Chapter 279 The Great Gray Wizard, the End of His Avatar
The thunderstorm came and went quickly, but its immense presence left an indelible impression on everyone's minds.
Whether Elf, Dwarf, Human, or Orc, all looked at the walls of Erebor in shock, for in their understanding, only powerful Wizards could wield such magic, and there just happened to be one there.
At the same time, on the walls of Erebor, Bilbo and over a dozen Dwarves stared blankly at Aaron, their eyes holding a hint of unfamiliarity and an indescribable awe.
But even more, they were glad that Gandalf had the foresight to recognize talent and brought him into the expedition team; with his strength, being a burglar would definitely be an injustice to him.
Noticing the gazes of the others, Aaron's heart skipped a beat.
He immediately understood, then looked at Gandalf with reverence.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Gandalf asked, puzzled, but an ominous premonition lingered in his heart.
The next moment, Aaron grabbed Gandalf's right hand, which held his staff, and shouted loudly to the battlefield below: "Long live Gandalf, long live the Grey Wizard!"
As he shouted, he also used a Sonorous Charm to ensure his voice reached everyone's ears.
The morale of the Dwarves and Elves instantly soared; though outnumbered, they did not fall behind, and even subtly suppressed the Orc legion.
With a powerful Magister providing support from behind, they could see a glimmer of hope even against enemies several times their number.
King Dáin, riding his war pig, laughed heartily as he slew enemies, "Grey Gandalf! We have a Wizard aiding us!"
Thranduil, however, frowned slightly at the city wall. He knew Gandalf's capabilities, and such powerful magic did not seem like something he could cast.
But he had no time to satisfy his curiosity now, and the morale boost was not a bad thing.
Conversely, the Orc legion felt a sense of oppression. Originally, they intended to crush the Elves and Dwarves with absolute superiority, but now that absolute superiority had an unfavorable factor added to it.
Never underestimate the influence of a legendary Wizard. Powerful magic takes time to prepare, but no one wanted to experience that world-shattering lightning.
"What... the hell..." Gandalf snapped back to reality, his face flushed with anger, his skin twitching continuously, and his right hand, gripping his staff, even trembled violently.
Originally, he had been somewhat secretly pleased. As long as Gaius made a move, he definitely couldn't escape.
Even if he wanted to flee midway, the Orcs would never let him go afterward; Azog's bounty would spread across the entire continent the very next day.
But he never expected such a move from Aaron. This tactic simply blinded him and opened the door to a new world.
Gandalf had never been so glorious in his life, but he didn't want any of this glory, because behind it was an enormous burden.
It was one thing to show his face to his own troops, but the Orc army also remembered him. One could imagine the terrifying targeting he would face if he left the battlefield.
If they won this battle today, it would be fine, but if they lost, his future days would definitely not be peaceful.
"Gaius, you really are..."
"No need to thank me, really, no need to thank me," Aaronquickly interrupted him, feigning concern. "From today onwards, the Grey Wizard's reputation will soar."
"Do I need that?" Gandalf retorted with a dark face. "Do you really have to screw me over like this?"
"Yes," Aaron shrugged. "I need a scapegoat, and no one is more suitable than you.
I'm just an unknown Wizard. My deterrent power is far inferior to the Grey Wizard. Only with you standing on the city wall will I not be so conspicuous down below."
Gandalf:...But you can't just screw me over without warning! Couldn't you have given me some psychological preparation?
"Then that magic just now..." Gandalf hesitated.
"Ultimate Lightning magic," Aaron said earnestly.
"No, I mean, can you use it again? If so, we might not necessarily lose."
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you," Aaron chuckled. "Only a Grand Magister can unleash the power of an ultimate magicarray. With my current magic level, if I cast such a powerful spell, my magic would be depleted in no more than ten uses."
"That's still good!" Gandalf looked at the battlefield with some joy. "It's enough to eliminate some enemies and can greatly boost our morale and reduce our pressure."
"No," Aaron refused bluntly. "Firstly, it's very time-consuming. Secondly, I'm not that selfless. At the very least, I'll reserve some power for my escape."
Gandalf was stunned. "You really are quite honest."
"By the way, why don't you use powerful magic?" Aaronasked, puzzled.
"Well..." Gandalf said with a slight hesitation, "The work of Wizards leans more towards guidance and strategy, so the Valar do not allow us to use force excessively, and our magicis greatly restricted."
Buzz!
A horn suddenly sounded. Azog on Ravenhill gave another order.
"Attack! Keep attacking!
The Wizard is nothing special. We will surely win this battle!"
At his command, the Orc legion, originally stunned by the lightning, quickly adjusted their ranks and continued to advance towards Riverrun.
In addition, over a dozen giant beasts carrying catapults emerged from the caves. They bent down from higher ground, and the Orcs on their backs controlled the catapults to launch destructive attacks on Riverrun's walls, clearing obstacles for the Orc army.
After all, Riverrun had been abandoned for many years and was already dilapidated. Compared to the city gates, the defensive strength of the walls was severely insufficient, making it easier to break in.
Seeing this, Bard immediately ordered his troops to retreat into the city to protect their families.
