Gollum tried to escape by turning invisible, but Saruman was not like those humans.
He activated his staff, releasing a detection magic aura that revealed everything around him, leaving nowhere to hide.
In an instant, the invisible Gollum was locked onto.
His gaze fixed directly on Gollum, and he released a ball of scorching flame, threatening coldly, "If you don't want to be burned to ashes by me, then show yourself!"
Seeing himself locked on and the terrifyingly hot flame, Gollum felt the danger of death. With a face full of fear, he took off the one ring and revealed himself.
Upon seeing the one ring in Gollum's hand, Saruman immediately showed a greedy expression.
"Give me the one ring!"
Gollum hesitated.
The next second, he saw Saruman's chilling killing intent, and he immediately shivered, quickly handing over the one ring.
Saruman didn't even bother to show disdain for Gollum, directly snatching the one ring from his hand.
"The one ring, the one ring is finally in my hands!" Saruman's face was filled with Excitement and enthusiasm, as if he had already foreseen his dominion over the world with the one ring.
But the next second, he felt something was wrong. His face stiffened, and he incredulously examined the one ring in his hand more carefully.
His face became extremely gloomy and unsightly. "Fake, this is fake!"
He directly threw the one ring to the ground and grabbed Gollum by the neck, lifting him up.
"Where is the real one? Where is the real one ring? Tell me!"
Gollum was being choked and could barely breathe. He could only flail his limbs desperately, struggling to say, "I don't know... I don't have the one ring!"
But Saruman was clearly unwilling to accept this answer. "You're lying to me! Tell me where the one ring is! Otherwise, I'll make death a luxury for you!"
Gollum didn't have the one ring, so he naturally couldn't answer Saruman. He could only struggle desperately, begging for mercy and swearing that he didn't know the one ring's whereabouts.
"Then how do you explain this one ring in your hand? Why is it identical to the one ring?"
"That was given to me by the Black Robed Wizard. He caught me, tortured me, and then gave me this one ring, telling me to use it to attract others..." Gollum immediately sold Luke out completely.
Hearing Gollum's words and confirming that he showed no signs of lying, Saruman disgustedly threw Gollum to the ground.
"Luke?" Saruman looked towards Weathertop to the south, his eyes fixated. "He can make a one ring identical to the one ring; he must have seen the one ring, or perhaps the one ring is even in his hands!"
Gollum fell to the ground, weak and pale, gasping for breath.
Then he saw the golden one ring that Saruman had thrown to the ground. Noticing some text faintly appearing on the inner side of the golden one ring, he instinctively picked it up, wanting to examine its content.
However, Gollum didn't recognize the text on it and could only tilt his head, curiously looking at it.
"What are you looking at?" Gollum's movement attracted Saruman's attention.
Hearing Saruman's voice, Gollum shivered. He fearfully took out the one ring and carefully explained, "Text Gollum doesn't know appeared on the one ring..."
Saruman snatched the one ring again, frowning as he looked at the inner side of the one ring, discovering it was Elvish Tengwar script.
"'He who wears this one ring, call my name, and you shall see me?'" Saruman read out the content, a puzzled expression on his face.
And at this moment, Gollum suddenly spoke, "Black Robed Wizard Luke!"
"Hmm?" Saruman looked at Gollum in confusion.
But the next instant, the one ring in Saruman's hand seemed to receive a command, vibrating slightly and emitting a blue light.
"Not good!" Saruman instinctively had a bad premonition and tried to throw the one ring away.
But the one ring seemed to be adsorbed to his hand, giving him no time to react, and instantly vanished from the spot, taking him with it.
Seeing this, Gollum revealed a sinister smile of triumph and revenge. He cautiously looked around, then quickly left the place.
Hogwarts Castle, top floor of Amon Sûl Tower.
Saruman appeared here out of thin air.
"Expelliarmus!"
But before he could react, a magic spell hit him.
