This Killing Curse made even Sauron, who was currently at the peak of his power, feel a hint of threat.
The dark power around him surged like bared fangs and brandished claws of dark tentacles, instantly condensing into a Dark Shield to block the Killing Curse's attack.
Accompanied by a violent explosive impact, the Killing Curse and the Dark Shield canceled each other out, creating a massive shockwave that tore through the air and formed a vast vacuum.
The dark army below was caught in the aftermath, with countless numbers instantly blown away.
Only Luke's side, protected by a Magical Barrier, remained largely unaffected.
However, the ripples on the Magical Barrier grew more intense.
If there were a dozen more such explosive impacts, even the Magical Barrier might not be able to hold.
Luke was also forced back a few steps by the shockwave; only Sauron in the sky remained unmoved, as if it had no effect on him.
But Sauron clearly didn't think so. His eyes, flashing with evil red light, stared at Luke with malice: "How interesting. To have made such immense progress in just a few decades. With such a rapid growth in power, if given a few hundred more years, you might actually surpass me!"
Then he launched an attack without mercy. The vast dark power, carrying the force of heaven and earth, turned into a torrent, sweeping toward him from all directions, intending to ruthlessly crush and devour this ant.
But before the dark power could reach Luke, it was first blocked by a dazzling, holy light.
Galadriel emitted a brilliant holy light from her body, and nenya, the ring of water on her finger, shone brightly, transforming into a holy light shield that remained unbreakable under the impact of the overwhelming dark power.
Glorfindel also emitted a sun-like radiance, holding a glowing sword in both hands, constantly slashing and repelling the surrounding darkness.
Elrond held an Elven longblade, and Vilya, the ring of air on his finger, flashed with light as he slashed air blades toward Sauron, cutting the dark torrent in two like Moses parting the sea.
Even the black clouds in the sky were split by a massive rift, as if the heavens themselves had been cleaved open.
Gandalf chanted incantations while raising his staff high, releasing a holy light shockwave. Layers of halos spread outward from him, repelling Sauron's dark power.
Meanwhile, Luke summoned his Phoenix patronus. His patronus rapidly expanded, turning into a giant Phoenix that blotted out the sky and emitted a holy silver light, tearing through the darkness like a moon in the dark domain.
At the same time, Luke himself did not stop. He floated up light as a feather, without the aid of any flying tools, turning into a plume of white smoke and moving and flashing rapidly and flexibly in the sky.
While flying and moving quickly, he could still attack Sauron.
This was the Flight Charm Luke had obtained through a check-in, a flying magic created by Lord Voldemort. It allowed one to fly as black smoke, avoiding the trouble of being unable to cast spells during Apparition and the drawback of relying on flying tools.
This magic was also taught by Lord Voldemort to his confidant Snape, and then Dumbledore obtained it from Snape and improved it, preventing the billowing black smoke that made it look like a Dark Wizard's travel.
Facing the combined attack of Luke, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Glorfindel, Sauron was not flustered at all. The dark power around him surged continuously, turning into countless dark tentacles that covered the sky and earth, attacking them like an endless torrent.
His gaze fell upon the rings on the hands of Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel. His eyes flashed with greed and possessiveness as he sneered, "Your rings originate from the craft I created. Isn't it too naive to think you can use the power I created against me? But since you've brought them before me, it's time they returned to my hands!"
As he spoke, he uttered obscure and difficult dark incantations. The surrounding dark power seemed to have found a target, heading straight for the three—or more accurately, toward the three elven rings on their hands.
The three elven rings seemed to have a backdoor opened; they no longer resisted the dark power but instead began to actively absorb it.
The expressions of Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond all changed. They hurriedly stopped channeling the three elven rings and used their own power to suppress and seal the rings.
Otherwise, once the dark power entered the three elven rings and corrupted them, these three rings would likely become like the other rings of power, corrupting the wearers into Ringwraiths and eventually making them Sauron's puppets.
Because of the sudden change in the three elven rings, Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond had to use most of their power to suppress them.
The situation, which had been at a stalemate with Sauron, suddenly shifted, and the pressure on Luke and Glorfindel increased dramatically.
