"Hey, open the gate! This is Faramir, the Regent's second son. Don't you recognize him?"
"The Orc army is almost here, let us in quickly..."
"..."
Pippin and Merry, who had arrived at the gate of Minas Tirith, shouted loudly at the soldiers on the city wall.
The team, which originally had over a hundred people, was reduced to just over thirty by the time they reached the city gate, due to the continuous pursuit of the Orcs.
This also included a few members of the Ring-bearers.
Such heavy losses filled Faramir, who had escaped back to the city gate, with bitterness.
"Without the Regent's order, none of us dare to open the gate. Hold on a little longer; I'll send someone to ask for instructions right away..."
The captain of the guard on the city wall, due to the terrain, had already seen the dense Orc army gathering on the desolate plain outside the city.
In this situation, even if the captain of the guard recognized Faramir and the others, as a low-ranking soldier, he still dared not bear the consequences of opening the city gate without permission.
...
"Father, Faramir and the others have been surrounded by the Orc army at the city gate and are in mortal danger at any moment..." Boromir, who had learned of the situation outside the city gate from a communications soldier, immediately came to the Great Hall of the Kingdom and asked the Regent, "Please order the city gate to be opened and let them in!"
"Useless! They let the enemy reach the city gate so quickly; Faramir really can't be relied on..." Hearing the bad news, Denethor stood up in a panic from the Regent's throne. After scolding his second son, he said with a solemn expression, "Let's go to the city gate and see. I don't believe the Orc army can break through the gate of Minas Tirith."
Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor, was built against the mountains, with natural barriers behind and on both sides. Therefore, as long as the main gate was defended, the main city would be in a safe position.
However, when Denethor, supported by his eldest son, arrived on the city wall, he looked out and saw tens of thousands of Orcs densely packed.
Moreover, in front of these enemy formations, there were hundreds of modified Troll warriors and Mammoth war teams gathered.
Their massive figures were incredibly imposing, making the tall walls of Minas Tirith seem exceptionally small in front of them.
Looking up, nine dark Ringwraiths riding corrupted dragons were also eyeing the White City covetously.
This terrifying scene almost made the arriving Regent faint from fright.
"It's over! Everything is over! Gondor is finished, and the House of Denethor is finished..."
Denethor murmured, then his expression suddenly turned sinister as he said, "Rather than having the city destroyed and people perish at the hands of those filthy Orcs, let us preserve the last glory of the House of Denethor ourselves."
Suicide, in the Regent's view, was the last means to protect the family's glory.
"Guards, tie Boromir up and escort him back to the Great Hall!!!"
Denethor decided to share this honor with his beloved eldest son.
"Father, what are you doing? Quickly open the city gate and let Faramir and the others in!"
Boromir, also stunned by the scene before him, was concerned about his younger brother outside the city when he was suddenly tied up by the guards.
He was then dragged all the way to the Great Hall.
"Gondor is finished..."
Below the city, looking at the continuously increasing Orc army, Faramir had the same thought as his father.
Fortunately, the Orc army was still forming ranks, seemingly intending to take the White City in one go, which gave Faramir and the others some time to breathe.
"Don't give up, Faramir. As long as we have hope, things will always turn around..." Although Gandalf's expression was also solemn, he had not despaired, and he took the opportunity to encourage the despondent Faramir.
As for where the wizard's confidence came from, it was naturally because he had already sent out a distress signal to his aerial combat units, the Great Eagle flock.
Gandalf also had a premonition that with such a big commotion on Gondor's side, the Lord of Lonely Mountain must have received the news as well.
Having witnessed Mike's terrifying combat power, he firmly believed that as long as the other party arrived here, the battlefield of Gondor would surely see a turn for the better.
"What's the use of saying so much? What we should be concerned about now is when the city gate behind us will open..."
"By the way, have we already been abandoned by that damn Regent...?"
"..."
Compared to Faramir and Gandalf's patriotic sentiments and broader perspective, Pippin and Merry, who were already trembling with fear, only wanted to save their lives quickly.
