He understood that he couldn't outlast this deadly situation.
With the orc army and various beasts blocking and consuming his resources ahead, and the Balrog watching like a tiger behind, ready to strike with a fatal blow at any moment.
After fighting for so long, Levi had gained considerable understanding of the combat capabilities of the forces present.
Orcs: Lowly as ants.
Trolls: Somewhat threatening.
Beasts: Slightly risky.
Balrog: Evenly matched.
He could still contend with one Balrog, but adding the others made things dangerously uncertain.
Even ants could bite an elephant to death when numerous enough.
With this current formation, it seemed like all of Moria's forces had assembled in this great hall. Missing even one golden apple could mean mortal danger.
The wind was tight. A wise man doesn't suffer immediate losses.
"I'll definitely be back!"
After dropping this harsh promise, Levi threw a pearl and immediately teleported away.
"You cannot escape! I have memorized your scent and your soul!"
The Balrog roared as it pursued. The orcs hurriedly squeezed to both sides, clearing a wide path for it, then rushed to follow behind.
Rumble rumble...
Tremors continued from underfoot, and scorching air clung behind him for a long time without retreating.
As if venting frustration, the stone pillars in the hall were clawed with several deep marks, and the falling fragments were ground to dust by the Balrog.
In the corridor, a figure sped past, accidentally smack colliding with a weapon rack beside him.
"Oh, sorry!"
Levi braked sharply, quickly picked up the weapons and carefully put them back, then continued sprinting forward.
Whoosh.
Almost the second after he left, the weapons, along with the rack, were consumed by white flames, turning to molten iron and ash.
Thud!
The narrow corridor was forcibly smashed into a wide passage by the Balrog. The orc army followed closely behind, not forgetting to beat war drums for atmospheric sound.
Thump, thump, thump.
The war drums kept beating, matching the rhythm of heartbeats, making Levi increasingly irritated.
These orcs were now like toads. They didn't bite but were annoying.
"You wait until next time I come. You definitely won't have any good days!"
"Why not become that fruit yourself?"
The Balrog somehow understood this phrase and replied while cracking its whip from a distance.
"Shut up, you coward who hid in a pit and slept for thousands of years!"
"Coward? Right now there's someone even more cowardly running ahead..."
"Fight me one-on-one if you dare!"
"I accept."
"You think I'd believe you?"
Thud!
The drum sounds gradually approached. At a corner, Levi leaped onto the wall in a sharp turn, running sideways along the corridor wall for several steps.
Orcs emerged from doors on both sides of the corridor ahead, steeling themselves to charge forward. In an instant they were sent flying, crashing high into the corridor ceiling.
When they flew up, they were flame-broiled to medium-rare. When they fell down, they were incinerated to ash by the passing Balrog.
The entire process was perfectly refined, and with the orc army's drumming, the ceremony was quite proper.
Whoosh.
At another deep pit, Levi drank a speed potion, accelerated his run and jumped toward the steps above, rushing to the opposite passage in a few steps, not forgetting to blow up the steps.
"Now let's see how you..."
Levi turned back to see the Balrog spread wings formed of flame, leap high, and perform a small glide.
Fine, this guy had built-in elytra.
Taking advantage of the Balrog's gliding, Levi quickly pulled out blocks to seal this passage, building up a wall.
But within seconds, a large hand smashed a hole in the wall. A massive demonic head poked through, looking left and right but failing to find any human figure.
Levi tiptoed along the wall edge to beneath that head, suddenly drew his long sword, and jumped upward.
Clang!
"Oww!"
A flash of white light passed. The Balrog clutched its head in pain, involuntarily stepping back several paces.
Must give it a head-on blow!
Having succeeded with one strike, Levi showed no attachment and immediately fled eastward.
"Despicable insect!"
With a thunderous crash, the cobblestone wall crumbled like toy blocks, scattering debris everywhere.
The Balrog's fury increased greatly.
"Foolish creature."
Levi taunted while his heart pounded anxiously.
If this Balrog had been at the Battle of Five Armies, the outcome really would have been uncertain...
With this momentum, ordinary city walls couldn't stop it at all.
"Why not immediately return to your pit and sleep? Cowardly creature, masterless cur. Your pursuit is meaningless. Everything you do is just wasted effort."
Levi kindly advised it and, while considering the Balrog's physical condition, also loudly and friendly suggested:
"If you ask me, you might as well return to slumber and serve your already-failed master in dreams!"
The resonant voice echoed in the underground space.
The orcs who understood these words immediately felt their hands and feet turn cold, not daring to look at the tall figure radiating flames ahead.
Huh...
The flames on the Balrog's chest paused, shrinking as if doused with cold water.
"Well said. You've moved me. Pure pursuit is indeed meaningless..."
"Now I will hunt you to the ends of this world until I witness your death with my own eyes, then burn your corpse to ashes!"
Boom!
The flames surged with excited emotion. Levi's psychological counseling and comfort had obviously worked, making the Balrog suddenly perk up and become full of hope for life again.
It became a Balrog as warm and heartening as the sun, in a physical sense.
"From now on, you'll never be rid of me, never!"
The Balrog's rage meter instantly filled up, continuously pursuing from behind, tireless and endless.
Even Levi didn't know how long this pursuit lasted.
Perhaps a day, perhaps two days.
Perhaps a week had already passed.
In this indiscernible time, one person and one Balrog fought countless times and crossed swords countless times.
Sometimes the Balrog held the advantage, pressing step by step, beating Levi into continuous rolling dodges where taking one more hit would leave him severely injured.
Sometimes Levi could gain a slight advantage, through ambushes or exploiting terrain, beating the Balrog dizzy with its health bar dropping sharply, forcing it to command the orc army and beasts to step forward and tank.
No one knew how much terrain was destroyed or how many objects were melted in the process.
On some future day, when the dwarves returned to Moria again, perhaps they would express heartfelt sentiment:
"Where have I come to?"
Splash.
Jumping down a large step, Levi looked around in confusion.
This place's layout seemed somewhat familiar, but he wasn't quite certain.
A great door, corridors, a stone bridge beneath his feet that could only accommodate one person at a time, and a narrow passage that seemed to lead to the outside world.
Levi lay by the bridge edge and looked down. Even with night vision potion enhancement, this chasm was bottomless, as if leading to the void beyond the world.
There wasn't much time to think.
Noise and heat soon surged from behind, occupying the entire space.
The Balrog stood before the cliff bridge, roaring loudly.
Levi raised his long sword, blocking the bridge entrance and shouting: "You shall not pass!"