mesbooks Chapter 458-457: The Revival of the Past 1
Chapter 458-457: The Revival of the Past 1
Chapter 458-457: The Revival of the Past 1
Beyond memory magic.
He saw that even young Saruman was beginning to be corrupted.
The man in black robes was somewhat taken aback.
"Teacher, you are the only wizard who successfully removed that pollution, right!" He really didn't know before that the pollution his teacher suffered from was so severe.
"Yes and no, you should keep watching to find out what happened." The blind wizard did not respond, but simply gestured for his disciple to continue observing the memory magic.
At the fingertips of the blind wizard Saruman, a wisp of eerie blue magical light, like a trembling firefly, traced ripples in the void before the black-robed students. A torrent of memories surged forth once more, sweeping the audience into a forgotten era, an adventure of youthful vigor and dread belonging to the young Saruman.
Saruman has also been contaminated.
Being in this place.
Whether you like it or not, it doesn't change the fact that the longer you stay in this place, the more severe the pollution will become.
Until they find a way to escape.
This situation has no solution.
An hour later, they saw the color-changing magical symbol again. The symbol showed that time was indeed passing, and they had truly returned to their starting point.
"An infinite corridor..." Saruman murmured, finally understanding the true meaning of the name. "This isn't a metaphor...this really is an infinitely looping space..."
'
Kag slammed his fist against the wall in a fit of rage: "Damn it! How are we supposed to get out of here?"
Just then.
Lina on his back suddenly began to convulse violently.
Her body began to undergo more noticeable changes—her back arched, her bones made a sickeningly painful twisting sound, and scales under her skin spread at a visible speed.
"Lina! Hang in there!"
Saruman rushed forward, trying to alleviate her pain with soothing magic.
But this time, the magic failed completely.
Lina suddenly opened her eyes, her completely black pupils devoid of any human emotion. She let out a piercing scream, her strength astonishing as she broke free of Kag's restraints and crashed to the ground.
"Lina!" they both exclaimed at the same time.
Lying on the ground, Lina began frantically scratching her skin, scales and blood mingling in a gruesome sight. Her body continued to mutate before their eyes—a vertebra pierced her skin, forming a fin-like structure; her fingers completely transformed into claws; her mouth split open to an unbelievable degree.
It revealed a dense array of sharp teeth.
"We have to knock her out!" Although he was extremely reluctant, Saruman still used dark magic, as white magic could no longer help Lina find peace.
Dark magic was used.
Lina fell into a deep sleep.
"We might end up like Lina."
Kag checked on Lina's condition.
Lina, once as nimble as a deer, with a clear, melodious laugh, is now a vessel of pollution. Delicate scales spread from the back of her neck to her cheeks, shimmering ominously in the dim light. Webbed membranes have grown between her fingers, and her breath carries a damp, fishy odor, as if from the deep sea.
She was sometimes lucid, sometimes delirious, muttering syllables no one could understand, like the prayer of a drowning person. Even now, no one has realized a certain problem.
They were in the "Infinite Corridor," a legendary site associated with Cthulhu.
The walls were made of a material as warm and smooth as jade yet as cold and skeletal as bone, carved with non-Euclidean geometric patterns that seemed to slowly writhe. Staring at them for too long would cause reason to slip away like sand in an hourglass. The passage stretched endlessly forward and backward, and every seemingly resolute step forward might ultimately lead back to a strangely familiar corner.
Even after defeating one powerful opponent after another, Saruman was doing his best to find the exit, but he still couldn't avoid them circling back to the original area.
The air was filled with ancient dust and the salty smell of the sea, along with a deep, humming sound that seemed to come from the depths of the earth, making people uneasy.
"We must find the core of this contamination—Lina won't last much longer."
Saruman's voice carried a suppressed anxiety, and the crystal at the tip of his staff emitted a steady white light, attempting to dispel the maddening, eternal repetition.
"I really feel like I'm about to collapse." Kag nodded silently, carrying Lina on his back, his movements still steady, but his tightly furrowed brows betrayed his exhaustion and worry. On his exposed skin, several faint black lines, seemingly hardened by the whispers in the corridor and the successive battles, had become like leeches clinging to his skin. "Here we go again!"
