Chapter 287 Chivalry is a lie
Borg hesitated, worried that Azog wouldn't be able to handle the reality.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm still alive," Aaron's smug voice came from above, catching Azog completely off guard.
"Borg, where is our army?"
"If nothing unexpected happened, they've all been wiped out," Aaron said calmly, with a hint of regret in his voice, "But there was a small unexpected incident; a few dozen were tougher than average, still a little ways from kicking the bucket.
However, once we win this battle, I'm sure the Dwarves will be very happy to finish them off."
Azog was stunned. He turned to look at Borg, and seeing him silent, immediately understood that this wasn't a lie; his great army was likely truly finished.
"Why are you still alive?" Azog furiously grabbed Borg by the neck. "Why didn't you die with them?"
"Because I reacted quickly," Borg explained guiltily. "You have no idea what just happened. That damned Wizardunleashed flames even more terrifying than dragon fire, incinerating our army.
The flames also melted the ice on Ravenhill, and the soldiers who miraculously survived were swallowed by the lake."
Hearing this, Azog suppressed the rage in his heart.
He wanted to ask why he hadn't killed that Wizard for revenge, but the magic carpet above him left him speechless.
Borg was undoubtedly the most elite warrior among the Orcs, but no matter how strong he was in battle, if he couldn't fly, he couldn't do anything against enemies in the air.
"I'm not killing you, not because you're my son, but because there's simply no one else available right now," Azog coldly pushed Borg away. "There's only one way to atone for your failure, you understand what it is, don't you!"
Borg nodded, then picked up his weapon and looked at the Elf Prince Legolas. "The grudge from Lake-town, it's time to settle it now."
"I'll fight to the end," Legolas narrowed his eyes.
That night, when he was chasing the Orcs in Lake-town, he had accidentally gotten a nosebleed from Borg.
For the son of the Elf King to be injured in a fight against the son of the Orc King was a great disgrace that could only be washed away with the other's life.
Tauriel wanted to step forward to help, but Legolas refused her.
Borg was not weak, but he was confident he could kill him; he didn't need any help.
"Thorin Oakenshield," Azog looked at Thorin and provoked, "Are you planning to fight one-on-one or all together?
I almost forgot, all of your Durin royalty are here, so it must be ganging up on me!"
"I'll go," Fili volunteered, "Uncle, let me go, Dwarves can't be looked down upon."
"I'll go, Fili, don't try to take my place."
"No, you two are not his match," Thorin shook his head, "I'll go!"
What the hell! Are you out of your mind!
Aaron rolled his eyes, speechless. What honor are you talking about with an Orc? Just gang up and kill him, and it's over.
"Bilbo, your rock-throwing skills are pretty good.
Later, when you get a chance, smash it on Azog's head; don't hold back."
As soon as his voice fell, everyone looked up at the magic carpet in mid-air, unable to believe that these words came from a teenager.
"Oakenshield, is that all the magnanimity your Dwarf royalty has?" Azog roared furiously. He used to think that sneak attacks and backstabbing were the exclusive domain of Orcs, but today he realized his perspective was too narrow.
"If you don't want a one-on-one fight, just say so. I'm not afraid if you all come at me; why resort to such despicable tactics."
Thorin's face darkened. "Bilbo, don't interfere.
This is a matter for the Durin folk, and it should be resolved by us."
Bilbo:...I don't think I said yes!
"Idiot," Aaron secretly grumbled, "Even if I give him a chance, he's useless!"
"That's true, but sneak attacks and such... are a bit dishonorable," Bilbo pursed his lips. "Heroes in books always abide by chivalry, let alone Thorin, a king."
"Forget it! Chivalry is all a lie.
If you can win and won't die, you can play at chivalry. If you can't win and will definitely die, you can also play at chivalry.
But what about Thorin? Against Azog, it's a three-to-seven split. To risk his life when he's at such a disadvantage, I wouldn't believe it if he wasn't out of his mind.
Look at Legolas; he's fighting Borg one-on-one because he's confident he can win. If I were to say one more word, it would be disrespectful to him."
Legolas:...Why does that sound so strange?
"Shut up."
Azog roared furiously at Aaron, then recklessly charged at Thorin.
He dared not let Aaron continue talking. If he managed to persuade Thorin to change a one-on-one into a group fight, it would be tragic.
But the other was in the sky, impossible to stop, so he could only start with Thorin. Once the fight began, Thorinwouldn't think so much.
Azog swung his chained stone hammer at Thorin. Thorinknew he was no match for Azog in strength and could only hastily dodge.
The stone hammer had great power, but also considerable inertia. After dodging two attacks, Thorin slashed at Azog's left hand with his sword, but it was blocked by the blade on Azog's left arm.
Azog sneered and continued to swing his giant hammer, relentlessly attacking Thorin. Facing such powerful and heavy blows, Thorin could only dodge.
The stone hammer kept striking the lake surface, and cracks gradually spread across the ice.
