Sauron finally reacted. He no longer attacked Hogwarts, nor did he wish to remain entangled with Sylas and the others. Instead, he intended to return to the Mount Doom at all costs, to prevent the ring destruction.
"Not good! He's trying to return to the Mount Doom!" Elrond's expression changed drastically as he shouted in alarm. "We absolutely cannot let him leave!"
Seeing Sauron tear through the void, attempting to escape through a spatial rift, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Glorfindel all moved at once to stop him. Sylas gritted his teeth, momentarily retreating to maintain the golden dome protecting Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Then, in the next instant, he teleported directly in front of Sauron.
Activating the full power of the ring, Sylas released a surge of golden light that enveloped Sauron completely. The light condensed rapidly, transforming not into a shield, but into a golden cage, sealing Sauron within.
The Ring's power, originally used to form an indestructible Golden Light Shield fused with the earth, had now revealed another function. The same defensive domain could be reshaped into a prison, trapping those within it.
Sauron immediately abandoned all restraint.
A terrifying pressure exploded outward, his malice and authority crashing like an invisible hammer against Sylas, Gandalf, Galadriel, and the others. Their faces instantly paled as they struggled to withstand the overwhelming mental force. At the same time, dense black power erupted from Sauron's body like a volcanic eruption. Wherever it touched, vegetation withered into ash, rocks split open with pitch-black fissures, and the ground was torn apart as if devoured by rot.
The dark power relentlessly eroded the golden light of the cage, threatening to tear it apart.
Sauron raised his blazing, crimson-tipped mace and struck again and again at the golden prison surrounding him. With every blow, the golden light flickered violently, the earth trembled, and the sky darkened. Even Sylas, pouring his full strength into maintaining the cage, could barely endure it.
Each strike felt as if it were slamming directly into his own body. Sylas groaned despite himself, his face growing steadily paler.
Although the ring drew strength directly from the land itself and could form the strongest possible defense, it still required Sylas's magic as its core. Compared to decades ago, his reserves were now vast, his magic power flowed like a great river, seemingly inexhaustible under normal circumstances.
But facing Sauron at his peak was like setting a river against the sea.
Sylas could trap Sauron for the moment, but his magic was being consumed at a terrifying rate. Each successive strike from Sauron accelerated the drain severalfold. By his own estimation, even under ideal conditions, he could hold out for no more than a single day.
Now, he could only hope that Frodo and his companions would reach the fires of Mount Doom in time and destroy the Dark Realm.
Gandalf and the others quickly realized the strain Sylas was under. Gandalf's expression grew grim.
"Before Frodo and the others destroy the ring," Gandalf declared firmly, "we must not allow Sauron to return, no matter the cost. Even if it means sacrificing ourselves, we will keep him here!"
With that, Gandalf cast aside all hesitation. Ignoring the risk of corruption, he fully unleashed the power of Narya, the Ring of Fire, transforming it into a vast, blazing current of warmth and strength that surged directly into Sylas.
Gandalf knew the price. The longer Narya was used in this manner, the greater the risk that Sauron's darkness would taint it, eventually rendering the Ring unusable. But he was willing to sacrifice everything if it meant stopping Sauron and buying Frodo the time he needed.
The moment the power of Fire flowed into him, Sylas felt his spirit ignite. His exhaustion vanished, his body surged with renewed strength, and his magic power swelled dramatically. The golden cage imprisoning Sauron immediately stabilized, becoming thicker, denser, and far more resilient.
Sylas judged that the time he could hold Sauron had at least doubled.
At the same moment, Elrond and Galadriel made their own decisions.
Galadriel fully released the power of Nenya, the Ring of Water. Gentle yet inexhaustible, it washed through Sylas, easing his fatigue, calming the strain on his spirit, and neutralizing much of the mental pressure and corrosive darkness radiating from Sauron.
Elrond followed, activating Vilya, the Ring of Air. Its power connected Sylas directly to the natural magic of the world itself. A vast, surging tide of pure ambient magic poured into him from the surrounding lands.
What delighted Sylas, Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel even more was that the four elements began to resonate with one another, producing a miraculous transformation. Air, water, fire, and earth, the four primal elements, converged and fused, giving rise to a balanced, energy, ancient and pure, as if it carried the potential to reshape the world itself.
Under the influence of this primeval force, Sauron's terrifying dark power was directly neutralized, unable to stir even the slightest ripple. The golden barrier surrounding him grew ever denser and more tangible, condensing into a semi-transparent golden prison. No matter how violently Sauron struggled, any attempt to break free became meaningless.
At the very center of this convergence, Sylas benefited the most.
Bathed in the harmonized power of the four elements, his body underwent a transformation, so complete that it felt as though he had been reborn.
Earth tempered his flesh, making it resilient and unyielding.
Fire refined his soul and will, burning away impurities and strengthening his spirit.
Air expanded and elevated his magic, allowing it to flow more freely and vastly.
Water purified everything, body, soul, spirit, and magic, bringing perfect balance and clarity.
The gains from this transformation far surpassed those he had once obtained while refining magic stones. If given sufficient time, Sylas could use the harmony of the four elements to break the shackles binding his soul and ascend to a higher order of existence, approaching the realm of the truly great powers of Arda.
Upon realizing this, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Glorfindel were filled with joy.
As Sylas was the bearer of the Earth Ring, his growth would only strengthen their side further. Without hesitation, Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel poured their strength into the Three Rings once more, drawing in fire, air, and water, guiding those forces to merge with the earthly power of the Earth Ring, accelerating Sylas's transformation.
The golden prison confining Sauron reacted instantly.
Sensing Sylas's rising state, Sauron felt genuine unease for the first time. Should Sylas complete this process, he would not be bound by the limitations that restrained Gandalf or Glorfindel. His power would be wholly his own, vast and unconstrained, sufficient to pose a real threat even to Sauron himself.
Desperate to return to the Dark Realm and prevent its destruction, Sauron could not allow this to happen.
"Since you have bound me with the power of the earth," Sauron snarled, his eyes blazing with malevolent fire, "then I shall sever your connection to it. Let us see how you trap me then!"
The dark power saturating the skies and earth suddenly surged back into Sauron's body. His aura condensed, becoming denser and more terrifying than before. With a thunderous roar, he poured all of his strength into the colossal spiked mace in his grasp and smashed it into the ground.
The impact was catastrophic.
In an instant, the sky darkened and the land convulsed violently. The entire region shook as though struck by divine wrath. Far to the east, valleys trembled; in the west, the port region felt the quake as well. Across the land, people stumbled in terror, believing a world-shattering catastrophe had begun.