Before the two could catch their breath from the battle with the Lava Tyrant, the air in the corridor suddenly began to churn wildly. The howling wind sliced through everything like a thousand sharp blades, leaving deep marks on the stone walls.
Suddenly, a female figure formed from pure storm materialized in the air. Her long hair was flowing lightning, her eyes were swirling whirlwinds, and her robe was woven from flowing clouds.
"Selene, the Storm Witch..." Saruman's voice was filled with deep weariness, "Even the ruler of the skies cannot escape the corruption of this cage?"
Although I was still somewhat shocked, after so many shocks, I was now tired of the shock, mainly because my energy was being worn down by the continuous battles.
Selene let out a piercing shriek, her voice booming like thunder: "Arrogant mortals! You have defiled the sacred realm! You have disturbed my comprehension of the truth of the world!"
Just like those powerful figures before him.
This witch was also trapped here by corrupt knowledge—perhaps they weren't unable to find a way out, but simply unable to reject the knowledge this place offered.
Only wizards know how crazy they can be in order to go even further; just look at Voldemort, the great terrorist of Hogwarts, to understand this.
Horcruxes, those kinds of things.
Although it is much better than the Cthulhu contamination, it also means that the user will have no way out. However, there are still many wizards like Voldemort who cannot resist the temptation of Horcruxes.
The same goes for this witch.
The same applies to the other wizards who were trapped in this place and assimilated.
She launched an attack.
Countless wind blades rained down like a storm. These wind blades were not only incredibly sharp, but also contained the power to tear apart souls, drawing strange trajectories in the air.
"Damn it! When will this end!" The multiple protective barriers set up by Saruman were on the verge of collapse under the continuous attacks of the wind blades, and dense ripples appeared on the surface of the barriers.
"My protection won't last much longer!" he shouted, his wand trembling violently in the gale.
Kag suddenly straightened up, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Let me create the opportunity!"
He channeled his last bit of power into his left hand, and his fist, imbued with the force of shattering space, slammed into the center of the storm.
This attack temporarily disrupted Selene's rhythm, but at the cost of Kag's left arm being covered in black lines and his skin beginning to crack.
Saruman seized this opportunity and once again pushed his limits. He no longer viewed the crack in his magical core as a weakness, but instead used it as a conduit to directly channel the surrounding raging energy.
"Storm, heed my command! Become an extension of my will!"
The goal was to defeat the opponent in their area of expertise. Shockingly, the storm controlled by Selene began to obey Saruman's commands.
This is Saruman's deeper understanding of the essence of magic—he no longer fights the storm, but becomes part of it, achieving a kind of resonance with the elements of heaven and earth. Lightning dances at his fingertips, and gales swirl around him; in this moment, he seems to have transformed into the master of the storm.
"You've actually touched a legend!"
Selene let out a mournful cry of despair, and the body of the storm began to dissipate.
Of course, in her final moments, her voice carried a hint of relief: "The sky of freedom...in the end, cannot escape this cage...be careful...it is devouring the essence of all of us..."
""
As the storm subsided, a dark figure silently appeared behind the two. He was shrouded in flowing shadows, with only a pair of cold eyes gleaming in the darkness.
These degenerates are appearing more and more frequently.
The intervals are getting shorter and shorter.
Perhaps this place sensed that Saruman was approaching the grass exit? Nobody knows, after all, it's also possible that this place was just giving Saruman a false impression.
"Jerome the Faceless!"
Saruman immediately went into battle mode.
Jerome remained silent, his shadows transforming into blades that attacked from all angles. Saruman quickly cast a spell: "Barrier of Light!" But the shadow blades easily pierced his protection, leaving several wounds on his body.
"I can't see him!"
Kag cried out in alarm, his vision consumed by darkness. Saruman closed his eyes, expanding his perception to its limit. In his perception, the shadows were no longer simply darkness, but the other side of light.
"Shadow is simply the other side of light!"
Saruman brought his shadow to life, and the two engaged in a fierce battle on the shadowy plane. The two shadows clashed wildly between reality and illusion, sometimes merging into the walls, sometimes launching surprise attacks from the ceiling.
Jerome suddenly split into dozens of shadowy figures, attacking simultaneously from all directions. Saruman remained calm, his wand tracing intricate paths.
