"Originally, I was Dario Pete, the German Minister of Magic, but that identity was destroyed by a child who suddenly appeared. My wounds haven't fully healed since," the Golden Snidget revealed.
"If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have set such a trap just for you. It's a shame..." the Horned Basilisk admitted.
"Gerrard, even though you've always opposed me, you're still the most capable member of this club," the Golden Snidget said, looking at Thunderbird.
"It's a pity I'm not in perfect condition now," the Horned Basilisk added softly.
"If you and black dragon exist at the same time, it's really hard for people to control…" the Golden Snidget said quietly. "I don't want things to come to this either. If everything had gone smoothly, if you hadn't pushed me so hard, maybe we could have found a way to coexist."
Horned Basilisk and Golden Snidget finished speaking one after the other, their tones and rhythms so similar that, except for slight differences in pitch, it was almost as if one person was speaking.
At that moment, Thunderbird finally saw the true forms of Golden Snidget and Horned Basilisk.
Their facial features bore a striking resemblance to Pete's.
Comparing them side by side, their body shapes were remarkably uniform.
Snidget looked younger than Pete, while the Horned Basilisk appeared to be about forty, with skin on the cheeks and chin that looked mottled, almost like snakeskin.
"This… how is this possible? You've been the same person all along? But Golden Snidget… he grew up with us!" Thunderbird struggled to accept the shocking truth, trying to stand but feeling powerless.
His voice was hoarse with grief and anger as he growled, "Gerald… Gerald…"
Golden Snidget walked toward him slowly, shaking his head.
"You always look up at the sky like this," he said. "Magic in this world is like countless stars, there's so much more than."
"Just raw power. You reckless guy, always focused on making spells stronger. When will you understand that?"
Golden Snidget knelt beside Thunderbird, gently reaching out to remove the mask from his face.
Golden Snidget smiled mockingly.
"Before, you asked why I didn't use the Killing Curse when I attacked you sneakily. Look at me now, I'm using it. Still, your constitution is incredibly strong; you survived my death curse this long," he added with a smirk.
"If that's true, it'd be a waste to let you die like this. You could just use your powerful body to create a 'physical clone.'"
"Combat power isn't lost if you look at it this way!" Golden Snidget said confidently as he reached out to touch thunderbird's body, seemingly trying to absorb the elixir within it.
But the moment his hand made contact, he was shocked, his eyes widened in surprise.
Suddenly, thunderbird mutated again.
Once weak, it now sprang to life, grabbing Golden Snidget's right wrist fiercely with its left hand.
At the same time, it raised its right hand, conjuring a long sword in its palm, then swung it backhanded with deadly precision.
The sharp blade sliced across Golden Snidget's neck as easily as a hot knife through butter.
Puff!
Golden Snidget's face remained frozen in shock even as his head suddenly felt light, then slowly separated from his body.
Blood gushed from his neck like a fountain.
"What?!"
Nearby, the Runic Snake seemed to be hit hard by this turn of events, clutching its chest tightly with trembling hands and breaking out in cold sweat, as if enduring unbearable pain.
After finishing off Golden Snidget cleanly, Alex threw the body aside heavily.
He then straightened up with a snap, no longer weak or vulnerable like before.
Without missing a beat, he seized Voltbrand by the waist and made a stabbing motion with his sword.
"Fulmen Penetrans!"
As Alex thrust forward with the sword, an overwhelming force surged from Voltbrand's body.
A blue-silver electric beam, resembling a laser cannon blast, shot toward the Runic Snake in the direction the sword pointed.
Though badly injured from Golden Snidget's death, the Runic Snake's combat instincts remained sharp.
It quickly raised its wand and fired a turquoise spell directly at the lightning strike, the very "Serpens Occulta" spell it had used before.
The straight Fulmen Penetrans collided head-on with the swirling Secret Snake spell, like two powerful warriors locked in a fierce standoff.
The impact unleashed a deafening roar that echoed through the battlefield.
The intertwined magic surged outward, expanding rapidly and merging into streams of light tinged with silver and cyan.
These streams spread across the walls, floor, and even the ceiling of the corridor, causing the surfaces to corrode or vanish entirely.
After some time, the once-grand corridor where the two had been fighting was riddled with holes, especially at the center of their magical clash.
There, the floor and walls were completely destroyed, creating a clear dividing line between the two sides.
The battle had lasted nearly 3030 seconds, pushing Alex to his limits as he struggled to maintain his magic.
His energy was nearly depleted, yet the horned basilisk remained strong, which caught him off guard.
He had assumed that after the two avatars of Pete and Snidget were defeated, the enemy would be severely weakened.
How could they still fight so fiercely? This opponent's magical reserves must be enormous.
'No, I can't win a war of attrition against the horned basilisk. It's lived for hundreds of years and, even now weakened, its mana probably dwarfs mine by several times, maybe even tenfold.'
With that realization, Alex gripped his sword with both hands and slammed it down fiercely.
He shifted his thunder and lightning giant sword from a piercing strike to a powerful thrust.
The horned basilisk's spell changed in response, shifting from a grappling hold to an upward surge, forcing the creature to stagger and retreat.
This sudden change caused unexpected damage to the horned basilisk's mansion.
From the outside, two beams of light shot through about one-third of the building, slicing it in half like a cake.
These beams then surged upward with undiminished force, pointing straight into the distant sky, as if they aimed to touch the clouds.
After this intense magical exchange, Alex quickly withdrew his power.
He reached into his robe, pulled out a small crystal bottle no bigger than his thumb from the front pocket of his tactical vest, and opened it.
He poured the liquid inside into his mouth, hoping to regain some strength after the exhausting battle.
Alex had prepared this potion in advance.
Drinking it not only helped him recover from injuries quickly but also replenished his mana at an incredible speed.
He had tested it before, no matter how drained his mana was, it only took seconds to fill back up.
After taking the potion, Alex cautiously reached behind his waist and pulled out a round shield about 30 centimeters in diameter.
This shield was one of many pieces of alchemy equipment he had hurriedly crafted after discovering that Snidget was still alive, preparing for a possible future battle.
The shield wasn't just sturdy; it had powerful defensive abilities.