"Ah!" Zheng Zha roared, unleashing the full force of his "Explosion" state, and with the next strike, he slashed horizontally, instantly cleaving the tree where the three Ringwraiths stood into two segments. The three wraiths leaped upward, their gravity-defying nature allowing them to tread upon falling leaves to rapidly descend. Just as three black greatswords were about to cleave down toward Zheng Zha's head, a green arrow from the distance exploded upon the heavy shield of one wraith with a speed barely visible to the naked eye. This arrow possessed immense power, actually shattering that thick shield, and the wraith itself was flung far away by the sheer force.

Zheng Zha’s spiritual power scan within his consciousness revealed that it was the Elf Leader who had once again employed the "Explosive Arrow"—a unique, powerful archery technique belonging to Zhang Heng. He never expected to see it used by an Elf in Middle-earth. Seizing this opportunity, Zheng Zha stomped down hard, shattering a segment of tree trunk beneath him as he launched himself into the air. The gleam of his Hupo blade met the black greatswords of the two remaining wraiths. With a deafening crash, as the Hupo blade’s radiance shattered, the dark energy emanating from the two wraiths' greatswords simultaneously burst apart.

At the precise moment Zheng Zha’s weapon clashed with the two wraiths, the wraith whose shield had been blasted by the Elf Leader’s "Explosive Arrow" abandoned its focus on Zheng Zha and charged directly toward the Elven ranks with incredible speed, augmented by its gravity-ignoring trait.

Even Zheng Zha found himself momentarily unable to intervene, as he was presently entangled with two wraiths. Thus, he could only watch helplessly as this one wraith hurtled toward the Elves.

(It seems the Ringwraiths only target the greatest threat. If Zhang Heng still had energy left after using "Arrow of Wind," perhaps the remaining five wraiths would have rushed him alone.) Thoughts raced through Zheng Zha’s mind, but his hands never ceased their work. He was currently at the absolute limit of his "Explosion" state, and his personal unlocking of the second stage of the Gene Lock meant he was using every ounce of his strength. The only exception would be employing the mutually destructive "Annihilation" state, but at this moment, he was not surrounded solely by the Central Team; two other teams were present. If he unleashed his strongest move, and the other two teams turned malicious, he would truly die unjustly. Therefore, he could only fight the wraiths using his current capacity.

The strength of the two wraiths was slightly inferior to Zheng Zha in his maximum "Explosion" state, but their speed was either equal or superior. Coupled with their peculiar, gravity-defying ability, their sword strikes were maddeningly unpredictable. A falling leaf, a small sapling, the tip of a branch—any of these could serve as a footing. This made Zheng Zha’s defense exceedingly difficult.

After several sustained exchanges, Zheng Zha already bore several gashes of varying depths across his body. The combat dynamic between the man and the two wraiths was incredibly violent. Although the Hupo blade’s radiance couldn't fully suppress the black greatswords, the surrounding trees and rocks were sliced as easily as tofu. Since the two wraiths could land anywhere, Zheng Zha opted to simply cut whatever was near, clearing a large open area. Once this was achieved, he would no longer fear these two wraiths. Consequently,

The three combatants drew further and further apart, gradually moving away from the location of the Elves and the other seasoned participants.

"Damn, these wraiths are too strong! How can we possibly kill them like this? And this is just the strength of five wraiths! If they grow even stronger, wouldn't one wraith be enough to wipe us all out?" Zheng Zha muttered inwardly, his anxiety mounting as he considered the three wraiths facing the Elves and the other team members.

Just then, the two wraiths engaged with Zheng Zha abruptly halted their assault. Their helms tilted toward the mid-air, an image that clearly signified the death of one of their brethren. They were about to become even more formidable.

"Use Annihilation, now!" Meanwhile, the Elven ranks and the veterans of Team Three were suffering heavy casualties. The veterans of the Reincarnation Squad were faring slightly better, as they were prepared. Seeing the wraiths charge, Ba Wang and Wang Xia dragged Zhang Heng backward, retreating swiftly, and Ling Dian and the others followed closely. When their power was insufficient to truly threaten the wraiths, self-preservation became the primary choice.

The veterans of the other two teams reacted similarly. Except for Huo Feier and Gangnier, who simultaneously crushed the energy orbs in their hands, allowing the two Devil Fruit users to attack together, everyone else prioritized defense. Only the Elves fought with fierce determination. Seeing the wraiths charge, nearly half of the hundred longbowmen surged forward, gripping melee weapons to shield the remaining archers. The Elf Leader, brandishing two arrows, prepared once again to use the "Explosive Arrow." Compared to the Reincarnation Squad, they truly fought with military discipline.