"This is bad," Gandalf said with a solemn expression. "We must go to Riverrun's aid. We must."
"But how do we get there?" Bilbo asked anxiously. "There's a battlefield between us!"
"Gaius, can you help us?"
"I can, but just the two of you won't make much difference.
And Gandalf, you are currently the spiritual pillar of the allied forces. Are you sure..."
"That's precisely why I must go," Gandalf's tone brooked no argument. "The retreat route must be held. After Azog ties up the Elves and Dwarves, he will surely send a large force to occupy Riverrun. That will become the second battlefield."
"Understood, I'll help you," Aaron nodded, then his body emitted a white light, and he split half of his magic to create a thought form.
Everyone on the city wall was deeply shaken, but Bilboseemed to have thought of something, looking at Aaron in disbelief, "Was it really you who fought Smaug in Lake-towntwo days ago?"
Aaron shrugged, helplessly indicating that he had indeed told the truth at the time, but no one believed him.
The thought form directly stepped forward, grabbed Gandalf's and Bilbo's hands, and teleported the two of them in front of Bard.
"These two are your reinforcements," the thought form said to Bard. "They will help you."
"Wait, Gaius..." Gandalf quickly stopped the thought form. "You'll be greatly needed here."
"I didn't say I wasn't staying!" the thought form said, then looked at the side of the city wall, where the ferocious Orclegion was less than a hundred meters away.
"Bard, I'll try to buy as much time as possible, but not for long."
"Thank you," Bard nodded heavily, then led everyone back into the city. He had to quickly arrange for the elderly, women, and children inside the city.
The thought form used Apparition to an arrow tower inside the city wall and briefly greeted the several guards stationed there, "Aaron Gaius, a Wizard by profession, Bard sent me to lend you a hand.
We won't be able to hold out for long, but we'll hold for as long as we can. Don't push yourselves."
No sooner had he spoken than he saw a giant beast accelerate, charging violently at the city wall with its head.
"What a tough guy—no, tough beast!" the thought formsmacked his lips, took a deep breath, "Dragon's... Roar."
Boom!
Scarlet flames erupted from Aaron's mouth, blasting the giant beast backward from dozens of meters away.
The beast, about seventy percent cooked, rolled several times on the ground, crushing over a dozen Orcs.
"This is much more powerful than a Fire Charm, but the magic consumption is also astonishing. I still need to use it sparingly," the thought form thought to himself, but looking at the surging Orc legion before him, he immediately calmed down.
He was no Smaug. With so many enemies, even if he and his main body's magic were drained dry, they couldn't kill half of them.
Thinking this, the thought form picked up a piece of rubble and used Transfiguration to turn it into a longsword.
Soon, the Orc army reached the city walls.
The few guards were all extremely nervous. One slightly younger one was even trembling all over but still held his bow and arrow tightly.
They all knew very well that Orcs were extremely cruel and utterly inhumane. Even if they surrendered, they would be tortured to death. Fighting to the death was the best and only option.
The thought form was also somewhat nervous, but with a hint of excitement. He had only seen scenes of vast armies in movies, but now it was truly before his eyes.
Even though he was now facing thousands of troops, he felt his blood boiling.
He remembered that when Gines trained him, his evaluation was that he could barely hold his own against a hundred. Today was a good opportunity to test his true combat strength.
"You guys," the thought form looked at the others. "Later, I'll charge down, and you cover me with arrows. Retreat when you run out of arrows."
"No," the oldest man refuted. "Child, you don't know the terror of the Orcs. Even if you're a Wizard, you can't possibly deal with so many people."
Hearing this, the thought form smiled, "Perhaps I didn't introduce myself clearly just now. Aaron Gaius, primary profession Wizard, secondary profession Swordsman."
"Still no, you're too young.
If we absolutely have to buy time, this old man's bones..."
"You do what I tell you to do," Aaron said, swinging the longsword in his hand forcefully. A cold sword light flashed, carving a long sword mark on the ground.
"Any objections now?"
"No, none," the old man's eyelids twitched slightly. He wasn't sure if Bard was that powerful, but he was certain that he himself was definitely not that fierce when he was young.
"I don't mean any disrespect to you, but don't underestimate me too much either," the thought form patted the old man's shoulder, then leaped down from the several-meter-high city wall, standing alone in front of the Orc legion.
The thought form took the initiative to attack, swinging the longsword in his hand and plunging into the Orc formation.
Wherever the sword's edge passed, blood gushed like a spring, and heads rolled. In an instant, he killed over a dozen Orcs, his clothes stained with a layer of black blood.
At the same time, the few guards on the city wall also began to rapidly shoot arrows, attempting to prevent the Orcs from approaching, but facing the overwhelming enemy forces, the effect was destined to be a drop in the bucket.
Because the previous round of boulders had already damaged the city wall, the thought form could only attract a small portion of the enemies. More Orcs chose to enter the city from other directions.
The thought form naturally noticed this, but he was only one person. His fierce fighting on the front lines was already helping to relieve pressure on the Lake-town people. Any more and he would be powerless.