Only after thousands of Orcs turned to ash did the charging horde finally halt.
The Orcs at the very front, now survivors, stared at the wall of light in dread, instinctively stepping back, terrified that a single touch would reduce them to ash like their comrades.
Mounted upon his Fellbeast, the Witch-king of Angmar soared above the army, hovering before the towering curtain of light.
This magical barrier, raised jointly by every Auror, was not something even the Witch-king of Angmar could cross at will.
Seeing the Witch-king circle the light-screen in apparent frustration,
the Director of Aurors remained wary, ordering everyone to stay alert.
Sure enough, the next moment the Witch-king high above began to chant; an evil incantation rolled across heaven and earth, darkening the sky as dark power gathered around him, making him even more dangerous.
Countless wisps of black smoke then poured from his body, and within the smoke twisted hideous, evil faces, as though legions of vile spirits writhed inside.
The ominous, cursed smoke shrieked and howled as it surged furiously toward the light-screen.
Smoke and light collided violently, rippling the barrier; on one side roiled black fumes, on the other gleamed silver radiance—darkness and light clashing in a stark, fierce struggle.
The Witch-king's assault grew heavier; the rolling smoke battered the barrier again and again, determined to shatter it.
But the Aurors were no pushovers. Casting together, they constantly reinforced the light-screen; though ripples spread with every impact, the barrier never broke.
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While both sides were locked in stalemate, the Witch-king showed no alarm; instead, a mocking look flashed in his eyes.
He raised his right hand, revealing the ring of power upon his finger, and channeled its might to work dark sorcery.
An ancient Dark Arts spell echoed through the air, changing the very hue of the sky, turning it as dark as night.
That evil voice rang ceaselessly in the Aurors' ears, vexing every heart and stirring their darkest emotions.
What made the Aurors tense was that the earth itself seemed to tremble with a low, rumbling hum.
As the quake grew stronger, the nearby North Downs suffered landslides—boulders tumbled, soil churned.
What made the Aurors gasp was that the landslide on the North Downs revealed mountains of buried bones!
They were the remains of soldiers who had perished here: warriors of the kingdom of Arthedain and invaders of the old kingdom of Angmar.
When Angmar had destroyed Arthedain, blood had flowed like rivers and corpses had piled into hills, earning North Downs the name "Dyke of the Dead."
Now those slumbering bones, summoned by the Witch-king's foul spell, clawed their way out of the earth.
The shaking ground was caused by these skeletal hordes.
Green evil flames burned in their eye sockets as they crawled up behind the Aurors and marched upon them in vast numbers.
Facing these skeletons under the Witch-king's control, some Aurors had to turn and deal with the oncoming undead.
Though the dense skeletal army posed little real threat, their sheer numbers diverted half the Aurors' strength.
The Witch-king naturally seized the chance. While the Aurors were distracted, he urged the ring of power in his hand to unleash the strongest Dark Arts strike.
The light-screen barrier shattered instantly, fragments drifting away before vanishing.
"Continue the assault!" (in the Black Speech)
At the Witch-king's command, the Orc horde howled and charged again, while the skeletons closed from the rear, surrounding the Aurors.
Against the expendable Orcs and skeletons, the encircled Aurors showed no fear; with a flick of their wands, a single spell slew dozens, even hundreds.
In moments the area around the Aurors became a slaughterhouse, Orcs and skeletons falling in droves.
High above, the Witch-king watched indifferently.
These Orcs and skeletons were mere fodder, meant to exhaust the Aurors' magic.
So long as their mana was depleted, the Witch-king would not mourn the loss of every last Orc.
And besides Orcs and skeletons, far more fearsome Trolls and wights waited in reserve.
Skeletons differed from wights: the former were merely bones animated by the Witch-king's spell to drain the Aurors' power.
Wights, however, were corpses possessed by evil spirits—hard as steel, swift of movement; a single scratch cursed the victim, who would become a wight if not healed in time.
Even Aurors had to stay cautious and keep wights at a distance.
Realizing the Witch-king's intent, the Aurors saw fallen Orcs rise again under his spell and resume their attack.
They switched to spells that obliterated bones, preventing corpses from causing further trouble.
