Divine Wrath
Violent energy flowed and shook the earth unchecked, causing a massive earthquake.
The entire Kasos City began to sway before this chaotic power, the ground splitting open with a deafening roar. Several houses collapsed in the blink of an eye, and thick dust billowed up, shrouding the entire city. For a moment, no one could see anything clearly; its effect was no less than that of the Dark Elf's innate magic.
Faced with such overwhelming power, any resistance seemed insignificant and futile. The Dark Elf began to retreat and flee, ignoring the priests' warnings. Those priests, stripped of their divine power, could only struggle to maintain their balance. Their superhuman senses inflicted immense harm on these dark-skinned elves. Some of the weaker ones even fainted, their eyes rolling back in their heads. Even those Dark Elf who were desperately holding on had no choice but to kneel and pray to their gods for the supreme divine power they could use to resist.
Li Lin withdrew his hand in surprise, gazing at the damaged underground world before him. In fact, although he did intend to use this method to further force the Dark Elf to seek help from their powerful god, the effect of this Earthquake seemed far too strong. It even disregarded Li Lin's wishes, engulfing everything around it. It was as if a jigsaw puzzle on the verge of collapse was about to crumble completely, and no one could stop this trend.
Is it because of the geologically active zone?
Li Lin pondered for a moment. Although he had learned some knowledge about this on Earth, Li Lin wasn't an expert. However, based on the extraordinary reaction before him, he estimated he was fairly certain he had guessed correctly. So, Li Lin quickly chanted the incantation again, summoning a powerful, transparent barrier that tightly enveloped himself and the others. At the same time, he waved his right hand, making complex hand gestures. Soon, everyone was floating in the air. They stared at Li Lin in astonishment, wondering what had happened.
"Soon, we'll have a good show to watch."
Li Lin didn't offer much explanation. He stared gravely at the still swaying Kasos City, which was beginning to crumble and collapse like a shoddy building. Frankly, this was an unexpected turn of events in Li Lin's plan. He hadn't expected these Dark Elf to be so unlucky as to build a city in such a place. Weren't they afraid of a massive earthquake someday? However, it seemed their luck was also frighteningly good; to build Kasos City in such a dangerous area and still manage to live peacefully for centuries was quite extraordinary. If it weren't for Li Lin's Earthquake becoming the final straw, who knew when such a thing would have happened?
Li Lin certainly hadn't expected that the earthquake he created would trigger a chain reaction of natural earthquakes. However, he had witnessed the immense power of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions before, power that almost surpassed human control—even divine wrath was probably no match for it. Therefore, he quickly deployed several layers of defense for everyone while trying to maintain the center of the Mythal. Li Lin wasn't sure if this raging disturbance of nature would affect the Mythal, but it was always better to be cautious.
"How annoying, what's wrong with me?"
The Dark Elf couldn't bear it, and naturally even Vampire Species like Angela felt the same way about the rumbling of the earth. The little girl had already covered her ears, screaming in dissatisfaction to vent her anger, as if she were fighting against the raging earth before her.
Then, silence fell.
The shaking stopped at some point, as if it had never happened.
"What happened...?"
Fina carefully helped Mina up. Mina looked around in fear and realized that her voice had suddenly become much softer for some reason.
The Dark Elf, who had survived the previous calamity, finally came to their senses. Surprisingly, they didn't launch their usual swift attack, but instead looked around blankly. The entire Underdark was eerily quiet; even the sound of rolling stones could be clearly heard. Although it appeared calm, the air was thick with the menacing atmosphere of an impending storm. Li Lin frowned. He had sensed the most terrifying and uncontrollable power condensing and taking shape, a power even he wasn't entirely confident he could stop—but he didn't need to.
The ground began to shake again. For the first few seconds, it was just a slight tremor, and almost no one noticed anything unusual except for the small stones starting to roll. But a second later, the power lurking beneath the earth suddenly erupted, as if a sleeping, transparent giant had finally awoke from its underground prison, trying to escape the confinement that held it captive.
Thus, Li Lin, Angela, and others witnessed a scene they would never forget.
