"Kill!" Azog roared in fury.
The tables turned.
Pop! Several flash bombs arced through the air, forcing the front-line orcs to clamp their eyes shut and halt their charge. A few seconds later, when their vision returned, a solid wall had erupted from the ground before them, blocking the already narrow path.
"This again!"
Azog was no stranger to this tactic. The suddenly appearing blocks were his enemy's unique signature. However, since he already knew the man's methods, how could he not have prepared?
"Bring up the ladders!"
Pre-made ladders were quickly brought over and placed against the low wall. The orcs swarmed, grabbing the rungs and starting to climb. But on top of that wall, a figure suddenly appeared. His armor was heavy and black, his long sword gleaming in the pale light.
He leaped.
Jump Attack!
With a deafening crash, a large swath of orcs crumpled as if struck by an invisible hammer. A wave of weakness washed over them, their bodies feeling as if they were about to fall apart, unable to muster any strength. With just a few swift cuts, Levi swept the area clear.
Azog's breath caught, and he retreated a few steps. In the past, upon seeing this human, he would have charged forward to challenge him to a duel to boost the morale of his horde. Now, he chose to let his army duel the man all at once.
"I'll hold him off. You go kill the dwarves behind," Azog ordered Bolg, who immediately took a squad of orcs on a detour to the rear, conveniently forgetting his earlier interest in a one-on-one fight with Levi. As Azog was giving orders, Levi pulled out several potions and quickly drank them down.
Strength II, Speed II, Regeneration II.
At that moment, the orcs at the very front felt their hearts tighten as an immense, suffocating pressure washed over them. Levi swept his sword out. Everything in the blade's path and the surrounding area was immediately sent flying, their bodies burning as they fell to the ground. All were killed in a single strike, with no chance of survival. It was a power so immense that even the dense army formations couldn't withstand it, like the unstoppable charge of a great bear. The long sword in his hands seemed to have become a blunt weapon; when striking a shield's surface, it wouldn't be deflected but would press down directly, sweeping aside both the shield and the orc cowering behind it.
Azog retreated continuously, constantly sending his soldiers forward to die. It was too bizarre. Besides his sudden increase in strength, the human's speed had also become astonishingly fast, something no normal man could achieve.
"A wizard's potions..." Azog realized with dawning horror. He can also brew potions!
An army numbering in the tens of thousands surged forward, attempting to encircle him. However, it was all futile. From Azog's perspective, the human would sometimes deliver a whirlwind of strikes, other times suddenly leap up and slash downward. Each attack devastated a large group of orcs, making it impossible to stop him. When an orc finally managed to charge close enough to strike, it either dealt almost no damage, or the man would suddenly dodge as if teleporting, evading the attack completely.
The heavy thump of trolls' footsteps came from behind. Azog immediately sent them to the front lines to join the siege.
As an explosion roared, screams erupted from above. Orcs were blown to pieces, and even the trolls raised their arms to block, forced back several steps. Looking at Levi, Azog saw he was just holding a wide wooden shield, yet he could withstand such a blast.
Is he also an Oakenshield? the thought flashed through his mind.
"Send the trolls to the front! Surround him!" Azog roared, unable to comprehend what was happening. He could only continue to give orders. The trolls immediately raised their large clubs, pushed past the orcs, and prepared to smash down.
Pop! A flash bomb exploded on the spot. The trolls were immediately hit, covering their eyes and swinging their weapons wildly. At the same time, a smooth, dark pearl flew out from the encirclement, and Azog's gaze was immediately fixed on it.
"What is that?"
While he was thinking, the pearl had already landed at his feet. As a few purple particles drifted by, a nightmarish figure instantly appeared before him, slashing out with his sword without hesitation.
Clang! Azog quickly blocked with the crude weapon fused to his left arm, but the immense force still made him stagger back.
Hiss! Several blocks of TNT appeared, their fuses lit. Levi raised his shield. Azog, having already witnessed the power of these red blocks, immediately rolled to the side but was still sent flying several meters by the aftershock.
"Stop him!" Azog yelled, scrambling to his feet. He picked up his heavy mace and led a group of trolls to surround Levi. This pale orc was truly worthy of being called the most powerful orc leader of his age. Even in this situation, he still dared to press the attack.
"Interesting."
A troll's club, wider than half a man, came crashing down but was met head-on by Levi's sword and knocked back, its body stumbling uncontrollably.
Azog started retreating again.
Levi immediately threw another pearl, teleported next to him, and raised his hand for a sword strike. Azog quickly raised a shield, struggling to block the blow, his entire body sliding back several meters before stopping.
"Haha," he laughed, a sound devoid of humor.
RUMBLE! The watchtower above suddenly collapsed, revealing the trolls behind it who had been prying stones loose. The massive fragment of the building fell unexpectedly, solidly smashing onto Levi and kicking up a cloud of dust. This orc leader had also learned to use the terrain to his advantage. He had been forced into it.
Levi dug through the stone fragment, emerging completely unharmed. Such a small impact was nothing compared to the boulders thrown by the siege beasts.
"Aaarrrgh!" Azog gritted his teeth and charged, raising his mace to clash with Levi, but was beaten back repeatedly. Finally, he seized an opportunity and struck Levi's breastplate fiercely with the mace, the impact creating a shower of sparks. However, the man before him didn't even take a single step back.
Azog looked up at Levi's face, which held a faint, almost pitying smile.
"Why won't you die!" he screamed, his voice cracking with desperation.
"This is fate, Azog."
Swoosh. Blood blossomed from the pale orc's chest. The massive body fell heavily to the ground and burst into flames. Azog rolled and struggled, but he couldn't escape the fate of becoming a charred corpse. Until the very end, his eyes were filled with a burning, unquenchable unwillingness.
This was not a failure of battle. This was annihilation.
Azog the Defiler had fallen.
Witnessing their leader's death, the surrounding orcs immediately broke into chaos. The moment Levi's gaze touched them, they scattered and fled, a tide of terror that could not be held back. The trolls scratched their heads, as if finally processing what had happened. Their eyes widened in panic, and they shrieked as they hurried to chase after the fleeing orcs.
A new notification arrived.
[Misty Mountains Orc Reputation: -5873 (Arch-enemy)]
[Title Obtained: "Orc-bane"]
Since the beginning of the Third Age, there was only one being in all of Middle-earth whom the Free Peoples called 'the Great Enemy': Sauron. Beings that could be called the bane of a certain race were also exceedingly rare. In current legends, only one was recorded. That was the Balrog in the depths of Moria. Because it had destroyed the dwarves' homeland and killed their king multiple times, it was called 'Durin's Bane'. And because many elves had died at the hands of Balrogs in the First Age, the elves also called them 'Elf-bane'. Besides these, one item also held the title of bane: the One Ring, which was called 'Isildur's Bane'.
The so-called 'bane' is a curse of death, destruction, or harm. An existence that brings absolute fear. Whether 'Great Enemy' or 'Bane', these terms had always been used by the Free Peoples to describe powerful evil forces.
And now, a new Bane, one who brought fear to the factions of evil, had been forged here. He awed the world not with ancient magic or dark lineage, but with real slaughter and a ledger of battle written in blood.