Chapter 646
Supporting Gondor
Chapter 646 Supporting Gondor
"Where are they going? I've never seen so many orcs before..."
In a corner of the Tower of Mordor, Sam, clad in half-orc armor, watched in horror as tens of thousands of strong orcs left Mordor and headed toward Middle-earth.
“War… The scenes I saw in the Pentagram are all real…” Frodo, also disguised in half-orc armor, looked down at the densely packed orc army below, his face growing paler.
Yes, the two hiding in the corner of the Tower of Mordor were Frodo and Sam, who had broken away from the Fellowship of the Ring.
After crossing the Anduin River, they encountered Gollum, who had gone mad after losing the Ring, on the outskirts of the Dead Swamp.
Sensing the presence of the One Ring on Frodo, Gollum immediately joined Frodo and Sam's duo under the pretext of leading the way.
Sam had expressed strong protests, but Gollum was good at playing the victim and gaining Frodo's sympathy, eventually managing to win him a little trust.
This also sowed the seeds of trouble for Frodo and Sam's journey to Mordor.
The treacherous Gollum, after bringing the two to Mordor, deliberately led them to the lair of the giant spiders that lived there.
They wanted to use the giant spider to kill Frodo so they could reclaim the One Ring.
I must say, this plan is very clever.
Unaware of what was happening, Frodo was soon caught by the giant spiders that arrived near the spider's lair, wrapped in a cocoon, and dragged to the spider's nest.
Fortunately, Sam, who had been wary of Gollum, managed to escape danger in time.
Then this simple-minded hobbit, with a burst of courage, picked up Frodo's fallen Elven sword and secretly followed the giant spider to its lair to rescue Frodo.
Next, the two hobbits ambushed two orc soldiers in charge of logistics, then donned their armor and successfully infiltrated the Tower of Mordor.
However, the Ring possesses a spirit, and the closer Frodo gets to Mount Doom, the greater the Ring's influence becomes.
In addition, he had been injected with a small amount of spider venom when he was captured by the giant spider.
If it weren't for the protection of his mithril armor and Galadriel's magical crystal bottle to cure the poison, Frodo would probably have difficulty even standing up now.
However, his condition hadn't improved much by then.
“Are you alright, Lord Frodo? Why don’t you give me the ring and I’ll go to Mount Doom to destroy it…” Soon, Sam also noticed that Frodo’s condition was not good.
His face was deathly pale, his pupils were unfocused, and he looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
"No..." When Frodo saw his friend asking for the Ring, he subconsciously took two steps back until he touched the Ring hanging around his neck, which made him feel a little at ease.
By this time, Frodo had already figured it out: Gollum's previous act of playing the victim and leading the way was all for the sake of obtaining the One Ring.
Having suffered another major loss, he now feels that he can't trust anyone.
Even though Sam appeared sincere and had saved his life, the suspicious Frodo still saw him as having ill intentions.
"No one can take the One Ring from me. This is a task Gandalf gave me, and I must personally go to Mount Doom to destroy it..." Frodo glared fiercely at Sam before stumbling away.
……
Meanwhile, on Sauron's side, after learning of Saruman's defeat, he immediately gathered all the dark forces in Mordor together.
Then they split into three groups, using two groups of cannon fodder to hold back Lonely Mountain and Rohan, while the main force was sent to Gondor.
They wanted to take over Gondor in one fell swoop.
While the forces of Lonely Mountain and Rohan are caught off guard, they will use Gondor as a springboard to quickly conquer the entire Middle-earth.
The idea was good, but he seemed to have underestimated the fighting strength of Lonely Mountain.
Those cannon fodder sent there did nothing to restrain the enemy.
"That should be the Gondor defense line. Should we go and support them?" On the wilderness outside Lonely Mountain, Baiin, who hadn't had enough of the previous battle, looked at the distant smoke column and became eager to try again.
In recent years, under Mike's care, the Gushan area has developed very rapidly in all aspects.
The kings of the surrounding valley states also benefited from this.
Nowadays, there is no shortage of food, clothing, or people there, so the military strength there is also expanding rapidly.
Although they were slightly inferior to the regular army of Gushan, it did not mean they were weak.
With such strength, Baiin naturally wanted to showcase the glory of the Valley Kingdom.
“We will definitely provide support, but one of us is enough.” Mike looked at Bain, who was showing signs of becoming a warmonger, shook his head, and continued, “Thranduil and his elven warriors have left Lonely Mountain, so the peaceful life here needs you and Sophia to protect it.”
Don't underestimate the first wave of 3,000 orc cannon fodder just because they seem weak. Who can guarantee that Sauron won't send more troops to attack Lonely Mountain?
