Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 456, Section 455: Echoes of the Past 6
have to say.

This was definitely a tough battle.

After nearly half an hour of fierce fighting, the two finally found the monster's weakness. Saruman used a skillful spell to restrain it, and Kag seized the opportunity to strike with all his might, his battle axe cleaving deep into the monster's chest.

The monster let out a piercing scream.

There was certainly a hint of relief in that voice.

After all, perhaps to the former Star Speaker, he was also a true idealist with a wizard's heart, no different from Saruman and Kag.

he.

It's highly likely that it was after entering this ruin that it gradually became corrupted by the distortions of this place, turning into its current inhuman and ghostly state.

The thirst for and obsession with knowledge have even become distorted. And now, Saruman is actually going through such a process; his excessively fanatical obsession is a result of the influence of this place.

Hard to say.

If Saruman is trapped in this place for a longer period of time, will he become the next Star Speaker, yet another lackey and servant of the sleeping evil god of this place?

Saruman was well aware of this, so when he saw the Star Speaker fall, he felt a sense of empathy, like a rabbit being killed after its hunt is over. The other party's fate served as the most profound warning to him.

We have to get out.

We must escape this place.

if not.

Saruman dared not even imagine what he would become.

"Thank you," the Star Speaker said with his last breath. "Finally, I'm free. But alas, I can no longer attain eternal peace."

In the instant it fell, Saruman saw its eyes regain a brief clarity—eyes belonging to an intelligent being, filled with pain and regret.

To be fair, perhaps neither Saruman nor the Star Speaker realized that the pollution had penetrated deep into the soul, and that death was sometimes not the end.

Instead, it's a deeper kind of pain. There's no way around it; some things, once you're tainted by them, are like maggots clinging to your bones, and no amount of regret will change that.

“It’s free,” Saruman said softly, a mix of emotions swirling within him. He truly believed that after the Star Speaker’s death, his soul could finally be released and go to the dreamlike realm.

however.

Is it really the truth?
Nobody knows in this era.

Beyond the void layer constructed by memory magic, time seemed to stand still. The blind wizard and the black-robed wizard were always there, but in this presentation of memory, they seemed to be on another layer.

The blind wizard stood at the edge of the layers, his empty eye sockets gazing into the unseen depths, his withered fingers trembling slightly, as if he had touched some unspeakable truth.

He sighed softly, a sigh as heavy as the wind passing through ruins, carrying the weight of a thousand years of accumulated dust. A man in black robes stood beside him, his hood pulled low, his face hidden in shadow. He heard the wizard's sigh and followed with an almost silent sigh—an acceptance of the inability to change fate.

It is a complete rejection of the illusion of so-called "liberation".

Under the illumination of this memory magic.

The Star Whisperers firmly believed that death was the soul's journey to the stars, while Saruman viewed it as the ultimate freedom from the shackles of the mortal world. They, following common sense, depicted the end as a tranquil harbor.

however.

The situation couldn't possibly be that simple.

Saruman and the man in black robes, a thousand years later, both knew this: for lives corrupted by that unspeakable creature, death was not the end, but a deeper imprisonment.

The blind wizard, though long unable to see the world, "saw" this truth more clearly than anyone else. His sigh was not of sorrow, but of compassion—for those souls who still believed in peace after death. The man in black remained silent, but his sigh spoke volumes; they both knew what the end would be.

Death is not liberation, but merely a change in the way one continues to exist—as part of the monster, one can never return to the human world, nor can one truly die.

The magic of memory continues.

With the passing of the Star Speaker, the Star Speaker's wand also turned to dust—it was a sacred object that had been corrupted, and now that its master had been killed, it naturally shattered as well.

There were no spoils of war.

and.

The victory in the battle did not bring joy either.

"Get out of here! Get out of this hellhole!" Saruman and Kag were exhausted after defeating the Star Speaker. Saruman's magic was almost depleted, while Kag's right arm was severely injured, and his battle axe was now just scrap metal. Supporting each other, they continued along the corridor, hoping to find a way out.

