The Ring of Power on Kael's finger blazed with light, forming a sturdy shield that protected him along with the Dunlending warriors and Rohan cavalry behind him.
While using the Ring to resist the frost dragon's icy breath, Kael asked, puzzled, "Why did you return?"
Seeing Kael fiercely protecting them, Dunlending chief Brog looked apologetic and uneasy, "Lord Kael, we defeated Mordor's army at the Entwash crossing. Seeing dragons heading toward Isengard, we returned to support. King Théngel also led half the cavalry here... Have we become a burden to you?"
Previously, Brog had not thought so much, only wanting to rush back at all costs to aid Isengard in danger as loyal subjects.
But reality dealt a harsh blow—they could not harm even the weakest evil dragons, let alone the frost dragon and Saruman.
Instead, they needed Kael's protection.
This made Brog feel that rather than helping their lord, they had become trouble.
But Kael thought otherwise—he was deeply moved that Dunlendings and King Théngel came risking danger to aid him, and these reinforcements were far from useless.
After all, even the smallest force can turn the tide when properly equipped, especially nearly ten thousand well-armed elite warriors.
Kael handed Brog a golden bow and pulled out a quiver from his space pouch.
"This golden bow never misses. The quiver holds hundreds of mithril arrows capable of piercing dragon scales. Use them against our enemies."
These mithril arrows were replicas of three silver arrows gifted by Blue Wizard Pallando—powerful piercing arrows inscribed by Kael with explosive runic magic.
The original three had been used in previous battles—one blew Saruman away, one killed a Nazgûl's dragon, and another was frozen by the frost dragon's icy breath.
Brog caught the bow and full quiver in surprise, flattered by the gift.
Kael then presented a white horn to King Théngel, "King Théngel, thank you for coming to aid us. This is the Horn of Victory. Blow it to inspire our morale and instill fear in the enemy. Use it to disrupt them soon."
King Théngel accepted it solemnly, nodding. He knew with their strength they could not intervene heavily in the battle but could assist from the sidelines.
Kael then summoned Fiendfyre with a wave, flames suddenly roaring and spreading, startling the warriors, who feared burning.
But soon they realized the Fiendfyre caused no harm, not even warmth.
"Dunlendings and Rohirrim warriors, this fire will protect you and burn our enemies. Ignite your arrows in the flame and shoot them at our foes!" Kael's voice echoed in each warrior's ear.
Dunlendings and Rohirrim, puzzled at the ghostly blue flames, obediently held arrow tips into the flames. They watched in astonishment as the fire instantly spread over the shafts, transforming them into blazing fire arrows.
Yet no one felt burning pain holding these arrows.
King Théngel blew the Horn of Victory with all his strength—its sound roused all dazed warriors into courage and hope.
Facing the terrifying frost dragon and others, fear vanished, replaced only by fierce fighting will.
At the horn's command, all archers nocked fire arrows, releasing flaming shafts at the frost dragon, evil dragons, Saruman, and the Nazgûl.
Even the frost dragon took these arrows seriously, sensing threat, spewing frost breath to extinguish them.
The frost dragon's icy breath could freeze everything—volcanoes too, let alone ordinary flames.
But Fiendfyre was no ordinary flame—it was a destructive fire that could burn all things. The two forces clashed violently, neither flames nor chill extinguishing the other.
Yet the frost dragon won through sheer power, holding Fiendfyre at bay.
Other evil dragons lacked such strength. Though the arrows could not pierce their scales, once struck, they combusted instantly, flames rapidly engulfing their bodies.
They screamed in pain, some diving into the nearby Isen River trying to douse the fire, but to no avail.
Many evil dragons were burned to death by Fiendfyre. Even Nazgûl's mounts were not spared.
As King Théngel kept blowing the horn, frustrating Saruman and Nazgûl, Dunlending chief Brog swiftly shot continuous mithril arrows from Kael's golden bow at Nazgûl mounts.
Mithril arrows cut through the air—some exploding when blocked by Nazgûl, sending both Nazgûl and dragons flying.
