Looking at the city wall, which was mostly repaired in an instant, everyone present was dumbfounded and filled with shock.
Only Bilbo, who had witnessed Luke's abilities, looked proud, clearly satisfied with everyone's reaction.
Luke's movements did not stop; he walked through the city, waving his magic wand.
Wherever he went, the surrounding buildings were constantly being repaired.
This miraculous scene made the thousands of residents in the city look at that figure with reverence.
When the repairs were almost complete, Luke finally stopped his magic wand and took a deep breath.
"It's finally habitable!"
Although Lake-Town was still dilapidated, it already had the rough appearance of a city; some houses that had not been destroyed by dragon fire years ago were now fully restored and could be lived in.
Unlike before, when people could only set up makeshift tents.
Bard was filled with excitement and joy, and he bowed to Luke with gratitude.
"I don't know how to express my gratitude, Luke. Your benevolent act has helped us greatly!"
Luke waved his hand.
"It's good that I could help."
"However, my magic can't repair those gaps. I'm afraid you'll have to fix them yourselves."
Bard shook his head.
"This is already enough!"
"Perhaps I can help." Beorn also spoke up when he saw this.
"Who is this?" Bard asked curiously.
"This is Beorn, who lives west of Mirkwood, near the Anduin River. He is the helper I invited to fight the Orcs this time," Luke introduced.
Beorn took off his coat and quickly transformed into a giant bear as tall as the city wall.
His enormous size and the aura he exuded startled the residents, who gasped in surprise.
However, seeing that the giant bear did not attack them, they relaxed and looked at him with reverence.
Bard was also very surprised.
Indeed, anyone invited by Wizard Luke must be extraordinary.
Then, the giant bear Beorn transformed into easily picked up huge stones, stacking them in the gaps of the city wall.
Seeing this, Bard was very pleased and quickly organized everyone to cooperate with the giant bear to repair the city wall.
Luke did not help this time but returned to his residence to begin making magic wands.
As for Bilbo, he stayed put and helped with what he could.
Time flew by quickly.
Soon, Luke completed Beorn's magic wand.
"Warg heart-string, oak wand body, 16 inches long. This is the longest magic wand I've ever made; it's almost as long as a staff."
Luke handed the magic wand to Beorn, looking expectant.
"Try it!"
Beorn was also a bit excited and nervous. He eagerly took the magic wand and carefully waved it.
The next second, the magic wand quickly grew branches, bloomed, bore fruit, and finally produced a ripe acorn.
Beorn joyfully picked the acorn, felt the rich life force within it, and carefully put it away, planning to plant it in his garden when he returned.
Luke was also very happy to see this.
"Congratulations, it seems you've found your most compatible companion."
He finally understood Ollivander's feelings; the satisfaction of seeing a magic wand he made find its destined owner was hard to express in words.
Beorn lovingly caressed the magic wand and expressed his gratitude to Luke.
"Thank you, Luke, thank you for making this magic wand for me!"
Luke smiled and waved his hand.
"We're friends, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are friends!"
Then Luke taught Beorn some basic magic spells.
Watching Beorn successfully cast Incendio and Aguamenti, Luke felt a sense of accomplishment, like teaching a student.
He thought that if he were at Hogwarts, he might even be a Professor.
After teaching Beorn, Luke turned his attention to another matter.
He opened his money pouch, revealing the giant eagle hatchling living inside.
"Is this a giant eagle?" Beorn and Bilbo's eyes widened at the sight of the giant hatchling.
"Did you steal it?"
"How could that be? The Eagle King entrusted it to me," Luke said, looking speechless.
"That's good!" Beorn breathed a sigh of relief. "The Giant Eagle tribe is the overlord of the sky; few people can harm them. I was really afraid you had abducted their child and they would hunt you down."
"But it looks a bit underdeveloped. Is it inherently weak?"
"Otherwise, why would they let me take it?" Luke shrugged, then used his magic wand to examine the giant eagle hatchling.
The results of the examination made Luke frown.
It was no wonder the Giant Eagle tribe had given up on this hatchling. The hatchling had been underdeveloped and inherently weak while incubating in the eggshell.
Coupled with the fact that it couldn't compete with its siblings after hatching and never had a full meal, it became even weaker.
If Luke hadn't taken it away, it probably would have starved or died from weakness before long.
"Poor little guy, don't worry, I will find a way to make you grow up healthy, and you'll be able to soar in the sky like other giant eagles in the future!"
Luke said sympathetically.
The hatchling seemed to understand Luke's words and responded with a few tender, clear chirps.
Given the hatchling's condition, the most suitable way to help it grow up healthy was with Potions.
Luke searched through another space bag and pulled out the last bottle of Soothing Potion.
"Come on, little one, drinking this will make you feel better."
The hatchling was very intelligent; at less than three years old, it could already understand human speech.
Coupled with its previous experiences, it was incredibly well-behaved and sensible.
It obediently opened its mouth and drank all of the terribly bitter Potion without any resistance.
Because it knew that this was something good for it.
The Potion's effect was also quick; the previously weak hatchling now had more vitality, and even its feather color became brighter.
The hatchling chirped happily, its voice more powerful than before.
Its gaze towards Luke became intimate and adoring, as if it regarded Luke as a family member.
Beorn and the others naturally noticed the change and happily said, "It seems to have accepted you, Luke. You have a giant eagle companion!"
Luke had a smile on his face, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
It seemed he needed to make more Potions. While the Soothing Potion was effective, it couldn't change the hatchling's inherent weakness. Afterwards, he would need to make blood-replenishing Potions, recovery Potions, and other healing Potions.
However, some of the ingredients for these Potions only existed in another world, so he would have to find substitute Potion ingredients.
On this point, he could consult Radagast, the herbology expert of Middle-earth.
"By the way, Luke, have you named this little guy?" Bilbo asked curiously, while observing the eagle, which was taller than himself.
Luke thought for a moment and said, "Gwaihir. I hope he can inherit his ancestor's name and become a giant eagle soaring through the sky."
"Gwaihir!" Beorn was somewhat surprised to hear that, not expecting Luke to have such high hopes for this hatchling.
It was known that Gwaihir was the name of the first giant eagle in the world, and also the ancestor of all giant eagles.
He had led the Giant Eagle tribe in the First Age to participate in the war against Morgoth, assisting the Valar and Elves in defeating the dark forces, destroying Morgoth's fortress Angband, and saving the Elven leader Turgon, who had been captured by Morgoth, in the War of Wrath.
He was truly renowned for his glorious achievements and widespread fame.
Thus, a sickly hatchling was given a very resounding name.
And the hatchling showed what it meant to be a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, accepting the name without any pressure.
As for Gwaihir, the hatchling, Luke was afraid he would get bored, so he directly released him and handed him over to Bilbo to take care of.
And Bilbo was clearly very interested in taking care of a giant eagle baby, even though this giant eagle hatchling was larger than him, he never tired of it.
He even used gold coins to buy large quantities of meat from Lake-town residents to feed Gwaihir.
He was more responsible than Luke, the owner.
After entrusting the responsibility of caring for the hatchling to Bilbo, Luke began to study The Book of Abraham alone.
The Book of Abraham recorded many Alchemical runes and knowledge, the most important of which was about the making of the Philosopher's Stone.
The content of the book was very profound, and even with Nicolas Flamel's interpretations and annotations, it gave Luke a terrible headache.
Luke naturally focused most on the method for making the Philosopher's Stone.
However, he had not even begun to master Alchemy, let alone understand the most profound Philosopher's Stone chapter.
Helplessly, Luke could only start learning from the most basic and simple Alchemy knowledge.
Fortunately, after he had signed in and obtained the dictionary of runes, he had never stopped learning runes, which were a prerequisite and foundation for learning Alchemy.
That was why he could understand the Alchemical runes and knowledge in The Book of Abraham.
However, before Luke could finish learning the basic Alchemy knowledge, Gandalf returned.
And with him came King Thranduil and the Elven army.
