Chapter 84: Dol Guldur

Dol Guldur was located at the southern end of Mirkwood, originally a long-abandoned fortress stronghold. But ever since the mysterious Necromancer had occupied this place, a powerful dark force shrouded the entire area, with Orcs, wraiths, giant spiders, and other dark creatures haunting the vicinity. It had become a veritable den of evil that no one dared approach. On this day, five figures... Kael, Gandalf, Radagast, Elrond, and Glorfindel... quietly arrived at Dol Guldur, avoiding the dense swarms of Orcs outside the fortress and infiltrating the interior of the fortress castle. All five had Disillusionment Charms cast by Kael, so they encountered no major obstacles along the way. But the closer they got to the ancient castle, the stronger the dark force became, making everyone's expressions increasingly grave. "It seems we have been deceived all along," Elrond said, clad in armor and drawing the Elven sword from his waist, his expression both alert and solemn. "The Enemy of Darkness has returned once more." Glorfindel also drew a magnificent longsword whose blade was covered with wave-like golden patterns, instantly transforming from an elegant Elven noble into a warrior radiating battle intent. Kael, Gandalf, and Radagast also raised their respective wands and staffs, vigilantly surveying their surroundings for dangers that could appear at any moment. The five entered the interior of the ancient castle, looking around at the completely empty surroundings without daring to relax in the slightest. Gandalf was the first to act, striking the ground heavily with his staff and chanting an incantation. "Evil hidden in this place, I command you to reveal yourself!" As the detecting magical aura spread in all directions, the surrounding environment remained unchanged. It seemed to truly be just an abandoned fortress castle. But none of those present were fools who would be deceived by such illusions. Instead, they became even more vigilant. After all, being able to conceal from Gandalf's detection magic only proved that the enemy hiding in the shadows was even more powerful. Gandalf didn't give up, continuing to use magic detection spells, trying to force out whoever was hiding in the darkness. Suddenly, the surroundings instantly became cold and dim. A force filled with cold and fear struck them, bringing heavy, oppressive pressure that made breathing feel suffocating. Nine armored undead appeared from the void, like shadows of nothingness, with complete darkness inside their armor, wielding Morgul blades and emanating powerful dark auras. They were the Nazgûl... the Ringwraiths! The Ringwraiths had originally been nine of the most powerful human kings, to whom Sauron in the Second Age, disguised as the gift-giving lord Annatar, had given nine rings infused with his dark power. The rings granted them near-immortal lifespans, but they were also gradually corrupted and fallen by the dark power within the rings, ultimately losing themselves and becoming servants of the Dark Lord Sauron, controlled by him. The nine Nazgûl surrounded the group from all directions, dark curses like the speech of the dead echoing in everyone's ears, trying to erode their minds. "You should never have awakened!" Elrond said with full authority, his Elven sword releasing powerful radiance. Glorfindel's entire body radiated dazzling holy light. Having bathed in the light of the Two Trees, the radiance around him stood in opposition to the surrounding darkness. "Servants of Mordor, this is not your domain. You should return to the shadow realm!" The Nazgûl were driven back by Glorfindel's radiance, but as if they had confidence, they charged forward again, surrounding and attacking everyone. Gandalf, Elrond, Radagast, and Glorfindel each faced two Nazgûl. The remaining Witch-king of Angmar, leader of the Nazgûl, chose Kael as his target. "We meet again, young wizard. This time you cannot escape your doom." Sharp, low speech of the dead emanated from the hollow, dark helmet. Kael faced this great enemy without wasting words, waving his wand. "Reducto!" The brilliant spell passed through the Witch-king of Angmar's phantom body as if it were just an illusory shadow. The Witch-king of Angmar let out a low, satisfied laugh. "Wizard, your spells are useless against me." He then raised his Morgul blade and swiftly slashed toward Kael. "Expecto Patronum!" Silver-white mist filled with holiness and light gushed from the wand tip, condensing into a massive owl that spread its wings, extended its sharp talons, and attacked the Witch-king of Angmar. The owl Patronus was incredibly fast and agile, dodging the Morgul blade and viciously clawing at the Witch-king's shoulder. With a sharp, piercing scream, the Witch-king's shoulder was torn with an obvious wound. The white magic Patronus was naturally the nemesis of dark forces, and the light-filled magical power eroded the wound, causing him pain. The owl Patronus didn't stop its movements, continuing to attack the Witch-king of Angmar and leaving more wounds on his body. Wisps of black energy dissipated from the wounds, continuously weakening the Witch-king's power. But as the leader of the Nazgûl, the Witch-king of Angmar was naturally not so easily defeated. Before the owl Patronus could leave too many more wounds on the Witch-king, a Morgul blade filled with evil cursed power pierced through the owl Patronus. The owl Patronus let out a mournful cry and dissolved into silver mist. The Witch-king's hollow gaze fell directly on Kael. "Wizard, I will pierce your heart with my Morgul blade and transform you into my servant Nazgûl!" With his Patronus destroyed, Kael's face was somewhat pale, but facing the aggressively approaching Witch-king of Angmar, he showed no fear or panic. As his wand waved, golden musical notes flew out, playing cheerful music. This music filled with positive emotions was inspiring and exhilarating beautiful fairy music to Kael's side. But to the Nazgûl, it was an uncomfortable noise that would disrupt their thinking and consciousness and weaken their power. In an instant, the tide of battle turned. Gandalf and the others quickly gained the upper hand, pressing the Nazgûl hard. "Expecto Patronum!" Kael cast the Patronus Charm once again. An owl Patronus much larger than before, almost comparable in size to a giant eagle, burst from his wand. The owl Patronus spread its massive wings, silver light flowing as its feathers moved. It extended its sharp giant talons, struck away the Morgul blade with one claw, and then firmly grasped the Witch-king of Angmar, grappling with him in mid-air. The giant owl Patronus was connected to Kael's mind. It grabbed the Witch-king of Angmar and flew toward Kael, where a silver-white spear with a spearpoint flickering with snow-bright light awaited. Kael wielded the divine spear Aeglos, and with the Patronus's assistance, the divine spear directly pierced through the Witch-king of Angmar's hollow, dark body. The divine spear contained tremendous destructive power, instantly tearing apart the Witch-king's spirit form and making him vanish into smoke. Having defeated his opponent, Kael took a deep breath. Seeing the others still fighting the Nazgûl, he quickly controlled his Patronus to attack the other Nazgûl, lending his companions a helping hand. Soon, everyone had defeated the Nazgûl one by one. But feeling that the surrounding dark power hadn't weakened in the slightest, everyone's expressions became even more vigilant and grave. Now that the servants had been dealt with, next they would face their master! 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