#374 - Playing with life (asking for monthly ticket recommendation ticket)

Shayla already harbored intense hatred for these bastards who had caged her and transported her like merchandise. Now, seeing that she might die at their hands, her anger flared instantly. →Read more at М

"You moronic turtle son-of-a-bitch, how dare you mock His Highness the Prince? Didn't you see how badly our master beat you up before? You'd better wipe the blood off your face, lest your dear mother mistakes you for a beggar. Besides barking uselessly, what else can you do? Seems dogs really only know how to bark, nothing more..."

Shayla lifted her tiny bat head and unleashed a barrage of verbal abuse, growing more enthusiastic and enjoying it more with each word. The situation evolved into Anduin running for his life while Shayla relentlessly trash-talked the Thunderbird.

The Thunderbird, hot on their heels, was momentarily stunned by the onslaught. Shayla's rapid-fire delivery meant he needed a few seconds to process her words.

By the time the Thunderbird finally grasped the meaning, his face turned an unsightly red, clearly triggered by Shayla's taunts. He couldn't help but intensify his magic output despite his injuries, causing the Fiendfyre wall chasing them to accelerate slightly. →

Shayla, witnessing this, was taken aback. She hadn't expected the guy to be so sensitive; just a few insults and he lost it. Now, she couldn't help but shrink back in fear.

"Shayla, keep insulting him," Anduin said, glancing back as he focused on flying.

He hadn't realized Shayla's trash-talking was so effective, actually breaking the Thunderbird's composure. This was good news, as he had just noticed that while the fire wall behind them had sped up slightly, the flanking fire lines had slowed down.

He wasn't too worried about the Fiendfyre behind them, as it was still some distance away. The real problem was the longitudinal fire walls on either side; if they closed in, that would be a genuine threat.

"Ah? Oh!" Shayla didn't know Anduin's plan, but she was now completely obedient to the 'His Highness the Prince' who had saved her. She hadn't expected him to not only not blame her but encourage her to vent her anger through insults.

"What's wrong, you idiot? Are you getting anxious? Are you so frustrated by your inability to catch us that you're breaking down? Do you desperately want to tear us to pieces? I advise you to save your energy, since you don't have much of a brain to begin with. What if you overwork it and turn yourself into a simpleton..."

Shayla turned back and continued her insults, becoming increasingly vulgar and sarcastic.

This infuriated the Thunderbird, but he was only relying on his broom to give chase and couldn't match Anduin's speed. He had already pursued them for kilometers, yet he couldn't even touch a hair on their heads.

The blue Fiendfyre he was casting was already a very magic-intensive spell, and now, fueled by his own anger, its power and range were greatly enhanced, but he wouldn't be able to sustain it for long.

But the Thunderbird was unwilling to give up the chase just like that.

"Haaah!" The Thunderbird's mind went blank, and he hardened his resolve, determined to devour Anduin, the bastard, even if it meant exhausting his magic and suffering severe injuries.

He amplified his magic output once more, causing the raging Fiendfyre to surge even more violently, increasing its speed again, and the distance between them was slowly closing.

"Your Highness, the fire wall is getting faster and closer! What should we do...?" Shayla, perched on his shoulder, noticed the change in the Fiendfyre and began to panic.

"Don't panic, hold on tight!" Anduin also realized the situation was dire. The Thunderbird was clearly going all out, and now it was a question of who could endure longer.

Anduin also hardened his resolve, increasing his own magic output while utilizing the high affinity [Control] rune to break the air in front of him, reducing wind resistance.

Sure enough, with this two-pronged approach, Anduin's speed increased again, further widening the distance between him and the Fiendfyre wall.

Even more, during this process, Anduin was directly using the original [Control] rune to drive the flying cloak and break the air, which gave him a deeper understanding of the entire 'Control' ability system.

The Thunderbird, seeing this from behind, felt increasingly hopeless. He was already operating beyond his limits, yet he still couldn't take down the boy in front of him, which was unacceptable.

But at this point, it wasn't a question of whether he could accept it, but whether the Thunderbird himself could escape.

Because the Ministry of Magic's reinforcements had finally arrived.

Several puffs of smoke suddenly appeared in the sky and darted about, which Anduin recognized as similar to the targetless Apparition used by Kikyo. Only powerful wizards with a deep understanding of Apparition magic could pull that off.

Seeing this, Anduin finally relaxed.

The puffs of smoke, having detected the situation on Anduin's side, immediately approached and landed in front of the blue Fiendfyre and Anduin, taking shape.

As the Apparition completed and the smoke dissipated, Anduin saw the wizards who had appeared before him: Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Bianca Beaumont, the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; and the Scamander couple.

"Finite Incantatem!"

The four, having just landed, simultaneously cast a spell on the Fiendfyre. Their powerful magic condensed into a strong magical wave in the air, instantly holding back the blue Fiendfyre. After a few seconds of stalemate with Finite Incantatem, the blue Fiendfyre gradually extinguished, slowly revealing the 'Thunderbird' hidden behind the wall of fire.

The Thunderbird had put his mask back on, but his condition was even more pathetic than in the forest earlier. Not only was his clothing even more tattered from being battered by the wind during the chase, but he was also covered in sweat. He couldn't even stand up straight, hunched over, using his hands on his knees to barely keep himself upright, clearly indicating that sustaining such a large-scale spell was not an easy task for him.

Seeing that the reinforcements had finally arrived, Anduin immediately flew towards the four, and upon landing, he immediately pulled out potions and started drinking them like crazy. This whole ordeal of fighting and running had really worn him out, and now he felt sore all over, with very little magic left in his body.