Collecting the World Runes was Ryze's responsibility, while Li Lin only had to solve the issues of quickly reaching his destination and providing supplies. This was the agreement the two had made. Over the past few months, Li Lin had once again traveled across Ionia, retrieving one cornerstone rune from the Domination and Sorcery Runes, as well as fragmented pieces. However, up to this point, the most complete World Runes were still the ones enhancing attacks and continuous damage from the Precision Rune, and those providing durability and control from the Resolve Rune. Other World Runes, whose cornerstones were still incomplete, were not very effective. Therefore, Li Lin only took these two World Runes with him.
Initially, he hadn't planned to use such world-shattering power. After all, these should have been his final trump card, the last line of defense in the Rune World, but now, he had no choice but to bring them out earlier than expected. Unfortunately, not only had they underestimated the Void, but Li Lin and the AI also underestimated the Void Empress. They never imagined that she had a third stage, one that surpassed the terrifying power of dozens of celestial warriors.
The World Runes utilized pure Star-forged magic, Rune magic—often known as Arcane magic—originated from this very source. Legends say that these World Runes were the origin of magic in the Rune World, left behind by a group of extraterrestrial visitors who mysteriously disappeared afterward. Of course, this was just a rumor that Ryze read in a book on Helia Island. The truth of it remains uncertain. However, what is undeniable is that the complete set of World Runes contains the power to destroy the entire Runeterra. After all, the vast empty space of several thousand square kilometers in the eastern part of Noxus' Immortal Bastion was destroyed by the Sorcery Rune's cornerstone—Arcane Comet.
The World Runes of the Resolve type mainly include three cornerstone abilities: "Grasp of the Undying," "Aftershock," and "Guardian." All other rune fragments merged into these three categories, providing synergistic amplification effects. Grasp of the Undying absorbs the souls and flesh of its targets to enhance the user, allowing them to release the souls of the absorbed beings in a mass attack—except for the user. In addition, this cornerstone can trigger all nearby magical elements, unleashing destructive attacks on targets. The ability to manipulate matter was similar to telekinesis and gravitational control, but fundamentally different. The matter controlled by the World Rune is like an extension of the rune user's own body, connected to their essence. However, for beings like Bel'Veth, whodo not use magic and are not part of the material planes, all the magical particles in the air are absorbed by them.
Among the abilities of Grasp of the Undying, aside from manipulating material to attack, everything else is useless. Aftershock, on the other hand, mainly boosts the user's defensive abilities, allowing anything that comes into contact with the user to be instantly obliterated, providing the user with an undead body that is immune to most damage. It can also awaken life force within a certain radius. The Guardian ability, which Li Lin had learned through his data-based thinking, could generate an impenetrable magical shield within a certain range, granting the user near-immortal lifespan and continuously supplying them with life energy. However, it could lead to unknown distortions.
The World Runes of Resolve type are not particularly offensive. Most of their power lies in providing defense. The amplification effects from the synergy of the three cornerstone runes are far stronger than using any one of them alone.
The other World Rune, Precision, is divided into four cornerstones. Based on Li Lin's own translation, these can be roughly understood as "Press The Attack," "Lethal Tempo," "Fleet Footwork," and "Conqueror." In contrast to the Resolve runes, these runes are focused on enhancing offensive abilities and dealing sustained damage. While Li Lin did not yet analyze their effects through his "datamind," he felt that based on the names and his previous understanding, he could still guess their powers: Press The Attack increases the damage dealt to targets; Lethal Tempo boosts attack speed; Fleet Footwork grants increasing movement speed during an attack and provides a healing effect; Conqueror allows the user to accumulate strength almost endlessly during combat.
Whether these abilities are strong or weak—only a test would reveal the truth.
Li Lin, with this thought in mind, had the AI load both World Runes into the specialized slots of his mecha. He didn't make direct contact with them. As the energy core began to drain power, flowing through the two World Runes, it only took a few beats of his heart before they were activated.
The surface of the Overlord Zero immediately glowed with intertwining yellow and green light. Even Zoe felt a slight threat and raised a bubble-like shield around herself, distancing herself from Li Lin.
"You can still wield World Runes?" Bel'Veth's voice was both ethereal and unsatisfied, "Such a unique and tasty soul..." Its wings, body, and the distorted tentacles extending from its form all turned towards Li Lin, their false eyes fixing on him, while its vertical pupils poured energy, gathering before it into a void-crushing beam.
Li Lin discarded the shield he had previously repaired and raised his left hand. A dazzling emerald light gathered in his palm, forming an energy shield by his will, completely blocking the destructive beam of light.
The next moment, Bel'Veth suddenly felt as though it was being targeted by all things in the world. At the same time, the corrupted sea water that had been manipulated by it suddenly turned against its will. Countless broken stones and mechanical debris rose from the ground, each covered with a layer of green light, and they flew toward Bel'Veth.
Originally, such physical-layer attacks could not possibly cause any impact on it, whether through evasion or direct resistance. However, after receiving the blessing of the World Rune's power, these magical materials, which resembled arcane meteorites that defied the rules, struck its body and caused a slight twinge of pain in Bel'Veth.