The already torn ground widened its wounds once more. This time, even the stone walls and the thick stalactite pillars connecting them were not spared; they easily broke and collapsed, like fragile matchsticks. The enormous sound drowned out the cries of the Dark Elf, and the casualties caused in this one attack far exceeded the number of people Li Lin had killed earlier. Countless pieces of rock rained down from the sky, and spiderweb-like cracks spread everywhere, making one wonder if the thick stone wall above would completely collapse, burying them all inside.
"If I had known this would happen, I should have used this spell from the beginning."
Looking at the horrific scene that had turned into a bloodbath, Li Lin sighed, whether out of regret or helplessness. Angela, however, clearly had a different opinion; she frowned and protested angrily.
"Master, if this continues, I won't have any fun left!"
"Don't worry, with things in this state, your toys should be arriving around the same time."
As he spoke, Li Lin glanced behind him at the Elf Goddess he had imprisoned and was temporarily unable to move.
Your toy should arrive soon.
Based on Li Lin's experience, when faced with natural or man-made disasters that approach genocide, the gods worshipped by a race would never stand idly by, even if the opponent was an evil god. Although his attack had an unexpected effect, there weren't many problems in terms of specifics.
"Damn humans!!"
Meanwhile, Matron Ryan, residing within the Temple, witnessed this horrific scene, her anger almost uncontrollable. The remaining seven matriarchs were already standing by the altar, awaiting the arrival of the First Matriarch. Floating in the center of the altar was a red gem carved with an exquisite spider pattern. This was a gift bestowed upon the Dark Elf by the goddess when the city of Kasos City, the reason the city enjoyed divine favor. Li Lin, of course, was unaware that it was precisely because of this ruby's existence that Kasos City had been able to live peacefully in this hellish place for so long without being reduced to underground ruins and rubble. However, his Mythal Barrier suppressed the effects of the divine magic, greatly weakening the ruby's power, making it unable to suppress the roaring, surging natural forces beneath the earth. And Li Lin's Earthquake, by sheer coincidence, became an accomplice in channeling this power, leading to the current tragedy facing Kasos City.
Without further hesitation, Matron Ryan immediately began to pray aloud, pleading with her god for blessings in a mixture of blasphemy and praise. Through the intermittent connection with the goddess, Matron Ryan could sense that the goddess was angry about what had happened. Whether her anger stemmed from the Dark Elf' foolish inability to carry out her commands, or from the human's audacious slaughter of the Dark Elf, remained unknown.
As the eight matriarchs chanted their praises in unison, the ruby's radiance grew ever brighter, its subtle divine power even beginning to counteract the pressure from the Mythal. Sensing this, Matron Ryan chanted and prayed even more fervently. She could feel pure power swirling around the ruby, condensing, and transforming into a twisted point—a point that would soon become the door to open the palace passage.
Just one more dot! (hetushu. com. com)
While urging herself to continue her efforts, Matron Ryan gazed at the increasingly malevolent red glow of the gem before her. She had focused almost all her energy on the gem and was waiting for it to take effect.
A sharp, sturdy dagger pierced Matron Ryan's body from behind, interrupting her praise. She was forced to stop, her mouth agape, Matron Ryan could feel the ornately crafted dagger's four claws gripping her heart. She turned with all her might, not by the life force of Dark Elf, but purely out of pride as the First Matron of Kasos City.
Who dares to disturb this sacred moment? And who dares to lay a hand on me?!
Instead of pulling the dagger back, the assailant thrust it forward with all his might. The spider dagger, encasing the heart, burst through the chest amidst the blood. Maya, the daughter of Matron Ryan, gazed proudly at the ruby before her, completely ignoring her own mother who lay dead before her. Her face was filled only with joy and fervor.
"The Great Spider Goddess!!"
She screamed and prayed.
"I offer this beautiful sacrifice, humbly beseeching your arrival and salvation!!"
The ruby suddenly burst into a bright light, then turned into powder.
At the same time, a ring of fire appeared before Li Lin and the others, and the angry shouts coming directly from the gods began to shake their hearts.
God's wrath descended.