Even though the confirmation was in place—making it nearly impossible for Sauron’s contractors to conjure another earthquake—they still double-checked, positioning four earth-magic specialists on constant watch before finally wheeling out the ten newest heavy catapults they had redeemed.

Frankly, Fang Senyan was astonished that these individuals managed to pool their resources to redeem a full ten heavy catapults. Calculating the redemption cost, even with discounts, a single heavy catapult would run at least twelve hundred contribution points.

However, the return on investment for these machines was swift. A single successful throw, even if it only struck the rampart, guaranteed a baseline of 5 to 10 contribution points, and the massive stones they hurled held infinite possibilities: Strike the corridor atop the wall, and the casualties would certainly exceed a single soldier. Collapse a structure, and the contribution reward would be even greater. The killing power of the projected stones was terrifying; they were instant kills for any non-notable character, and striking an official among the story characters yielded immense profit. Furthermore, if a stone managed to hit one of the trebuchets placed on the seven walls of Minas Tirith, half the initial cost could be recouped with just one shot.

Given that no large-scale ground combat had yet occurred, the contribution points accrued by Sauron’s contractors primarily derived from redemptions based on their experiences in previous world-ties. Still, accumulating twelve thousand contribution points was an exorbitant sum.

This could only mean one thing: Sauron’s contractors had not only rich experience within the Lord of the Rings world but that perhaps the Blue Light team had stumbled upon some extraordinary opportunities. Since the Space had designated this team as the vanguard, they were surely receiving preferential treatment.

Now, stretching two to three kilometers before the outer perimeter of Minas Tirith’s walls, there gaped a newly formed fissure, looking for all the world like an elongated, curved scar across the Pelennor Fields.

Because of this newly created rift, the attacking force was barred from setting up siege equipment at the optimal golden range for assaulting the city. They were forced to retreat thirty to fifty meters further back. The stones they launched, which previously could have reached the vicinity of Minas Tirith’s third wall, could now barely kiss the area of the first wall. Meanwhile, the defenders’ own siege engines suffered little concern over this thirty-to-fifty-meter distance, enjoying a superior firing angle during counter-fire.

Yet, when these machines were finally put into actual combat, the reality struck home: between the five crude, hastily constructed giant catapults fielded by the Orcs and the ten heavy catapults redeemed by the contractors, the total fifteen machines unleashed a ferocious barrage. Though around 30 percent of the stones, according to the Alliance’s estimates, lacked sufficient throwing power and fell short at the base of Minas Tirith’s first wall, the remaining 70 percent struck the area of the first wall without exception!

In contrast to the previous situation where the bombardment was evenly distributed across the first, second, and third walls, this meant the pressure on the first wall suddenly intensified tenfold. It was supposed to absorb only a third of the bombardment, but now it had to endure 70 percent of the firepower.

Moreover, unlike the scattered trajectory of Sauron’s previous catapults, the contractor-owned machines operated under unified command. All ten heavy catapults hammered relentlessly at a single point! Everyone knew that breaching a city required smashing a hole in just one continuous section of the rampart, not destroying all the walls. Thus, the defensive strain on Minas Tirith multiplied exponentially.

To alleviate this immense pressure, the only recourse was counter-attack! The terrifying stockpile of contribution points the Alliance had accumulated was now put to use! Jax immediately convened a meeting. Knowing the enemy had redeemed ten heavy catapults at once, the Alliance redeemed twenty light catapults in response (the heavy ones couldn't fit on the walls, and the humans couldn't operate them), focusing their combined fire on Sauron’s siege engines in a massive counter-barrage!

However, this was where the superior individual strength of Sauron’s contractors came into play—the importance of the MTs was immediately evident! Amidst the hail of stones falling like rain, the awakening skills of the MTs were layered onto the catapults. While total protection failed occasionally, only one heavy catapult was completely destroyed. The remaining four, though damaged, could be hastily repaired and returned to service.

And although Gasmor possessed a literal pig’s head, he was no mere swine. Seeing this development, he unleashed his ultimate power: the Nine Ringwraiths, mounted upon Fell Beasts, took to the skies!

