Going head-to-head with an army of this magnitude was a true test of endurance. In this entire world, only Levi would dare to play like this.
Defending the city was definitely possible. Outlasting these orcs was also definitely possible.
Judging by the state of the allied armies, they were prepared for a long war. With no shortage of food or water, a prolonged siege would inevitably wear down the orcs' morale first. So what if they fought?
It would certainly be the orcs who broke first.
Still, the thought of a battle dragging on for months, or even a year, was agonizing. Levi wasn't entirely sure if more accidents would happen if they continued to drag this out.
No, an accident had already happened.
Looking at the orc group in the distance building large siege ladders, Levi sighed again.
"I always feel like the difficulty of this battle is dynamic."
"What does that mean?" Gandalf, holding his sword, cut down another orc, then ran up to the city wall to stand with Levi.
"It means that this all has to end."
After the dwarves also finished their fight and returned, the leaders gathered again on the main city wall.
In this brief respite, Levi was the first to speak.
"I don't think we can drag this out any longer."
He pointed to the orc engineering corps at the rear of the orc army. "They're building something different."
"Those are large siege ladders," Thorin recognized the objects with grim familiarity.
Thranduil added: "Those orcs have an unimaginable talent when it comes to making things for war and torture."
"They were born for it."
"They can't get up." Bard gestured to the firework crossbow brigade behind him. "For every one of those ladders that comes, we can blow one up."
"That's true, but don't forget the orcs' numbers are almost endless. How many times can your crossbows fire?" Gandalf looked at Bard and raised the crucial question.
Bard looked at Levi.
Levi looked at Thorin.
Thorin looked left and right, and after a long time, squeezed out a sentence: "Our gunpowder reserves were never that large to begin with."
With Levi's precedent, he no longer dared to claim that any resource in the Lonely Mountain was limitless.
However, in this era where firearms were only a niche hobby and bombs hadn't been invented, the demand for gunpowder was indeed not large. The gunpowder stored in the workshops for making flare rounds was almost the entire stock of the Lonely Mountain. To put it plainly, gunpowder had never been a primary resource. It was a small miracle they had this much at all.
"What do you plan to do?" Gandalf asked Levi.
"The same plan as before: decapitation."
Orcs were chaotic by nature. Without a leader to suppress them, they didn't even need an external enemy. They would start infighting among themselves. Gandalf had deep experience with this; the old man often used this to stir up trouble in orc camps.
"After being beaten for so long, it's time to take the initiative."
If he didn't stir up some trouble, his entire set of equipment would be a waste.
However, the security over on Ravenhill was a bit tight. The sky was densely guarded by bats, and the command platform was surrounded by archers. Flying over with elytra was unrealistic.
The air route was out.
Charging straight through on the ground also seemed difficult. After all, those tens of thousands of orcs wouldn't just stand by and watch. Even if they didn't fight back, just standing there would block the path.
An idea formed as Levi glanced at his pickaxe.
Digging deeper should allow him to avoid the were-worms. Then he could launch a crisp surprise attack from below, which would surely be a pleasant surprise for Azog. The digging time might be a bit long though. After all, considering the distance and the thickness of the mountain, it really wouldn't be a quick job. It also wasn't certain he could dig accurately, since he didn't have a 3D map.
"We can cover you."
Seeing Levi lost in thought, Dain suddenly walked over, pointed down from the city wall, and said to him:
"See those chariots? I can guarantee their ability to slice through the battlefield is beyond your imagination. Apart from those behemoths, nothing can stop them."
"They don't have that many behemoths now," Levi noted. The siege beasts had been mostly used up during the earlier assault.
"My lads can cover you to the ruins at the foot of the mountain. After that, I believe you can handle it."
During the cleanup inside the walls, the lord of the Iron Hills had witnessed Levi's combat posture of sweeping away large areas at once. That armor was also impenetrable, so much so that Dain wanted to take it apart just to study the material. But setting that aside, the important thing was that both Dain and his hammer believed Levi could do it.
"Let me join," Thorin suddenly spoke up. He would never miss out on cutting down Azog.
"We'll go together."
Seeing the king was going to sally forth personally, Kili and Fili exchanged a glance and immediately said: "Count us in."
"And us, we can be the chariot drivers," the other dwarves of the company all stepped forward. Having gone through many battles, they had proven themselves to be elites among dwarves, qualified to bear heavy responsibilities.
Balin smiled and said: "Although I'm old, my skills haven't rusted. I will not waste a single crossbow bolt."
"Very good, full of spirit."
Though somewhat surprised, Levi decided to adopt this proposal. It felt destined for success. He nodded, glancing at Gandalf, who offered him a reassuring look.
"Leave the city wall to me. If any more behemoths appear, I'll find a way. You can leave with peace of mind."
"Alright."
A simple battle plan was thus decided.
Thranduil, Bard, Dain, and Gandalf would be responsible for defending the city and providing cover. Levi, Thorin, and the members of the company, along with a dwarven battlefield-cutting squad, would take the initiative to carry out the decapitation strike.
Just as everyone was ready, with crossbow bolts and ammunition packed and about to set off, a voice sounded from behind.
"And me."
It was Bilbo.
This directly amused Thorin. He immediately jumped off the chariot and walked seriously to Bilbo's side.
"Master Baggins, this is not something you can get involved in."
"As a hobbit, you are better suited for an afternoon garden, an armchair, and a cozy study, not a battlefield full of danger where you could lose your life at any moment."
Bilbo opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. "I..."
"Farewell for now. We will meet again."
"I can help, believe me!" Bilbo stubbornly chased after them but was stopped by Gandalf at the side.
"Bilbo, I have never doubted your courage, but do you know what it means out there?"
"It means war and blood, and death."
"You've already done enough, really. Stay here now. What we need more is to trust our friends."
"Hey, you." Gandalf pointed to the nearest soldier, who looked somewhat timid, and said to him: "Take care of this hobbit for me. Don't let him out."
"Yes, Master Wizard. I promise I'll do a good job."
The human soldier quickly ran over. For some reason, he kept his head down, not showing his face, as if afraid of being seen.
Old Gandalf didn't pay much attention to this. After giving his instructions, he returned to the city wall, frowning as he looked up at the sky, seemingly waiting for something.
The brief interlude passed quickly.
At the city gate.
The chariots were ready at the rear. The soldiers on the wall held the levers, staring intently at the people below.
"Sons of Durin!" Thorin drew his sword and shouted to the members of the company and the dwarven battlefield-cutting squad at his side. "Charge with me!"
Crash.
The lever was pulled, the city gate opened, and five menacing assault chariots with a metallic sheen charged out one after another. Each was equipped with a powerful, armor-piercing automatic crossbow. In the previous defensive battles, these great weapons had not been put to use. Now was the time to show their power.
Following the chariots, a troop of dwarven goat cavalry surged out with heavy, thundering steps. Every dwarf in that cavalry troop was an elite of elites, handpicked by Dain, whose shields were most stained with blood and whose goats' horns were the sturdiest.
"Surround them!" Azog furiously gave the order from Ravenhill.
Instead of defending their fortified city, these fools dared to sally out and meet their deaths? Had they not seen how many troops were outside?
Who gave them the nerve?