Chapter 281: Guarding the wall and guarding the city are two completely different things
Outside a wall of Riverrun.
The thought form was diligently slaying Orcs, blood constantly dripping from the longsword in his hand. Around him were countless Orc corpses, with dismembered limbs scattered everywhere.
"Eighty-seven, eighty-eight…" The thought form silently counted the number of enemies he had killed, a hint of excitement in his calm demeanor.
Gines's assessment of him was indeed correct: one against a hundred. But now that his physique had been further strengthened by the Dragon Slaying Magic Crystal, that number could probably double.
The first wave of Orcs that attacked the city had been mostly killed, but more and more Orcs emerged from the caves to reinforce the area.
A mountain of corpses instilled a hint of fear in the newly arrived Orc army, but they did not choose to break into Riverrun through other gaps. Instead, they tacitly decided to avenge their comrades.
Smoke and blood ignited the ferocity in every Orc's bones. Almost simultaneously, they all surged towards the thought form, like a dark, overwhelming tide.
The thought form was quickly surrounded, with enemies in every direction except for the wall behind him.
"They really think highly of me!" The thought form sneered, propping himself up with his longsword. The moment the Orcs charged, he took a deep breath, "Fire Dragon's Roar."
Boom!
Crimson flames engulfed the surrounding dark tide, leaving no blind spots.
Large numbers of Orcs let out screams one after another, some even turning to ash in the inferno before they could react.
In an instant, the area around the thought form became a death zone, surprising even himself.
If the Orcs had spread out, this move might not have had such an effect, killing at most a dozen.
But they chose to surround him, blocking the roar with their bodies from all directions and angles, which directly doubled his kill count.
The thought form looked at the terrified mass of Orcs in front of him, raised his longsword, and snorted coldly, "Those with guts, come forward."
His voice was not loud, but to the Orcs' ears, it was like thunder.
The leading Orc glared at him furiously, then decisively abandoned this section of the wall and broke into Riverrunfrom other directions.
There was no other way; the corpses on the ground already proved this man's ferocity.
Although their numbers were considerable, they could definitely wear him down if they fought head-on, but the cost was too high for them to bear.
Moreover, Azog's order was to capture Riverrun. One always picks the soft persimmon, so why should they gnaw on this hard bone? Wouldn't bullying the common folk inside be more enjoyable?
"Tch!"
The thought form curled his lips in disdain, but inwardly, he was somewhat relieved.
His magic energy was still sufficient, but his stamina was significantly depleted. If he continued fighting, he would have no choice but to flee.
Furthermore, a large number of Orcs had already entered Riverrun, so defending this spot or not made little difference.
Ah~
At this moment, the thought form suddenly heard a familiar shriek, and his brow furrowed.
"Tilda, Sigrid?"
These two names flashed through the thought form's mind, and he quickly used Apparition to the source of the sound.
A squad of Orcs charged out from the street, targeting a dozen elderly and weak individuals, among whom were Sigrid and Tilda.
"Petrify all of them."
Seven or eight red energy balls accurately struck the Orcsquad. Those hit by the spell stiffened and fell to the ground.
"Gaius." Sigrid immediately pulled her sister to the thought form, "It's so good to see you."
"Why are you here?" Aaron asked with concern, "Have all the other areas fallen?"
The two sisters exchanged glances and nodded with difficulty.
"The Orcs are coming from all directions. Only this small area of the old street is clear, but it's probably only a matter of time now," Sigrid said gravely, "Riverrun has fallen. We don't even have weapons; we can only flee in panic."
The thought form's eye twitched slightly. He had thought that defending half a wall would buy Bard time to organize the city, but it seemed he had underestimated the Orcs' attack power.
"Bain." Tilda clutched the thought form's hand and said anxiously, "Brother Gaius, Bain is still fighting Orcs to cover us. Please save him."
"I understand, I understand." The thought formimmediately said, "But I don't know this city at all; you'll have to lead the way for me."
The two sisters felt a little relieved. They led the thought form through an old street to the place where they had separated from their brother.
But upon arriving, the thought form was somewhat dumbfounded. If he hadn't seen the same look of bewilderment in the sisters' eyes, he would have suspected they intentionally led him there.
He didn't see Bain, but Bard, Gandalf, and Bilbo were all there. They were leading a squad of townsfolk in a chaotic battle against the Orcs.
"Dad, over here."
"We're here."
Sigrid and Tilda spotted Bard and shouted excitedly.
But the next moment, their mouths were covered by the thought form. "No, absolutely do not shout."
But it was too late. Several Orcs noticed them, and in addition, there were two Trolls several meters tall.
