Just as Orc armies poured forth from the Lonely Mountain like a black tide under Azog's thunderous roar, the sky above Lake-town also began churning with ink-black clouds.
The few remaining rays of sunlight were devoured completely, plunging the entire town into viscous darkness. Even the lake's ripples congealed to lead-gray, reflecting nothing but shadow.
Bernahl's knuckles bulged white as he gripped his knight's sword, hearing the soft scraping of tiles being trodden upon from all directions around him.
"Light the fires!"
As Bernahl instinctively used the incantation [Golden Vow], Igon's roar from the watchtower tore through the deathly silence like a battle horn.
Dozens of torches flared almost simultaneously, their dancing orange-red flames ripping through the darkness to reveal horrifying silhouettes clinging to walls and roof ridges like living nightmares.
Cart-sized spiders hung inverted from outer walls, debris tangled in their bristling limbs. More giant spiders poured from the shadows beyond the torchlight like a flood, their compound eyes gleaming cold and green in the flickering firelight.
Bernahl completed his incantation, golden radiance surrounding him and the nearby Storm soldiers like a protective barrier.
After finishing the prayer, he immediately commanded the Storm soldiers with authority. "We have uninvited guests! Let us host them properly on behalf of Lake-town's original masters!"
The giant spiders' eight legs scraped across roof tiles with tooth-grinding sounds as their massive bodies agilely pounced toward the Storm soldiers below like falling boulders.
Storm soldiers formed shield walls with practiced precision, spears thrusting like deadly thorns through the gaps between shields.
The moment a spider struck a shield, spear points from behind pierced its swollen abdomen. Foul green venom splattered on the leather shield face, corroding it with wisps of blue smoke that stung the nostrils.
Legolas and Tauriel drew their bows like silver crescent moons, stepping lightly across roof tiles with Elven grace. Arrow after arrow flew true, piercing spider after spider through their compound eyes, sending them screeching into the cold lake water beside the houses with great splashes.
Meanwhile, Igon's arrows provided precise support to small-scale battlefields in trouble, rescuing several Storm soldiers who had been ambushed by giant spiders dropping from above.
Tauriel landed silently beside Bernahl, shooting down a spider that had tried to ambush him before saying urgently, "Tell your soldiers to be careful of these spiders' abdomens. Not only do they spin webs from there, but that's also where their venom is stored. Aim for their eyes or mandibles if possible. Those are their weak points."
Bernahl loudly relayed Tauriel's advice. Hearing him, Storm soldiers shouted to pass this crucial information to more comrades battling the spiders throughout the town.
Another giant spider climbed silently up the wall like a shadow. Tauriel drew her short blade, moving like a silver snake to skillfully sever the joints of its legs, reducing it to an immobile target that could only gnash its mouthparts in helpless rage.
"Or like this," Tauriel added with deadly efficiency. "Cripple their legs before killing them."
Bernahl raised an eyebrow, driving his knight sword's point into the unfortunate spider's skull with a wet crunch. "Still more convenient to just cut off their heads."
Legolas landed nearby, his expression deeply troubled. "Tauriel, something feels wrong. These spiders... there's definitely something strange about them, but I can't describe exactly what."
Tauriel nodded in agreement, glancing up at the dark sky with concern. "I know exactly what you mean, Legolas. It's those strange black clouds above us. When these spiders were active in Mirkwood, we never saw this unnatural phenomenon."
Bernahl frowned deeply, his warrior instincts screaming warnings. "No, the key isn't these clouds overhead, but whatever's hiding in the darkness using them as cover. I keep feeling something, some creature, watching me from the shadows. That sensation of being observed is haunting and makes me very uncomfortable."
Just as Bernahl finished speaking, a piercing scream tore through everyone's hearts like a blade.
The scream came from the dock. A Storm soldier's throat had been slashed, blood spraying across his comrade's terrified face in a crimson arc.
Then came the dull sound of iron boots from all directions around the dock, echoing ominously off the wooden planks.
Nine dark silhouettes emerged from the gloom, clad in evil, twisted black iron armor, inhuman shrieks occasionally echoing from their hollow face guards like voices from the grave.
When the Storm soldiers faced these nine approaching evil figures, they froze as if paralyzed by an invisible force, then burst into terrified screams and fled chaotically in all directions, quickly falling to the surrounding giant spiders and falling silent forever.