"Shadow Cage!" All the clones were imprisoned in place. But Jerome's true form suddenly emerged from Saruman's shadow, his blade aimed straight at his back.
At a critical moment.
With a warrior's instinct, Kag hurled a stone, striking Jerome precisely in the wrist. Saruman seized the opportunity, unleashing his ultimate technique: "Light and Darkness as One!"
A dazzling white light and profound darkness erupted simultaneously, perfectly merging into a new power. Jerome was utterly exposed before this power, letting out a final sigh.
"In the end... they cannot escape the judgment of the light..."
With a whisper, the shadow assassin vanished completely. As the shadow faded, a figure clad in a green robe emerged from the void. His life staff was wreathed in black thorns.
It exudes an ominous aura.
"Orlando, the Life Priest!"
Saruman's voice was filled with sorrow.
Orlando brandished his staff, and black thorns spread like venomous snakes. Saruman cast a healing spell, but found that the holy light only accelerated the growth of the thorns.
"Life and death are one..."
Orlando's voice was distorted and manic.
Saruman swiftly dodged the thorns' attacks while searching for an opening. He noticed that Orlando was constantly protecting the gem at the tip of his staff, which was likely the core of the corruption.
"Kag, cover me!"
"Saruman shouts!" Kag immediately throws more stones to draw Orlando's attention. Saruman seizes the opportunity to charge forward, but the black thorns suddenly sprout more branches, surrounding him completely.
"It's no use... Accept the truth..."
Orlando grinned maliciously. In the critical moment, Saruman broke through once again. He no longer distinguished between life and death, but instead merged the two powers.
The wand emitted a strange, chaotic light: "The Cycle of Life and Death!"
The new life force caused the black thorns to begin to wither.
Orlando let out a painful howl, wildly waving his staff. More thorns surged from the ground, but Saruman had found his rhythm. He moved nimbly through the thicket of thorns.
Each swing of the staff turned large swathes of thorns to ashes.
Finally, Saruman overcame numerous obstacles, his wand striking the staff gem precisely. Orlando let out a final scream, his eyes suddenly regaining their clarity.
"Hurry... He's about to wake up..."
With the warning, the Life Priest vanished in specks of green light. This time, no more Fallen Ones appeared in a frenzy, allowing Saruman and the others a brief respite.
He made breakthroughs one after another.
It's already incredibly close to being legendary.
That did improve the situation somewhat.
They also gained some ability to help Kag suppress the pollution. After making some minor repairs, they passed by a niche once again, carved with a huge octopus relief.
The scene in the corridor suddenly changed. The space in front opened up, forming a circular hall. In the center of the hall stood a figure.
He was draped in a long robe that seemed to be woven from dust and time, and his figure was tall but stiff.
This man's face had no features, only a smooth, jade-like texture. He held a scepter in his hand, the top of which was inlaid with a large amber bead, resembling an eyeball.
Without warning, without a word, the faceless wizard simply raised his scepter slowly. His amber-like "eyes" suddenly lit up, and an indescribable force field spread out from him.
Saruman felt the air around him instantly become viscous, as if a powerful, directional will was trying to grasp, squeeze, and finally solidify him like an invisible giant hand.
"Watch out! It's Petrifying Gaze!" he shouted, tapping his staff sharply. A prismatic barrier instantly unfolded, blocking the way for his two teammates.
The barrier collided with the invisible petrifying force field, producing a teeth-grinding scraping sound. The prismatic light flickered violently, as if it might shatter at any moment. Cold sweat beaded on Saruman's forehead; he could sense the antiquity and absoluteness contained within that power, far surpassing any magic he had ever encountered before.
"Kag! Take Lina and retreat!" Saruman roared, maintaining the barrier with all his might. He knew that mere defense couldn't last. His mind raced, recalling ancient texts about this type of magic—it often relied on the caster's strong will to lock onto the target.
Without hesitation, the warrior retreated several steps, placing Lina in a relatively safe corner. He then raised his giant shield and warily stared at the faceless being.
"I am now the strongest below the legendary level! I will definitely break through the encirclement!"
Saruman took a deep breath, abandoning any attempt at pure resistance. He traced complex paths with his staff, chanting short, powerful incantations. Instantly, his figure split in two, then in four, and countless phantoms of "Saruman" appeared throughout the hall, each radiating the same magical energy.
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