With the surging impact of Sauron's dark power, Glorfindel let out a muffled groan, his face turning pale. The radiance on him visibly dimmed, and his struggle against the darkness gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Evil red light flashed in Sauron's eyes as he sensed victory, and he erupted with even more terrifying power.
The dark power became as thick as ink, covering the entire land with the power to destroy everything, transforming into countless evil and terrifying nameless monsters that swept toward Luke and the others, as well as the nearly ten thousand Wizards behind them.
Under Luke's command, the nearly ten thousand Wizards were also doing their best to deal with the Ringwraith Witch-king of Angmar and the dark army while Luke and the others teamed up against Sauron.
Hundreds of Aurors were besieging the most difficult opponent, the Witch-king of Angmar.
Meanwhile, the other Wizards were working together to deal with the Orcs, Trolls, Barrow-wights, and so on.
Among them, Trolls and Barrow-wights were not easy to handle. Especially the Barrow-wights, whose speed was as fast as lightning, bodies as hard as iron, and were covered in curses and ill omens. Under the enhancement of Sauron's power, they had evolved and become even more dangerous.
But the Wizards were attacking from behind the Magical Barrier, so they didn't have to worry about the Barrow-wights or other dark creatures suddenly launching a close-range attack and injuring them.
In fact, they almost wished these mindless dark creatures would rush over and be turned to ash by the Magical Barrier.
Because of the pre-established Magical Barrier, the Wizards eliminated more and more dark creatures, gradually gaining the upper hand.
But with Sauron's full eruption, the overwhelming dark power turned into a massive torrent, sweeping toward everyone like a tidal wave.
The Magical Barrier established by nearly ten thousand people seemed like a small dike before this dark torrent—tiny and fragile.
Under the terrified gazes of the crowd, the Magical Barrier teetered, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel were preoccupied with the three elven rings, and Glorfindel's radiance grew dimmer under the impact of the dark power.
Luke's Phoenix patronus was also annihilated by the dark power. Luke, who had been harassing Sauron from high above, was now surrounded by the dark power.
Bearing the greatest pressure, his face was flushed, and the Shield Charm erected around him shrank further and further.
Seeing that his Wizard army below was about to be wiped out, Luke could no longer hold back.
He let out a low growl, his black irises were covered in pale white, and his body rapidly exploded, turning into a large mass of churning black fog.
Luke transformed into his Obscurus form. His current Obscurus was countless times larger than when he first awakened, becoming even more violent. He broke free from the surrounding dark power and then rapidly charged downward.
The moment he landed, he changed back into human form and raised his hand, a ring appearing on his finger.
It was a silver ring set with a yellow gemstone. The ring shimmered with silver light, and the gemstone emitted an incredibly dazzling radiance, condensing into a massive, thick yellow light shield that enveloped everyone.
The vast force of the dark torrent was blocked by the light shield. No matter how it impacted, the shield remained unshakable, as steady as a rock.
Seeing the giant pale golden dome covering everyone, they all felt a solid,
heavy, and stable will from it, tightly connected to the earth, carrying a sense of "let him be as strong as he may, I remain as steady as a mountain."
"This is?" Everyone showed expressions of shock, caught off guard by this sudden scene.
Sauron's eyes, flashing with evil red light, stared intently at the ring on Luke's finger.
Even those close to Luke, like Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel, looked at the ring with surprise.
Clearly, they didn't know much more than anyone else.
Luke looked composed, standing in front of everyone, his hand wearing the ring raised, the golden light rendering him like a divine being.
Sauron's flood-like dark power was firmly blocked outside by the golden light, unable to advance an inch.
The golden dome was firmly rooted in the earth, merging with it; Sauron's power was as vast as the sea, but how could it compare with the power of the earth? Thus, it could not break through the golden light's defense.
Realizing this, Sauron finally could not sit still; he instantly appeared outside the golden dome, a giant mace appearing in his hand, striking heavily against the golden dome.
Instantly, the golden dome shook, and with it, the entire earth vibrated violently.
Such earth-shaking movements made many on the battlefield unsteady, watching the scene with terror and shock.
Even Amon Sul and Hogwarts, thousands of kilometers away, felt the tremors; though not as violent as the center of the battlefield, people fled their homes in fear, thinking an earthquake had occurred.
