In this world, those who dare swing swords at incomprehensible beings are ultimately few. Even brave Gondorian elites would flee with heads bowed at a Nazgûl's cry, and even fearless elves would weep aloud at a Balrog's approach.
It wasn't that soldiers were too cowardly. The pressure from enemies was simply too overwhelming.
The black-armored warrior holding an elven longsword seemed to transform into a shadow cast over the entire battlefield.
Shadow of War.
Indeed, how could such a person only leave legends in the East? Everything connected, and the great stone weighing on their hearts grew heavier still.
Clang.
Finally someone couldn't hold their weapon steady, accidentally dropping it. All this happened in mere seconds.
When Levi arrived, the encirclement was immediately torn open. The strike team followed, charging forward with taut nerves.
However, to their surprise, these Haradrim didn't attack as they passed.
Are these people... all spies?
Cain was baffled, but this didn't prevent them from following Levi's charge outward.
"These worthless fools! What are they doing? Why aren't they attacking!"
From behind, the enraged commander threw the dying Trett aside, kicked him viciously, then raised his blade and roared:
"All of you chase them! Stop them!"
"Anyone who dares retreat again will be executed on the spot!"
Rumble rumble...
The great army advanced, with war elephants following close behind. When even the rear soldiers had passed him, the commander turned around and kicked the grounded Trett again in fury, this kick breaking two of his ribs directly.
Trett immediately had trouble breathing.
After this, the commander's anger subsided slightly. He grabbed Trett by the neck, lifted him entirely, and said: "You cowardly wretch, I'll teach you a principle."
"Those with strong will always find opportunities, but the wavering will surely die."
"Sir." Trett desperately tried to breathe, tears squeezing from his eyes. "I... I really didn't mean to, I didn't mean to. My foot slipped..."
"Worthless."
Thud.
He was thrown to the ground again.
"If you hadn't bumped me that once, that arrow should have hit his heart!"
"You can't even manage basic loyalty. People like you will never join us, and don't even think about going back."
"You are nothing."
"The horse is ready." At this moment, the deputy led over the commander's personal mount.
The commander couldn't be bothered with the grounded Trett anymore, turning to mount his horse.
"What should be done with him?" the deputy asked.
"Just leave him here. Let him be gnawed by insects and ants in despair, or have vultures peck out his eyes."
"Let him slowly regret his disloyalty."
Leaving these final words, the commander spurred his horse and rode toward the front. The deputy coldly glanced at Trett on the ground and followed the commander.
On the other side.
When command of the strike team passed to Levi and leadership changed hands, the entire unit's morale visibly rose. Though the captain was steady and wise, he couldn't compete with a man who stepped out of legend, one who naturally carried an aura that boosted confidence at a glance.
Though his military leadership methods were rather primitive, they had an open and free beauty. But when he charged ahead single-handedly against dense arrow volleys, breaking the Haradrim shield formation in one encounter and tearing open the encirclement through his own strength, everyone felt this wasn't really a flaw.
Legends have their legendary ways. If you can steamroll through, why play with micro-operations? Purely unnecessary.
"Charge!"
When Levi's voice rang out, the Rangers drew their cold-gleaming longswords like wings, staying close to Levi's sides with high cohesion while not impeding his movements.
Meanwhile, Cain frantically gestured behind Levi, quickly adjusting the strike team's formation to match Levi's fighting style.
Thus, a spear-tip formation with Levi at the point continuously advanced. All obstacles ahead were violently shattered by Levi, a single sweep clearing entire swaths, while the team members behind finished off demoralized soldiers whose weapon movements had gone limp.
This was the strike team's first attempt at frontal battlefield assault. Whatever lay ahead would be broken by their leader's sword and lose morale. Security maxed out.
One could say that without their temporary leader at the front, this unit would be annihilated immediately. The current absurd battle situation relied entirely on him alone.
The breakthrough was quite successful. The Haradrim forces blocking their path crumbled at first contact, causing no effective obstruction. The group immediately burst through the encirclement, leaving the northern intercepting forces behind.
But enemy numbers ultimately remained what they were.
Thud... thud...
Battle cries and tremors came simultaneously from behind. Levi stopped and turned to see an enormous army stretching beyond sight continuing to close in, with three full war elephants in the rear. Archers and spear-throwers on the elephants' backs watched menacingly, ready to attack at any moment.