These spectral beings walking the mortal world knew neither joy nor sorrow, finding supreme pleasure only in slaughter. The dark creatures they rode beat their wings powerfully, utilizing the buoyancy of the air to swiftly spiral and dive toward the massive, majestic city of Minas Tirith. A dark, dull sheen coated the Wraiths’ grim armor and the Fell Beasts’ scales—the sign they were beginning to cast their silent spells simultaneously!

The giant talons of a Fell Beast could snatch at least five human soldiers at once, dropping them from hundreds of feet in the air. The piercing screams of these falling soldiers were a fatal blow to the morale of the defenders.

But the greatest damage inflicted upon the garrison came from the Fear-Shriek issuing from the Wraiths’ deep, dark maws. These sounds did not transmit through eardrums but acted directly upon the enemy’s very soul, awakening their deepest-seated terrors, creating the sensation that death would arrive the very next second. The Ringwraiths, in turn, drew strength from the enemies’ fear, growing more potent.

A dive by a single Ringwraith often caused the defenders on an entire section of wall to boil like gruel, resulting in at least half an hour of chaos. What made the situation even more agonizing was the stark manifestation of the Alliance’s lack of high-tier combat power. Against the Wraiths, who moved like the wind, even multiple contractors working in concert struggled to inflict serious harm! Even Gandalf’s light could only repel them temporarily!

In just three minutes—a mere three minutes of hesitation—these monsters, referred to in the bards’ songs as the Winged Nazgûl riding Shadow Drakes, annihilated seventeen light catapults. Whether by their claws or powerful wings, contact with the wood and metal of the siege engines invariably brought about catastrophic destruction.

However, as Jax gritted his teeth and gave the order, massive contributions were pooled, and equally powerful Great Eagles were redeemed for aerial support. These creatures were formidable beasts dwelling in the Misty Mountains. Fang Senyan had encountered one of this species during the Ace Team’s formation quest and was keenly aware of their strength.

While the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains were powerful, defeating a Ringwraith one-on-one was nearly an impossible task. Therefore, typically, a two-to-one ratio was required to reliably ensure the Wraith’s expulsion—this meant redeeming a terrifying eighteen Great Eagles! Such an astonishing expenditure completely drained the Alliance’s surplus contribution points.

But as of this moment, the advantage still rested with the Alliance!

The reason was simple: the first day of the siege was drawing to a close, and the filthy Orcs had not even managed to touch the first wall of the glorious Minas Tirith, let alone set foot upon it! It was incredible that such a feat had been achieved while Sauron’s side nominally held the upper hand. Reflecting on this, and considering the imminent arrival of Rohan’s cavalry in twenty-four hours, the tide of victory was clearly about to fully reverse, filling the Alliance members with elation and eager anticipation for that day.

But just then, Gríma Wormtongue’s potion took dramatic effect! Sauron’s ten heavy catapults, tirelessly attacking, had recovered a significant portion of their cost. Thus, they purchased a Gríma Wormtongue Potion and administered it to the diplomat they had specially cultivated within the Blue Light team, successfully persuading Gasmor.

Sauron’s remaining twelve heavy catapults simultaneously retreated backward. While those on the walls believed they had achieved a massive victory, these twelve machines began relentlessly bombarding the muddy ground before the walls of Minas Tirith. What they hurled was not stone, but vast quantities of pebbles and river sand hauled from the banks of the Anduin!

The purpose of these catapults was to fill in that muddy area, and the massive stones they deposited would form a natural barricade against the archers on the city walls. Perhaps the Alliance thought they could organize a quick Mire spell, but under the current natural conditions, even if the spell worked, its efficacy would be poor. More importantly, having numerous earth mages cast spells simultaneously was easily detectable.

Although Sauron’s contractors lacked numerical superiority, their individual abilities were formidable. Interrupting the enemy’s magical matrix would be difficult, but interfering with or weakening the magic from a distance was quite simple. After all, the Mire spell required mobilizing the earth elements within the region; the more earth elements present, the better the effect. By preemptively using methods that consumed large amounts of earth elements in the target area—for instance, summoning dozens of earth elementals—the supply of earth elements in that zone would be naturally depleted, ensuring that the effect of the Mire spell would be miserably weak until they were replenished.