At this moment, Lake-town's streets were covered in black blood and spiderwebs.
After the other eight Ringwraiths were lured by Bernal, Igon, and Legolas to the ruins where the orcs were ambushed north of Lake-town, all the shadows of the entire town seemed to converge near the ruins of the former Mayor's bell tower.
The Angmar Witch-king, leader of the Ringwraiths, stood on the collapsed rubble, his Morgul-blade hanging low, and the black mist swirling beneath his faceplate resembled Sauron's cold sneer.
Near him, a tide of strong orcs continuously crashed against the Storm Legion's last line of defense in Lake-town.
These strong orcs had long arms and carried shields painted with red eyes.
If Gandalf were here, he would surely recognize that these orcs were Sauron's direct army, Uruk-hai who were taller and stronger than the common orcs under Azog.
The Uruk-hai orcs at the front held spiked clubs, and each heavy blow caused a dull thud from the wooden barricades on Lake-town's streets.
Meanwhile, the Storm Soldiers, led by their respective Storm Knight, calmly raised their hand crossbows, aiming at the seemingly endless Uruk-hai and large spiders outside the wooden barricades.
The counterattack launched by the Storm Legion was quite fierce, but they couldn't withstand the sheer number of enemies.
Although they hadn't suffered excessive casualties, their front line was still forced to continuously shrink under the tide-like enemy advance.
"Bang—"
After losing a dozen Uruk-hai, the wooden barricades on each street were finally destroyed. Groups of Uruk-hai stepped over the still-warm bodies of their comrades and charged in, only to be met by the flamethrower devices the Storm Legion had already prepared for them.
"Whoosh—"
Blazing tongues of fire instantly engulfed the Uruk-hai in the streets, causing them to fall amidst screams. Some Uruk-hai, still burning, struggled to jump into the cold lake water on either side.
However, this time the Storm Legion had no support from their dwarf allies, nor did the Lake-town fishermen block the waterways within the town, so they had no way to deal with these Uruk-hai who had miraculously escaped the flames.
Moreover, this time the Storm Legion not only had to face enemies attacking from the streets but also the large spiders capable of flexibly climbing onto rooftops.
These large spiders dangled silk from the eaves, wrapping three Storm Soldiers near several flamethrower devices who were too slow to dodge into pale cocoons, their eerie green compound eyes reflecting the dying struggles of the humans.
Of course, some alert soldiers immediately turned their flamethrower devices towards the rooftops, incinerating the large spiders attempting to ambush them.
Following the commands of the Storm Knights, the tongues of fire moved, forging a wall of fire from Uruk-hai corpses and wooden houses, slowing the enemy's advance.
However, a murky, indifferent laugh emerged from behind the fire wall. Immediately, a black figure appeared within the blazing flames; the Angmar Witch-king simply ignored the flames, stepping through them and breaking in.
A coldness, like that of the dead, surrounded him, causing the flames behind him to diminish somewhat. Although the fire still burned, the temperature was low enough for the Uruk-hai to pass through.
Seeing this, a Storm Knight immediately shouted, "Shield-bearers, move right! Hold the breach!"
As the Storm Soldiers raised their shields to block the Uruk-hai and large spiders rushing from the street entrance, five nearby Storm Knights roared in unison, their halberds or greatswords wreathed in storm, initiating the chaotic battle with the Angmar Witch-king.
They knew this neither-human-nor-ghost emitted a shriek that instilled fear in soldiers, and they knew it couldn't be harmed by physical means. Therefore, these five experienced Storm Knights immediately decided to work together to suppress this demonic entity, preventing him from affecting the Storm Soldiers.
Their silver-white heavy armor gleamed in the torchlight, and greatswords intertwined with tower shields formed an iron wall. Two Storm Knights skilled in sword-and-shield combat forcibly relied on their martial prowess to corner the Witch-king into a narrow alley.
Finally, with a chance to retaliate, the Angmar Witch-king swung his Morgul-blade, and the sword wind that swept across the wall caused the wooden wall to crack like rotten wood.
But none of the five Storm Knights dodged or retreated; they intended to trade positions with their lives.
The two sword-and-shield Storm Knights blocked his left and right escape routes, while the other three, wielding halberds, took turns hacking at the Angmar Witch-king's armor joints.
"Clang—"
The halberd blade sparked against the Witch-king's thick shoulder plate. The Storm Knight on the left was stabbed by the opponent's Morgul-blade, and the soul-piercing pain shot straight to his head.
But this Storm Knight did not retreat; instead, he immediately let go of his knight's greatsword and then tightly grasped the Angmar Witch-king's incoming wrist, even stepping forward to jam the Morgul-blade with his own body, while coughing black blood and snarling, "The seams on this tin can are under the armpit! Stab his damn armpit!"