Looking at the golden-armored, disciplined Elven army outside Lake-Town, and Thranduil, who was riding a giant deer at the front, Luke turned to Gandalf.
"Gandalf, did you succeed in convincing Thranduil?"
Gandalf smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"No, Thranduil's stubbornness is on par with the Dwarves. He came this time to demand from Thorin a white gemstone necklace that was once entrusted to the Dwarves for forging."
"For a necklace, he brought an army?" Bard couldn't believe it.
"That was a relic of his deceased wife; it holds immense significance for him," Gandalf could only explain.
"However, the only good news is that Thranduil is willing to form an alliance with the humans of Lake-town and has brought enough food to last through winter."
Hearing this good news, Bard's worry turned to joy.
He had been concerned about the insufficient winter supplies for the Lake-town residents, but now Thranduil's food was a timely rain.
So, Bard led the people out of the city to welcome Thranduil's arrival.
"Your Majesty Thranduil, I did not expect you to come."
Thranduil sat upright on the back of his enormous giant deer, his posture still tall and his demeanor imposing.
"I heard you needed assistance, so I brought some supplies."
As he waved his hand, Elves drove carts filled with grain, vegetables, and meat before them.
Seeing so many supplies, Bard was filled with pleasant surprise. This was more than just "some"; it was completely enough to feed them comfortably through the entire winter, with plenty to spare.
"You have saved us; I don't know how to thank you?"
"No need to express your gratitude. I am not here for you," Thranduil said. "I am here to reclaim what belongs to me, something the Dwarves have hoarded."
Bard made no comment on this but still warmly welcomed Thranduil and the Elves, inviting them into Lake-Town to rest.
Thranduil did not refuse and entered the city with a team of guards and Bard.
He looked around, a hint of surprise on his face.
"This Lake-Town was once destroyed by the evil dragon. When did you acquire such skilled craftsmen who could rebuild the city walls in a few days?"
Upon hearing this, Bard explained proudly, "This is all thanks to Wizard Luke. His magic is like a miracle; he repaired the damaged buildings in an instant.
And Mr. Beorn transformed into a giant bear to help us transport huge stones, which is why we have such sturdy city walls today!"
Thranduil realized, but his surprise only deepened.
Just ahead, Luke and the others were waiting.
"Your Majesty Thranduil, it's a pleasure to see you again!" Luke said with a smile.
"I am also very surprised. The one who subdued the giant dragon, Smaug's master—the Black Robed Wizard Luke, your great name is now well-known in Mirkwood."
Thranduil dismounted from the giant deer, his eyes openly filled with admiration.
Facing Thranduil's praise, Luke revealed a humble smile.
"Your Majesty Thranduil, you overpraise me. This is not my achievement alone."
"Oh, by the way, where is Prince Legolas? Why haven't I seen him?"
Hearing Luke ask about his most proud son, Thranduil's smile deepened.
"He discovered some traces of Orcs and is currently tracking them."
When Orcs were mentioned, Gandalf's expression immediately turned serious, and he frowned slightly: "Your Majesty, do you know where these Orcs appeared?"
Thranduil said carelessly: "They appeared in northern Mirkwood, seemingly coming from the northern Misty Mountains. Legolas was worried, so he followed them. He should be back in a few days."
Aside from matters of the Woodland Realm, Thranduil was indifferent to the outside world.
He came this time to retrieve the white gemstone necklace he had custom-made for his deceased wife.
As for the war between the Dwarves and the Orcs, he did not provide aid when the Dragon attacked the Lonely Mountain, and he likewise had no intention of intervening this time.
However, his son Legolas held a different opinion.
Legolas possessed a more benevolent heart. He believed that although the Lonely Mountain Dwarves had grievances with them, they were like lips and teeth—if one perished, the other would be in danger. Now that the great enemy (Orcs) was at hand, they needed to set aside past differences and unite against the foe, rather than passively shrinking back into Mirkwood.
Therefore, he actively chose to track the Orc party, attempting to locate the Orcs' main camp.
Thranduil did not stay long in Lake-Town.
After allowing the Elven army to rest briefly, he intended to continue towards the Lonely Mountain.
Seeing this, Gandalf tried to persuade him again.
"Your Majesty Thranduil, with the Orc army potentially invading at any moment, your conflict with Thorin will only give the Orcs an opportunity…"
Thranduil raised his hand to stop Gandalf from continuing his persuasion, stating unequivocally: "This is not for me to decide. As long as Thorin Oakenshield returns my deceased wife's item, I will immediately turn the army around and not stay for another moment."
A hint of mockery appeared on his face.
"Do you really think Thorin Oakenshield will agree? The madness flows in their family's blood. I personally witnessed his grandfather's madness. I fear Thorin is not much different now, is he?"
The white gemstone necklace Thranduil desired, though not comparable to the arkenstone, was still priceless.
Originally, Thorin's grandfather, Thror, was affected by Dragon sickness. After the white gemstone necklace was made, he developed a greedy desire to possess it and refused to return it to Thranduil.
This caused enmity between the Lonely Mountain Dwarves and the Elves of the Woodland Realm.
It also led the Woodland Realm to stand by indifferently when the Lonely Mountain was attacked by the Dragon Smaug.
Gandalf sighed helplessly, thinking of Thorin's current state of madness, affected by the Dragon sickness.
Undoubtedly, with Thorin's current mental state, let alone the white gemstone necklace, he probably wouldn't even be willing to share a single gold coin.
What troubled Gandalf even more was that not only Thranduil wanted the white gemstone necklace from Thorin.
Even Bard wanted to follow Thranduil to demand compensation from Thorin for the losses Lake-town suffered, and as a descendant of Girion, the Lord of Lake-Town, he had the right to reclaim his share of the treasure.
After all, when the Dragon Smaug destroyed Lake-Town, he also hoarded all of Lake-Town's treasures to the Lonely Mountain.
So the treasures on the Lonely Mountain included not only those of the Dwarves but also a portion belonging to the Men of Lake-Town.
However, Bard also did not wish to see war break out between the Elves, Men, and Dwarves.
So he requested Thranduil to allow him to negotiate with Thorin first.
Thranduil did not hold out much hope for this but did not refuse Bard's request either.
After all, he wasn't in such a rush.
However, he still had the Elven army prepare to march, ready to advance directly on the Lonely Mountain to reclaim the gemstone necklace if Bard's negotiations failed.
Bard was going to negotiate, and Gandalf, feeling uneasy, also chose to go along, to see if he could persuade Thorin and thus avoid a war.
Luke knew the outcome and did not follow.
He took out the Palantír, first checking the location of the Dragon Smaug.
He hadn't paid attention to that fellow these past few days, and wondered where he had wandered off to.
Above the Desolation of Smaug, north of the Lonely Mountain, Smaug bit a wild ox to death, then roasted it with his scorching flames. When it was nearly cooked, he began to enjoy his meal.
A Dragon's appetite was not small; one wild ox was only enough for a single meal.
But they could also endure hunger remarkably well; if they fell into a deep sleep, they could go decades without eating or drinking.
These days, Smaug had not considered escaping when the opportunity arose.
But as soon as he thought about it, the golden-red markings left by the unbreakable vow on his neck would come alive, tightening and heating up, like cramps and bone marrow being pulled, causing the entire Dragon unbearable pain.
Under such continuous torment, Smaug completely resigned himself to his fate, no longer daring to harbor any thought of escape or betrayal.
So Smaug could only obediently hunt in the wilderness, then await Luke's summons.
When Smaug finished eating the roasted wild ox, he suddenly looked up at the sky with vigilance.
He keenly sensed that someone was watching him.
"Master?" Smaug felt the unknown gaze was somewhat familiar and tentatively asked.
The next second, one of the vow lines on his neck tightened slightly, becoming somewhat hot.
This was a vow made long ago: no matter where the Dragon Smaug was, as long as Luke needed him, he must come unconditionally.
Confirming that Luke was summoning him, Smaug immediately stopped his delay and rushed towards the Lonely Mountain at the fastest possible speed.
