The Scourge Legion

Passing through the portal, they once again saw the towering mage tower reaching into the clouds. Even though it wasn't their first meeting, the three old mages couldn't help but gasp to steady their minds. This towering mage tower not only represented immense power but was also a symbol of history. The accumulation of a thousand years of history, now manifested in such a tangible scene, would instill a profound sense of oppression in anyone.

Welcome everyone.

Nia, staff in hand, appeared before the three old mages with her usual leisurely demeanor.

How does it feel to be back in Ringwraith City?

"Still as astonishing as ever, Lady Nia."

One of the three mages spoke up.

"No matter how many times we see it, we can never get enough... Honestly, we really want to lay down our burdens and spend the rest of our lives here."

"That would destroy the City of a Thousand Towers. It's best we don't discuss this until the three of you find a suitable successor."

Nia responded with a smile to the three old mages' words, while another old mage asked in confusion.

"Lady Nia, may I ask why the Arcane Mage summoned us here this time? And who are those gentlemen...?"

As he spoke, the old mage couldn't help but glance at a spot not far behind Nia, where several figures were sitting or standing, waiting. Judging from their strange attire, they seemed to be guests like himself. However, these people all had extraordinary appearances, and one woman even had bright wings! Who were these people?

You'll find out soon enough.

Clearly, Nia had no intention of explaining, so the three old mages could only stand aside and continue waiting. They didn't engage with the strangely-looking people, because intuitively, they could vaguely sense that they weren't human, but rather some kind of more metaphysical being. And right now, they were standing on the territory of the Magic Empire, so it was better to avoid trouble here.

While the three monks were sizing up those people, those people were also paying attention to them.

"Human mage."

The Goddess of Dawn frowned and turned her head with a hint of displeasure.

"What do you think the Arcane Mage is thinking this time?"

"The thoughts of Arcane Mage are never something we can fathom."

The God of Light also folded his wings; the environment here was pleasant and made him feel quite comfortable.

"However, I think things must have reached a critical juncture. Since he even summoned mages from the Prime Material Plane, it must be a very urgent situation. Perhaps he needs to gain the approval of all of us... You see."

As she spoke, the God of Light raised her chin and pointed towards the portal. After the light faded, a scantily clad, dark-skinned elf appeared. She quickly walked to Nia, whispered something, and then frowned. After warily glancing at the God of Light and the three old mages, she stood in the darkness on the other side. Although she tried her best to remain calm, a hint of panic and unease could still be seen in her expression.

"Dark Elf."

The voice of the Goddess of Secrets was calm and even, as if she were merely introducing a book.

"If I remember correctly, she should be the current First Mistress of the Dark Elf. This time, it seems things are really going to get serious."

The Goddess of Dawn's expression grew increasingly solemn.

"It's just that we don't know if it's serious for everyone, or just for us."

The God of Light rested a finger on his chin and spoke thoughtfully.

"Arcane Mage are not easy to deal with... especially since the one left is the most difficult among them."

Just then, the teleportation array flashed once more, and a naked elven woman, enveloped in a light blue water sphere, appeared. She manipulated the sphere to float slowly to Nia's side. The two exchanged a few words, and then Nia turned around and gestured an invitation to the Dark Elf matriarch and the three human mages, who were somewhat wary of the elven queen's appearance.

"It seems everyone is here."

The God of Light stood up and stretched.

"Then let's go and see what this Arcane Mage is up to."

And so, a strange team was formed.

Led by Nia, the group walked silently toward the central tower of Ringwraith City. The God of Light and the Goddess of Dawn, being deities, naturally wouldn't idly engage in direct contact with people from the Prime Material Plane. Although the Elven Queen and the Dark Elf Matron were considered subordinates of the same god, years of accumulated grudges meant they had little to say to each other. As for the three old mages, they naturally didn't want to provoke these strange individuals, lest they create unnecessary trouble.

Although Nia also sensed the strange atmosphere, she hadn't invited everyone here for any kind of entertainment, so she didn't say anything to ease the tension. Instead, she led everyone to the hall, where Li Lin was sitting on the throne in the center, waiting for their arrival.

