After leaving the Chamber of Secrets, Bilbo tiptoed his way to the treasury.
The treasury was a wide hall, filled with mountains of gold, silver, and jewels, reflecting a dazzling, covetable glow under the faint light.
Bilbo was stunned by the sight of such an immense treasure, but then fell into distress.
The mountains of treasure stretched as far as the eye could see, making it like searching for a needle in a haystack to find an arkenstone the size of a fist among so much wealth!
Not to mention there was also a Dragon guarding it.
Speaking of the Dragon, Bilbo quickly looked around, but couldn't find any trace of him.
Where did the Dragon go?
Bilbo was a little uneasy. Had he hidden himself?
However, seeing himself invisible and the protective magic Luke had cast on him, he felt a little more at ease.
Then he carefully stepped on the gold coins, searching everywhere for the arkenstone's whereabouts.
Because a hobbit's big feet made no sound when walking, and with Luke's magic assisting him, Bilbo walked as if weightless, making no sound even when stepping on the gold coins.
Thus, he didn't disturb the hidden Dragon.
The difficulty of finding a gem among mountains of treasure was like searching for gold in sand—not easy at all.
However, perhaps it was Bilbo's luck, for after searching for a long time, he finally found it at the top of the highest gold mountain.
Before coming, Bilbo had asked Thorin about the appearance of the arkenstone.
But Thorin hadn't explained, only telling him that the arkenstone was different from other gems, and he would recognize it at first sight.
At the time, Bilbo didn't understand.
But upon seeing the gem now, he was certain that this was the arkenstone.
The arkenstone was a pure, flawless white gem, emitting a brilliant light, as if it contained a galaxy within, making its extraordinary nature apparent at first glance.
The arkenstone, also known as the Heart of the Mountain, was excavated from deep within the Lonely Mountain. The Dwarves poured all their efforts into forging it into a shining gem and embedding it in the throne, making it a symbol of the rule of the Kingdom Under the Mountain.
Seeing the arkenstone, Bilbo was instantly delighted and quickly started to climb the gold mountain to retrieve it.
But just as he finally managed to climb up and was about to lean down to pick up the gem, the gold mountain beneath his feet suddenly shook.
The gold mountain slid down like a landslide, and even the arkenstone merged into the river of gold and disappeared.
A colossal figure emerged from beneath the gold mountain.
Bilbo's eyes widened in terror, for he was currently standing on the Dragon's head!
Bilbo gasped, immediately jumped off the Dragon's head, rolled onto the gold mountain, and quickly ran away.
The Dragon opened his eyes, his giant vertical pupils locking onto Bilbo's hazy, indistinct figure.
"Little thief, you have neither the scent of Dwarves nor humans on you. What are you? And what magic have you cast on yourself? Why can't I see you?"
With a flick of his long tail, the Dragon encircled the fleeing Bilbo, blocking all escape routes.
"But I smell your scent, hear your breathing, and sense your presence. You have nowhere to hide!"
Bilbo looked at the Dragon's massive body and the terrifying aura he exuded, and couldn't help but swallow.
He tried to calm his wildly beating heart, and facing the Dragon's gaze, he cautiously said, "Uh, Smaug, the Immeasurable, I am a hobbit. I accidentally stumbled in here, I'm very sorry, I'll leave right away!"
"Stumbled in?" The Dragon's eyes showed mockery. "Hmph, hmph, a lying little thief. I've seen countless people who coveted my treasure. Each one of them was overconfident, and when discovered, they'd use all sorts of sweet talk, trying to make me spare their little lives."
"But do you know what their final fate was?" The Dragon's cunning vertical eyes were full of Banter and malice.
"W-what?" Bilbo had a bad feeling and quietly slipped one hand into his pocket.
"They were burned to ashes by my Dragon-fire!" A scorching heat surged from the Dragon's chest, and flames were about to erupt from his mouth.
Seeing the dire situation, Bilbo immediately pulled the One Ring from his pocket and put it on his hand, instantly entering the wraith-world and becoming invisible.
The Dragon completely lost sight of Bilbo.
"Where are you, little thief? Come out, don't be shy, come into the light."
"I sense something unusual about you. It's something of yours, made of gold, but far more precious than that!
It looks like something from an old friend I knew, containing extraordinary magic!"
The Dragon's words carried a hypnotic, seductive magic.
By the time Bilbo reacted, he had already taken off the One Ring and reappeared in the Dragon's sight.
"Ah ha, so you're here!" The Dragon's eyes instantly lit up, as if he had caught his prey.
Seeing Smaug's expression of "I've got you," Bilbo's breathing quickened. He quickly pulled out a Mandrake from his magically enchanted pocket and threw it forcefully at the Dragon.
A soul-shattering shriek instantly erupted in the treasury. The sound echoed continuously in the empty chamber, carrying a deadly magic.
The Dragon was struck hard, his expression instantly contorted in pain.
Although the Mandrake's cry couldn't kill him, it caused him immense suffering, as if sharp steel needles were piercing his ears and even penetrating his mind.
The Dragon desperately shook his head, trying to get away from the painful sound.
But the entire treasury was filled with this sound, where could he hide?
The tormented Smaug thrashed wildly, letting out painful roars.
It wasn't until he rolled over and buried the Mandrake under the gold coins, successfully silencing the Mandrake, that the Dragon finally escaped the ordeal.