The only regrettable thing was that his wings were not yet healed, so he couldn't fly directly.
"Hmph, quite a quick reaction." Luke watched the image of Smaug moving rapidly on the crystal ball and snorted.
Don't think he didn't know how many times this fellow had had rebellious thoughts these past few days.
He even wanted to escape to a place north of the Grey Mountains to hide, planning to outlive him before reappearing.
But Smaug didn't know that every time he harbored rebellious thoughts, Luke would also sense it.
For this reason, whenever Smaug was tormented by the vow due to rebellious thoughts, Luke specifically increased the punishment, making it even more painful.
Seeing Smaug obediently returning, Luke no longer continued to watch him.
Instead, he re-examined the situation of the new Orc King, Bolg.
Now that the conflict between the Elves and Dwarves was about to begin, there was no reason for the Orcs to remain inactive.
Indeed, the image of Mount Gundabad soon appeared on the Palantír.
Mount Gundabad, located in the northern Misty Mountains, was a massive fortress inhabited by a large number of Orcs, and it was Bolg's territory.
At this moment in the image, at Bolg's command, countless Trolls, Orcs, and Wargs rushed out of the fortress. Giant bats obscured the sky, allowing the light-sensitive dark creatures to move about during the day.
The dense Orc army, numbering in the tens of thousands, advanced rapidly towards the Lonely Mountain.
"Hmm? I didn't expect him to have tracked them all the way here!"
Luke looked in surprise at the figures of Legolas and Tauriel appearing in the image.
They were hiding behind a large boulder near the Gundabad fortress, secretly observing the movements of the Orc army.
Suddenly, Legolas seemed to sense something and immediately scanned the sky behind him with vigilance.
"What's wrong, Legolas?" Tauriel, beside him, asked in confusion.
Legolas shook his head, somewhat hesitantly: "I don't know, I just feel like someone is watching me?"
"Hmph, that sensitive!" Luke was somewhat surprised, then withdrew his gaze and continued to check other situations.
This time, his focus was on the east of the Lonely Mountain.
As far as he knew, a contingent of Dwarves also lived in the Iron Hills, east of the Lonely Mountain. Their lord was Dain II Ironfoot, who was a cousin to Thorin Oakenshield.
Currently, there were only Thorin and thirteen other Dwarves on the Lonely Mountain. Even if they blocked the city gate, they would not be able to withstand the attack of the Elven army.
So, if Thorin wasn't foolish, he would certainly seek aid from Dain II.
Indeed, on the wilderness east of the Lonely Mountain, an army of tens of thousands of Dwarves was approaching.
All parties of the Battle of Five Armies had arrived. Luke stopped observing and put away his crystal ball.
He found Beorn and Bilbo: "Let's go, we'll head to the gate of the Lonely Mountain. The Orc army is coming, we can't let them start fighting first."
Hearing that the Orc army was coming, Beorn's eyes immediately lit up.
"Finally, those fellows are here!"
Although Bilbo was a bit nervous, he wasn't afraid. Instead, he gripped his Elven short sword tightly.
Luke handed the flying broom to Beorn.
"You bring Bilbo along afterwards, I'll go stop them first."
Saying that, he performed Animagus, transforming into an eagle, and flew towards the gate of the Lonely Mountain.
Beorn had ridden a flying broom a few days ago, so Luke wasn't worried about any accidents.
Meanwhile, at the gate of the Lonely Mountain, the atmosphere was tense.
As expected, Thorin refused Thranduil's demand for the white gemstone necklace and Bard's request to share the treasure.
Even though Gandalf earnestly tried to persuade both sides, no one accepted his good intentions.
"Thorin, lay down your weapons! Open the gate, those treasures will be the death of you!" Gandalf said.
"You cannot win this war. Don't bring ruin upon your companions who follow you."
Thorin's eyes flickered, but he remained unmoved.
"Enough, Gandalf, put away your useless words. You cannot wake someone who pretends to be asleep."
Thranduil, in full armor, rode his great stag to the front, speaking with a mocking tone.
Then his stern gaze fell upon Thorin on the city wall.
"Now it's time for your answer, Thorin Oakenshield, do you want peace or war?"
Looking at the tens of thousands of Elven soldiers, Thorin felt a lack of confidence. He paced anxiously back and forth on the city wall, his gaze fixed on the far east, as if waiting for something.
Finally, a raven appeared on the wall.
Thorin immediately brightened, his confidence surging. He unhesitatingly answered Thranduil below: "I choose war!"
Thranduil was momentarily stunned by Thorin's sudden confidence. He immediately looked towards the eastern mountains, as if sensing something, only to see a dense army of Dwarves appearing on the eastern peak.
"Prepare yourselves!" Thranduil commanded.
The Elven army quickly turned its attention towards the more threatening Dwarf army.
The heavily armored Dwarf army marched on foot to within a thousand meters of the Elven army.
Dain II Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills, rode a war pig, holding a hammer, and came to the very front.
"Good morning, everyone, how are you all? I have a small suggestion, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a moment of your time."
"Could you all consider — rolling as far away as possible?!"
"Get out! All of you, get out now!"
Dain Ironfoot roared, his tone arrogant and disdainful.
"Lord Dain, may I have a word?" Gandalf walked out from among the Elven army and shouted to Dain.
"Gandalf the Grey?" Dain narrowed his eyes at him. "Tell these rabble to leave quickly, or I'll use their blood to water the earth!"
"There should be no such war between Dwarves, Men, and Elves," Gandalf said solemnly.
"There is an Orc army marching towards the Lonely Mountain; tell your army to stand down. Your weapons should be pointed at the enemy Orcs together!"
"I will not stand down in front of Elves, especially this immoral Woodland Elf!" Dain pointed at Thranduil.
"He harbors nothing but ill will towards my kin. If he intends to stand between me and my King, I will slice open his pretty head! Let's see if he can still smile then!"
Thranduil was angered to the point of laughter, his eyes cold as he looked at Dain II as if he were a dead object.
"Dain, wait—"
Dain ignored Gandalf's persuasion, turned, and returned to his army, preparing for battle.
"Let him advance. Let's see how far they can go?" Thranduil snorted, not taking the Dwarves seriously.
But Dain was clearly not a good-tempered person and immediately retorted, "Do you think I care about your dead dog's threats, pointy-eared little princess?"
"Did you all hear that, warriors? Let's give these bastards a good beating this time!"
As a horn sounded.
The Dwarf army charged down the hillside towards the Elves.
"Archers!"
At Thranduil's command, the Elves quickly drew their bows and notched arrows, and thousands of arrows rained down on the Dwarf army.
Just then, an eagle suddenly swooped into the battlefield sky, blocking the arrow rain.
The eagle instantly transformed into human form, and in that moment of suspension, he waved his wand and shot at the arrow rain.
The arrows quickly transformed, turning into a sky full of flowers, scattering with the wind.
Luke, who appeared in the sky above the battlefield, his body like a weightless feather, slowly drifted down.
He landed in the open space between the Elven army and the Dwarf army.
The charging Dwarf army paused, startled by Luke's sudden descent in front of them.
"Who are you?" Dain Ironfoot asked warily, looking at the scattered flowers on the ground.
"I am Black Robe Wizard Luke, and I am here to stop you from continuing this senseless loss," Luke's voice echoed across the entire battlefield.
"An Orc army has set out from Mount Gundabad towards here, numbering hundreds of thousands. They will arrive here in about one or two hours. If you don't want to be utterly slaughtered by the Orcs, then quickly prepare your defenses instead of fighting among yourselves."
Hearing Luke's words, everyone stirred.
The Elves, Dwarves, and Men combined here numbered only tens of thousands.
Compared to the Orc army, they were outnumbered by more than ten times.
"How am I to believe what you say is true?" Dain squinted suspiciously. "I know you are with Gandalf the Grey. How can I be sure you're not lying for those rabble and pointy-eared bastards?"
Luke scoffed at the words.
