Chapter 261: The Power of Sword and Magic (First Update)

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"What?!" 

Sauron had clearly stepped back to evade the attack, yet a sudden gash appeared on his neck, causing his eyes to widen in shock. 

The wound wasn't just any ordinary injury. Normally, such a cut would heal within seconds, but instead, it continued to bleed without stopping. 

"An attack infused with a curse? Do you really think that will work on me, the Demon King?" 

As a well-versed scholar of magic, Sauron quickly realized that this wasn't a simple physical strike but a specialized magical attack carrying a curse. 

However, curses were his area of expertise. With a swift motion, he wiped his hand across his neck, and the powerful darkness within him absorbed the curse entirely, sealing the wound shut. 

"Damn, this guy's defense is insane!" 

George's expression turned grim. His last attack had been a full-force Shadowless Blade Curse, and he had landed a direct hit on Sauron's neck. 

By all logic, the sheer power of the spell should have sliced through solid rock, yet all it managed was a minor cut on Sauron's skin. Even the lingering curse that prevented healing had been dispelled in an instant. 

This was the difference between a lesser god and an ordinary mortal—an unbridgeable gap. 

Rather than continuing his assault, George seized the moment to retreat toward Finrod, who was catching his breath and recovering. 

Throughout the battle, Finrod had been at a disadvantage. His elven armor was riddled with cracks, and multiple wounds from Sauron's demonic blade marred his body. 

If not for George's surprise attack earlier, Finrod likely wouldn't have lasted much longer. 

"Restore to its prime!" 

A healing spell activated, and Finrod's wounds began to close at a speed visible to the naked eye. 

"Mend as before!" 

Immediately after, a repair spell took effect, restoring the elven armor to its pristine condition. 

From the earlier exchange, it was clear—at George's current level of magic, killing Sauron was nearly impossible. Delivering a fatal injury was out of the question. 

But just because he couldn't do it didn't mean Finrod couldn't. 

As long as he provided the right support, driving Sauron back was entirely possible—perhaps even breaking his physical body. 

"Thank you. If it weren't for your timely warning, we might have been completely wiped out." 

Seeing both his injuries and armor fully restored, Finrod was visibly astonished. He never imagined that the once ragged and powerless human had now surpassed even him in magical prowess. 

At the same time, he sincerely expressed his gratitude to George. 

Had they entered the canyon unprepared, with Sauron personally leading an ambush, their chances of survival would have been slim to none. 

But now, with the advantage of archery and prior preparation, the tide of battle was slowly turning in their favor. 

"Your Highness, this is our duty as humans. Right now, the most important thing is defeating Sauron." 

George nodded and pointed his sword toward Sauron. 

Golden radiance from the Twin Sacred Trees flared once more as Finrod raised his elven longsword high. 

"Leave it to me! Today, I will claim his head!" 

With those words, he transformed into a streak of golden light and charged toward Sauron. 

The easygoing expression on Sauron's face vanished the moment Finrod lunged at him again. 

"I was planning to toy with you for a while… but it seems I'll have to take this seriously." 

The human mage had too many tricks up his sleeve, and the orc army was already losing ground to the Light Elves. If he didn't take down Finrod and the human soon, this battlefield would be lost. 

At that moment, he unleashed the full extent of his dark power. 

"Shadowless Blade!"

A flash of lightning surged around George as he dashed forward, closely following Finrod. As Finrod and Sauron clashed, George seized the perfect moment and swung his sword once more. 

But this time, Sauron was prepared. Instead of dodging, he swung his demonic blade, dispersing the Shadowless Blade Curse and simultaneously blocking George's strike. 

"Such petty tricks are useless against me." 

"Oh? I wouldn't be so sure." 

George smirked. 

"Disarm!" 

At such close range, Sauron had no way to evade the Disarm Curse. 

The moment the spell took effect, Sauron's demonic sword wrenched itself free from his grasp and was sent flying. 

From the previous exchange, it was clear—George's magic wasn't entirely ineffective against Sauron, just significantly weakened. But it was still useful. 

"Return!" 

Sauron frowned and swiftly reached out, attempting to summon his sword back to his hand. 

He hadn't expected his opponent to wield such peculiar magic. 

But George wasn't about to let him have his way. Activating his telekinetic abilities, he exerted a staggering ten tons of force onto the demonic sword, suppressing its movement and slowing its return. 

While he couldn't stop it completely, the delay was enough—because Finrod, a master swordsman, had already locked onto the opening George had created. 

With deadly precision, Finrod drove his blade straight toward Sauron's heart. 

Sauron had no time to evade. 

The strike landed. 

Though the Valar and Maiar were originally spiritual beings without physical forms—meaning they had no true vital points—upon taking corporeal form in Middle-earth, they gained flesh and all that came with it. 

This meant that, just like mortals, injuries to key areas like the heart and brain were significantly harder to recover from. 

It also meant that if they intermingled with elves or humans, they could produce offspring bearing divine blood. 

Take, for example, Thingol, the leader of the Sindar, one of the three great elven kings of the Age of the Two Trees. 

During his journey to Valinor with his people, he fell in love with Melian, a Maia who used her divine power to shield the forests of Doriath from Morgoth's corruption. 

Abandoning his original path, Thingol chose to remain in Middle-earth and founded the Sindarin Kingdom. 

Together, he and Melian bore a daughter—Lúthien, a half-divine, half-elven princess. 

Thingol, like the other two great elven kings of his era, had once stood before the Two Trees of Valinor and bathed in their light, making him one of the mightiest elves to ever live. 

As a result, his daughter Lúthien became known as the most powerful and beautiful elf in history—surpassing even Galadriel. 

Not only did she inherit the bloodline of the First Age's most radiant elves, but also the divine lineage of a Maia. 

Later, in Morgoth's fortress of Angband, she cast a powerful sleep spell that subdued Morgoth and his minions, allowing her and the human Beren to steal a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown. 

She is the legendary heroine of The Lay of Lúthien, the very song Aragorn sings in The Lord of the Rings. 

However, in the current war, Thingol and his Sindarin kingdom had chosen not to participate. 

Because the Noldor elves had slain his Teleri kin during their exodus from Valinor, Thingol harbored a deep resentment toward them. 

Protected by Melian's divine barrier, the Sindarin kingdom was impervious even to Morgoth's influence—so Thingol had no reason to aid the Noldor in battle. 

Sauron's heart had been pierced. 

His physical form suffered tremendous damage, and the dark energy within him erupted violently. 

The overwhelming force of his unleashed magic forced both George and Finrod to retreat, dodging the surge of dark power. 

(End of Chapter)