The staff in his hand directly broke free from him and was caught by Luke.
"Long time no see, Saruman." Luke greeted him with a smile. "I didn't expect you to visit me today; it truly brings honor to my humble abode!"
"Du-i-er!" Saruman's face was grim and unsightly.
He knew he had fallen into a trap; Gollum was just bait, but he had allowed the one ring to cloud his mind, biting the hook and being led here.
And Luke was also very surprised and delighted.
He had originally only used Gollum as a casually placed chess piece to lure out the person hidden behind Gollum.
But he didn't expect to catch such a big fish this time, with Saruman falling for the trap.
Saruman had lost his staff, but he still didn't panic. He sneered, "Do you think this will make me helpless?"
As he spoke, he raised his right hand, revealing a one ring with angular crystal-like facets.
"Dwarven Ring!" Luke showed a surprised expression, then sneered mockingly, "Sauron is truly generous, to give you one of the last three of the Seven Dwarven Rings!"
Saruman snorted, not feeling trapped, but rather determined to succeed.
"Luke, bringing me before you is absolutely your biggest mistake! Now, obediently hand over the one ring! Don't try to argue, I know it's in your hands."
Luke spread his hands. "Saruman, then you've guessed wrong. The one ring isn't in my hands; I wouldn't even want that thing if it were given to me! I really don't understand why you're so obsessed with a one ring?"
Saruman's eyes were cold, his face full of disbelief. "You can't fool me. Even if the one ring isn't in your hands, you definitely know its location!"
"Tell me the whereabouts of the one ring, or I'll let you know the methods of me, the head of the Wizards!"
"Is that so? Then I'd like to learn about your methods." Luke said playfully, his expression showing no pressure whatsoever.
Saruman was thoroughly enraged by Luke's attitude. He activated the Dwarven Ring in his hand, chanted a spell, and prepared to take Luke down.
But the next second, he was dumbfounded.
His spell seemed to have lost its effect, and the Dwarven Ring also seemed to have lost its power.
The large fireball he had originally released directly turned into a small spark, which extinguished itself before he could even throw it.
"What, what's going on?" Saruman finally panicked. He tried to cast a larger magic spell, but it failed.
Luke looked at Saruman's flustered appearance, chuckled, and tapped the ground with his staff. "Saruman, look around."
The floor, the surrounding walls, and the ceiling were all adorned with runes drawn in Mithril.
These runes were all used to suppress magic, similar to the effect of the Anti-magic Field spell. The dense runes had turned the entire room into an anti-magic zone, where no one except Luke could cast spells.
This was a room Luke had prepared long ago, with Gandalf's guidance and help, precisely for unexpected situations like today.
While Saruman was distracted, Luke cast a spell without hesitation: "Avada Kedavra!"
A dazzling magic spell shot towards Saruman, instantly hitting his body amidst his terrified expression.
Saruman let out a painful shriek, his soul seemingly struck hard, and he collapsed to the ground, looking weak.
Luke frowned slightly. The Killing Curse, in essence, forcibly stripped away a soul, causing immediate death.
However, this spell, which was unfailingly effective against ordinary life, failed to achieve an instant kill against a Maia like Saruman, whose soul was incredibly powerful.
Luke estimated that it would take at least dozens of Killing Curses to completely kill Saruman.
But each time the Killing Curse was cast, it required the accumulation of maximum malice. If he were to continuously cast so many Killing Curses, he would likely go mad from the negative emotions himself before he could even kill Saruman.
However, if the Killing Curse wouldn't work, Luke had no shortage of other methods.
He directly summoned Fiendfyre, which rapidly spread and filled the entire room, engulfing both Luke and Saruman.
But their treatments were completely different: the flames around Luke seemed to have no temperature, not even singeing a hair.
Around Saruman, however, it was an incredibly scorching fire of destruction.
Saruman desperately channeled his magic, trying to resist the Fiendfyre.
