Chapter 349: The Unexpected Birth of the Ring of Power

Chapter 349: The Unexpected Birth of the Ring of Power

In the Angband Mountains, three ten-thousand-meter-tall volcanoes stood like gates before the fortress. Thick smoke and poisonous mists pervaded the air. In a deep cavern behind the volcanoes—its depth unknown—countless different kinds of orcs were hard at work.

At the deepest point of this cavern, a grand palace rose in the darkness.

The palace's gate was a kilometer high, and lying at the entrance was a massive demonic wolf.

This wolf was named Kullhoros. It had been handpicked by Morgoth himself from the race of demonic wolves when it was a pup, raised by him, and infused with his own dark power and devouring spirit.

It could stand guard before the palace door without blinking an eye and was capable of perceiving any enemy disguise, possessing an extremely terrifying power.

Inside the palace, upon the throne, the source of all darkness—Morgoth, once the most powerful of the Valar—suddenly rose from his seat with a thunderous presence.

"Such powerful light energy… Could it be that the gods have left Valinor and come to attack?!"

Just moments earlier, he had sensed a sudden eruption of Maiar-level light energy from the direction of the Valley of Death, shocking him to his core.

For a moment, he thought the Goddess of Light, Varda, had descended upon Middle-earth.

The Goddess of Light almost never left Valinor, and if she did, she would undoubtedly be accompanied by her husband, Manwë. And if Manwë had come to Middle-earth, there was only one possibility:

It meant the gods were leading a second campaign to punish him.

Most of his power was currently being used to corrupt Middle-earth. Though he had obtained the three Silmarils, he would still be no match against the united gods.

"No… this isn't right. Varda's power should be far greater than this, and they wouldn't choose this moment to come."

Closing his eyes and sensing more carefully, a look of confusion appeared on his face.

The Noldor Elves, incited by him, had slaughtered the Sea Elves and departed Valinor. Based on what he knew of the gods' personalities, they would not care about the fate of the Noldor anymore.

Moreover, he had just launched a war and hadn't gained the upper hand. Even if the gods were to act, this wouldn't be the time.

In truth, he was racing against time with the gods.

If he could wipe out all the Elves, Humans, and Dwarves before the gods reacted, and use his power to corrupt all of Middle-earth, then the continent would fuse with him.

He would become the supreme god of this land—and not even Eru Ilúvatar himself would be able to do anything about it.

But if the gods launched their campaign before then, his entire plan would fail.

That's why he had become so impatient to start the war—to defeat all who resisted him as quickly as possible.

"Sauron, come here. I have something to ask you."

With a thought, he transmitted his voice across a thousand miles to summon his top general, Sauron, who was recuperating on his island.

It didn't take long before Sauron, in his vampire form, flew to the palace gates and returned to his true form, kneeling at Morgoth's feet.

"My lord, you summoned me—what are your orders?"

"How is your recovery?"

Morgoth lowered his head to look at Sauron.

Sauron lifted his head slightly and replied respectfully,

"My lord, I have mostly recovered. I am ashamed that I lost to the Elves and Humans."

As he recalled the human who used all sorts of bizarre magic, Sauron's eyes were filled with killing intent.

The Balrog King Gothmog had led the Balrog army and successfully broke through Maedhros's strongest line of defense. But his own orc army had been routed in disarray, and he himself had been severely wounded.

It was the greatest humiliation he had ever suffered.

He had already sworn to himself that one day, he would sever that human's head and feed it to the demonic wolves on his island.

"This wasn't your fault. No one would have thought such a powerful sorcerer could come from weak humans."

Morgoth did not blame Sauron. Instead, he offered a word of consolation.

He was able to inspire such unwavering loyalty from so many Maiar not just through strength, but also through his formidable charisma.

One must remember that in the Ainulindalë, Morgoth alone dared to openly challenge the harmony and defy the will of Eru.

"Rest assured, my lord. I will not fail again!"

Sauron assured Morgoth:

"Also, this grave injury has given me some ideas. If I succeed, my power will increase significantly."

"Tell me your idea—perhaps I can help you improve it."

Morgoth showed a look of interest.

In terms of strength, Sauron and the Balrog King were the strongest under his command.

The Balrog King wielded the ultimate flame, and in pure destructive power surpassed Sauron. But Sauron was the most learned among the Maiar.

Before falling to temptation, he had studied under multiple Valar, giving him a far broader base of knowledge.

"I plan to forge a Ring of Power, injecting all my knowledge into it and absorbing its corresponding power. If I wear it on my hand, I can exert double the strength."

Sauron explained his plan in detail.

His master had once been the mightiest of the Valar, superior even to Manwë, and had learned almost all the knowledge of the Valar—save for that of Varda.

If Morgoth were willing to help, it would greatly reduce the time needed to forge the ring.

"Sounds promising, but there are many flaws in your plan. Let me help you complete the forging of this Ring of Power."

Morgoth fully approved of Sauron's idea. Raising his hand, a piece of the highest-grade magical metal flew in from outside the palace. Then, he opened his mouth, and magic fire enveloped the metal.

Magical runes surged into the metal in a torrent, as if with no concern for cost.

As time passed, the magical metal gradually transformed into a ring inscribed with countless strange runes.

Finally, Morgoth injected a surge of his own power into the ring.

"It's done. This ring now also contains my own power. With it, your strength will reach three times the usual level."

"Thank you, my lord!"

Sauron reached out with both hands and took the ring, his eyes full of worship toward Morgoth.

Seeing Sauron wear the ring and his power surge, Morgoth immediately gave his command:

"Sauron, something unexpected occurred in the Valley of Death. Take your subordinates and infiltrate the area in secret.

I want to know who wiped out my forces there."

Morgoth hadn't helped forge the ring out of goodwill.

He only did it so that Sauron could go investigate the situation in the Valley of Death on his behalf. The ring was his creation, and with his power inside it, he could observe Sauron's situation in real-time.

If it wasn't the descent of the gods, then all was well. But if the gods truly had descended to strike him down, then sacrificing Sauron would be worth it—he could flee and hide before they found him.

"Rest assured, my lord. I will complete the mission!"

Unaware of Morgoth's true intentions, Sauron, feeling the power boost to three times his strength, withdrew in high spirits, preparing to return to his island and lead his most trusted subordinates toward the Valley of Death.

(End of Chapter)