Atop the Black Gate's main wall, Talion's situation was slightly better than the embattled sections to either side, as Tarnes and Melina shared much of the defense burden.
Talion was already well aware of Tarnes's formidable strength and was not surprised the wizard could defend an entire section of wall alone.
Instead, it was the quiet girl trailing behind Tarnes that caught Talion's attention.
While this young woman named Melina couldn't match Tarnes's killing speed against Orcs, she could heal lightly wounded rangers with her miraculous magic, and even save mortally wounded rangers from the brink of death with her incantations.
Her presence dramatically reduced ranger casualties.
At this moment, Tarnes had just slain the last few attacking Orcs, his blood-stained armor gleaming dully in the torchlight, and came over to ask Talion, "The Orcs are simply too numerous. Can the Black Gate's supplies hold out?"
Talion looked at the vast Orc army darkening the landscape outside and breathed deeply. "Gondor's supplied reserves are sufficient, but we're critically short on personnel to transport these materials from the warehouses in time. Because of the Black Gate's terrain, our front lines are stretched dangerously thin, and transport personnel are inadequate. Some even need to help defend the walls."
"What about provisions? I need to know how long the food will last. That determines how many reinforcements I can bring."
Talion quickly estimated the rangers' and Golden Tree soldiers' consumption, replying with certainty, "Excluding those currently at the Black Gate, there's enough food for one thousand soldiers to last two months."
Tarnes nodded thoughtfully. "So the current Black Gate problem is still primarily a manpower shortage."
Talion spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "Exactly. Bernahl and Igon help guard the eastern sections; Millicent and two tall Golden Knights hold the west. Thanks to them, the defensive lines haven't been breached under such heavy Orc assaults. Otherwise, we would be forced to fight the Orcs in close quarters inside the walls by now."
Tarnes asked, "I can solve the manpower issue but need some time. One thousand troops may not be sufficient. I will bring two new thousand-man units. As for what happens after a month, we'll deal with that only after holding the Black Gate. If anything very dangerous occurs while Melina and I are away, and you can't handle it, please notify Bernahl at once. Understood?"
Talion nodded forcefully and patted his chest. "Thank you very much, Lord Tarnes. You will forever be counted as a friend to us Dúnedain Rangers!"
Tarnes raised his hand to tap Talion's shoulder in acknowledgment, then glanced at Melina. After dropping several Warmth Stones and casting Golden Tree Blessings on the nearby rangers, she promptly followed Tarnes toward the waygate.
On their way to the stone portal, Melina asked, "Tarnes, have the Soul Catchers collected enough Orc souls?"
Tarnes patted the two glowing Soul Catchers hanging at his waist. "Yes, the countless souls of fallen Orcs and a small number of Dúnedain rangers on the Black Gate battlefield have already filled both containers. The reason I haven't left the walls earlier is that I worried Talion and his men couldn't hold the line. Fortunately, the Orc assault weakened just now, giving me time to summon new reinforcements."
The two wasted no time and exchanged only a few words before quickly returning to the Golden Tree territory through the stone waygate.
When Tarnes arrived at the Golden Tree, he originally planned to continue summoning Leyndell soldiers but was stopped by Melina's gentle hand on his arm.
Tarnes pressed down his confusion and asked, "Do you have some ideas, Melina?"
Melina said carefully, "You mentioned during your talk with Talion that what the Black Gate really lacks now isn't combat strength but sufficient manpower, correct?"
Tarnes nodded without speaking, silently listening to Melina's subsequent advice.
Melina pressed her lips together, sorted her thoughts, then continued, "We don't know exactly how many Orc forces Sauron has dispatched to attack the Black Gate, but one thing we know for certain is the Black Gate cannot endure such a prolonged assault. Leyndell's soldiers might survive a month of such fighting, but the Dúnedain rangers cannot hold out that long."
Tarnes's eyes flickered with understanding as he immediately grasped Melina's implicit meaning.
He had indeed overly relied on Leyndell elite troops' combat strength but neglected that the most urgent Black Gate predicament wasn't a power shortage but an all-around manpower shortage.
Melina's suggestion was remarkably pragmatic.
Rather than summoning well-equipped but rune-consuming Leyndell regular troops, it would be better to summon large numbers of lightly equipped, quickly replenished auxiliaries.
Though these soldiers might lack martial skill and extensive training, they could carry supplies, reinforce fortifications, and fill defensive gaps, freeing more rangers and Leyndell warriors to focus on frontline combat.
Undoubtedly, this was currently the most cost-effective strategy and the most efficient way to solve their urgent problem.
"Your suggestion is excellent, Melina."
Tarnes nodded immediately, deciding to adopt Melina's advice to use precious runes to summon large auxiliary forces for the seemingly endless attrition warfare at the Black Gate.
Meanwhile, shortly after Tarnes and Melina left, pressure on the Black Gate front visibly intensified.
The Orc assaults not only did not weaken but became progressively more frenzied, like tireless tides crashing wave after wave against the walls and battlements.
Even the battle-hardened Leyndell Legion, famous for their impregnable defense, began to feel the heavy, suffocating pressure.
