Chapter 280: What bad intention could there be in creating an ice dragon?
Erebor.
The Dwarves of the expedition paced back and forth within the city walls, each with a particularly somber expression.
Listening to the fierce sounds of battle outside, they knew their kinsmen needed help, but Thorin was now the King of all Dwarves, and he had commanded them not to fight, so they had no choice but to obey.
Aaron, while carving a complex magic circle on the ground, looked at the distracted Dwarves. "I have to admit, your loyalty truly impresses me."
"Is it interesting to mock us at a time like this?" Kili said angrily. "We're so ashamed we want to kill ourselves."
"It's not interesting, but I'm telling the truth.
It must be agonizing to be caught between the lives of your people and your loyalty to your King!"
"Do you have a solution?" Balin asked, somewhat pleadingly.
"I've given you a solution: scold him awake!"
"We've all tried," Fili gritted his teeth. "I, Kili, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Balin, Ori, Nori, and Gloin—we all went in one by one to persuade him, but he was unmoved."
"Whose turn is it now?"
"Dori and Oin," Balin said bitterly. "Gaius, you should try. We are his kinsmen, his subjects, but you are his friend, perhaps it will work."
"Wait a moment, I'm almost done." Aaron looked at the huge magic circle beneath his feet, wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, and then took out a glass bottle filled with red dragon blood.
This was dragon blood he had purchased from the system store. Twenty magic points made Aaron feel a bit pained, regretting why he hadn't siphoned off a few basins of dragon blood when he killed Smaug, otherwise he wouldn't be spending this wasted money now.
"I've been meaning to ask, what exactly are you doing?" Balin asked curiously. "You are very powerful, more powerful than any of us.
We are constrained by loyalty and cannot fight, but you can. If you join, the pressure on the allied forces won't be so great."
"But that wouldn't be of much use; it would only slow down the defeat of the Elves and Dwarves slightly, without much help to the battle, and I might even get myself caught up in it," Aaron said in a deep voice. "And who says I haven't joined? My clone took half of my magic, and I am weaker now than ever before.
But I am still working hard to win this war. Although you may not believe it, I can say with certainty: no one wants you to win this war more than I do, no one."
Just kidding, losing wouldn't cause any losses, but winning would mean two thousand magic points!
This was a huge sum, even at Hogwarts, it would require diligently signing in for two hundred days, and in other places, it might take three to five years.
"Looks like you're ready?" Gloin asked.
"More or less," Aaron said with great enthusiasm. "Although it's my first attempt, it took a lot of time and more than half of my magic to barely complete, but I have enough confidence.
This magic ranks among the top three of all my current methods. Although it hasn't touched the threshold of forbidden magic, it has barely reached the pinnacle of ultimate magic.
It's not the strongest, but it's the most practical."
With that, Aaron poured the entire bottle of dragon bloodinto the magic circle.
The huge magic circle immediately emitted a hazy blue light. The surrounding Dwarves felt a chill and could faintly hear the roar of a giant dragon.
"What is this?" Fili asked in disbelief.
"dragon blood. I spent a fortune to get it. You must compensate me afterwards."
"I was asking what this magic circle is for?"
"Haven't you already guessed? But it seems it's just missing a little catalyst." Aaron frowned slightly, then picked up his wand and drew it across his right hand. Crimson blood immediately gushed from the wound.
Splat!
Aaron slammed his right hand onto the ground, and his own blood was greedily absorbed by the magic circle.
The hazy blue light instantly became incredibly brilliant, and the intense light even illuminated the surrounding city walls.
"Adding the blood of a Dragon Slayer Archmage will complete it," Aaron said, his face pale, but the excitement in his eyes was undeniable.
Roar!
As his voice fell, a substantial dragon roar emanated from the magic circle.
The sound wasn't too loud, but it was enough to echo across the entire battlefield.
Whether Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, or Humans, all looked in astonishment at Erebor, the Dwarf kingdom, with nothing but disbelief and fear in their eyes.
Smaug isn't dead? Could it have left a cub?
A white Ice Dragon, over ten meters tall, flew out of the magic circle. It soared out of the city walls, circling and dancing above Erebor, every part of its body emitting a chilling white aura.
The four warring armies all stopped. Although this dragon looked far less powerful than Smaug, it was a dragon after all.
Dragons on the battlefield are much more terrifying than meat grinders. Not to mention the world-destroying dragon breath, just its fangs and claws alone could sweep away a large area.
Aaron looked up at the Ice Dragon he had created, and a surge of ambition immediately rose in his heart.
A Archmage cannot influence the tide of a battle, but a dragon is different.