Following the principle of "cut off the head first," the Director of Aurors led his riders on broomsticks in a joint aerial assault on the Witch-king.
A fierce sky-battle erupted. As chief of the Ringwraiths, the Witch-king wielded immense power and sorcery; even against dozens of elite Aurors he still held the upper hand.
Most of the Aurors' spells—be they Blasting Curses or Disintegration Charms—proved useless, inflicting no harm.
The Witch-king was an evil spirit, essentially a ghost; physical attacks meant nothing, and most magic had no effect on Ringwraiths.
Only white magic of the light attribute could counter the darkness of the Ringwraiths.
Reacting swiftly, the Aurors abandoned ordinary spells and cast the Patronus Charm, summoning a host of animal patronuses to beset the Witch-king anew.
Though the patronuses could not wound him, their presence did exert a restraining pressure.
With patronuses swirling around to harry him, the two sides reached a balance; neither could gain the upper hand.
Just then, a dragon's roar sounded in the distance.
Hearing it, the Witch-king's eyes flickered with dread.
The Aurors, by contrast, were elated.
"Smaug the Dragon is here!"
With renewed vigor they intensified their attacks against the Witch-king and his host.
Smaug arrived with blinding speed, looming over the battlefield in an instant.
His colossal body, well over a thousand feet long, spread wings that seemed to blot out the sky; each beat stirred storms, his mighty draconic might pressing down.
With a thunderous roar Smaug stooped low over the Orc and wight army, his chest glowing red—then unleashed a blast of searing dragon-fire.
The flames were so hot that even the hardest steel would melt in an instant. Orcs and wights caught in the blast had no time to scream before they were charred to cinders.
Smaug avoided the direction where the Aurors were and kept breathing fire recklessly at the enemy army below.
For a time, rolling flames spread wildly through the Angmar Army, with various screams and wails echoing incessantly.
And all of this happened in just the span of a few breaths.
Having done that, the Smaug the Dragon set his sights on the Witch-king of Angmar, who was being besieged by the Aurors, and charged directly at him, with scorching dragon flame already brewing in his throat.
Without needing a reminder from Smaug, the Aurors instantly and tacitly used Apparition to move out of the way.
In the next second, Smaug, now without any reservations, spat scorching flames at the Witch-king of Angmar.
Smaug had now finished absorbing the Gram's Dragon Crystal. Although he hadn't successfully grown to the size of a Gram due to incompatible attributes, the heat and destructive power of his dragon flame had already reached the level of an Ancient Fire Dragon.
The dragon flame he spat out was enough to destroy a ring of power and threaten the Witch-king of Angmar.
So the Witch-king of Angmar chose to dodge without hesitation, using a flash-like maneuver to avoid the incineration of the dragon flame and jumped off the Fellbeast.
The Fellbeast failed to dodge in time and was engulfed by the massive dragon flame, turning into a flaming beast. Accompanied by tragic shrieks, it struggled and flailed a few times in mid-air before crashing headlong into the ground, crushing the Orcs who couldn't dodge in time.
Seeing that he hadn't successfully burned the Witch-king of Angmar, Smaug did not give up and continued to hunt down the Witch-king of Angmar, who had already landed.
Without his mount, no matter how fast the Witch-king of Angmar was, how could he compare to the flying Smaug? He was soon caught up.
Seeing flames already flickering in Smaug's mouth, the Witch-king of Angmar issued a summons: "Master, save me!"
Just as the words fell, the sky instantly turned pitch black, and darkness enveloped the entire land.
The entire battlefield became very quiet, as if time had stood still. A terrifying, suffocating atmosphere descended here, making people feel groundless fear, as if they had lost all hope and courage.
Then, there seemed to be countless bewitching voices echoing in the air; it was a silent, soul-piercing demonic sound, trembling yet irresistible.
Smaug's movement to attack the Witch-king of Angmar stopped. His relaxed expression became very alert, his scales stood up, and his body tensed as if facing a formidable enemy.
The Aurors felt an even more invisible sense of suffocation, while also struggling to resist that bewitching, decadent sound, their expressions becoming strained and pained.
It seemed like a long time had passed, or perhaps only a second, when a huge gash split open in the sky, filled with darkness—an absolute darkness that could swallow everything.
