The fierce, all-night battle was an immense trial for the will and military might of both sides, resulting in substantial losses for all involved. Yet, judging purely by casualty figures, despite Sauron’s forces suffering far higher numbers, they still held the advantage.

Why? Because the disparity in strength between the defenders and Sauron's army was too vast. Even a ten-to-one casualty ratio was unsustainable for the mere six thousand defenders of the Alliance. Once an army’s losses surpass 40%, it is almost guaranteed to shatter—and the garrison was alarmingly close to that breaking point. If not for the anchors like the Knights maintaining morale, it's debatable whether they would have held.

Thus, the current deadlock was a contest of endurance, a battle of attrition where survival depended on who could bear more pain and hold out longer.

The immediate critical point was breaking the defenses. Once the melee began within the city confines, Sauron's advantage would be fully unleashed. Seven layers of walls sounded formidable, but breaching the first wall and engaging in close-quarters combat meant that the fall of the city would be imminent.

Time ticked by, second by agonizing second. After barely an hour of respite, the blood-crazed Grishnákh issued a fresh order to attack, his clear target being the gates of Minas Tirith. Despite the destruction of the battering ram Grond, it had managed three devastating strikes before being disabled.

The power of those three impacts was astonishing, leaving behind horrific wounds on the city gates—three clear indentations, carved as if gnawed by the teeth of some colossal wolf. Each depression was large enough to hold five or six men, and the gates were now marred by two deep fissures twisting in an X pattern, revealing glimpses of the scenery behind the wood through the deepest cracks.

Clearly, the gates, so ruined, offered little remaining defense. And so, the maddened boar-faced Grishnákh pressed his assault with maniacal fury, sparing no cost.

However, against the desperate resistance of the defenders, even the deployment of ordinary siege rams proved impossible. The sheer volume of corpses was too great. Initially, the defenders had poured pitch to burn the bodies, but later, realizing these corpses forced the Orcs to drag the rams forward over the accumulating dead, they simply ceased intervention, letting the bodies serve as a natural barrier.

At this precise moment, under Farson Yan’s direction, Three-son, grimacing, was forced to ingest the Potion of Grima Wormtongue and was compelled to present a very simple proposition to the pig-headed Grishnákh:

To build a ramp with earth.

The gates of Minas Tirith, though magnificent, stood only twenty meters high. In the fighting around the gate area, combined with the bodies of defenders who fell from the towers and the thousands of slain Orcs, plus the rubble of Grond, the accumulation already reached a height of over ten meters.

Three-son’s proposal was founded upon this gruesome, corpse-built foundation.

He demanded that the Nazgûl continue their focused harassment of the densely packed enemy troops near the gate. To keep the Ringwraiths safe, they were only to perform terrifying swoops and shrieks to sow fear and chaos on the walls. Meanwhile, the Orc soldiers and Uruks were to rest, while the combat-inexperienced laborers and slaves were ordered to ferry twenty pounds of dirt each in wicker baskets to the base of the gate. If the effort proceeded smoothly, the chasm would become level ground in less than an hour.

When this plan was presented, although Grishnákh offered no immediate comment, it was instantly endorsed by the various Orc commanders.

This proposal effectively relieved their troops of pointless, bloody charges. Although it dictated that the lowly Orc slaves and laborers would face immense mortal danger, such sacrifices were rarely considered worth noting.

The ensuing turn of events was staggering. Although the effective fighting force was reduced to only two-thirds, with the rest being exhausted troops, the Orc slaves and laborers were fresh reserves. Compared to the seasoned warriors, they were energetic and vigorous. Their task required no technical skill: charge forward, dump the dirt, and run back.

Even though the defenders on the walls fired with every ounce of strength, the effect was minimal. Due to their numerical disadvantage, they received no rest and were already spent. Furthermore, the plot characters were using bows, and even accounting for the superior physical conditioning of Middle-earth humans compared to Earthlings, a full night of intense combat had depleted their energy from repeatedly drawing the bowstrings. Their shots were now weak, listless, and exhausted.

More crucially, the chilling, terrifying shrieks from the seven cunningly diving Nazgûl, while causing no direct physical harm, severely impacted shooting accuracy and morale.

Consequently, by ten in the morning, as the final basket of dirt was emptied, the massive mound, resembling a small mountain, had formed before the city wall, rising level with the first tier of Minas Tirith and completely burying the gate—the so-called Iron Wall—beneath it!

The impassable moat had become a highway!

With a synchronized dive from the seven Nazgûl, four elite Ogres, clad in full plate armor and wielding massive chained maces, charged toward the filled-in passage. Following them was a throng of roaring, nearly constipated, red-eyed Uruks!