"Whether you believe it or not is your business. I don't need to prove it to you."
Just then, Beorn flew over on his flying broomstick with Bilbo.
He leaped down from mid-air, transforming into a giant bear, catching Bilbo with one hand, and roaring at Dain.
The war-pig beneath Dain was startled by the giant bear and hastily scurried backward, almost causing Dain to fall off.
Ignoring Dain Ironfoot's reaction, Luke turned and walked towards the Elven and Human armies.
Gandalf quickly came to meet him, asking, "Luke, has the Orc army really arrived?"
Luke nodded: "I saw it with the Palantír."
Gandalf immediately understood, but his brow furrowed even more deeply.
"Hundreds of thousands of Orcs, this will likely be a difficult battle!"
But what caught Gandalf even more off guard was that the Elves suddenly put away their weapons, preparing to withdraw from here.
"Your Majesty Thranduil, with such a great enemy before us, why do you retreat?" Gandalf found Thranduil and quickly asked.
Thranduil said coldly, "This is a war between Orcs and Dwarves. I need to be responsible for my people.
Every Elf of the Woodland Realm is precious and cannot be lost on a battlefield that does not belong to them."
"But if the Lonely Mountain falls, how long can the Woodland Realm last?" Gandalf disagreed.
"Do you think the Orcs will spare the Woodland Realm, or is the great Your Majesty Thranduil preparing to bow down to them?"
Thranduil snorted.
"Gandalf, you don't need to provoke me. I have personally experienced Morgoth's darkest times, witnessed the fall of countless kin, and killed more Orcs than there are trees in Mirkwood!"
"But my Woodland people will only die fighting to defend their homes, not as worthless sacrifices for these Dwarves."
"But the enemy probably won't give you a chance to retreat!" Luke suddenly pointed to a distant mountain peak and said. Thranduil and Gandalf looked in the direction Luke pointed.
They saw Orc banners appearing on the distant mountain peak.
At the same time, a dull, deafening roar came from the ground.
The next second, giant Earthworms burrowed out of the mountain, digging through tunnels.
Countless Orcs poured out of the tunnels, densely covering the surrounding mountains, encircling both the Elven and Dwarf armies.
"To arms!"
Dain no longer cared about confronting the Elves and immediately ordered his army to change their defensive direction.
Luke was also seeing the Middle-earth version of a "tunnel boring machine" for the first time. The speed at which it dug through mountains was something even last life's engineering teams couldn't match.
If he had the chance, he'd really like to catch one to use for digging tunnels or other engineering work in the future. The battle was about to begin, and the Dwarf army on the front lines was the first to clash with the Orc army.
The Dwarves were fully armored, but the Orcs outnumbered the Dwarves by countless times, not to mention the Wargs and Trolls fighting among them.
Both sides fought madly, with screams echoing endlessly.
Just as the Dwarves were falling into a disadvantage, the Elves, who had been motionless, suddenly sprang into action. The Elves quickly joined the battlefield, fighting alongside the Orcs.
Countless arrows flew towards the Orcs, instantly killing countless of them.
But even though the number of Orc casualties far exceeded the combined total of Elves and Dwarves, Orcs continued to pour out of the tunnels endlessly.
Bard and a few hundred Men from Lake-town also joined the fight.
And Beorn, even earlier, had charged into the Orcs, moving like a giant bear through an empty land, swatting or flinging Orcs to their deaths one by one.
Gandalf drew his foe-hammer, his face grim as he looked at the Orcs covering the mountains and plains.
He asked Luke, "Luke, where is your dragon? We need him!"
Luke sensed something, looked into the distance, and smiled: "I think he's here!"
Before he finished speaking, the figure of the great dragon Smaug appeared on the distant mountain peak.
The great dragon stood on the mountain, tilted his head back, and let out a deafening roar, then spewed scorching flames at the Orcs on the mountain.
The appearance of the great dragon caused the entire battlefield to pause for a few seconds.
The Dwarves and Elves were both startled, but seeing the great dragon attacking the Orcs, they were immediately delighted.
The Orcs, on the other hand, were extremely panicked. Their formation was in disarray, and they were quickly seized upon by the Elves and Dwarves for a fierce counterattack.
"Luke, the Orcs are too numerous, we can't kill them all. We must find Bolg's location. As long as he is killed, the Orc army will be in chaos, and then we can turn the tide!"
Gandalf cut down an Orc with his sword and shouted to Luke.
Luke nodded, and with a wave of his wand, he eliminated all the surrounding Orcs and Wargs.
"I know, leave this to me!"
Saying that, he took out the Palantír to find Bolg's location.
"Found you!"
Luke looked at Bolg's figure appearing on the crystal ball and quickly determined his location.
But just then, something unexpected happened.
Bolg's figure on the crystal ball suddenly disappeared, and then a fiery red magical flaming eye emerged, emitting a dark spiritual fluctuation that sought to corrupt and degrade people!
"Black Robe Luke, the Wizard who subdued the great dragon, I know your desires. How about a deal with me?"
"As long as you cooperate with me and help the Orcs take the Lonely Mountain, I can teach you how to forge a Ring of Power for yourself, granting you immense power and endless life!"
The strand of Galadriel's hair on his wrist emitted a holy power, bringing Luke back to his senses from the seductive voice.
Luke felt a cold sweat on his back; he was almost caught off guard and influenced, controlled.
He hadn't expected to encounter the Dark Lord Sauron again so soon, and through the Palantír at that.
Clearly, the Palantír in his hand had been discovered by Sauron.
And Sauron also possessed a Palantír; it was through that Palantír that the other party contacted him, attempting to tempt, corrupt, and degrade him.
He hadn't expected that he would one day experience the same treatment as Saruman!
Luke dared not respond to Sauron. After all, if Saruman could be corrupted and controlled by him through the Palantír, Luke was in even greater danger.
"Eat shit, you!"
Immediately, Luke pulled out the crystal vial Galadriel had given him and channeled his magic to activate the light contained within.
The crystal vial instantly erupted with a dazzling, holy light—eärendil's light.
Sauron naturally remembered eärendil's light vividly, and his pupils constricted the moment he saw it.
The next second, his magical eye was burned by the holy, dazzling light, and he let out a cry of pain before instantly vanishing from the Palantír.
Seeing that Sauron's magical eye was no longer on the crystal, Luke still wasn't at ease and carefully illuminated it with eärendil's light to prevent Sauron from leaving any hidden marks within.
After confirming there were no hidden dangers, Luke finally breathed a sigh of relief, but he still decided to keep the Palantír and eärendil's light together from now on.
With eärendil's light, which restrains dark power, by his side, let's see if Sauron still dares to spy then?
If it doesn't blind him, he'll take his name!
Just looking at the Palantír, Luke frowned slightly.
Since Sauron already knew he possessed a Palantír, he would have to use it cautiously in the future.
The other party could completely see his situation through the Palantír, which was equivalent to having a monitor installed by his side.
What was even more infuriating was that he didn't have the confidence to look at the other side's situation.
Otherwise, he would likely end up like Saruman.
He put the Palantír and eärendil's light together and put them away.
Luke immediately prepared to go find Bolg.
Although there was an unexpected turn of events just now, he still saw Bolg's location.
This Bolg was truly cautious and cunning. He wasn't at the command post but was instead hidden inside the tunnels dug by the Earthworms.
Having found Bolg's location, he naturally had to go eliminate him.
However, he looked at Bilbo beside him, thought for a moment, and said.
"Bilbo, I'm going to the Orc main camp on the other side to deal with Bolg now. It's not safe here. I'll take you to Thorin and their city wall.
But Bilbo shook his head, holding his Elven sword.
"Luke, you don't need to worry about me. You know I can protect myself."
Seeing Bilbo's persistence, Luke didn't insist.
"Alright, then you take care of yourself!"
But he still, not at ease, cast several layers of protection on him.
Then he rode his flying broomstick and flew towards Bolg's direction.
But before he flew far, giant bats, obscuring the sky, attacked Luke.