That gash was shaped like a huge vertical eye, emitting a suffocating and chilling aura, as if some terrifying existence was being nurtured within.
Finally, a massive figure stepped out from the void rift.
He wore a hideous spiked helmet and black armor, with flames and black smoke swirling around him. His figure was exceptionally tall and full of oppressive power. A pair of burning eyes of fire peered out from the helmet, revealing evil and majesty.
"Sauron!" Smaug looked at the figure standing above the void with great solemnity, his voice carrying a gravity never heard before.
This Sauron who appeared before him possessed a physical form and emitted a terrifying aura that made Smaug feel intense unease and threat.
He gathered all his power and spat his hottest dragon flame toward Sauron.
Sauron had no intention of dodging. He walked through the air toward Smaug. When the scorching flames reached him, they were blocked by an invisible force and quickly extinguished.
Smaug's pupils shrank, and his face showed fear. He knew he was no match for Sauron at all and hurriedly tried to flee.
But in the next second, a spear emitting a dark aura condensed in Sauron's hand and was instantly hurled toward Smaug.
The black spear was as fast as lightning, giving Smaug no chance to dodge as it plunged toward his heart.
Just as Smaug's pupils dilated and he felt the breath of death, a layer of defensive barrier erupted from his chest, halting the spear for a split second.
It turned out that the only spot on Smaug's chest without scales had been crafted by Luke using Mithril as a material, inscribed with Runes, and refined into a dragon-scale-shaped alchemical defensive item, which was embedded in the gap to replace the dragon scale.
This dragon-scale-shaped alchemical object had powerful defensive capabilities, was able to withstand attacks from strong spells, and could repair itself.
But now, facing Sauron's spear, it was like paper meeting a sharp blade; it could only delay the speed for a mere instant and could not completely block it.
However, although it was only a delay of a thousandth of a second, it gave Smaug a chance to react. He twisted his body desperately to avoid the fatal blow.
The spear shattered the defensive barrier and narrowly grazed Smaug's heart, plunging into Smaug's chest.
Feeling intense pain, Smaug couldn't help but let out a tragic scream.
The huge impact carried by the spear even sent Smaug crashing a thousand meters away.
But this also gave him a chance to escape.
Smaug endured the pain, spread his wings, and flew desperately outward before hitting the ground, not forgetting to shout loudly to the Aurors: "Run! You are no match for him!"
Then, without looking back, he flew away toward Hogwarts.
He could feel the spear embedded in his chest releasing dark power, constantly eroding his body, seemingly trying to transform him into a dark creature and turn him into Sauron's puppet.
On the battlefield, seeing that even Smaug was no match for Sauron, the Aurors didn't hesitate to grab their Portkeys and teleported away one after another.
But Sauron clearly didn't intend to let them go. The thirteen closest Aurors, who had just activated their Portkeys, were suppressed by the powerful dark energy Sauron released and couldn't escape in time.
With a wave of Sauron's hand, the thirteen Aurors were grabbed by an invisible force and floated before him.
Looking at the terrified Aurors before him, Sauron let out a low laugh and said with appreciation: "What fine Wizards. From now on, you shall be my servants!"
As he spoke, he raised his black hand, which was missing a finger, and gently brushed it over the heads of the Aurors.
In an instant, the pupils of all the Aurors turned pitch black. Their expressions of struggle and fear vanished, and they bowed respectfully and fanatically toward Sauron: "Greetings, Master. We are willing to serve you!"
Seeing this, Sauron let out a satisfied laugh: "Very good. From now on, you shall be my Dark Wizard Knights!"
Then he released dark power, enveloping the entire battlefield.
Under the influence of Sauron's power, the dead Orcs were resurrected one after another, or rather, turned into Wights, and they were far more powerful and dangerous than the Wights of the Witch-king of Angmar.
The entire Angmar Army was controlled and corrupted by Sauron's power. Whether they were the original Wights, Skeletons, Orcs, or Trolls, they all became puppets, re-forming an army and marching grandly toward Hogwarts.
Inside Hogwarts Castle.
When Sauron and the army entered the territory, Luke saw Sauron's name on the marauders map.
Beside him were also Gandalf, Bilbo, and Boromir, the members of the Fellowship of the Ring who were ostensibly heading west.
