Luke had no time to hesitate.
If he didn't interrupt the old willow's eerie melody, not only would countless hobbits die or be injured, but he wouldn't fare well either.
He braced his tired mind and body, gritted his teeth, and resolutely charged towards the old willow.
Today, it's either its death or my life!
Petrificus Totalus, Incendio, Expelliarmus, Leg-Locking Curse... Luke unleashed them all, regardless of whether they would be effective.
Whoosh!
Accompanied by a gust of wind that stung his skin, Luke was struck in the back by a thick root from the old willow before he could even react, sending him flying and crashing heavily dozens of meters away.
For a moment, Luke's consciousness slipped into a coma, his vision went black, and he nearly passed out.
Fortunately, he had cast a Shield Charm on himself beforehand, and he also had inner armor protection, so he wasn't severely injured.
Luke scrambled to his feet, his back aching so fiercely that he couldn't straighten up.
In that moment of life and death, adrenaline surged, and fear and retreat vanished instantly.
Only anger and ruthlessness remained.
His magic boiled and burned under the influence of his emotions.
"Expelliarmus!"
An unprecedented burst of immense magic erupted from him, transforming into a dazzling red light that struck the old willow with tremendous force.
Crack!
The old willow snapped in half.
Following a deafening shriek, the old willow's movements ceased abruptly.
The old willow, now broken into two sections, lay as if dead, silently allowing the raging fire on its body to continue burning.
Watching the completely motionless old willow, Luke gasped for breath and collapsed onto the ground.
He was now utterly exhausted; the side effects of the magic outburst, coupled with the sharp pain from being struck in the back, left him without the strength to even stand up, so he could only slowly wait to recover.
At the same time, the hobbits who had been hypnotized by the enchanting sound also regained consciousness.
Everyone's faces showed lingering fear; they had been conscious while hypnotized, but their bodies were uncontrollable, forcing them to watch themselves walk like puppets towards the old willow to their demise.
The hobbits who had escaped death turned their gazes to Luke, their eyes filled with gratitude, admiration, and awe.
It was this Wizard who had turned the tide, defeating the powerful old willow and other Huorn by himself, defending their homeland!
"Luke! Wizard Luke! He is our hero!" someone among the hobbits shouted, and others quickly followed with cheers.
For a time, the hobbits erupted in shouts of victory.
After catching his breath, Luke finally stood up, but looking at his severely burned left hand and the faint, sharp pain in his back, he gave a helpless bitter smile; this was the first time he had been so seriously injured.
However, he wasn't unprepared; he immediately pulled out a packet of medicine from his pocket, which contained the Essence of Dittany he had made earlier.
Enduring the intense pain, he applied the Essence of Dittany to his burned left hand, and watched as the wound healed and repaired at a visible speed; in a short while, his left hand was restored to its original state, even fairer than before the injury.
Seeing how effective it was, Luke simply put the remaining Essence of Dittany into his mouth and swallowed it.
"Ugh, so bitter ~" Luke grimaced in pain; no wonder Wizards in the magic world preferred external application, the taste of this Essence of Dittany was truly indescribable, he almost threw up.
However, the effect was indeed trustworthy; his throat, which had been almost unable to speak from overuse, quickly recovered, and even the pain from the injury to his back gradually disappeared.
Aside from extreme mental fatigue, his body had now recovered very well.
After recovering, Luke refocused his attention on the old willow.
Looking at the old willow's miserable state, broken in half, Luke couldn't help but be amazed by the power he had just unleashed.
After all, this was a giant tree that would require four or five people to embrace.
Expelliarmus was originally only meant to disarm an opponent, but with Luke's magic outburst, it had directly split the old willow into two.
This Expelliarmus is truly divine! It truly lives up to its reputation as Harry Potter's signature spell, capable of defeating Lord Voldemort, its power is extraordinary.
Of course, such a powerful magic outburst came at a significant cost. He was now mentally exhausted, unable to muster even a trace of magic, couldn't even use the simplest Lumos spell, and would not be able to easily use spells for the next few days.
"Luke, are you alright?" Drogo Baggins quickly arrived in front of Luke, looking at his pale face, and asked anxiously and worriedly.
Luke shook his head, "Don't worry, I'm fine, it's the other side that's in trouble."
Luke pointed to the Huorn across the way; those Huorn were now in disarray, with many of them ignited by the earlier oil and wine, turning into sources of fire that quickly spread to the surroundings, becoming a sea of flames.
If no one stopped it, the Old Forest would likely be affected and spread, eventually forming a forest fire that would destroy this ancient forest.
Luke was powerless to do anything about it; not to mention that he had already made enemies with the Huorn of this forest and could not repay evil with good by saving them. Furthermore, he was now exhausted, unable to muster any magic, and did not know any spells to extinguish flames.
So he could only wish these Huorn good luck; if a heavy rain were to fall, it might actually prevent this forest fire from spreading.
As for the hobbits, although they were inherently kind, they would not be so kind as to save enemies who had invaded their homeland.
So they also stood by and watched the fire, as long as it didn't spread to their side.
There were even some, like Rory Brandybuck, who secretly hoped that once the Old Forest burned down, they could occupy more land and expand the Brandybuck family's territory.
Rory Brandybuck led his family members directly to Luke, shook his hand, and said gratefully:
"Wizard Luke, thank you very much for everything you have done for Bucklebury! If it weren't for you, tonight we would probably have lost many companions, and even the home we rely on for survival!"
Other hobbits also saluted him in unison, including Drogo Baggins, Luke's good friend.
Luke was a little flustered by this scene, "Please don't do this, it's what I should do!" Others might not know, but Luke knew that the Huorn's rampage was very likely due to him, and the hobbits were instead implicated by him.
Therefore, he felt a little guilty and undeserving of the hobbits' gratitude.
However, the hobbits didn't think that way. Rory Brandybuck, as the lord, sincerely and loudly announced to Luke and everyone present: "From now on, Wizard Luke will be our eternal friend in Bucklebury, and the Brandybuck family members are willing to help you!"
Hearing Rory Brandybuck's words, the hobbits present cheered, witnessing the birth of this friendship.
Just as the Lord of Brandy Hall was about to announce a victory celebration, a melodious song drifted from the Old Forest.