The Dragon felt a lingering fear, followed by endless rage and hatred.
"Little thief! I will have my revenge!!!"
"I will kill you! And your kin, I will find them all and destroy them with Dragon-fire!!!"
Bilbo had already taken the opportunity to run far away, but upon hearing the Dragon's vow of revenge, panic and regret rose in his heart.
"No, you can't do that!"
"The other hobbits are innocent, they don't even know about this!"
Bilbo couldn't even imagine the Shire suffering the Dragon's retaliation and being engulfed in flames because of him.
The Dragon quickly locked onto Bilbo's direction, as if he had found his weak point, his eyes filled with the thrill and triumph of revenge.
"They will be consumed by Dragon-fire because of your offense against the Dragon! And you will be powerless to stop it!"
Bilbo was unsettled by the Dragon's words.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes resolute. He absolutely couldn't let the Dragon have a chance to leave the Lonely Mountain!
Otherwise, the Shire would probably face utter destruction.
Thinking this, he immediately took out the gold coin Luke had given him and tapped it repeatedly with his finger.
"Got you!"
The Dragon suddenly appeared in front of Bilbo, his huge vertical eye staring at him, revealing a ferocious, evil smile.
Watching the Dragon's open maw about to spew flames at him, Bilbo's expression was terrified.
"Avada Kedavra!" A dazzling magic instantly struck the Dragon.
"Luke!" Bilbo exclaimed with joy, as if he had seen a savior.
Luke, riding a flying broom, swiftly rushed towards Bilbo, picked him up, and swung him onto his back, dodging the Dragon's flames.
Luke looked gravely at the unharmed Dragon.
The Dragon's defense was too strong; even a powerful magic couldn't break his scales or cause him harm.
"Wizard?" Smaug stopped his attack, looking at the suddenly appearing Luke with surprise.
"Who are you? And where do you come from?"
Luke did not answer Smaug the Dragon's question.
The Dragon's words carried magic, similar to a charm, capable of hypnotizing and bewitching people, making them obey him involuntarily.
Smaug's gaze could even directly exert mind control, creating illusions and manipulating victims through words and gazes; ordinary humans and Dwarves were utterly unable to resist, and once they met his eyes, they could be controlled.
Even the treasures that the Dragon had been in contact with for years would possess magic, causing people to fall into obsession and madness.
Thorin's bloodline inherited Dragon sickness, which originated from this.
It could be said that Dragons were creatures with almost no weaknesses; they were not only extremely intelligent, possessed extraordinary perception, could cast evil Dragon curses and mind control, could breathe scorching Dragon fire, and had extremely high physical and magic defense attributes.
They were powerful and perfect creatures created by the dark Morgoth.
And at this moment, facing Smaug, the only active Dragon in Middle-earth.
Luke immediately unleashed his most powerful attack.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A very dazzling green light shot from Luke's wand, instantly striking Smaug the Dragon.
Smaug the Dragon immediately let out a piercing shriek, then fell into the treasure, the light in his eyes instantly extinguished.
"Is he dead?" Bilbo, sitting behind Luke, asked with wide eyes.
Luke was also somewhat surprised and uncertain at this moment.
Could it be that the Dragon was killed by him just like that? Was it that smooth and easy?
But before he could go to check, a rapid sound of footsteps approached.
It was Gandalf and the Dwarves hurrying over.
When they saw the Dragon lying as if dead on top of the treasure, the Dwarves were first shocked, and then erupted into loud cheers and celebration.
Especially Thorin Oakenshield, the look of ecstasy on his face was beyond words.
His nightmare had actually died just like that!
Then his treasure and his kingdom belonged to him again!
Gandalf was also startled to see Smaug's corpse, but then his expression changed, and he shouted, "Get back! The evil Dragon is not dead yet!"
Before he finished speaking, flames instantly reignited in the Dragon's eyes, filled with endless hatred and venom, and he opened his massive mouth, spewing scorching Dragon fire towards the group.
"Protego Maxima!"
Luke reacted quickly, casting the strongest protective charm.
The next second, the scorching Dragon fire collided with the magical shield, causing a violent reaction.
The temperature of the Dragon fire was extremely high; wherever it touched, gold instantly melted into liquid, and even Luke's magic barrier was scorched and on the verge of collapse.
Even though it blocked the direct scorching of the Dragon fire, the intense high temperature still made everyone very uncomfortable.
What was even more deadly was that Smaug the Dragon, while furiously breathing fire, was also swinging his powerful tail, the end like a battering ram, smashing towards the group.
Gandalf made a decisive move: "Quickly retreat into the hall, don't stay here!"
Hearing this, the Dwarves quickly retreated, using the massive stone pillars as cover, running towards the hall.
Gandalf also ran close behind.
Luke and Bilbo, who remained at the very end, quickly dodged on their flying broomsticks one second before the defensive barrier shattered.
"Revenge! I want revenge! Wizard, Dwarves, hobbits, I will destroy all of you with Dragon fire!" The Dragon roared madly.
Luke carried Bilbo on his flying broomstick, constantly circling around giant stone pillars and caves, avoiding the Dragon's fire and pursuit.
Smaug used his massive body to crash through thick stone walls and used his hammer-like tail to shatter one stone pillar after another, trying to bury them alive.
At this moment, Smaug's hatred for Luke had far surpassed that for anyone else, and he pursued him frantically.
