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Chapter 288 Saruman's Death
The dazzling spell shot towards Saruman, striking his body instantly amidst his terrified expression.

Saruman let out a painful scream, as if his soul had been struck a heavy blow, and collapsed to the ground, looking extremely weak.

Dui frowned slightly. The Killing Curse is essentially a forced stripping of the soul, causing someone to die instantly.

However, this spell, which is invincible against ordinary life forms, cannot kill a Maiar like Saruman, whose soul is incredibly powerful.

Dui estimated that at least several dozen Killing Curses would be needed to completely kill Saruman.

However, each time the Killing Curse is cast, it requires the greatest concentration of malice. If so many Killing Curses were cast in a row, Saruman would probably be driven mad by negative emotions before he could even kill him.

However, if the Killing Curse doesn't work, Dui has other methods as well.

He summoned Fiendfire, which quickly spread and filled the entire room, enveloping both Dui and Saruman.

However, the two were treated very differently. The flames around Dui were as cold as if they had no heat, and didn't even burn a hair.

But on Saruman's side, it was an intensely scorching fire of destruction.

Saruman desperately channeled his magic, attempting to resist the Fiendfire.

But with his magic forbidden, he was powerless to resist the onslaught of the raging fire.

Saruman was engulfed by the Fiendfire just seconds later.

Amidst a piercing and resentful scream, Saruman's body was instantly reduced to ashes by the Fiendfire.

The dwarven ring on his finger fell off and continued to be burned by the Fiendfire.

However, the Ring of the Dwarves is, after all, one of the Rings of Power, and it is not something that Fiendfire can destroy in a short time.

When Saruman was burned to ashes by Fiendfire, Dui breathed a sigh of relief and showed a look of joy.

He changed history this time, eliminating Saruman ahead of schedule, which is great news.

Without Saruman, Sauron lost a key ally, which greatly weakened Sauron's power.

However, before he could be happy for long, a gray mist suddenly gathered from the ashes, slowly rising into the air like smoke, and then condensing into the shape of Saruman.

He looked like a ghost at that moment, but he was more real and more powerful.

He glared at Duy with venomous hatred, his eyes blazing with fury. "Duy, do you think you can kill me completely by destroying my body? Remember, one day I will return to take my revenge!"

As it spoke, it rushed towards the wall, ignoring the obstruction, and passed right through it, transforming into a gray-white light and shadow that flew westward.

A flash of light streaked across the sky like a dark shooting star, causing Elrond, Glorfindel, Lady Lorrain Galadriel, and others in the Valley to look up in surprise.

At the same time, the other wizards also seemed to sense something, their expressions complex.

Inside the Tower of Amun-sur, Dui watched Saruman's soul escape, his expression also grave.

As expected, these Maya were not easy to deal with.

Unfortunately, he lacked the means to trap a soul, and now that Saruman's soul has escaped, there is another variable in the future.

However, being able to destroy Saruman's physical form is still a pretty good result.

At least for the foreseeable future, Saruman will be quiet and we won't have to worry about him coveting Eisengard every day.

Dui extinguished the Fiendfire, came to Saruman's ashes, used a cleansing spell to remove the ashes, and then looked at the dwarven ring left on the ground.

This ring is one of the Seven Commandments of the Dwarves, part of the Rings of Power.

It is also one of the three remaining dwarf rings.

Unlike other rings of power, the Seven Rings of the Dwarves possess a very magical ability to accumulate wealth.

For example, if the wearer trades with gold coins, they will receive more gold coins; if they trade with gems, they will receive more and more valuable gems.

It can be said that the Seven Rings of the Dwarfs bestow upon the wearer a kind of mysterious fortune.

Wearing a ring will bring you a continuous flow of wealth.

Therefore, the original leaders of the seven dwarf clans amassed a great deal of wealth after obtaining the Seven Rings of the Dwarfs.

This is why it attracted the covetous eyes of the dragon.

Four of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves were destroyed or devoured by fire by the dragons that plundered the treasure. Only three rings remained, which eventually returned to Sauron's hands.

