With a sharp pull, he drew his wand from behind and thrust it forward with full force, unleashing a powerful blast of magic like a taut bow releasing its arrow. The general thunderbolt explosion spell detonates right in front of the caster, so its range is usually limited.
But Seth's "Shock Thunderbolt Explosion" was different, it was like launching a series of grenades in a straight line. Though it started exploding just ahead of him, the blast spread relentlessly toward the Augurey, tearing up the ground along its path.
Mud and snow flew into the air, filling the sky with debris.
Bang!
The deafening explosion and crashing airwaves filled the sky. The Augurey felt death looming and instinctively reached to Apparate away to safety.
But she immediately stopped herself, behind her was a container holding precious magical animals. If she escaped, even unscathed, those creatures would be left vulnerable and suffer.
Clenching her teeth, she summoned every ounce of magic within her, swinging her wand seven times in quick succession in front of her.
"Multiple Armor Protection!" she chanted, conjuring seven massive layers of magical armor that fully encased her body and shielded the two others with her, including the magical beasts.
Bang!!!
Seth's enhanced explosion hit the stone barrier the Augurey had raised, blowing it apart like it had been packed with several TNT charges. Mud and stones flew dozens of meters away, but the armor held firm, protecting them from the worst of the blast.
The huge explosion momentarily froze the battlefield, as if someone had pressed pause. Everyone's eyes locked onto the Augurey, who had just taken Seth's explosive curse head-on.
As the gunpowder smoke slowly cleared, it became clear that the Augurey was still standing firm. The seven layers of armor in front of her had been blasted apart and scattered in all directions, and even the last protective layer was cracked.
Despite the obvious destructive power of Seth's curse, evident from the shattered barriers, the Augurey had swallowed the blast without faltering. Wizards on her side let out a collective sigh of relief.
If their leader had been taken down in one strike, they would have had to start thinking about retreating. On the other hand, the wizards from the Pure Land Society were stunned.
They hadn't expected the silver wand standing before them to be so tough, able to withstand such a powerful spell.
"The Pure Land Society's enemies look fierce, but their strength is nothing special. Everyone, hit hard! Show them what we're capable of!" the Augurey declared, straightening up and calmly flicking her wand.
Around her, the wizards rallied with loud cries of "Kill!" Nearby, the Soundless Bird was the first to respond.
With a sharp shout and a flick of his wand, he unleashed three bursts of corroding spells that charged toward the enemy.
"That's right! The Pure Land Society's trash is nothing to fear!"
"They think they can fight us with so few? They're asking for death!"
"Kill them! Rush forward and finish this!"
The Augurey's confident words, combined with Soundless Bird's attack, sparked a surge of energy among their comrades. Morale soared, and the wizards fought back fiercely.
Many even left their recently built bunkers to charge at the enemy. Among them were impulsive werewolves, howling as they rushed forward, eager to close the distance and crush their foes.
This sudden shift flipped the battle's momentum, forcing the Pure Land wizards, who had been pushing hard, to fall back into a defensive stance. During the chaos, several wizards were overwhelmed, including some from the Jacobsen family who were brought down right before their allies.
"Damn it!" someone cursed, frustrated by the turn of events.
Seth couldn't believe how calm this guy was after being hit by his explosive curse. Furious, he shouted, "Everyone, stay sharp and take out every single one of these bastards, no one gets left behind!"
Smoke poured from his seven orifices as he yelled, rallying those around him. But after casting such a powerful spell, he had to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, several enemy wizards seized the moment to charge at him, forcing Seth to deal with them first and leaving him no time to attack the Augurey. Sound Bird, who had thrown a few corrosive curses at their foes, stepped over beside the Augurey instead of pressing the attack.
From this close, he could see that the bird wasn't as calm as it seemed and asked quietly, concerned, "Are you alright?"
The Augurey shook her head weakly.
"Seth's Explosion Curse is terrifying. I managed to block most of the blast with my Protego, but the shockwave still hit me hard. I've got serious internal injuries now, and if we fight again, we won't even be able to use half our strength."
Sound Bird's face went pale.
"It's that bad? What do we do now? These wizards from the Pure Land Society are incredibly strong, and Seth is even more dangerous. They won't hold back for long... Are you saying we should...?"
The Augurey's meaning was clear: when a mission goes south, the silver wand usually choose to save their strength by retreating. But this time, that option wasn't so simple.
There were too many magical animals involved, and fleeing would mean abandoning them all. The loss to their club would be devastating.
As a spear of the silver wand, the Augurey knew just how vital these magical creatures were, they were the club's lifeblood. If things went wrong now, it would trigger a chain reaction that could shake their entire foundation.
That's why the bird fought so hard, even getting hurt instead of dodging Seth's spell, it was a risk it had to take to protect what mattered most. The Augurey shook her head firmly.
"No, we can't give up this batch of goods."
Sound Bird frowned, clearly confused.
"So, are we going to fight them to the very end here? Honestly, with my strength, I'm no match for that Seth. And with you in such bad shape, what can we do? How can we hold them off? The Pure Land Society will be back on the attack soon enough."
The Augurey's voice grew strong with determination.
"We just need to hold them off for a little longer. I've already sent word to Thunderbird, he's on his way. If we can just last until he arrives, the immediate threat will be over."
At the mention of Thunderbird, Sound Bird's tense expression softened considerably. If anyone could turn the tide on the battlefield, it was him.
"Alright, let's find a way to buy more time."
Right now, the Augurey was their rock. The strength she'd shown was enough to stand toe-to-toe with Seth.
With her here, everyone could keep their spirits up. Without her, their allies might crumble in an instant.
Augurey nodded helplessly at Sound Bird's suggestion. It was the only option left, and they couldn't afford to give up entirely.
At the same time, she cast a worried glance at the battlefield ahead. Their spirits were high for now, but once Seth snapped back to reality, things could take a turn for the worse.
She wasn't sure if Master Thunderbird would arrive in time. With a frustrated sigh, Augurey turned away, slightly lifting the edge of her mask.
She pulled out a potion from her robes and took a long swig. In truth, she had lied to Sound Bird earlier, despite her weakened state, she still had about half of her strength left, though success was far from guaranteed.