Upon hearing that their leader, Bolg, was dead, the Orc army instantly fell into disarray.
Without the giant bats blocking the sun in the sky, it felt like the end of the world for the Orcs.
Countless Orcs frantically fled, attempting to find places to hide from the sun.
Many more Orcs, unable to escape in time, were exposed to the sun and fell into pain and weakness.
Both the Elf army and the Dwarf army were well-trained elite troops, and seeing this opportunity, they immediately began a one-sided slaughter, relentlessly pursuing the Orcs.
Even Thorin and others, who had been guarding the gates of the Lonely Mountain, somehow made their way to the battlefield and fought alongside the Dwarf army led by Dain Ironfoot.
The most ferocious, of course, was the dragon Smaug, who was like death itself on the battlefield, mercilessly harvesting the lives of countless Orcs with his dragon fire and incredibly hard tail.
Next was Beorn in his bear form, who was like a flesh-and-blood tank on the battlefield, crushing and tearing apart enemies all the way.
The Orcs were powerless to resist, and in terror and despair, they were killed one by one by Elves, Dwarves, and Men.
This war continued until sunset.
The hundreds of thousands of Orcs brought by Bolg were almost completely wiped out.
The remaining Orcs, who had not been killed, recovered their strength as the sun set and fled in disarray into the mountains and wilderness.
But these Orcs, who had been scared witless, no longer posed a threat and were not to be feared at all.
On the battlefield, littered with Orc corpses, King Thranduil, the Iron Hills Dwarf Lord Dain Ironfoot, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Thorin finally gathered together.
Except for Thranduil, who maintained his pristine appearance, everyone else looked disheveled, their bodies splattered with black Orc blood.
After this great battle, the Elves and Dwarves no longer had their previous animosity.
For the first time, they stood together peacefully.
However, everyone's gaze was now fixed on Luke.
Luke descended on his flying broom, with the dragon Smaug closely following behind him.
Seeing Smaug approach, even though they knew he had been subdued by Luke and was now on their side, and had played a decisive role in this war, the Elves and Dwarves instinctively recoiled in fear.
Thranduil, Thorin, and Dáin's bodies tensed, looking at the dragon with some apprehension.
Seeing this, Luke told Smaug to stay put and went to join the others alone.
"Let us welcome the greatest contributor to the victory of the Battle of Five Armies, the slayer of the Orc King Azog and Bolg, the destroyer of Orcs, the master of dragons, Luke of the Black Robe!" Gandalf said cheerfully.
Bilbo looked at Luke with an even more excited and adoring expression.
King Thranduil's gaze softened, and for the first time, he shed his arrogant demeanor.
He stepped forward and solemnly said, "Wizard Luke, I must express my gratitude to you. If not for your efforts to turn the tide, I had already foreseen that my people would shed their blood on this land and never return to Mirkwood."
As an Elf King, Thranduil did not lack wisdom and foresight.
He knew that if Luke had not timely prevented the Elves and Dwarves from fighting, and then single-handedly reversed the tide of the battle, the Elf army he had brought would likely suffer heavy losses, or even be completely wiped out.
In that situation, he could not imagine how he would face his people in the Woodland Realm.
Therefore, Thranduil was filled with gratitude towards Luke.
"Luke, you shall be my honored guest, Thranduil's honored guest, and the eternal friend of the Woodland Realm. Mirkwood will always welcome your arrival!"
Thranduil solemnly performed an Elven salute to Luke.
Legolas, standing behind Thranduil, also smiled gratefully and bowed to Luke with his father.
The Elf army saluted Luke in unison, their movements swift and fluid, without unnecessary flourishes, giving an overall impression of calmness, solemnity, and sincerity.
Luke was taken aback by this sudden solemn scene and immediately became a little flustered.
"Your Majesty Thranduil, you are too kind!"
"However, I am very pleased to become friends with the Woodland Realm. It is my honor!" Luke replied with a bow.
Thranduil's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, and he immediately extended an invitation: "If you have time, Luke, please do visit the Woodland Realm as a guest. I will certainly host the grandest feast for you."
"And Legolas has always held you in high regard as a friend. I believe he will be very much looking forward to your arrival."
"When things here are settled, I will certainly visit the Woodland Realm on my way back." Luke nodded, happily agreeing.
Thranduil's smile deepened.
After this war, Luke's power was witnessed by everyone.
Not to mention he also had a powerful dragon.
Befriending such a Wizard would only bring benefits, not harm, to the Woodland Realm.
Seeing Thranduil trying to win over Luke, the Dwarves were not to be outdone.
The Lord of the Iron Hills, Dain Ironfoot, immediately stepped forward, no longer displaying his previous arrogance, and enthusiastically announced: "And us, the Iron Hills! Luke is a friend acknowledged by me, Dain Ironfoot, and the Iron Hills will always welcome your arrival!"
"Luke, you have helped us Dwarves. To show our gratitude, the Iron Hills will forge a set of Dragon Armor for the dragon, as a token of our friendship. I hope you will not refuse!"
Dragon Armor? Luke was stunned; he had not expected Dain Ironfoot to propose such a reward.
But seeing Smaug's eyes light up with a look of longing, he still gladly accepted Dáin's gesture of goodwill.
It just so happened that Smaug's heart scales had been knocked off by the black arrow, leaving him with a weakness.
