Within the dark, there seemed to be a thick, turbid breath, a dull, frantic heartbeat, and worse yet, as if both hearing and sight had been utterly lost, completely stuffed and saturated by that maddening blackness!
Upon entering the Hall of the Dark Wellspring, Aragorn immediately felt the severe consequence of this sensory deprivation, and his heart sank.
Yet, Aragorn was a seasoned warrior; after coming of age, he had traveled across Middle-earth for at least ten years. He then went undercover to join the armies of Gondor, rapidly rising to become the renowned general known as the "Star Eagle," annihilating the corsairs of Umbar, and subsequently leading the Rangers of the Wild as the Strider!
In the Battle of Fornost, Aragorn was overwhelmingly formidable, single-handedly resisting the five Ringwraiths. The power of the Ringwraiths stems from the darkness and fear in the enemy's heart, which speaks volumes about Aragorn’s strength and mental fortitude!
He immediately took a deep breath, gripping his sacred blade, Andúril. More importantly, Aragorn’s gear was incredibly magnificent; the accessories hanging from his belt emitted a faint, soft white glow, dispelling the darkness immediately surrounding his body.
That emerald, set on a silver hawk-shaped base, was also part of his equipment: the Elven Gem bestowed upon him by the Queen of Light of the Last Homely House, named Elessar. Anything belonging to the Queen of Light was naturally the mortal enemy of darkness.
Furthermore, the Evenstar necklace around Aragorn’s neck was the soul-vessel of his beloved Arwen, and the double-headed serpent ring on his finger carried an ancient, vast resonance—a treasure passed down for tens of thousands of years, the pinnacle of legendary gear, the Ring of Barahir, a symbol of the Númenórean royal lineage! In the darkness, even without unleashing its power, Aragorn could faintly hear the majestic rebukes of the successive kings of Númenor!
To meet change with constancy—this was Aragorn’s strategy. He retreated a few steps, pressing his back against the wall, holding his sword across his chest in a tightly guarded defense.
He was certain the enemy could not keep him trapped here for long; this was their final desperate flurry. Once he broke free, their doom would be sealed!
In contrast to Aragorn’s perceived calm, the moment Fang Senyan hurled Aragorn into the depths of the Dark Wellspring Hall, setting up this fleeting, lethal trap, Sauron’s will sensed everything, instantly becoming furious and intense.
Not only did the darkness within the Dark Wellspring Hall surge wildly, shooting out to cover an area forty to fifty meters around, astonishingly like black mist that obscured all sight, but thousands of miles away in Mordor, where Sauron’s main body, the Fiery Eye, resided, flames raged fiercely. Mount Doom erupted with thick black sorcery, and the gaze of the Fiery Eye reached dozens of kilometers away, scorching the earth and leaving nothing but barren ground in its wake.
Simultaneously, a roar from Sauron echoed in the minds of all surviving Dark Faction contractors: Kill him! Kill him! Offer the flesh and soul of this sole remnant of the Númenórean line to me! I forgive all your sins!
Note: Aragorn is situated in the Dark Wellspring Hall, afflicted by Sauron’s curse. If killed by a contractor, an astonishing item drop rate will occur.
It was no wonder Sauron reacted so violently upon realizing he had a chance to kill Aragorn. During the War of the Last Alliance in the Third Age, Sauron had a significant opportunity to establish dominion over Middle-earth.
He charged forth like Lu Bu, first dispatching Gil-galad, the High King of the Noldor Elves, and then summarily crushing the mightiest warrior of Men, Elendil. But just as he reached the apex of his life, Elendil’s son, Isildur, erupted, using the broken blade of the sacred sword Narsil to sever Sauron’s finger, thus depriving him of the One Ring. He was violently pulled down from his supreme goal, suffering a crushing, humiliating defeat!
And now, Aragorn wielded the legendary sword Andúril, reforged from the broken blade of the sacred sword Narsil! Moreover, Aragorn was a direct descendant of Isildur! As the saying goes, seeing the object recalls the person; Aragorn now inflicted a double blow on Sauron!
Of course, beyond the old grudge, Aragorn had also led the Army of the Dead to shatter the Orc legions and the war elephant legions of the Southern Haradrim—this was fresh enmity! Old and new hatreds intertwined; how could Sauron not be enraged!!
Fang Senyan’s Frenzy of the Horns aborted mid-charge. Despite the preciousness of the moment, he stopped.