Although Luke's Avada Kedavra failed to kill Smaug, it made Smaug feel the threat of death for the first time.
If his soul had not been strong and resilient enough, that Avada Kedavra would have almost shattered his soul!
Smaug had never been so terrified and enraged; he could feel that the spell had the ability to kill him, and once that young Wizard became stronger, he would be the one to die.
"Ah! Luke, the Dragon is catching up!"
Bilbo, sitting behind Luke, turned his head to see Smaug the Dragon flying with his wings, and shrieked in terror.
Luke quickly made a sharp turn, dodging the flames spewed by Smaug.
Watching the Dragon relentlessly pursue them, Luke suddenly remembered a spell from the magical world used to deal with Dragons.
He immediately changed direction and charged towards Smaug the Dragon, aiming his wand at the Dragon's eye and casting an Eye-Blinding Curse.
Smaug was unprepared, or rather, he was very confident in his body's magical resistance.
But the next second, his eyes plunged into darkness, completely losing his sense of direction, and he crashed heavily into the mountainside.
Clearly, although Smaug's body was powerful, his eyes were still a vulnerable spot.
He was unsure how long the Eye-Blinding Curse's effect on Smaug would last, but seeing the Dragon wildly breathing fire in all directions, he could only choose to avoid him for now.
Temporarily escaping the Dragon's pursuit, Luke quickly rode his broomstick, carrying Bilbo, towards the hall.
Upon arriving there, Gandalf and Thorin and the others were already waiting.
"Bilbo, did you get the arkenstone?" Thorin immediately asked as soon as they met.
Bilbo shook his head: "Sorry, I didn't have time to get the arkenstone; Smaug had already found me."
Hearing this, Thorin's expression instantly darkened, and he sneered:
"Clearly, our Master Thief failed to complete his mission, only caring about escaping!"
Bilbo felt very guilty at being told this, and lowered his head.
"I'm very sorry."
Luke pulled Bilbo behind him, gave Thorin a cold look, and scoffed:
"Now that the Dragon has been attracted by us, perhaps you can secretly go to the treasury to look for your arkenstone. But you'd best pray that the gem is hard enough and wasn't burned by the Dragon fire, otherwise, you might not be able to be your King Under the Mountain."
Hearing Luke's words, Thorin's expression became even more unpleasant and he grew more anxious and uneasy.
The other Dwarves looked at each other in dismay.
The Dragon's flames were not ordinary; common metals melted instantly upon contact, and even four of the seven Dwarf Rings were destroyed by the Dragon's flames, which showed how high the temperature of the Dragon fire was.
If the arkenstone in the treasury encountered the Dragon fire, it would certainly not survive.
"Alright, the most important thing at hand is how to deal with Smaug the Dragon!" Gandalf interjected.
"If we don't deal with him, not only will we suffer heavy losses, but even the residents of Lake-town will be implicated!"
Except for Thorin, who was still immersed in his obsession with finding the arkenstone, the other Dwarves all offered suggestions.
The Dwarf Elder Balin suggested: "Perhaps we can lure Smaug into the forge, and attack him with molten lava."
Balin's brother Dwalin also suggested: "I know a pool of acid water that can even corrode metal; perhaps it can corrode the Dragon's tough scales!"
"Also, we can prepare explosives; even if they can't kill Smaug, they can attract his attention," Fili also said.
After a discussion among the group, they quickly began to divide tasks and operate.
Meanwhile, Luke's attention was also drawn by a system prompt.
[Hogwarts Sign-in System: Lonely Mountain located. Do you wish to sign in?]
"Sign in!"
[Sign-in successful. Congratulations on obtaining "The Book of Abraham"!]
The Book of Abraham? Luke was somewhat puzzled.
He opened the first page and looked, and instantly his pupils contracted, and his breathing became somewhat rapid.
The Book of Abraham was originally named The Book of Abraham in the Bible.
The origin of this book is quite legendary and mythical.
It is said to have been a gift from an angel, containing the secret to eternal life.
Nicolas Flamel used the Book of Abraham to refine the Philosopher's Stone.
The Philosopher's Stone could not only transmute base metals into gold and create a panacea, but also produce an elixir of immortality.
Nicolas Flamel lived for over six hundred years because of it, eventually choosing to destroy the Philosopher's Stone and give up immortality, which is why he did not continue to live.
Now that he had obtained the method for making the Philosopher's Stone, Luke was extremely excited.
Immortality!
Although he was still young, he already felt a sense of urgency about his lifespan.
There are many long-lived races in Middle-earth, such as Elves who have eternal life, and beings like Gandalf, who, despite their aged appearance, have not changed for thousands of years.
Even the Dwarves have lifespans of several hundred years; for example, Thorin Oakenshield, though he looks young, is already 195 years old.
There is also a unique race among humans, the Dúnedain, whose average lifespan is over two hundred years, three times that of ordinary humans.
Even the hobbits have longer lifespans than ordinary people, not to mention Bilbo, who possesses the one ring.
Although the one ring corrupts the mind, it can slow down aging.
Gollum, for example, lived for over five hundred years.
And when Bilbo celebrated his 111th birthday, his appearance hadn't changed for decades, which aroused Gandalf's suspicion, leading him to confirm that the one ring was in his possession and initiating the quest of the Fellowship of the Ring.
