Yes.
An anomaly is occurring.
Just as Saruman and Karg relaxed slightly, waiting hopefully for Lina to recover, a sudden change occurred!
This already chaotic space-time rift suddenly came to life!
As before, it was not a physical activation, but the arrival of a will, a pure "malice" and "madness" that coalesced and oppressed!
It's just stronger than before.
"Buzz!!!"
A deep, resonant roar, inaudible yet affecting the very soul, pierced the brains of Saruman and Karg simultaneously, like a million cold steel needles!
That wasn't a sound; it was a faint, unconscious emanation from the deepest recesses of this space, from the slumbering behemoth... impatience? Disturbed? Or perhaps, the irritation stemming from some incomprehensible little thing doing something on its territory, something it couldn't do anything about for the time being?
Um.
The "little insect" here specifically refers to Ian. This trace of displaced anger has no effect on Ian's stable "domain," like a gentle breeze across a hillside. But for Saruman and Karg, two "mortals" already in extremely poor condition and deeply immersed in a polluted environment, it is nothing short of a catastrophe!
"Aaaaaah!!"
In an instant, the surrounding slowly moving, eerie color blocks suddenly accelerated their rotation, twisting and Transfiguration, emitting dazzling light and whispers that could drive one insane!
The invisible spatial pressure suddenly increased tenfold, even a hundredfold!
It was as if countless cold, slimy, invisible hands reached out from all directions, gripping their bodies tightly, squeezing them inward, trying to crush and flatten them, and completely integrate them into this madness!
Damn it!
The whispers of Cthulhu in the air intensified dramatically, no longer just background noise, but transformed into clearly identifiable blasphemous statements filled with resentment and temptation. Like Maggot of Bone, they frantically burrowed into their minds, attempting to erode their last shred of sanity and lure them into surrendering and merging into that eternal, chaotic dream!
This will, filled with anger, was meant to oppress and crush Saruman and the others, as if it were because Ian couldn't do anything about it and wanted to vent his anger on Saruman and Karg.
"Ugh!!"
Karg was the first to be hit. He was already exhausted of his Battle Qi and physical strength, and was only holding on by sheer willpower. At this moment, under the sudden and overwhelming mental and physical pressure that far exceeded his limits, he felt his bones groaning, his vision going black, and his ears ringing, as if he was about to be completely crushed in the next second!
"Damn it! That Cthulhu is trying to kill us!" Karg had also learned a bit about Cthulhu, and it was all thanks to Saruman and Ian's reliable actions.
He clenched his teeth so tightly that blood seeped from his gums, using his last bit of strength to hold Lina even tighter in his arms, but his own body trembled and bent uncontrollably.
Unnatural indentations, as if pressed into his skin by invisible pressure, even began to appear on his skin's surface!
"This is displaced anger!"
Saruman was also having a difficult time.
He groaned, feeling his Magic Shield shatter instantly like paper under the pressure of that terrifying will! The whispers that directly affected his soul gave him a splitting headache!
Countless insane and blasphemous visions flashed before my eyes.
Even more terrifying, he felt the Magic Power within his body, and even his soul itself, becoming sluggish and viscous, as if it were about to be assimilated and frozen by the "malice" of this space! He desperately urged his Mental Power to cast protective spells, but to little avail, and could only watch helplessly as he and Karg were like a small boat in a storm.
It is about to be completely swallowed up!
This wrath from Cthulhu's dormant will might just be an unconscious "turning over" or "frowning" in Chi, its true power not even targeted, merely a sudden increase in the "environmental malice" of this area. But for Saruman and Karg, this was an irresistible Calamity! "How could there be such a powerful creature in the world!"
"This isn't magic at all!"
"Even Dragon would be mere snacks compared to this creature!"
They finally understood firsthand what Ian meant by "extremely dangerous"! Simply getting too close and causing a slight change in the environment was enough to lead to their Eternal Damnation!
"Teacher... Karg... Lina..." Saruman's heart was filled with despair. He never imagined that he would not die at the hands of Legend, nor under the claws of a monster, but would be crushed and driven insane in this unknown crevice because of an "environmental reaction" unintentionally triggered by the Legend when he was healing his companion!
