All the hobbits who witnessed this scene widened their eyes, as if in a dream.
On the highland, Rory Brandybuck, the head of the Brandybuck family, looked at that figure with a mixture of shock and burning intensity, his astonishment evident.
He knew Luke's identity as a Wizard, but he had never imagined he would be so powerful. Under that magical and formidable magic, he watched Luke move through the Huorn like he was taking a leisurely stroll, and wherever he went, no one could stop him!
He now regretted not having befriended this Wizard earlier, and at the same time, he envied Drogo Baggins, that lucky fellow, for being able to live with the Wizard for so long. Their relationship must be deep, even if they weren't friends.
With such a powerful Wizard as a backer, no one would dare to underestimate him.
Thinking this, Rory Brandybuck had some ideas. Perhaps it wouldn't be bad to let his daughter Dora interact more with that boy.
As time passed little by little.
On the battlefield, Luke was panting, looking a bit tired.
He had no idea how many Huorn he had dealt with. The petrified Huorn now stood like motionless trees, almost turning the originally treeless, wide grassland into a very crowded space, creating a dense forest out of thin air.
Having defeated so many Huorn, Luke was extremely exhausted, his throat was almost too dry to speak, and he had little magic left within him.
However, the result was not disappointing after all. Luke successfully fended off the Huorn's attack, preventing them from crossing the High Hedge wall and entering the hobbit territory.
Seeing that the Huorn had stopped their attack, Luke did not relax his guard.
Rumble! The ground vibrated.
A colossal creature emerged from the Old Forest, crushing everything in its path and forcibly plowing a wide road through the dense forest.
Under the illumination of the firelight, the colossal creature revealed its true form.
It was the old willow from the center of the Old Forest!
The willow's exterior was charred black, its branches withered and yellow. In the swaying darkness and firelight, it looked like a monstrous creature baring its fangs and claws, exuding an overwhelming malevolence and emitting a harsh, low hum.
Luke's eyes narrowed. This old willow actually came out!
And compared to its already enormous trunk, its roots were even larger, almost ten times the size of its body, like a giant octopus waving its thick roots, sweeping aside all trees blocking its path.
Luke immediately realized that he was locked onto by an invisible gaze filled with killing intent, and its source was none other than the willow.
Luke finally confirmed that the willow's target was him.
He instantly tensed up, ready for battle.
The old willow did not stop. Its countless huge, thick roots grasped the ground and charged forward, quickly reaching the High Hedge wall. It used its massive roots to pierce through the hedge, tearing the hedge wall apart as easily as tearing a piece of paper.
Everyone gasped, their faces filled with terror and despair. The horror of this willow was a hundred times worse than that of the other Huorn! How could it be stopped?
And Luke, facing the old willow directly, felt his pressure multiply.
"Protego! Petrificus Totalus, Petrificus Totalus...!" He immediately cast a Shield Charm on himself, then continued to loudly cast spells.
His dry throat was already overused, and now it became even hoarser. With each incantation, he could taste the metallic flavor of blood in his throat.
Even so, the Petrificus Totalus could only hold the willow for a few breaths before it forcefully broke free, then swung its huge roots and willow branches at Luke, heavily striking the illusory shield formed by the Shield Charm.
Under the continuous blows, the illusory shield protecting Luke became increasingly dim, showing signs of shattering at any moment.
The hobbits watching this scene felt their hearts rise into their throats.
Luke was also in a difficult situation at this time. This willow not only had absurdly high magical resistance, but its physical attacks were also extremely strong. Each blow was incredibly heavy, and even the Shield Charm wouldn't last much longer.
Seeing the situation grow critical, he shouted towards the highland where the Brandybuck family was located: "Quickly throw the oil barrels and wine barrels towards me!"
Hearing Luke's voice, the Brandybuck family members were somewhat confused and looked at their patriarch, Rory, for his decision.
Rory Brandybuck looked at Luke, who was locked in a fierce battle with the willow in the distance, and unhesitatingly ordered all wooden barrels containing oil and wine to be launched towards Luke's direction using catapults.
"Fire!" With a command, the catapults launched, and one by one, the wine barrels flew out like cannonballs, soaring through the air and accurately landing at Luke's and the willow's positions.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Luke's dry, hoarse voice rang out, and the falling wooden barrels instantly stopped in mid-air.