The defenders still attempting resistance on the walls were already terrified, but before the elite Ogres could even reach the ramp, they were annihilated by a dense volley of javelins and hand-axes hurled fiercely by the Uruks behind them.

Looking down from above, one could see the black tide of the army surging violently into the interior of the first wall of Minas Tirith. Although they could still be struck from above by the remaining six walls, at this range, catapults were useless. The defenders were fatigued, and their morale was severely depressed. Moreover, the gates of the remaining six walls could likely be smashed by a single Ogre!

But then, raging flames erupted!

The Orc forces that had rushed into the first tier of Minas Tirith suddenly found themselves engulfed in a sea of fire! This was a sacrificial, devastating act!

The Knights and their cohort had clearly anticipated that the first wall would fall during the night and had specifically prepared a death trap there, using the surrounding dwellings as kindling. This scorched-earth tactic was merciless!

The attackers could only watch helplessly as the towering inferno raged, black smoke billowing upward as if trying to reach the heavens! At this point, credit was due to Jax’s effective organization; the contractors and the vanguard Orc forces who had breached the city managed a timely retreat, suffering losses of only just over half their number.

However, they could do nothing but wait for the fire to burn itself out. By the time they could resume fighting, it was nearly two in the afternoon.

This self-inflicted, savage fire had bought the opposing Alliance nearly three full hours!

And Minas Tirith had seven walls in total. Even with one breached, six remained to be conquered. This meant the defenders could set six such fires! Each fire could buy them at least two hours, totaling a formidable twelve hours.

More significantly, the enemy contractors could hold each wall for at least half an hour. Calculating everything together... the notion of breaking Minas Tirith before the arrival of the Rohirrim cavalry could only be a fantasy!

At this juncture, two pieces of news arrived from the Anduin River—one good, one bad.

The mystery that had long puzzled Farson Yan—why the Skull, with whom he had a secret pact, had seemingly vanished—was finally resolved. It turned out that Noah C Sector had also issued two special missions: to intercept the two reinforcement waves heading toward Minas Tirith.

The first wave was the Rohirrim cavalry. This wave had been intercepted and failed; instead, the Alliance's urgency to speed up their arrival meant they would reach the battlefield this afternoon.

However, the Skull was embedded within the party of the main protagonist, Aragorn!

Currently, Aragorn had received the reforged sword Andúril, the symbol of human royalty, from King Elrond. He, along with Prince Legolas and the Dwarf warrior Gimli, was traversing the Paths of the Dead to summon the spirit legions to fight for him.

The Skull had made significant impact within this intercepting force. Although the entire company suffered heavy casualties, even the most pessimistic estimates suggested that Aragorn’s arrival with the Army of the Dead would be delayed by at least twelve, perhaps even twenty-four, hours.

Those extra twelve hours could very well prove decisive in the outcome of the war!

Hearing this news, Farson Yan paused in deep thought, drawing a long breath.

"This afternoon will be a bloodbath."

Meanwhile, the available exchangeable equipment in the Dark Source Hall had refreshed, boasting an astonishing three Legendary items!

The first Legendary item was a Ring.

The origin of this ring was famous. After forging the One Ring, Sauron also created the Nine Rings for Men and the Three Rings for Elves. These rings were all subtly influenced and corrupted by the One Ring, which Sauron distributed to the other races.

These rings possessed power capable of intoxicating even kings and heroes; few could resist their allure. Those Men who accepted the Nine Rings were invariably famous heroes and mighty rulers of Middle-earth. These nine, while indulging in the power of the rings, were gradually corrupted by the One Ring, giving rise to the Nazgûl.

In the battle at Minas Tirith, two Ringwraiths fell. Because Gandalf played a decisive role in their demise, the drop rate for the Ringwraiths was poor, and Sauron reclaimed the two Legendary Human Rings they wore.

The Legendary Ring available for exchange was once worn by the fallen Ringwraith, the silent shadow Adûnafindel!

Its name was: The Ring of Valor!

Back then, to entice the kings of Men to wear the Nine Rings, Sauron not only imbued them with great power but also named them according to the Nine Virtues of Men: Humility, Honour, Sacrifice, Valor, Pity, Nobility, Honesty, Spirit, and Justice.

The kings who wore these nine rings were initially intoxicated by their power and diligently governed their actions according to the ring’s name. But the problem arose exactly here: the Nine Rings demanded an absolute execution of the virtue!

For instance, the Ring of Honesty, once worn, would prevent the wearer from lying under the ring’s magic, even making denial impossible. This might sound trivial, but excess leads to backlash. Under such excessively harsh demands, a point of breaking would inevitably be reached.

One king, during a battlefield interrogation, was crudely taunted by the enemy, asking precisely how many women he slept with each night... The king was over fifty, past his prime, and without the aid of modern restoratives, the ring’s magic forced him to be completely honest... Well, he was thereafter mocked as the "Lustful King," his temperament soured, and amidst growing resentment, he gradually fell into darkness.

