Gangnir, the captain of the North Ice Continent team, stood beneath the ice sheet, roaring, "Damn it, I can't hold this state for long! Hurry up and help me!" Even as he spoke, he gestured with both hands, and the massive fissure began to slowly seal itself. By the time the Wraith brought its sword down for a strike, the gap was barely a thin line, yet the Wraith was formidable; it stood on the ice, relentlessly hacking away, and soon even Gangnir’s rate of ice restoration couldn't keep up.

"Ice Age!" Gangnir was going mad with urgency. He was a Special Skill Attacker, not particularly adept at close combat or ranged fighting, especially against a Wraith this powerful.

In a melee, he would be cleaved in two by the Wraith’s black longsword instantly; lacking the necessary reaction speed and combat technique, reinforcing the ice layer with all his might was the only thing he could do.

As Gangnir crushed the Frost Serpent Bead in his hand, his entire being seemed to transform into frost. Within two meters of him, the temperature plummeted. He flung one arm toward the sky, and that limb transformed into pure frost, merging seamlessly with the ice sheet. In barely a second or two, the ice layer spread upwards at a visible speed, instantly freezing the fiery hooves of the Skeleton Warhorse. But they were, after all, fiery hooves.

The moment they were frozen, the Skeleton Warhorse wrenched free, and the Wraith also pulled the reins, leaping forward.

Gangnir was unleashing his power now. Crushing the Serpent Bead was solely for absorbing its frost energy. He had only unlocked the second stage of his Gene Lock, and his Frost Fruit hadn't been enhanced to its peak, meaning he couldn't wield the full scope of its power. Every full exertion of this power required crushing a Frost Energy Bead—a cost equivalent to a C-Rank side mission. The few energy beads he possessed were reserved for life-or-death situations.

To think he was forced to use one right at the beginning of the Lord of the Rings scenario.

Even though this bead was acquired from killing monsters within Middle-earth, it caused him acute pain. He immediately resolved that he must kill this Wraith; Gangnir never engaged in unprofitable business.

As the Wraith leaped into the air after pulling the reins, Gangnir swung his other arm out, both arms now fully transformed into frost.

The ice layer above his head began to writhe as if alive. Over ten cubic meters of frost coalesced into a massive, gigantic hand, which opened and lunged for the Wraith while it was still airborne.

With a heavy thud, the giant hand seized the Wraith with overwhelming force. The massive palm then slammed down, carving a deep crater into the ground, but the Wraith was undeniably encased within the icy grip.

Gangnir let out a breath and swiftly ran toward where the hand had landed.

His teammates, initially stunned, followed in his wake. Zheng Zha had already rushed over, silently calculating the combat power Gangnir had just displayed before walking toward the two astonished Hobbits.

Frodo and Sam were utterly shocked by the scene; they had never witnessed such violent combat, having never left Hobbiton since birth. They were truly petrified by the Wraith’s attacks and the counterattack from the (Reincarnation Squad).

Zheng Zha crouched down with a smile, looking at the two Hobbits. "It's over now. Don't worry. Since we promised Gandalf we would protect you until the Prancing Pony, we will uphold that promise."

The two Hobbits nodded repeatedly, but they were clearly traumatized, unable to formulate words for a while, merely continuing to stare blankly at the immense block of ice.

Chu Xuan walked up to Zheng Zha and asked with detached coolness, "What do you think? If you were fighting Gangnir using this skill, what chance would you have of defeating him?" Zheng Zha quickly whispered back, "I don't know if his entire body turns to frost when he uses this, but if it does, I could only use Red Flame to burn it away, which would be troublesome; the victory rate would be no more than sixty percent. If only his two arms transform into frost... then once I enter the 'Destruction' state, he’s finished."

"Oh," Chu Xuan responded with an unconcerned tone, then started walking toward the massive ice block. Zheng Zha quickly grabbed him, speaking in an extremely low voice: "Tell me honestly... are you scheming against these two teams? Do you intend to eliminate them along with the other two teams? Although it sounds unbelievable, if it were you, I believe you might actually do it."