Before he could finish shouting, the other four Storm Knights had already lunged at the Angmar Witch-king, whose arm was trapped.
On the other side of the street, the Storm Soldiers' line had gradually shrunk to the wider market area.
The Uruk-hai's arrow rain was deflected by brass shields, but the arrows were not the most troublesome.
The most troublesome were the spider silks that the large spiders occasionally spat from their abdomens, which were extremely difficult to deal with. Often, the brass shields would get stuck to these non-lethal but very sticky spider silks, forcing the soldiers to let go, otherwise they would immediately be completely enveloped by more silk.
"Look out! Ignite the oil barrels!"
A Storm Knight kicked away a lunging large spider and loudly directed the Storm Soldiers gathered around him.
In the gradually widening market, there were wooden barrels storing oil for the flamethrower devices. Several Storm Soldiers, hearing the Storm Knight's command, directly threw their torches at the stacked oil barrels.
The wooden barrels quickly caught fire, and then the explosive blast hurled nearby large spiders and Uruk-hai into the air. Charred limbs and mangled remains rained down, but even more dark figures continued to close in through the thick smoke.
"Left flank, reinforce! Spearmen, advance!"
But this Storm Knight remained unperturbed, issuing commands again without hesitation, adapting to the intense situation on the battlefield.
The Storm Soldiers reorganized their defensive line, stepping on the shattered bodies of enemies on the ground. Spear tips thrust out from the gaps in the shield wall, piercing a leaping large spider.
Foul-smelling blood spilled from the large spider's head wound. Even at this moment, the Storm Soldiers were still able to calmly aim their attacks at the large spider's head, rather than frantically stabbing into the more obvious and softer abdomen.
Because the Storm Soldiers remembered the Elves saying that place stored the spider's venom, and piercing the abdomen would only put their shield-bearing comrades in danger.
The commanding Storm Knight narrowed his eyes, looking in the direction Bernal and Igon had led the Ringwraiths, and muttered, "How much longer until Lord Bernal arrives?"
But no one answered. Only the dull thud of the Uruk-hai orcs' war drums and the clicking of the large spiders' mandibles responded to him.
However, this desperate battle did not last long.
From the northwest of Lake-town, the shriek of arrows tore through the clamor of the Lake-town market battlefield.
The progressive silver arrow rain pierced the head of the last Uruk-hai orc, then nailed the compound eyes of the giant spiders clinging to the rooftops, finally landing perfectly a few steps in front of the Storm Soldiers.
The arrow fletchings quivered slightly, and the enemies in front of the Storm Soldiers had all fallen, struck by arrows. Only a few lucky Uruks and giant spiders did not die immediately, instead emitting painful groans and the continuous clicking of their mouthparts.
Thranduil's white deer mount leaped into the battlefield with agile steps. This mount, taller than an Elf, lowered its head slightly, then suddenly raised it, its sharp antlers crushing a pouncing giant spider before shaking its head to fling the corpse away.
Behind Thranduil, the golden armor of the Woodland Elves flowed like a river through the streets of Lake-town.
The scimitars in their hands reaped the spider hordes like crescent moons, cutting down Uruks, and their arrow rain was so precise it suffocated the enemy.
"Elves?! Where did they come from?"
Although the Storm Legion soldiers had not seen the Elves of the Woodland Realm, they had seen many Elves from Rivendell, so when they saw the pointed ears of the golden-armored warriors, they immediately recognized that their reinforcements were a group of Elves.
Thranduil raised his hand and waved it indifferently, and the Elf formation immediately split like a golden tide.
A squad of golden-armored warriors leaped onto the rooftops, firing their short bows continuously; those giant spiders were shot into sieves before they even hit the ground.
Another squad, wielding scimitars, charged into the Uruk-hai orc formation, their blades specifically targeting armor seams, instantly staining the wooden planks with black blood.
The Storm Legion's reaction was also very swift. While the enemies in front of them were being attacked from behind by the Elves, they began to charge forward, flanking the Uruk-hai orcs and giant spiders from front and back with their Elf allies.
The Angmar Witch-king, who was fighting five Storm Knights in the narrow alley, suddenly turned his head to look at the Elves who should not have appeared in Lake-town. The empty mask beneath his helmet billowed with black mist.
His master's army was melting away at a visible rate.
Strong Uruk-hai orcs fell in droves in the Elf arrow rain before even reaching the Elves, while agile giant spiders were caught by the more nimble Elves, their bellies sliced open by scimitars, their viscous entrails spilling onto the streets.
