Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 202 Escape

"Surrender?" Saruman sneered, looking at Galadriel, Elrond, Gandalf, and Dui, his deep, gloomy eyes filled with mockery.

"You can't make me surrender!"

He exuded a "bewitching power" originating from the Maiar's primal strength, his eyes were full of spiritual suggestion, and his voice was full of alluring magic.

"Please put aside your hostility, my friends! I am not your enemy; this is just a misunderstanding! The world needs order, and I am simply trying to make it a better place..."

Dui was momentarily dazed upon hearing this.

Then suddenly, I felt that Saruman's figure in front of me was incredibly majestic, my hostility diminished, and Saruman's voice echoed in my mind, as if it were full of charm, making me want to obey him involuntarily.

He struggled to break free from this influence, using his last bit of willpower to cast a spell to shut off his hearing.

But it was to no avail. Saruman's voice did not merely penetrate the ears, but rather silently invaded the mind with an invisible spiritual force, attempting to influence will and thought.

Not only Dui, but Galadriel, Gandalf, and Elrond all had their brows furrowed.

Saruman's voice was like a symphonic curse; the sound materialized, no longer words, but a magical attack.

"Don't listen to his words, only to the lies in his voice!" Gandalf's voice echoed like thunder in Dui's ears.

"He's weaving shadows in our minds; we must interrupt his sound magic!" Elrond warned solemnly, his brow furrowed as he kept his composure.

Saruman's voice could not corrupt the will of Gandalf and the others, but it would constantly disturb them like a cacophony of noise, making it impossible for them to concentrate.

Even more seriously, the minds of Smaug the dragon and Saurondo the eagle were clearly being manipulated, and they were attacking Gandalf and the others instead.

As for Dui, because of his master and the magical contract, Smaug was unable to attack him and was not attacked.

However, this sudden infighting caused a dramatic shift in the situation.

Gandalf and Elrond, mindful that Smaug and Saurondo were Duy's pets, refrained from going all out and could only defend passively.

Galadriel had no choice but to cast a barrier to slow down Saruman's demonic chant while also blocking the attacks from Smaug and Saurondo.

Dui was also having a headache, so he immediately used the musical magic that Tom had taught him.

The cheerful musical magic neutralized some of Saruman's demonic chants.

However, due to the difference in strength between the spellcasters, Dui's musical magic gradually became less effective.

But Galadriel and the others' eyes lit up.

Gandalf immediately channeled the power of the Ring of Fire into Dui's body, enhancing Dui's mental strength.

Galadriel and Elrond also transferred the power of their respective rings to him, enhancing his magical abilities.

In an instant, golden notes floated across the wilderness, transforming from a solo performance into a joyful and magnificent symphony!
The music was full of positive and cheerful energy, which overwhelmed Saruman's magical voice and even gradually neutralized it, causing Saruman's voice to lose its magical effect.

The dragon Smaug and the eagle Saruman, who had been controlled by Saruman, regained their senses and immediately stopped their attack.

But this cheerful music sounded like a huge, jarring noise to Saruman's ears, making him very uncomfortable.

"Enough! Enough! Stop this noise!" Saruman covered his ears in anger and discomfort.

Faced with repeated defeats, Saruman began to consider giving up. He chanted dark incantations to his already dead mount, the Dire Wolf.

The dire wolf's body was corrupted by dark magic, becoming hideous and grotesque, filled with a dark aura, and it came back to life like a zombie.

Saruman then mounted his dire wolf and fled eastward.

Now that his stronghold of Isengard has been captured, he cannot return and walk into a trap, so he can only flee eastward to Mordor or the far east.

"Chase!"

Gandalf mounted his flying broom and gave chase.

Elrond and Galadriel also rode the eagle Saurondo and the dragon Smaug, respectively.

Dui, on the other hand, simply Apparated to catch up, constantly flashing around Saruman and casting spells to slow him down.

Flying is always faster than running on the ground, and Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel caught up one after another, forming a pincer movement to surround Saruman from the air.

Saruman was furious and, while fleeing, raised his staff and unleashed lightning and fireballs.

Then summon the storm again to reduce the advantage of flying in the air.

The two sides fought and moved across the Rohan Plain.

Galadriel's main responsibility was to protect everyone from Saruman's harm, while Dui, Gandalf, and Elrond were responsible for the full-scale attack.

Dui knew he was the weakest, so he didn't engage Saruman in direct combat. Instead, he constantly teleported to the side to assist and distract Saruman.

Elrond and Gandalf pursued head-on, with Elrond handling melee combat and Gandalf exchanging blows with Saruman's magic using his staff. Wherever they went, lightning flashed and explosions resounded.

When they chased Saruman to the banks of the Ent River within the territory of Rohan.