"Remember, don't shout in places that aren't safe from now on," the thought form said, feeling a bit weary.
The two sisters nodded profusely, tacitly hiding behind Aaron.
Just then, a figure suddenly rushed out of the alley. Bain, panting, blocked the way for the group. "I'll hold them off; you go first."
"I really want to praise you, but can you stop your hand from shaking when you say that?
Besides, with me here, it's not your turn to play the hero." The thought form said, then turned to look at Bard and the others who were still fighting, and reluctantly raised his magic wand.
"Expecto Patronum!"
The raven-shaped Patronus was summoned, letting out a clear cry.
The white shockwave knocked down all the Orcs within a few dozen meters, and even the two Trolls retreated steadily.
The raven spread its wings, flew to the Trolls, and slashed their throats with its claws. Several other Orcs also met the same fate.
Bard and the others also seized the opportunity when the Orcs were suppressed by magic, cleanly cutting them all down.
Seeing his three children safe, Bard breathed a sigh of relief, then ordered the others to go support the east wall first.
"Aaron, what took you so long!" Bilbo complained a little. If he had come earlier, they wouldn't have had such a hard fight.
"I was defending the west wall alone," the thought form said righteously, "I single-handedly held off hundreds of Orcs, otherwise the situation in the city would be even more chaotic."
"Gaius, can you still use that magic you just did?" Gandalfasked.
"What do you think?" The thought form rolled his eyes, "Do you think I can hold off an army with just one person and one sword without using magic?"
"Probably not."
"Definitely not, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now."
"By the way, shouldn't you give me an explanation about that Ice Dragon?"
"I just borrowed your reputation. The words of a respected Grey Wizard would certainly be more infectious and morale-boosting than those of an unknown nobody like me." The thought form looked at Gandalf meaningfully, "You… wouldn't mind, would you?"
Gandalf's face twitched, but no matter how great the grievance, he could only suppress it in his heart, gritting his teeth and forcing out a smile uglier than a cry. "I don't mind, I don't mind at all.
Bilbo, come on, let's go fight. I really want to kill someone right now."
"Gaius, I have a favor to ask you," Bard said seriously, "Help me gather the women and children and take them to the church."
"Me?" Aaron pointed to himself, saying with a wry smile, "You really know how to pick people. I don't know the way, and I don't know anyone, so how can I help you?"
Bard paused, then looked at his son. "Bain, even if the sky falls, you cannot come out. Can you do that?"
Bain nodded hesitantly, but Tilda grabbed Bard's hand. "We want to be with you."
"You should listen to your father," Alfred emerged from who knows where. "Leave this to me, sir."
With that, he individually pulled the three siblings aside, but when it came to Aaron, he sheepishly retracted his half-extended hand and flashed a fawning smile.
He had witnessed the magic just now. This young man might not be old, but he was definitely a big shot.
If the Orcs really won this war, as long as he clung to this man's leg, survival should not be an issue.
A hint of disdain flashed in the thought form's eyes. The other men in this city were either fighting or on their way to fight, but this one, aside from his slightly dirty clothes, was acting as if nothing had happened, showing how much he feared death.
"Alfred," Bard reminded him, "Only women and children can go. All men must fight. You must return."
"Alright, I'll move them first, sir.
I'll report back for duty after." Alfred said nervously, then turned and scurried away.
"Such a person is not to be trusted," the thought form said lightly.
"He is indeed cowardly, but he poses no threat to anyone," Bard said.
Just then, a large number of Orcs charged from the main street, and countless reinforcements scaled the walls to join the battle, making the human situation particularly critical.
Seeing this, Bard immediately raised the longsword in his hand and leaped into the street to advance and retreat with his people.
"Are you coming?"
"Hmm… I don't have much magic left, and I plan to go to the church to set up a defensive spell there."
"That's fine."
"But before that, I can help you clear a small obstacle.
Tell your people to stand back a bit; I won't be responsible for friendly fire."
The thought form said, walking to the center of the street, standing in the open space between the humans and the Orcs.
Bard immediately understood his meaning. "Everyone, don't counterattack for now. Retreat as much as possible."
The thought form shrugged. Fiery flames erupted from both his left and right hands. He brought his hands together, releasing a massive fireball.
"Fire Dragon's… Blazing Inferno."
Boom!
An explosion rang out, and more than half the street was instantly engulfed in flames. Both the street and the city walls were partially melted.
Dozens of Orcs and Trolls were either swallowed by the flames or crushed under the debris.
After unleashing his ultimate spell, the thought formignored the stunned onlookers, merely panting heavily and saying, "This is all I can do for now. After I set up the defensive magic at the church, if I still have any energy left, I will come back to help you."