Chapter 115: The Were-worm Attack

On the Lonely Mountain battlefield, the ancient enemies proved their bitter familiarity with each other's tactics. The Elven army and dwarven forces, despite thousands of years of mutual hostility, demonstrated remarkable coordination when facing their common foe. When the dwarves successfully repelled the first devastating wave of Orc attacks, the Elven soldiers moved forward with precise timing to reinforce their positions. Both armies cooperated seamlessly, rotating their defensive lines to maintain constant resistance against the overwhelming enemy numbers. Beorn, whose hatred for Orcs burned deeper than the roots of mountains, charged directly into the enemy ranks in his massive great bear form, engaging in absolutely frenzied slaughter. The bear's incredibly thick fur and naturally powerful defensive capabilities allowed him to completely ignore the Orcs' crude weapons. Wherever his enormous form passed, Orcs were crushed and swatted to death like bothersome insects. But the most spectacular sight on the entire battlefield was Smaug the dragon. Although the mighty creature remained temporarily grounded due to his injured wing, his attack power and destructive capabilities remained absolutely terrifying. His massive tail, hard as a siege engine's battering ram, swept through enemy ranks like Death's own scythe, harvesting the lives of dozens of surrounding Orcs with each devastating blow. Even more terrifying was the dragon's legendary fire. The scorching temperatures could melt even the hardest forged steel, making Orc flesh and bone utterly defenseless. Wherever the dragon fire reached, Orcs instantly turned to ash while the very earth beneath became a scorched, blackened wasteland. All Orcs refused to face the dragon directly, fleeing in absolute terror and causing massive chaos throughout their organized formations. Smaug seemed determined to vent all the accumulated humiliation of recent days, frantically breathing fire and attacking with savage intensity, using the Orc army as convenient outlets for his burning frustration. Meanwhile, high above the battlefield, Kael found himself engaged in aerial combat against countless giant bats. The monstrous bats numbered in the hundreds of thousands, completely blotting out the sun like a living storm cloud. Their primary purpose was blocking sunlight from reaching the ground below, allowing Sauron's Orc army to remain active during daylight hours. Dark creatures were naturally vulnerable to pure sunlight. Orcs felt uncomfortable pain when exposed to bright light, while trolls would transform directly into lifeless stone. So the Dark Lord had specially bred these giant bats to compensate for his army's critical weakness during daytime battles. The giant bats were enormous, easily capable of carrying off a full-grown man in their talons. If there had been only dozens, hundreds, or even thousands, Kael felt confident he could eliminate them with relative ease. But facing hundreds of thousands of the creatures, he simply couldn't destroy them all through conventional magical attacks. He could only maintain a powerful magical barrier around himself to deflect the giant bats attacking from every conceivable direction. Thousands upon thousands of bats swarmed around Kael in a dense, living sphere, encircling him so completely that not even a single ray of light could penetrate their mass. Even more troublesome, the bats demonstrated coordinated tactical intelligence, employing devastating sound attacks by emitting ultrasonic waves in perfect unison. One bat's ultrasonic assault wasn't particularly powerful, but thousands upon thousands combining their efforts created absolutely terrifying destructive force! Fortunately, sensing the approaching danger, Kael had immediately cast a comprehensive Silencing Charm around himself. Otherwise, he truly would have suffered serious injury from the sonic bombardment. "You think your pathetic screeching is impressive? Today I'll let you experience the legendary sound of Mandrakes!" Kael pulled a fully mature Mandrake from his enchanted storage bag, yanked the struggling plant from its protective pot, and extended it beyond the protective boundary of his Silencing Charm. The Mandrake, suddenly awakened from peaceful sleep, felt extremely resentful and aggrieved. It immediately opened its twisted mouth and released a deadly, ear-piercing cry that could kill ordinary humans instantly. "Sonorus!" Kael added a powerful voice amplification charm to maximize the plant's lethal potential. Instantly, a loud, piercing shriek rang out across the high sky with supernatural volume. Giant bats, like their smaller cousins, possessed extremely sensitive hearing and relied heavily on acoustic perception to judge direction and identify obstacles during flight. The Mandrake's magically enhanced cry proved absolutely devastating to their delicate sensory systems. Wherever the Mandrake's deadly wail reached, the giant bats froze mid-flight as if struck by lightning, their bodies instantly stiffening before plummeting rapidly toward the ground far below. Massive numbers of giant bats fell like black