To gain the choicest spoils on this battlefield, Fang Senyan and his allies had to make a commensurate investment. There was no other way to expect the Sea Alliance and the Blue Light Team to willingly follow their lead. Raw power could enforce compliance, but it rarely won genuine allegiance.

This mammoth war elephant they acquired, purchased with a silver story badge bestowed by Sauron, was no mere grunt like the others; it possessed a proper name: the "Fanged Tooth" Royal Demonized Mammoth!

This terrifying giant boasted defensive, offensive, and vitality stats at least one and a half times that of a standard behemoth, and it could carry thirty riders on its back. Most distinctively, it possessed four massive tusks, and even its slow gait was an astonishing spectacle.

Etched onto the right flank of the "Fanged Tooth" were clear tattoos of a black serpent coiled around a red shield. These markings were drawn with the blood of captured Hadlinc slaves. They didn't just grant phenomenal magical defense; every time the "Fanged Tooth" slew an enemy, that foe’s blood served as a sacrifice, awakening hidden vengeful spirits within the tattoos to launch an attack.

The purchase of the "Fanged Tooth" included the thirty accompanying mounted warriors, whom the purchaser, Fang Senyan, could select freely: Shield Guards, Javelin Throwers, or Archers.

The Shield Guards were specifically tasked with defending the mammoth’s vulnerable nape, and they could administer healing during combat. The Javelin Throwers were devastatingly powerful; their hurled spears could pierce the armor of knights. While the Hadlinc Archers, masters of mobile volley fire, were slightly less potent, the insidious poison coating their arrowheads presented a formidable challenge. Even Elves, familiar with nearly every botanical property, were stymied, as this toxin behaved like the very breath of the Wraiths—only herbs sourced from the Southern Jungles could truly treat the affliction.

Thus, Fang Senyan forewent the Javelin Throwers entirely, equipping himself instead with two Shield Guards and filling the remaining slots with Archers. For the current situation, inflicting wounds seemed more likely to trouble the enemy than outright kills.

More significantly, as Fang Senyan settled into the supreme command seat on the elephant’s back, he felt an indescribable dark divine power permeate him, creating a profound, mental connection with the demonized beast. He could seemingly feel its pain and its joy. Simultaneously, a notification appeared:

“You are mounted upon the 'Fanged Tooth' Royal Demonized Mammoth.” “A portion of your innate abilities will partially feed back into this colossal war beast, and will dissipate when you are not mounted.” “Based on your innate abilities, the Royal Demonized Mammoth will gain an additional damage reduction bonus of 10 to 50 points against incoming enemy attacks, scaling with the enemy’s power.”

Seeing this prompt, Fang Senyan immediately called his team members up to try.

When Aziz mounted, he bestowed upon the mammoth a potent aura: a +10 Critical Hit chance and +10 range bonus for the mounted archers.

When Zi took the seat, her contribution was an increase in the area of effect for the mammoth’s Dark Shriek ability by 50, coupled with a 50 reduction in its magical power consumption.

When Ronnie climbed aboard, he granted the mammoth a passive ability called Chain Strike, giving it a chance to launch an additional attack following any successful strike.

Zai’s resulting enhancement made everyone’s eyes widen: it actually allowed the creature to seek a mate even outside of its estrus cycle!

As is well known, animals typically cycle between periods of fertility and non-fertility. Truly, creatures like humans, whose 'fertility cycle' spans 365 days a year, are exceedingly rare. Many solitary animals only congregate for mating during their brief heat; once it passes, there is a high probability of conflict if they encounter each other again—tigers, leopards, bears, and others behave this way. The cubs are raised by the mother; the father completes his duty and vanishes.

However, the female mammoths’ estrus lasts for a mere month. If a male approaches during the other eleven months, he is deemed a rogue and will meet the most violent resistance; even if outmatched, the female will fight to the death. Therefore, for the "Fanged Tooth" Royal Demonized Mammoth, the enhancement granted by Zai was unequivocally the most vital.

Because of this, although Zai’s addition was something of a bewildering, almost useless buff to Fang Senyan’s crew, the Royal Demonized Mammoth, Fanged Tooth, clearly disagreed. When it sensed Zai’s awkwardness as he prepared to dismount, the creature let out an enraged roar, protesting its displeasure through various acts of nonviolent noncooperation, including hunger strikes and headbutting walls.

