While the Alliance forces were temporarily unaware of Sauron’s intentions—what good was using precious catapults to fill in the earth at such a crucial moment? Even if they managed to fill the muddy areas, what of it? The walls hadn't breached; the continent’s strongest fortress was not named in vain. Were they trying to fill the first line of defense with Orc corpses?

Yet, the Alliance knew all too well that with every passing second feeling like gold, the Contractors on Sauron’s side would never engage in pointless activity. Thus, they continued to relentlessly snipe the massive trebuchets below—even though these siege engines were intentionally positioned outside the effective bombardment range of Minas Tirith’s walls.

It was then that the Jue Shi (Sir/Knight) ordered the targeting of the trebuchet operators. Although Orcs were thick-skinned, if one sniper couldn't dispatch them immediately, two would be dispatched; if two failed, four would follow, ensuring a kill on the first volley.

This attack undoubtedly caused the Contractors on Sauron’s side considerable pain, but what could they do after a kill? They could only spend vast amounts of Contribution Points, grit their teeth, and push forward. Finally, just before sunset, the muddy ground outside Minas Tirith was blanketed with a thick layer of sand and stone dredged from the Anduin River.

Immediately following this, masses of Orc slaves charged forward, each carrying a wooden plank. Using the massive stones strewn outside the city as cover, they began laying down a causeway intended to reach the very gates of Minas Tirith!

As the continent's supreme fortress, the gates of Minas Tirith were naturally extraordinary, divided into three distinct layers:

The first layer was forged from the body of the Old Man Willow, Glorfindel, whose might rivaled that of the Huorns—it was immune to all fire attacks!

The second layer was wrought from a mixture of Adamant and lead, absorbing nearly all incoming ranged attacks.

The third layer was constructed from thirteen-year-old hazelwood planks interwoven with Mithril strands. Legend held that thirteen-year-old hazelwood yielded the most powerful wand cores, and when combined with the magic-receptive Mithril, it permanently enchanted the gate with four major spells: “Renewal,” “Self-Repair,” “Deflection Field,” and “Greater Sliding Charm.”

Therefore, for the enemy to target the gate itself was a significant tactical error, as the gate’s defensive capabilities arguably surpassed even the formidable curtain walls of Minas Tirith.

If one hundred massive boulders struck the same spot on the city wall, it might not withstand the impact. However, if those same one hundred stones struck the gate, everyone could proudly declare they would emerge unscathed.

This was why the walls of Minas Tirith were heralded as the "Unbreakable Bulwark." From the defenders’ perspective, if the enemy focused their assault on the gate, they could concentrate their defensive strength onto a single point, delivering overwhelmingly direct damage to the foes assembled below.

But every rule has its exception; there is no city in this world that cannot be breached. Moments later, the thunderous, ear-splitting war cries of the Orcish garrison outside the walls erupted—a sound so intense it seemed destined to pierce the heavens and drown out all other noise.

They chanted a single word in unison, their cry filled with piety and faith, like humble supplicants invoking an omnipotent deity!

Grond...

Grond...

Grond!

Back when Mordor's legions, led by the Witch-king of Angmar, swept across Middle-earth, their greatest obstacle was the terrifying gate defenses of the Kingdom’s capital.

To counter this, under Sauron’s direct supervision, they forged an astonishingly huge battering ram from black iron mixed with Adamant. It stood as tall as a century-old sacred tree, swung back and forth by thick, blood-red glowing iron chains.

The smiths of Mordor labored for at least one hundred and seventy years to cast this dreadful weapon. Its tip was shaped like the head of a roaring wolf—savage, dark, and ferocious. Within the gaps between the bared teeth, an eternal, terrifying flame burned, fueled by the searing heat of Mount Doom’s lava.

Sauron himself inscribed dark runes upon it, permanently binding four immensely destructive spells: “Overwhelming Ruin,” “Barrier Shatter,” “Area Field Deflection,” and “Wave of Fatigue.” To commemorate the ancient Hammer of Hell, they named this battering ram Grond. Four unique beasts dragged it forward, slowly crawling from the southern mire, surrounded by legions of Orcs, while elite trolls from the mountain highlands were responsible for operating the entire apparatus.

At the cusp of twilight, just as darkness was about to descend, the Grond battering ram ground heavily across the fertile Pelennor Fields, presenting itself as the undisputed monarch of destruction.