"Tch…" It clicked its tongue in a sound similar to a human's, seemingly finding Li Lin, who was using the World Rune, quite troublesome. Meanwhile, outside, the mechanical legion continued its assault on the void nests that spread across the sky, pushing back the void spirits trying to break free and consume life force. The Mechanical Dragon God unleashed all its weapons at once, sending annihilation breath from two directions.
With Li Lin's interference, the few Ascendants who had regained their composure after the mental shake-up quickly adjusted their formations. At the forefront, Aatrox and Rhaast led the charge, with Nasus, Varus, and Valeeva providing support from behind. Azir controlled the endless magical sands, offering aid at any moment.
With everyone working together, Bel'Veth had to divert attention to counter them. Adding to that was Zoe, who continuously disrupted it, causing both physical and mental distress. This provided Li Lin with an opening.
Beneath the determined runes, the earth cracked open, shattering large areas of void energy. Li Lin summoned countless mechanical puppets made of stone and metal within the range of the lavender sea, launching self-destructive attacks. The powerful pulse propulsion system of the Overlord Zero Model was at maximum output, activating all overloaded functions, producing sonic booms that nearly reached Bel'Veth in the blink of an eye.
It first spread its wings, summoning a storm of cutting winds that turned hundreds of times with every heartbeat, tearing apart the air with shockwaves. The massive kinetic axe, imbued with the yellow and green energy of the World Rune, swung down with such force that it tore through the cutting winds but caused no harm, instead heading straight for Bel'Veth' spherical body, wings, and tentacles at its core.
At speeds exceeding ten, even twenty times the speed of sound, the battle axe unleashed incredible kinetic force—too powerful for even Bel'Veth to withstand. It flicked its tail forward, stirring the lavender sea and creating an uncontrollable upward force that disrupted the mech's stability. But thanks to the yellow World Rune's "Conqueror" foundation, Li Lin didn't need to use the anti-gravity devices. Soon, the Zero Model regained its balance.
In desperation, the Void Empress moved like a fish in water, twisting her body to rush behind the Zero Model, her wings and mutated tentacles becoming afterimages, attacking from all directions. But none of her strikes could even dent the green shield formed by the World Rune, let alone harm the mech itself.
Li Lin smirked. The power of the two near-complete World Runes was clearly something Bel'Veth couldn't match. This power was akin to summoning the strength of an entire planet to target an entity from beyond the world, born from another dimension.
Even compared to the Void Watcher, Bel'Veth was no match for the World Runes' concentrated power.
Li Lin waited for the right moment. The left fist of the Overlord Zero Model was covered in brilliant magical light, and with a flash, he launched a fierce attack. There was a sound in the space, almost like glass shattering. The powers of "Precision" and "Conqueror" intertwined, and the Overlord Zero's punch sent Bel'Veth flying. Its chitinous shell shattered, revealing a white, flowing structure—a color reminiscent of when the Void Spirits were first born.
The heavenly magic force pierced through Bel'Veth' body, wreaking havoc as it moved within, causing its skin to crack in a spiderweb-like pattern, mixed with incompatible purple, yellow, and green glows. The Precision Rune continued to crush its body, while the Resolve Rune prevented its void form from regenerating. Together, they worked in tandem, creating an even more formidable effect.
Li Lin narrowed his eyes. The power of the World Runes far exceeded his expectations. He hadn't even used them directly; it was only through the mech that some of their power was activated. Even Bel'Veth, which had maintained an emotionless demeanor, changed. It let out a simultaneous scream, tinged with a hint of fear: "This is impossible…"
Li Lin, thinking briefly, understood Bel'Veth' reaction. In the past, no one had truly comprehended the power of the World Runes. These stones, capable of destroying worlds, had only been unearthed in the past thousand years during the Rune Wars. Most of the World Runes had been sealed away by Ryze in the Forbidden Magic Stone Forest.
Though the Void Empress had vast knowledge, it was all absorbed through devouring and thus couldn't understand things that humans, Vastaya, or Yordles didn't know. This led to her underestimating the power of the Runes, just as Li Lin had done.
After this brief engagement, Bel'Veth realized it could never defeat Li Lin, who wielded two nearly complete World Runes. Even if it consumed its self-created Void City, it still couldn't win. If the fight continued, it might even die here. Its first instinct was to escape—if it could just leave the Rune-bound area and retreat to a corner of the Void, it could lay low until it was safe from the Void Watchers. Once the time was right, it could return to other regions and rebuild or find the Frost Witch who had once betrayed the Watchers…
Thousands of thoughts flashed through its simulated brain. Every hero it had devoured added to its neural synapses, allowing for rapid responses. This was its only chance to escape.
However, before Bel'Veth could act, its escape attempt had already been predicted by the AI and promptly reported to Li Lin. Aatrox and Rhaast had already closed in, and Li Lin, without hesitation, flicked his left hand. The World Rune of the Inspiration system—one he had scarcely used since obtaining it, but had infused with time magic—glowed a bright blue. With the sharp sound of a "ding," time was stagnated within a radius of several kilometers. Everyone, except Li Lin and his Overlord Mech, stood frozen, including the arrows shot by Varus, which hung suspended in midair.
Then, Li Lin infused more magic, draining his internal mana but achieving remarkable results. Bel'Veth' wings were frozen into a golden statue by the time magic, and its own time was significantly slowed, far less than it had been during the previous attacks.
Li Lin smirked, feeling considerably more at ease.
"Where do you think you're going?"
(End of Chapter)
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