After a grueling period of negotiation, an agreement was finally struck: Zai was excused from riding during combat, but after the battle concluded, he was obligated to remain stationary on the Fanged Tooth’s back...

Half an hour later, clad in incredibly heavy layers of metal chain mail, the Fanged Tooth slowly lumbered toward Minas Tirith! With every footfall of its massive hooves, the earth shuddered subtly. A large retinue of pirates and warriors flanked it, and though their numbers seemed imposing, they appeared disorganized, a mere rabble.

Their movement had long since drawn the attention of the human alliance, but most of their catapults had been destroyed, and the inclement weather rendered the remaining ones useless. By the time the host passed through the breached outer gate and entered the first ward, they were well within the dead zone for siege engines, rendering them completely ineffectual.

Since the human alliance had retreated to the fifth tier, the range of ordinary soldiers was insufficient to even strike Fang Senyan’s company. However, the contest between the Contractors had begun! Aziz naturally commanded a vanguard, yet his spotlight was inevitably dimmed by the Elven Prince Legolas. That elf’s arrows of the wild were terrifyingly potent; more than half of the casualties suffered by Fang Senyan’s group were attributable to him.

Witnessing the horrific casualty figures wrought by Legolas, Fang Senyan felt a sharp headache forming, even second-guessing whether perhaps Legolas should have been the primary target after all? Yet, in truth, forced to choose between Aragorn and Legolas, the former held greater ultimate value.

But as the exchange of arrows continued, the Demonized Mammoth, Fanged Tooth, began to surge forward. Dragging its cumbersome bulk, it charged violently ahead. More astonishingly, the creature's head was fitted with a hideous iron war helm bristling with sharp steel spikes. Then, amidst the gentle trembling of the ground, the Fanged Tooth slammed directly into the second wall of Minas Tirith!

This impact was like a localized earthquake, causing the entire city to shudder. The mammoth’s brute strength, combined with its specialized siege gear, instantly kicked up clouds of dust from the second wall, revealing terrifying, deep fissures!

The primary reason for this success was that Minas Tirith had focused the bulk of its defensive effort on reinforcing the first wall—a barrier that truly deserved the moniker of ‘Bronze Walls and Iron Bastions.’ Without the incomparably powerful Grond battering ram, it was nearly impossible to breach.

However, precisely because everyone believed the first wall to be virtually impregnable, the remaining six walls had become largely symbolic. Since Minas Tirith was founded, the first wall had been repaired and maintained annually, while the maintenance on the subsequent walls was countable on one hand!

When the Fanged Tooth struck, dust billowed everywhere. Though the beast staggered back dozens of paces, dazed from the impact, the wall now bore astonishing cracks and gaping holes. As the beast recovered, the Ogres hired by the Contractors swarmed forward, hefting massive implements like iron hammers, faithfully executing their role as demolition experts. Their actions served two purposes: first, to exploit the damage wrought by the Fanged Tooth’s initial charge, and second, to clear away obstructive rubble, showcasing excellent coordination.

It was noteworthy that of the three Ogres Fang Senyan’s team had previously hired, one—Black-Ear—had survived and actually advanced in rank. This Ogre, now clad in partial armor, charged at the front, directing the demolition work with enthusiastic bellows.

Through their close cooperation and the human alliance’s lack of sufficient firing range, the second wall fell in short order. As is known, the second gate of Minas Tirith was situated on the far right of the second wall, whereas the third gate lay on the far left of the third wall. Breaching the second wall now meant Fang Senyan’s forces could bypass detours and charge directly toward the third gate head-on!

Given this advantage, Fang Senyan’s group did not press their luck. After allowing the Fanged Tooth to crush the third gate in one decisive push, they immediately pulled back. Fang Senyan was never one for greed; advancing further would bring them within the range of the enemy’s main defensive lines, and the next obstacle would be solid walls rather than simple gates. It was better to recall the troops, rest, and plan for the long term.

More importantly, Fang Senyan had now revealed another trump card and demonstrated its terrifying effectiveness. The headache should now belong to Jazz and his cohorts! If they could not devise an effective countermeasure, they could only wait in dread for their doom!

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