All the hobbits who witnessed this scene widened their eyes, as if in a dream.
On the highland, Rory Brandybuck, the head of the Brandybuck family, looked at that figure with a mixture of shock and burning intensity, his astonishment evident.
He knew Luke's identity as a Wizard, but he had never imagined he would be so powerful. Under that magical and formidable magic, he watched Luke move through the Huorn like he was taking a leisurely stroll, and wherever he went, no one could stop him!
He now regretted not having befriended this Wizard earlier, and at the same time, he envied Zhuoguo Baggins, that lucky fellow, for being able to live with the Wizard for so long. Their relationship must be deep, even if they weren't friends.
With such a powerful Wizard as a backer, no one would dare to underestimate him.
Thinking this, Rory Brandybuck had some ideas. Perhaps it wouldn't be bad to let his daughter Dora interact more with that boy.
As time passed little by little.
On the battlefield, Luke was panting, looking a bit tired.
He had no idea how many Huorn he had dealt with. The petrified Huorn now stood like motionless trees, almost turning the originally treeless, wide grassland into a very crowded space, creating a dense forest out of thin air.
Having defeated so many Huorn, Luke was extremely exhausted, his throat was almost too dry to speak, and he had little magic left within him.
However, the result was not disappointing after all. Luke successfully fended off the Huorn's attack, preventing them from crossing the High Hedge wall and entering the hobbit territory.
Seeing that the Huorn had stopped their attack, Luke did not relax his guard.
Rumble! The ground vibrated.
A colossal creature emerged from the Old Forest, crushing everything in its path and forcibly plowing a wide road through the dense forest.
Under the illumination of the firelight, the colossal creature revealed its true form.
It was the old willow from the center of the Old Forest!
The willow's exterior was charred black, its branches withered and yellow. In the swaying darkness and firelight, it looked like a monstrous creature baring its fangs and claws, exuding an overwhelming malevolence and emitting a harsh, low hum.
Luke's eyes narrowed. This old willow actually came out!
And compared to its already enormous trunk, its roots were even larger, almost ten times the size of its body, like a giant octopus waving its thick roots, sweeping aside all trees blocking its path.
Luke immediately realized that he was locked onto by an invisible gaze filled with killing intent, and its source was none other than the willow.
Luke finally confirmed that the willow's target was him.
He instantly tensed up, ready for battle.
The old willow did not stop. Its countless huge, thick roots grasped the ground and charged forward, quickly reaching the High Hedge wall. It used its massive roots to pierce through the hedge, tearing the hedge wall apart as easily as tearing a piece of paper.
Everyone gasped, their faces filled with terror and despair. The horror of this willow was a hundred times worse than that of the other Huorn! How could it be stopped?
And Luke, facing the old willow directly, felt his pressure multiply.
"Protego! Petrificus Totalus, Petrificus Totalus...!" He immediately cast a Shield Charm on himself, then continued to loudly cast spells.
His dry throat was already overused, and now it became even hoarser. With each incantation, he could taste the metallic flavor of blood in his throat.
Even so, the Petrificus Totalus could only hold the willow for a few breaths before it forcefully broke free, then swung its huge roots and willow branches at Luke, heavily striking the illusory shield formed by the Shield Charm.
Under the continuous blows, the illusory shield protecting Luke became increasingly dim, showing signs of shattering at any moment.
The hobbits watching this scene felt their hearts rise into their throats.
Luke was also in a difficult situation at this time. This willow not only had absurdly high magical resistance, but its physical attacks were also extremely strong. Each blow was incredibly heavy, and even the Shield Charm wouldn't last much longer.
Seeing the situation grow critical, he shouted towards the highland where the Brandybuck family was located: "Quickly throw the oil barrels and wine barrels towards me!"
Hearing Luke's voice, the Brandybuck family members were somewhat confused and looked at their patriarch, Rory, for his decision.
Rory Brandybuck looked at Luke, who was locked in a fierce battle with the willow in the distance, and unhesitatingly ordered all wooden barrels containing oil and wine to be launched towards Luke's direction using catapults.
"Fire!" With a command, the catapults launched, and one by one, the wine barrels flew out like cannonballs, soaring through the air and accurately landing at Luke's and the willow's positions.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Luke's dry, hoarse voice rang out, and the falling wooden barrels instantly stopped in mid-air.
Then, with a flick of Luke's finger, they swiftly smashed onto the willow, drenching it completely.
"Incendio~" A small flame emerged from his fingertip. With a flick of his hand, the flame flew out and landed on the willow.
The willow was rapidly engulfed by flames, transforming into a towering fiery tree. The dazzling firelight illuminated the entire Bucklebury, and even Bywater on the opposite bank of the Brandywine River could see it clearly.
The willow let out a piercing, painful shriek, its branches and roots thrashing wildly, attempting to extinguish the flames on its body, but to no avail. The flames, like fire clinging to bone, burned ever more fiercely.
The scorching heat caused the surrounding grass and leaves to curl and wither, and heat waves washed over him.
Luke looked at the willow, struggling madly in the sea of fire, his face devoid of emotion.
But the vigilance in his heart was raised to the highest level.
He was wary of the willow's dying retaliation.
"Wuwuwu!"
The willow's roots and branches rapidly carbonized in the great fire, crackling and emitting a mournful sound.
A pair of invisible eyes, filled with hatred and resentment, stared fixedly at Luke.
The huge crack on the trunk opened wide, like a giant mouth.
A bizarre and piercingly sharp melody emanated from the crack, drifting throughout the entire Old Forest.
The melody was filled with magic, suppressing all other sounds, making it seem as if only this eerie melody existed in the entire world.
Luke's expression changed, and he quickly covered his ears tightly with both hands.
But he found it had no effect.
The melody ignored his blocked ears, and the demonic sound poured into his brain, echoing continuously in his mind.
His thoughts and consciousness gradually became chaotic and blurred, as if another will was attempting to seize control of his body!
"Slap!"
Luke slapped himself hard, trying to keep himself awake.
But the effect was minimal, and his consciousness was still gradually fading.
He gritted his teeth and plunged his left hand into the fire.
"Ahhh!"
The intense pain made him cry out, and his previously hazy consciousness instantly returned.
Luke temporarily regained his clarity, but the hobbits present were not so lucky. Under the hypnotic effect of the demonic sound, their eyes became hazy and vacant one by one, and then, like puppets, they began to approach the willow.
Luke's face changed drastically. If these hobbits got close to the willow, they would either be crushed to death by the furious willow or burned to death by the raging fire!
The old willow wanted everyone to be buried with it!