Welcome to the Magic Empire.

Upon seeing the arrival of everyone, Li Lin made no move to rise and greet them; he merely extended his hand in welcome. Below him, Suoxiate, Kalin, Yi Aier, and Anna stood in two rows, watching the group enter the hall. As for Angela, she did not stand with them at the foot of the steps but instead sat directly at Li Lin's feet, resting her chin on her hands like an innocent girl, revealing a lovely smile.

"As before, please don't be shy."

Although Li Lin's actions were not in accordance with proper etiquette, the God of Light, the Goddess of Dawn, and the Goddess of Secrets, who were already accustomed to the rules of the Magic Empire, did not make any special gestures. Instead, they casually found a seat nearby. The Dark Elf and the three old mages followed suit and sat down. Only the Elf Queen remained floating in the water sphere, slowly moving to the side to show her stance.

"So, Arcane Mage, what important matter has summoned us here today?"

The God of Light was the first to raise a question, since he had only appeared here because of Divine Descent. Although the Magic Empire's unique design could minimize the pressure of Divine Descent here, it still consumed power. At this moment, they were focusing all their power on fighting the God of Justice, not wanting to waste even a single bit of their strength. If they hadn't felt the gravity of the situation, they wouldn't have planned to go in person.

"Of course I won't waste your time."

As Li Lin spoke, he shifted his position on the chair, interlaced his fingers, and revealed a smug smile.

"I think you all still remember your promises and commitments."

Upon hearing this, whether they were Dark Elf, elves, gods, or humans, strange expressions appeared on their faces. Although they were all somewhat embarrassed, they ultimately nodded silently. It seemed that regardless of race, Li Lin had already brought them to a certain consensus.

"What I'm trying to say is, please remember your promises... Great people don't concern themselves with trifles; some things require compromise and sacrifice."

As he spoke, Li Lin stood up.

"Well then, I'll get straight to the point. The Magic Empire's army is ready and can be mobilized at any time, which is why I've called you all here."

"You mean you want us to cooperate with your army to launch a counterattack against the Five-Nation Alliance?"

The Elf Queen's voice rang out, and she looked at Li Lin with some confusion, seemingly not understanding what he wanted to say.

"While this is indeed important, there are more important things to do."

Li Lin nodded slightly in response to the Elf Queen's question. The others, however, frowned, pondering the implications of Li Lin's information. Whether gods, humans, or other races, everyone knew that soldiers couldn't be trained overnight. The gods knew the exact date of Li Lin's return to this world, but the others didn't. However, it couldn't have been more than six months. In that time... the Magic Empire already had an army? How did they do that?

"The most important reason I invited you all here is... to let you see my army for yourselves."

Li Lin's voice remained unchanged, still indifferent and leisurely, but the doubts and worries in everyone's hearts deepened. Although they understood when they made the "guarantee" that some things were beyond their control, and that simply sticking to their own path wouldn't guarantee victory, their understanding of Li Lin meant that his decision to make such a "guarantee" and "promise" implied that things might develop in a less favorable, or rather, less acceptable, direction.

"Then, please follow me."

With that, Li Lin walked towards the door, while the others exchanged glances and followed helplessly behind him.

Anyway, things are as they are, they can't get any worse.

Li Lin's destination was the Garden of Silence, one of the six districts floating around the central Ringwraith City, belonging to Anna. It had now become the gathering place for Li Lin's army. Unlike the "Magic Cannon Array" filled with metal and mystery, the "Garden of Verdure" full of natural atmosphere, and the comfortable "Hall of Moonlight," the "Garden of Silence" gave people an endless sense of dread just by looking at it.

On the dark earth, there were traces of tombstones everywhere. If dozens or hundreds of tombstones were not so bad, when thousands or tens of thousands of tombstones appeared before people's eyes, just looking at those seemingly endless symbols of death was enough to make people breathless.

However, this once quiet cemetery is now densely packed with corpses.

"This, this is..."