If he wore armor forged by the Dwarves, his defense would greatly increase, and he would no longer fear even a black arrow in the future.
Seeing Dáin give a gift that touched Luke's heart, bringing a smile to Luke's face, everyone else's gaze towards Dain Ironfoot changed.
Thranduil even squinted at the Dwarf, his heart filled with vigilance.
He had not expected this Dwarf, who appeared rude and arrogant, to have so many schemes.
At this moment, Thorin Oakenshield looked with complex emotions at Luke, who was being courted by both the Elves and his cousin Dáin.
He took a deep breath, stepped out from the crowd, and solemnly said to Luke:
"Luke, thank you for helping me reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon before, and now for helping us defend against the Orc army, preventing the Lonely Mountain from falling."
"And I am very sorry for the disrespectful words I spoke to you when I was mentally disturbed, although that was not my intention."
Luke's smile faded, and he looked calmly at Thorin, his voice flat: "I am glad to see you have come to your senses. I accept your apology."
Thorin breathed a sigh of relief and immediately promised: "Don't worry, I will have your one-tenth of the treasure sorted out as quickly as possible and handed over to you!"
"And although Bilbo did not find the arkenstone, his share will not be reduced either."
Luke nodded, finally showing a favorable expression towards Thorin.
Although it was unclear how Thorin had overcome the dragon sickness and regained his sanity, the current Thorin finally had some semblance of a King Under the Mountain.
Thranduil also took this opportunity to ask Thorin for the custom-made white gemstone necklace.
However, this time he did not resort to force, but instead offered to pay a sufficient price to satisfy Thorin, in order to retrieve the relic of his deceased wife.
The now rational Thorin readily agreed to return the item to its rightful owner, without accepting Thranduil's compensation.
By doing so, he hoped to repair the relationship between the Kingdom Under the Mountain and the Woodland Realm.
This significantly softened Thranduil's attitude towards Thorin, and he also stated that he would return glamdring (foe-biter), which had been confiscated earlier, to Thorin.
In addition, Thorin also agreed to give one-fourteenth of the treasure to Bard and the residents of Lake-town.
He also gave one-fourteenth of the treasure to his cousin, Dain Ironfoot, to thank him for leading the Dwarf army from afar to assist him.
Similarly, the twelve Dwarves who had accompanied Thorin to the Lonely Mountain also received a share of the treasure.
This generous Thorin truly impressed everyone.
Gandalf, who had been disappointed in Thorin, was even more delighted by this, believing that the Lonely Mountain would welcome a wise Dwarf King, and the Kingdom Under the Mountain would become even stronger than before.
After the war, Thranduil, having received the white gemstone necklace, formally took his leave and led the Elf army back to Mirkwood.
During this time, a small incident occurred.
The female Elf Tauriel requested permission from Thranduil to leave the Woodland Realm, as she wished to be with the Dwarf Kili.
When the Dwarves were captured in Mirkwood and imprisoned in the Elf dungeons, Tauriel and Kili had already interacted. Later, after being ordered to pursue the Dwarves to Lake-town, Tauriel even saved Kili, who had been struck by a Morgul Arrow, with Kingsfoil.
Thus, a romantic affection had unknowingly developed between the two.
Thranduil did not approve of Tauriel's desire to be with a Dwarf.
Elves possessed eternal life, while Dwarves only lived for a few hundred years, which was but a fleeting moment for Elves.
Although Elves had infinite lifespans, they were not immortal; they either died by being killed or died of a broken heart.
If Tauriel chose to be with Kili, as their feelings deepened over time, when Kili eventually died of old age, Tauriel would also die of a broken heart due to grief.
To abandon eternal life for love was, in Thranduil's view, very irrational.
Legolas, who had a very close relationship with Tauriel and regarded her as a sister, also could not accept Tauriel's choice and tried to persuade her.
Even Kili himself did not want Tauriel to give up her long life for him.
However, Tauriel was very persistent; deeply in love, her will was very firm.
Seeing her resolute attitude, Thranduil no longer tried to dissuade her. After agreeing to her request, he returned to Mirkwood with a sad Legolas.
As for Kili, moved by Tauriel's sacrifice, he also made a request to Thorin.
Tauriel was not suited to living in the Lonely Mountain, so he planned to leave the Lonely Mountain and live with Tauriel.
Thorin was naturally very reluctant; Kili was not only his right-hand man but also his nephew.
Thorin had no descendants; Fili and Kili were both his nephews, and the position of King Under the Mountain would likely be inherited by one of them in the future.
But now that Kili insisted on his request, Thorin could only agree.
Luke did not express an opinion on this interspecies love, but he was somewhat curious: what would the offspring of a Dwarf and an Elf look like?
Would they lean more towards Dwarves or Elves?
An image of a Dwarf with pointed ears unconsciously popped into Luke's head, and he was instantly speechless at his own wild thought, quickly shaking off this absurd idea.
When Kili and Tauriel were about to leave, Luke also offered them his blessings.
And curiously asked, "What are your plans next? Where are you going?"
Kili and Tauriel exchanged glances, their eyes almost trailing threads of connection.
He said with a bright smile, "We plan to travel around and settle down wherever we find a place we like."
"Then, if you come to the West, please do visit Weathertop as my guests, and allow me to be your host." Luke invited with a smile.