As fellow human factions, if Gondor is in trouble, Lonely Mountain will certainly send people to support them.
Mike, who possessed a portal, decided to go and check things out. Therefore, Baind and Sofia had to stay behind to guard the house.
“No problem, leave the safety of Lonely Mountain to me.” Baiin had clearly figured out the key point, so he accepted the task of guarding Lonely Mountain.
“Very good~” Mike nodded to Bain, then gave Sofia and Alwin some instructions separately before opening the portal and heading to Rohan.
Yes, they went to Rohan.
Having obtained the King's Sword, he planned to first gather the ghost army in the White Mountains, and then go to Gondor to solve all the problems at once.
"Ok?"
Upon arriving at the border of Rohan, Mike saw tens of thousands of Rohan cavalry fighting an equal number of Orcs in the wilderness.
Clearly, the orc army sent by Sauron to harass and delay Rohan's fighting force is far more effective than the cannon fodder sent to Lonely Mountain.
They may well have had the idea of taking advantage of the situation to conquer Rohan.
It can be said that the Dark Lord of Mordor is playing a very long game.
"Is the Rohan's military strength so strained that they have to send women to the battlefield?" Mike, who had entered the battlefield, pushed through several waves of orcs before arriving in front of a short warrior covered in armor.
"Mr. Mike, what are you doing here? Are you here to help us?" A surprised voice asked as the slightly slender warrior removed his face armor, revealing a small face covered in sweat.
Yes, this person is Princess Éowyn of Rohan.
"Swords have no eyes, aren't you afraid of hurting yourself?" After killing a powerful orc who tried to ambush him, Mike looked at Princess Éowyn again.
I must say, she really does have the air of a battlefield rose when she's wearing armor.
"Don't underestimate me, I'm no worse than you men..." As if to prove herself, Princess Iowa casually dealt with a passing beastman.
Then, he glanced furtively at King Théoden and his brother Éomer in the center of the battlefield and whispered, "My brother and His Majesty the King don't know I'm on the battlefield. Don't let it slip."
Princess Éowyn was actually quite guilty for secretly coming to the battlefield as a girl.
"Be careful yourself~" Mike said, indicating that he was not one to talk too much. Then, out of admiration for Princess Éowyn, he condensed a ball of [Guardian Power] and threw it at her.
It can at least protect the opponent from one fatal blow.
Then, to the girl's astonishment, Mike drew the Fiery Holy Sword from his body and leaped into the air.
As the Flame Holy Sword was activated, countless firefly-like clusters of flame spread across the entire battlefield.
Although the Rohan cavalry were powerful, they did not gain any advantage when they encountered the even stronger Orcs due to their numerical disadvantage.
At this point, although the battle was not one-sided, it had reached a stalemate.
If Mike hadn't arrived, even if Rohan had won, it would have been a Pyrrhic victory at best.
Of course, there are no "ifs".
The "fireflies" arrived just in time, mercilessly reaping the lives of the Orcs while simultaneously replenishing the strength of the Rohan warriors who were on the verge of exhaustion. With this balance of power, the Rohan warriors, their fighting spirit soaring, began a powerful counterattack against the Orcs.
Before long, the situation on the battlefield became clear.
"What a magnificent hero!"
Princess Éowyn, who had been keeping a close eye on Mike's movements, looked up blankly as he flew to King Rohan's side.
She probably didn't even realize that her face was even rosier than before, and her eyes held a hint of infatuation in addition to admiration.
“Mr. Mike, thank you again for your help.” King Théoden of Rohan had naturally already noticed Mike’s arrival.
After all, the other party's amazing ability was too dazzling, making it hard not to notice.
"Mr. Mike~" At the same time, Prince Éomer, who had just finished the battle, also came to Mike's side to greet him.
"This war has taken a very strange turn. What are your plans afterward?" Mike nodded to Éomer and then turned his gaze to King Théoden.
“The dark forces have ambitious plans this time. So I have decided to lead a troop of elite cavalry to support Gondor…” With each other in danger, King Théoden naturally saw the huge column of smoke rising over Gondor.
As fellow human factions with an alliance treaty, Théoden would certainly not ignore the plea for help from its allies.
Meanwhile, Prince Éomer had already begun to reorganize his troops.
Just as Mike had feared, Éomer, terrified that the forces of darkness would strike again, left most of his warriors in Rohan after gathering his troops.
Only a hundred elite cavalrymen were selected as reinforcements to support Gondor.
Mike also noticed that Princess Éowyn, who had put on her visor again, had also blended into the hundred-man cavalry.
When Mike looked over, the girl secretly winked.
"I still have to go to the White Mountains. See you in Gondor after that!"
