The Thunderbird was quick to react to the sudden attack, dodging it and letting out an angry cry as it flapped its golden wings and sent several thick bolts of lightning towards the creature.
However, this sure-kill attack was ineffective and was easily neutralized by the invisible barrier that rose from the ground.
The Thunderbird gazed down at the five wizards with its red-gold eyes, sensing a great threat from its leader. Almost instantly, the Thunderbird made its decision, abandoning its sheep and fleeing.
Unfortunately, the attacker seemed to have come prepared. The anti-aircraft formation was instantly activated, and the Thunderbird seemed to have been hit hard. Its movements became sluggish, and it finally fell.
Ivan watched anxiously, but as a flying creature, he was inevitably affected by the No-Flight Formation, and was forced to land on Rolf's back, allowing the leopard to carry him.
"Damn it, how did the poachers move so fast?!" Rolfe cursed, running even faster to get there before they got to him.
I'm afraid he's not a poacher… thought Ivan. He had seen the faces of the men when he was high up in the air, and he found the leader of the group strangely familiar.
Unaware of this information, Rolfe raced to where the Thunderbird had crashed.
However, when he arrived, Rolfe found that the battle was over, and that the ground was strewn with scarlet blood and a dozen golden feathers.
"Damn it, we were too slow!" Rolfe transformed back into his human form, picked up a feather from the ground, and angrily punched the sandy soil.
Ivan, on the other hand, was not surprised at all. Even a powerful Thunderbird would not be able to last long in front of that person, not to mention that the other party had made ample preparations.
"Did you see the poachers in the sky? How many were there?" Rolfe asked through gritted teeth.
"There were five of them!" Ivan said succinctly.
There's still a fight to be had! Rolf thought to himself. Although there were more of them, he and Ivan were not exposed and were still in the shadows. If he could sneak up on one or two of them and kill them, then the two sides could fight!
Ivan immediately saw through Rolf's plan and threw cold water on it. "I saw Grindelwald among them!"
With those heterochromia eyes… Ivan would have been able to tell that she was dozens of years younger.
"What did you say?!" Rolfe gasped. "Greene… Devore? Are you sure? Why would he suddenly come to France?"
"Actually, before I came here, I received information that Grindelwald had been operating in France for some time … although no one knew exactly what he was up to," Ivan explained.
"This is going to be difficult," Rolfe said, frowning.
He had read about Grindelwald's escape from Nurmengard in the European Times, but he had never expected to run into such a legendary Dark Wizard.
He had heard his grandfather recount the events of over fifty years ago, so he knew exactly what the name Grindelwald meant… and it was not a name they could ever hope to match!
With that in mind, Rolfe decided to try to convince Ivan to abandon the mission and follow him alone to see if he could learn something important.
The place was more dangerous than he had ever imagined, and Rolf knew he would not be able to keep Ivan safe in a fight.
However, when he turned his head to try to persuade her, Ivan spoke first.
"Mr Scamander, you'd better go back and tell the Ministry to come. I'm afraid the fighting is going to be very dangerous, and I'm not entirely sure I can keep you safe…" Ivan's expression was very serious, and he did not seem to be joking.
Huh? Huh? Rolfe stared at Yvonne in bewilderment. Isn't…isn't that supposed to be something I say?
Rolfe was so taken aback by Ivan's sudden outburst that he could not respond for a long time.
Ivan ignored Rolf's warning and retrieved a blank potion bottle from the pocket of his wizarding robe. He waved his wand to collect all the blood on the floor.
"That's about enough, isn't it?" Ivan murmured to himself, shaking the bottle so that he had all the ingredients he needed to fuse the blood, and his main goal of coming to France was perfectly achieved.
If he had been more cautious, he would have stopped in his tracks and found a place where he could perform the sixth Bloodline Fusion Ceremony. He would have spent ten days or half a month familiarising himself with his newfound power before deciding who would win.
However, Ivan was curious as to Grindelwald's purpose in coming to France and his efforts in capturing the Thunderbird. It must be very important for Grindelwald to drop everything he was doing and take matters into his own hands!
Realizing this, Ivan decided to follow them!
In any case, it was no longer the same as before. There was no need to rely on boasting about their strength to stabilize their rule. If they really could not win, they could just run away.
Having made up his mind, Ivan wasted no more time. He transformed from an owl into a sleek cheetah, sniffing the scent of the Thunderbird's blood as he raced to catch up.
Rolf was stunned when he saw Ivan transform from an owl to a cheetah. Can an Animagus take two forms?
However, this was obviously not the time to think about it. Looking at Ivan's departing figure, Rolf hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and transformed into his leopard form to follow him.
If he could cast aside life and death for an underage wizard like Ivan, what did he have to fear?
Rolfe's Niffler, on the other hand, was using its small brain to seriously consider jumping out of the car in the middle of the road. It had been impressed by the Thunderbird's fearsome might, but such a powerful magical beast was easily subdued by the enemy, and its hidden instincts made it want to run away.
However, this thought was quickly dispelled by another instinct, as it detected a scent that could not be refused, the scent of a large number of precious treasures…
(PS: Thank you, fellow reader, for the 100,000 coins that were once again awarded to me!