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

Chapter 182 The Battle of the Black Gate (Part 7)

Meanwhile, Talion, who was on the city wall above the main gate of the Black Gate, was in a slightly better situation, as Tanes and Melina shared a large part of the defensive burden.

Needless to say, Talion was already well aware of Tanes's strength, so he wasn't too surprised that Tanes could hold a section of the city wall by himself.

On the contrary, it was the girl who followed behind him and didn't say much that made Talion feel that she was different.

In terms of speed of killing Orcs, this girl named Melina was certainly no match for Tanes. However, rangers who suffered non-fatal wounds would be healed by the other party's magical magic, while rangers who suffered fatal wounds but did not die immediately would be saved from the brink of death by the other party's magic.

With this girl's presence, the casualty rate of the rangers was greatly reduced.

At this moment, Tanes killed the last few Orks in this attack, his armor stained with blood. He walked over to Talion and asked, "There are just too many Orks. Can the Black Gate's supplies hold up?"

Looking at the vast Orc army outside, Talion took a deep breath and said, "Gondor's supplies are still sufficient, but we lack the manpower to move these supplies from the warehouse in time. Because of the terrain of the Black Gate, the battle line has been stretched too long, and the manpower of the transport teams is simply not enough. We even need them to step up and help defend the city."

"What about the food supplies? I need to know how many people we have enough to last a month, because that depends on how much support I can bring."

Talion quickly estimated the consumption of the rangers and the Golden Tree soldiers, and said confidently, "Even if we remove all the current Black Gate personnel, we can still provide food for your thousand-man squad for two months."

Tanes nodded: "So the problem with the Black Gate right now is still a shortage of manpower."

Talion replied, “That’s right. Lord Bernal and Lord Egon are helping to guard the east, and Lord Millison and those two tall golden knights are also there on the west. Thanks to them, the defense line was able to be kept from being breached by so many Orks. Otherwise, we would be fighting hand-to-hand with the Orks in the rooms inside the city walls.”

Tanes then asked, “I can find a way to solve the manpower problem, but it will take some time. One thousand-man squad might not be enough, so I will bring two new thousand-man squads. As for what will happen in a month, let’s focus on holding the Black Gate first. Therefore, during the time Melina and I are away, if you encounter any extremely dangerous enemies that you cannot handle, remember, remember to notify Bernal immediately, understand?”

Talion nodded vigorously and patted his chest: "Thank you very much, Lord Tanes. You will always be a friend of us Dunedan Rangers!"

Tanes raised his hand and pressed Talion's shoulder, then gave Melina a look. After dropping a few warm stones and casting a final prayer for the rangers with the Golden Tree, Melina immediately followed Tanes.

On the way to the stone portal, Melina asked, "Tanes, has the Soul Collector collected enough Orc souls?"

Tanes patted the two glowing soul collectors hanging at his waist and said, "Well, the souls of the large number of Orcs who died on the Black Gate battlefield and a small number of Dúnedan Rangers have already filled the containers. The reason I didn't leave the city walls immediately was because I was worried that Talion and the others wouldn't be able to hold the line. Fortunately, the Orcs' attack weakened a bit just now, giving me time to go back and summon new reinforcements."

The two then wasted no time, exchanging only a few words along the way, and soon returned to the Golden Tree's territory through the stone tablet portal.

Tanes arrived at the Golden Tree, intending to continue summoning the Rodel soldiers, but Melina stopped him after learning of this.

Suppressing his confusion, Tanes asked, "What are your thoughts, Melina?"

Melina said, "When you spoke with Talion before, you mentioned that what the Black Gate lacks most right now is not combat power, but sufficient manpower, right?"

Tanes nodded without speaking, but listened silently to Melina's next suggestion.

Melina pursed her lips, gathered her thoughts, and added, "We don't know exactly how many Orc troops Sauron deployed to attack the Black Gate, but one thing we're certain of is that the Black Gate absolutely cannot withstand such a prolonged attack. Rodel's soldiers might survive a month in this level of fighting, but those Dunedan Rangers won't be able to hold out."

Tanes' eyes flashed upon hearing this, and he immediately understood Melina's unspoken meaning.

He did rely too much on the combat power of Rodel's elite troops, but he overlooked the fact that the Black Gate's most pressing problem was not a lack of combat power, but a shortage of manpower in all aspects.

Melina's suggestion was very practical.

Instead of summoning the well-equipped but more rune-consuming Rodel regular army, it's better to summon a large number of auxiliary troops that consume less runes and can be replenished quickly.

These soldiers may be poorly equipped and poorly trained, but they are capable of carrying supplies, reinforcing fortifications, and filling gaps in the defenses, thus freeing up more rangers and Rodel warriors to focus on frontal combat.

This is undoubtedly the most cost-effective and urgent solution at present.

“Your suggestion is great, Melina.”

Tanes immediately nodded and decided to adopt Melina's suggestion to use the precious runes to summon a large-scale support army in order to deal with the seemingly endless war of attrition from the Black Gate.

On the other side, shortly after Tanes and Melina left, the pressure on the Black Gate defenses increased at a visible rate.

The Oc's offensive did not weaken; instead, it became even more frenzied, crashing against the city walls and battlements wave after wave like a tireless tide.