Therefore, a wearer of the Ring of Valor would find their conduct leaning toward ruthlessness and venomous cunning—more like a hidden viper than embodying true valor.

In addition to enhancing all wearer attributes:

Its first property was Obscurity. When not exposed to sunlight, the wearer gains a 33% absolute evasion bonus (including magical and physical attacks) and negates all accuracy bonuses applied by attackers. In sunlight, the absolute evasion bonus vanishes, but the negation of all attacker accuracy bonuses remains in effect.

Its second property was Saturation. When not exposed to sunlight, the wearer gains a special effect of +100% range when using ranged weapons; this effect disappears under sunlight. When not exposed to sunlight, the wearer gains the special ability of an area-of-effect attack when using melee weapons; the dark damage inflicts harm on enemies near the primary target, dealing 50% of the attack damage.

Its third property was an active ability: The Wrath of the Númenórean. The description was simple: Executing this option transforms you into a loyal servant of the Dark Lord Sauron, taking the form of a Númenórean walking between the mortal world and the shades. Detailed attributes are visible only to the wearer.

The second Legendary item was a Weapon.

The origin of this weapon was even stranger. In the movie plot, when the immensely powerful Witch-king of Angmar was about to slay Éowyn, Merry pierced the Witch-king’s knee tendon with a razor-sharp Legendary sword, causing him to fall. Éowyn seized the opportunity, stabbing between his crown and cloak, destroying the Witch-king and fulfilling the oath that no man could kill the Witch-king of Angmar. However, the blade of Merry’s sword melted from the contact.

The weapon available for contract exchange was the sister weapon to that incomparably sharp Legendary sword!

These blades were acquired by Tom Bombadil from the Barrow-downs barrows, and he distributed them to the Hobbits. The swords were forged by the Dúnedain of Arthedain to defend against the Witch-king of Angmar. They could also be considered long, broad daggers, featuring red and gold serpentine patterns, black scabbards, shining blades, and inlaid with glittering gems.

This weapon was originally carried by Pippin, a member of the Fellowship, but that unfortunate soul was struck by a stone thrown by a giant catapult exchanged for by a contractor, resulting in his utter obliteration. Because the contractor who killed him was struck by misfortune (hitting that Hobbit jackpot in the pitch dark likely used up all their luck), Pippin’s personal weapon was not dropped.

Thus, this lost, ownerless item was chanced upon by an Orc who, devoutly, immediately offered it to Lord Sauron. Sauron wasted no time putting it forth to boost morale.

Sword of the Western Royalty

Its first property was Banishment. When encountering creatures or environments hostile to the owner, it emits a soft glow. When attacking dark creatures (not necessarily with the blade itself), there is a high chance of an instant kill. Even against creatures immune to instant death, triggering this effect still inflicts astonishing damage.

Its second property was Inclusion. When the wielder is targeted by a malicious magical attack, the sword can absorb 70% of the damage from that single spell attack, up to three times, after which it becomes saturated.

Its third property was Imprisonment. Every time this weapon slays an enemy, the wielder can choose whether to imprison its soul within the blade. Once this weapon consumes enough souls, the imprisoned soul can be temporarily materialized to assist in combat. For example, killing the Ironblood Elder allows his soul to be imprisoned; after killing enough enemies to accumulate sufficient rage, he can be summoned. If one prefers support, releasing the Ironblood Elder’s soul and then killing Fogsong allows her soul to be imprisoned... Naturally, the requirements for summoning stronger souls are more stringent. Detailed attributes are visible only to the wearer.

The third Legendary item was a Shield.

The origin of this Legendary item was somewhat bizarre. After Grond was destroyed, its ruins lay beneath the gate. Once the first wall of Minas Tirith was breached, the Orc slaves and laborers dug out the remains and continued to worship them.

Why did this happen? Because the name Grond actually belonged to an ancient demonic weapon of the primordial god Morgoth: Grond, the Hammer of Utumno! Furthermore, Sauron himself was once Morgoth’s subordinate. To draw an analogy: if Sauron is Chen Haonan, Grond is Jiang Tiansheng; if Sauron is Bao Zheng, Grond is Di Renjie.

More importantly, no one knew that the creation of that siege hammer involved numerous failures. In the end, Sauron was forced to incorporate fragments remaining from the destruction of Morgoth’s original Grond Hammer as the core. To emphasize its power, the name Grond was affixed, much like naming a fighter jet the "Raptor," a battleship the Bismarck, or an aircraft carrier the Nimitz.

