I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth

Chapter 177 The Battle of the Black Gate (Part Two)

"Push harder, you pigs! Lord Zoro has ordered that we take down the Black Gate at all costs! Even if we die from exhaustion, we'll die on the Black Gate!"

An Orc commander rode atop a snarling dire wolf, brandishing a leather whip that lashed repeatedly at two Orc ogres whose bodies were already torn and bleeding.

The two Oroch ogres were pushing a siege tower with all their might. The tall siege tower was filled with Oros wearing mottled armor, making it very difficult for them to push.

When Commander Orc's whip fell on them, the pain made them howl, and then they squeezed out all the strength in their bodies to push, making the siege tower advance a tiny bit faster.

"boom--"

Just as Commander Orc was dissatisfied with the marching speed and was about to whip these ogres who only knew how to eat and not work hard, a roar suddenly rang out from above its head, and then a shadow covered the Orc Dire Wolf riders around it along with it.

The Orc commander only had time to look up for a final glance before he was crushed under the broken siege tower, black blood slowly seeping from beneath its wreckage.

The azure magic particles on the destroyed siege tower gradually dissipated.

This sudden anomaly was like a scalding hot iron, burning the anxious nerves of the Orc commanders.

"Witch—Wizard!"

An Orc chieftain, clad in rough iron armor and bearing a large scar on his face, was the first to let out a hoarse roar. His murky yellow eyes were instantly filled with fear and rage. He brandished his blood-stained machete, pointing madly at the battlements where the blue light had disappeared, spitting out saliva with each roar.

"There's a wizard on the city wall! Damn glowing rats! Catapults! Get them moving! Aim at the wall! Smash! Smash that glowing bastard into mincemeat! Smash the whole wall down!"

Its roar was like a fuse being lit, and the Ork commanders nearby who had also witnessed the blue light, whether they were the hot-tempered Uruk chieftains or the relatively cunning ordinary Ork squad leaders, all reacted in a surprisingly unanimous manner.

They pounded their chests and stamped their feet, or roared hoarsely, in all sorts of foul Ok languages, shouting the same command:
"Catapults! Aim them at the top of the city wall! Fire!"

"Quick! Smash that wizard to death! Stop him from emitting light again!"

"Target—the place where the wizard is standing! Smash it hard!"

The order spread like wildfire throughout the Orc catapult position in the rear, a complex of massive skeletons, rough ropes, and rotten wood. The Orcs responsible for operating these cumbersome weapons immediately sprang into action like spinning tops whipped by a whip.

The large, low-intelligence ogres, dressed only in simple leather aprons, grumbled dully as the Oc overseer whipped them and cursed them. With their muscular, filthy arms, they struggled to lift huge, rough-edged, jagged rocks, each the size of four or five strong humans.

These stones were incredibly heavy; every time the ogre moved one, it left a very noticeable dent in the muddy ground beneath its feet.

The ogres laboriously loaded the stones into the catapult's enormous, tough-skinned launching bag. The orks operating the winch bared their jagged, yellow teeth, straining with all their might to turn the heavy winch. The thick ropes creaked and groaned under the immense strain.

The Oc, responsible for adjusting the firing angle and direction, squinted their small eyes and gestured roughly, baring their teeth and making threatening and mocking hissing and growling sounds towards the approximate direction where the blue light had just appeared on the Black Gate city wall.

"put!"

The Oc chieftains of each catapult almost simultaneously let out a piercing shriek.

"Buzz—whoosh!"

A muffled whooshing sound suddenly rang out as more than a dozen huge shadows tore through the stale air of Mordor, whistling as they rose into the air.

They traced heavy, brief parabolas, their shadows instantly enveloping the Oak strikers below who were preparing to attack.

"Roar! Smash these human scum to death!"

"The city walls are about to collapse!" "The wizard is doomed!"