When he saw the outcome of the North Downs Battlefield, his expression turned grave. He looked up and said in a deep voice to Gandalf and the other two: "Everyone, Sauron has appeared in person! I'm afraid we are about to face the toughest war yet!"
Since the meeting in Rivendell concluded, the Fellowship of the Ring has split into two.
One group, centered around Frodo and including Sam, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, secretly arrived in Lothlórien. While staying here temporarily, they are waiting for the right opportunity to head to Mordor.
Among them, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli set out a step ahead, arriving in Gondor to join the fight against the Armies of Mordor.
The other small team, led by Gandalf and including Bilbo (disguised as Frodo), Meryl, Pippin, and Boromir, serves as the Fellowship on the surface. They traveled westward without much concealment to draw the gaze of Mordor and Sauron.
Gandalf and his companions traveled from Rivendell to Amon Sul. Because the great ship to Valinor had not yet returned, and the Grey Havens were under attack by the Corsairs of Umbar, they temporarily stayed at Hogwarts.
Inside the headmaster's office, Sauron and his army could be seen moving rapidly toward Hogwarts on the marauders map.
Luke and Gandalf both had solemn expressions. They had long anticipated the current situation; or rather, this was the very purpose of their design.
But when Sauron actually appeared, they still felt an immense pressure.
The current Sauron seemed to have recovered his peak power and possessed a physical form. Such strength represented a massive challenge for both Luke and Gandalf.
Gandalf said to Luke, "Now that Sauron has arrived in Eriador, Frodo and the others can begin their move. We must do our best to stall Sauron and buy more time for Frodo's group!"
Luke nodded. "Furthermore, Sauron's power is immense. With just the two of us joined together, I'm afraid we are no match for him. We need to find more help."
Saying this, he took out the two-sided mirror and spoke into it: "Lord Elrond, Lady Galadriel, Sauron has appeared in Eriador. I'm afraid we need your help!"
Within minutes, green flames flared in the office fireplace. Elrond, Galadriel, and Glorfindel stepped out one after another.
Seeing the three appear, Luke stood up and said happily, "Lady Galadriel, Lord Elrond, Lord Glorfindel, thank you for coming!"
Galadriel shook her head slightly, revealing a gentle smile.
Elrond also waved his hand. "No need for formalities. Resisting Sauron is a responsibility for all of us. Hogwarts has already done very well by taking on the vast majority of the pressure. The most important thing now is to discuss how to deal with Sauron."
Everyone present agreed with Elrond's words. Time was of the essence, so they skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
Looking at the marauders map, Sauron and his army were already not far from Hogwarts.
At their current speed, they would be at the gates, near Hogwarts and Amon Sul, in just two or three hours.
Given this, Elrond spoke first: "We cannot sit and wait for Sauron's arrival and let the flames of war spread to Amon Sul and the castle. The best way is to intercept them on the plains east of Weathertop and pin them down in that region."
"I, Lady Galadriel, Glorfindel, Mithrandir, and Luke—the five of us—will be responsible for dealing with Sauron and holding him fast. As for Sauron's minions, leave them to the Wizards under Luke's command—"
Hearing Elrond's words, everyone showed expressions of agreement.
Luke also nodded. "I will gather all the Wizards to prepare for the coming war!"
Subsequently, Luke notified all the Professors, instructing the students to stay in the castle and not wander about. He also had the Vice-Principal Edward watch over the students, so that if the castle were in danger, they could be evacuated via the vanishing cabinet.
At the same time, Luke activated all the castle's defenses. All the stone statues came to life, walking out of the castle to guard all entrances and exits.
The usually motionless suits of armor also became very sharp, holding spears and blades as they stood guard throughout the castle. Once they encountered an intruder, they would attack without mercy.
The Thunderbird seemed to sense the approaching danger, circling above the castle and letting out warning cries. Lightning flashed and thunderclouds gathered; a storm was coming.
The Basilisk sleeping in the Chamber of Secrets was awakened, slithering through the castle's interconnected pipes like a hidden assassin, ready to deliver a fatal blow to intruders at any moment.
In the Black Lake at the foot of the mountain, the giant octopus Kraken churned the waters, ready to whip up monstrous waves to swallow any enemies trying to approach Hogwarts.
