The Shadow of Divine Wrath

After that, the Magic Empire's actions became increasingly bizarre.

The undead creatures are still active within the Federation, but they have reversed their previous policy of burning and killing everything. Instead, they are using their numbers to completely surround cities that have fallen into ruin, blocking all access. Faced with this situation, people from other countries and the Federation seem to see a glimmer of hope. Moreover, the resistance encountered by Angela's undead army has begun to weaken.

This is not surprising, given that the undead army previously slaughtered indiscriminately; surrender, resistance, and escape were all pointless. Humans, when driven to the brink, always unleash their strongest will to survive. This is exactly what Angela loves; she most enjoys seeing humanity unleash their greatest strength in resistance, only to be predictably crushed by her. But now, having discovered that the undead army won't invade unless they flee or launch an attack, people's will to survive is clearly even stronger. Many cities, as Li Lin predicted, have begun to tighten their defenses, hastily stockpiling food, provisions, and defensive equipment.

Li Lin also learned from Catherine about the current opinions on the Magic Empire's actions on the continent. Most people believed that the Magic Empire's previous brutal massacres were merely an iron-fisted operation to re-establish its power. Now, their siege without attacking clearly indicated that they wanted to take the Federation's residents as prisoners or slaves, and it was also possible that the Book wanted to re-integrate these people into the Magic Empire.

Generally speaking, the world's speculations do have their reasons. No matter how powerful the Magic Empire is, it is ultimately just a country. Although it came with great force before, the people deep down still refused to believe that it really had the power to kill all of humanity on the continent. And now the Magic Empire's actions can obviously be explained by this.

Of course, many people also connect the changes in the Magic Empire with the previous battle, claiming that it was the appearance of Saintess Catherine that forced the Magic Empire to restrain its actions and reconsider whether their crazy plan could succeed.

It turns out the Magic Empire wasn't as terrifying as I'd imagined.

Ultimately, people came to their conclusions.

This conclusion is quite ridiculous, though.

It must be said that Catherine couldn't hide her doubts when reporting to Li Lin. In her mind, Li Lin should have intensified his offensive during this period, forcing the remaining troops to move closer to his country, and then launching a decisive attack to completely annihilate them. But now, the Magic Empire has stopped its operations, which undoubtedly gives other armies a chance to prolong their lives. They are very likely to seize this time to revise their battle plans and take unpredictable actions.

Li Lin didn't have time to explain Catherine's question in detail, because he was currently busy with the most important matter.

Using the embryo Angela retrieved from Weijia's body, Li Lin, after careful study, finally discovered the characteristics of the Power of Manipulation. Because the power of Power of Manipulation is merely the manipulation of magic, careful observation reveals that magical energy unconsciously moves towards these individuals, creating the illusion of powerful magical talent. Of course, this magical energy is not absorbed into the body like a mage's; it merely surrounds the Manipulator's body, intentionally or unintentionally following Manipulator movements. After all, the Power of Manipulation is the source of the "manipulation" of magical energy, so magical energy instinctively obeys its commands.

So, the rest was easy. The Magic Empire wasn't without tools to detect magical power, and during this time, Li Lin was using these tools to travel between the besieged cities, searching for humans who might be Magic Controller. This method seemed inefficient and clumsy, but as Angela said, sometimes the simplest and most direct methods are the most effective.

Standing on the city wall, Li Lin could easily feel the gazes of the crowd below. There was fear, unease, and anger in their eyes, but they could do nothing. And in fact, they couldn't. Because right above them, a massive magic array was slowly operating; no one knew its purpose, nor what fate awaited them.

Soon, under the illumination of the enormous magic circle, everyone's bodies began to change. Some people gradually developed bright halos around their bodies, which were formed by the gathering of super-concentrated magical power. Although these magical powers were invisible under normal circumstances, Li Lin used his power to force them to reveal their original forms.

"Angela."

Gaze coldly at the crowd, Li Lin gave the order.

"Just like before, you know what to do."

"Understood, Master."

The girl standing beside Li Lin chuckled softly, then leaped off the city wall.

"Listen up, you inferior beings!"

The little guy held his head high, chest puffed out, eyes cold.

"All those whose bodies are glowing, assemble here immediately! This is the master's order, and no one may disobey!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the group didn't answer immediately. They exchanged glances and fell silent. Among those whose bodies were glowing were their children, their partners, and their parents. How could they possibly make this decision?

"Pah! You little bitch!!"

Just then, a child who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old suddenly strode out, spitting heavily onto the ground. Around him, too, was a surge of multicolored magical power.

"Who do you think you are, daring to order me around? Why should we go with you? Who do you think you are! Let me tell you, I'm not going! Go ahead and kill me if you dare, I'd rather die here than go to some godforsaken place with you!!"

"Kill you?"

Angela narrowed her eyes slightly, not with anger, but with a hint of excitement. Li Lin shrugged and sighed. He'd seen this kind of scene many times these days; there were always people who didn't want to go, but that didn't matter, Angela didn't care.

"Although in my eyes you are a lowly single-celled life form, even less than a paramecium."

Angela gazed at the boy, a cold smile slowly spreading across her face.

"But you are still useful now, and your master does not intend to kill you now, however..."