At the center of the battlefield, Sauron's full-strength blow failed to break the golden dome's defense, but the massive disturbance affected the surroundings.
The ground for dozens of miles around the battlefield cracked, many fissures appearing; the entire earth looked as if it had been ravaged, rivers breaking and mountains collapsing, like the end of the world.
Only the area covered by the golden light remained intact, suffering no destruction.
Sauron stopped his attack, standing in the void, looking at Luke through the golden dome.
"What is that ring of yours?" Sauron finally asked, his expression filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
Hearing Sauron's words, Luke raised his hand, showing the ring on his finger shining with brilliant light.
"You mean this ring? This is the ring of earth I forged—cemya. Speaking of which, I must thank you for the ring-making techniques you provided, which allowed me to successfully forge my own ring of power."
This ring in Luke's hand was one of his greatest achievements over the past few decades.
He referenced the three elements of air, water, and fire corresponding to the three elven rings, and used the remaining element of the four world-composing elements, earth, as the source of power for his ring of power, to forge the ring of earth, cemya.
The main face of the ring of earth, cemya, was cast using the last remaining Mother of Mithril in Luke's hands.
And the inlaid yellow diamond was itself a precious magic gem, presented by an adventurous Wizard in his territory.
That adventurous Wizard, while adventuring in the Misty Mountains on a flying broomstick, accidentally came across two Stone-giants fighting.
Stone-giants are as tall as mountains, appearing in the Misty Mountains; when sleeping, they are motionless like a high mountain, making it impossible to realize the "mountain" is alive, but when moving, they cause landslides and earth-shattering power.
For some reason, the two Stone-giants the adventurous Wizard encountered were like mortal enemies, crazily wanting only to kill each other.
The adventurous Wizard was nearly caught in the life-and-death struggle of the two Stone-giants, ultimately watching as one died and the other was injured.
The victorious Stone-giant, due to heavy injuries, fell directly into a deep sleep; perhaps it would wake again in a few hundred years, or it might never wake, becoming a true mountain.
And that yellow gem was obtained by the adventurous Wizard from the dead Stone-giant; it could be said to be the Stone-giant's core.
Most importantly, at the core of this yellow gem was a drop of blood.
That was a drop of blood from Tom Bombadil, and also the source of the gem's power.
Luke had long recognized Tom Bombadil's identity; if the spider evil god Ungoliant was the manifestation of the darkness outside the world, then Tom Bombadil was the incarnation of the earth of Arda.
He was neither a Vala nor the incarnation of Ilúvatar that Luke had once guessed, but the earth of this world itself.
That's why Goldberry would say Tom Bombadil is the master of trees, mountains, and rivers; moreover, Tom Bombadil didn't care much about the struggle between darkness and light; as long as it wasn't aimed at the earth itself, he wouldn't act.
So after knowing Tom Bombadil's identity, when Luke was preparing to make the ring of earth, he considered Tom.
Tom is the incarnation of the earth, the master of the earth element, and he possesses the purest and most powerful essence of the earth within him.
To this end, he visited Tom and Goldberry in the Old Forest, wanting to ask for a lock of Tom's hair to extract the power within and inject it into the yellow gem.
But Tom was very generous; after knowing he wanted to forge the ring of earth, he gifted him a drop of his blood.
Tom's blood was naturally more precious than his hair, containing the purest power of the earth; after merging into the gem, the gem's quality and attributes underwent a qualitative change.
When made into the ring of earth, the connection between the ring and the earth became even closer; as long as the wearer stood upon the earth, they would receive the earth's protection, and a steady stream of earth element power would gather, becoming the wearer's strongest power.
This ring of earth was created by Luke to correspond to the three elven rings; it is the ring of the earth element, so Luke named it cemya, which means "earth, ground" in Quenya.
Therefore, the ring of earth, cemya, is also called the ring of the Earth.
Among the three elven rings, the ring of air, Vilya, can control the air element and possesses the power of understanding, freedom, and healing;
The ring of water, nenya, can control the water element and possesses the power of purity, secrecy, and protection;
The ring of fire, narya, can control the fire element and possesses the power of warmth, encouragement, and inspiration.