Because of their presence, this night was no longer peaceful.
"You continue retreating," he told Cain.
"What about you?"
"I'm going to get reacquainted with them."
"That's too risky."
Cain said quickly: "Please trust me. Though we're only eighty strong, each has survived at least dozens of battles. By whatever means necessary, we'll definitely get you to Gondor."
"Risky?" Levi smiled: "Well, you got that right. I am an adventurer."
"Alright." He patted Cain's shoulder: "Waste more time and their arrows will reach us. Take your elite troops and retreat now. Stay alert. After all, I'm just one person, so some will inevitably slip through."
"I formally return command to you."
"With you here, I really can't fight freely."
Cain fell silent, feeling as if a mountain pressed down on him. This wasn't from fear of war or death, but worry that this legendary great lord might overplay his hand. His position was far too important. If something really happened here, wouldn't all of northern Middle-earth fall into chaos?
The implications would be enormous.
"I..." Cain took a deep breath, thought it over, and finally decided: "Blessings upon you."
"Withdraw!"
He gestured and immediately led the strike team north, leaving Levi alone.
Come on, no one here was blind. Wasn't that guy's performance just now outrageous enough?
Seeing the strike team withdraw, Harad's great army also quickened pace. But when they advanced another hundred meters, they found one figure still remained in place, not chasing the main force.
"Oh?" Under moonlight, the commander looked at that dark figure whose face couldn't be seen clearly, feeling amused.
He confidently ordered: "Trample him, but leave him alive!"
The earth shook continuously as the legion advanced. Levi raised his longsword high. The blade reflected moonlight with eye-piercing coldness.
Swoosh.
An arrow shot out, precisely hitting Levi's head. But he merely tilted his head back slightly without moving even half a step, casually pulled out the arrow, then looked directly toward where it came from.
When their gazes met, the commander felt his heartbeat skip.
"Trickster, let's see how long you can keep pretending!" He comforted himself thus.
Finally, the great army closed in.
BOOM!
Like a volcanic eruption, several flaming figures flew skyward and then crashed to earth, startling even the war elephants into sudden stops and sidesteps.
"What?" The commander stared wide-eyed at where the disturbance occurred.
What's happening? So many people can't handle just him? He's merely a lord!
He roared: "Get out of the way, let me..."
Whoosh.
In mere moments, flames had burned nearly a full circle. By this firelight, the commander could finally see that person's face clearly.
Simultaneously, tremendous fear rose in his heart.
BOOM!
The war elephant's trampling pulled the commander's memory back two years, when he'd responded to the Dark Lord's call with faith and fighting spirit, advancing toward Khand as vanguard among tens of thousands.
Then he'd been just a small soldier, assigned near the deputy of that great army, quite unremarkable.
He'd watched with his own eyes as that person, that Shadow of War, appeared ghost-like beside the thirty-thousand-strong army's commander, lifting him with one sword stroke. The mighty commander couldn't even cry out before losing his life.
He'd charged in alone, destroying everything that blocked him, even war elephants. He could withstand elephant trampling.
CRACK!
Something shattered as the war elephant's massive feet came down. Levi's runic shield finally couldn't hold, exploding into fragments. His belt triggered emergency mechanisms after long dormancy, erupting in a shockwave that pushed away everything nearby.
Under the unexpected powerful impact, the war elephant's leaning body couldn't stabilize and toppled over. The tower on its back also crashed and shattered completely.
The tremendous sound pulled the commander from his memories. He looked over frantically as the scene before him overlapped with memories from two years past. This moment was just like that moment. Predictably, the mammoth immediately burst into flames, the war elephant crying in anguish, legs kicking weakly as surrounding soldiers gaped and retreated.
That person turned his gaze over.
Before the commander could issue orders, his horse uneasily backed several steps, thick nostrils snorting heavily.
Whoosh, soldiers parted like water, creating a clear path to the commander. After all, the commander had personally said, "Let him handle it."
Clearly this batch of soldiers had high obedience, executing orders without hesitation.
The commander pressed one hand to his racing heart, his chest heaving continuously, his breathing nearly louder than his horse's.
His lips trembling, he slowly spoke from horseback:
"Can we... make peace?"