Chu Xuan glanced at him: "Impossible. Current conditions don't allow it, and this alliance is essential. Even if we make a move, it can't be overt; otherwise, we'd have no hope of opposing the East Continent Team and the Celestial God Team. Inferring from the strength of the Demon Reincarnation Squad you faced previously... the Celestial God Team’s power is beyond our current capabilities. However, I am quite surprised... you've finally learned to be ruthless."

Finishing this, Chu Xuan patted Zheng Zha’s shoulder as if expressing genuine gratification.

Zheng Zha was left speechless, a mix of amusement and exasperation on his face. He had been genuinely worried that Chu Xuan would remain silent and orchestrate a trap to eliminate the other two teams. While the Reward Points and Side Mission rewards gained from eliminating two teams would constitute an indescribable fortune, he was more concerned about the Celestial God Team's strength. His earlier words were merely meant as a caution to Chu Xuan, yet Chu Xuan interpreted it as him learning ruthlessness—truly a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Putting aside the conversation between Zheng Zha and Chu Xuan, most members of the three teams gathered around the ice block. The hand had now solidified into a massive block of glacial rock, within which the Wraith, astride its Skeleton Warhorse, was perfectly encased. Its pose—reins in hand, sword-wielding arm raised—was frozen in every detail, looking startlingly lifelike.

"So powerful. The Wraith in the Lord of the Rings movies had almost no combat strength, yet here it's become so formidable. What Wraith is this? It's clearly a Death Knight; terrifying," exclaimed a youth from the North Ice Continent team. He didn't seem like a rookie but rather a veteran member of their team.

"Indeed, very powerful..." Gangnir murmured, tracing the surface of the ice rock. (I clearly intended to crush it just now, yet it's completely unharmed? Is this armor too hard? What should I do now? I captured this Wraith, I can't just let someone else kill it, can I? If I use that move, I can certainly kill it... but that exposes my trump card. If the South Flame Continent Team or the Central Continent Team harbors ill intentions and learns this technique, things will get difficult...) After a long silence, Gangnir finally spoke, "Ahem... Mavis, hand me that long spear from Alecia."

The girl from the North Ice Continent team, who used a crossbow, replied affirmatively, then skipped over to the corpse of the youth with brightly colored hair and picked up the Frost Long Spear. Without sparing a glance for the corpse on the ground, she carried the spear over to Gangnir.

Gangnir smiled at the surrounding people; his baby face looked genuinely likable when smiling. He took the spear without a word and plunged it directly into the ice rock. No one knew what he did, but the ice rock split open at the point of entry, allowing his force to bypass the need to pierce the ice and strike directly against the Wraith’s helmet.

With a faint hiss, a thick cloud of dense black smoke emerged from where the spear pierced the ice. This black smoke drifted out through the channel created by the spear and slowly ascended into the air. After rising about ten meters, the black smoke completely dissipated overhead.

"...What a loss. Only gained a D-Rank side mission and 2000 Reward Points, but I used a C-Rank energy bead. Not worth it," Gangnir immediately lamented, even tossing the Frost Long Spear heavily onto the ground to emphasize his indignation.

The others couldn't tell if he was acting. Since only he had killed the Wraith, the exact amount of Reward Points and side mission credit was up to him to declare, but the others didn't press the issue. After all, he was the one who captured the Wraith; even if he lied about the rewards, they had no right to blame him.

"Let's move on. Stop resting! The strength of this Wraith far exceeded our expectations. One Wraith put us in such a sorry state; if the remaining eight appeared at once, our three teams might have to flee together... In any case, we cannot afford any unnecessary rest before reaching Bree!" Zheng Zha exhaled, speaking loudly to those around him. During the fight with the Wraith, he had indeed displayed the demeanor expected of a team leader, so when he spoke now, most members of the three teams subconsciously began to move forward. The remaining veterans exchanged glances and followed behind the majority, finally trailed by the two captains who said nothing more. Within seconds, everyone had followed the two Hobbits into the fields.

What they did not see was that the Wraith’s armor was beginning to shatter, but the mount, the Skeleton Warhorse, remained perfectly intact, its blood-red eyes still gleaming with red light... Leaping.