The Orks below, noticing this spectacular sight, at least for them, had primal excitement and bloodthirsty anticipation radiating from their ugly faces as they brandished their weapons and let out deafening cheers mixed with all sorts of strange cries.

Some of the guys even opened their mouths wide, dripping with disgusting saliva, revealing mouthfuls of yellow and black sharp teeth, eagerly anticipating the delightful screams that would come when the stones hit the city wall.

However, atop the walls of Black Gate, the Dúnedan rangers, clad in grey-green cloaks, stood as still as cold rocks behind the battlements.
There was no panic or tension on their faces, nor did they even look for cover. They simply watched the massive rocks hurtling towards them with a cold, almost imperceptible mockery.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!"

A series of deep, heart-pounding thuds, like heavy hammers slamming into the hard ground, caused the earth at the foot of the city wall to tremble and kick up clouds of dust.

But the sound did not originate from the incredibly sturdy black walls of the city.

Without exception, all the stones landed precisely and forcefully on the open ground forty or fifty meters in front of the Black Gate city wall.

The earth was blasted into shocking, deep craters with cracked edges, and shattered rocks and soil flew far and wide in a radial pattern. Smoke and dust filled the air, obscuring part of the view.

Those deafening roars seemed to have slammed into the gaping mouths of all the Orks who had been roaring excitedly just moments before, drooling and filthy, plunging the once deafening battlefield front into a deathly silence.

All the Oaks, with their heads raised and mouths agape, froze, their excited roars stuck in their throats, turning into a comical, silent stillness.

Tanes looked at this scene with some admiration and said to Talion, "So their range really isn't enough to hit the Black Gate."

Talion's face showed confidence, but he quickly sighed because of the large number of Orks below him, and said, "I've been fighting these Orks for so many years, of course I know the maximum range of their catapults, and I know their temperament. As long as they are attacked by ranged means, they will definitely retaliate with catapults. These brainless Orks saw that your spell hit the opponent, so they think their catapults can hit us too."

Tanes shrugged and raised his staff again.

He still had plenty of magic power in his body, and Melina and Bernal's prayer was nearing its end, so he could cast some more spells to buy some more time.

Talion, deeply worried, instructed his trusted confidants to send news to Gondor that the Black Gate was under attack by the army of Mordor, led by the Nazgûl commander, and that reinforcements were needed as soon as possible.

He had just finished giving his instructions when he suddenly heard several shrill screams from the sky that seemed to tear people's souls apart.

However, he had already been blessed by Bernal with "witchcraft," so these shrieks only sounded harsh and caused him some physical discomfort.

Talion immediately realized that the Ringwraiths hiding in the dark clouds in the sky couldn't resist making their move. As he took his bow from behind his back, he quickly ordered, "Archers, guard the sky!"

From within the thick, dark clouds, three Ringwraiths riding ferocious beasts broke through the clouds and flew straight toward Tanes, who was casting a spell on the city wall.

"Fire! Don't let the Ringwraiths harm Lord Thaneth!" Talion roared, releasing his bowstring first, and the arrow flew towards the Ringwraiths swooping down from the sky.

Tanes did not stop casting spells. The radiant stone magic continuously emitted a bright blue light, smashing into the siege towers and catapults that were advancing towards the Black Gate, destroying the Orks' siege equipment.

Even though Melina was temporarily away from him, Bernal was praying for the rangers, and there was someone protecting Tanes at all times.

As Talion watched with growing anxiety as his arrows failed to stop the charging Ringwraiths, a crimson figure suddenly burst into his field of vision, like a petal of flame whipped up by a gust of wind.

Millison moved so fast she almost left a blur. She precisely used the rough, protruding brick structure of the watchtowers on both sides as leverage, and with a few light leaps, she had already reached the top of one of the watchtowers.

The biting wind on the watchtower instantly billowed her crimson dress. Without pausing, Millison swung her weapon at the massive, twisted Ringwraith above, which was swooping down to her closest point, its aura of death palpable. Blade light poured forth.

(End of this chapter)