The last of the Dwarven Rings was taken by Sauron from Thrain II, the father of Thorin Oakenshield.

These rings were imbued with dark power by Sauron when they were forged, amplifying desires and constantly corrupting the soul.

Because of their racial characteristics, dwarves are tenacious and resilient, so the Ring of the Dwarves failed to corrupt the wearers or turn them into Ringwraiths.

Dui looked at the ring, which could be described as a ring of wealth, but he was not tempted in the slightest.

After all, his wealth is already enormous, and he is not short of money at all.

Not to mention he also has a magic stone that can turn metals into gold indefinitely, requiring only magic power, unlike the Dwarf's Ring which requires accumulating wealth through trade.

Furthermore, the Ring of the Dwarves contains dark power infused by Sauron; aside from dwarves who remain unaffected, anyone else who touches it will be corrupted and seduced.

So Dui used his wand to lift the Dwarf Ring and put it into the mithril box that also contained the Human Ring.

This time, Dui felt he had gained a lot.

Not only did they defeat Saruman and a Ringwraith, but they also obtained a dwarf ring and a human ring.

He felt that Sauron must be furious at this moment. Not only had he failed to find the One Ring, but he had also lost two Rings of Power, which was an absolute huge loss.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Mordor,

A terrifying dark pressure erupted from Baladur Tower.

The enormous fiery eye atop the tower was now filled with rage.

“Duir!” Soren’s angry voice echoed in Baladurta.

That terrifying aura made all the dark creatures of Mordor tremble, as if it were the wrath of the heavens.

Inside the tower, Sauron, in his rage, coldly stared at Saruman's soul: "Saruman, can you tell me why you were in the West, why you lost the Ring of Power, and why your body was destroyed by Duir?"

Faced with Sauron's suspicion, Saruman panicked and explained, "I felt it wasn't safe to let Gollum search for the One Ring, so I went to investigate and wanted to help you find the One Ring."

"Is that so?" Sauron sneered. "Isn't it just that you want to take this opportunity to steal my One Ring and keep it for yourself?"

As he spoke, his aura grew increasingly terrifying, and dark power enveloped the entire tower, like a gigantic dark maw ready to devour Saruman completely.

"Those who betray me will suffer endless despair and pain, and even death will not bring them relief! I have just lost a loyal servant, so you shall take your place and become my most powerful Ringwraith!"

Instantly, absolute darkness descended upon the surroundings, and the power of darkness bared its fangs and claws, spreading towards Saruman's spirit, invading his soul, and attempting to completely corrupt it.

"No! Sauron, you can't do this!" Saruman cried out in terror, desperately resisting the darkness's encroachment.

"I can submit to you, acknowledge you as my master, and build projects and train a stronger army for you! Just let me go!"

Saruman was filled with terror and had lost all his former arrogance. He knew that once corrupted, he would become Sauron's puppet, like the other Ringwraiths, without his own will and only loyal to Sauron.

"But if I turn you into a Ringwraith, won't you be able to do the same things for me? And you'll be even more loyal?" Sauron said with a mocking tone.

"Speaking of which, I should thank Duir for destroying your body, so I could have the opportunity to completely control you. Don't worry, I will avenge you in the future and make you kill Duir with your own hands!"

As it spoke, an even more terrifying aura erupted, and the dark power that enveloped the entire Baladur Tower condensed into a giant demonic eye.

The Demon Eye's vertical pupil, like a black hole devouring everything, rushed towards Saruman.

No matter how much Saruman struggled, he could only be devoured by the Mystic Eye in the end.

As a Maiar, Saruman's soul is extremely powerful, and it would take considerable time and effort to completely corrupt him and turn him into one's own puppet.

So Sauron's demonic eye cast a long, wistful glance toward the west.

He commanded the Ringwraiths who were searching for the Ring in the region of Eriador to return.

"Duir, there's plenty of time. We'll have plenty of time to play around. Next time, it'll be my turn to make a move..."

(End of this chapter)