But in this world, accidents happen all the time. Just as Fang Senyan seemed poised to flee, halfway through his dash, he suddenly flipped in mid-air, changing direction. He slammed his boots hard against a nearby ice rock and spun around, launching himself directly toward the one remaining tentacled monster! It looked as if he was attempting the strategy of capturing the leader first!

This sudden charge completely took the tentacled monster by surprise. Having witnessed the simultaneous gruesome deaths of two of its kind, it naturally felt the sorrow of the rabbit when the fox dies, a feeling of kinship in demise. In its shock and fury, it naturally lashed out its tentacles to retreat rapidly, while simultaneously ordering the remaining half-orcs to hold the line, absolutely determined to stop this suicidal aggressor.

At the same time, even as it retreated, the monster’s several compound eyes flashed with light, shooting out five or six terrifying rays that brought Fang Senyan’s forward attack to an abrupt halt. Although Fang Senyan managed to dodge in time, he was still struck by two rays, suffering two new debuffs: Movement Speed Reduction and Attack Speed Reduction! After absorbing this double volley, Fang Senyan’s health had already dropped below the danger threshold. He rolled behind a slab of ice rock, gasping heavily, trying to avoid further ray attacks from the tentacled monster.

While executing this series of maneuvers, Fang Senyan appeared utterly wretched, the parts of his body struck by the monster eliciting agonizing, searing pain. Yet, at this critical moment between life and death, the intense pain did not collapse him; instead, a cold sneer touched the corner of Fang Senyan's mouth. His thoughts became sharper, and his grasp of the battlefield situation grew more precise. Clearly, although the enemy’s strength surpassed theirs, they were unintentionally weighed down by too many reservations, and had been dragged into his rhythm!

Because while Fang Senyan attacked the tentacled monster to draw their attention, Jiao Shi (Reef) was not idle either—he charged toward the remaining few bound captives. While using the terrifyingly powerful silver alien head shield to protect himself, he swung his light-sword at their wrists, his target precisely the black vines binding them.

With black light swirling, Jiao Shi strode around the four captives, his sword severing the restraining vines. A scent of roasting meat wafted into the air… This wasn't Jiao Shi being careless; it was because the intense heat of the light-sword inevitably scorched the human skin even as it sliced through the black vines. However, the now-freed captives paid these minor burns no mind. They roared and simultaneously lunged at the enemies before them. Having witnessed the skinning of their comrades, dying bravely in battle was undoubtedly a form of exhilarating bliss for them!

Fang Senyan took advantage of the chaos to lunge out, intending to link up with Jiao Shi. What he hadn't anticipated was that the few half-orcs engaged the charging captives, while the tentacled monster remained fixated on him. As soon as Fang Senyan dashed out, two more blinding paralytic rays shot across the air with eerie precision, striking Fang Senyan squarely in the chest! This immediately dropped his health below 100 points!

Struck mid-air, Fang Senyan lost his balance!

His mind, however, remained exceptionally clear. Suppressing the agony in his chest, he attempted to land on his shoulder, then rolled immediately upon impact, grabbing the corpse of the short, stout half-orc to use as a shield in front of him. Simultaneously, the tentacled monster's paralytic rays followed like shadows, striking the corpse! The body immediately transmitted successive, massive pushes, sending Fang Senyan tumbling sideways several times before he slammed against the nearby ice wall, stopping only then. Even Fang Senyan's fingers were affected by the overflow of paralyzing energy, becoming stiff and sluggish. This tentacled monster was clearly a typical example of being strong in offense but weak in defense; once Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi closed the distance, it was almost impossible to resist their close-quarters assault. But if allowed to maintain distance and attack, it could only be described as a mad fixed-point artillery turret. Fortunately, the tentacled monster's use of paralytic rays consumed mental energy, meaning it couldn't fire continuously like a machine gun. Coupled with the close-combat-proficient half-orcs being desperately held back by the four enraged captives, Fang Senyan gained a brief, precious moment to catch his breath.

At this moment, the situation across the entire battlefield was advantageous for the captive faction: the most threatening tentacled monster was temporarily silenced, and the half-orcs blocking the path, despite their savagery, were suppressed by the desperate, furious attacks of the four captives. If they could break through the half-orc interception in a short time to engage the tentacled monster in melee combat, there was a high probability of winning the fight.

