Endless light burst forth as a colossal beam shot straight out of the volcano's mouth, tearing through the dark clouds above and bathing the accursed, apocalyptic mountain in sacred golden radiance.
At once, every dark creature on the Volcano of Doom felt the ground beneath their feet begin to tremble.
The shaking intensified, violent, relentless.
The agile shadows, wolves, and giant crocodiles were the first to panic, fleeing frantically down the mountainside. In the skies above, massive bats and vile crows scattered in terror, abandoning the volcano without a second glance.
Only the slow-witted Orcs hesitated, stunned for a heartbeat before terror seized them.
"Is… is the volcano about to erupt?!"
No one answered.
Every creature on that cursed mountain sensed something unspeakably dreadful awakening deep within the Volcano of Doom. And so they ran, desperate, unthinking, knowing that even a moment's delay would mean death.
Within the heart of the volcano, Sylas poured out everything he had.
He forced the Earth Ring to resonate with the entire mountain, wrenching power from the land itself and driving the volcano into violent upheaval. As the mountain shuddered, enormous slabs of rock broke free and tumbled into the crater.
The volcano, once quietly accumulating pressure, suddenly transformed.
It raged.
As though a slumbering god of destruction had opened its eyes.
Sensing imminent danger, the Balrog let out a furious, restless roar and tried to climb out of the crater. But Sylas barred its path.
"Trying to run?" Sylas said hoarsely. "Then we'll die together, here and now!"
His face was deathly pale, his body barely holding together. His robes were shredded, his skin scorched and torn by countless burns and wounds.
Yet he felt no pain.
He drove the Earth Ring beyond its absolute limit, unleashing its full power without hesitation.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the crater could no longer withstand the strain.
It collapsed.
The mountainside gave way, carrying overwhelming force as it smashed inward, burying the heart of the volcano beneath collapsing stone. The Balrog, thrown into chaos and panic, desperately searched for an escape, but found none.
A massive slab of rock slammed down upon it.
At the same time, Sylas's strength finally failed.
Unable to maintain his magic any longer, he fell from the collapsing heights.
But at the final moment;
Summoning every last fragment of will, Sylas plunged downward, ignoring the Balrog's searing flames. A blazing sword of fire formed in his grasp, and he drove it with all his remaining strength straight into the Balrog's chest.
Man and demon fell together.
They vanished into the molten lava and roaring flames of the world's core.
Moments later, the collapsing mountain followed, sealing the volcanic vent completely beneath fire and stone.
"No—!!!"
Far away, Sauron screamed in terror, despair, and absolute unwillingness as he raced back toward Mordor.
First, the crackling flames within the Eye atop his tower sputtered violently, as though their source had been severed.
After flickering a few final times, the Eye went dark.
Completely extinguished.
Across the world, the spirits bound to the Dark Lord howled in unwilling defiance before being utterly annihilated. Their essence collapsed, their power dissipated, and they reverted into nothing more than ordinary, powerless rings.
Within the vast inner expanse once bound to the Ring, the final dark spirit twisted violently, then exploded.
The cataclysmic shockwave ripped through the entirety of that realm, flattening towers and fortresses alike. The ancient storm clouds that had shrouded Mordor for a thousand years were blown apart.
For the first time in an age, starlight and moonlight fell upon the land of Mordor.
Then;
After a brief, unnatural calm, the Volcano of Doom tore open the earth itself.
It erupted.
Flames shot skyward before raining back down like meteors. Lava thundered across the land, crushing Orcs, Trolls, and all who had failed to escape in time.
The crimson tide surged outward like a dragon unchained after millennia, swallowing the desolate plains of the valley below. Wherever it passed, stone and vegetation alike were reduced to ash. Any creature caught in its path was devoured without mercy.
Beneath the mountain, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, still locked in battle with the remaining dark creatures, felt the oppressive presence suddenly vanish.
They knew at once.
The plan had succeeded.
Joy burst across their faces.
Seeing the apocalyptic eruption and the torrent of lava crashing down the mountain like falling stars, they wasted no time. Aragorn activated the portkey, and the three of them withdrew immediately.
