The flames of war have been ignited. Kings and armies from every nation are rushing to Gondor, heading straight for the front lines. Sauron, the Dark Lord, is coming in full force, making it clear he intends to leave nothing but scorched earth behind. Since a showdown with Sauron's forces is inevitable, the smartest strategy is to unite the continent's strength for one decisive battle—especially since it's happening on someone else's turf.
So this time, the kings are more decisive and united than ever. The armies of every race wasted no time, racing to Gondor like their lives depended on it.
The current situation is a mixed bag—some good, some bad.
The good news: Sauron's once-crucial ally Saruman has already been taken out. Thanks to Jasper Xiao and Senior Brother Mentor, none of the kings fell under the sway of dark magic this time. Blademaw, the assassin king, has also been slain, so there's no need to worry about sneak attacks from behind.
The bad news: Sauron's army doesn't seem interested in playing dirty anymore. They look ready to crush the world head-on, no tricks needed.
Inside a giant tent serving as the temporary command center, leaders from all sides are discussing urgent military matters. They're poring over sand tables and maps, checking and rechecking the Mordor Legion's advance. The results just keep making their faces darker. Military reports are pouring in like snowflakes, one after another—and almost none of them are good.
"Ironhold Fortress has been flattened? That's impossible!" The Dwarf King shouted in disbelief. "Ironhold Fortress was built with help from our Grey Mountain dwarves—its walls are filled with molten iron, absolutely indestructible! How could it fall in just a few days?"
"That's the fact—not only was it flattened, it didn't even last ten minutes from the start of the attack before it was completely breached." A skinny king slapped the map, sharing some demoralizing intel. "Sauron's dark magic awakened an ancient power—a Mountain Giant stepped out of Mount Doom. It didn't even target the fortress directly; it just lifted its foot and stomped, and the walls of Ironhold Fortress collapsed instantly."
"Mountain Giant? What's that supposed to be? I've never heard of it!"
"Mountain Giant is... well, forget it, the explanation's too complicated for you anyway. Let's put it this way: when a Mountain Giant is asleep, you could walk right over it without noticing, thinking it's just a regular mountain. You might even look for ore in its body! But when it wakes up, you'll find out it's hundreds of times taller than you. One slap—" The skinny elder raised his hand, his face shadowed—"could squash your entire honor guard flat."