"Avada Kedavra, Avada Kedavra—"
Luke's spells were nonstop, and the surrounding giant bats fell like rain.
On the battlefield of Erebor.
The Elven and Dwarf armies, as old rivals for thousands of years, were extremely familiar with each other's combat methods and coordinated very well.
When the Dwarves repelled the first wave of Orc attacks, the Elven warriors quickly moved in to fill the gaps, and the two sides cooperated in rotation to defend.
Beorn, who harbored a deep hatred for the Orcs, charged directly into the Orc ranks in his giant bear form, engaging in a furious slaughter.
The giant bear's thick fur and powerful defense allowed him to ignore the Orcs' weapons; wherever he went, Orcs were smashed and killed.
The most eye-catching, however, was the dragon Smaug.
Although the dragon was temporarily unable to fly, his destructive power was still terrifying; a gentle sweep of his tail, as hard as a battering ram, was like the scythe of death, reaping the lives of a large area of surrounding Orcs.
Even more terrifying was the dragon's dragon flame; the scorching high temperature could melt even the hardest steel, let alone the flesh and blood of the Orcs.
Wherever the dragon flame reached, Orcs turned to ash, and the earth became a scorched wasteland.
All Orcs dared not face the dragon directly, fleeing in terror, which then caused great chaos in the Orc army.
The dragon Smaug seemed to want to vent all the grievances he had accumulated during this period, unleashing a frenzied fire attack, treating the Orcs as a means of catharsis.
At this moment, Luke was fighting giant bats in the sky.
The giant bats numbered in the hundreds of thousands; they blotted out the sky, and more importantly, they were used to block the sun, allowing the Orc army below to operate even during the day.
Dark creatures are naturally restrained by the sun; Orcs feel uncomfortable and painful when exposed to the sun, and Trolls will even turn to stone directly.
Therefore, Sauron specially bred giant bats to compensate for the Dark Army's weakness during the day.
The giant bats were huge, easily capable of snatching an adult, and if there were only dozens, hundreds, or even thousands, Luke was confident he could easily handle them.
But facing hundreds of thousands of bats, Luke simply couldn't kill them all.
He could only cast a magic barrier on himself to block the giant bats attacking from all directions.
Thousands upon thousands of bats densely surrounded Luke, enclosing him so tightly that not even a sliver of light could be seen.
Even more troublesome, the bats also knew how to attack with sound, emitting ultrasonic waves together.
The ultrasonic wave of a single bat was not powerful, but when thousands of bats gathered together, the power was terrifying!
Fortunately, when he felt something was wrong, Luke immediately cast a silencing charm.
Otherwise, he would have truly suffered a severe setback.
"Hmph, you think your voices are powerful? Today, let me give you a taste of Mandrake's voice!"
Luke took out a Mandrake from his spatial bag, pulled it out of its pot, and extended it beyond the silencing charm.
The Mandrake, suddenly awakened from its slumber, was filled with immense resentment and a wronged expression; it immediately opened its mouth and let out a deadly, ear-piercing scream.
"Sonorous Voice!" Luke even added a sound amplification charm to it.
Instantly, a loud, piercing cry echoed high in the sky.
Giant bats, like ordinary bats, have extremely sensitive hearing, relying on it to determine direction and obstacles.
The Mandrake's cry was even more lethal to them.
Wherever the Mandrake's cry spread, the giant bats filling the sky froze instantly, their bodies stiffening, and then rapidly plummeting towards the ground.
The fall of a large number of giant bats even tore a gap in the sky, allowing the sun's rays to shine onto the ground.
The Orcs exposed to the sunlight immediately lost their combat effectiveness, howling in pain.
And the Trolls instantly turned to stone, becoming giant statues.
Countless falling giant bats were like dense cannonballs, smashing and injuring the Orcs on the ground.
Luke simply used the Mandrake as a weapon, chasing after the densest clusters of giant bats.
Swathes of giant bats continuously fell, tearing open the dark curtain of the sky while also inflicting secondary damage on the Orcs on the ground.
"Use Morgul Arrow to shoot him! Kill that Wizard in the sky! (black speech)"
Bolg roared in terror and fury.
As the Orc herald gave the command, Orcs on the hilltop set up rows of giant ballistae.
These arrows were engraved with dark incantations, emanating Dark Arts energy.
They waited until Luke appeared to bring them out, clearly weapons specifically prepared to deal with him.
"Fire!"
A dense volley of Morgul Arrow shot towards Luke in the sky, giving him no space to dodge.
Seeing the incoming arrows, Luke frowned and quickly ascended higher to avoid them.
These Morgul Arrow carried magic-breaking power; ordinary protective charms could not stop them.
These Orcs truly went to great lengths to deal with him, firing so many Morgul Arrow at once as if they were free.
Seeing the threat of the Morgul Arrow, Luke was temporarily unable to approach the Orc command camp.
He immediately changed direction and flew straight towards the location of the dragon Smaug.
Smaug was currently frolicking and spewing fire everywhere, and upon seeing Luke appear, he instinctively wanted to breathe fire.
But after realizing who it was, he immediately shut his mouth in terror, with only thick black smoke coming out of his nostrils, choking himself.
The scene looked somewhat comical.
"Master, what are your orders?" Smaug asked, somewhat guiltily and fawningly.
Luke didn't mind his previous actions, landing on his back and pointing towards the Orc command camp on the distant hilltop.
"Bolg is hiding there; use your dragon flame to destroy him for me."
"Your will is my direction!"
Smaug said, then carried Luke, charging straight through towards the distant hilltop.
Smaug's scales had powerful defense; even Morgul Arrow could not harm him.
With Smaug as the toughest meat shield, Luke didn't need to do anything; the Morgul Arrow couldn't reach him, and they quickly approached Bolg's hiding place.
"My lord, that giant dragon is charging over! (black speech)"
The Orc herald cried out in terror.
The surrounding Orcs also fell into a panic.
If not for Bolg's authority, they would have probably fled in disarray long ago.
A trace of panic and fear flashed in Bolg's ugly face, then his expression hardened.
"Use Earthworm to attack the dragon! (black speech)"
"As long as the dragon is dragged underground, it will no longer be a threat! (black speech)"
Luke, riding the giant dragon, swept forward, crushing all the Orcs in their path into a muddy mess.
Just as they were about to approach Bolg's location.
The ground suddenly shook, and then an Earthworm suddenly burst out from underground, its sharp, dense fangs biting one of Smaug's legs, trying to drag him underground.
Smaug cried out in pain, biting the Earthworm's head and trying to pull it out from underground.
But the Earthworm seemed to be rooted deep in the earth; no matter how hard Smaug bit and dragged, the Earthworm wasn't pulled out, still stubbornly biting Smaug's leg, trying to drag him into the excavated underground tunnel.
"Crucio!" Seeing this, Luke on the dragon's back directly attacked the Earthworm.
The Earthworm instantly felt pain, its massive body twisting continuously, emitting a low hiss.
The dragon Smaug seized the opportunity to pull back hard, and an Earthworm, roughly over 100 meters long and 75 meters wide, appeared fully on the ground.
The Earthworm looked very unique and terrifying; its body was cylindrical, covered with a rough and hard outer shell, and its overall color was a dark brown similar to soil.
Its head was huge and flat, with no eyes, only a circular, sharp mouthpart; these mouthparts were arranged tightly, like sawteeth, capable of easily biting through rocks and soil to dig tunnels.
The Earthworm, exposed to the air after being pulled out, looked very uneasy, trying to burrow back underground.
The dragon Smaug was very displeased with this creature that had ambushed him, and naturally, he would not allow it a chance to escape back underground.
He immediately spewed scorching dragon flame at the Earthworm, giving it a direct roasting.
The Earthworm let out a painful, low moan, its body constantly rolling and twisting, trying to extinguish the dragon flame.
The ground vibrated continuously from the immense commotion, and countless Orcs were also affected.
But how could dragon flame be easily extinguished?