Looking at the city gate that remained motionless for a long time, the two Hobbit children couldn't help but complain.
On the other side, Denethor, who had already escorted his eldest son back to the Great Hall of the Kingdom, had soldiers bring enough firewood and oil, then dismissed everyone else.
"Father, what are you doing? Faramir and the others are still waiting for us at the city gate..."
Seeing his father's crazy behavior of pouring oil on himself, Boromir felt something was wrong, and a look of horror appeared on his face.
"Everything will pass, and the Orcs will not capture us. The glory of the House of Denethor will be protected by ourselves..." After completing the preparations for self-immolation, Denethor took out a tinderbox, blew it alight, and shouted, "Ancestors protect us! Long live the House of Denethor!!!"
"You're crazy, you're crazy..." Watching the flame slowly approach him, Boromir had never felt his father so unfamiliar. He struggled and begged, "I don't want to die, we still have hope! Help! Help me!"
However, being tightly bound, he could not break free.
He could only watch his father first ignite the firewood soaked in oil, and then separately ignite the clothes on both of them.
The commotion in the Great Hall was so loud that it was naturally heard by the guards outside the door. So, a quick-witted person quickly sent the situation here to the city gate.
On the city wall, the captain of the guard, who learned that Gondor was about to lose its backbone, no longer cared about anything else. He hurriedly opened the city gate and shouted to Faramir, "The Regent is going to burn himself and the Crown Prince to death! Go save them!"
On the other side, Faramir, who had thought his father had a change of heart and finally forgiven him, allowing him to enter the city, heard the guard captain's report, his face immediately changed drastically, and he ran frantically towards the Great Hall.
"Let's go, we'll follow and see."
Gandalf glanced at the Orc army outside the city, which was almost fully assembled, and then led everyone to follow Faramir's footsteps.
To quell external threats, one must first pacify internal strife!
Clearly, Gondor was having internal problems first.
"Brother, Father! What happened? Are you alright?..."
Faramir, who quickly arrived in front of the Great Hall of the Kingdom, heard heart-wrenching screams from inside the hall, but the main door was locked from the inside, preventing him from entering.
"Move aside!"
Just as Faramir was burning with anxiety, Gandalf's loud shout came from behind.
Then, with a burst of magic, the wizard used his staff to instantly blast open the main door.
"Quick, save them!"
After seeing the scene before him, Gandalf's expression became exceptionally grim.
Self-immolation was torture for anyone. Even if the Regent had long prepared for death, after being burned by the flames, he still developed a survival instinct, thrashing about, trying to extinguish the fire on his body.
As for Boromir, the ropes on his body had already burned through, and he was also running wildly in the Great Hall in agony.
The strong smell of oil mingled with the scent of burning flesh, accompanied by piercing screams...
The scene before them made everyone feel as if they were seeing hell.
However, saving lives was paramount, and Aragorn and the others had no time for lamentation. They quickly tackled Boromir, who was already engulfed in flames, and then used their clothes and cloaks to extinguish the oil fire on him.
"Save... save... Father..."
Boromir, severely burned, fainted before he could finish a single sentence after being rescued.
Looking at Denethor, who was already old, he had fallen to the ground and was gradually losing his breath.
Beside him, Faramir was still trying his best to put out the fire.
Gandalf, unable to bear it, stepped forward and pulled the Regent's second son away.
It must be said that the oil Denethor found was indeed of good quality; in just a moment, it had already burned him to a skeleton.
His eldest brother was severely injured and unconscious, and his father was burned to death.
The tragedy happened too suddenly, making Faramir feel like he was in a nightmare.
Disoriented, he knew that in his current state, he could not lead Gondor against the army of Mordor, so he looked at Aragorn and entrusted, "My elder brother told me that you have the royal blood of Gondor flowing in your veins. Although saying this might be a bit unfair to you, only you can lead Gondor out of this predicament now..."