The current time is the Third Age 2941, and the War of the Ring will take place in 3018, a gap of 77 years.
Luke, adding his previous life's age to his current age since transmigrating, is still under thirty, but if he were to live until the start of the War of the Ring, he would already be a centenarian.
Although he is now a Wizard, his lifespan should allow him to live until the end of the War of the Ring.
But he was unwilling to live as a frail old man by then.
The appearance of the Philosopher's Stone, however, gave him hope for immortality.
Although in his memory, the immortality granted by the Philosopher's Stone made by Nicolas Flamel had a drawback: it only made one immortal, not eternally youthful.
But this was still a method of immortality, and it was the only path to immortality he could access at the moment.
Although he was pleasantly surprised to obtain the method for making the Philosopher's Stone, now was not the time to focus on it.
Luke put away the book and prepared with the others to confront the dragon Smaug.
Luke's Conjunctivitis Curse couldn't trap Smaug for long; once Smaug regained his sight, he furiously smashed through the stone wall and continued to pursue Luke and the others.
However, this time Smaug was clearly more cautious, with a translucent nictitating membrane covering his eyes, so when Luke used the Conjunctivitis Curse again, it had no effect on the dragon.
Luke rode his flying broom, constantly dodging Smaug's attacks and leading him into the acid pool prepared by the Dwarves.
However, the acid, on which the Dwarves had placed their hopes, had no effect; the acid, which could easily corrode metal ores, could not penetrate the dragon's hard scales, instead giving him a bath.
As for the explosives prepared by the Dwarves, they were even less powerful than Luke's Exploding Bolt, not even enough to tickle the dragon.
Seeing this, Luke continued to lead Smaug into the forge.
As Gandalf struck the furnace with his staff, releasing the molten lava within.
The lava surged towards Smaug like a tidal wave, burying him within it.
"Did it work?" Balin the Dwarf asked hopefully, looking at the bottomless lava below.
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, Mr. Balin, the dragon itself can breathe scorching flames, this lava probably won't kill him." Luke stopped his broom in mid-air, looking down and shaking his head.
"But this is also an opportunity to trap Smaug!"
As Luke spoke, he pointed his wand at the lava below: "Glacius!"
The tip of his wand spewed out extreme cold, causing the scorching lava below to rapidly cool and solidify.
The surrounding air quickly dropped in temperature, and the breath of everyone turned into frosty mist.
The lava was originally molten gold; now, after rapidly solidifying on the ground, it became a solid wall cast from gold,
Trapping the dragon Smaug inside.
"He can't get out now, can he?"
Balin shivered from the cold, looking at the golden ground covered with a layer of frost, and asked again, somewhat uncertainly.
Luke stopped casting, his brows furrowed as he stared down.
He didn't sense any movement from the dragon, but he didn't believe the dragon would just stop struggling.
"Gandalf, what do you think?"
Gandalf also frowned and observed carefully for a moment, then shook his head: "We still can't relax our guard; we don't know what other tricks the dragon has."
But at this moment, Thorin could no longer sit still.
"Since the dragon is trapped, let's go find the arkenstone!"
"Only by obtaining the arkenstone will the seven Dwarf clans heed my call, only then can I reclaim all that I have lost, and only then can I avenge myself!"
Saying this, he was about to step across the golden ground to search for the long-desired arkenstone in the treasury.
"Don't move, Thorin!" Gandalf suddenly exclaimed, his face changing as if he had sensed something, loudly stopping Thorin's advance.
But Thorin paid no heed, only wanting to go to the treasury.
The next moment, the previously solidified golden ground quickly began to radiate high heat, becoming increasingly red.
The next second, the ground swelled and bulged like a volcanic eruption, spewing golden lava and scorching flames.
The scorching golden lava splashed everywhere, and the first to be hit was Thorin, who was closest, almost getting drenched by the lava.
"Luke, save him!" Gandalf cried out urgently.
Luke waved his hand, and Thorin instantly flew backward, dodging the lava, and crashed heavily against the stone wall, falling unconscious.
Smaug's head burst out of the lava, spewing scorching dragon fire to melt the surrounding gold.
He climbed out of the golden lava, like a golden dragon, flapping his huge wings, and charged towards the main gate.
'Revenge, I will show you what revenge is! I will ignite the entire land with dragon fire, bringing death and destruction to all!
And all of this is your doing!'
Gandalf's face changed drastically when he saw this scene.
"Luke, stop him quickly! Don't let him leave!"
Luke quickly pursued him on his flying broom, and as the dragon broke through the mountain's stone wall, he used all his strength to cast a spell.
"Crucio!"
The spell instantly struck the dragon's back.
The dragon's movements instantly stiffened, an agonizing pain that penetrated its soul swept through its entire body, as if its bones were being drilled through, its internal organs torn out, and its soul pierced, the extreme physical and mental torment making the dragon let out a very shrill roar.
The sound was so loud that even Lake-town and Mirkwood, thousands of miles away, could hear the dragon's painful roar.
The residents of Lake-town fearfully walked out of their homes, looking towards the Lonely Mountain.
The Elven King in Mirkwood looked even more solemn, his sharp eyes seemingly able to pierce through the forest and see the situation on the Lonely Mountain.
As one of the three Unforgivable Curses, Crucio, unlike Avada Kedavra which is used to kill, is essentially the most vicious Dark Arts spell created for the sole purpose of torturing people.
