Chapter 53: The Battle of Dol Guldur

Dol Guldur, a strange and abandoned fortress; in the Second Age, this place was still called Amon Lanc, meaning "Naked Hill," because no trees grew on this hill at all.

At that time, the forest surrounding Dol Guldur was still the home of the Woodland Elves, who looked across the river at their kin living in Lothlorien.

The Sindar from Lindon, the father of Thranduil, the grandfather of Legolas, the then King of the Woodland Realm Oropher, ruled here.

Because the dark power entrenched in Mordor rose too rapidly, Oropher worried about the safety of his people and had to move away from here.

And now, Dol Guldur has been occupied by Sauron; in the past, apart from the minions serving him, even the lively birds were unwilling to stay here for long.

And today, a coalition army composed of Humans and Elves, numbering over two thousand, approached this ancient fortress and openly launched a challenge against Sauron.

And now, this army belonging to the forces of good, under the leadership of Lady Galadriel, is confronting a force of Uruk Orcish on the open ground near Dol Guldur.

It turned out that after Azog led the majority of Dol Guldur's forces north to the Lonely Mountain, the members of the White Council unanimously agreed that the time for a decisive battle had arrived.

With Lady Galadriel as the supreme Commander, leading the members of the White Council and the allies they invited, they crossed the Anduin River and arrived near Dol Guldur.

This immediately caught Sauron's attention.

At this moment, the Dark Lord finally realized that while he was scheming against others, someone was likewise scheming against him.

Facing such a dangerous situation, the insidious and cunning Sauron knew that recalling Azog's troops was no longer a realistic idea.

But the Dark Lord was not afraid of the White Council's attack.

Because a long time ago, this Dark Lord had already prepared a retreat for himself in Mordor in the east.

That was his true base, the place he had painstakingly managed; the fortress of Dol Guldur, located in Mirkwood, was merely a sub-base to distract Galadriel.

Now, the White Council had arrived at the city gates; Sauron did not want to show weakness to them, but instead sent out all the forces in his hand to face his enemies head-on.

Thinking back to those years, Sauron's army was beaten soundly by the Numenoreans at their peak, and he himself was even captured and taken to Numenor, becoming a prisoner.

He was not afraid even then; it only took him a little time to bewitch the king there, making most of the Numenoreans become followers of Morgoth, and Sauron even incited them to brazenly launch an attack on Valinor.

He was not afraid then, and the few great enemies before his door now were not enough to make him slink back to Mordor in disgrace.

He had also never thought of relying on Orcish to hold the line; not to mention that this fortress had been abandoned for a long time and lacked the walls and supplies for defense.

Even if he had everything, Sauron would not show a weak posture before these enemies; he was still the strongest here, the Dark Lord of this age.

This Dark Lord hiding in Dol Guldur, no matter how arrogant he was in his heart, did not show himself at this moment.

Instead, he sent out thousands of Uruk, and even had his most terrifying servants, the nine Nazgul, lead them.

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But these forces, which he considered very strong, did not bring much trouble to the White Council's coalition.

Because Sauron did not know just how powerful the force he was facing at this moment truly was.

At the very beginning of the battle, Glorfindel, the Lord of the Golden Flower invited by Lord Elrond, made his move.

This Noldor Elf possessed strength comparable to a Maia; his appearance was handsome, his posture upright, and his golden hair shone brilliantly under the sun.

Standing behind Elrond, he saw that all the enemies had appeared, then took two steps forward and arrived at the side of the Noldor Princess.

Before the beautiful Lady Galadriel, Glorfindel respectfully lowered his head and asked: "Princess, may I be the first to strike and deal with those dark minions?"

Lady Galadriel, whose whole body seemed to radiate a faint, soft light, smiled as she looked at the outstanding Elf of the Noldor and nodded, saying: "There is no need for such courtesy, Glorfindel, messenger of the Valar; you may act according to your own will."

Having received Lady Galadriel's permission, the Lord of the Golden Flower raised his head and walked toward the Orcish troops.

This legendary Elf walked slowly out of the coalition's ranks; his figure seemed to become increasingly tall at this moment, and his handsome face was full of nobility.

After taking two or three more steps, the Elf's entire body began to radiate a rich white light; that light grew brighter as he walked, beginning to shine toward the Orcish army.