But with his magic restricted, he was powerless to resist the Fiendfyre's impact.
After only a few seconds, Saruman was consumed by the Fiendfyre.
Amidst his shrill and unwilling screams, Saruman's body was directly burned to ashes by the Fiendfyre.
The Dwarven Ring on his finger fell off and continued to be scorched by the Fiendfyre.
However, the Dwarven Ring was, after all, one of the rings of power, and not something the Fiendfyre could destroy in a short time.
When Saruman was burned to ashes by the Fiendfyre, Luke breathed a sigh of relief, a look of joy on his face.
He had changed history this time, eliminating Saruman ahead of schedule, which was good news.
Without Saruman, Sauron would lose a right-hand man, greatly weakening Sauron's power.
However, before he could celebrate for long, a gray mist suddenly gathered from the ashes, slowly rising into the air like smoke, and then coalesced into Saruman's form.
He now looked similar to a ghost, but was more real and more powerful than a ghost.
He glared at Luke with venomous hatred, "Luke, do you think destroying my body can truly kill me? Remember, one day, I will return for revenge!"
With that, he rushed towards the wall, passing directly through it without obstruction, transforming into a gray-white streak of light and flying westward.
The streak of light flashed across the sky, like a dark meteor, causing Elrond of Rivendell, Glorfindel, and Lady Galadriel of Lothlórien, among others, to look up with surprised expressions.
At the same time, other Wizards also sensed something, their expressions complex.
Inside the Amon Sûl tower, Luke watched Saruman's soul escape, his expression also solemn.
Indeed, these Maiar were not easy to deal with.
It was a pity he had no means to trap souls; now that Saruman's soul had escaped, there was another variable in the future.
However, being able to destroy Saruman's physical form was still a good result.
At least for a while, Saruman would be quiet, and he wouldn't have to worry about him coveting Isengard every day.
Luke extinguished the Fiendfyre and came before Saruman's ashes. A Scouring Charm cleared away the ashes, and then he looked at the Dwarven Ring left on the ground.
This ring was one of the Seven Dwarven Rings among the rings of power.
It was also one of the only three remaining Dwarven Rings.
Unlike other rings of power, the Seven Dwarven Rings possessed a very magical ability: to accumulate wealth.
For example, if the wearer traded in gold coins, they would get more gold coins; if they traded in gemstones, they would get more valuable gemstones.
It could be said that the Seven Dwarven Rings bestowed upon the wearer a kind of unseen financial luck.
As long as one wore the ring, they could continuously acquire wealth.
Therefore, the leaders of the seven Dwarven clans, after obtaining the Seven Dwarven Rings, accumulated vast amounts of wealth.
It was also for this reason that it attracted the covetousness of dragons.
Four of the Seven Dwarven Rings were destroyed or devoured by the flames of dragons that plundered their treasures.
Only three Dwarven Rings remained, eventually returning to Sauron's hands.
The last of these Dwarven Rings was taken by Sauron from Thráin II, father of Thorin Oakenshield.
When these rings were forged, Sauron infused them with dark power, capable of amplifying desires in the human heart and constantly corrupting the mind.
Due to their racial characteristics, the Dwarves were stubborn and resilient, so the Dwarven Rings failed to corrupt their wearers or transform them into Ringwraiths.
Luke looked at this ring, which could be called the Ring of Wealth, but felt no desire.
After all, his current wealth was already enormous; he had no shortage of money.
Not to mention he also had a Philosopher's Stone that could continuously turn metal into gold, requiring only magic power, unlike the Dwarven Ring which needed to accumulate wealth through trade.
Moreover, the Dwarven Ring also contained Sauron's dark power. Except for Dwarves who were unaffected, anyone else who touched it would be tempted and corrupted.
So Luke used his wand to pick up the Dwarven Ring and placed it into the mithril box that already contained the Human Ring.
This time, Luke felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Not only had he dealt with Saruman and a Ringwraith, but he had also obtained a Dwarven Ring and a Human Ring.