Not only were the three old monks astonished, but everyone else also looked surprised.

"Let me introduce you... This is my army, the Scourge Legion."

As he spoke, Li Lin pointed to the more than three thousand corpses in front of him. They stood there silently, motionless, with only the aura of death surrounding them. Apart from the blinding red light flashing in their dark eye sockets, they seemed to have no trace of movement whatsoever.

"As you can see, these are all armies of the undead, the dead, Ghoul. Call them whatever you like, they're all like this... Now, I think you understand why I brought you all here."

"... This... is indeed..."

Maya swallowed hard. Although she, as the matriarch of the Dark Elf, had seen similar things many times before, and the Dark Elf themselves did not reject these "consumables," these undead seemed to possess a strange pressure. If the undead creatures controlled by liches only instilled the fear of death, then this massive army not only threatened death but also gave people a terrifying illusion of facing crazed beasts.

"These are undead creatures, Arcane Mage!"

The Goddess of Dawn has now spoken.

"You want to fight using the bodies of these poor dead? I absolutely will not allow such blasphemy!"

"Blasphemy?"

Angela's cold, mocking voice rang out, and for some reason, everyone felt that the undead legion before them seemed to stir as well.

"What right do you have to say that? Woman? Blasphemy? These people are not holy beings, so how can you talk about blasphemy? If you are unwilling to accept your master's conditions, then go back to your divine realm and wait for that idiotic God of Justice to rape and kill you. What a foolish idea! This is war, and war means using any means necessary, as long as you win! Look at you all, weren't you all once great gods? And now? What difference is there between you and a rat that has crawled into its hole?"

"You...!!"

Meeting Angela's crimson eyes, the Goddess of Dawn was speechless with anger. She stepped forward, and divine light immediately enveloped her body.

"Come on, if you're not afraid to die!"

Faced with the wrath of the Goddess of Dawn, Angela advanced instead of retreating. Similarly, a blinding red light, mixed with boundless deathly aura, erupted from her body, faintly confronting the Goddess of Dawn. Apart from Li Lin, both the guests and the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys tacitly took a step back, perhaps for fear of getting their hands stained with blood.

"Goddess of Dawn, please have some self-respect."

Just then, the God of Light, who had been silent all along, spoke. He then placed his hand on the Goddess of Dawn's shoulder, suppressing her anger. Afterward, the God of Light turned to Li Lin and Angela and sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry, but even we gods... there are some things we can't decide for ourselves."

"Angela, don't get angry so easily. That's why I called them here."

Li Lin also stepped in to smooth things over.

"Gods and mortals are different. They cannot live as freely as you and I do. They have their own rules. What I did this time was simply to ask them to lower their bottom line a little."

"A pointless persistence."

The Goddess of Secrets standing to the side spoke indifferently, it was unclear whose side she was taking sides with.

"Then I'll continue."

Li Lin pretended not to hear those words; they were of no consequence to him anyway. The God of Light, too, clearly acted as if he hadn't heard anything.

"These Ghoul legions are agile and incredibly strong. Anyone injured by them will be transformed into an undead creature like themselves, though it will take some time. I've studied this process; it's irreversible. In other words, all enemies killed by them will become their allies."

Upon hearing this, everyone could no longer hide their shock. Although there had been undead creatures before, they had never seen anything like this before. Not only could it kill enemies, but it could even turn those people into its own companions after they died? Even just imagining it, everyone immediately realized how powerful the threat posed by these undead creatures was.

"Arcane Mage, how did you manage to research and create these undead creatures?"

One of the three mages spoke up, after all, such terrifying magical techniques should be forbidden even in the Magic Empire.

"This is not my masterpiece."

In response to his question, Li Lin shook his head, then patted the little guy on the head.

"I forgot to tell you all, all of this was Angela's doing. Her Vampire Species possesses this ability to transform undead servants, but even I can't confirm exactly how it works."

"Then how can you guarantee that its threat will be limited?"

This time, even the God of Light frowned. After all, he could barely accept undead creatures created from corpses, but now it seemed that an undead army that could multiply infinitely... He had to be more cautious.