In an instant, the Nazgul standing at the very front of the Orcish army were bathed in this white light; having no physical form, they had already begun to tremble upon seeing Glorfindel.

Now, even though they wore Cloaks, they roared in pain under the illumination of this intense white light; slowly, they seemed to turn into a wisp of blue smoke, fleeing in a panic back to the side of their master, Sauron.

And the thousands of Uruk, having lost their command, felt the weapons in their hands growing heavier and their breathing becoming more difficult; the closer the Uruk were to Glorfindel, the more intense this feeling became.

They also bore the Dark Magic from Sauron; although this magic could not counteract the power released at full strength by the Lord of the Golden Flower, it could fill the hearts of the Uruk with rage and leave them without fear.

The Uruk, already restless under the Dark Magic, finally could not endure it after feeling their strength being sapped; roaring, they charged down from the hillside, sprinting toward the coalition of Humans and Elves.

The first to greet them were volleys of arrows; the Elves and Dunedain Rangers, with their sharp eyes and exquisite marksmanship, wantonly claimed the lives of the Uruk, tearing the Uruk formation to shreds in a short amount of time.

As the Uruk formation drew near, Lord Elrond drew his shining sword, the Elven runes upon it appearing to flicker like firelight.

"Ready weapons."

Following Lord Elrond's shout, the warriors behind him also drew their weapons one after another, following Lord Elrond as they charged toward the enemy troops.

The White Council coalition, wearing elite armor, collided fiercely with the sprinting Uruk under the leadership of Lord Elrond.

At the moment of contact, the Uruk ranks suffered massive casualties.

Under the illumination of the white light, the White Council coalition felt as if endless power had erupted within their bodies, and their hearts were filled with fearlessness.

Rapidly approaching the Uruk, they did not care about the attacks of these enemies, but instead swung the weapons in their hands, hacking fiercely at the enemies' vital points; the enemies who were struck fell to the ground one after another.

At this time, the Uruk were very weak; having reached the coalition, they relied on the rage in their hearts to crazily smash their weapons at the Humans and Elves before them.

Even though they tried their best, pounding on the enemies' armor, they only made clanging sounds, leaving shallow marks on the fine armor, unable to harm the protected Humans and Elves at all.

And the White Council coalition did not pause in the slightest, continuously hacking and killing the Uruk blocking their path, charging forward without a moment's rest; under their charge, the enemies before them suffered heavy casualties, completely unable to stop the slaughter by the Humans and Elves.

Just like that, the coalition of Humans and Elves pierced through the Uruk formation all the way, like a white light stabbing into the darkness, killing and repelling all the Orcish that stood in their path.

At this time, Sauron no longer paid attention to this battle, which had no suspense; he used more of his power to restore his servants, the nine Nazgul who had been dispersed by Glorfindel.

And as the effects of the Dark Magic weakened, even the well-disciplined Uruk became afraid and retreated under the unstoppable attacks of the coalition.

These Orcish who had not been killed plunged into the vast Mirkwood in fear, fleeing in a panic, as if by doing so, they could save their lives.

This battle, which served as a prelude, ended very quickly.

The ordinary soldiers of the White Council coalition divided into small squads, following the traces of the fleeing Orcish and pursuing them into the depths of Mirkwood.

As for Lady Galadriel, Gandalf, Saruman, Lord Elrond, Glorfindel, and Radagast.

These top combatants of the White Council coalition, most of whom had not participated in the duel just now, drew their own weapons and stepped together onto the small path in front of Dol Guldur.

In the oppressive and eerie environment, they continued to advance toward the interior of the ancient fortress; even the sunlight was unwilling to shine upon this strange, ancient fortress.

And the darkness spreading throughout the fortress was also suppressing their power and wearing down their spirits.

At this moment, Lady Galadriel, located at the center of the group, began to radiate an even brighter light; this light made the people around her feel at ease and comfortable, and they quickly shook off the influence of the darkness and continued to explore forward.

Gandalf, located at the very front of the group, held his staff in his left hand and Gramdring in his right; the white-haired old man was murmuring to himself, casting a spell.

"Darkness that hides here, I command you to come forth at once, I command you to reveal yourself at once."

The spell cast by Gandalf possessed an extraordinary effect; as these white lights spread, it allowed this Wizard and his companions to see the traces of the dark power.

