Chapter 405 End of the play
“Levi, are you okay?”

On the way to Mount Doom, Frodo seemed to sense something. He suddenly looked up and found that Levi seemed to be distracted.

“It’s OK, not bad.”

Levi came back to his senses and responded.

“What happened?”

Frodo looked a little worried, and Sam also looked over at him.

With Levi by their side at this moment, the two of them felt extremely safe, and they were not afraid even if Sauron suddenly showed up.

As a result, their mood became relaxed, and even Sam was thinking about what kind of big meal he should make to celebrate after returning to Shire.

But in fact, he is the most relaxed person here at the moment.

It was indeed him.

As the ring got closer to Mount Doom, the place where it was created, it was able to exert more and more power, and it itself became as heavy as a piece of iron, weighing Frodo down so much that he could hardly breathe and even had marks on his neck.

“Nothing, just…”

Facing this question, Levi suddenly stopped, looked at Frodo, and said: “The little ring in your arms keeps calling my name, and it makes me upset.”

Hearing this, Frodo was in a trance and took the ring out of his arms, spread it on the palm of his hand, and showed it to Levi completely.

“this…?”

‘ asked Frodo, who also found it incredible.

Why should I take out the ring?

Why would I show my ring…my treasure to others?

Although he didn’t know what drove him to do such a strange thing, he still spoke in a soft tone because of the trust he had built up in Levi over a long time.

After all, this was a character he had heard about since he was a child and who had accompanied him throughout his childhood. Those stories had been deeply engraved in his mind, lingering and unforgettable.

The same goes for Sam. Both of them have a filter for the legend in front of them who is so familiar and close to them, and their trust in him is close to the maximum.

But… when the Supreme Ring appeared and Levi’s eyes touched it, something seemed to be wrong.

Levi stood there, just staring at the ring, without blinking, with no expression on his face, and didn’t say a word.

This made both Sam and Frodo feel a little uneasy.

But remembering that they had misunderstood Faramir, the noble commander of Gondor, in Ithilien, they suppressed some thoughts that they could not believe and waited quietly.

Waiting for Levi to say something that would put them at ease.

But Levi’s next move made them even more uneasy.

He turned and took two slow steps towards Frodo, never taking his eyes off the Ring.

Like everyone he had seen before, he slowly extended his hand towards the ring.

Frodo looked up, and saw that the figure before him seemed to overlap with Aragorn and Faramir.

These noble leaders among humans are always attracted by the ring first, and then when he is most worried, they suddenly hold his hand and ask him to put the ring away safely.

Maybe the next moment…

“and many more!”

Just as Frodo was lost in his memories, Sam behind him suddenly shouted.

He turned around and saw Levi suddenly grab the ring and break the necklace that was tied to it.

Just took the ring away.

Looking at Levi who took the ring away, Frodo’s mind went blank.

He wondered if he was hallucinating.

When the broken necklace slid down his neck and fell to the ground with a soft snap, Frodo was finally sure that this was what had happened.

He looked at the broken necklace with his mouth open and eyes wide open. Then his brows suddenly frowned, his expression suddenly became extremely ferocious, and he quickly pulled out the thorn and was about to stab the person in front of him while screaming.

“No, Frodo, no!!”

Sam held Frodo close behind him, trying desperately to prevent him from doing anything stupid in the heat of the moment.

“My baby, that’s my baby!!”

Frodo screamed, struggled forward with red eyes, and did not forget to hit Sam behind him with his elbow, trying to make him let go.

That ferocious expression was exactly the same as Gollum’s.

The corruption he had suffered was actually quite deep, but it had never been revealed.

The ring was always in his hand, and Sam’s loyalty had been tested many times. He had no thoughts about the ring, which made Frodo feel at ease and led Frodo to believe that he was still sane.

Along the way, he refused to let Sam temporarily hold the ring to share the pressure. It was hard to tell whether it was out of concern or out of some selfish desire that he himself was not aware of.

Or maybe both.