Soon, an unpleasant smell of cooked meat emanated.
"Smaug, don't be careless; there are definitely more Earthworm underground!" Luke on the dragon's back reminded him seriously.
He remembered that there was more than one Earthworm that had dug through the tunnel.
Sure enough, before long, two more Earthworm of similar size suddenly emerged from underground.
Smaug reacted extremely quickly, dodging one Earthworm that bit at his neck, and then spewed a burst of scorching flame at it.
The Earthworm cried out in pain and quickly retreated back underground.
But another Earthworm bit Smaug's tail, pulling his tail into the underground tunnel with force.
"Avada Kedavra!" Luke flung out an Avada Kedavra, hitting the Earthworm. The Earthworm instantly stiffened, released Smaug's tail, and lay lifeless on the spot.
Luke rejoiced.
This was his first successful kill with Avada Kedavra; it truly wasn't easy!
It rarely happens three times; the previous two failed Avada Kedavra kills had made him lose much confidence in the spell.
Now, he had finally achieved his first kill.
With the two Earthworm dealt with, the remaining one seemed scared and did not emerge from underground to ambush again.
But Luke dared not be careless.
The Earthworm was the king underground; if Smaug were to be dragged underground, who would win or lose was still unknown.
The next second, the ground vibrated once more.
Just as Luke thought the Earthworm was going to ambush, to his surprise.
The Earthworm's target was actually the two dead Earthworm; it quickly dragged their bodies underground, leaving only two bottomless giant holes, and then completely went silent.
Seeing this, Luke and Smaug no longer paid attention to it and continued to push forward towards Bolg's direction.
The defeat of the Earthworm greatly demoralized the Orc army; all Orcs who saw the dragon Smaug and Luke scattered and fled.
"Lord Bolg, the Earthworm can't stop the dragon and that Wizard at all; we are no match for them! Let's retreat quickly! (black speech)"
The Orc herald said in terror, his eyes filled with fear.
Bolg's ugly face grew even more grim, and his mace instantly crushed the herald's head.
Then he took a deep breath and commanded:
"Retreat into the tunnel!"
At Bolg's command, the Orc army fled into the tunnels dug by the Earthworms.
So when Luke arrived riding Smaug, he only managed to eliminate the Orcs who couldn't make it into the tunnels in time.
However, all the other Orcs, including Bolg, had entered the tunnels, preventing Luke from finding him.
Luke was somewhat helpless upon seeing this situation.
This Bolg was clearly even more difficult to deal with than his father, Azog; he immediately hid in the tunnels as soon as he saw the situation was unfavorable.
Smaug noticed Luke's expression and quickly tried to show off, saying:
"Master, it doesn't matter if Bolg hides in the tunnels, I'll just keep breathing fire into the tunnels and burn them alive inside!"
Luke shook his head: "Have you forgotten they still have an Earthworm? As long as the Earthworm is there, they can burrow anywhere underground. How far can your dragon fire burn?"
As for the idea of chasing them into the tunnels, Luke didn't consider it at all.
Once inside the underground tunnels, it would be the Earthworm's domain.
Perhaps Bolg was hoping he would chase them in.
However, not chasing them in didn't mean Luke had no other way.
He jumped off Smaug's back, came to the tunnel entrance, pointed his wand inside, and chanted with malevolence: "Infernal Fire~"
A small wisp of eerie blue flame spewed from the tip of his wand.
The flame was full of violent and evil aura, as if it were fire from hell.
As soon as it landed, it quickly began to devour all surrounding combustibles, including Luke, the caster.
Luke's expression turned cold, and with a forceful flick of his wand, he drew the flame back.
The flame seemed to have a mind of its own; knowing Luke was not to be trifled with, it quickly spread deeper into the tunnel, consuming everything combustible in its path.
The flame grew larger and larger, eventually condensing into a gigantic fiery python that filled the tunnel.
Luke immediately used an Exploding Bolt to collapse the tunnel entrance, blocking it, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
What he had just cast was the most dangerous spell in the magic world, the Fiendfyre Curse.
As one of the advanced Dark Arts, the Fiendfyre Curse is an extremely difficult spell to control. The summoned magical fire continuously grows stronger and stronger. It can mimic the forms of various monsters and relentlessly pursue and consume anything combustible, including the caster themselves, without distinguishing between friend or foe.
Therefore, some Wizards with insufficient ability, when casting the Fiendfyre Curse, often cause harm to themselves because they cannot control the Fiendfyre and have not mastered the counter-curse.
Thus, even the most heinous Dark Wizards never dare to cast this curse lightly.
To date, the only exception is the Dark Arts master Grindelwald, who can freely control Fiendfyre.
He can even use Fiendfyre to distinguish between friend and foe.
Those loyal to him remain unharmed by the Fiendfyre, while those disloyal are directly turned to ash.
If not for a great Wizard like Nicolas Flamel, who, along with the Scamander brothers and others, exerted their full efforts, even all of Paris would have nearly been burned to ashes by Grindelwald's Fiendfyre.
Luke did not believe he possessed Grindelwald's ability to control Fiendfyre.
So, after releasing Fiendfyre into the tunnel, he immediately blocked its retreat.
Anyway, there were only enemies like Orcs inside the tunnel, so there was no need to worry about harming the innocent.
Smaug, having witnessed Luke casting the Fiendfyre, immediately constricted his pupils and retreated several steps, full of apprehension and fear.
"Master, what was that flame you just cast? Why does it make me feel so dangerous?"
Smaug felt that the flame was even more potent than his own dragon fire; if he were to get even a little bit on himself, even his hardest dragon scales might not withstand its scorching!
"That is Fiendfyre, also known as Devil's Flame or Infernal Fire. It can grow stronger by devouring everything, and without a counter-curse, it will continue to burn until it can no longer be controlled."
Luke explained simply.
Upon hearing this, Smaug grew even more fearful of the Fiendfyre. He had always been proud of his dragon fire; even the hardest armor and weapons forged by Dwarves, he could easily melt.
But now, this Fiendfyre truly lived up to its name, as if it were a flame from hell, possessing a power to destroy everything.
Thus, he held even greater reverence for his Master, who could cast such terrifying Fiendfyre.
If his Master had used this flame against him back then, he would probably have been burned to charcoal by now!
Thinking this, Smaug couldn't help but feel a surge of relief.
Luke, on the other hand, was unaware of Smaug's current thoughts; otherwise, he could only say Smaug was overthinking it.
If the Fiendfyre Curse wasn't so difficult to control, did Smaug think he wouldn't want to use it?
Having blocked the tunnel entrance, Luke did not linger there.
He had Smaug continue to attack the Orc army and their weapons, while he himself rode his broom into the air, waiting quietly.
Indeed, it wasn't long before a large number of frantic Orcs poured out of a tunnel entrance below.
They trampled over their companions' bodies, scrambling out of the tunnel as if something terrifying was chasing them from within.
The next second, accompanied by a tremendous roar, a Fiendfyre mimicking a Basilisk burst out of the tunnel,
instantly incinerating the Orcs who couldn't escape in time.
The Basilisk Fiendfyre, having emerged from underground, let out a hiss, like a demon breaking free from its cage, attempting to spread and devour everything around it.
Luke, riding his broom, rushed over and powerfully waved his wand.
"Get back in there!"
An invisible barrier pressed down on the Fiendfyre, forcing it back into the tunnel.
The Fiendfyre, having burned for a long time inside the tunnel, had become even more powerful than before.
It wildly twisted its fiery body, unwilling to be forced back, hissing and spewing Fiendfyre at Luke, attempting to break through the barrier.
Luke channeled his magic to suppress it, forcing it back into the tunnel, then immediately collapsed the tunnel, sealing off this exit as well.
Luke continued to wait.
Soon after, another tunnel entrance once again spewed out a frantic group of Orcs.
This time, Luke directly collapsed the tunnel exit in advance, trapping both the Orcs and the Fiendfyre inside.
