Chapter 260: Sauron Lunges at George; the Thunder Giant Appears in the Canyon
The guardian spirit panda turned into a flash of white light and flew in front of Finrod, who was riding a moose at full speed:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, please stop, there's an ambush ahead!"
"Stop!"
Seeing a glowing white panda blocking his path, Finrod immediately reined in his moose. The elven army behind him followed suit and came to a halt.
"What are you? What do you mean there's an ambush ahead?"
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I am the human Ewan George of the House of Bëor. Morgoth's army is currently attacking Hithlum. I've come at the command of the Second and Third Princes to deliver a message.
Sauron has already set an ambush with his orc army up ahead. Please don't proceed any further."
George transmitted his message through the panda.
The guardian spirit could not only repel dark creatures but also assist in long-distance communication.
"A human from the House of Bëor?"
Finrod looked suspiciously at the glowing panda in front of him.
He had personally led the House of Bëor to settle in the territories of his younger brothers, and they didn't look anything like a glowing panda.
"Oh, this is a kind of message-conveying magic I'm using. My real body is in the air, preparing to release a large-scale lightning spell.
Once the spell lands, those orcs will be exposed and unable to hide. Then you can advance and wipe them out!"
Seeing Finrod's doubts through the panda, George quickly explained.
Meanwhile, Finrod saw the dark clouds forming above the canyon and the unusual lightning flickering within them. He began to believe George's words somewhat and nodded.
He could sense that the energy emanating from the panda was of a light nature—something Morgoth's minions definitely couldn't possess.
Besides, it wouldn't hurt to wait a moment. If Sauron truly had an army of orcs lying in ambush in the canyon, charging in headfirst would be extremely dangerous.
"Ready the bows!"
With a command, all the elves immediately pulled down their exquisitely crafted longbows and drew their enchanted elven arrows, waiting in formation.
Elves were born master archers, especially the Light Elves. Even the thick scales and hide of the dragon Glaurung dared not withstand a volley from the Light Elf army.
"They're coming!"
As the panda finished speaking, George's ancient incantation finally took form after six minutes. Countless bolts of lightning rained down like a storm upon the group of orcs below.
There were so many orcs packed together that he didn't even need to aim.
"Aaargh!"
As the lightning rained down, the canyon was immediately filled with the screams of orcs.
Upon hearing the orcs' screams from the canyon, Finrod had no doubt George was telling the truth and gave the order:
"Target the canyon—fire!"
All the elves rapidly nocked their arrows and released the first wave of arrow rain. Even before the first wave had landed, the second was already in the air, followed closely by the third.
Drawing and shooting arrows wasn't an easy task. It required not only precision but also considerable strength.
In ordinary battles, archers would take turns firing in waves to allow rest and prevent exhaustion.
But these Light Elves were simply extraordinary. They didn't need to rotate—each one was firing arrows like a machine gun. The first volley hadn't even landed yet, and the eighth was already in flight.
Two thousand elves shot sixteen thousand arrows in one breath. No wonder Morgoth's massive orc army had been besieged by the Light Elves around Angband for centuries.
Once battle broke out, orcs would lose at least half their number just trying to reach the elven lines.
And the Light Elves weren't weak in close combat either. Once engaged in melee, they were equally formidable. Warriors on the level of Fëanor and Fingolfin could even go a few rounds with Morgoth himself and solo kill a Balrog with ease.
George suspected that if not for Sauron's ambush, Finrod's elven army—even if they couldn't win outright—would still be able to retreat and defend without much trouble.
As the rain of arrows continued to fall, the screams of orcs in the canyon grew louder.
George's lightning only served to paralyze the orcs—it wasn't lethal. But the enchanted arrows of the Light Elves pierced straight through, leaving nothing but death in their wake.
"Charge! Charge now!"
Sauron's dark power erupted from within him, repelling the lightning and arrows. Watching countless orcs fall, his face turned livid with rage.
He had planned a surprise ambush, but ended up being ambushed himself.
If they didn't break through and escape this lightning-struck zone and engage the elves in close combat, his orc army would soon be entirely wiped out.
The horn of battle sounded, and the dense orc army surged out of the canyon, launching an assault on the elves.
Seeing the orcs charge, Finrod drew his elven longsword and led the charge on his moose.
The Light Elves behind him gracefully slung their bows back and likewise drew their longswords, closely following their prince.
The two sides clashed—like a meat grinder, flesh and blood flying as the brutal battle began.
"Let's see who's behind this trickery."
Sauron did not join the battlefield. Instead, he raised a hand and pressed it to his brow.
"Open Eye!"
A smaller version of the horizontal Eye of Sauron appeared on his forehead.
"A mere human dares meddle in my affairs? Seeking death."
Realizing it was a human in the air casting lightning magic, Sauron flew into a rage. He drew the black sword from his waist and shot straight toward George.
Though humans were the Second Race created by Eru Ilúvatar, compared to elves they were utterly insignificant—in Sauron's eyes, even less than orcs. They were mere ants.
That such an ant had disrupted his plans—how could he not be furious?
"So this is Sauron? Not quite like in the movies."
George had naturally noticed Sauron rushing toward him.
At this point, Sauron had yet to forge the Rings of Power and was far from his Second Age peak, but his looks remained. He was even more handsome than most elves, surpassing even the Second and Third Princes George had seen.
"Railgun!"
George didn't hold back and immediately fired a railgun blast at him.
But Sauron, one of the mightiest of the Maiar, easily sliced the railgun shot in two with a swing of his black sword.
"Not going to be easy!"
After cutting the railgun, Sauron didn't slow down and was about to reach George.
George had no intention of engaging in close combat with such a terrifying being. One mistake and he could be instantly killed.
"Blink!"
He teleported directly to the ground, activating his electromagnetic power.
"Thunder Giant!"
The sand, stones, and metal on the ground rapidly transformed into a thunder giant several dozen meters tall under the influence of his electromagnetic power.
"Thunder Infusion."
The lightning in the clouds above stopped targeting the orcs, who had already moved out of range, and surged into the thunder giant's body.
The thunder giant's size rapidly expanded from a few dozen meters to over two hundred.
With a single step, it crushed a swath of orcs. George then had the thunder giant raise its hand and point toward the airborne Sauron.
"Take this—Ultimate Railgun!"
(End of Chapter)