Sam dragged Frodo tightly, regardless of the new and old wounds on his body.

In front of them, Levi obviously didn’t care about Frodo’s sudden outburst of hostility. He stared at the small ring on his hand and murmured:

“Look, it’s very interesting, isn’t it? Even though Sauron has been defeated, this ring still has such great power.”

As if he had thought of something, Levi looked at the Supreme Ring with interest and said:

“Strangely enough, everyone who has ever gotten this ring seems to be facing great risks – because this ring will attract evil things and do everything possible to create accidents so that it can return to its rightful owner.”

“But now its masters have been defeated, and all evil has been purged, and it can no longer respond to its call.”

“What else can it do now, and how can it struggle?”

Levi held the ring in front of his eyes and said, “Do you feel helpless and alone?”

At this moment, even Sam and Frodo were stunned. For the first time in their lives, they felt the ring… and were actually afraid?

The person in front of me suddenly became unpredictable, and the heroic and legendary filter on him was fading away bit by bit.

When all the bias disappeared, the two hobbits finally realized what kind of existence was in front of them, and they also truly experienced the feelings of the orcs.

It was a feeling of utter despair.

“No!” Frodo suddenly shouted, and the sting on his hand fell to the ground.

Sam also widened his eyes, his face full of surprise.

In front of them, Levi slowly put on the ring.

Boom!

The Doomsday Volcano began to stir, and the Eye of Flame that was confronting the human army on the Evil Black Tower shook violently, but it was reluctant to shift its gaze.

The moment the ring was put on, Sauron finally realized that his treasure was right under his nose and had even been sent to the crater of Doomsday.

If it were usual, he would have looked over immediately to see who was wearing the ring without knowing their own limitations.

But this time he didn’t dare to move. Even though he knew the ring was there, he didn’t dare to look over there.

Swah——

The eight Ringwraiths, who had once again been beaten to the point of losing their form, suddenly appeared together, kneeling with their heads down on the slope of Mount Doom.

Crawling in front of the figure that was as dark and heavy as the abyss.

That man’s power was unfathomable, so much so that the Ringwraiths directly controlled by the Lord of the One Ring were greatly enhanced, and there was a tendency for them to interfere in earthly affairs without the need for a physical body.

Frodo and Sam stepped back, not daring to look him in the face.

Gandalf looked suddenly toward Mount Doom and was horrified.

The elves and wizards from all over Middle-earth had the same reaction as him.

Including Saruman. “What did I say?!”

Saruman cried out in horror.

It’s over, it’s over.

ended?
On the hillside, Levi waved his hand, and the Ringwraiths dissipated and were driven back to the world of the dead.

He walked slowly towards Frodo.

Suddenly, this time it was Sam who drew out his sword and pointed the tip at Levi.

There were tears in the corners of his eyes, and he was trembling all over, and his teeth were chattering; but he still stood before Frodo, between the two men.

After going through so much hardship, Sam, who had become a little thinner, stared at Levi and said in a crying voice: “I don’t believe it, I absolutely don’t believe it…”

Under the desperate gaze of the two Hobbits, Levi stretched out his hand.

It was not until then that Sam realized that he actually did not have the courage to fight back.

The only thing he could do was to use his body to block it.

“No, Sam!”

Frodo finally understood what was happening. While struggling, he rushed over immediately, opened his arms and blocked Sam with his eyes closed.

pat.

But the next moment, the expected reckoning did not come.

Two warm hands touched the heads of the two hobbits respectively. The movements were a little stiff, but it was obvious that the owners of the hands were trying their best to appear gentle and harmless.

He turned and left.

Frodo and Sam stared at the figure in a daze.

They looked at each other, took a deep breath, and followed with determination.

…

[Degree of Corruption: 50%]

Many illusions appeared before my eyes, and tempting voices kept ringing in my ears.

From now on, Middle-earth will have a true emperor, an emperor who will unify the entire world. He will be honored as the Lord of Middle-earth. All humans, dwarves, elves, and orcs will obey his orders, and no one can violate his will.

