"Damn it, these things are a pain! Biting everywhere!" The Not-Husband kept swatting at the bugs crawling on him, but after realizing he couldn’t kill them all, he just gave up. With sheer willpower, he ignored the agony of a thousand bites and focused on keeping up the barrage. But the other three Atlas Titan Cannons inevitably weakened, and a wyvern broke through the blockade, charging in headfirst without fear. With a thunderous crash, one of the Atlas Titan Cannons was smashed, its rail bent, nearly toppling off its base.
Hiss—!
More wyverns appeared, mixing with the flying ants as they charged the city walls and the arcane array. Crack, rumble—the battlefield was instantly thrown into chaos. Wyverns were constantly being caught in nets and hurled down, while launchers were torn apart and smashed by the wyverns. Wyverns were blasted to bits, but inevitably, the Atlas Titan Cannons took hits too.
Crack! One Atlas Titan Cannon was finally totaled, its barrel bent by a particularly beefy wyvern. The operator didn’t have time to let go of the trigger before the cannon exploded. With a deafening boom, the bunker erupted in flames and shrapnel, and the Chosen One barely survived, too battered to fight on.
The wyverns immediately charged through the breach, heading straight for the arcane array.
"Kill them!"
The guards stationed near the arcane array sprang into action, determined to protect this last hope. The array was gathering more and more mana, and the sheer energy radiating from it formed a ring of electricity, like a shield made of pure charge. Countless flying ants were fried to a crisp in the current—these fragile bugs couldn’t get through. But unfortunately, this level of voltage couldn’t stop the mighty wyverns.
Clang! A chubby guy with his arm in a sling showed up, stabbed his bizarre sword into the ground, and without another word, declared, "Come forth, Battle King Maru!"
Whoosh! Blinding light flared and faded, forcing everyone to squint. When they looked again, there stood a battle robot over ten meters tall. The robot was imposing and flashy, with a V-shaped antenna pointing skyward and twin katanas at its waist gleaming coldly.
From below, the robot looked like it could blot out the sun. Wielding twin blades, it was not only powerful but surprisingly nimble. It flexed its wrists like a real person, crouched slightly, then—boom!—the plaza was stomped into two giant craters as the robot leapt high, charging straight at the incoming wyvern horde.
With twin blades in hand, the robot struck a fierce pose, battle spirit soaring.
"Today, Mecha Bulk is gonna redeem himself—Shibalagu Master’s Flaming Cross Slash, plus Legendary Blade of Fire!"
The chubby guy’s roar was amplified by the robot, sounding like a beast howling for war. Flames suddenly erupted along the twin blades, and the battle robot spun through the air, unleashing a flashy and brutal sword combo. Even in the heat of battle, soldiers couldn’t help but look up, awestruck by the spectacle straight out of a Transformers movie.
"That chubby guy’s actually got skills!"
"Mecha Bulk? Isn’t that the urban legend from Jiping City? Can’t believe it’s really him."
"Hey, I think I’ve heard of him too. That chubby guy really kept a low profile—been a whole year and I just found out he’s the urban legend. I was gonna go hunt monsters in Jiping City, but train tickets were impossible to get. If I’d gone, maybe I’d have taken him out myself."
The chatter below made Battle King Maru stumble in midair, nearly getting bitten by a wyvern. Thud! Battle King Maru landed back on the platform—it couldn’t actually fly, only jump with a running start. Gasping for breath, the chubby guy snapped back, "You jerks are the real urban legends! Your whole families are urban legends!"
That topic seemed to trigger the chubby guy’s rage mode. The flames on Battle King Maru’s blades flared white-hot, and his roar echoed through the city: "We’re all Chosen Ones, so why’s Flute Guy a superhero and I’m just an urban legend? This world that judges by looks can go die, die, die, die!"
Blades whirled everywhere. Outside his mecha, Mecha Bulk’s combat skills were nothing special—he mostly bullied weaklings with his Turtle Fist. But after half a year training at Sunmoon Mountain, his technique leveled up. His twin-blade combo was as flashy as a movie montage, like a mechanical Sword Saint unleashing Blade Storm. Mecha Bulk’s ultimate move wasn’t for everyday use, but once unleashed, it was unstoppable—like a meat grinder on legs.
With him guarding the front, the wyverns attacked fiercely, but couldn’t break through—for now.
"Nice work!" Jasper Xiao seized the moment at the front lines, yanked his reins, and waved his sword: "Undead, it’s your time! Charge—break through and wipe these monsters out in one go!"
