Azir, Nasus, and Malphite had already witnessed the destructive power of nuclear fusion missiles and had moved far away from the area early on. At the same time, Aatrox, Rhaast, Varus, and Valeeva, with Azir's assistance using sand magic, had quickly distanced themselves. The moment they sensed the presence of the "sun," they dared not stay any longer. Although such a powerful explosion would not kill them, it would leave them gravely injured. Even with the Sun Disc's power aiding their recovery, it would still take considerable time, which could be a significant disadvantage in the ongoing battle.
As the three nuclear warheads detonated above the Void City of Bel'Veth, unleashing a fire that far exceeded that of the sun, the Void's energy barrier instantly shattered, its web-like fragments vanishing. Dark creatures that had been running through the twisted streets were engulfed by the combined explosion's energy and were annihilated, leaving no trace behind. Even the Void Queen, in her true form, had no means of resisting the power of the nuclear fusion missiles. She had no choice but to protect herself by shrinking her rapidly expanding body, returning to a human size in the blink of an eye. The process of shrinking was grotesque, both visually and audibly, filled with the sickening sounds of slithering and sticky, string-like flesh. It was enough to make anyone feel nauseous.
She absorbed the surrounding energy into herself and quickly fled the explosion's range. Not only that, but countless Void Spirits near the explosion rushed to Bel'Veth's side, much like ants protecting their queen from a fire. They surrounded her at the core, doing everything they could to shield her from harm.
The explosion was catastrophic, almost instantly vaporizing everything. The surging sea waters poured into the white explosion, leaving only a dissipating smoke trail. The nearby mountains, once towering, collapsed into nothingness. The once passable road that had required crossing through mountain peaks was now nothing but a vast expanse of scorched earth.
Li Lin, having long since retreated to a safe area, was not about to give Bel'Veth any time to recover. Hundreds of spatiotemporal teleportation devices activated, tearing open space to send energy waves, with the other side conveniently located along the path the Void Queen had taken. All mechanical legions turned their cannons and opened fire, launching a massive barrage of energy missiles and beams that pierced through subspace, emerging from the other side in an instant.
With technological advancements, the spatiotemporal gates now only allowed one-way travel, meaning the explosion's aftermath could not affect the opposite side. The energy projectiles and the residual blasts from the three nuclear missiles worked in unison, wiping out the Void's insect swarm in vast numbers.
Following this, the main cannon of the Behemoth Dragon God, now cooled down, fired. Like a massive gamma ray beam, it crossed over a hundred kilometers in an instant, soaring toward Bel'Veth. The monstrous, twisted Void creatures disintegrated under the gamma rays, and the center of it all revealed the Void Queen's form. Facing a situation where Li Lin had already set up a blockade, and with the aftershock of the nuclear explosion quickly spreading, even Bel'Veth—who stored the knowledge of millions of years—found it impossible to cope with the situation at hand. The explosion and shockwaves were simply beyond its comprehension.
With two gamma beams crossing and colliding, a massive surge of energy erupted, scattering all the Void Spirits and leaving only the Void Queen, struggling to resist the destructive cosmic rays. Her body cracked, transforming into purple-black ashes that vanished within the energy wave. Bel'Veth was left in tatters, as if the piece of artwork it had once been had suddenly lost its inspiration, unable to complete itself.
Tentacles and limbs, twisted and flickering with eerie purple light, wriggled and contorted, desperately trying to reassemble themselves. Thousands of vertical pupils sprouted across its body, resembling a coral reef made of Void-like material, glowing with a mix of agony and calm.
Even so, it continued to resist its own dissolution.
As the explosion's residual energy faded, sea waters tinged with pale purple flooded into the "plain" area, filling the void left behind by the vaporized land. Bel'Veth's form twisted, barely recognizable but still retaining some semblance of its original shape.
"Not even the Watchers can easily erase me... you think you can?" it cried, its voice blending into a chorus of millions of men, women, and children. Its scream morphed into a laugh. "Hehehe… Li Lin, Li Lin! You've truly caught me off guard! With this knowledge, which shouldn't belong to this world, why would I need to seek out allies anymore?"
At the same time, Caitlyn, Kai'Sa, and Kassadin were baffled by Bel'Veth's cryptic words. But just as they were trying to understand, Li Lin seized the opportunity, noticing that Bel'Veth was still recovering and greatly weakened. He turned his attention to Zoe, who was staring vacantly at the center of the explosion.
"Zoe!" he called out, snapping her back to reality. She blinked at him, her mismatched eyes filled with confusion.
"Teleport me to Bel'Veth's side!" Li Lin ordered.
"Huh?" she responded, but before she could process, Bel'Veth suddenly reappeared in front of the still-crumbling Void City, growing over two hundred meters in less than a heartbeat. Immediately, it flapped its wings, and countless twisted tentacles erupted from its body, striking at the imaginary city behind it. The tips of the tentacles drew energy from the Void City, which flowed in a continuous stream of purple light through the tentacles, infusing Bel'Veth with more power.
Much like a mutated stingray, its massive form began healing rapidly. Meanwhile, the Void City behind it crumbled, merging back into the pale purple sea beneath Bel'Veth, as it consumed the city it had created to strengthen itself.