Although it was not a true dragon, merely a perfect combination of ultimate ice elemental magic and Transfiguration, the dragon blood and the blood of a Dragon Slayer Archmage also imbued it with some of a dragon's power, definitely not just for show.
"You made this?" Balin asked, dumbfounded. The other Dwarves also stood rooted to the spot, too shocked to speak.
"If not me, then you?" Aaron rolled his eyes. "But there's one last step before it joins the battle."
Snap!
Aaron snapped his fingers, and an illusion of Gandalfappeared on the Ice Dragon's back.
"I am Gandalf the Grey Wizard." The illusion solemnly introduced himself, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears under the effect of a Sonorous Charm.
"Elves, Dwarves, and Men, this battle may be difficult, but as long as we stand united, we are not without a chance to win.
Now, you must hold your weapons firmly, look after your comrades, and then kill these evil scumbags.
Trust me, the time for a counterattack is coming soon."
As his voice fell, Gandalf's illusion disappeared, and the Ice Dragon roared as it joined the battlefield.
The Ice Dragon, over ten meters long, was an absolute overlord on the battlefield, and with its ability to fly, the Orcs were like lambs to the slaughter before it.
Every time it flapped its wings, a group of Orcs was sent flying. Its fangs and claws were even more deadly weapons, tearing open the bellies of countless Orcs, leaving them to die a miserable death.
On Ravenhill, Azog watched the Ice Dragon wantonly slaughtering, his teeth itching with rage.
He had already firmly controlled the situation, and annihilating the Elven and Dwarf forces was only a matter of time, but now the opposing camp suddenly had a dragon, which would once again throw the stable battle into chaos.
However, he had absolute confidence in this war. If Smaugwere still alive, that would be another matter, but this Ice Dragon, with a bit of effort, was not impossible to kill.
"Kill it," Azog said coldly. "That's not a real dragon, just a product of magic.
Have the giant beasts surround it, and use catapults to bring it down for me."
"Yes!"
The Orcs responsible for relaying orders immediately changed their banners, blew their horns, and issued new commands.
The giant beasts on the battlefield received the order and immediately abandoned their fight with the Elves and Dwarves, gathering in groups of three to five, and began to contend with the Ice Dragon in the sky.
Each of the Ice Dragon's swoops would take down one or two giant beasts, but the giant beasts' dying counterattacks would also leave some scars on its body.
Coupled with the occasional attacks from the catapults, the Ice Dragon also had to carefully dodge while flying, as it was not a true dragon, and being hit a few times by boulders might cause it to lose its combat ability.
"Just as I thought," Aaron breathed a sigh of relief. "Azog's war beasts are temporarily held back, and Dáin and Thranduil's casualties should also be reduced."
"You actually summoned a dragon," Bofur said in disbelief. "It's truly incredible. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it."
"This isn't summoning, but Transfiguration," Aaron said sheepishly. "It's just that the consumption is too great; I probably won't be able to use powerful magic for a short time."
"But why did you use Gandalf's image?" Balin asked.
"Asking the obvious," Aaron smiled mysteriously. "Of course, it's to borrow Gandalf's fame. I'm just a child, what bad intentions could I have?"
Balin: … Achoo! Achoo!
Gandalf, who was defending Riverrun alongside Bilbo, sneezed several times in a row.
He looked from afar at the Ice Dragon battling the giant beasts, and recalling the voice he had heard earlier, his face couldn't help but turn green, and his blood pressure shot up.
"This is too much, going too far, you can't bully an old man like this."
"Are you alright, Gandalf?" Bilbo asked with some concern.
"I'm fine, what could be wrong with me? I'm perfectly fine," Gandalf said indignantly. "But there are some people who can't stand to see me do well.
Believe it or not, if I were to appear outside the city, I would immediately be surrounded and killed by countless Orcs."
Bilbo's mouth twitched. "Actually, I also wanted to ask if you've done anything to displease him?
I know Aaron, he wouldn't do this without reason."
"No," a hint of guilt flashed in Gandalf's eyes, and he said, almost in tears: "At most, I just imposed some responsibilities on him.
But even if he was unhappy, he's already grumbled about it. He shouldn't play with me like this; this is a recipe for death!"
Upon hearing this, Bilbo looked at Gandalf somewhat speechlessly, a forced smile appearing on his face. "I won't comment on what you've done.
But if this battle is won today, even if you're screwed to death, it's worth it. If you lose… you won't lose out either. At least you'll leave a significant mark in history."
Gandalf: … That hits hard, my friend.
Are you sure this is comforting?