Their breathing grew heavy beneath armor, arms wielding sword and shield became numb and weary, and every soldier keenly realized they faced an apparently endless army whose reinforcement speed seemed always to exceed their killing rate.
At this critical, volatile moment, the two towering Golden Tree Guardians glanced at each other and, without words, had already reached tacit understanding.
They found the brief interval between rounds of Orc assaults, the lull before the next wave fully formed.
One Golden Tree Guardian turned to Talion, his deep, reverent voice echoing through his helmet. "Lord Talion, please open the main city gate."
Talion was startled, thinking he had misheard. Opening the city gate voluntarily under siege was tantamount to suicide.
But the Golden Tree Guardian's voice carried such unshakeable confidence.
After brief consideration, Talion chose to trust these formidable Golden Tree allies and gritted his teeth to give the order.
"Open the main city gate!"
Though the rangers near the main gate didn't know what was happening, they trusted Talion's command and decided to comply.
The heavy Black Gate ground against its rusty hinges as it opened a narrow crack.
The next moment, a golden torrent suddenly burst forth!
The two Golden Tree Guardians led the charge on armored warhorses that resembled mobile fortresses. Instead of rushing into the dense enemy ranks, they struck like a whirlwind against the enemy siege engines threatening the walls.
Massive golden halberds wielded with tremendous force easily smashed wooden catapults and siege towers to splinters, wood fragments and Orc limbs flying everywhere.
Meanwhile, the following Leyndell Knights did not entangle themselves with small fry.
They quickly formed a compact charging formation with clear objectives, engaging an Orc formation on the Golden Tree Guardians' flanks composed mainly of massive Olog-hai trolls.
The Leyndell Knights simultaneously chanted, their sacred seals glowing with golden radiance. Suddenly, a dozen dazzling golden lightning spears tore through the foul air, roaring deafeningly as they struck the troll formation.
The wild lightning power instantly tore apart the massive flesh of these creatures, the smell of burnt flesh spreading across the battlefield. The once-formidable troll formation instantly turned into a scorched ruin.
With the tactical goal achieved, the golden torrent made no hesitation.
Led by the Golden Tree Guardians, the entire cavalry swiftly wheeled in a smooth arc. Dodging the scant arrows, they retreated calmly within the walls.
The heavy gates quickly closed behind them, firmly blocking the surging Orc tide outside.
The entire operation, from start to finish, took mere minutes but was efficient and deadly like a precise surgical strike.
On the walls, the battlefield's roar briefly fell into eerie silence.
Talion and all the witnessing Dúnedain Rangers stood dumbfounded. They had witnessed valor before but never such a perfect combination of superb tactics and fearless courage in a sudden assault.
Even if the legendary Rohirrim cavalry arrived, they could probably only match this level of excellence.
Talion thought to himself with grudging admiration.
But this only temporarily eased the urgent crisis. The Orc army evidently would not retreat unless they captured the Black Gate.
However, this tense stalemate changed dramatically after Tarnes and Melina returned.
The glowing light of the stone waygate behind them had not completely faded when a huge crowd surged out like a gushing flood.
This was not the well-equipped Leyndell regular army but a vast auxiliary force.
They wore simple leather armor, mostly wielding spears, short swords, and leather shields, yet their ranks were surprisingly well organized.
More importantly, their eyes burned with absolute devotion to the Golden Tree and fanatical trust in Tarnes, who led them here.
In these auxiliaries' hearts, this was the Golden Tree's will incarnate personally summoning them to battle.
The large auxiliary force instantly filled the plaza and corridors behind the gate, a dark pressing mass that seemed to stretch to the horizon.
Tarnes quickly found the two Golden Tree Guardians and loudly handed command of this vast fresh force over. "Everyone, obey the Golden Tree Guardians' orders!"
The Golden Tree Guardians were clearly familiar with directing auxiliaries. One raised a golden halberd and began commanding based on battlefield conditions.
The auxiliaries responded swiftly and orderly split into several groups to rush to the battles raging on the walls.
Though these auxiliaries were perhaps unskilled compared to elite soldiers, their sheer numbers made up for all deficiencies, quickly replacing the exhausted rangers and some weary Leyndell soldiers.
They fiercely jabbed their dense spears at Orcs climbing battlements or worked in pairs to carry heavy rolling logs that usually required an elite soldier, forcefully smashing them down onto siege ladders. Each heavily pressured section gained a precious opportunity to breathe.
Other auxiliaries swarmed like industrious ants toward warehouses and supply depots, taking over the incredibly heavy logistics burden. Arrows, weapons, stones, and medicinal supplies continuously flowed up the walls with efficiency several times better than before.
Some auxiliaries even risked stray arrows to rescue wounded rangers, swiftly carrying them off the frontline to receive medical treatment.
All this happened almost instantaneously.
The defense line originally on the verge of collapse due to extreme manpower shortage was stabilized as if injected with a powerful tonic.
(TL NOTE: I have caught up with the author, so until the author releases another chapter, this novel will not be updated. So there will be new ones coming soon.)