Elrond summoned the floodwaters from upstream, transforming them into a vast army that blocked Saruman's path.

"Saruman, you have nowhere to run!" Gandalf's voice boomed, and he unleashed a bolt of lightning that struck Saruman.

Saruman raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning.

Two bolts of lightning collided in mid-air, and countless blinding flashes of light exploded instantly, making it impossible for people to open their eyes for a moment.

"Abolish your weapon!" Dui appeared behind Saruman and unleashed a spell.

Saruman was caught off guard; a tremendous force struck his hand, and the staff flew out of his grasp.

Dui teleported again, caught Saruman's staff, and retreated.

Without the spell-casting staff, Saruman's threat level was greatly reduced.

Gandalf then unleashed a magical shockwave, sending Saruman tumbling into the waters of the Ent River.

Elrond manipulated the river, transforming it into a massive whirlpool that trapped Saruman within, spinning him endlessly and giving him no chance to struggle.

“Saruman, you have lost!” Gandalf said.

"Surrender. Considering we were allies in the past, we won't make things difficult for you. We'll just imprison you. When everything is over, if you can truly repent your mistakes, you might be able to be forgiven and return to the West."

Saruman struggled in the water, but was still full of resentment, and sneered:
“I did nothing wrong! I only wanted to pursue power. What’s wrong with pursuing power? The age of the gods has passed. Why should I return to the West to continue being a slave? Just because they were born stronger than us, does that mean we should become their servants and be at their beck and call?”

"I want to stay in this world and rule it!"

Upon hearing Saruman's words, Gandalf immediately frowned.

He had initially thought Saruman had been corrupted by Sauron, but now his words revealed his dissatisfaction with Vala, clearly indicating that he had harbored resentment for some time.

This defiance of Vera's words made Gandalf, who was wholeheartedly loyal to Vera, feel somewhat uncomfortable.

But Dui suddenly began to look at Saruman in a different light.

This world is clearly divided into classes. Besides Ilúvatar, the creator god who is unique and supreme, there are also the Ainur who are born from Ilúvatar's consciousness.

The Aenu are the gods who assisted Ilúvatar in creating the world. Among them, the most powerful Aenu are known as the Valar and are considered the chief gods.

The slightly weaker Enu is the Maiar, who is specifically responsible for assisting the Valar in maintaining the operation of this world.

Among them, Morgoth, as the most powerful Valar, was the first to rise up in rebellion against Ilúvatar. He united a group of Maiar, including Sauron, and launched a rebellion against the divine authority of Ilúvatar.

After Morgoth's defeat, Sauron, the most powerful of the Maiar, became the second to rebel.

Then there's Saruman, who is currently in front of us, and he too is dissatisfied with the theocratic class.

However, whether it was Morgoth, Sauron, or Saruman, they were not truly rebelling against divine authority, but rather dissatisfied with their own positions and wanted to rise up and replace the gods to rule and dominate the world.

Therefore, even though Dui had some different opinions about Saruman, it didn't affect his dislike for Saruman.

So he said directly, "Don't waste any more words with him. To avoid any accidents, let's just kill him!"

He then raised his staff, ready to kill Saruman once the others agreed.

Seeing this, Saruman in the river was not frightened, but instead revealed a mocking smile, saying as if cursing:
“I have seen your pursuit and desire for power, as well as the evil magic you have used. I look forward to the day when you fall into darkness, and when you will turn against your current associates, just like I have.”

Upon hearing this, the others looked at Dui with some concern, fearing that he might be influenced by Saruman's words.

But Dui seemed completely unconcerned, coldly laughing as he calmly stated:
"I pursue power, but only to make myself stronger so that I can protect myself and the people I care about. As for your so-called ambitions to rule the world, I have no interest in them at all."

So you don't need to expect a day when I fall into darkness, because for me, light and darkness are like day and night in this world of Arda—neither can exist without the other.

Saruman was taken aback, suspecting that Dui was lying, but looking at Dui's firm expression and will, he suddenly couldn't understand it.

In his view, the purpose of pursuing power is to rule the world. Who would want to become stronger just for the sake of becoming stronger?
Isn't this like wearing fine clothes in the dark, or being lost in a world of treasure? Then why bother pursuing power at all?
When Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond heard this, it was the first time they had accurately learned Dui's ambitions, and they were both surprised and full of admiration.

Dui didn't want to waste words with Saruman; he directly cast a spell on Saruman: "Expelliarmus!"

The curse struck Saruman.

"No! Give it back to me!"

Amidst Saruman's shocked, angry, and resentful expression, the Ring of Power on his finger detached and flew to the shore.

Ignoring Saruman's roar, Dui carefully used his wand to lift the gold ring, examining this ring of power, which was no less potent than the Three Rings of the Elves.

(End of this chapter)