Despite its transparency, it wasn't a simple Protego variant. Even under the combined pressure of his energy-absorbing curse and Thundris Tempest, the shield held firm, refusing to crack.
Yet even though Thunderbird had survived, he no longer looked untouchable.
The explosion had left him in a pitiful state. His once-impeccable face, clean and composed, was now dirtied with soot and grime, his long black hair disheveled and tangled, matted with blood. Several strands of crimson dripped down his face, mixing with the dirt, making him look nothing like the arrogant duelist he had been just moments ago.
Though Thunderbird's current state was nothing short of miserable, he had managed to survive the explosion, barely. His quick thinking had saved him. The moment he felt something was wrong underfoot, his battle instincts flared, and he reacted immediately, withdrawing his magic and reinforcing his body with multiple layers of protego spells.
But even his rapid response wasn't enough to completely negate the damage. The initial detonation of the Confringo Curse had still caught him off guard, tearing through his defenses and leaving him with severe injuries.
The sheer force of the blast had been staggering. The power behind it was enough to severely wound a fully grown dragon, let alone a human. Alex hadn't held back in the slightest, his strategy had been ruthless, as if he didn't even consider Thunderbird as a person, but merely an obstacle to be removed.
For a brief moment, Thunderbird had withstood the force of the explosion with raw endurance, but after just a second, he had no choice but to activate his emergency defensive spell. Without it, Alex's follow-up attacks would have finished him off instantly.
"You... bastard..." Thunderbird's voice was hoarse with rage, his breaths ragged. Slowly, he lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Alex with a murderous glare. His face was twisted into something inhuman, a grotesque mask of fury and hatred, as if a vengeful specter had crawled out of hell itself.
"You keep using these cheap, cowardly tricks to humiliate me..." His voice trembled with fury, but beneath it, there was something else, genuine disbelief.
Then, his expression darkened even further. "You forced me into this."
Thunderbird's grip on his wand tightened, his knuckles turning white. "It's been a long time since anyone has made me this angry," he snarled, his magic crackling violently around him. His entire body trembled with an almost feverish intensity as his rage reached its breaking point.
"Fuck it!! Explode!" With a roar, he swung his wand in a violent arc.
The scarlet glow surrounding his protective barrier pulsed erratically, then began to expand outward. The air around him distorted as the magical energy shifted, its color bleeding from red to deep, iridescent blue.
Then, The entire shield erupted into flames.
What had once been a solid, protective barrier was now a massive inferno, wild and unrestrained. The change was instant, like dry ice suddenly exposed to open air, its form shifting from solid to gas in a violent burst. Smoke and embers roared upward, the sheer heat distorting the space around Thunderbird as the transformed firestorm spread outward in all directions.
From above, it looked like a volcanic explosion had ignited within the heart of the forest. A thick, rolling cloud of smoke surged through the trees, engulfing everything in its path.
The shockwave of magical energy that followed was so intense that even those outside the forest felt it.
In another place, a duel raged between Alastor Moody and Occamy, an elite member of the Silver Wands. Despite his skill, Occamy had been steadily losing ground, forced into a defensive stance as Moody's relentless attacks kept him on the back foot.
A monstrous heatwave tore through the air.
The moment it hit, Occamy's body froze. A shiver ran down his spine, not from fear of Moody, but from the overwhelming force that had just erupted from deep within the forest.
His breath hitched. He knew that power. It was him. Thunderbird.
Even among the ranks of the Silver Wands, Thunderbird was acknowledged as one of the strongest. But what truly made him feared wasn't just his raw power, it was the secret that only a select few knew about.
A secret that Phoenix, their leader, had warned them of long ago.
Occamy's eyes widened in horror .'How could someone have pushed Thunderbird to this point? Who, what, was he fighting?'
His mind raced, leaping to the worst possible conclusion. 'Could it be Dumbledore?!'
The thought sent a spike of pure terror through him. If that were true, then there was no point in fighting anymore. The mission was already lost.
For the first time since the battle began, Occamy felt true panic. But he had no time to process it. Pain exploded through his chest.
A split second later, a numbing sensation spread through his body, and his vision blurred. His limbs felt heavy, his consciousness rapidly slipping away.
It was only then, too late, that he realized what had happened.
Moody's face came into focus, his expression cold and merciless, wand still raised from casting the Killing Curse.
'You…' Occamy wanted to curse him, to scream, to beg, something. But his body no longer obeyed.
His vision darkened. His thoughts slowed. His last flicker of awareness was filled with bitter resentment.
'You didn't even hesitate. You didn't even try to capture me alive. You just, 'And then Silence.
Occamy collapsed to the ground, lifeless. His body landed in the snow with a dull thud, his glassy eyes staring blankly into the void.
Moody stared into the depths of the forest, his one good eye widening in disbelief. For a moment, he wondered if his vision was playing tricks on him.
Towering flames, rising tens of meters high, surged through the trees like a tidal wave of fire. He recognized the signature of Fiendfyre instantly, the chaotic, cursed blaze that devoured everything in its path. But something was wrong.
This wasn't the usual scarlet-red inferno he had encountered before. This Fiendfyre burned with an eerie, pale blue.
A chill crept up Moody's spine. His throat tightened as an old memory surfaced, one he had buried long ago. "…Could this be the one from the rumors?" he muttered under his breath, his face hardening.
He cast a wary glance at the other Aurors still locked in battle, struggling to hold their ground as they guarded the seized smuggled cargo. They were barely keeping control of the situation as it was.
'Damn it.' He clenched his teeth, torn between choices. His instincts screamed at him to rush into the forest, to find Alex, but he couldn't just abandon his men.
After a tense second of hesitation, Moody turned abruptly and raised his wand.
"Bombarda Maxima!"
A massive explosion tore through the group of ghouls, sending charred remains flying in all directions. His priority now was clear, neutralize the necromantic threat, shut down the alchemical pocket generating the undead, and rally the Aurors.
Alex would have to hold his own until then. "Just hang on, boy," Moody muttered, his wand moving swiftly as he began clearing a path.