And Luke's ring of earth, cemya, besides being able to control the earth element, also possesses the power of solidity, stability, and nourishment.
In terms of defensive power, the power of the ring of earth, cemya, is even stronger than the other three elven rings, capable of using the earth's power to form the strongest defense; it is a ring focused on defense.
Furthermore, the nourishing power of the ring of earth can make barren land fertile, allow plants to grow vigorously, turn deserts into oases, and restore life to desolate lands, possessing the power to reshape the landscape.
One could say that the person wearing the ring of earth is the chosen "farmer."
On the battlefield, hearing Luke's introduction of the ring, Sauron felt more greed and desire for possession in addition to suspicion.
He hadn't expected Luke to be able to forge a ring that could rival the three elven rings on his own; such talent and ability surprised him greatly.
One must know that back then, the master Elven artisan Celebrimbor was only able to successfully cast the rings of power because he had been carefully taught the ring-making techniques.
However, since it originated from the ring-making techniques he taught, Sauron had the confidence to break it.
So he once again used the method for dealing with the three elven rings, opening the back door of the ring of earth, letting his dark power inject into the ring to pollute it.
But when he chanted the obscure and difficult dark incantations, controlling the dark power to surge toward the ring of earth on Luke's hand, he only felt that the ring of earth was flawless.
No matter how his dark power searched, it was firmly blocked by the power of the ring of earth, unable to find a single opening.
"How can this be?!" Sauron's voice grew louder, his eyes flickering with an evil red light as he stared at Luke in shock and uncertainty.
Logically, any ring crafted using the ring-making techniques he had taught should have a back door, giving him the chance to exploit it and counterattack.
But with this ring of power before him, he had no way to act.
It was as if this ring existed independently of all other rings of power; although the craftsmanship originated from Sauron, it had already surpassed his control.
Even if he were to reclaim the one ring now, he would be completely unable to manipulate this ring of earth.
Luke watched Sauron's disbelief and gave a cold snort.
Since he dared to forge this ring of earth, he had naturally considered these issues long ago and would not forge a ring for himself that contained hidden dangers.
Therefore, besides referencing the forging techniques of the rings of power, he had also incorporated Alchemy and Goblin forging techniques. Furthermore, he used the resurrection stone to summon Celebrimbor, the creator of the three elven rings, as well as the Silmarils—
—and Fëanor, the creator of the palantír.
Fëanor was the greatest Elven artisan in the world of Arda, the second High King of the Noldor, the creator of the Tengwar script, and the inventor of the Silmarils, the palantír, and the Fëanorian Lamps. He was known as the most remarkable of the Children of Ilúvatar.
Under the guidance and assistance of these two Elven artisans, Luke spent decades of effort to create cemya, a ring of earth born from Sauron's ring-making techniques yet unaffected by Sauron's power.
No matter how much Sauron refused to believe it, he clearly understood that this ring was not subject to his influence.
He had always been extremely confident in his own ring-making techniques, which was why he was so intent on reclaiming the one ring to use it to control the other rings.
But now that such an uncontrollable ring of power had appeared, Sauron felt uneasy. His gaze toward Luke was filled with murderous intent.
He wanted to kill this anomaly, seize this uncontrollable ring, and find a way to understand the reason behind it.
With this in mind, Sauron attacked the defenses of the ring of earth with all his might, wanting to shatter this "turtle shell."
Sauron's attack power was terrifying. His dark power surged toward the golden light shield like an overwhelming tide, much like a small island on a vast dark sea being constantly battered by giant waves and tsunamis, threatening to crush it.
Yet the golden dome formed by the ring of earth was indestructible. It was firmly rooted in the ground like a massive rock, remaining unshaken despite the rushing torrent.
Luke wore the ring of earth, cemya, as a continuous stream of earth power gathered upon the ring, constantly reinforcing the golden dome.
At this moment, Luke stood upon the earth, which became his strongest support and also shared the burden of Sauron's terrifying attack power.
The earth shook continuously; the ground cracked open to reveal bottomless abyssal fissures, rocks rolled down, and rivers flowed backward.
