At this moment, the Thunderbird had no time for careful thought. Several arcs of sword light appeared before him, coming fast and fierce, reaching his eyes in the blink of an eye. Although he was irrational with rage and his body ached from the shockwaves of the earlier explosion, years of combat instinct drove him to react.
The Thunderbird fiercely waved his wand, and the snow-white aspen wood seemed to draw a Fire Blade curse made of blue Fiendfyre directly from the air. He slashed at the incoming *Sectumsempra* arcs. However, contrary to his expectation that the blue flames would effortlessly crush the energy blades, they did not. Upon contact, the crescent-shaped arcs maintained enormous power, striking the fire blade and causing sparks to fly while firmly holding back the fiery edge.
"What kind of spell is this? How is the power so great?"
The Thunderbird parried the sword qi with his Fire Blade curse, feeling a sour ache in the webbing of his thumb, and was greatly alarmed. His original plan was to counterattack after destroying the arcs, but now, simply blocking them consumed precious time.
During this interval, Alan had already closed the distance. It wasn't until Alan was within a few meters that the Thunderbird barely managed to deflect the final sword qi. Alan gave him no further reaction time, immediately brandishing Eclipse and launching a continuous barrage of attacks.
For a moment, Alan's longsword produced the whistling sound of breaking air and the crackling of electricity, striking directly at the Thunderbird's weak points. Eclipse was now covered in viscous plasma, transforming into a blade of magic several meters long. Facing this frantic assault, the Thunderbird could only barely parry with his Fire Blade curse, managing to deflect the lightning sword.
However, the Thunderbird's body was not in optimal condition after the explosion, and his close-combat ability was inherently inferior to Alan's. After holding on for only a dozen seconds, he began to miss his parries. He was struck by Alan's slashes and thrusts several times in quick succession. The crimson magic shield protecting him was battered, ripples stirring under the impact of the plasma-like Wild Lightning. It looked as though it would not hold up for much longer.
"Something is wrong with this kid. His magic intensity is more than a notch higher, he can confront blue Fiendfyre directly, and there's something wrong with that sword. Every attack draws power from my flames. He's like a professional swordsman; his skill is too high. I must create distance!"
The Thunderbird felt the increasing pain in his hand and wrist and realized he could not continue this stalemate. Alan's offensive, however, did not diminish. With a powerful strike, he swept the Thunderbird's parry to the right, then immediately shifted Eclipse to his left hand. Using the momentum of his rotation, he thrust forward with a piercing move.
The Thunderbird had no time to retract his blade and could only watch as the dazzling silver light of the lightning sword struck his shield. The impact caused the crimson barrier to ripple violently; it was on the verge of shattering. Gritting his teeth, the Thunderbird ignored the danger and pushed forward, crashing his shield into Alan's sword.
The precarious magic shield bulged inward like a balloon poked by a toothpick. With a pop, a small opening was forced through. However, the quality of the life-saving shield was high; it did not shatter completely like an ordinary *Protego*. Instead, like a sheet of tempered glass, it only sustained a hole while the rest of the structure remained strong.
Alan understood that opportunity knocks only once and immediately activated the Wild Lightning on Eclipse, pointing the tip directly at his opponent. Having broken the barrier, the Thunderbird retracted his Fire Blade curse and firmly gripped the length of Alan's blade. The blue Fiendfyre on his wand burned fiercely, stalemating with the Wild Lightning emitted from the sword tip to stop the current from reaching his body. He then gathered magic into the shield to clamp down on the sword, pinning it in place within seconds.
"Hmph!"
The Thunderbird let out a roar. A row of fierce blue Fiendfyre ignited around him, pressing toward Alan. He was preparing to replicate his previous attack, intending to submerge his opponent in overwhelming waves of fire.
"An attempt to force me back and disarm me?" Alan could feel the shield clamping Eclipse with great force. It was impossible to pull it out quickly. "But this method is a bit far-fetched, isn't it?"
Alan had made ample preparations and tactical rehearsals for today's battle. He calmly responded. Retreating without his sword was out of the question; abandoning his position would turn this into a pure contest of magic reserves—a contest he would lose.
Alan's mind moved, and a pocket on his tactical vest opened, revealing the traveling flask inside. A large mass of magic-infused water gushed out, coiling around his body and transforming into a suit of water armor. The blue Fiendfyre was completely separated by the flow. Even as the flames desperately washed over him under the Thunderbird's control, they could not shake the layer of water. This specialized flow was the bane of Fiendfyre, gaining the upper hand immediately upon contact.
As soon as he blocked the flames, Alan lunged forward, straining to drive Eclipse deeper. Simultaneously, a light flickered on his tactical vest. Two rectangular metal devices slid along tracks from his back and stood directly on his shoulders. Small openings appeared at the front of the devices, extending two pure white wands.
Two shoulder cannons, similar to those of a Predator, now sat on Alan's shoulders.
*Zzzzt!*
Silver light sparked, and two finger-thick plasma lasers shot out, hitting the gap in the magic shield that held the sword. Simultaneously, Alan increased his output to Eclipse, making the Wild Lightning even more dazzling. Both men noticed the shield could no longer hold; the longsword was slowly pushing forward again.
The Thunderbird was terrified. He hadn't imagined that Alan would advance instead of retreating, or that the water armor could completely ignore blue Fiendfyre. The pressure from the shoulder cannons was immense. Even if the shield held, the Thunderbird was reaching his limit. He was maintaining a fire blade, a magic shield, and a massive wave of Fiendfyre simultaneously.
No matter how much magic power a wizard has, the amount they can output per unit of time is limited. The Thunderbird was under high-intensity pressure, and his internal injuries were taking their toll. He couldn't hold on for much longer. He hadn't expected a young wizard to push him to the brink of collapse.
"I can't go on like this. If I continue, I will lose!"
He made a decisive move, dispelling the Fiendfyre and concentrating all his power into his fire blade to flick Alan's sword upward. The move shattered the precarious shield, and while it failed to fully block the sword, it gave him a moment to breathe. Seizing the second, the Thunderbird held his blade across his chest and retreated rapidly. He reached into his robes and pulled out a rusty iron pocket watch.
It was a Portkey; he was trying to escape!