Because in that instant, a notification sounded in his ear: Aragorn is situated in the Dark Wellspring Hall, afflicted by Sauron’s curse. If killed by a contractor, an astonishing item drop rate will occur.
Fang Senyan could not glimpse the future, but he believed in two things.
The first was that human greed was immense, and the second was that Aragorn was absolutely not someone easy to kill!
So Fang Senyan paused, while not forgetting to apply medication to his teammates sheltered by the volcanic magma. He also gleaned some positive news from the reduction rate of his own health linked to the Dark Gold Leeches: he had at least thirty seconds left to kill Aragorn undisturbed.
Concurrently, a blinding white light flashed, fiercely tearing through the darkness, followed immediately by a series of screams. Some warm droplets even splashed onto Fang Senyan’s face, causing a stinging sensation.
Undoubtedly, there were not only members of the Ace Team in the entire Dark Wellspring Hall, but also members of the Skull faction. Recovered almost entirely under the protection of the icy magma, some must have succumbed to the immense temptation and attacked first.
But who was Aragorn? Since he knew he was ambushed, he was undoubtedly unleashing his ultimate abilities; when he struck, it would be an extremely fierce counterattack! This was why Fang Senyan paused—to let those greedy fools absorb Aragorn’s coiled counterattack, granting himself a moment to breathe.
When the screams subsided, Fang Senyan slowly walked toward Aragorn, appearing steady, resolute, and unhurried. Meanwhile, the G-point on his right hand continued to dissolve, transforming from a glove into the fearsome weapon: the Demonic Sword Apophis!
“Do you know why I’m not in a hurry, Aragorn?” Fang Senyan walked slowly, speaking slowly. The pitch darkness of the Dark Wellspring Hall posed no hindrance to him, so he could clearly see the tragic scene around Aragorn: a full two contractors had been hacked into seventeen or eighteen mangled pieces, gruesome and bloody, their viscera splattering everywhere!
The ornaments on Aragorn’s waist emitted a soft white light, enveloping him like a white eggshell, protecting him from the corruption of the darkness by the power of the Queen of Light of the Last Homely House. Although Aragorn’s vision only extended about half a meter, it was better than knowing nothing.
Hearing Fang Senyan, Aragorn initially did not want to reply, but immediately realized he had to say something. How could the dignified King of Gondor dare not return the enemy’s words? Especially with his dearest friend nearby and tens of thousands of troops outside!
“Perhaps you know that whatever you do, you cannot escape the judgment of justice and light, servant of darkness,” Aragorn stated calmly.
“No,” Fang Senyan said seriously. “It’s because I meticulously planned this trap for eighteen days and twenty-one hours, and the remaining time is more than sufficient to kill you.”
Aragorn said faintly, “About ten people have spoken to me with such arrogance, but their fate was the same: their heads were severed and hung on trees to warn all others of the consequences of corruption.”
Fang Senyan smiled lightly. “When you went to seize control of the Army of the Dead, you were already intercepted by our people; your strength began to decline from its peak then, didn’t it? Perhaps not much, but at least by one layer, otherwise, you couldn't have been delayed for nearly ten hours.”
“Then, you led the Army of the Dead across a thousand miles, fighting the Haradrim and the Orc legions—your strength must have decreased by at least another two layers, and that’s an understatement. Even though you won smoothly, the tenacity of the Dark Warriors couldn't have vanished so easily.”
“After the battle, you rested briefly, recovering to perhaps eighty percent strength, but those three consecutive assaults on the Dark Wellspring Hall must have severely drained your vital energy, right? I know my teammates’ strength well; consuming three-tenths of your power is by no means an exaggeration.”
“So, what I face now is an Aragorn at only half strength! More importantly!! Aragorn, I know and can nullify your greatest reliance: your Royal Destiny!! Before me, you are merely a powerful Dúnedain!”
As these words left his mouth, Fang Senyan’s momentum surged to its peak, and he charged fiercely and incredibly toward Aragorn! He too gripped his sword with both hands, unstoppable! Seeing the seemingly ordinary weapon in his hand, which only revealed its true sharpness upon blade contact, Aragorn roared and met the charge, for he knew that retreating would mean losing not just the terrain advantage, but perhaps his very confidence.
Their first exchange of blows involved neither dodging. Fang Senyan’s sword struck Aragorn’s shoulder, while the legendary sword Andúril pierced Fang Senyan’s left leg!