This torture encompasses not only the body but also the soul; even the most resilient wills cannot withstand such pain, and prolonged torment can even lead to mental breakdown, turning people into living dead.
To Luke's surprise, Crucio's power over Smaug the Dragon even surpassed that of Avada Kedavra.
Under the torment of Crucio, Smaug couldn't even muster the strength to fly, only able to writhe and twist in pain on the ground, letting out screams and groans.
"Spare me! Wizard, spare me, I surrender!" Smaug finally couldn't bear it anymore and began to wail for mercy.
Everyone watched in shock as the Dragon begged for mercy before Luke, unable to recover for a long time.
Especially the Dwarves, who were even more astonished and conflicted.
Smaug, the Dragon who had caused the Dwarves heavy losses and forced them into exile, was actually tortured into surrender by Luke?
Luke was not fooled by Smaug's sweet talk; while Crucio could cause the Dragon immense pain, it was not fatal.
Once the spell was stopped, giving him a chance to breathe, he would immediately revive on the spot and become even more difficult to deal with!
So, he concentrated all his malice and increased the output of his magic.
"Crucio!"
"Ah!!!" The Dragon let out an even more agonizing scream, and in its violent thrashing and struggling, the surrounding mountains were continuously destroyed.
Smaug was tormented to the point of wishing for death, but his consciousness was not lost; he gathered his last burst of power and accurately slammed his tail, like a battering ram, into the giant stone pillars that served as support.
The stone pillars instantly cracked and shattered under the heavy blow, and the unsupported main gate of the mountain quickly collapsed, with countless boulders crashing down.
Facing the onslaught of countless boulders, Luke had no choice but to divert his attention to cast a protective charm on himself.
And taking advantage of Luke's distraction, Smaug the Dragon seized the opportunity, quickly spread his wings, and soared into the sky, flying towards the distance.
"I will remember today's humiliation, Wizard! I will have my revenge! I will turn everything you care about into ashes!"
As he left, Smaug the Dragon still uttered threats.
The Dragon's gaze fell on the brightly lit Lake-town in the distance, his eyes filled with malicious intent.
"You will be the first targets of my revenge! You will endure my endless wrath!"
Watching the Dragon fly towards Lake-town, Gandalf's expression was anxious and worried: "Smaug is going to destroy Lake-town, we must stop him!"
"I'll chase him!" Luke grabbed his broomstick, ready to pursue, but was immediately called back by Gandalf: "I'll go with you!"
Time was urgent, Luke and Gandalf had no time to talk to Bilbo and the Dwarves; they immediately mounted their flying broomsticks and chased after the Dragon at top speed.
As for Lonely Mountain, with the Dragon gone, there was no need to worry about their safety.
The Dragon's speed was incredibly fast; by the time Luke and Gandalf caught up, the Dragon was already spewing dragon fire over Lake-town.
Lake-town below had already fallen into chaos and terror.
The Master, with a boatload of gold and jewels, was about to escape, but because he carried too much and it was too heavy, he and the entire boat of treasures were incinerated by the dragon fire.
As a descendant of Girion, Lord of Lake-Town, Bard retrieved his ancestral black arrow and went to the highest tower, aiming at the Dragon high in the sky, trying to find an opportunity to strike the Dragon.
Seeing this, Luke and Gandalf did not hesitate and charged directly towards the Dragon.
"Luke, get me above the Dragon! We must stop Smaug from continuing his rampage!" Gandalf shouted.
Without a word, Luke raised his broomstick high and soared straight up into the sky at a ninety-degree angle.
The broomstick carried the two directly above Smaug's head.
Gandalf didn't wait for Luke to react and immediately jumped off the broomstick, crashing heavily onto Smaug the Dragon's back, raising foe-hammer and forcefully thrusting it into the Dragon's back.
The Dragon's scales were incredibly hard; even foe-hammer only penetrated half an inch before getting stuck.
And for the massive Smaug, this was like a toothpick pricking flesh; painful but not fatal.
Discovering Gandalf on his back, Smaug twisted and turned in the air, trying to shake him off.
But no matter how he shook, Gandalf held tightly to foe-hammer embedded in the Dragon's back, like an unshakeable pest, greatly infuriating Smaug.
He no longer cared about spewing fire down on Lake-town and turned to breathe fire on Gandalf on his back.
"Crucio!" Luke's attack followed closely.
The Dragon's body stiffened, letting out a painful shriek, and his body rapidly plummeted downwards.
Just as he was about to crash into the lake, the Dragon spread his wings again and flew up.
The cunning Dragon used the falling distance to avoid the Crucio attack, not giving Luke another chance to get close.
Seeing the Dragon playing guerrilla warfare with him, Luke noticed Bard on the tower below, aiming his black arrow at the Dragon, and remembered that he probably didn't know the Dragon's weakness yet, so he immediately flew over.
"Bard, there's a missing scale on the Dragon's chest; it was shot off by your ancestor Girion with a black arrow. Try to aim there."
Hearing Luke's words, Bard's eyes lit up, and he immediately searched for the Dragon's weak point on its chest.
Meanwhile, Luke continued to ride his flying broomstick, chasing Smaug, wanting to force him towards Bard, allowing Bard to once again achieve the feat of slaying the Dragon.