"Roar, roar, roar—!" The vicious undead emerged from the void, ignoring any attack that lacked magic or battle energy. Like a tide of ghostly green death, they surged toward the spider-mutants.
The battlefield descended into a frenzy of slaughter and stalemate. Kill or be killed—everyone was fighting for their lives. Thanks to the knights and undead, the pressure on the walls eased. The White City’s gates were gradually sealed again, and the Alliance of Light got back in sync. They didn’t need to drive off all hundred thousand spider monsters—just keep the arcane array safe.
Meanwhile, the magical glow grew even brighter. Even those clueless about magic could feel the rising, swelling energy. The Mountain Giant stomped forward again—boom!—the earth shook, and everyone on the battlefield bounced. The giant knew it couldn’t let the magic finish casting, so it dragged its massive body onward.
"Hyaah—!" Galadriel, Gandalf, and Lord Elrond kept chanting at full volume. As the spell neared completion, the pressure on the wizards mounted. Gandalf’s veins bulged, Elrond’s face flushed, and Galadriel couldn’t help but shift into her radiant form. The mana flowing between them was like a raging river—heavy as a mountain, wild as a dragon. If it slipped out of control, the consequences would be catastrophic.
But with all three giving it their all, the mana field began to shift—the spell was almost ready.
Victory seemed within reach.
But far away at Mount Doom, the Balrog watched it all, curling its lips in a sly grin. War is a game of orthodox and surprise. Crushing force and sneaky tricks are both essential. Like attacking a city—start with a fake-out to draw fire, then unleash the real killer move. That’s its usual playbook. From the big-picture view, those hundred thousand spider-mutants charging ahead were just a smokescreen.
Using a hundred thousand spider monsters to block the Alliance of Light’s view, making them miss the real plan hidden underneath.
For Mordor, the White City isn’t even worth all this fuss. Split the troops and attack from every direction, and Gondor couldn’t fight back. One Mountain Giant could flatten the whole fortress. So why gather all the forces for a mindless slugfest? Simple: to create a chance—a chance to get all the Alliance’s heavy hitters in one place.
In the end, only the strongest of the Alliance of Light could possibly stand in Sauron’s way to godhood. Especially those immortal, tech-savvy nerds—they’re the first hidden dangers that need to go.
"Galadriel, Gandalf, Elrond, and the other Maiar. If not for prepping the forbidden spell, you’d never all be here. And if it weren’t for this forbidden spell, I’d never get the chance to wipe you out in one shot. But here you are, trapped by your own spell." The Balrog watched the blazing magic, seeing the opportunity it had waited for.
It knew the spell was at its most critical moment—no one could back out now.
It knew its long-awaited chance had finally come.
It knew—it was time to make its move.
So the Balrog roared at the sky again, the sound blasting into the volcanic clouds and echoing as thunder across the front lines.
"Huh?" Gandalf was the first to sense something wrong. Sweating, he opened his eyes—just in time to see a gigantic boulder flying into view.
Where did that rock come from?
Looks like the Mountain Giant threw it.
Where did the Mountain Giant get a rock like that?
It looked like the Mountain Giant had yanked it out of its butt—if it even had a butt. The way it moved, you’d think it was flinging a pile of poop. But in reality, this massive boulder, over ten meters tall, whistled through the air, rolling toward the top of the White City like a meteor crashing to earth, right under everyone’s terrified gaze.
"Watch out!" Battle King Maru reacted instantly, steel legs stomping, tearing up the ground as he charged. He stowed his blades, flung his arms wide, and with a furious roar, braced against the boulder—boom!
With a deafening crash, Battle King Maru’s arms creaked, joints snapping and cracking, but he held firm! The battle robot was like a mythic stone-pusher, holding back the incoming boulder!
"Heh heh... Let me say it again: Mecha Bulk’s got some real moves..."
Mecha Bulk was still panting when a second boulder came flying in. Thud—one after another, the second boulder smashed into the first. The impact stacked up, Mecha Bulk roared, sparks flew from his battered frame, the floor cracked beneath his feet, but he kept fighting.
Then—boom!—a third boulder crashed down with apocalyptic force, smashing into the second. With a chorus of snaps and cracks, Battle King Maru’s arms broke, his chest caved in, and he was hurled across the battlefield, crashing into Gondor’s royal palace and flattening half the building with a spectacular smash.