The members of the White Council continued to advance amidst the sound of Gandalf's spell, searching for the great enemy hidden within the ancient fortress.

And just at this moment, the nine Nazgul who had been forced back by Glorfindel flashed their forms out from the void once again.

They returned to their master's side, and with the help of the Dark Lord, they were even more powerful now, to the point of no longer fearing Glorfindel.

The goal of the nine Nazgul was very clear; under their master's command, they brandished the weapons in their hands, which contained venomous power, and attacked Lady Galadriel, who was radiating a faint glimmer.

At this time, Gandalf, Saruman, Lord Elrond, Glorfindel, and Radagast all brandished the weapons in their hands, intercepted the rushing Nazgul, and became locked in combat with them.

Even though these nine Nazgul had their power enhanced by their master, they were still unable to break through the interception of the White Council members.

Under the protection of Gandalf and the others, these servants of dark power could not get within half a step of Lady Galadriel.

Instead, during their attacks, they were repelled several times by the members of the White Council, and after their power was worn down, they fled back into the void.

"Boom—"

Amidst the deafening sound, the nine Nazgul appeared from the void once again; the difference was that behind them appeared a black figure standing amidst flames.

That black figure was so dark and so evil that just by standing there, the darkness radiating from his body caused these top figures of the side of good to fall into a state of confinement.

Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and Lord Elrond looked at the Sauron before them with grave expressions; their bodies in the darkness were gradually losing strength, which left them unable to move.

Especially Saruman, whose eyes contained a mixture of fear, envy, and jealousy; it is unknown what this White Wizard was thinking in his heart.

Glorfindel, who had almost exhausted his strength, looked at the great enemy before him; although he still had a tiny bit of remaining strength, it was not enough to repel the darkness.

This evil figure laughed out loud as he looked at the people who could not move, seemingly mocking their overestimation of their own abilities; clusters of black smoke rose from behind him, gradually enveloping the group.

Facing such a critical moment, Lady Galadriel, radiating a faint light, stood out; she held a crystal phial tightly in her hand, which contained a brilliant light—that was the light of Earendil's Star, a light that came from the Silmaril and from the Two Trees.

The Lady raised the crystal phial, and having raised the phial, she was no longer in her faintly glowing state.

Her current image was both terrifying and beautiful; her whole body was filled with light, yet her form seemed to be plunged into dimness.

That brilliant light cleared away the nine Nazgul before Sauron in an instant, constantly suppressing Sauron's power.

With the help of this power, the others finally broke free from Sauron's suppression.

Lady Galadriel's soul-shaking words also echoed in this place.

"You have no power here!"

"Servant of Morgoth, you have no name, no face, no form."

"Return to the void to which you belong!"

Following Lady Galadriel's words and her step-by-step approach, Sauron, after letting out a painful roar, still slunk away toward the east.

Lady Galadriel also exhausted her own strength in the confrontation with Sauron and was barely standing; Lord Elrond hurried to support his mother-in-law.

Following Sauron's escape.

The battle of Dol Guldur finally ended; Mirkwood could at least enjoy ten years of stability after this battle.

After the battle ended, Gandalf set off alone on the road to the Lonely Mountain; his companions who had embarked on the expedition with him were still there, and he could not abandon them.

After clearing out the remaining enemies in Mirkwood, Lord Elrond took a coalition army of less than two thousand the next day and likewise marched toward the north, preparing to support the Lonely Mountain.

Anyone determined to resist the darkness could not stand by and watch the Orcish under Sauron's command occupy the Lonely Mountain.

Glorfindel accompanied Lady Galadriel back to Lothlorien; these two Light Elves had consumed too much power in this battle and were no longer fit to join the fighting again.

Following them was Thrain II, who was already on the verge of death; Gandalf had discovered him in the dungeons of Dol Guldur.

Saruman returned to Isengard with his people; he promised to bring the news of Sauron's appearance to Gondor and to assist Gondor and Rohan in resisting the darkness, yet in reality, he had already fallen into confusion at this time.

The Brown Wizard Radagast, following Gandalf's suggestion, hurried toward the Misty Mountains; he prepared to head there to seek the help of the Great Eagles.

Soon, everyone would gather at the Kingdom of Erebor.