The Double Serpent Society had paid a considerable price this time to lure Shawn out.
The unrest sweeping through various countries had yet to be suppressed, and many pure-blood supporters had been purged in the chaos, shaking the foundations of the Double Serpent Society's rule behind the scenes.
In particular, the Scourers in New York had been wiped out, while the United States Congress had been thrown into turmoil by that old beast keeper who always carried a suitcase.
Both incidents had happened practically on Awen's doorstep, right under his nose.
Yet the old man had truly kept his composure and turned a blind eye. He had waited patiently until Shawn slipped up before appearing at Ilvermorny with a large force of elite fighters.
Of course, he had also successfully intercepted Shawn.
Although the restrictions laid here to create an inescapable death trap had been destroyed by the relentless thunderbolts, and Shawn now seemed free to come and go.
How could someone as crafty as Awen, determined to kill his opponent, possibly have no backup plan?
While Shawn was treating the Thunderbird, the Hurricane Barrier overhead was withstanding the Thunder Pool's bombardment.
The enormous, transfigured Human Beast War Soldiers packed the Back Mountain so tightly that nothing could get through, their dense ranks impossible to count.
In particular, those Cloak Figures lined up and began detonating themselves one after another around the perimeter, trailing black smoke and utterly unafraid of death.
Small mushroom clouds erupted, and the violent shock waves churned the space around the Back Mountain into utter chaos.
No one would dare teleport in a place like this!
Shawn's treatment was swift, too. In less than a minute, the Thunderbird with the broken wing had fully recovered.
The great bird kept affectionately rubbing its large head against Shawn.