All the defenders were utterly shocked—how could the gates of the White City be breached so easily?!
But as the Spiderfiends charged menacingly toward the gate, they found themselves face-to-face with a squad of knights, fully armed and ready. Sleek steeds, heavy armor, gleaming lances, elegant crescent blades, and radiant Holy Light—all matched by eyes that stared death in the face.
At the front, Jasper Xiao pulled his reins. His warhorse reared up, hooves pawing the air. The new King of Gondor raised his sword high and shouted: "The Holy Light is with us! I promise you—a moment of glory!"
The knights raised their swords in unison and roared, "Defend the sanctum in our hearts!"
Whoosh! The Holy Light flared up in sheets, illuminating the knights as if they were divine warriors descending from the heavens.
"Charge!" Battle aura erupted, magic surged, and with the Paladins at the tip, a mixed battalion of multi-race cavalry thundered out of the White City gates, taking the fight straight to the enemy. The two forces clashed, and in an instant, blood sprayed and bodies fell by the dozens. Noble elves, beautiful unicorn riders, fierce warriors of Rohan—regardless of their origin, all fought, were wounded, and died together.
But their fearless charge won a crucial opening—cavalry only unleash their true power when in motion. The warhorses, at full gallop, were nearly unstoppable. The Spiderfiend army split like a tide, like cloth being torn, as the knights crashed through, forcing them back and causing heavy casualties. Severed spider legs littered the ground, foul blood spurted like fountains, and the air was filled with screams and howls.
Though forced into this desperate move, Jasper Xiao seized the chance to strike back—it was the most dignified response possible. That heavy cavalry charge threw the Spiderfiend ranks into serious disarray.
"Take out the Spider-Dwarves first!" Jasper Xiao waved his sword, leading the knights in a sweeping arc toward the Spider-Dwarves. Wipe out these trampolines and the pressure on the ramparts will ease up a ton. The ranged units immediately adjusted their aim, steering clear of the cavalry’s path and harassing distant enemies. Meanwhile, the knights thundered along the city walls, hacking, trampling, and utterly shredding any Spider-Dwarves too slow to retreat—turning them into minced meat under iron hooves.
Vroom vroom vroom! An engine roared as Li Yuncong rode his dirt bike alongside the cavalry—charging even farther and even wilder than the rest.
"Dominance Blossom!" "Dominance Drill!" "Dominance Doomsday Roar!" "Dominance Macho Wave!" He unleashed one ranged attack after another, targeting the top fighters among the Spiderfiends.
Meanwhile, Chainsaw Girl on his back seat was swinging her two big chainsaws like windmills, mowing down enemies left and right. "Watch your Auntie work her magic!" Sparks flew from her chainsaws, the heat made them sizzle—perfect for slicing through those spider silk cables crawling up the walls. Upgraded Li Yuncong was unstoppable, dual-wielding Chainsaw Girl was in full-on rampage mode. Cable after cable was severed, and batches of Spiderfiends howled as they fell under the cavalry’s iron hooves. The pressure on the ramparts eased up immediately.
Cheers erupted instantly.
Elsewhere, right in front of the White City gate, the Dwarven Heavy Infantry charged out at full speed. Amid the clang of metal, they formed a three-tiered battle formation, like a wall of steel blocking the gate. With the dwarves standing guard, soldiers inside scrambled to patch and barricade the gateway with whatever they could find. No matter what, they couldn’t let the Mordor Legion breach the gate, or it would all be over.
The Spiderfiends surged forward like a merciless tide. They had the numbers, they had the size, but those long spider legs meant the dwarves could easily stab their vulnerable bellies. The dwarves jabbed with extra-long spears, skewering monster after monster. Poisonous cold venom sprayed everywhere, making them shiver, but not one dwarf backed down.
These dwarves hail from the mountains, live in the mountains, and have personalities as tough as the mountains themselves. It’s that unbreakable will that forged their reputation as the continent’s number one heavy infantry. No matter how hard the Spiderfiends hit, the iron wall didn’t budge, holding them at bay.
Things were starting to look up.
"Look—the magic at the very top is getting brighter!"
"As long as the Three Masters pull off their spells, we’ve got this in the bag!"
Hope began to blossom.
Morale started climbing.
The warriors roared and taunted, fired up by the thought that maybe—just maybe—they could push back these rabid Mordor monsters.
But Jasper Xiao’s expression didn’t relax—in fact, his brows knitted tighter. That bait-and-switch tactic just now was way too clever for these mindless monsters. Someone skilled had to be calling the shots behind the scenes.
His gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield, searching for answers. Who was it? Who was pulling the strings? Was it the Mountain Giant? No way—with the Ringwraith’s soul powering it, getting the Mountain Giant moving was already pushing the limit. There had to be a hidden commander lurking in the shadows. If he didn’t flush them out and take them down, who knew what kind of trouble would hit next.
Boom—the Mountain Giant lumbered closer. You had to crane your neck sixty degrees just to see the whole thing. Its massive shadow stretched across the land, creeping over the city walls and into the hearts of the defenders. Hot steam poured from its head and shoulders, warping the light and shadows around it.
The White City was now within the Mountain Giant’s attack range.
"Ha!" At the very top of the White City, the Three Masters raised their hands together, channeling torrents of magic around their circle. On the outer ring, ninety-nine elite elves chanted, drawing forest mana from the sky and pouring it into the mithril runes. The soldiers holding the wall were also protecting the forest’s mana field—if the city fell, the mana would shift, and drawing power would become a nightmare. So hurry, hurry—everyone’s eyes were glued to the Mountain Giant.
Crackle, crackle—void magic gathered, sending sparks around the runes. The power of forbidden spells was building up, and once unleashed, it could wipe out everything.
Far away, beneath Doom Volcano, in the lava lake, the Balrog watched everything through a fire-magic mirror. It snorted and sneered, "Almost time. Go, wyverns—don’t let those mages catch their breath!"
And just like that, the front line threw another curveball.
Screeeeech—!!
The bizarre screech seemed to split eardrums, black wings beating with a terrifying howl. Everyone stared as a swarm of wyverns swooped in from afar.
"Wait—why are there so many wyverns?!"
"There’s way more than we expected!"
Wyverns are rare creatures—normally, seeing one is a big deal. But now, hundreds of them had formed an aerial army, diving straight for the White City. Their target? The magic circle, of course. Squeak, squeak—a line of net launchers rolled onto the ramparts, thirty-six launchers locked and loaded.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—nets flew into the sky, aiming for the wyverns. But the Balrog just scoffed, and the wyverns screeched with pride, dodging the slow-flying nets with ease.
"Yeah, there’s a ton of them, but did you think we weren’t ready?" On the third ring of the city wall, Oddball waved his hand with swagger: "Pull off the covers—bring out the big guns!"
Whoosh—layer after layer of curtains were pulled back, revealing heavy machine cannons. Mounted atop the ramparts, they looked like souped-up versions of the giant gun Yang Qi once used. The ammo belts stretched forever, each bullet over ten centimeters long. Just the power supply was the size of a pickup truck, bolted down behind the rampart, turning each cannon into a mini fortress.
To deal with enemies of this scale, No One Under Heaven really brought out the heavy hitters. The moment these monstrous war machines appeared, every eye—including the Balrog’s—was glued to them.
"Atlas Titan Cannon, brought to you by Eternal Night Tech—let’s see how tough you really are!" Oddball leapt into the cockpit, flipped the switch, and the motor started humming. Finger on the trigger, his eagle eyes tracked the enemy, and he squeezed: "Open fire!!!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud— The barrels recoiled, the thunderous noise rattled everyone’s nerves. The giant-caliber, super-powered bullets punched blurry trails through the air. The recoil shook the solid ramparts, sending chunks falling, while wyverns in the sky exploded by the dozens. Shattered bones, torn flesh, blood rain, ripped wings and limbs—any wyvern hit was instantly blown to bits.
"Hahahaha—! Die, die, die!"
There were four Atlas Titan Cannons in total, sealing off the White City’s summit. The barrage blasted the sky or swept the ground. Wherever the bullets went, huge clouds of dust and piles of wreckage followed—even tungsten-steel armor got warped by the sheer force.
"Impressive, but way too naive." The Balrog didn’t look worried. As a former British king turned demon, it quickly spotted the cannons’ weak point and cooked up a counter. It cast a spell from afar, sending orders. Soon, the Mountain Giant shook itself, raining down rubble. Just as everyone wondered what it was up to, clouds of black smoke began billowing from its body—like thick chimney smoke.
Look closer—the noisy black smoke was actually swarms of black flying ants. With a deafening buzz, thumb-sized ants swarmed the ramparts like a dark cloud. Against so many tiny foes, the Atlas Titan Cannons were stumped. Even the elven archers, with their legendary aim, couldn’t keep up with the sheer numbers.
The ants crawled up the walls and into the warriors’ armor, into the cannon barrels and ammo belts. They weren’t super strong, but boy, were they annoying. Ants wriggled through helmet visors, waving giant mandibles and chomping down on eyes, nostrils, lips—any vulnerable spot they could find.