Seeing this, Thorin immediately decided to use the ice to turn the tide. He moved around Azog, guiding his attacks.
Soon, the ice beneath their feet broke away from the main ice sheet, like a small boat, floating on the water and constantly swaying.
Thorin lost his footing and slipped on the ice. As soon as he regained his balance, the stone hammer, having slid across the ice, struck his legs.
Thorin fell again, rolling to dodge Azog's attack.
After several such instances, Thorin quickly got up, seizing an opportunity to slash Azog in the abdomen with his sword.
However, Azog's armor was incredibly hard; this sword strike didn't cause him much damage, but rather enraged him.
Azog furiously turned and swung his stone hammer, but this time he used too much force, and the hammer smashed into the ice, getting stuck.
Azog looked at Thorin and suddenly thrust the blade on his left hand, but Thorin bent down and dodged it.
Just as he was about to attack again, a flock of giant eagles flew from behind Thorin.
The brown-robed Wizard Radagast, with reinforcements, joined the battlefield. The giant bats were like chicks before the giant eagles, torn to shreds by just one round of attacks.
In addition, Beorn, the skin-changer, also transformed into a giant bear, unleashing his hatred for the Orcs like a meat grinder.
The Orcs, who had just gained a slight advantage, instantly felt despair spread in their hearts, and the scales of victory completely tipped towards the alliance of Dwarves, Elves, and Men.
"We won, we definitely won this time!" Bilbo shouted excitedly.
Aaron controlled the magic carpet to descend in front of Gandalf, smiling contentedly: "This wave of reinforcements is absolutely a dimensionality reduction strike. The Orcs' giant beast legion has been almost completely destroyed; they have no power to counterattack and are doomed to die."
Gandalf, composed as ever, gave Aaron a knowing wink, "They arrived just in time."
"It was timely, but it would have been better if they had come a little earlier."
Gandalf:...Azog watched the giant eagles fly away, knowing that the Orcs' momentum was gone.
But to suffer such a heavy price just for severely wounding the armies of the Dwarves and Elves, his heart was naturally filled with unwillingness. At the very least, he needed the heads of the Dwarf King and the Elf Prince to barely break even.
But just as he regained his senses and wanted to deal with Thorin, he found Thorin quickly picked up the stone hammer from the ice and threw it to him.
Azog held the stone hammer, his heart filled with confusion.
What's happening? Oakenshield has given up resisting and is actually returning his weapon to him.
At this moment, Thorin suddenly stepped back, jumping onto the solid ice.
And with his departure, the floating ice beneath Azog's feet completely lost its balance, tilting uncontrollably downwards.
He immediately threw away the stone hammer, but it was too late; he struggled as he fell into the icy lake water.
"We won, Thorin won!" Dwalin cheered with a laugh, and Fili and Kili were also excited.
"Don't celebrate too soon," Aaron said with a serious face, "Azog is no ordinary Orc. He hasn't sustained any injuries; he fell into the ice lake completely unharmed.
Even with your physique, you could struggle for a few minutes after falling in. For the mighty Orc King to not even make a splash is truly... inconceivable."
Hearing this, the others couldn't help but change their expressions dramatically.
They looked at Thorin, sitting on the ice, relieved, and a sense of foreboding arose within them.
"Thorin, get out of there!" Gandalf shouted loudly.
Hearing the voice, Thorin paused, but as he stood up, a blade pierced through his foot.
Azog burst through the ice, knocking Thorin down, then mercilessly stabbed him with the blade on his left arm.
Clang!
Thorin instinctively held his weapon horizontally in front of him, barely blocking the fatal blow, but his strength was no match for Azog's. He could only watch helplessly as the blade approached his chest.
"Thorin!"
"Uncle!" x2.
Dwalin, Fili, and Kili rushed over quickly. At this point, there was no talk of honor; the King was in mortal danger, who the hell cared about a fair duel?
However, they had barely run halfway when a short sword glowing with blue light arrived first, piercing deeply into Azog's temple.
Pain!
Azog let out a piercing scream. The immense Pain! made him forget about killing Thorin. He pulled out the stingembedded in his temple, threw it aside, staggered back a few steps, and then fell heavily to the ground.
But his blue pupils were wide open, showing his intense unwillingness to die.
If he had died at the hands of Oakenshield, he would have accepted it; at least it was the Dwarf King, so dying at his hands wouldn't have diminished his status.
But just as he was about to kill Thorin Oakenshield and avenge his severed arm, he was unexpectedly robbed of his life by an unknown short sword. What could be more frustrating than that?
"Gaius," Bilbo looked at his empty right hand, shaking his head with a wry smile, "Although I don't want to say this, but... well done."
"Thank you for the compliment. The story of your great-great-great-granduncle Bullroarer Took killing the Orc Kingis just a legend, but today's story is real.
The Hobbit Bilbo Baggins indirectly helped the Dwarf King kill the Orc King — Azog, and sting can also go down in history. That's enough for you, its master, to brag about for a lifetime."
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