Just as everyone was busy preparing for war, a weak dragon's roar came from the distance.
Smaug, dragging his heavily injured body, swayed in the sky as if he might fall at any moment. He finally reached the top of the castle and then plummeted down, completely powerless.
Luke had already seen Smaug's condition. He raised his wand and cast a Levitation Charm, slowing Smaug's rapid descent before letting him drift gently onto the castle's broad lawn.
Then, with an Apparition, he arrived at Smaug's side.
A black spear was buried deep in Smaug's chest. Scalding dragon blood flowed uncontrollably from the wound like lava, scorching the grass it touched.
At the same time, the wound emitted a very evil and dark aura, which prevented the wound from healing while constantly corroding his life force.
Smaug opened his dragon eyes and said very weakly, "Master, Sauron's power is terrifying. I was no match for him at all. You must be careful!"
"Smaug, don't speak for now. Drink the Potion first!" Luke stopped Smaug from continuing and took out many bottles of high-level healing Potion from his pocket, pouring them all into Smaug's mouth.
He then looked at the black spear embedded in Smaug's chest, feeling a sense of extreme danger.
It was fortunate that Smaug had desperately dodged the vital spot at the last moment, allowing the spear to narrowly miss his heart; otherwise, Smaug would have had no chance of returning alive.
But the current situation was equally pessimistic.
Luke reached out to touch the black spear, intending to pull it out. However, as soon as he touched it, he felt an evil power corroding toward the inside of his body.
He quickly withdrew his hand, looking at the spear emitting the evil aura with lingering fear.
That feeling was identical to the power contained within the the one ring and the rings of power—it was the power of corruption.
It was lucky that Smaug was powerful and was a creation of Morgoth, giving him a naturally high resistance to dark power. Otherwise, if any other race had been pierced by the spear, even if they didn't die, they would likely have been corrupted by Sauron's power long ago, falling and becoming Sauron's puppet!
But Smaug's situation was still not optimistic. If the spear were allowed to remain in his body, besides having his life force eroded, he would eventually be completely corrupted.
Luke did not hesitate. He channeled Occlumency to shield himself from the power's influence on the spear, then conjured a long rope to wrap around the spear, with the other end tied to a giant stone statue.
The statue came to life, grabbed the rope, and suddenly pulled with great force.
With a painful roar from Smaug, a giant spear nearly five or six meters long was pulled out, followed by a surge of scalding dragon blood.
Luke hurriedly applied various Potions, such as dittany essence, to the wound.
But the residual dark power in the wound prevented it from healing, and the dragon blood flowing out was tinged with black, emitting a faint dark aura.
At this moment, Elrond, Galadriel, and the others hurried over. Seeing Smaug's condition, their faces were also solemn.
However, seeing Elrond gave Luke a glimmer of hope. He hurriedly said, "Lord Elrond, you've come at the right time. Smaug was wounded by Sauron's spear, and the wound is tainted by evil power and cannot be cured. You are the finest healer in Middle-earth; do you have a way to heal Smaug's wound?"
Elrond did not refuse. He nodded and said, "I will try."
With that, Elrond approached Smaug, carefully examining the wound and looking at the striking black giant spear that had been cast onto the ground.
Feeling the dark aura emanating from the spear, he couldn't help but frown.
Then he said to Luke, "Could you give me some leaves from the white tree?"
Without a word, Luke waved his hand toward the tall white tree in the garden. A breeze swept through the white tree, swirling up a dozen leaves—emerald green on the front and silvery-white on the back—and delivering them before Elrond.
Elrond took the leaves and rubbed them in his palm, continuously chanting Elven incantations while the Vilya on his finger shimmered brightly.
He applied the crushed leaves to the wound, which emitted a holy light. Wisps of ominous and evil black mist began to dissipate from the injury.
Smaug's pained expression softened significantly as the dark power eroding his body was purified.
After a long while, Elrond finally let out a breath, released his hand from the wound, and said to Luke, "It is done. The dark power within him has been dispersed. Now, if you apply Potion to his wound, it will heal. However, his life force has been heavily eroded and he has lost a lot of blood; he will need rest and cannot fight for some time."