Then, with a flick of Luke's finger, they swiftly smashed onto the willow, drenching it completely.
"Incendio~" A small flame emerged from his fingertip. With a flick of his hand, the flame flew out and landed on the willow.
The willow was rapidly engulfed by flames, transforming into a towering fiery tree. The dazzling firelight illuminated the entire Bucklebury, and even Bywater on the opposite bank of the Brandywine River could see it clearly.
The willow let out a piercing, painful shriek, its branches and roots thrashing wildly, attempting to extinguish the flames on its body, but to no avail. The flames, like fire clinging to bone, burned ever more fiercely.
The scorching heat caused the surrounding grass and leaves to curl and wither, and heat waves washed over him.
Luke looked at the willow, struggling madly in the sea of fire, his face devoid of emotion.
But the vigilance in his heart was raised to the highest level.
He was wary of the willow's dying retaliation.
"Wuwuwu!"
The willow's roots and branches rapidly carbonized in the great fire, crackling and emitting a mournful sound.
A pair of invisible eyes, filled with hatred and resentment, stared fixedly at Luke.
The huge crack on the trunk opened wide, like a giant mouth.
A bizarre and piercingly sharp melody emanated from the crack, drifting throughout the entire Old Forest.
The melody was filled with magic, suppressing all other sounds, making it seem as if only this eerie melody existed in the entire world.
Luke's expression changed, and he quickly covered his ears tightly with both hands.
But he found it had no effect.
The melody ignored his blocked ears, and the demonic sound poured into his brain, echoing continuously in his mind.
His thoughts and consciousness gradually became chaotic and blurred, as if another will was attempting to seize control of his body!
"Slap!"
Luke slapped himself hard, trying to keep himself awake.
But the effect was minimal, and his consciousness was still gradually fading.
He gritted his teeth and plunged his left hand into the fire.
"Ahhh!"
The intense pain made him cry out, and his previously hazy consciousness instantly returned.
Luke temporarily regained his clarity, but the hobbits present were not so lucky. Under the hypnotic effect of the demonic sound, their eyes became hazy and vacant one by one, and then, like puppets, they began to approach the willow.
Luke's face changed drastically. If these hobbits got close to the willow, they would either be crushed to death by the furious willow or burned to death by the raging fire!
The old willow wanted everyone to be buried with it!
Luke had no time to hesitate.
If he didn't interrupt the old willow's eerie melody, not only would countless hobbits die or be injured, but he wouldn't fare well either.
He braced his tired mind and body, gritted his teeth, and resolutely charged towards the old willow.
Today, it's either life or death!
Petrificus Totalus, Incendio, Expelliarmus, Leg-Locking Curse... Luke unleashed them all, regardless of whether they would be effective.
Whoosh!
Accompanied by a gust of wind that stung his skin, Luke was struck in the back by a thick root from the old willow before he could even react, sending him flying and crashing heavily dozens of meters away.
For a moment, Luke's consciousness slipped into a coma, his vision went black, and he nearly passed out.
Fortunately, he had cast a Shield Charm on himself beforehand, and he also had inner armor protection, so he wasn't severely injured.
Luke scrambled to his feet, his back aching so fiercely that he couldn't straighten up.
In that moment of life and death, adrenaline surged, and fear and retreat vanished instantly.
Only anger and ruthlessness remained.
His magic boiled and burned under the influence of his emotions.
"Expelliarmus!"
An unprecedented burst of immense magic erupted from him, transforming into a dazzling red light that struck the old willow with tremendous force.
Crack!
The old willow snapped in half.
Following a deafening shriek, the old willow's movements ceased abruptly.
The old willow, now broken into two sections, lay as if dead, silently allowing the raging fire on its body to continue burning.
Watching the completely motionless old willow, Luke gasped for breath and collapsed onto the ground.
He was now utterly exhausted; the side effects of the magic outburst, coupled with the sharp pain from being struck in the back, left him without the strength to even stand up, so he could only slowly wait to recover.
At the same time, the hobbits who had been hypnotized by the enchanting sound also regained consciousness.
Everyone's faces showed lingering fear; they had been conscious while hypnotized, but their bodies were uncontrollable, forcing them to watch themselves walk like puppets towards the old willow to their demise.