The Dragon was really too difficult to deal with; he just wanted to use the inertia of fate to see if he could eliminate Smaug the Dragon.
Smaug the Dragon was already wary of Luke's Crucio and, seeing him approach again, immediately accelerated to open up enough distance.
But Luke wasn't the only one giving him trouble; Gandalf on his back struck his staff forcefully against his back.
The staff delivered a massive impact, instantly making the Dragon feel as if he had been struck by a ten-thousand-ton weight, causing him to plummet in a tumble,
almost crashing heavily into the ground.
Luke also caught up and immediately followed up with a Crucio.
The Dragon instantly felt like dying, fleeing frantically towards Bard's direction, completely oblivious that a black arrow was aimed at him.
"For Lake-town! For Lake-Town!" Bard roared, using all his strength to shoot the black arrow.
The black arrow flew directly towards the missing scale on the Dragon's chest.
Just as everyone thought the black arrow would successfully hit, it was caught by a giant claw.
The Dragon grabbed the incoming black arrow, a look of mockery in his eyes: "Did you think I would fall for the same trick twice?"
With that, he tossed the black arrow high, tilted his head back, and spewed scorching dragon fire, quickly melting it into a puddle of molten lava.
And he directly smeared the molten lava from the black arrow onto the missing scale on his chest, patching up the gap.
This scene greatly disheartened Bard.
And Luke was even more shocked.
He had originally thought Bard would successfully kill the Dragon as in the original course of fate.
But he hadn't expected such a huge change to occur now.
However, upon closer thought, it was understandable.
In the original course of fate, Bard's success in shooting Smaug was also due to various luck and coincidences.
Most importantly, at that time, the Dragon had no opponents whatsoever; even when he left Lonely Mountain, it was only after knowing that Lake-town and the Dwarves were cooperating that he sought revenge on the humans of Lake-town.
So, a large part of the reason Smaug the Dragon died was due to arrogance and carelessness.
But this time was different; Smaug the Dragon was severely wounded by Luke and others, forced to flee Lonely Mountain, and his mindset had changed drastically, becoming very cautious and careful.
Naturally, the success rate of killing him with the black arrow was much lower.
The black arrow failed to kill Smaug; it was even melted by his dragon fire.
This outcome greatly disappointed everyone who had been hopeful.
"Bard, there's still a chance!" Luke quickly shouted, looking at the disheartened Bard.
Bard looked up, shaking his head with a bitter smile: "But the only black arrow that could kill the dragon is gone! What else can we do?"
Luke pulled out a magnificent spear, shimmering with silver light, from his spatial pouch.
"This is the divine spear aeglos, the weapon of Gil-galad, the High King of the Noldor. It once pierced the armor of the Dark Lord Sauron and wounded him, possessing an unbreakable penetrating power. Its length is similar to that of the black arrow; use it to shoot the dragon again!"
Luke said as he threw the silver spear to Bard.
Bard was very surprised to receive the spear; he had some discernment and could tell that this spear was incredibly powerful, far more precious and sharper than his own black arrow.
However, he then expressed some concern: "But the dragon is already on guard, and the gap in his scales has been mended with magma. I'm afraid he won't give us a chance to hit his weak point."
Luke shook his head, his face full of confidence.
"This time, we won't shoot at the gap in his chest scales."
"Not the gap?"
"No, not there. Aim for his wing. I need you to sever one of the dragon's wings, completely stripping him of his ability to fly!"
Luke said with a very serious expression:
"I'll create an opportunity for you later, only one chance, to shoot him down. Can you do it?"
"I can!" Bard nodded firmly.
Luke looked deeply at Bard, hoping that fate would favor him this time.
Then he turned his broomstick and chased after the dragon Smaug.
At this moment, Gandalf on the dragon's back was also very busy, one hand tightly gripping foe-hammer, which was stuck in the dragon's back, and the other hand holding his staff, casting Holy Light spells to prevent the dragon from opening his eyes, forcing him to fly erratically.
This also gave Luke a chance to catch up. Another Crucio spell went off, weakening the dragon's speed and reaction.
Luke and Gandalf cooperated tacitly, intentionally or unintentionally herding the dragon back towards Bard's direction.
Seeing that the dragon had entered Bard's firing range, Luke cast a spell with all his might again:
"Imperio!"
The magic of Imperio struck the dragon Smaug.
For the first time, Luke clearly felt the immense power of the dragon's soul.
No wonder his Avada Kedavra couldn't kill Smaug. The Imperio acting on the dragon's soul was like him trying to move a Giant that was countless times heavier than him, extremely strenuous.
However, even so, it successfully made the dragon lose his focus for a few seconds, and his movements became sluggish.
"Now! Bard!" Luke's veins bulged as he gritted his teeth and shouted loudly.
Bard rested the divine spear aeglos on the Giant crossbow. As Luke's voice rang out, he, who had already aimed at the dragon, instantly shot the divine spear.
As the divine spear transformed into a silver light, emitting a rapid whooshing sound, the divine spear instantly pierced through the dragon scales and struck the dragon at the connection point between his wing and body.
Accompanied by a mournful roar from the dragon, the dragon, like a bird with a broken wing, plummeted straight towards the ground under the force of gravity and acceleration, taking Gandalf on his back with him.
With a thunderous crash, the dragon heavily slammed into Lake-town, raising monstrous waves.