Luke finally breathed a sigh of relief. As for the issue of being unable to fight, he didn't mind at all.
"Thank you, Lord Elrond, this is already wonderful!" Luke said gratefully.
The most lethal part of Sauron's corruption was not its physical impact, but its distortion of the mind and spirit.
While Luke's Potion could heal the most severe physical wounds, he had no great solution for this kind of spiritual erosion.
It was fortunate that his father-in-law, Elrond, was the finest healer in Middle-earth, capable of treating such difficult spiritual damage.
This prevented Smaug from being further corrupted and turning into a puppet.
Luke then produced a small crystal vial containing his own Phoenix tears and poured them all onto Smaug's wound without hesitation.
Under the treatment of the Phoenix tears, the wound healed rapidly until it vanished completely. The only thing that didn't recover were the scales shattered by the spear.
However, this wasn't a problem. He could later use Mithril to craft scale-shaped defenses to inlay into the gap; their defensive power would actually be superior to the original dragon scales.
"Master, I am well!" Smaug said in pleasant surprise, feeling the lightness in his body as he looked at the healed spot on his chest.
He had thought he would either die or be left with incurable wounds, and hadn't expected to recover so quickly, which made him very excited and happy.
Luke patted Smaug with a smile on his face and instructed, "Alright, Smaug. Although your wound is healed, your body is still weak. For now, stay in the castle and guard it well. Do not let any enemies enter and harm the students, understood?"
"I understand, Master!" Smaug nodded. "I will guard the castle faithfully. If any enemies come, I will burn them to death with my fire!"
Having given Smaug his orders, Luke did not linger.
Time was of the essence; Sauron and his army would arrive soon, and he had to be fully prepared.
He then raised his wand and released a golden spell into the sky.
The spell shot straight into the heavens and burst above the clouds, forming a massive, magnificent phantom of a Phoenix that circled continuously.
Soon, following a series of air-cracking sounds, figures began to appear outside the castle via Apparition.
The number of Wizards appearing grew larger and larger. Aside from those from the Ministry of Magic, they were all various Wizards living within the territory. Summoned, they all gathered outside the castle.
When all the Wizards who could come had arrived, the area outside the castle was packed, numbering nearly ten thousand.
This count excluded the elderly, the young, and those unable to come for various reasons.
All the Wizards looked at Luke standing at the castle gates, their gazes filled with fervent admiration.
"Wizards and Witches! Hogwarts now faces its greatest crisis. The Dark Lord from Mordor is bringing his army to our gates, seeking to destroy our home—" Luke's voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears.
"Now, I need you to raise your wands and use every magic you have learned to protect your families, your friends, and your home! Use every means necessary to eliminate the enemy, to prevent them from destroying our home and harming our loved ones—"
Following Luke's stirring mobilization speech, all the Wizards present erupted with immense fighting spirit.
Luke held extremely high prestige and faith in the hearts of all Wizards in the territory, almost no different from a god.
Now, hearing that enemies were coming to invade their home—even hearing of the arrival of the Dark Lord Sauron, whom even their seemingly omnipotent Lord might not be confident in defeating—none of them backed down, swearing to fight the invaders to the death.
"Go, my people! For our home and our loved ones, use the wands in your hands to eliminate all incoming enemies!"
At Luke's command, the Wizards vanished one after another via Apparition, heading directly to the battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, the nearly ten thousand people outside the castle had completely disappeared, leaving only Luke, along with Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, Glorfindel, the Fellowship of the Ring, and the Professors.
Luke's impassioned encouragement had not only filled the Wizards with fighting spirit but also set the blood of everyone present boiling.
Elrond looked at Luke with a gaze full of admiration and remarked to the others beside him, "Luke is an excellent leader. His people trust and revere him deeply. If he did not lack the desire to be a king, he might have established a glorious kingdom like Eärendil of old."
Gandalf, Galadriel, and Glorfindel all showed their agreement.
"Alright, it's time for us to head to the battlefield as well!" Luke turned and said to Gandalf and the others. "We can't keep Sauron waiting too long. Since he has come to Eriador, let's make sure he stays here forever!"
Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Glorfindel all nodded in agreement.