From now on, wherever there are human activities, there must be people spreading his name and praising his deeds. His will will never be disobeyed. His territory will spread infinitely, and the whole world will have only one color.

“What about the people of Middle-earth?”

As the question was raised, the picture changed.

Everyone was worshipping a black figure as the supreme being in their hearts. They carried out his will devoutly and regarded him as a god. Nothing he said would go unfulfilled. He could do whatever he wanted without any restrictions. No one could stop him. Everything was based on him as the top priority…

Levi shook his head indifferently.

As if sensing his innermost extreme resistance to this scene, the many illusions suddenly dissipated.

But soon, another illusion emerged.

A great world full of wonders, a world where everyone is kind, a world of great prosperity and a great king who will stand forever… The constantly emerging illusions tried their best to show him all the possibilities of the future world.

But all this could not stop him from advancing towards Mount Doomsday.

There was not even a pause.

The steps were slow and firm, just like the path he had walked over the past eighty years.

He is no longer the young adventurer.

All the joy and sorrow, reunion and separation, as well as the emptiness and helplessness after separation…all of this has made me who is standing here today.

Looking back, there is not only a vast world, but also the attentive company of people around me, generation after generation.

Even though most of them are no longer here.

How can so-called power and wealth compare to home and friends – how can they compare with the true harmony and infinite possibilities of the world?

The Supreme Ring trembled, and the black words engraved on it began to glow. Under the tremendous pressure, it continued to stimulate its deeper potential. Even the huge flaming eye on the evil black tower suddenly closed, and a certain evil will shifted over and began to participate.

“You are willing to spend nearly a hundred years in this small world in a dull way. Are you willing to be so ‘ordinary’?”

Levi slowed down his pace.

As if aware of what he had been thinking before, the illusion emerged again like a tide, this time it came more violently, and the level explored became deeper.

It even really triggered some private memories hidden deep in Levi’s heart.

[Degree of Corruption: 80%]

“Assault on Valinor and capture the halls of Mandos.”

“You can see your friends and familiar faces there again. From now on, you will never have to feel the sorrow of separation between life and death. For all the lives in this world, whether they are alive or dead, whether they leave or stay, the destination of their souls is up to you.”

“Don’t you want to take charge of this?”

“You can do it. Become our ally. With your ability, it won’t take long to destroy this world…”

pat.

The footsteps dropped, and once again moved forward a little.

“Dragons! Those dragons have great potential. I can help you [study] them. I promise that when you come into contact with dragons again, something new will emerge!”

The pace still hasn’t stopped.

“No, it is not only the new research on dragons, but also the real dark lord, Morgoth, who is wandering outside the world. He is the ‘most powerful force under the One’. Even the ruler of Arda, the strongest Valar ‘Manwe’ is inferior to him. When he returns from outside the universe, [Endlessness] will follow. By then, the world will be yours, and everything will be dominated by you.”

“When you have that level of power, what else can you be afraid of?”

Levi was stunned when he heard this.

In a trance, his ears went empty, his eyes went dark, and his perception rose above the starry sky, and even beyond the barriers of the world, crossing an unknown distance and seeing countless things.

There is the future, the past, and the present.

The power of the One Ring was gradually merging with him, and the two were spiraling upwards as if there was no end.

Even the blessed land hidden outside Arda could catch a glimpse of that aura.

[Degree of Corruption: 99.9%]

Just a little bit, just a little bit!
In the Doomsday Rift filled with burning magma – a huge furnace belonging to Sauron alone, in the room known as the center of the Dark Kingdom, the One Ring desperately emitted its power, trying to conquer the last 0.1%.

But the progress bar is stuck.

Consciousness gradually sinks.

“Do not.”

Levi suddenly smiled and shook his head slightly.

“There are things in this world that are more important than power.”

He dropped the Ring.

This is a bright movement.

There is no regret or separation, nor collapse or despair.

The music ends with joy and reunion.

Levi passed his test.

And this drama has finally reached its final chapter.

(End of this chapter)