"You're right!" Young Rookwood looked at the ancient wand in Draco's hand, his eyes filled with undisguised greed.
"Not just the wand! But also the Ancient Magic secrets you possess! All your power! I was careless last time; I never imagined an ancient wand could withstand Avada Kedavra!"
"But this time, I'm fully prepared! I've finally found a way to counter your ' Ancient Magic '!"
"Oh? It seems you've found some remarkable 'confidence' in those ancient books again." Draco laughed.
"I spared you last time, only breaking your arm. This time... are you planning to risk your life too?"
"Let me go? Hahahaha!"
Young Rookwood burst into hysterical laughter.
"This time, I don't just want your ancient wand, I want your life! Draco Malfoy! I'll make you pay the ultimate price for the humiliation you suffered!"
Draco remained calm, even taking the time to survey the vault's surroundings.
Then he looked at Young Rookwood. and asked:
"What... makes you think you can make such a bold claim and spare my life? With these... defeated and remnant soldiers?"
"Just for this!"
Young Rookwood suddenly pulled a black stone tablet covered in intricate and twisted runes from his pocket and slammed it hard onto the ground!
at the same time,
The black wizards also took out similar black stones and embedded them into the grooves in the vault walls according to a certain pattern.
An extremely unsettling magical fluctuation permeated the entire vault, and a targeted suppressive force field had been formed.
"I've set up a counter-matrix here beforehand to specifically restrict Ancient Magic!" Young Rookwood was extremely pleased with himself.
"This is a counter-array technique I found in those forbidden ancient texts, specifically designed to counter Ancient Magic!"
"Although incomplete and limited in power, it's enough to render all your Ancient Magic ineffective within this space!"
"Moreover, there's also an Anti-Apparition Jinx barrier here!"
" Young Master Malfoy, now you can't escape even if you grow wings!"
Upon hearing this, Draco frowned and tried to wave the ancient wand in his hand, attempting to gather magic at the tip.
The wand glowed only faintly before going out; the power of Ancient Magic seemed to have been severely suppressed.
"Hahaha! Did you see that! Young Master Malfoy!" Young Rookwood. burst into maniacal laughter upon seeing this.
"Do you understand now? Your biggest asset is gone!"
"Last time, you forced us to cut off our own arms and fingers! This time, I'm afraid your fingers and arms won't even be enough for my brothers to share! We will repay you tenfold, a hundredfold, for the pain you inflicted on us!"
Hermione's heart sank. Although she trusted Draco, he had clearly come prepared!
However, Draco didn't seem particularly alarmed.
He even casually tucked the malfunctioning ancient wand back inside his robes, calmly watching Young Rookwood.
"Are you so sure that the reason I dared to come to this dangerous place with you... is because I really didn't have any backup plan at all?"
"A backup plan?" Young Rookwood's laughter paused, his eyes flickering, but he quickly regained his composure and scoffed:
"Stop bluffing! If you surrender now and hand over the ancient wand and the secret you possess, I might... consider sparing your little girlfriend's life. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?" Draco interrupted him. "Have you forgotten... besides the Ancient Wand, I have another one!"
He brandished the other wand in his hand.
Young Rookwood was taken aback for a moment, then laughed dismissively, "What use are ten wands if you don't have Ancient Magic?"
"Brothers, don't you agree?!" he tried to rally his men, but the dark wizards hesitated.
Looking at Draco's calm face, and remembering that this guy had just killed Voldemort, his heart pounded.
The painful lesson from last time was still fresh in everyone's mind, and the terror and eeriness of Malfoy had long been ingrained in people's hearts.
Is it really just that ancient magic wand that's all it takes?
Draco noticed their hesitation:
"It seems you haven't forgotten the lesson from last time."
"Last time I showed you mercy and gave you a chance to atone for your crimes, sparing your lives. This time, if you remain obstinate..." A warning gaze swept over the crowd, "I'm afraid there won't be any more Goblin for you to capture and use as atonement."
These words struck a nerve with many people, touching upon their sore spots and fears.
They came for profit.
Partnering with Young Rookwood. was a gamble; if the odds weren't high, who would risk their life?
For a moment, the atmosphere inside the vault became subtle.
The dark wizards exchanged glances, their steps faltering slightly, and their wands no longer pointed with such conviction.
Seeing the morale of his troops wavering, Young Rookwood. panicked and shouted, "Don't listen to his nonsense! He's just bluffing!"
"The formation is already activated, his Ancient Magic is useless! He's just stalling for time! Don't you want revenge? He's a toothless tiger now!"
However, the dark wizards' hesitation did not lessen.
Draco's previous power was too great.
Moreover, the other party's calmness at this moment is too abnormal.
Draco shook his head, seemingly somewhat regretful. He said no more, simply raising his wand. "It seems you won't give up until I show you something real."
" Fire Domain Barrier!"
Although Ancient Magic was suppressed, Draco's own pure magic and understanding of the rules of fire did not disappear!
Flames rose from his body, forming a hemispherical barrier of magical flames that completely enveloped him and Hermione!
"This... this is impossible!" Young Rookwood stared in disbelief, while the dark wizards behind him retreated in terror.
Wasn't it said that Ancient Magic was unusable?
What the hell is this fire barrier?!
"Now, do you still think you can break through my defenses? If you know what's good for you, turn around and leave now, and I might pretend I didn't see you." Draco's voice came from the fire barrier.
"Or, if you want to atone for your crimes, you can arrest Young Rookwood., the mastermind! You may have made mistakes before, but they don't warrant death. There's still a way back."
"Don't listen to his attempts to sow discord!" Young Rookwood screamed in exasperation, trying to salvage the situation. "Let's attack together! Without Ancient Magic, he won't be able to hold out for long!"
However, this time, no one responded to him.
Looking at the blazing fire barrier and recalling Draco's words, the scales in the hearts of the dark wizards tipped completely.
It's unclear who started it, but suddenly someone turned around and ran towards the vault door, trying to open it and escape.
Once there's a first one, there's a second, a third...
In the blink of an eye, more than half of the dark wizards rushed toward the gate, eager to escape this place of trouble.