The greatest task of their journey was to pin Sauron down on the battlefield, giving him no chance to return to Mordor and buying time for Frodo and the others.
Therefore, they had to do whatever it took to eliminate Sauron once and for all.
Inspired by Luke's words, Bilbo, Meryl, Pippin, and Boromir of the Fellowship of the Ring also applied to join the battle.
However, Bilbo, Meryl, and Pippin were all refused by Luke and the others; they only agreed to let Boromir join the fight.
After all, the weakest people they were deploying this time were Wizards with wands. For hobbits with ordinary strength like Bilbo, Meryl, and Pippin, going to the battlefield would likely make them liabilities.
More importantly, they needed Bilbo to continue disguised as Frodo, staying within the castle to draw Sauron's attention.
Subsequently, Luke and the others used a Portkey to appear on the plains northeast of Weathertop.
Nearly ten thousand Wizards had already arrived there. Led by the Ministry of Magic Aurors and using a small river running west to east as a boundary, they stared warily at the dark clouds coming from the north.
Those clouds were as black as ink, churning constantly like a dark curtain spreading southward, blotting out the sun and bringing a suffocating atmosphere.
It was as if something terrifying was hidden within, ready to devour everything.
The Aurors took the lead, using the river as a boundary to collectively cast a protective barrier.
Seeing this, the other Wizards also raised their wands, chanting spells and injecting a portion of their own power into the barrier.
With the combined casting of nearly ten thousand Wizards, the magic barrier grew larger and sturdier, rapidly expanding into a massive, shimmering curtain of light that stretched for dozens of kilometers and reached into the sky.
It looked like a colossal wall of light standing between heaven and earth, magnificent and grand, a sight that could be seen even from a great distance.
Looking at the magic barrier cast by nearly ten thousand Wizards in unison, Gandalf, Elrond, and the others were all filled with amazement.
Although the power of each individual Wizard was like a firefly compared to the bright moon when compared to top-tier experts like them, the might displayed when they all gathered together was enough to make them take notice.
They could feel that even if they attacked this barrier with all their strength, they would not be able to break through it in a short amount of time.
This gave Gandalf and the others more confidence in the upcoming war.
They believed that as long as they stalled Sauron, the leader, and gave him no chance to intervene, Sauron's minions would be no match for the Wizard army under Luke's command.
As time passed, they saw the black clouds in the north sweeping southward like a dark cloud pressing down on a city.
Everyone felt a massive pressure coming from the north; although night had not yet fallen, the surrounding sky turned dark, and the air became stagnant and heavy, making it difficult to breathe.
The black clouds carried an aggressive intent, seeking to envelop Luke and the others, but they were blocked by the magic barrier everyone had cast together.
With the barrier as the boundary, the sky on one side was cloudless for ten thousand miles, while the sky on the other was thick with black clouds.
The two sides were clearly divided, forming a confrontational stance, head-to-head.
Beneath the black clouds, on the distant hills, a dense army of darkness appeared.
Within the army were Orcs, Wargs, Trolls, Wights, and Men of Darkness; the army exuded a dark aura, all corrupted by Sauron's power, appearing stronger and more dangerous, yet equally twisted and devoid of will, leaving only madness.
The one commanding the dark army was still the Witch-king of Angmar, while Sauron was mounted on the back of a beast far larger and more terrifying than any other Fellbeast.
This beast was the source of all the Fellbeasts in Mordor, possessing a wider wingspan, a body covered in scales as hard as iron, emitting a nauseating stench, and eyes flashing with evil red light.
Furthermore, the screams it emitted could instill fear in people's hearts and make them lose the courage to resist, as if it were the source of fear itself.
Upon seeing Luke and the others, the dark army became bloodthirsty and frenzied, accelerating their charge toward them.
Especially the fastest Wights and Wargs, who flashed by like shadows, jumping high over the small river to rush at the Wizards.
But in the next second, the moment their bodies passed through the magic barrier, they directly turned into ashes; even the evil spirits residing within the Wights had no time to escape before letting out a shrill scream and dissipating into black smoke.
The dark army's offensive temporarily stalled due to the obstruction of the magic barrier.