However, the saying, "Plans never keep up with changes," proved true again! Just as Fang Senyan caught his breath and prepared to rejoin Jiao Shi for the fight, a piercing shriek suddenly echoed in his ears! The cry was extremely grating and sharp, feeling like a saw blade with jagged teeth scraping back and forth across the soul just to hear it. For an instant, nearly everyone was stunned by the sound, as if the entire world was violently shaking and transforming.

Immediately following, a shadow resembling a dark cloud appeared in the sky, rapidly expanding. Only upon approach could one see it was a giant bird with fluffy feathers. This giant bird had crimson eyes, and its feathers were as dense as iron; its wingspan reached tens of meters. Its appearance seemed to momentarily still the freezing winds blowing across the thousand-year snow peaks!

"Could this be... The Son of Thorondor?"

One of the captives suddenly cried out in despair. Thorondor was the Great Eagle under Manwë, the Vala (High God). These Great Eagles could speak and were immensely wise and powerful. He and his kin often aided Elves and Men. Even Morgoth, the Dark God and master of Sauron, had once been wounded by Thorondor.

Giant Eagles still existed in the Misty Mountains; their leader was named Gwaihir. In the original The Return of the King, these powerful avian beings sent an emissary to communicate with Gandalf; they were even strong enough to directly confront the Dark Dragons under the King of Evil, Sauron, and had even rescued the protagonists who destroyed the One Ring.

This newly appeared giant bird looked very similar in appearance to the legendary Great Eagle race, but it was even more ferocious, likely a hybrid of the Great Eagles and other birds of prey. However, considering that even an adult Great Eagle could stand against the Dark Dragons under the Lord of the Rings, Sauron, this giant bird's strength was certainly beyond what the current group on this platform could handle!

In mere moments, this enormous raptor swooped down. Its incredibly sharp talons instantly clamped onto the tentacled monster! It slammed the creature against the cliff wall. The tentacled monster attempted a death throe, shooting a paralyzing ray that struck the Son of Thorondor’s feathers but was completely refracted away.

And the tentacled monster’s head burst like a fragile bubble with a snap under the grip of those steel-like talons, crushed alive. With gray-white fluid spraying everywhere, the Son of Thorondor executed a graceful maneuver, circling through the air, seemingly enjoying the bloody, pungent atmosphere.

A fierce wind blasted across the platform, driving snow and grit against their faces, making even breathing difficult, let alone attempting to fight back. The half-orcs stood frozen, their throats emitting low, gurgling sounds, utterly consumed by terror. In that instant, they simultaneously abandoned their current opponents, scrambling and crawling toward the central stone altar, grabbing chunks of flesh and blood from the ground and tossing them into the stone brazier.

This stone brazier was originally used to burn the flayed skins of the executed, but the flames had long since been extinguished due to Fang Senyan’s explosive actions. Now, ignited by the thrown flesh, the air once again carried that indescribably rich, sweet, bloody aroma. The enormous demonic bird seemed quite fond of this smell, ceasing its deadly dives to instead circle overhead, looking as content as a human enjoying a smoke.

A sudden change occurred, causing all the captives present to press themselves flat against the ground, suddenly struck by a sense of the impermanence of fate, feeling as if they were in a daze. Fang Senyan, however, noticed the giant bird’s odd behavior. He instantly bent over and sprinted across the battlefield, quickly searching the corpse of a tentacled monster. He snatched an item from the bloody, mangled remains and tucked it into his belt, then roared a single word: Run!

As he yelled, Fang Senyan’s vision went black; the wound on his chest inflicted by the tentacled monster must have reopened. But he had to risk his condition worsening to warn the few other stunned human captives—if they assisted him, the chances of successfully breaking through the half-orc blockade down the mountain would increase significantly.

Fang Senyan took several deep breaths, nodded to Jiao Shi, scooped up the weak Elven girl, and bolted toward the path leading down the mountain. The other captives naturally followed close behind. Strangely, the half-orcs on the platform only clustered fearfully around the stone brazier, showing no inclination to pursue.

The cold wind howled, making the descent seem endlessly long. The few survivors seemed to see the dawn of freedom, running desperately despite the raging wind. The concocted potion they had drunk earlier—the Hag's Slime—was now exerting its massive effect, providing abundant energy deep within their bodies, allowing the exhausted group to constantly squeeze out the strength to run from within themselves.

Among the surviving captives, three were human. They were led by a tall, one-eyed man. The other two captives were a Dwarf skilled in mountain travel and an Elf. This Elf did not appear to be a resident of Rivendell and seemed rather aloof and proud; he cast a disdainful look at the semi-conscious Wugge, silently striding ahead.