Meanwhile, Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond finally suppressed the dark power's contamination of the three elven rings. They gave up on using the three elven rings and sealed them away.
Then, with their hands free, they could once again deal with Sauron with all their strength.
Even without the help of the three elven rings, they were still among the strongest in Middle-earth.
Gandalf chanted an incantation and slammed his staff hard against the ground. A huge crack opened in the earth toward the dark army, and countless orcs, Trolls, and wights fell into the bottomless abyss.
Then, amidst the continuous tremors of the earth, the crack closed up again.
Elrond, holding an elven longblade, erupted with a powerful aura. Like a mighty warrior, he leaped high into the air and slashed toward Sauron.
Glorfindel shone with brilliance. Coordinating with Elrond, he brandished two sharp blades and attacked Sauron from the other side.
Galadriel's temperament also shifted. Her entire being radiated a sharp, intense edge as she drew a longsword from a spatial pocket. Transforming into a Valkyrie, she joined the ranks of those besieging Sauron in close combat.
Luke was momentarily stunned by Galadriel's transformation. Seeing the elegant and noble Elven Lady turn into a berserker, he couldn't help but inwardly marvel that appearances could be deceiving.
Then, he unhesitatingly joined the battlefield, besieging Sauron alongside the others while using the power of the ring of earth to protect everyone.
While the battle of the ages was taking place on the plains of Eriador...
Frodo, who had remained in Lothlórien, also received the signal to set out.
Now that Sauron had left Mordor for Eriador, west of the Misty Mountains, Frodo had no more reservations. He immediately bid farewell to Lord Celeborn and activated the Portkey with Sam.
The Portkey brought the two of them to the eastern border of Gondor—before the Cirith Ungol Pass in the Ephel Dúath.
It was very close to Mordor. Once through the Cirith Ungol Pass, they could enter the heart of Mordor and eventually reach Mount Doom.
At the same time, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli also appeared there via Portkey, meeting up with Frodo and Sam.
Although Mordor's forces had mostly marched out, many dark creatures remained behind. The Cirith Ungol Pass was heavily guarded by Orcs, and even the fortress of Minas Morgul, which Luke had once burned down, was garrisoned by many Orcs.
Dense flocks of crows and giant bats patrolled and monitored the skies.
There were also Vampires, Wargs, Dark Sorcerers, Uruk-hai, Trolls, giant spiders, and various other dark creatures.
Atop Barad-dûr, there was also a flaming Eye, equivalent to an avatar of Sauron, constantly scanning and monitoring the entire Mordor region. Any slight anomaly would be simultaneously discovered by Sauron's main body.
So even though Sauron and his army had been lured out of Mordor, the land remained extremely dangerous. Any slight slip-up would lead to total destruction.
The five of them—Aragorn, Frodo, Sam, Legolas, and Gimli—huddled behind a giant rock. After avoiding a flock of patrolling crows, they quietly poked their heads out to observe the Mordor checkpoint in the distance.
Seeing the large number of enemies at the checkpoint, their hearts sank.
"What should we do? There are so many orcs at this pass, we can't possibly get through!" Frodo said anxiously.
"Why overthink it? Let's just fight our way through!" Gimli said, gripping his long axe with a look of battle-readiness.
Legolas also drew his longbow and said softly, "I can sneak over. If I'm fast enough, I should be able to take them out."
Aragorn stopped them and shook his head slightly. "We need to sneak into Mordor this time without causing too much of a stir. If we attract attention and Mordor discovers our intentions, we're doomed!"
"Then what do you suggest? How is it possible to pass through the pass without alerting the enemy?" Gimli asked.
Aragorn fell silent, lost in thought. Then, as if remembering something, he pulled a bottle of Potion from his spatial bag.
"What is this?" Sam asked curiously.
"This is the Polyjuice Potion that Lord Luke gave us before we left, saying we might find it useful," Aragorn explained. "We can use the Polyjuice Potion to transform into Orcs and then blend in to enter Mordor."
Everyone's eyes lit up at his words.
But just then, a rustling sound came from behind them, which Legolas, with his keenest hearing, detected.
Legolas's expression changed, and he quickly turned around, nocking an arrow to his bow.
"Who's there!"