Legolas's pupils contracted sharply with recognition and dread. "Nazgûl?!"
He immediately nocked an arrow and shot at the Ringwraiths with deadly precision.
But the moment the arrow left the string, one Nazgûl caught and crushed the shaft with impossible speed, hurling the broken arrow back to pierce a terror-stricken Storm soldier's chest.
Tauriel's expression grew grave as she warned Bernahl beside her with urgent concern. "Beware these Ringwraiths, the Nazgûl. They are the Dark Lord's most powerful servants. Mortals cannot easily touch them. Their breath is poisonous, and their cries induce fear and despair. Those poor soldiers fell into terror and despair upon hearing their screams."
As Tauriel briefed Bernahl on the Nazgûl's deadly nature, one wraith wielding a black sword flickered in and out of the darkness like a specter, easily leaping onto a rooftop. Shrieking with inhuman malice, it dove toward a Storm Knight below, its evil blade tip carrying putrid cold wind aimed directly at the knight's neck joint.
Clang!
The metallic crash was ear-splitting. Contrary to the Nazgûl's expectation, the Storm Knight not only didn't panic but reacted swiftly, turning to parry with his sword in a shower of sparks.
As blades met, the Storm Knight saw his enemy clearly for the first time. A two-meter-tall suit of armor wrapping around nothingness, black mist roiling beneath the face guard, inscriptions on the armor's surface seeming to seep thick dark blood.
"What is this cursed thing?!"
The Storm Knight skillfully deflected the Nazgûl's sword and counterattacked with trained precision. His blade scraped across the wraith's breastplate, only striking pale sparks from the iron armor without causing real damage.
The Nazgûl, seemingly unaffected by the strike, thrust its blade toward the knight's heart with relentless malice.
At the crucial moment, the Storm Knight used his excellent swordsmanship to spin and parry the deadly thrust.
Sparks flew as blades crossed again, and the Storm Knight suddenly realized with growing horror that his opponent was completely unharmed. His attack had caused no substantial damage to the Nazgûl whatsoever.
He immediately shouted a warning to his comrades. "Be careful! Normal physical attacks don't work on these strange armored things!"
Hearing this alarming news, Bernahl's expression grew grave. He saw the other eight dark figures emerging from eaves, alleyways, and even corpse piles, leaving Storm soldiers fallen in their wake like broken dolls.
Some Storm soldiers who had overcome fear and despair clearly pierced their enemies' chests with their weapons, yet it was like striking phantoms. No effect, and they died on the spot with confused expressions.
The panic caused by the Nazgûl gradually spread among the Storm soldiers like a plague. Only those Storm Knights who had been invincible in the Lands Between gritted their teeth against the wraiths' supernatural influence, desperately holding their battle lines.
Bernahl leaped down from the wall, plunging into the battlefield where a Nazgûl fought. His knight's sword blocked the wraith's black mace with ringing force, saving a Storm soldier trapped in panic.
Bernahl quickly knelt on one knee, his free hand flashing with golden light as he instantly cast the incantation [Golden Vow]. Golden radiance shone on Bernahl and the surrounding Storm soldiers, briefly dispelling the fear and despair in their hearts like dawn breaking.
The fleeting golden light stung the Nazgûl's eyes, making it instinctively raise a hand to shield its vision from the blessed radiance.
The Storm soldiers, freed from fear's crippling influence, immediately raised their swords and spears, thrusting into the wraith's hollow head. But except for eliciting more ear-piercing shrieks that chilled the soul, there was no visible effect.
From the corner of his eye, Bernahl noticed a Nazgûl floating toward Igon's watchtower like a dark ghost. He immediately struck his current opponent back with a staggering blow while shouting urgently, "Igon! Watch below you! A Nazgûl's coming!"
Igon was using the Dragon Communion incantation's dragon claws to tear apart several giant spiders climbing his tower. Hearing Bernahl's warning, he looked down to see the Nazgûl's blade already at his face.
He hastily raised his great bow to block. The dragonbone bow was scratched, but fortunately the string remained intact.
Igon then kicked the Nazgûl off the tower with tremendous force, watching it float in midair and retreat a few steps as if nothing had happened before raising its sword to attack again. He cursed colorfully, "What the hell is this unholy thing!"
