant lightning sword from a thrust to an upward slash. And with his change of move, the Rune Serpent's spell was also pulled, changing from a state of mutual struggle to pouring upward, causing the Rune Serpent to stagger backward.
This change in direction, if nothing else, inexplicably caused disaster for the Rune Serpent's mansion!
If one were to observe from outside the manor, they would see two beams of light, like searchlights, cutting outward from roughly one-third of the house, instantly splitting the mansion in two like a cake. And these two beams of light, after shooting out of the mansion, continued upward with undiminished power, pointing directly at the distant sky, as if they wouldn't even spare the clouds in the high altitude.
However, after getting rid of this pure magic clash, Alan immediately withdrew his magic, then quickly reached into his robe, pulling out a crystal vial slightly smaller than his thumb from the front pouch of his Tactical Vest. After uncorking it, he poured the liquid inside into his mouth.
This was Phoenix Tears that Alan had prepared beforehand. After drinking it, in addition to rapidly recovering from injuries, it also had the effect of quickly replenishing magic. He had tested it before, and with his magic value of just over eight hundred, it only took a few seconds to fully replenish it.
At the same time, after drinking the Phoenix Tears, for caution's sake, Alan reached for his lower back and surprisingly pulled out a circular shield about thirty centimeters in diameter from there!
Having discovered that Golden Knight was still alive, Alan had rushed to produce a large amount of alchemy equipment during this period to prepare for the potential battle with her. This shield was one of them! In addition to its strong defensive capabilities due to its sturdy structure, this shield also had the function of absorbing and deflecting spells of a certain strength, and could also release large-area protective spells using the absorbed magic.
And it was with this shield that Alan dared to calmly play along when he sensed that Golden Knight was preparing to ambush him. So Golden Knight was right before. For people like them, using the Killing Curse was like a joke. How could a fully armed Alan be hit by a Killing Curse?