bookbashuk Chapter 395 Preparations
Chapter 395 Preparations
Chapter 395 Preparations
Since the meeting in the Valley, the Fellowship of the Ring has been divided in two.
With Frodo at the core, along with Sam, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, they secretly arrived in Lorien, staying there temporarily while waiting for an opportunity to go to Mordor.
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli set off ahead of time to Gondor to fight against the army of Mordor.
Meanwhile, another small group, led by Gandalf and including Bilbo (disguised as Frodo), Merry, Pippin, and Boromir, formed the Fellowship of the Ring as the main expeditionary force. They traveled westward without much concealment, hoping to draw the attention of Mordor and Sauron.
Gandalf and his companions, after arriving in Hogsmeade from the Valley of the Dead, temporarily stayed at Hogwarts because the ship bound for Valinor had not yet returned and the Grey Harbor had been attacked by Umbal pirates.
Inside the headmaster's office, he watched as Sauron and his army rapidly moved toward Hogwarts on the Marauder's Map.
Dui and Gandalf both looked solemn. They had anticipated the current situation, or perhaps it was their original intention.
But when Sauron appeared, they still felt immense pressure.
Sauron now appears to have regained his peak strength and even has a physical form. This power poses a tremendous challenge to both Dui and Gandalf.
Gandalf said to Dui, "Now that Sauron has arrived in Eriador, Frodo and his men can begin their operation. We must do everything in our power to hold Sauron off and buy Frodo and his men more time!"
Dui nodded: "Moreover, Soren's power is now so great that even the two of us combined are probably no match for him. We need to find more helpers."
He then produced a two-way mirror and said to his reflection, "Lord Elrond, Lady Galadriel, Sauron has appeared in Eriador, and we fear we will need your help!"
Within minutes, green flames lit up the office fireplace, and Elrond, Galadriel, and Glorfindel emerged from it one after another.
Upon seeing the three appear, Duy 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 waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite. It is all our responsibility to fight Sauron. Hogwarts has already done a great job by taking on the majority of the pressure in resisting Sauron! 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, and they didn't have time for pleasantries; they immediately got to the point.
Looking at the Marauder's Map, Sauron and his army were not far from Hogwarts.
At their current speed, they'll be at the gates of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade in just two or three hours.
In light of this, Elrond spoke first: "We cannot sit idly by and wait for Sauron to arrive, allowing the war to spread to Hogsmeade and the castle. Therefore, the best course of action is to intercept them on the plains east of Windrise and keep them tied down in this area."
"The five of us—Lady Galadriel, Glorfindel, Mislandil, and Duir—are responsible for dealing with Sauron and keeping him occupied. As for Sauron's minions, those will be left to the wizards under Duir's command—"
Everyone looked on in agreement as they listened to Elrond's words.
Dui nodded: "I will gather all the wizards and prepare for the upcoming war!"
Duy then notified all the professors, ordering the students to stay in the castle and not to move around freely. He also instructed Vice Principal Edward to take good care of the students and to use the Vanishing Cabinet to evacuate them should the castle be in danger.
At the same time, Dui activated all the castle's defenses; all the stone statues came to life, left the castle, and guarded all the entrances and exits.
The armor, which was usually motionless, suddenly became extremely sharp, and the soldiers, armed with spears and blades, guarded various parts of the castle. They would attack without mercy if they encountered any intruders.
As if sensing the approaching danger, the thunderbirds circled above the castle, emitting warning cries. Lightning flashed, thunderclouds gathered, and a storm was brewing.
The basilisk, which had been slumbering in the secret chamber, has been awakened and now roams through the castle's interconnected pipes like a lurking assassin, ready to deliver a fatal blow to any intruder.
The giant octopus Kraken in the Black Lake below the mountain is also stirring up the water, ready to unleash a monstrous wave at any moment, sweeping away any enemies who want to get close to Hogwarts.
Just as everyone was busy preparing for war, a weak dragon roar came from afar.
Smaug, dragging his badly wounded body, swayed in the air, looking as if he was about to fall at any moment, until he finally reached the top of the castle, and then fell headlong down, completely powerless.
Dui had already seen Smaug's condition. He raised his staff and cast a levitation spell, slowing down the rapidly falling Smaug before he slowly floated down onto the castle's wide lawn.
Then he Apparated to Smaug's side.
A black spear was deeply embedded in Smaug's chest, and scalding dragon blood flowed uncontrollably from the wound, scorching the grass it touched like lava.
At the same time, the wound was emanating an extremely evil and dark aura, which not only prevented the wound from healing but also continuously eroded his life.
Smaug opened his dragon eyes and said very weakly, "Master, Sauron's power is terrifying. I am no match for him at all. You must be careful!"
"Smaug, don't speak yet, drink the potion first!" Dui stopped Smaug from speaking, took out many bottles of high-grade healing potions from his pocket, and poured them all into Smaug's mouth.
Then he looked at the black spear stuck in Smaug's chest and felt extremely alarmed.
Fortunately, Smaug managed to dodge the fatal blow, narrowly avoiding the spear grazing his heart; otherwise, he would never have had the chance to return alive.
But the current situation is also very pessimistic.
Dui reached out to touch the black spear, trying to pull it out, but as soon as he touched it, he felt an evil force eroding into his body.
He quickly withdrew his hand, looking at the spear that exuded an evil aura with lingering fear.
That feeling was the same as the power contained in the One Ring and the Power Ring—it was the power of corruption.
Fortunately, Smaug was powerful and was Morgoth's creation, so he had a natural resistance to dark forces. Otherwise, if other races had been pierced by the spear, even if they hadn't died, they would probably have been corrupted by Sauron's power and become his puppets!
However, Smaug's situation is not optimistic. If the spear is left in Smaug's body, in addition to having his life force eroded, he will eventually be completely corrupted.
Without hesitation, Dui activated his Brain Closure Technique to shield himself from the power of the spear, then conjured a long rope that wrapped around the spear, with the other end wrapped around a giant stone statue.
The statue came to life, grabbed the rope, and pulled hard in an instant.
With a painful roar from Smaug, a giant spear nearly five or six meters long was pulled out, along with gushing hot dragon blood.
Dui quickly applied various magical potions, such as White Dew Essence, to the wound.
However, the wound retained dark power, preventing it from healing properly, and the flowing dragon blood was also black, emitting a faint dark aura.
At this moment, Elrond, Galadriel, and others also arrived, and their expressions turned grave upon seeing Smaug's condition.
However, seeing Elrond gave Duy a glimmer of hope, and he quickly said, "Lord Elrond, you've come at the right time! Smaug was wounded by Sauron's spear, and the wound has been infected by evil forces and cannot be healed. You are the best physician in Middle-earth; do you have a way to heal Smaug's wound?"
Elrond did not refuse, and nodded, saying, "I'll give it a try."