At that moment, the six Pure Land wizards who had just burst out of the Fierce Flame Barrier clenched their teeth, tears welling in their eyes as they heard Seth's final, anguished scream.
They all understood that Seth had sacrificed himself to buy them time.
Despite their hatred for the silver wand and the Thunderbird, they knew they had to summon every ounce of strength to escape now.
"No! Even if we get out of the Fiendfyre Barrier, we still can't Apparate. What are we supposed to do next? That bastard will catch up to us soon enough," one wizard snapped, frustration clear on his face after failing to teleport.
He glanced at the others.
"We're definitely still within the range of that blue Fiendfyre. We'll have to get further away before we can Apparate."
"What about Karkaroff and Knut? We can't just leave them behind!"
Though the Pure Land Society wizards were known for their wickedness, they valued loyalty and friendship, and someone immediately raised concern for their comrades.
"They evacuated nearby. Let's head there first and see if we can Apparate from that spot. If it doesn't work, we can bring them along and escape together," a wizard suggested.
"Good plan!"
"Let's do it!"
The group quickly agreed, shifting direction and rushing toward where Karkaroff and the others were tending to the wounded.
Given their situation, splitting up might increase their chances of escape and also draw the enemy's attention away from the injured.
But these wizards were used to moving as a unit and instinctively resisted the idea of leaving anyone behind.
On top of that, their minds were clouded by shock and fear, making it difficult to think clearly.
After a short while, they spotted signs of Karkaroff and his group in the sky.
At that moment, Karkaroff and Knut were giving potions to the wounded, and the three wizards who had fallen in battle were restrained nearby, ready to be taken back for burial.
Six of them quickly landed their broomsticks and ran over, shouting to the others, "Hurry and finish up, we have to get out of here now!"
"Leave?" someone questioned, surprised by the urgency.
"What does this mean? Why are there only a few of you? And where is the headmaster?"
Knut and Karkaroff exchanged confused glances before greeting the newcomers with blank expressions.
A Pure Land wizard quickly and tearfully recounted the recent events to them.
"What? So many of you couldn't stop that silver wand? Even the headmaster..." Knut stared at the group in disbelief.
He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that the headmaster, someone he had always seen as unbeatable, could be killed.
Was Seth really dead?
While Knut struggled to understand, Karkaroff was even more shocked.
He remembered Alex's earlier warning that the Pure Land Society wouldn't succeed today, but he hadn't expected Seth to fall so quickly after that prediction.
Though the Pure Land Society's attack had been held back before, they clearly seemed to have the upper hand.
Karkaroff had doubted Alex's information at first, but now, less than half an hour after their evacuation, the news of Seth's death had already arrived.
'Could it be that Alex's prophecy was wrong?'
Just as Karkaroff was starting to doubt himself, he suddenly shivered, as if some thought had struck him.
He seemed to be listening intently to something, standing there with a blank expression.
However, the other wizards didn't notice anything unusual and kept pushing forward.
"Don't waste time! Hurry up, or that one will catch up!" they urged.
"Your main job today is to die here for me!"
As the Pure Land Society wizards were about to leave, a cold, terrifying voice echoed from behind, stopping them in their tracks.
Turning around, they saw Thunderbird had suddenly appeared right in front of them.
One of the Pure Land wizards who had just escaped stared in disbelief.
"You... how did you get here so fast? Could it be that the blue Fiendfyre's space barrier doesn't affect you?"
Thunderbirds loomed in the distance.
Thunderbird laughed wildly.
"How could my own magic hold me back? I chased you just for the fun of the hunt. It's ridiculous that your leader thinks he can stop me!"
Then, looking teasingly at Karkaroff and the others, he said, "Oh, I didn't expect you still had a fish that slipped through the net. Even better.
Let's finish this now."
"You bastard! You have no right to insult Lord Seth! Avada Kedavra!" a Pure Land wizard shouted furiously, firing a killing curse at Thunderbird.
But the attack barely fazed him.
After the intense battles, the wizard was exhausted and his aim was off, the curse didn't even graze Thunderbird's cloak.
Thunderbird didn't even bother to dodge.
"Calling you idiots is flattering. You don't even realize that emotions are useless in battle. Killing you is a waste of time," he sneered.
Still, he raised his wand and added, "But hey, let's make killing you a bonus. Cleaning up trash can be fun too."
"Oh, that's right..." Thunderbird suddenly seemed to remember something and teased, "Your leader is really good at explosive spells, isn't he? Well then, I'll use his own trick to send you off, consider it your death sentence."
Being with others was his biggest weakness; he was far too sympathetic and often ended up feeling sorry for his enemies.
"Shock Thunderbolt Explosion!" he shouted, raising his hand to unleash a barrage of explosive spells that Seth had once wielded.
'Mercy? Do you fiends really call that pity? It was laughable.'
As the explosion surged directly toward him, the man was overwhelmed by despair and sorrow, so much so that he forgot to cast any defensive spell.
He knew there was no way to stop the devastating attack.
But then, suddenly, a figure leapt forward, shielding him and quickly casting a basic Protego.
"Boom!"
The loud blast and shockwave hit, but to the shaman of the Pure Land Society's surprise, he was still alive, not even a scratch.
Initially doubtful, hope sparked within him.
He fully understood the power behind the 'Shock Thunderbolt Explosion Curse' and could feel its destructive force when it erupted, yet here was someone able to withstand it.
"Who are you? What's your name?" Thunderbird asked coldly, staring at the wizard who had just blocked his spell so effortlessly.
"Igor Karkaroff," came the firm reply.
"Vice-Principal of Durmstrang School of Magic. I'm here today, and I won't let any of my companions die by your hand. If you want to get to them, you'll have to go through me first."