He felt that Sauron must be going mad with rage by now, not only failing to find the one ring but also losing two rings of power—a huge loss.
— — — —
Mordor,
A terrifying dark pressure erupted from Barad-dûr.
The enormous fiery eye atop the tower was now filled with fury.
"Luke!" Sauron's angry voice echoed through Barad-dûr.
The terrifying aura made all dark creatures in Mordor tremble, like a wrath of heaven.
Inside the tower, Sauron, still furious, coldly looked at Saruman's soul: "Saruman, you pitiful fool. Explain yourself to me. Why did you venture into the West? How did you come to lose one of my Rings of Power, a ring that should have been yours to command, yet you failed to secure? And how, how have you allowed your mortal form to be so utterly destroyed, laid low like some insignificant wretch..."
Facing Sauron's suspicion, Saruman's heart fluttered, and he defended himself: "I felt it was unsafe to let Gollum search for the one ring, so I specifically went to investigate and wanted to help you find the one ring."
"Is that so?" Sauron's voice dripped with dark amusement. "Or did you scheme to claim my ring for yourself, fool? To wield power that was never meant for your feeble grasp?"
As he spoke, his surrounding aura grew more terrifying. Dark power enveloped the entire tower, like a giant dark maw, threatening to completely devour Saruman.
"Betrayal is the gravest of all transgressions. Those who forsake me shall know only despair—endless, exquisite torment that stretches beyond the reach of death itself. Death shall be no mercy, no escape. I have been deprived of a servant. You, Saruman, shall fill that void. You shall become one of my Nazgûl, wreathed in shadow and bound eternally to my will. Your power shall be absolute, yet utterly enslaved to me."
Instantly, the surroundings plunged into absolute darkness. The dark power clawed and stretched towards Saruman's spirit, invading his soul to completely corrupt it.
"No! Sauron, you cannot do this!" Saruman cried in terror, desperately resisting the dark erosion.
"I can submit to you, acknowledge you as my master! I can build fortifications for you, cultivate stronger armies! Just spare me!"
Saruman was now filled with terror, his former arrogance completely gone. He knew that once corrupted, he would become Sauron's puppet, losing his own will like the other Ringwraiths, loyal only to Sauron.
Here's that rewritten in Sauron's manner of speech:
"Precisely, you fool. Once you are bound to me as a Wraith, your loyalty shall be absolute—unquestionable, eternal. You shall possess power beyond mortal comprehension, yet every shred of that power shall serve only my designs. Your will shall be subsumed entirely into mine. This is the gift I bestow upon those who prove... useful.
And I confess, I find irony in this turn of events. Luke—in destroying your pathetic flesh, he has done me an unexpected service. Your body is now ash and ruin, yet this opens the path to something far greater. You shall be remade, perfected, utterly enslaved to my dominion in ways your mortal form never could achieve.
As for vengeance... yes. When you have donned the Ring and become my instrument, you shall hunt Luke down. You shall wrap your shadow around him, and you yourself shall deliver the reckoning. His destruction shall be all the sweeter, knowing it comes from one he thought defeated."
As he spoke, a more terrifying aura erupted. The dark power, which enveloped the entire Barad-dûr, coalesced into a gigantic demonic eye.
The vertical pupil of the demonic eye, like a black hole devouring everything, lunged towards Saruman.
No matter how Saruman struggled, he could only be devoured by the demonic eye in the end.
As a Maia, Saruman's soul was very powerful, and it would take considerable time and effort to completely corrupt him and turn him into a puppet.
So Sauron's demonic eye cast a lingering glance westward.
And ordered the Ringwraiths, who were searching for the rings in the Eriador region, to return.
"Luke… the ages stretch before us, endless and unyielding. Time itself bends to my will, we shall play our game at a pace of my choosing. And when next the moment comes… it shall be I who moves, and the world shall tremble."