Next, Luke, like playing whack-a-mole, blocked each tunnel entrance from which the Fiendfyre tried to emerge,
not allowing it any chance to come out.
After an unknown amount of time, a huge sound suddenly erupted several meters north of the Lonely Mountain.
Blue flames shot into the sky, and a ten-thousand-foot fiery python hissed continuously, as if proclaiming its escape from its cage.
Luke's expression hardened; he hadn't expected the Fiendfyre to emerge from the other end of the tunnel dug by the Orcs.
He immediately rushed towards that direction without hesitation.
As long as there was even a tiny bit of combustible material, even just a small wood chip, Fiendfyre would not extinguish.
If he ignored it, he feared that even he would be unable to suppress it later.
By the time Luke arrived, he saw that the Fiendfyre had already condensed into a several-hundred-meter-long Basilisk, furiously devouring and burning an Earthworm.
And Bolg and some Orcs, miraculously, had not died and were frantically dodging the Fiendfyre's pursuit.
However, before Bolg could be burned to ash by the Fiendfyre, Luke's spell arrived first.
"Diffindo!"
Bolg's terrified expression instantly froze, his body immediately sliced into countless pieces.
Dealing with Bolg was merely an incidental matter; Luke did not linger and swiftly flew towards the Fiendfyre Basilisk, his wand emitting dazzling light.
"Finite Incantatem!"
Finite Incantatem could be said to be the counter-curse for almost all spells; it could lift most curses within its area of effect, including the Dark Arts spell, the Fiendfyre Curse.
As Luke cast Finite Incantatem, the spell formed a huge barrier that enveloped the Fiendfyre, causing it to continuously shrink.
The gigantic Basilisk mimicked by the Fiendfyre furiously attacked the barrier, creating ripples and attempting to break free from its prison to burn everything.
Luke was struggling a bit at this moment.
Although Finite Incantatem was the counter-curse for the Fiendfyre Curse, its effectiveness depended on the strength of the Fiendfyre.
If it was newly cast Fiendfyre, this spell could easily extinguish it.
But the Fiendfyre before him now, having devoured the lives of tens of thousands of Orcs, had formed a hundred-meter Fiendfyre Basilisk and was already extremely powerful.
Fiendfyre of this intensity would require at least four or five elite Aurors to collectively cast Finite Incantatem to completely extinguish it.
Now that Luke was dealing with it alone, he was clearly stretched thin.
However, Luke did not intend to extinguish it completely by himself.
His goal was to force it back into the tunnel and then completely seal off that exit.
Although the Fiendfyre Curse could burn most objects, even steel was no exception.
But it wasn't truly unburnable.
Things like stone and earth could stop the spread of Fiendfyre.
So once the tunnel was sealed, the Fiendfyre could only burn within the tunnel, and once there was nothing left to burn, the Fiendfyre would naturally extinguish itself.
But clearly, the Fiendfyre, with its own consciousness, was not something that would obediently comply.
Seeing that its Basilisk form could not break through the barrier, the Fiendfyre actually mimicked the form of a Balrog from Middle-earth.
The Balrog looked like a demon from a past life, with a pair of curved horns on its head, a pair of bat wings on its back, and a long tail.
It held a flaming whip and forcefully attacked and lashed at the barrier.
The barrier immediately swayed violently, showing signs of being unable to hold up.
Luke's expression changed, and he immediately channeled his magic with full power.
"Get back into the tunnel!"
The barrier continuously shrunk, forcing the Fiendfyre Balrog to retreat.
The Fiendfyre Balrog was not a true Balrog after all, nor did it possess much sentience. Seeing itself suppressed, it slowly retreated back into the tunnel.
"Exploding Bolt!"
Luke was quick-witted and instantly struck above the tunnel.
With a violent explosion, the tunnel collapsed, directly burying the entrance.
Luke was still not at ease, so he cast several more spells, completely and securely sealing off the tunnel entrance, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Then he waved his wand, making Bolg's head float, and rode his broom back to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield,
the combined forces of Elves, Dwarves, and Men had already gained the upper hand.
Ever since Luke forced the Orc leader Bolg back into the tunnel and released Fiendfyre,
the Orcs on the battlefield had already suffered a great blow to their morale and their army was unstable.
Afterwards, the Great Eagles were summoned by Gandalf, bringing immense aerial pressure to the Orcs, causing the Orc army to collapse at the slightest touch and retreat steadily.
If not for the Orcs outnumbering the total of Elves and Dwarves by several times, making it impossible to kill them all at once, the Orc army would have already been routed like a landslide.
When Luke flew back above the battlefield, Luke threw Bolg's head down.
His voice, amplified by a spell, echoed across the entire battlefield: "Orcs, your leader Bolg is dead, you have been defeated!"
Immediately, he took out a black horn.
It was a horn made from the horn of some unknown animal, with spells inscribed on it.
This was something Luke had found on Bolg.
He somewhat disdainfully wiped the mouthpiece of the horn, then blew hard.
The horn emitted a piercing, highly penetrating sound that rapidly spread in all directions.
The next second, the giant bat swarm, which had been obscuring the sky, became chaotic and scattered, flying wildly in all directions, as if they had received an unknown command.
The dim sky quickly brightened again, and the sun shone once more upon the earth.
The Orc army frantically tried to find shade, but they couldn't hide in time and were struck by the sun.
Instantly, the Orcs collapsed to the ground in agony, losing their fighting ability.
And the Trolls directly turned into stone, their terrified expressions frozen on their faces.
Upon hearing that their leader, Bolg, was dead, the Orc army instantly fell into disarray.
Without the giant bats blocking the sun in the sky, it felt like the end of the world for the Orcs.
Countless Orcs frantically fled, attempting to find places to hide from the sun.
Many more Orcs, unable to escape in time, were exposed to the sun and fell into pain and weakness.
Both the Elf army and the Dwarf army were well-trained elite troops, and seeing this opportunity, they immediately began a one-sided slaughter, relentlessly pursuing the Orcs.
Even Thorin and others, who had been guarding the gates of the Lonely Mountain, somehow made their way to the battlefield and fought alongside the Dwarf army led by Dain Ironfoot.
The most ferocious, of course, was the dragon Smaug, who was like death itself on the battlefield, mercilessly harvesting the lives of countless Orcs with his dragon fire and incredibly hard tail.
Next was Beorn in his bear form, who was like a flesh-and-blood tank on the battlefield, crushing and tearing apart enemies all the way.
The Orcs were powerless to resist, and in terror and despair, they were killed one by one by Elves, Dwarves, and Men.
This war continued until sunset.
The hundreds of thousands of Orcs brought by Bolg were almost completely wiped out.
The remaining Orcs, who had not been killed, recovered their strength as the sun set and fled in disarray into the mountains and wilderness.
But these Orcs, who had been scared witless, no longer posed a threat and were not to be feared at all.
On the battlefield, littered with Orc corpses, King Thranduil, the Iron Hills Dwarf Lord Dain Ironfoot, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Thorin finally gathered together.
Except for Thranduil, who maintained his pristine appearance, everyone else looked disheveled, their bodies splattered with black Orc blood.
After this great battle, the Elves and Dwarves no longer had their previous animosity.
For the first time, they stood together peacefully.
However, everyone's gaze was now fixed on Luke.
Luke descended on his flying broom, with the dragon Smaug closely following behind him.
Seeing Smaug approach, even though they knew he had been subdued by Luke and was now on their side, and had played a decisive role in this war, the Elves and Dwarves instinctively recoiled in fear.
Thranduil, Thorin, and Dáin's bodies tensed, looking at the dragon with some apprehension.
Seeing this, Luke told Smaug to stay put and went to join the others alone.
"Let us welcome the greatest contributor to the victory of the Battle of Five Armies, the slayer of the Orc King Azog and Bolg, the destroyer of Orcs, the master of dragons, Luke of the Black Robe!" Gandalf said cheerfully.
Bilbo looked at Luke with an even more excited and adoring expression.