The dragon's body was too enormous; even after falling into the lake, half of his body remained exposed on the surface.
As for Gandalf, he was still standing on the dragon's back, completely unharmed.
He waved his staff, continuously striking the dragon, releasing shockwaves and Holy Light spells, forcing the dragon back into the lake.
Smaug tried to struggle and fly again, but the wing wounded by the divine spear aeglos was no longer strong enough to support his flight, and he embarrassingly fell back into the lake.
"No! It shouldn't be like this! I won't lose like this!" The dragon struggled incessantly, letting out continuous mournful roars.
"Ice Bound!" Luke released cold air towards the lake water around the dragon, and the lake surface rapidly froze, attempting to seal the dragon within the ice.
The dragon discovered Luke's intention and struggled even more fiercely: "Don't think you can trap me! Let everything be destroyed!"
Smaug roared madly, then spewed scorching flames to burn the lake water, even spraying flames at himself to prevent the lake from freezing.
Smaug's frantic actions forced Gandalf to jump off his back to avoid being burned by the flames.
The flames spewed by the dragon were extremely difficult to extinguish. Even in the lake, the flames continued to burn on the surface and spread outwards, gradually threatening Lake-town, which was not far from here.
"Luke, we need to find a way to make him stop breathing fire, or else Lake-town might be burned down!" Gandalf reminded loudly.
Luke naturally knew the seriousness of the matter and immediately waved his wand.
"Water Prison Restraint!"
As magic surged, a Giant whirlpool appeared on the lake surface, forming a rotating Giant water sphere that trapped the dragon within, spinning him continuously, and even engulfing the flames he spewed.
This was the advanced water magic "Water Prison Spell." When Harry Potter went to the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries in his fifth year, Dumbledore used this spell to trap Lord Voldemort.
When Luke saw this spell in the book of spells, he was deeply impressed by it and learned it.
Creating a Water Prison large enough to trap a dragon was not easy, but fortunately, he had the advantage of the terrain now, with an inexhaustible supply of lake water that could be summoned.
The dragon was seen tumbling left, right, up, and down as if in a tumble dryer. As soon as he opened his mouth, lake water poured directly into his throat, giving him no chance to breathe fire.
Luke concentrated fully, continuously mobilizing his magic. He didn't know if a creature like a dragon could drown, so he could only persist without stopping, and sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.
Although he didn't experience running out of magic, activating magic was still mentally taxing and would make him feel tired.
Just as Luke's mental energy was starting to falter, a surge of warm energy flowed into his body, instantly dispelling his fatigue and rejuvenating his spirit.
It was Gandalf who acted. The Ring of Fire, narya, in his hand sparkled with brilliant light, continuously pouring its energy into Luke's body.
With the added power of the Ring of Fire, Luke's spell greatly increased in power. More and more lake water gathered together, completely enveloping the dragon, giving him no chance to break free.
As time passed, after an unknown duration, Smaug in the water sphere stopped struggling, motionless as if dead.
But Luke and Gandalf still dared not be careless.
The dragon's vitality was strong; if he could drown so easily, he wouldn't have become the embodiment of the terrifying disaster for the people of Middle-earth.
Indeed, seeing that Luke and Gandalf had not fallen for it, the dragon Smaug in the water sphere opened his cunning eyes again, filled with unwillingness and rage.
He watched the great dragon in the water sphere, still alive.
Luke frowned slightly, casting his strongest Transfiguration spell with his wand.
The water sphere rapidly transformed, becoming a giant python even larger than Smaug, tightly coiling around him, eventually turning into massive chains that firmly bound the great dragon.
After completing all this, Luke couldn't help but gasp for breath, his face slightly pale.
Performing Transfiguration on such a colossal creature was too much for him at his current level; if not for Gandalf's Ring of Fire, he wouldn't have dared to try.
"Are you alright?" Gandalf asked with concern.
Luke shook his head.
"I'm fine. The most important thing now is to deal with this great dragon!"
The great dragon was now bound by massive chains, its limbs and mouth firmly restrained, temporarily losing its ability to move.
They had to seize this opportunity to deal with him as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, if the great dragon recovered and broke free, he would be difficult to handle.
The two quickly approached the great dragon. With his mouth bound by chains, they didn't have to worry about the great dragon suddenly spewing dragon fire for the time being.
Gandalf stood on the dragon's back, forcefully pulling out foe-hammer, which was embedded in his back.
Luke also came to the great dragon's injured wing, gripping the divine spear aeglos with both hands, using all his might to pull it out. A hot, lava-like blood flowed from the wound.
The great dragon immediately let out a painful groan.
Luke waved his wand, making the great dragon flip over, exposing his chest upwards.
The two looked at the missing scale on the great dragon's chest, which was now covered with molten black arrow.
The material of the black arrow was extremely hard, and now covering the gap, its defensive power was no less than the original dragon scales.
It could be said that the great dragon now had no weaknesses.
However, this was only true for others.
Luke gently tapped the black iron on the gap with his wand, and the black iron slowly deformed, turning into a huge iron nail that pierced into the flesh.
The great dragon, feeling his life threatened, struggled violently, a look of terror in his eyes.
"No, don't kill me! I surrender! As long as you let me go, I promise not to seek revenge on you, and I can even give you all my treasures!"
Smaug, whose mouth was sealed, conveyed a plea for mercy through mental power.