With the knowledge from Li Lin, Bel'Veth no longer feared the ancient Watchers. It believed that with this new power, the existence of the Void City was no longer necessary. It could rebuild it later. The city it had once created with so much effort had now become a means to elevate itself further, to defeat the Ascended beings and the mechanical legions, to devour the souls of this other world, and to gain the strength needed to break through its own knowledge limits.
In the blink of an eye, Bel'Veth's aura surged rapidly, his entire body grotesquely transforming. Even the sky turned a deep purplish-red, connecting to white fibers, while unformed, chitinous shells of earthworm-like tentacles shot up from the violet-black sea, reaching thousands of meters into the sky, converging into a single mass. Pale purple energy rained down from above, corrupting everything it touched, while violent winds howled, stirring up apocalyptic waves of over a thousand meters high. Countless void spirits descended from the sky, as if eyeing this world, intent on devouring everything in their path. The entire world was turning into a twisted nest of horrors, the domain of the Void Empress's monstrous brood. The terrifying mutations were beginning to manifest.
"Stop dawdling!" Li Lin's shout snapped Zoe out of her momentary hesitation. "I understand!" she quickly responded, summoning a portal with her will that could carry the 250-meter-tall Overlord Zero through the void. On the other side, Bel'Veth stood ready. Sensing Li Lin's intent to intervene, it immediately unleashed a wave of Void energy, trying to disrupt the portal's magic.
Just as Li Lin was about to step through, Zoe's orange hair shimmered into a dazzling starry hue. She fixed her usually playful face into a serious expression, her fingers nimbly twisting and bending as she used her Twilight Star Spirit abilities to distort the laws of reality, preventing Bel'Veth's Void energy from touching her beloved. She poured all her energy into maintaining the portal.
The AI-controlled Overlord Dragon God launched another gamma-ray beam, accompanied by satellite lasers and orbital mega-cannon fire, precisely targeting Bel'Veth to assist their master. The Winged Sisters joined forces, casting a spell that combined both holy and destructive powers. The Sword of Divine Judgment formed a golden and black barrier, protecting the Overlord mech.
The Ascended warriors weren't idle either. Varus pulled back his crystal longbow, releasing a barrage of magical arrows. Azir, Nasus, and Valeeva cast blessings to shield the mech. Meanwhile, Aatrox and Rhaast transformed into shadows, charging back toward the distant battlefield, their roars shaking the heavens and earth, filled with unbridled fury.
Li Lin, now piloting the Overlord Zero, finally passed through the portal. But Bel'Veth had nearly completed his ritual. The Void City had fused completely with his stingray-like body, forming an indescribable, monstrous form. The aura emanating from it far surpassed the combined strength of the current gods in battle. This was its true form.
"Ha ha ha... it's too late!" Bel'Veth's voice echoed, layered across dimensions, reverberating with countless echoes. Even the slightest sigh could disrupt thoughts, making it nearly impossible to concentrate. Even the god-like warriors were not immune.
Aside from Li Lin and Zoe, nearly everyone else was affected by Bel'Veth's full form. Aatrox and Rhaast, seemingly reliving the horrors of the Icathian War, froze mid-flight, crashing heavily to the ground. Their faces twisted with terror, as though the past nightmare had come back to life. Varus, his frog-like face contorted in agony, dropped his crystal longbow and collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in pain. Once, a mere glance at the monstrous spiritual entity beneath the Icathian Void had shattered his sanity. Even with the Seal lifted and bolstered by the blessings of the Starforged Dragon King, he could not withstand such spiritual contamination.
Valeeva and Nasus were similarly affected, their eyes glowing with violet-black energy from the Star Realm, now vacant and confused, their will to fight waning as their purpose was briefly forgotten. Only Azir, who had not witnessed the Icathian War, felt only a slight hindrance, his control over the sands not as fluid as it once had been. He was unaware of the horrors of the Void, so his reaction was less intense than the others.
Fortunately, the AI had predicted Bel'Veth's mental assault and had already moved Caitlyn, Kai'Sa, and Kassadin's mechs away from the area. The anti-demon devices also provided some protection against the mental contamination, so their influence was less severe than on the gods who were haunted by past memories.
Zoe, still feeling the strain of the mental attack as she cast the portal, was somewhat affected but not to the same degree as the Ascended warriors. With a snap of her fingers, she summoned dozens of arcane meteorites, each distorting physical laws as they fell toward Bel'Veth, causing significant damage. At the same time, she used magic to twist the Void storms threatening them into crystal butterfly swarms, though they were rapidly being consumed by the next wave of Void energy.
"They're fine, don't worry," Zoe said as she continued aiding Li Lin, her focus unwavering. "Are you planning to use that now?"
Li Lin took a deep breath inside the Overlord Zero's cockpit. "It looks like there's no other choice." With his control, two sealed metal boxes slowly opened. Inside were two World Runes. One was a golden hue, shaped like the tip of a staff, with hollowed sections adorned with different yellow symbols. The other was greyish-white, resembling a stone tablet with various green rune engravings at its center. These were the World Runes of Precision and Resolve, collected by Ryze.
(End of Chapter)
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