Even the battle-hardened and indestructible Rodel Legion began to feel the heavy, suffocating pressure.

Breathing became heavy beneath the armor, and the arms wielding swords and shields gradually grew numb and sore. Every soldier was acutely aware that they were facing an army that seemed endless, and the speed of killing could never keep up with the rate at which the enemy replenished their ranks.

Just as the battle reached its climax, the two tree guardians, standing tall like golden statues, exchanged a glance and reached a tacit understanding without needing to speak.

They found a brief gap in the Orc army's offensive, just as one wave had ended and the next wave of attacks was not yet fully organized.

One of the tree guards turned to Talion, his deep, authoritative voice coming through his visor: "Lord Talion, please open the main gate."

Talion was startled, thinking he had misheard. To open the city gates under the immense pressure of an enemy siege was tantamount to suicide. Yet the Great Tree Guardian's tone was so confident.

After a brief deliberation, Talion chose to trust these formidable allies from the Golden Tree and gritted his teeth as he issued the order.

"Open the main city gates!"

Although the rangers near the main city gate were unaware of what had happened, their trust in Talion led them to decide to carry out his orders.

The heavy black door opened a crack with a jarring creak of hinges.

The next moment, a golden torrent suddenly burst forth!
Two tree-guarding warriors led the charge, their warhorses clad in heavy armor, resembling mobile miniature fortresses. Instead of charging into the dense enemy ranks, they swept headlong into the siege equipment outside the city walls, the most threatening structures.

The massive golden halberd, imbued with immense power, easily shattered the wooden catapults and troop carriers, sending splinters of wood and Orc's limbs flying everywhere.

Meanwhile, the Rodel Knights following behind did not engage in much fighting with the grunts.

They quickly formed a tight charging formation, with a clear objective: a square formation of massive Orok ogres positioned on the flank of the Tree Guardians.

The Rhodel Knights chanted in unison, their holy seals gleaming. In the next instant, more than a dozen dazzling golden lightning spears tore through the polluted air, emitting deafening explosions, and accurately struck the ogres.

The violent power of the lightning instantly tore apart the flesh and blood of these behemoths, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air. The once awe-inspiring troll formation was instantly reduced to a pile of charred remains.

Having achieved their tactical objective, the golden torrent showed no sign of lingering in battle.

Led by the Great Tree Guard, the entire cavalry, as if they had practiced countless times, turned in a clean arc and calmly retreated back into the city, facing the sporadic arrows.

The heavy city gates slammed shut behind them, firmly blocking the renewed surge of Orcish frenzy.

The entire operation, from start to finish, lasted only a few minutes, yet it was as efficient and deadly as a precise surgical procedure.

On the city wall, the battlefield, which had been filled with the deafening shouts of battle, fell into an eerie silence for a moment.

Talion and all the Dunedan Rangers who witnessed this scene were dumbfounded. They had seen bravery, but they had never seen such a surprise attack that combined superb tactics and fearless courage to the extreme.

Even if you send Rohan's iron cavalry, this is probably the best you can do.

Talion thought to himself.

But this can only temporarily alleviate the immediate crisis. The Orc army clearly has not retreated because of this, unless they conquer the Black Gate.

However, this tense situation changed after Tanes and Melina returned.

Before the light from the stone portal behind them had completely dissipated, a massive flow of people surged out like water bursting its banks.

This was not the well-equipped regular army of Rodel, but rather an extremely large auxiliary force.

They wore simple leather armor and carried weapons such as spears, short swords, and leather shields, but their ranks were perfectly orderly.

More importantly, their eyes burned with absolute devotion to the golden tree and fervent trust in Tanes, who had guided them to this place.

In the hearts of these auxiliary soldiers, this was the embodiment of the Golden Tree's will personally summoning them to fight.

The appearance of a large number of auxiliary soldiers instantly filled the square and passageway behind the city gate, a dark mass that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Tanes quickly located the two tree guards and loudly handed over command of this large, fresh force: "Everyone, obey the orders of the tree guards!"

These two tree guards were clearly familiar with how to command auxiliary troops. One of the tree guards raised his golden halberd and began to give commands based on the battle situation.

Upon receiving the order from the tree guardian, the auxiliary soldiers quickly sprang into action, orderly dividing into several teams and heading towards the battlefield on the city wall.

A large number of auxiliary soldiers rushed onto the city wall passage without hesitation. They may not be skilled in martial arts, but their numbers made up for everything. They quickly took over the positions of the exhausted rangers and some of the Rodel soldiers.

They used a dense forest of spears to fiercely stab the climbing Orks from the crenellations, or in pairs, they carried rolling logs and stones that originally required an elite soldier to move and smashed them down, giving each section of the city wall, which was under immense defensive pressure, a chance to breathe.

Another group of auxiliary soldiers scurried like ants to the rear warehouses and supply depots, taking over the incredibly heavy logistical work. Arrows, weapons, stones, and medicine were continuously sent to the city walls, several times more efficiently than before.

Even auxiliary soldiers began braving stray arrows to rescue the wounded rangers, quickly carrying them away from the battle line.

All of this happened almost instantly.

The defense line, which was originally struggling and on the verge of collapse due to severe manpower shortages, was instantly stabilized as if injected with a stimulant.

(End of this chapter)