rain, even tearing open significant gaps in the artificial darkness that allowed precious sunlight to shine directly on the battlefield. The Orcs exposed to natural light immediately lost their fighting effectiveness, crying out in genuine agony as the rays burned their corrupted flesh. The trolls instantly transformed into stone, becoming enormous grey statues scattered across the mountainside. Countless falling giant bats struck the ground like dense artillery bombardment, crushing and seriously injuring Orcs unfortunate enough to be beneath their descent. Kael simply wielded the screaming Mandrake as an unconventional weapon, pursuing areas with the highest concentrations of giant bats. Vast swaths of the creatures continued falling from the sky, systematically tearing apart the unnatural darkness while causing devastating secondary damage to the Orc forces on the ground below. "Bring out the Morgul arrows immediately! Shoot him dead! Kill that cursed wizard in the sky!" Bolg roared in absolute terror and mounting rage, his commands echoing in the Black Speech across the mountainous battlefield. Following their commander's desperate orders, Orcs positioned on the surrounding peaks quickly set up rows of massive crossbow artillery. These specialized arrows bore dark runic inscriptions and emanated obvious dark magical auras that made the very air shimmer with malevolent power. They had clearly waited until Kael appeared to deploy these weapons, obviously preparing them specifically to counter his magical abilities. "Fire all arrows!" The Morgul arrows shot through the air in dense volleys toward Kael's position, leaving him virtually no space to dodge their coordinated assault. Seeing the incoming magical projectiles, Kael frowned with concern and quickly climbed higher to avoid their trajectory. These Morgul arrows carried powerful magic-disrupting enchantments that ordinary protective charms couldn't hope to block effectively. These Orcs had clearly invested tremendous resources specifically to eliminate him, firing so many expensive Morgul arrows simultaneously as though they cost absolutely nothing. With the constant threat of magic-piercing arrows, Kael temporarily couldn't approach the Orc command position safely. He immediately changed direction and flew straight toward Smaug's current battlefield location. Smaug was currently enjoying himself immensely, breathing fire in all directions with obvious satisfaction. Upon spotting Kael's approach, he instinctively prepared to exhale flames. But after realizing what he was doing, the dragon immediately closed his massive jaws in genuine terror. Only thick black smoke poured from his nostrils, causing him to choke on his own suppressed fire. The sight appeared somewhat comical despite the deadly circumstances. "Master, what are your commands?" Smaug asked with obvious guilt and obsequious submission. Kael paid no attention to his servant's earlier aggressive impulse, landing gracefully on the dragon's broad back and pointing toward the Orc command camp positioned on a distant peak. "Bolg is hiding there like a coward. Use your dragon fire to incinerate him for me." "Your will is my absolute direction, Master!" Smaug declared, then carried Kael, charging directly toward the distant mountainous position with thunderous determination. Smaug's natural scales possessed incredibly powerful defensive capabilities. Even the magic-piercing Morgul arrows couldn't penetrate his ancient hide. With Smaug serving as the ultimate living shield, Kael didn't need to worry about enemy projectiles. The Morgul arrows couldn't reach him, and they rapidly approached Bolg's fortified hiding place. "Sir, that accursed dragon is charging directly toward us!" An Orc herald cried out in absolute terror, his voice cracking with fear. The surrounding Orcs fell into complete panic at the approaching threat. If not for their overwhelming awe of Bolg's brutal authority, they would have fled in terror long before now. Bolg's eyes flashed with obvious panic and growing fear, but then his expression twisted with vicious desperation. "Deploy the were-worms against the dragon immediately! Once we drag that beast underground, it will pose no threat whatsoever!" Kael rode the dragon forward like an unstoppable force, steamrolling through enemy positions and crushing all blocking Orcs into bloody pulp. Just as they approached Bolg's fortified location, the ground suddenly began shaking violently. Then a massive were-worm burst explosively from underground, its rows of sharp, densely packed fangs biting down on one of Smaug's powerful legs, attempting to drag the entire dragon into its subterranean domain. Smaug cried out in genuine pain and immediately bit down savagely on the were-worm's armored head, trying to pull the creature completely from the ground through brute force. But the were-worm seemed deeply rooted in the underground tunnel system. No matter how violently Smaug bit, tore, and dragged, the creature wouldn't be dislodged. It continued biting Smaug's leg with incredible tenacity, steadily trying to drag him into the underground passage it had excavated. "Crucio!" Seeing