Arthur and the others safely returned to the Black Gate, but the orcs did not retreat upon seeing the high walls as usual; instead, they all furiously charged the city gate below.
Even though these hundreds of orcs were still occasionally hunted by Shelob from the darkness, emitting panicked screams, not a single orc dared to retreat a step.
Because Sauron's command before he left was for them to pursue Arthur, these poor dark creatures were utterly unable to defy Sauron's order until they achieved this goal or lost their lives.
The Rangers on the city walls continuously shot arrows and threw irregular, heavy stones, and the orcs, who carried no siege equipment and could only resist with their broken iron plates and rusty swords, were almost annihilated in a very short time, plunging the area outside the city back into darkness.
Only the rustling of some large creature moving and the sound of flesh and bones being chewed occasionally came from below; that was Shelob devouring the orcs' remains.
However, it was clear that Arthur currently had no time to deal with the large spider hiding and feasting below; instead, after confirming the surroundings were safe, he quickly drank from the red dew holy grail bottle, then, with a pained expression, took out a crystal shining with blue Star Fragments from his spatial backpack, raised his head, crushed it, and swallowed the crystal fragments.
Star Fragments, this was Arthur's item for emergency magic recovery.
Although he had picked up many when he was in The Lands Between, they were now a non-renewable resource, and each one used meant one less, so Arthur felt a little heartache.
Behind Arthur, Melina also drank the grace from the red dew holy grail bottle to restore her stamina.
Arthur looked at her and said with some relief, "It's a good thing I had you, Melina. If I had been alone, I probably would have fallen into their verbal trap."
Melina put her hood back on, first carefully scrutinized Arthur to ensure no other parts of his body were injured, then softly replied, "At first, I was indeed affected by Sauron's words, but I quickly broke free from the influence, perhaps because my body was reshaped by the Erdtree using Grace."
Before Arthur could say anything, Talion's voice, sounding both trembling and seeking confirmation, asked, "You two just now down there... are you sure that black-armored giant was Sauron?"
When he had just supported Arthur, he hadn't seen Sauron's appearance clearly due to the light, only subconsciously believing that an enemy capable of making a powerful wizard like Arthur treat him as a formidable foe could only be someone like Sauron.
Now that he had reacted, his heart immediately trembled.
Sauron, that unavoidable name in Middle-earth, wasn't he already defeated?
That's why Talion couldn't help but seek confirmation from the two after hearing Melina mention the name again.
Arthur didn't overthink it but nodded and replied, "It must be Sauron without a doubt, unless you know of another enemy as powerful as Sauron who could impersonate him; otherwise, I can't think of anyone else who could easily neutralize my Battle Skill... sorcery."
He thought for a moment and changed the word "Battle Skill" to "sorcery," which was more familiar to Talion, to help Talion understand his words.
Talion's face changed repeatedly, finally becoming solemn, which made Arthur, somewhat puzzled, ask curiously, "What's wrong, Talion? If you're worried about Sauron attacking, you can rest assured; with me here, he won't harm the Black Gate in the slightest."
Upon hearing Arthur's words, Talion gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "You've misunderstood, Lord Arthur. I'm not doubting your strength..."
Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly realized, "Ah, I heard that you came here from outside Middle-earth to rebuild your homeland, so you don't understand what Sauron's appearance means for Middle-earth."
Arthur scratched his head, "I only heard Sauron's name from Gandalf, you know him, right? I only heard from him that Sauron is an enemy Gandalf has always worried would cause great harm to Middle-earth."
Talion nodded, "That old wizard? Of course, I know him, and what he told you is correct. In any case, I must quickly convey the news of Sauron's reappearance in Mordor to the nations of Gondor, as well as the Elves and dwarves."
Upon hearing this, Arthur also realized the importance of Sauron's appearance for Middle-earth, and his expression became solemn, "Coincidentally, I also have an important matter to discuss with the Regent in Gondor; we can go together on the way."
Talion nodded, then shook his head, saying regretfully, "Although I would very much like to go to Gondor with you, Sauron's appearance in Mordor is too important, and the Black Gate is the first line of defense against his armies, so I must stay here to command. However, the matter is extremely urgent, so I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you and Lady Melina to depart for Gondor tonight."
Arthur and Melina exchanged glances and nodded to each other, saying to Talion, "No matter, we are used to traveling."
Talion said gratefully, "Thank you."
Then he raised his head and shouted to his son, Dehail, who was not far away, "Dehail! You will follow Lord Arthur and Lady Melina, taking my token with you to Gondor to report the situation in Mordor to His Excellency the Regent!"
Dehail immediately ran over, first respectfully glanced at Arthur and Melina, then asked his father, "Father, what happened? Do we need to leave now?"
Talion glanced at the approaching Rangers around him, took a deep breath, and said to Dehail, "Sauron has appeared."
Dehail's pupils dilated in shock, realizing the seriousness of the matter just like his father, and immediately sprang into action: "I'll go pack my bags right away."
Arthur did not wait too long; Dehail quickly packed his luggage. He simply brought some rough clothes for changing, dry rations, and his father's token, then hurried to Arthur and Melina with his horse.
Dehail was still a bit nervous facing Arthur, this 'wizard,' and said, "Sorry for making you wait."
Arthur smiled gently, easing Dehail's inner tension, and said, "Your way of doing things is very much like your father's. I'll rely on you for the shortcut to Gondor, and I will protect your safety."
However, to Arthur's surprise, Dehail first thanked him, then shook his head and said, "I am very grateful for your protection, but if you truly encounter trouble that even you, Master, find difficult, I implore you not to hesitate at all; abandon me directly, take my father's token, and be sure to deliver the news of Sauron's appearance to the nations of Gondor."