The key opened into the gardens of Hogwarts Castle.
The moment they emerged, they saw Frodo and Sam, already returned, teleported away by the phoenix feather. Nearby stood Dr. Murs, Mari, and Daphne, who had been waiting anxiously.
Aragorn's gaze locked onto Frodo.
"Frodo, did you throw the Ring into the Volcano?"
Frodo shook his head.
"We threw it down, but we never expected a Balrog to be hidden inside the volcano. It seized the Ring. Luckily, Sylas arrived in time and teleported us away, then stayed behind to fight the Balrog alone!"
Frodo didn't know what happened after that. Worry filled his eyes as he asked,
"Did Sylas succeed? If the Ring fell back into Sauron's hands… then everything would be lost."
Aragorn, his expression filled with quiet confidence, reassured him.
"We must believe in Sylas. Just before we left Mordor, I saw the wraiths that had been fighting us suddenly vanish. At the same time, the Volcano of Doom erupted. That could only mean Sylas succeeded. Otherwise, the wraiths would never have disappeared so completely."
"Really?" Frodo's face lit up with joy. "That's wonderful!"
Hope spread instantly through the group. For the first time since Mount Doom, they dared to believe the nightmare was truly over.
At the same time, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Glorfindel, having finally escaped Sauron's pursuit, retreated toward the wizarding world.
From thousands of miles away, Galadriel used her spiritual power to send one final warning to Sylas, urging him to destroy the Ring before Sauron could break free.
Then, at a single, unmistakable moment;
They all felt it.
The three Elven Rings they wore suddenly lost all power.
For an instant, shock froze them in place.
Then joy flooded their hearts.
The Elven Rings had been forged using knowledge once taught by Sauron himself. Their power was inextricably bound to The One Ring. Only when the Ring was truly destroyed would their strength fade away.
Now that the Elven Rings had gone dormant, there was only one explanation.
The Ring had been destroyed.
And with it, Sauron himself had been annihilated.
The greatest enemy of Middle-earth was finally gone.
Filled with relief and hope, they all hurried back to Hogwarts Castle, waiting anxiously for Sylas's return.
But one day passed.
Then another.
And still, there was no sign of him.
Galadriel and the others attempted to contact Sylas through telepathy, but received no response. Unease slowly crept into their hearts.
Unable to remain idle any longer, Arwen entrusted her children to Galadriel's care. She mounted thunderbird, and flew alongside Gandalf toward the Land of the Dead, searching for traces of her husband.
Her soul was bound to his.
Though she did not know his condition, she was certain of one thing: he was not dead.
Day after day, Arwen searched the smoldering volcano.
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
Yet she could not find even the faintest trace of him.
Still, she refused to give up. In her heart, she believed Sylas was nearby, waiting.
Gandalf joined the search as well, calling upon the Eagle clans to scour the skies and lands for any sign of him.
Meanwhile, Elrond and Glorfindel led the allied forces in cleansing the world of remaining evil.
The armies of the Dead Valley, Lórien, the Woodland Realm, the human kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan, the Lonely Mountain, Moria, the Iron and Hill Dwarves, and even the Aurors of Hogwarts joined together in a final, sweeping campaign.
Mordor's strongholds were breached.
The remnants of darkness were crushed.
Orcs, Trolls, beastmen, lycanthropes, and corrupted humans were completely annihilated.
After the eruption finally subsided, the Volcano of Doom gradually fell silent. The lava cooled, hardening into vast fields of blackened stone.
Everyone could feel it.
The volcano was dying.
Perhaps in hundreds, or thousands, of years, it would become dormant once more.
With the mountain quiet at last, Gandalf and the others were able to approach the crater itself. Using their combined powers, they confirmed something astonishing:
Sylas was still inside the volcano.
And his life was not in danger.
Yet at the same time, his presence was slowly fading, like a flame burning low, neither extinguished nor fully alive.
They could not understand it.
Then, on the seventh day, the volcano, which had remained calm until then, suddenly stirred again.
...
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