this dangerous development, Kael attacked the were-worm directly with the Torture Curse. The massive creature immediately screamed in agony, its enormous form writhing constantly while emitting low, pained hisses that echoed across the battlefield. Smaug seized this perfect opportunity to pull backward with all his considerable strength, and a were-worm approximately 100 meters long and 75 meters wide emerged completely onto the surface. The were-worm possessed a uniquely terrifying appearance. Its body was perfectly cylindrical, covered with rough, incredibly hard shell plating, and its overall coloration was dark brown, closely resembling rich soil. Its head was massive and completely flat, bearing no visible eyes whatsoever. Only a circular arrangement of razor-sharp mouthparts dominated its front. These cutting implements were densely arranged like mechanical saw teeth, clearly capable of easily crushing solid stone and packed earth to excavate tunnel networks. The were-worm, suddenly exposed to open air after being forcibly extracted, appeared extremely uncomfortable and immediately attempted to burrow back underground to safety. Smaug was thoroughly displeased with this worm that had dared ambush him and naturally wouldn't allow it any chance to escape back into its subterranean refuge. He immediately breathed scorching dragon fire directly at the were-worm, giving it a thorough roasting with supernatural flames. The were-worm released painful, low moans while its massive body rolled and twisted constantly, desperately trying to extinguish the clinging dragon fire. The ground shook continuously from this enormous commotion, and countless Orcs were caught in the chaotic destruction. But dragon fire couldn't be easily extinguished through conventional means. Soon, an unpleasant but distinctive meaty aroma filled the mountain air. "Smaug, don't become careless! There are definitely more were-worms lurking underground!" Kael warned seriously from his position on the dragon's back. He remembered clearly that multiple were-worms had excavated the tunnel system, not just a single creature. Sure enough, within moments, two more were-worms of similar intimidating size suddenly burst from the ground in a coordinated ambush. Smaug reacted with lightning reflexes, dodging one were-worm that snapped viciously at his neck while breathing scorching flames directly at its exposed head. The attacked creature cried out in pain and quickly retreated underground to avoid further punishment. But the second were-worm successfully bit Smaug's powerful tail, forcefully attempting to drag it into a newly excavated underground tunnel. "Avada Kedavra!" Kael cast the Killing Curse with perfect precision, striking the were-worm directly. The massive creature instantly stiffened, released Smaug's tail, and collapsed lifeless on the ground. Kael felt genuine delight at this success. This represented his first successful kill using the Killing Curse. Not an easy accomplishment at all! The third time truly was the charm. After his first two failed attempts with the Unforgivable Curse, he had lost considerable confidence in its effectiveness. Now he had finally achieved his first confirmed kill with the legendary spell. Having eliminated two were-worms, the remaining creature seemed genuinely frightened and didn't emerge from underground to attempt further ambushes. But Kael refused to lower his guard completely. Were-worms were absolute kings in their underground domain. If Smaug was successfully dragged below ground, the outcome of any battle remained highly uncertain. The next second, the ground began shaking once again. Just when Kael expected the surviving were-worm to launch another ambush, contrary to his tactical expectations, the creature's actual target was the two dead were-worms. It quickly dragged both massive corpses underground, leaving only two bottomless giant caverns before falling completely silent. Witnessing this unexpected behavior, Kael and Smaug chose to ignore the scavenger and continued their devastating advance toward Bolg's fortified position. The were-worms' defeat dramatically reduced the Orc army's morale. All Orcs who witnessed Smaug and Kael's approach scattered and fled in absolute terror. "Lord Bolg, the were-worms cannot stop that dragon and wizard at all! We're completely outmatched by their power! We must retreat immediately!" The Orc herald spoke in obvious terror, his eyes filled with genuine fear of the approaching destruction. Bolg's already ugly face became even more unsightly with rage. The massive mace in his hand instantly crushed the herald's skull like a ripe fruit. Then he took a deep, shuddering breath and commanded with desperate finality. "All forces retreat into the tunnel system!" [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? Check out my Patreon for: ✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories ✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics ✓ Early access content [email protected]/meowthtl ???? Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter! Thanks for reading and supporting the story! Want more? Check out my other stories!