So the Angmar Witch-king swept his weapon, and just as the Storm Knights in front of him thought he was about to fight desperately, he suddenly retreated backward, simultaneously letting out a shriek towards the sky.
Amidst the Angmar Witch-king's shriek, the remaining Uruk-hai orcs and giant spiders frantically surged out of Lake-town.
At the same time, the remaining seven Ringwraiths, who were fighting Bernal, Igon, and Legolas, heard the Angmar Witch-king's shriek and immediately ceased their attacks, then their fleeing figures almost turned into black mist, sweeping towards the Angmar Witch-king's direction.
As for Tauriel, whose strength was relatively weaker compared to the other three, she was struck down and knocked unconscious by the tall Ringwraith wielding a large hammer midway through her fight with the Ringwraiths.
The armor of these Ringwraiths was much more damaged compared to the beginning. With Bernal facing less offensive pressure, he finally had the opportunity to cast the Erdtree Prayers, 'Erdtree's Blessing' and 'Erdtree's Oath'.
With the enhancement of the Erdtree Prayers, Igon and Legolas's respective weapons were finally able to inflict effective damage on the Ringwraiths.
If it weren't for the Ringwraiths being truly troublesome, Bernal could have slowly used the world devouring scepter to shatter their armor one by one himself.
Seven black mists rapidly swept through the streets of Lake-town, but the last black mist was intercepted by two arrows just as it was about to leave.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Igon's large arrow and Legolas's thin arrow, carrying faint golden light, simultaneously struck a Ringwraith's knee armor and neck gap, causing the Ringwraith's fleeing figure to pause.
And it was this very pause that allowed Bernal's world devouring scepter to smash down directly onto him.
"Open your mouth, close your eyes, cover your ears!"
Bernal then immediately shouted at Legolas, making the Elf Prince instinctively comply.
Igon's Dragon Roar filled the surrounding space the next moment, making Bernal grimace as he covered one ear with one hand.
But the Ringwraith, pinned to the ground by the world devouring scepter in his hand, was clearly in more pain.
Like the previous Ringwraith who had completely died under the Dragon Communion Incantation, this Ringwraith shrieked and writhed amidst the Dragon Roar, its armor disintegrating and twisting piece by piece, finally shrinking into a pile of scrap metal, and another silver-white signet ring slowly rolled out from within the armor.
Bernal picked it up and spread it in his palm. Igon saw it and laughed, "This one of yours is slightly different in style from the one I picked up."
Bernal nodded slightly, then put it away: "Since the Ringwraiths all have these rings, it means they are very important. After Arthur and his side finish the war for the Lonely Mountain, we'll show him the rings, or perhaps his friend Gandalf might know something."
Legolas only now recovered from the effects of the Dragon Roar. Although Igon's Dragon Communion Incantation was not directed at him, the immense roar still made Legolas feel dazed for a few moments.
It was precisely this brief daze that prevented Legolas from seeing and hearing Bernal and Igon's actions and conversations.
At this moment, Bernal felt someone watching him and immediately looked in that direction, only to see the Angmar Witch-king and the remaining six Ringwraiths standing on the rooftops of distant Lake-town houses, watching him.
He deliberately kicked the Ringwraith's shattered armor by his foot, then raised the world devouring scepter and disdainfully pointed it at the Ringwraiths, scoffing loudly, "Go back and tell your master that his servants' armor isn't strong enough."
The Angmar Witch-king and the other six Ringwraiths' figures floated away again, leaving only a resentful echo lingering among the ruins.
"This is merely the prelude... Human..."
In reality, the reason the Angmar Witch-king left in a hurry after dropping a single sentence was that the surrounding Storm Legion and the Elves of the Woodland Realm had completely surrounded them; if they didn't leave now, they might truly not be able to escape.
Indeed, just as the Ringwraiths had left the rooftop, several sharp arrows landed squarely and precisely on the spot where they had just stood.
And in the distance, several golden-armored Elves pouted regretfully.
Thranduil gently stroked the white deer's mane, then worriedly surveyed the ravaged city.
The Elf warriors he brought were systematically cooperating with the Storm Legion to clear the remaining enemies, their golden armor not even stained with a drop of blood.
Thranduil only wanted to find his son's figure on the battlefield.
When Bernal and his companions arrived beside Thranduil, the Elf King saw his son's somewhat disheveled appearance, and the heart that had been in his throat relaxed, a trace of heartache flashing in his silver-gray eyes.
But he quickly composed himself, returning to his usual elegance and arrogance, and took out a letter from his lord, saying to Bernal and Igon, "Tell Arthur that Mirkwood, in gratitude for his gift, has cleaned up this mess for him."