Is this... the end of everything?
Just as Saruman's consciousness was gradually blurring due to the dual pressure, and Karg was on the verge of collapse, another unexpected event occurred!
This time, it came from Saruman himself!
Deep within his soul, that part that had been dormant since merging with his younger self, representing a thousand years of wisdom and vicissitudes, and especially containing a profound understanding and connection to the power of the " Raven "... was intensely stirred!
The malevolent and insane oppression from the outside world, belonging to Cthulhu, and the crisis that Saruman was facing at this moment were like two keys, simultaneously inserted into a hidden "keyhole" in his soul!
In an instant, Saruman's silver eyes, which had been glazed over by pain and despair, suddenly erupted with a completely different kind of light, as deep as the starry sky and as ancient as a well! A vast, restrained Magic Power Fluctuation, yet carrying a strange aura of "time" and " Raven," burst forth uncontrollably from the deepest part of his body!
This is not the power of the young Saruman.
This is the power of Saruman, the blind, Legendary Wizard deeply entangled with the Power of the Raven, a thousand years later! It is the "legacy" he brought with him during his fusion, a legacy he has not yet fully digested and mastered!
Stimulated by a life-or-death crisis, "catalyzed" by the oppressive will of Cthulhu, and subtly resonating with the power of the " Raven " that saved Lina, the will and power of the elderly Saruman briefly... "came online"!
"Snort!"
A deep, aged, yet undeniably authoritative snort emanated from Saruman's mouth. Though it was his voice, it carried a weighty quality that transcended millennia.
Saruman— his eyes and demeanor were now completely different. He suddenly straightened his almost bent spine, ignoring the surrounding space that was being squeezed so tightly and the whispers that were eroding his soul.
This Wizard, who would become Legend many years later, did not cast any complicated spells; he simply raised his right hand, palm up, and made a simple "lifting" gesture.
With his movements.
A strange force field, semi-transparent and flowing with a dark silver glow, seemingly composed of countless tiny clock runes and Raven wing phantoms, rapidly spread out from him!
This force field was not strong; in fact, it was somewhat illusory and unstable, as if it might collapse at any moment.
But it possessed a unique "property"—a subtle influence on the "flow of time," a hidden repulsion against the "mad erosion"! And a trace of... resonance with the " Raven " power that Ian was using, but weakened countless times! This thin layer of force field, like the most resilient soap bubble, temporarily isolated most of the terrifying will pressure and spatial compression from the outside world! It protected Saruman himself, as well as Karg and Lina, who were barely enveloped by his force field!
Karg's pressure eased abruptly, and he coughed violently, looking at Saruman demeanor had drastically changed, with suspicion and uncertainty. " Saruman? You...?" Saruman, the man from the older version of Top Number, didn't look at his longtime friend; his deep silver eyes warily scanned the still surging malice around him.
His brow was furrowed.
He could sense it.
The power he had forcibly generated through the fusion opportunity and the stimulus of crisis, which was not entirely his current power, could not be maintained for long and would severely deplete his already unstable soul fusion body.
But at least... we've held on for now.
He glanced at Ian was still engrossed in treating Lina and seemed oblivious to the dramatic changes around him, and smiled wryly to himself, "This Your Majesty... really... the commotion you cause gets bigger and bigger each time."
He changed his address for Ian to a more honorable one.
Now, their only hope is that Ian can finish treating Lina as soon as possible, and then... find a way to get them out of this hellish place. In the old Saruman's perception, the "malice" and "activity" of this area are constantly increasing as Cthulhu's trace of vengeful will continues.
but.
The elderly Saruman paid no attention to this.
He has been calculating for a thousand years.
It can be said that...
No one understands Cthulhu better than his younger self.
" Saruman? You... you... you've broken through?" Karg looked at his best friend, whose aura had suddenly changed, as if he had aged countless times in an instant, and who was emanating a Magic Power Fluctuation that felt both unfamiliar and unsettling to him. He asked in surprise and uncertainty. That's why they're such good friends; they're quick to notice changes in each other.
Even someone as slow-witted as Karg could not.
He sensed it too.