The hobbits who had escaped death turned their gazes to Luke, their eyes filled with gratitude, admiration, and awe.
It was this Wizard who had turned the tide, defeating the powerful old willow and other Huorn by himself, defending their homeland!
"Luke! Wizard Luke! He is our hero!" someone among the hobbits shouted, and others quickly followed with cheers.
For a time, the hobbits erupted in shouts of victory.
After catching his breath, Luke finally stood up, but looking at his severely burned left hand and the faint, sharp pain in his back, he gave a helpless bitter smile; this was the first time he had been so seriously injured.
However, he wasn't unprepared; he immediately pulled out a packet of medicine from his pocket, which contained the Essence of Dittany he had made earlier.
Enduring the intense pain, he applied the Essence of Dittany to his burned left hand, and watched as the wound healed and repaired at a visible speed; in a short while, his left hand was restored to its original state, even fairer than before the injury.
Seeing how effective it was, Luke simply put the remaining Essence of Dittany into his mouth and swallowed it.
"Ugh, so bitter ~" Luke grimaced in pain; no wonder Wizards in the magic world preferred external application, the taste of this Essence of Dittany was truly indescribable, he almost threw up.
However, the effect was indeed trustworthy; his throat, which had been almost unable to speak from overuse, quickly recovered, and even the pain from the injury to his back gradually disappeared.
Aside from extreme mental fatigue, his body had now recovered very well.
After recovering, Luke refocused his attention on the old willow.
Looking at the old willow's miserable state, broken in half, Luke couldn't help but be amazed by the power he had just unleashed.
After all, this was a giant tree that would require four or five people to embrace.
Expelliarmus was originally only meant to disarm an opponent, but with Luke's magic outburst, it had directly split the old willow into two.
This Expelliarmus is truly divine! It truly lives up to its reputation as Harry Potter's signature spell, capable of defeating Lord Voldemort, its power is extraordinary.
Of course, such a powerful magic outburst came at a significant cost. He was now mentally exhausted, unable to muster even a trace of magic, couldn't even use the simplest Lumos spell, and would not be able to easily use spells for the next few days.
"Luke, are you alright?" Drogo Baggins quickly arrived in front of Luke, looking at his pale face, and asked anxiously and worriedly.
Luke shook his head, "Don't worry, I'm fine, it's the other side that's in trouble."
Luke pointed to the Huorn across the way; those Huorn were now in disarray, with many of them ignited by the earlier oil and wine, turning into sources of fire that quickly spread to the surroundings, becoming a sea of flames.
If no one stopped it, the Old Forest would likely be affected and spread, eventually forming a forest fire that would destroy this ancient forest.
Luke was powerless to do anything about it; not to mention that he had already made enemies with the Huorn of this forest and could not repay evil with good by saving them. Furthermore, he was now exhausted, unable to muster any magic, and did not know any spells to extinguish flames.
So he could only wish these Huorn good luck; if a heavy rain were to fall, it might actually prevent this forest fire from spreading.
As for the hobbits, although they were inherently kind, they would not be so kind as to save enemies who had invaded their homeland.
So they also stood by and watched the fire, as long as it didn't spread to their side.
There were even some, like Rory Brandybuck, who secretly hoped that once the Old Forest burned down, they could occupy more land and expand the Brandybuck family's territory.
Rory Brandybuck led his family members directly to Luke, shook his hand, and said gratefully:
"Wizard Luke, thank you very much for everything you have done for Bucklebury! If it weren't for you, tonight we would probably have lost many companions, and even the home we rely on for survival!"
Other hobbits also saluted him in unison, including Drogo Baggins, Luke's good friend.
Luke was a little flustered by this scene, "Please don't do this, it's what I should do!" Others might not know, but Luke knew that the Huorn's rampage was very likely due to him, and the hobbits were instead implicated by him.
Therefore, he felt a little guilty and undeserving of the hobbits' gratitude.
However, the hobbits didn't think that way. Rory Brandybuck, as the lord, sincerely and loudly announced to Luke and everyone present: "From now on, Wizard Luke will be our eternal friend in Bucklebury, and the Brandybuck family members are willing to help you!"
Hearing Rory Brandybuck's words, the hobbits present cheered, witnessing the birth of this friendship.
Just as the Lord of Brandy Hall was about to announce a victory celebration, a melodious song drifted from the Old Forest.