King Thranduil's gaze softened, and for the first time, he shed his arrogant demeanor.
He stepped forward and solemnly said, "Wizard Luke, I must express my gratitude to you. If not for your efforts to turn the tide, I had already foreseen that my people would shed their blood on this land and never return to Mirkwood."
As an Elf King, Thranduil did not lack wisdom and foresight.
He knew that if Luke had not timely prevented the Elves and Dwarves from fighting, and then single-handedly reversed the tide of the battle, the Elf army he had brought would likely suffer heavy losses, or even be completely wiped out.
In that situation, he could not imagine how he would face his people in the Woodland Realm.
Therefore, Thranduil was filled with gratitude towards Luke.
"Luke, you shall be my honored guest, Thranduil's honored guest, and the eternal friend of the Woodland Realm. Mirkwood will always welcome your arrival!"
Thranduil solemnly performed an Elven salute to Luke.
Legolas, standing behind Thranduil, also smiled gratefully and bowed to Luke with his father.
The Elf army saluted Luke in unison, their movements swift and fluid, without unnecessary flourishes, giving an overall impression of calmness, solemnity, and sincerity.
Luke was taken aback by this sudden solemn scene and immediately became a little flustered.
"Your Majesty Thranduil, you are too kind!"
"However, I am very pleased to become friends with the Woodland Realm. It is my honor!" Luke replied with a bow.
Thranduil's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, and he immediately extended an invitation: "If you have time, Luke, please do visit the Woodland Realm as a guest. I will certainly host the grandest feast for you."
"And Legolas has always held you in high regard as a friend. I believe he will be very much looking forward to your arrival."
"When things here are settled, I will certainly visit the Woodland Realm on my way back." Luke nodded, happily agreeing.
Thranduil's smile deepened.
After this war, Luke's power was witnessed by everyone.
Not to mention he also had a powerful dragon.
Befriending such a Wizard would only bring benefits, not harm, to the Woodland Realm.
Seeing Thranduil trying to win over Luke, the Dwarves were not to be outdone.
The Lord of the Iron Hills, Dain Ironfoot, immediately stepped forward, no longer displaying his previous arrogance, and enthusiastically announced: "And us, the Iron Hills! Luke is a friend acknowledged by me, Dain Ironfoot, and the Iron Hills will always welcome your arrival!"
"Luke, you have helped us Dwarves. To show our gratitude, the Iron Hills will forge a set of Dragon Armor for the dragon, as a token of our friendship. I hope you will not refuse!"
Dragon Armor? Luke was stunned; he had not expected Dain Ironfoot to propose such a reward.
But seeing Smaug's eyes light up with a look of longing, he still gladly accepted Dáin's gesture of goodwill.
It just so happened that Smaug's heart scales had been knocked off by the black arrow, leaving him with a weakness.
If he wore armor forged by the Dwarves, his defense would greatly increase, and he would no longer fear even a black arrow in the future.
Seeing Dáin give a gift that touched Luke's heart, bringing a smile to Luke's face, everyone else's gaze towards Dain Ironfoot changed.
Thranduil even squinted at the Dwarf, his heart filled with vigilance.
He had not expected this Dwarf, who appeared rude and arrogant, to have so many schemes.
At this moment, Thorin Oakenshield looked with complex emotions at Luke, who was being courted by both the Elves and his cousin Dáin.
He took a deep breath, stepped out from the crowd, and solemnly said to Luke:
"Luke, thank you for helping me reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon before, and now for helping us defend against the Orc army, preventing the Lonely Mountain from falling."
"And I am very sorry for the disrespectful words I spoke to you when I was mentally disturbed, although that was not my intention."
Luke's smile faded, and he looked calmly at Thorin, his voice flat: "I am glad to see you have come to your senses. I accept your apology."
Thorin breathed a sigh of relief and immediately promised: "Don't worry, I will have your one-tenth of the treasure sorted out as quickly as possible and handed over to you!"
"And although Bilbo did not find the arkenstone, his share will not be reduced either."
Luke nodded, finally showing a favorable expression towards Thorin.
Although it was unclear how Thorin had overcome the dragon sickness and regained his sanity, the current Thorin finally had some semblance of a King Under the Mountain.
Thranduil also took this opportunity to ask Thorin for the custom-made white gemstone necklace.
However, this time he did not resort to force, but instead offered to pay a sufficient price to satisfy Thorin, in order to retrieve the relic of his deceased wife.
The now rational Thorin readily agreed to return the item to its rightful owner, without accepting Thranduil's compensation.
By doing so, he hoped to repair the relationship between the Kingdom Under the Mountain and the Woodland Realm.
This significantly softened Thranduil's attitude towards Thorin, and he also stated that he would return glamdring (foe-biter), which had been confiscated earlier, to Thorin.
In addition, Thorin also agreed to give one-fourteenth of the treasure to Bard and the residents of Lake-town.
He also gave one-fourteenth of the treasure to his cousin, Dain Ironfoot, to thank him for leading the Dwarf army from afar to assist him.
Similarly, the twelve Dwarves who had accompanied Thorin to the Lonely Mountain also received a share of the treasure.
This generous Thorin truly impressed everyone.
Gandalf, who had been disappointed in Thorin, was even more delighted by this, believing that the Lonely Mountain would welcome a wise Dwarf King, and the Kingdom Under the Mountain would become even stronger than before.
After the war, Thranduil, having received the white gemstone necklace, formally took his leave and led the Elf army back to Mirkwood.
During this time, a small incident occurred.
The female Elf Tauriel requested permission from Thranduil to leave the Woodland Realm, as she wished to be with the Dwarf Kili.
When the Dwarves were captured in Mirkwood and imprisoned in the Elf dungeons, Tauriel and Kili had already interacted. Later, after being ordered to pursue the Dwarves to Lake-town, Tauriel even saved Kili, who had been struck by a Morgul Arrow, with Kingsfoil.
Thus, a romantic affection had unknowingly developed between the two.
Thranduil did not approve of Tauriel's desire to be with a Dwarf.
Elves possessed eternal life, while Dwarves only lived for a few hundred years, which was but a fleeting moment for Elves.
Although Elves had infinite lifespans, they were not immortal; they either died by being killed or died of a broken heart.
If Tauriel chose to be with Kili, as their feelings deepened over time, when Kili eventually died of old age, Tauriel would also die of a broken heart due to grief.
To abandon eternal life for love was, in Thranduil's view, very irrational.
Legolas, who had a very close relationship with Tauriel and regarded her as a sister, also could not accept Tauriel's choice and tried to persuade her.
Even Kili himself did not want Tauriel to give up her long life for him.
However, Tauriel was very persistent; deeply in love, her will was very firm.
Seeing her resolute attitude, Thranduil no longer tried to dissuade her. After agreeing to her request, he returned to Mirkwood with a sad Legolas.
As for Kili, moved by Tauriel's sacrifice, he also made a request to Thorin.
Tauriel was not suited to living in the Lonely Mountain, so he planned to leave the Lonely Mountain and live with Tauriel.
Thorin was naturally very reluctant; Kili was not only his right-hand man but also his nephew.
Thorin had no descendants; Fili and Kili were both his nephews, and the position of King Under the Mountain would likely be inherited by one of them in the future.
But now that Kili insisted on his request, Thorin could only agree.
Luke did not express an opinion on this interspecies love, but he was somewhat curious: what would the offspring of a Dwarf and an Elf look like?
Would they lean more towards Dwarves or Elves?
An image of a Dwarf with pointed ears unconsciously popped into Luke's head, and he was instantly speechless at his own wild thought, quickly shaking off this absurd idea.
When Kili and Tauriel were about to leave, Luke also offered them his blessings.
And curiously asked, "What are your plans next? Where are you going?"
Kili and Tauriel exchanged glances, their eyes almost trailing threads of connection.
He said with a bright smile, "We plan to travel around and settle down wherever we find a place we like."
"Then, if you come to the West, please do visit Weathertop as my guests, and allow me to be your host." Luke invited with a smile.