Gandalf saw Luke stop his actions and, thinking he had been swayed by the great dragon, quickly reminded him, "Luke, don't believe the great dragon's words. Great dragons are very cunning, and their words are their magic, very skilled at sowing discord and bewitching people!"
Seeing Gandalf's worried expression, Luke smiled and shook his head.
"Gandalf, don't worry, I won't be easily swayed by the great dragon."
"It's just that I thought of a better way than killing the great dragon, so I want to try it."
Gandalf was still uneasy; in his opinion, such an evil creature as a great dragon should be thoroughly killed.
However, since the great dragon was restrained by Luke, how to deal with him was up to Luke.
"Luke, what's your plan?"
"I have a contract magic here that requires both parties to willingly sign it, and with the witness of a third party, it can form an absolute binding force, ensuring that no one can violate the contract."
Luke explained.
"I want to ask you, Gandalf, to be the witness, and then Smaug and I will sign a contract, making him serve me."
Hearing Luke's words, Gandalf frowned deeply, his face filled with worry.
"Will it really work?"
"Let's give it a try!" Luke said, shrugging, but his face was filled with confidence.
As he spoke, he turned to look at the great dragon, his eyes cold.
"Smaug, you heard him. Speak, are you willing to swear an oath to me and submit to me?"
"If not, I will send you to your death right now!"
The divine spear aeglos in his hand emitted a sharp glint, pressing directly against the great dragon's forehead, causing a faint stinging sensation.
Hearing that there was a chance to live, the great dragon Smaug was overjoyed, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes, and he immediately nodded.
"Willing! I am willing!"
Seeing him agree so quickly, Luke sneered inwardly.
Anyway, he was just asking, regardless of whether Smaug was sincere or not.
Once the contract was completed, it would be useless for the other party to regret it.
So Luke cast a silencing spell on himself and Gandalf, and also blurred the image, then handed the unbreakable Unbreakable Vow to Gandalf.
The more Gandalf listened, the brighter his eyes became, and his originally worried expression gradually softened,
his face filled with surprise and admiration for Luke.
"Luke, you've given me another surprise!"
Outside the silencing spell, Smaug watched the two talking but couldn't hear any information, and the change in Gandalf's attitude made him feel a vague sense of unease.
Not long after, Luke removed the silencing spell.
"Smaug, from now on, you will do as I say, without the slightest resistance."
"Otherwise, if there's even a moment of hesitation, I will let that iron nail in your chest continue to grow inward until it pierces your heart and kills you!"
"Did you hear me?" Luke's voice became stern and cold.
Smaug grew increasingly uneasy, but seeing the undisguised killing intent in Luke's eyes, and the stirring iron nail in his chest, he quickly nodded.
"I heard you, I am willing to obey you!"
Time was pressing, so Luke didn't waste any more words with Smaug. He directly placed one hand on the great dragon's forehead and began to chant a spell.
And Gandalf, as the witness, drew out the wand Luke had made for him earlier, placing it on Luke's hand where it made contact with the great dragon.
"Great dragon Smaug, are you willing to submit to me and be commanded by me from now on?" Luke asked.
Smaug could already feel an invisible magic shrouding him and Luke. Once he agreed, that magic would descend upon him, forming an unbreakable soul bond.
Understanding the situation, Smaug instantly felt bad!
He had originally been very confident that even if he signed some magic contract, he was confident he could break free. Then, when Luke was unprepared,
he would take harsh revenge to repay the humiliation Luke had brought upon him.
But he never expected that there was such a contract magic in this world that he had never heard of, which directly bound the soul!
Without giving him time to hesitate, the giant iron nail in his chest rapidly grew, piercing into his flesh and quickly heading towards his heart,
Smaug instantly felt his soul leave his body. He clearly perceived that the tip of the iron nail had already touched his heart and was about to pierce through it in the next second.
"I agree! I agree!!!"
Smaug shouted in terror.
As soon as his voice fell, the tip of Gandalf's wand shot out a thin, dazzling tongue of flame, like a red-hot metal thread, coiling around Luke's hand and the great dragon's neck.
Then it merged into them, turning into a golden-red pattern.
"Great dragon Smaug, from this moment on, are you willing to never betray me, and never harm me, until the end of your life?"
This time, without waiting for Luke's threat, Smaug quickly replied, "I am willing!"
The tip of the wand shot out another tongue of flame, adding a tattoo to Luke's right hand and Smaug's neck.
"Great dragon Smaug, from this moment on, are you willing to always obey my commands, and never defy them at any time?"
"I am willing!"
With Gandalf, the wise man, present to supplement and remind him,
Luke made more than a dozen vows, covering all aspects to ensure that his vows could not be exploited or leave room for linguistic traps.
Finally, golden-red patterns were left on Luke's arm, looking very mysterious and cool.
Having completed the vows, Luke waved his hand and released the chains on Smaug's body.
The great dragon Smaug, bound by the vows, had now resigned himself to his fate.
He didn't even dare to harbor a trace of malice towards Luke in his heart.
If he showed even a little, the golden-red patterns on his neck would come alive, turning into red-hot metal threads that would constantly tighten, trying to strangle him to death, and his soul would also become excruciatingly painful, comparable to the power of Crucio.
Moreover, if he dared to retaliate, he would die instantly before he could even lay a hand on Luke!
"Master—" Smaug lowered his head, calling out humbly.