Brog's archery was superb, and with a bow that never missed, his arrows blinded and blew apart evil dragons.
Under the storm of Fiendfyre and Brog's arrows, Mordor's dragon numbers dwindled rapidly.
Nazgûl and Saruman were forced on defense, desperately evading Fiendfyre arrows.
The battlefield's tide reversed.
Kael smiled as victory tilted toward his side.
Who said ordinary humans were useless?
Kael alone could never have achieved such a result.
Mordor's side—
Saruman watched his dragon army rapidly shrink with risk of annihilation, feeling both pain and fury.
He sought to summon lightning and storms to destroy the human soldiers, but Smaug constantly targeted him, breathing fire in sneak attacks without allowing close approaches.
King Théngel kept blowing the Horn of Victory relentlessly, aggravating Saruman's mood and inducing pounding headaches.
Dunlending chief Brog, once swayed by Saruman, now fixed him with continuous distant mithril arrow fire, frequently interrupting his spells.
The frost dragon growled in fury seeing the situation, especially shocked and murderous about the massive losses caused by those lowly "ants" he had disregarded.
"Kael! Since you care so much about these human ants? Then watch as I kill them all!"
He soared upward through thick dark clouds, radiating intense cold while chanting draconic magic.
Kael watched the brewing clouds tensely, as if fearing something terrible was forming within.
Suddenly, hailstones several feet in diameter began plummeting like meteorites.
Everyone gasped, faces pale with shock.
"Protego Maxima!" Kael cast a massive shielding spell.
A giant protective dome formed like a huge umbrella covering all beneath it.
Countless huge hailstones struck the dome relentlessly, sending ripples through the magic.
Kael gritted his teeth, feeling as if countless hammers struck him without cease.
Facing this disaster, Kael felt enormous pressure.
Outside the dome, massive hailstones caused tremendous damage—gouging deep pits and smashing stone walls and trees.
Smaug, Thorondor, and others struggled against the bombardment, nearly losing balance mid-air.
They had no place to hide due to their size.
Several fire dragons were less fortunate, their wings shattered or brains stunned, falling one by one to crash into the ground.
Saruman and others suffered too, forced to stop attacking and frantically resist or evade the hail.
Isengard's lands now looked like devastation itself, with pits and ruins everywhere.
Only the sturdy Orthanc remained intact.
Seeing the unyielding tower, Kael brightened and shouted, "Everyone, retreat into Orthanc Tower!"
Led by Kael, Dunlendings and Rohirrim rushed inside.
Then a Rohan soldier looked upward, eyes wide with terror, "The sky—look!"
Everyone raised their eyes, faces filled with horror and despair.
The frost dragon emerged from the clouds, clutching a massive iceberg.
The iceberg rivaled half a hill in size, its ice shimmering with cold. Jagged ice spikes hung like sharp fangs from fractured edges.
Even for the giant frost dragon, lifting such enormous ice was grueling.
Among horrified gazes, the frost dragon revealed a supremely evil grin and released the iceberg, letting it free-fall.
The iceberg fell with tremendous force, ripping through the air with explosive sound.
If it struck the ground, it would flatten Isengard with no survivors.
Saruman gasped in anger, exclaiming, "Madman!" and fled on his last evil dragon.
Kael looked up at the falling iceberg, tense and somber.
His strongest shield could only hold for seconds before shattering under the impact.
He had no confidence in stopping this.
His only choice was to apparate away.
But seeing his warriors' fearful, hopeful eyes made him hesitate.
With little time to ponder, Kael's Crown of Wisdom spun rapidly, searching for an escape.
Instantly he apparated atop Smaug's back, raising his wand with full strength.
"Confringo!"
A massive dazzling spell shot skyward toward the falling iceberg.
They collided high above—the spell hit the iceberg's base with no explosion, only suffocating silence.
Then the iceberg erupted violently. Countless ice chunks shattered and vaporized; shockwaves swept the area, dispersing the surrounding clouds.