"Angela."

Clearly, Li Lin had already considered this issue beforehand. He gestured to Angela pouted and then raised her hand, snapping her fingers lightly.

Then, the Ghoul standing in front of everyone suddenly weathered away, their bodies turning into grains of sand, and vanished with the wind without leaving a trace.

"These things are all under my control. Whether they exist or disappear is entirely up to me... Now, do you have any questions?"

"..."

A silence fell over the crowd. Clearly, they had their questions, but given the current situation...

"Of course, I've also considered your concerns."

Seeing that the time was ripe, Li Lin spoke up, first turning to Maya.

"Miss Maya, compared to others, the Dark Elf are relatively familiar with undead creatures, so I am very likely to send them to fight alongside you. I hope you can go back and discuss this with the Dark Elf."

As he spoke, Li Lin looked at the Elf Queen again.

"Your Majesty, I think you understand what I mean. These undead creatures pose no threat to nature. Of course, considering the elves' pride and fighting strength, I won't rashly send them into the elven ranks. However, just in case, please inform your people. After all, according to the alliance, we also have a responsibility to assist the elves in defense. This time, we absolutely will not fail. Moreover, these undead creatures will absolutely obey orders; they will not attack the elves or Dark Elf. Of course, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I don't intend to engage in a free-for-all if possible."

"I understand what you mean, Arcane Mage."

The Elf Queen had now completely calmed down, and she nodded slightly in agreement.

Seeing that things were settled here, Li Lin turned around and looked at the others.

"As for the three mages, I think it will be a bit difficult, because undead creatures cannot distinguish between humans. They can identify creatures with obvious physical differences, such as elves, but they have little ability to distinguish humans. Therefore, I suggest that after launching the attack, you should completely seal off City of a Thousand Towers to avoid war. I personally suggest that you start stockpiling supplies and preparing now. Although given the geographical location of City of a Thousand Towers, the Five-Nation Alliance is unlikely to launch an attack on you at the beginning, I think you should understand what to do."

"In fact, we have already begun stockpiling supplies."

An old mage spoke up, adjusting his glasses as he did so.

"From the day we allied with the Magic Empire, we had already considered similar situations... Of course, things are progressing smoothly so far."

"That's good, then..."

As he spoke, Li Lin looked at the God of Light, who simply shrugged.

"Thanks to you, our followers are now wanted across the entire continent, and we're trying to hide from them. As for the threat of the undead... I think there's nothing we can do to help."

"I suggest you immediately evacuate to the surrounding small countries. After all, those are not places where the God of Justice can reach. Moreover, with your assistance in the future, I will be able to deal with those countries more easily."

"I will try my best... to tell the others, but I don't know how they will react."

The God of Light's words at this moment clearly demonstrated his stance. After all, there were more than just the three of them being hunted down, and most of the gods were unable to appear. Therefore, the presence of these two here served as a representative and a mouthpiece.

As for the promise from the God of Light, Li Lin simply nodded. He knew very well that if the gods didn't help him, they would only be destroyed by the God of Justice. However, since they were, after all, half-embodiments of the rules, they couldn't possibly do anything that violated the rules just to preserve their own existence. Gods like the Goddess of Dawn were more difficult to deal with, but relatively abstract high-level gods like the God of Light were easier to accept. After all, light doesn't necessarily represent justice. Although most people equate light with kindness and justice, this isn't necessarily the essence of light. It was precisely because he understood this that Li Lin invited the God of Light. After all, for the God of Justice, obtaining the divine office and power of the God of Light would be absolutely beneficial to him. Therefore, the God of Light was arguably the one in the most dangerous situation, so he would never oppose his proposal.

After all, the threat on the mainland would draw the attention of the God of Justice to the greatest extent possible, and the God of Light would absolutely not disagree with such a good thing.

"Then, let's leave the business at that."

Li Lin smiled gently at everyone, and then stood before the Elf Queen and the Black Elf Matriarch.

"As for the two of you, I have some very important matters to discuss with you privately."