Sauron attempted to repair the now-destroyed Grond siege hammer to no avail. However, he discovered that the divine fragment placed inside during the hammer's forging had mutated. During its long years as the core of Grond, it had smashed countless capitals, been soaked in the blood of countless beings, and imprisoned the vengeful spirits of seventeen kings. It had finally transformed into a Legendary item on its own.

But because this fragment of the Grond Hammer was positioned near the handle, used frequently for blocking and parrying, this shard of what should have been an indestructible artifact had morphed into a bizarre shield!

---Grond’s Stubbornness!!

This was an indescribably grotesque shield. Its appearance suggested molten steel suddenly plunged into water, warped and monstrous. This outcome was due to the devastating defeat of Morgoth by the might of the Valar in the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age.

One Vala struck the Iron Crown, turning it into a necklace, and incinerated Grond with his endless fury. He then bound Morgoth with the chains of Angainor, condemning his spirit to be cast out beyond the Night-Gate into the endless Void, never to return.

The incinerated Grond Hammer exploded violently, but a shard from the handle was hurled outward, falling into lava. The extreme heat of the magma neutralized the Vala’s wrath, preserving this single fragment that otherwise would have been utterly annihilated.

Sauron discovered it while forging the Rings in Mount Doom.

The first property of Grond’s Stubbornness was Rage.

Whenever the Holder sustains damage, they will be influenced by Grom’s Stubborn Rage, forcibly reducing the incoming damage by an amount equal to (Holder’s Stamina - Attacker’s Stamina). If the Holder’s Stamina is lower than the Attacker’s, the damage will still be reduced by at least 25 points. (The method for calculating this damage is equivalent to Fang Senyan’s Sigh of the Death God, but the priority level cannot compare with it.)

The second attribute is Fount of Torment.

Pain leads to depravity, yet pain can also spur awakening! Whenever the Holder sustains damage, it causes Grom’s Stubborn Rage to recall the moment it was wounded by the Fury of Vala, thus granting the Holder additional protection. Every instance of damage taken by the Holder will grant an additional 3 points of Defense and 1 point/second of Health Regeneration, stacking up to 15 times! The duration lasts for thirty minutes!

The third attribute is the Active Ability: GROM! This shield is a fragment of the ancient artifact, Grom’s Great Hammer, and thus retains the majesty capable of recreating the terrifying power of the ancient hammer! The user can spend two thousand points of their own vitality to summon an illusion of the ancient artifact Grom to launch a terrifying bombardment across a thirty-meter radius ahead. This strike is imbued with the terrifying special effects of four immensely destructive spells: “Doomsday Calamity,” “Barrier Sundering,” “Area Field Deflection,” and “Wave of Fatigue,” whipping up a bloodbath among the enemies! Simultaneously, the total damage you inflict with this strike will form a formidable dark shield on your body for protection; the shield’s health points will be equal to the damage dealt by this strike, and the dark shield remains for one minute or until shattered. Should any life fall during this strike, the vitality you expended for the awakening skill will be replenished. Only the wearer can see its detailed attributes.

Legendary equipment undoubtedly varies in strength and weakness, just as Forgers themselves possess different levels of skill. Clearly, none of these three pieces of Legendary Equipment could compare to the Gungnir that Fang Senyan had encountered previously. However, the most powerful among them is Grom’s Stubborn Rage. Setting aside the monstrous enhancement that rivals Fang Senyan’s own talent, the mere fact that it is the first piece of equipment Fang Senyan has seen capable of restoring vitality already sets it apart. Moreover, this item is a fragment of an ancient artifact, meaning it holds the potential to ascend to artifact status again. It’s much like how a billionaire who has gone bankrupt still has a far greater chance of becoming a billionaire again than an ordinary person.

Next in line is the Ring of Heroism from the Nine Rings of Men. It goes without saying that for any ranged attacker, an extra 100 extension to range is an absolute artifact-level attribute; almost nothing is more critical than this—a slight extension in reach can mean the difference between life and death! Besides, it even has an active skill that allows transformation into a Ringwraith? It certainly won’t be lacking.

And the Sword of the Western Royalty is the weakest of the weapons. However, if this weapon manages to imprison a truly remarkable soul, it could potentially make a stunning comeback to claim the top spot! Furthermore, it possesses exceptional efficacy against dark creatures, making grinding in certain specific worlds incredibly simple if used correctly.

Yet, the exchange prices for these three pieces of Legendary Equipment are all listed as ???. According to the post-query description, one must possess at least half the required contribution points just to view the specific price! This threshold setting is rather peculiar, but it strongly suggests that the cost is astronomical.

At this juncture, with the Rohan cavalry force still over an hour away, the Contractors ceased their futile assaults and instead began to rest, channeling the contribution points acquired from the fierce battle into targeted exchanges. After all, fighting cavalry on an open plain is inherently a disadvantageous endeavor. RS