This giant hammer exceeded forty meters in length and stood no less than ten meters tall. A strange, flowing light shimmered upon its dark, deep-blue torso. Thousands of Orcs encircled it, hauled by the dark unicorns which simultaneously gasped for breath and emitted deep, furious roars.

Seventeen names were etched onto the body of the Grond battering ram. Unanimously, these seventeen names belonged to the last kings of the capital cities that Grond had brutally shattered. As darkness approached, the spectral forms of these imprisoned kings would appear around their names, wailing in agony. Their terror and suffering served to imbue the Grond Battering Ram with immense power!

Clearly, the attacking side had chosen the time and opportunity quite well. Relying on Grond’s advance speed, by the time it entered the effective range of the Minas Tirith catapults, the sky would have completely darkened. Darkness severely hampered the defenders, who specialized in ranged weaponry.

Furthermore, Orc Arsonists used the cover of night to reach the battlefield first. Wherever they went, fire and thick smoke billowed out, significantly disrupting the defenders' aiming. Darkness, smoke, and the erratic flicker of light were estimated to reduce the accuracy of all enemy fire by at least 10%—a massive degradation for the Minas Tirith garrison, whose damage output relied almost entirely on ranged attacks.

At this critical moment, from the main body of Sauron’s legions, the nine Nazgûl riders took to the air once more atop their terrifying Fell Beasts. Both the Nazgûl and the Fell Beasts were monstrous creatures of shadow, and as such, they were naturally unaffected by the darkness.

However, the Great Eagles that served as their constraint during the day could not maintain the same level of combat effectiveness at night!

This is because vision relies on visual cells in the retina, and the avian visual system differs significantly from humans. Humans possess two types of visual cells: cones and rods. Human cones are further divided into three types: red, green, and blue. Cones are primarily responsible for perceiving bright light and color—that is, vision and color sensitivity during the day.

Rods, conversely, are primarily responsible for perceiving low light, providing light sensitivity during the night. However, the vast majority of birds possess only four types of cones and lack rods, meaning they are effectively blind at night. Clearly, the Great Eagles are neither human nor kin to bats or owls; this is an inherent biological limitation, just as humans cannot naturally breathe underwater like fish.

It became evident then that the Blue Light Team’s selection to command this battle was not without reason.

The status and strength of the Contractors were directly related to their standing. Since Reef and Aziz had demonstrated overwhelmingly powerful capabilities, their standing had risen accordingly, making it far easier to gather intelligence.

Fang Senyan learned from Reef that the Blue Light Team had specifically established a council of advisors whose planning orchestrated today’s offensive, termed the "Four-Pronged Attack." Already visible was the appearance of the Grond battering ram—that was the first prong. Since the Nazgûl’s power remained constant at night while the Great Eagles from the Misty Mountains suffered a massive drop in combat efficiency, the Nazgûl force could serve as the core of a second assault prong.

"Then the third prong...?" Fang Senyan mused, "It must be the one I deduced!"

At that moment, shouts of excitement erupted from the Orcs in the distance. It turned out the Alliance was not the only side possessing powerful mages. Zeus was currently stealing the show; his specialty was gravity control. After joining the contingent supporting the Grond battering ram, he immediately reduced the gravity around the immensely heavy siege weapon to its lightest setting!

It was well known that the defenders would expend every effort to disrupt and engage the battering ram as it approached the walls, but once it reached the base of the ramparts, the attack intensity would lessen due to unfavorable firing angles. Thus, the route from the moment the ram entered range until it reached the wall base was considered the bloodiest path, where delays resulted in greater casualties.

Now, with Zeus instantly halving the gravity in the vicinity of Grond, this colossal machine’s movement speed didn't just double; more importantly, the trolls, ogres, and soldiers nearby also became light as feathers, allowing them to evade incoming fire much more effectively!

While Minas Tirith focused the vast majority of its attention on Grond’s steady advance, something massive seemed to writhe in the darkness. Only after it settled did tiny sparks of flame begin to appear.

These were the braziers used to ignite the barrels of oil! Countless Orcs bustled around them.

Beside the braziers, twenty-five massive trebuchets materialized through the gloom!

The update yesterday mistakenly referred to the Jue Shi as Jax; this has been corrected.