This time, Mike did not expose Princess Éowyn either. After bidding farewell to King Théoden, he went alone to the White Mountains outside the border of Rohan.
……
“It’s you again, human. If I remember correctly, we met sixty years ago…”
The white mountain valleys remain eerily quiet.
The ghost leader, wearing a crown and radiating a ghastly green light, revealed himself the moment Mike stepped into the canyon.
As if sensing something, it looked at Mike with anticipation in its eyes.
Mike didn't disappoint it, and without saying a word, he took out the sword of Isildur.
"That is... the Sword of Kings..."
"The thousand-year curse is finally about to end... We will be free..."
"..."
As Mike raised the Sword of Kings, the ghost army, sensing the presence of the King of Men, appeared one after another.
Before long, the pale green light filled the entire canyon.
The faces of the ghost army were filled with excitement, anticipation, and fervor.
This is understandable, of course; anyone confined in one place for thousands of years would go crazy and feel depressed.
Now that the hope of liberation is right in front of them, how can they not be excited?
"Quiet~"
The ghost leader called to his restless tribesmen, then looked solemnly at Mike and said, "Your Majesty, what are your instructions?"
It was clear that although the ghost leader was trying to suppress its emotions, its trembling body betrayed its inner turmoil.
"The forces of darkness have once again swept across Middle-earth. The time has come for you to fulfill your promises." Mike smiled and asked, "Do you still have the courage to face the Dark Lord?"
Since these ghosts hadn't done anything wrong, Mike decided to give them a chance to escape.
"We will fight for you at your command!"
The ghost leader bowed his head and knelt on the ground.
Then, the entire ghost army knelt down, their faces filled with fanaticism.
Having already died once, they are now fearless in their pursuit of freedom.
……
"Faramir, stop making pointless sacrifices. Retreating to White City might offer a glimmer of hope..."
Outside the fortress of Minas Tirith, Aragorn, watching the ever-growing army of orcs before him, began to persuade Faramir.
“White City has already sent out a request for help. If we just hold on a little longer, reinforcements will arrive soon…” Faramiel said unwillingly.
"That is, if we can wait until then... Look at your companions around you, they have already reached their limit. If this continues, they may all be wiped out in the next second," Aragorn said again, trying to persuade them.
It seems that the Regent really wants his second son dead this time. Since driving Faramir out of the city, he hasn't sent a single soldier.
Of the thousands of private soldiers Faramir brought with him, only a few hundred are still alive.
Although they occupied the narrow fortress to resist the powerful orc army, the fall of the fortress was only a matter of time given the absolute disparity in strength.
“Aragorn is right. There’s no point in staying here any longer. Retreating to White City to regroup is the wisest choice.” After wielding his greatsword and repelling another wave of orcs attacking the fortress, Gandalf couldn’t help but offer Faramir’s advice.
To reiterate, in the wizard's view, defending the city was the wise decision in the face of a powerful attack from the forces of darkness.
Watching the Rohan warriors around him die one by one, Faramir was also heartbroken. After hesitating for a moment, he finally gave the order: "Contract the defenses and retreat back to White City. We'll fight the orcs there!!!"
The formation then changed, with Faramir and Aragorn covering the rear, and the private army, now only a little over a hundred men, withdrew from the fortress defenses.
"Damn it! Damn it!!!"
At the same time, inside the Great Hall of Minas Tirith, Regent Denethor, who had not expected the dark forces to arrive so fiercely, had long lost his previous composure.
Anxious and worried, he looked at his eldest son and asked, "Has the reinforcement arrived yet?"
Yes, when the Orcs attacked the fortress outside the city, this cowardly regent had already ordered his eldest son to light the beacon fires.
However, Rohan, the closest ally of Gondor, is at least a day's journey away.
Deneiser was clearly terrified and failed to consider that reinforcements would need time to travel.
“It will take a while for the Rohan reinforcements to arrive…” Boromir explained softly, looking at his father’s red eyes, then carefully asked, “The city is already surrounded by the orc army. Should we call Faramir back?”
It's clear to anyone with eyes to see the current situation that the orc army's arrival is hostile.
With that kind of offensive, it was only a matter of time before the area outside the city fell.
Even a single misstep could lead to the fall of Baicheng.
Therefore, the wizard's judgment was correct; concentrating forces to defend White City was the wisest choice to wait for a turning point.
“Useless…useless…all of them are useless…” But Regent Denethor was clearly already in a rage and wasn’t listening to what his eldest son was saying at all. He angrily cursed, “If that useless Faramir can’t stop the orc army, then let him and his wizard friends all die outside the city!”
……
(End of this chapter)