Before the wraiths could close the distance, a massive volley of arrows rained down. The three wraiths had lost their heavy shield defenses, forcing them to swing their swords just to block. Seizing this opening, the Elf Leader's "Explosive Arrow" shot forth again, the green projectile streaking toward the leading wraith at near-invisible speed. Its immense power pierced the skull of the skeletal warhorse and shot toward the wraith’s chest. The arrow was so swift that the wraith could not block it in time. With a sharp pa, the green arrow knocked the wraith off its steed and pinned it firmly against the trunk of a large tree.

"A chance!" The two Fruit users were ecstatic. This wraith was clearly not entirely dead; killing it would yield reward points and sub-plot progression. They charged simultaneously toward it, both having crushed their energy orbs, granting their Devil Fruit abilities a massive boost. Instantly, frost and lightning converged upon the wraith. The lightning was faster, solidifying into a lightning spear aimed at the wraith's head, while the frost possessed greater destructive power, transforming into a massive frost palm pressing down from above. Both intended to claim this single wraith.

The Elves clearly did not understand the myriad tricks humans possessed, but the Elf Leader roared, "Don't kill it! Otherwise, their power will grow again..." Before he finished speaking, the lightning spear pierced the wraith’s skull. Almost simultaneously, the frost palm slammed down upon the wraith and the tree trunk behind it, pressing them into the ground. With a colossal crash, this entire area became frozen rock, and a plume of black smoke began to ascend.

The Elf Leader immediately closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He then shouted, "Concentrate the power of our forest onto me! We cannot allow all these wraiths to be killed, or the Nine will unite, and none of us will be able to stop it!" Hearing this, the Elves ran behind the Elf Leader. They stood there, murmuring peculiar Elvish phrases, and strands of green light began to emerge between them and the leader, gradually spreading toward him.

But at this critical juncture, the two remaining wraiths did not pause. One charged toward the two Fruit users, while the other actually soared over the heads of the Elves, heading for the forest passage behind them. Amidst the sporadic arrow shower, the heavy shield on this wraith’s arm was slowly regenerating, faintly emanating a black aura, as was the wraith itself. As soon as the arrows neared its body, they were instantly corroded and vanished by this black energy. In an instant, it flashed past the gathered Elves and disappeared without a trace.

The two Fruit users stood within the lightning and frost. Huo Feier, controlling the lightning, looked pleasantly surprised, while Gangnier was boiling with fury. Before either could react, the wraith swept its sword down toward them from the air.

This wraith’s armor and heavy shield were fully restored, and the black aura around its greatsword now stretched over three meters long. The first target was Gangnier, standing on the frost. With a sharp pa, the ice wall before Gangnier shattered, and the black greatsword lunged directly toward his face.

Gangnier was startled and without thinking, plunged into the ice. At this moment, he was the embodiment of frost, moving through it as if it were nothing. The wraith’s sword plunged nearly five meters deep into the ice layer before stopping. The power of this single strike was terrifying; had Gangnier fled even a moment slower, this blow would have dismembered him.

On the other side, the Elf Leader continued to collect the green light passed to him by his kin. He watched as the wraith hacked with its sword several times, ripping the ice and lightning layers to shreds. The two Fruit users were useless in close combat, completely lacking in speed and power. After hacking through the ice and electricity, the wraith transformed into a black shadow. As the skeletal warhorse charged through, Huo Feier’s head was cleanly severed, while Gangnier could only scream in terror.

At this moment of extreme danger, the Elf Leader drew his bow and loosed an arrow, trailing a ball of dazzling green light, directly at this wraith. Then, with a soft sound, the ball of green light struck the wraith’s heavy shield. Immediately, the green light appeared to gain sentience, spreading from the shield outward. The shield instantly turned completely green, and a chorus of agonizing howls erupted from the wraith across the entire battlefield. It could no longer focus on killing Gangnier; instead, it jerked its reins and leaped backward, vanishing into the deep night within a few bounds.

"We cannot kill the wraiths casually! If the Nine unite, no one will be able to stop it... It can only be purged of this life force by returning to Mordor, which will prevent it from hunting you all again,"

The Elf Leader seemed to have aged ten years, panting as he spoke. Before him, Gangnier had already collapsed to the ground, clearly traumatized by the experience.

Leaping to