Perhaps wanting to show off in front of his master, the Witch-king of Angmar rode his Fellbeast from the rear to the front of the formation, his body enveloped in dark power as thick as ink, which transformed into a dark torrent that slammed into the magic barrier in an attempt to corrode it.
The Witch-king of Angmar's Dark Arts attack caused ripples on the magic barrier, but it did not shake it in the slightest.
Seeing that he had not succeeded, the Witch-king of Angmar became even more somber, the evil red light in his eyes becoming more predatory.
Just as he was about to continue trying to break the barrier at any cost, he was called to a halt by Sauron.
The Witch-king of Angmar's body stiffened, and he bowed with reverence and respect: "Master, I have disappointed you!"
Sauron ignored the Witch-king of Angmar, standing on the back of the hideous and evil beast, locking onto Luke and the others through the barrier.
His gaze swept across Luke, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Glorfindel, filled with absolute confidence.
"Wizards, Elves, you cannot stop me. Hand over the one ring! I have now regained my physical form and restored my power; you are no match for me. As long as you obediently hand over the ring, I can mercifully spare your lives!"
As he spoke, Sauron erupted with a terrifying aura, instantly making the sky and earth turn dark as if the ground itself were trembling.
Pure and powerful dark energy spread out from around Sauron, filling the world like a terrifying sea of darkness, crashing against the great dam of the barrier like an overwhelming tide, seemingly intent on crushing it.
Under the impact of this vast dark power, the magic barrier cast by nearly ten thousand people sent out waves of ripples and became shaky.
Even through the magic barrier, everyone felt a great sense of suffocation, and their spirits were under heavy pressure, their faces showing distress.
Luke raised a silvery-white wand, releasing powerful magic power and injecting it into the magic barrier.
The originally shaky magic barrier quickly recovered significantly, still standing firm under the impact of Sauron's power.
The wand in Luke's hand was the strongest wand he had newly crafted for himself; its body was a branch from a white tree, but not the one in his garden, but rather from Galathilion, the first white tree of Valinor.
Galathilion was a white tree created by Yavanna, the Goddess of Plants, modeled after Telperion, one of the Two Trees of Valinor; it was slightly smaller than Telperion and did not emit light.
It was gifted to the Elves by Yavanna and planted in the square of Tirion, the city of Elves, and it is the ancestor of all white trees.
When Glorfindel was sent back to Middle-earth by the Valar to help against Sauron, he broke off a branch from the white tree in the city of Tirion as a souvenir before leaving Valinor and brought it to Middle-earth.
Over these decades, Luke and Glorfindel became well-acquainted, and after Luke taught him magic knowledge and personally crafted a wand for him...
In return, Glorfindel gifted him this branch.
As the first white tree personally created by Yavanna, the Goddess of Plants, this was a divine tree in the truest sense, containing divine power and endless vitality.
Thus, although it had been broken off by Glorfindel and brought back to Middle-earth for thousands of years, the leaves of this white tree branch remained emerald green and full of life, as if they had just been plucked from the tree.
Luke used this branch of the divine tree, paired it with a Balrog's nerve, and combined it with staff-making techniques to recreate this wand, with which he was most satisfied.
This white tree wand was 15 inches long, silvery-white throughout, with an embedded Balrog nerve, and an emerald-green Elfstone set into the end of the wand.
Furthermore, the wand could change size at will; with a single thought, it could rapidly lengthen and grow into a staff two meters long.
This consummate wand combined the advantages of both a wand and a staff, possessing the precision of a wand's magic control and a magic amplification far exceeding that of a staff; it could be called an artifact.
It was many times more powerful than the Elder Wand, one of the deathly hallows.
It was also because of the enhancement from this wand that Luke had the confidence to face Sauron at the peak of his strength.
After reinforcing the magic barrier, Luke shouted to those around him: "We can't let them break this barrier; we must take the offensive!"
Saying this, he passed through the barrier, walked outside, and then directly launched an attack on Sauron.
"Avada Kedavra!"
An incredibly dazzling Killing Curse, containing a lethal curse, shot straight toward Sauron.
After decades of meditation and practice, Luke's current strength was not what it used to be, far exceeding his former self, and the Killing Curse he released was even more powerful and lethal.
Not to mention the enhancement from the wand in Luke's hand, with its white tree body and Balrog nerve core.