The light in Saruman's silver eyes was no longer that of a young man's sharpness and intelligence, but rather a deep sense of vicissitude, weariness, and a heavy burden of knowing too many secrets.
More importantly, the level of Magic Power emanating from the other party, while still not as unfathomable as that of Ian Prince in the distance, had already surpassed the realm of "touching the threshold of Legend "!
They've reached... the true realm of Legend!
Moreover, it seems to be more than just entering the Legend! They've spent their entire lives chasing Legend, and they've even met Ian, a Legend. Karg has certainly learned how to judge whether someone is Legend!
Soldiers are actually quite quick learners.
Especially in terms of eyesight.
" Karg, long time no see."
Saruman, driven by his aging will, slowly turned his head to look at Karg. His gaze was incredibly complex, containing the bittersweet emotion of seeing a vibrant old friend again after a thousand years, the unease about his impending Destiny, and a hint of suppressed excitement. In short, it was a complexity that no actor could imitate.
Furthermore, he did not directly answer Karg's question about "breakthrough," as it was too complicated, involving spacetime paradoxes and soul fusion, and this was not the time to explain.
The man first shook his head slightly, then nodded gently, and spoke in a deep, steady, hoarse voice honed by time.
"You could say that, but not entirely. I've temporarily... borrowed some power." His gaze swept over the fragile force field he had erected, flowing with dark silver and clock runes, as he felt the relentless, tidal wave of malice and mental erosion from the external Cthulhu will.
After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Now, for the next few hours, I will be... Legend. And Legend specifically researched against 'that thing'."
His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable confidence forged through countless trials.
This confidence is not arrogance, but rather a foundation built upon a millennium of in-depth research into Cthulhu and its corrupting system, and countless failures and deductions.
"Good, good, good! I knew you could do it! You've always been the best!" Karg didn't quite understand, but the word " Legend " and the undeniably powerful aura emanating from Saruman, enough to temporarily withstand this terrifying environment, rekindled a flame of hope in his heart. Whatever miracle Saruman might have performed, as long as they could survive, as long as Lina could be rescued, everything else could be asked later! "Watch out!" Karg suddenly exclaimed. From the twisted, writhing color blocks surrounding the force field Saruman had erected, several translucent, dark purple "tentacles" formed from pure malice and chaotic energy suddenly emerged, lashing out at the force field like sharks smelling blood! "Snap! Snap!"
The force field rippled violently, the dark silver light flickering uncertainly, as if it could be shattered at any moment! In response, Saruman snorted coldly. Without making any move, he simply raised his left hand, his index and middle fingers together, and rapidly sketched several dark red runes in the air that were extremely complex in structure, full of asymmetrical beauty and blasphemous geometry.
This time, history has changed!
These runes bear a faint resemblance to the surrounding Cthulhu madness, yet they are constrained by a cold framework of "order" and "analysis".
original.
Karg would die completely at this point, but the elderly Saruman would absolutely not allow it. His appearance had already changed history, which greatly boosted his confidence.
"Fight madness with madness, dismantle chaos with analysis... Cognitive Deflection Charm!"
Saruman chanted softly and flicked his finger. The dark red runes instantly flew out and precisely imprinted themselves on the malicious tentacles of the pulsating force field!
A bizarre scene unfolded!
Those tentacles seemed to be "confused" for a moment, and their attack movements were briefly slowed and confused. The pure malicious energy contained within them seemed to be briefly "interfered" and "deflected" by those runes, no longer concentrating on one point, but spreading outwards in a disorderly manner!
The impact on the force field was immediately greatly reduced!
"This is..." Karg stared in disbelief. He had never heard of such magic before!
"The power of Cthulhu is essentially a torrent of chaos, madness, and incomprehensible information," Saruman explained quickly while maintaining the force field, as if lecturing a student. "Directly confronting it with the power of order is inefficient. The best approach is not confrontation, but rather 'misleading' and 'diverting' it!"
"I'm analyzing and interfering with the unstable nodes in its structure." It must be said that years of research on Cthulhu have indeed given Saruman an unparalleled understanding of Cthulhu.
Knowledge will not let Wizard down.
therefore.
This is the result of years of research on Cthulhu.
He actually managed to develop a lot of targeted magic.
Very useful.