Because of their injuries and the presence of a mutated teammate, the squad was in dire straits. Every step they took felt incredibly heavy, and the air in the corridor seemed to have frozen.

It carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

Kag leaned against the wall with his uninjured left hand, leaving bloody marks on the stone floor with each step: "My right arm feels off. Those black lines are spreading."

“We must be careful,” Saruman said breathlessly, realizing a problem: “The Star Speakers are by no means the only powerful ones here.”

"I can sense that there are even more terrifying beings lurking in the shadows, watching us."

This is definitely not a random guess.

Rather, it was Saruman's conclusion based on his own understanding and knowledge of the situation. There is definitely something outside spreading rumors that there is treasure in this place.

And they were certainly not the only ones deceived by such rumors. You see, before coming to this place, Saruman had researched and found that many adventurers had been there.

He had initially thought that the adventurers were simply outmatched and had been defeated, but now he realized that all the adventurers might be trapped here.

Then, it gradually transformed into that terrifying monster, that deformed creature.

His premonition was well-founded.

This is not.

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the corridor suddenly became dry and scorching.

The glowing moss on the wall began to wither, and in its place, fine grains of sand seeped out from the void, swirling and dancing in the air, making tiny crackling sounds.

The temperature rose sharply, making even breathing difficult.

The air was filled with the dry, hot smell unique to the desert.

"This is...sandstorm magic! Very few people in all of Africa know this kind of magic!" Saruman's expression changed drastically. "Could it be that person?!"

He was clearly thinking of a certain renowned wizard who had recently disappeared without a trace.

From the swirling sandstorm, a figure slowly materialized. He wore an ancient desert robe, a golden crown, and held a scepter inlaid with a sun gem. Although his body was partially sand-like, and his skin had the texture of sand grains, his distinctive attire was still recognizable.

It was Saladin, the legendary sorcerer who unified the desert tribes a century ago!
"Sandstorm Witch King Saladin!" Kag exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. "The legendary wizard who unified the desert tribes a hundred years ago! Historical records state that he disappeared in a mysterious ritual a hundred years ago. How could he be here? Could it be that the mysterious ritual he performed was some kind of teleportation ritual?"

This discovery greatly alarmed him.

"Perhaps, it's the same situation as the Star Speaker's."

Saruman's eyes showed worry.

With a solemn expression.

"You!" Saladin's eyes burned with golden flames, and his voice was like a storm in the desert, each syllable carrying the texture of sand rubbing against sand.

"Intruders will all become part of the desert."

This wizard, who also became a servant of evil, was very decisive.

The scepter is waved.

Countless grains of sand coalesced into sharp blades, raining down on the two figures. These sand blades were not only incredibly sharp but also contained scorching heat, distorting the air and emitting a hissing sound wherever they passed. Even more terrifying, these sand blades automatically tracked their targets in mid-air, as if they possessed a life of their own.

"Damn it! Another near-legendary!"

Saruman forced upon the magic that had already been squeezed dry.

He gripped the wand with both hands and cast a double protective spell.

"Water Barrier! Ice Shield!"

Two water-based protective spells were unleashed in front of him, clashing fiercely with the sand blades. The clash between water and sand generated a large amount of steam, instantly filling the entire corridor.

"Leave!"

Saladin's magic didn't stop there. He waved his scepter again, and the sand on the ground began to flow, forming a huge quicksand vortex. The powerful suction tried to drag the two of them into the abyss.

"Watch your step! Don't get caught!" Kag shouted, dragging his injured leg and leaping backward, while picking up pebbles from the ground with his left hand, trying to find a foothold.

Saruman hurriedly cast a levitation spell, but found that the gravity rules here had been altered.

Saladin let out a hoarse laugh, the sun gem on his scepter gleaming brightly: "In my realm, everything must follow the laws of the desert!"

This guy was indeed a supreme and outstanding wizard. Countless sand hands stretched out from the quicksand, and they were all different in shape. Some looked like skeletons, and some looked like the claws of wild beasts, trying to drag the two of them into the abyss.