His kick should have broken the opponent's ribs under normal circumstances, but on the Nazgûl it only dented the chest armor slightly while the entity acted normally as if feeling no pain.
While Igon was somewhat embarrassed by the Nazgûl's ambush at the tower, Bernahl's situation was even worse.
The Nazgûl seemed to recognize Bernahl's strength. As he suppressed the first wraith, four more quickly joined the battle against him.
They had been called by the first Nazgûl's shriek, having seen Bernahl use "sorcery" to dispel the surrounding soldiers' fear. More importantly, that golden light made them feel genuinely threatened.
So this Nazgûl shamelessly called for backup, summoning four more wraiths.
Noticing more Nazgûl approaching with deadly intent, Bernahl immediately shouted to the Storm Knights and soldiers trying to help, "Fall back! Deal with those spiders! Leave this to me!"
Before he finished speaking, alarms rang in his mind. He immediately dodged sideways as a descending Nazgûl's sword wind tore the cloth awning of a nearby house to shreds.
The Storm Knights reluctantly led the soldiers away, knowing ordinary troops would only hinder Bernahl here. Better to eliminate spiders away from the Nazgûl.
Bernahl rolled aside again to avoid the sweeping flames of a second Nazgûl wielding a flaming sword, simultaneously hurling his knight's sword at a third wraith carrying daggers. The sharp blade embedded in the opponent's armor, temporarily pinning it to the wall behind.
The fourth Nazgûl wielded a heavy iron hammer. Even larger than the other wraiths, it towered over even Bernahl's impressive frame.
Seeing Bernahl throw his sword at a comrade, it immediately let out a sharp roar from its mouth, raising the heavy hammer to smash down on the seemingly unarmed Bernahl.
Bernahl quickly stood with one hand on the ground. The Serpent-Hunter staff suddenly appeared in his hand, striking the earth heavily. A red vortex exploded from the staff tip, and the hammer-wielding Nazgûl was pulled off balance by the gravity, its armor shrieking as metal twisted.
Under the pressure of facing five Nazgûl simultaneously, Bernahl chose to use the Serpent-Hunter staff as his weapon.
However, the staff's weapon skill left Bernahl's expression even more grave, as the Serpent-Hunter provided no feedback of stamina drained from his opponents.
In other words, they might not even be living beings.
These were truly cursed enemies. Even facing the assassination-skilled Black Knife Assassins, Bernahl had never felt so challenged.
Moreover, Bernahl discovered that the hammer-wielding Nazgûl's cry seemed to have summoned another companion, meaning he would soon face six Nazgûl simultaneously.
The Nazgûl floated slowly in the air, surrounding Bernahl in a circle and blocking all possible escape routes with supernatural coordination.
Legolas's roar rang out from above the wraiths like a battle cry. "Creatures of darkness!"
Two arrows accompanying his voice precisely pierced the hollow helmet of one Nazgûl, making it emit a pained shriek for the first time.
The Elf prince's silver hair flew in the torchlight, but unfortunately his quiver was empty. Still, Legolas successfully attracted that Nazgûl's attention.
As Legolas engaged the wraith, he called out desperately, "Tauriel!"
Tauriel also leaped down from the roof. Having exhausted her arrows, she thrust her silver blade at the dagger-wielding Nazgûl, the knife sliding through armor joints and making the wraith emit a sandpaper-scraping hiss.
Tauriel spun and delivered a flying kick, sending the dagger Nazgûl flying to crash against a stone wall in a shower of sparks.
Bernahl looked at the remaining four Nazgûl and smiled grimly. "Excellent. Now it's four to one."
He raised the Serpent-Hunter staff above his shoulders and actually charged forward, loudly asking the two supporting Elves, "How do we kill these Nazgûl?!"
Legolas nimbly dodged a Nazgûl's attack before answering breathlessly, "Weapons blessed by First Age Elves can harm them!"
Bernahl swept the staff to knock two Nazgûl flying while being hammered in the back by the mace-wielder, staggering forward. "Oh, that's just wonderful! Where am I supposed to get such weapons now? Can you bless one on the spot?"
Tauriel, kicked by her opponent into a wall and landing hard near Bernahl, coughed painfully upon hearing his words. "There's one other way. Directly destroy the armor they wear. That can temporarily send them back to their master."