“You have no idea what you’re doing! The pollution is affecting your minds!” Saruman cast a series of shattering spells, his wand tracing a dazzling path through the air.

however.

The Hand of Sand was shattered by him and immediately reformed.

It seems endless.

Saruman attempted to awaken the other party's will, but it did not produce very good results.

"I'm perfectly fine! I've never felt this good! Even legends are no match for me! You simply cannot comprehend the power I've already grasped!"

Like the Star Speaker, Saladin is obsessed with magic and power, so his mind is now controlled by corrupt knowledge.

Awakening is impossible; the other party has already fallen into demonic ways. It's also impossible for this guy to have truly gained power comparable to or capable of defeating a legend.

This is a kind of arrogance, a self-perception as if one were trapped in an inner world; it's utter madness. If he truly were a being beyond legend, Saruman would have no chance against him. Remember, before a legend, all wizards who aren't legends are mere ants.

legend.

It's no longer within the realm of human beings.

The gap between them and ordinary wizards is like heaven and earth, an insurmountable chasm, and Ian can well attest to this.

He could easily annihilate ordinary wizards as easily as crushing ants. Therefore, this Wizard King was certainly not a legend, and it was even questionable whether his power had actually increased.

of course.

Even if there is no rise, and there may even be some decline, dealing with a young wizard like Saruman is definitely more than enough.

"This won't do! His magic is too tyrannical!" Saruman gritted his teeth, sweat trickling down his forehead. "We must break his domain!"

The other party has already entered the realm of magic, and perhaps even reached the threshold of legend before arriving here, so how could he not feel pressured?

A tough battle to fight.

Saruman carefully observed Saladin's spellcasting pattern.

He noticed that the Witch King always stood in a specific spot where the sand grains were exceptionally dense, forming a unique magic circle.

Then, a flash of inspiration struck Saruman, and he understood the key: "Kag! Attack the sand dune beneath his feet! That's the core of his domain! He's not a true legend after all!"

"it is good!"

Kag immediately understood.

Despite his severely injured right arm, he picked up a boulder with his left hand and hurled it with all his might at the sand pile at Saladin's feet. At the same time, Saruman plunged his wand into the ground.

He unleashed his most proficient analytical magic.

"All things return to their origin! The laws are reconstructed!"

The wand erupted with a seven-colored light, which, like living things, coiled around the sandstorm domain, beginning to dissect its magical structure. Two attacks struck their target simultaneously. Boulders shattered the sand dunes, while the dissecting magic began to dismantle the sandstorm domain's magical structure. Saladin roared in fury.

The surrounding sandstorm began to fluctuate erratically.

"It's now!"

Saruman seized the opportunity, bit his finger, and used his blood to draw ancient runes on his wand, unleashing his final killing move: "In the name of the water god, summon the rain of purification!"

Many ancient magic spells were associated with deities.

Even the most brilliant wizards will learn it.

I saw.

As Saruman cast his spell, dark clouds suddenly appeared at the top of the corridor, and cool rain poured down. Water element is the most effective counter to sandstorm magic.

As the rain washed over him, the sandstorm quickly collapsed, and Saladin's body began to dissolve, with sand grains falling from his body.

"You can't do this!"

He had, after all, lost his identity as a human being. Having been in this place for a longer time, he was even more corrupted and decadent than the Star Speaker.

Or, one could say, he no longer possesses any human identity. Of course, this could also be related to the fact that his human body has perished, and he can only exist as an element.

This created his fatal weakness. The corruption brought to him by that indescribable being was not a blessing, and therefore would not offer him much help in this regard.

To know.

Pollution is at best nothing more than the digestive fluid of an unidentifiable organism. Its existence merely makes the prey taste sweet, thus "pickled" it into a more palatable flavor.

of course.

This is Ian's theory regarding Cthulhu contamination.

Neither the young Saruman nor the old Saruman could see things as clearly as Ian. Such a profound explanation is beyond the capabilities of ordinary wizards.

Unfortunately, Ian isn't here; he's still trapped in R'lyeh.

(End of this chapter)