At this point, Angela snapped her fingers. Instantly, two dark figures leaped out from the rooftop and pounced on the people standing behind the boy before anyone could react. Soon, screams rang out, and only then did everyone realize that two Ghouls were tearing at the two people behind the boy.

"Dad!! Mom!!!"

"A lowly, despicable person who relies on glib tongues."

Angela snorted coldly as she looked at the grief-stricken and angry boy.

"I may be frank with you, apart from those glowing light bulbs, the rest of you are utterly worthless and have no reason to live. If you are unwilling to leave with your master, then I will kill everyone here who doesn't emit light... You can make your own choice: will you leave with your master now?"

Finally, the crowd began to move.

No one wanted to watch their loved ones and friends die because of them. One by one, they stepped forward and lined up under the watchful eyes of the undead. Not one escaped, not one fled; they slowly walked out of their positions and onto the plaza before them.

"I won't, I won't let you get away with this!!"

The boy stood at the very front of the line, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Angela.

"I will definitely kill you, I swear!!"

"Well said."

Despite the boy's angry roar, Angela remained calm and composed. Then, she walked up to the boy, snapped open her fan, and covered her smiling mouth.

Kneel down before me.

"What did you say...!!!"

"Kneel down. Otherwise..."

Angela didn't finish her sentence, but from the look on her face as she gazed at the couple who were on the verge of death, it wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking.

"..."

The boy gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, and slowly knelt before Angela.

"My shoes are dirty, lick them clean like a dog."

Then, Angela made a request that no one could believe.

"You're insulting my dignity!! You evil monster!!"

The boy suddenly raised his head, his anger seemingly about to burst out of his chest.

"I absolutely will not...!!"

However, he didn't finish speaking, because just as Angela raised her right hand, a tremendous force forcefully pushed the boy down, pinning his small body to the ground.

"Dignity?"

Angela stepped on the boy's face.

"You powerless trash dare to demand dignity? Dignity isn't something you're born with; it's something you seize with strength. Don't you even understand this? Powerless trash have no right to demand dignity... If you want dignity, beg for the mercy of those in power. Remember, those without power only deserve dignity bestowed by those in power—it's not something you're born with. You have no power to resist me, to resist your master, so obediently accept my orders. Otherwise, I have a hundred and three thousand ways to make you experience a punishment more painful than death."

With that, Angela rubbed the sole of her shoe against the boy's face, then turned and left.

"Disgusting! Your face is even dirtier than the ground. It seems I'll have to change my shoes when I get back."

Having witnessed everything Angela did, Li Lin showed no particular expression. After all, what Angela said was the truth. Dignity was something only those with power deserved, while those without power only deserved the dignity bestowed by those in power. Moreover, although he also saw the burning anger in the eyes of those commoners, Li Lin was not worried about it.

This is the last city within the Federation. With this, all those within the Federation who possess the Power of Manipulation and have the potential to become Magic Controller are now in his hands.

These people had no idea what fate awaited them.

On their journey away with Li Lin, these people pondered many things. Perhaps they possessed some talent that the Magic Empire coveted, which was why they were chosen. Or perhaps they would become sacrifices for the Magic Empire's evil experiments, but they had no way out. Their families were still in the city, still threatened by the undead army. They had no choice; they could neither resist nor fight back, only obey.

But they still couldn't have predicted their fate.

"This is the last bit of Power of Manipulation I have left."

Gazing at the faint, shimmering power in his hand, Li Lin took a deep breath and then clenched his fist tightly. Soon, the faint light appeared on the surface of Li Lin's body and then disappeared.

As Arcane Mage possessing the "magical concept" itself from the origin of magic, Li Lin could naturally absorb these Power of Manipulation with ease.

"Master, how much have you absorbed so far?"

Angela swung her legs, sitting beside Li Lin and watching him absorb power. Right at her feet, a man on the verge of death was breathing heavily; clearly, he wouldn't last much longer.

About one-third.

After absorbing the Power of Manipulation, Li Lin discovered that the magical runes within his soul, materialized from "concepts," actually possessed the ability to store this power of Power of Manipulation. He could even sense the limits of this Power of Manipulation and perceive how much he had absorbed. This demonstrated that the Power of Manipulation was indeed a part that separated from the God of Magic upon his death.

Now, Li Lin can also manipulate some magic. He can even forcibly seize control of magic from level zero to level three from Nia, which once again made the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys personally experience the power and might of Magic Controller. This time, Li Lin strictly forbade all the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys participating in the operation to absorb the Power of Manipulation. This was to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. If one of the people they were absorbing happened to be someone with strong manipulative power, and that person happened to have controlled a Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, then the loss would be far too great.

In the past three months, Li Lin has traveled to every inhabited area within the Federation. Under the surveillance of the "Virgin Goddess's Jewelry," no matter where those people try to escape, they cannot escape the watchful eyes of the heavens. During these three months, with Angela's assistance, Li Lin has captured all those within the Federation who possess the talent for Power of Manipulation and absorbed their power.

Fortunately, the little one was unaffected by the Power of Manipulation, and even the strange magic she used seemed completely unaffected. That's why Li Lin was able to complete the task, which was originally scheduled to take a year, so easily.

"One-third...?"

Hearing this, the little guy's expression darkened slightly, because one-third was a very delicate number. If Li Lin absorbed half of the Power of Manipulation, his chances of winning would be much greater. But if it was only one-third, his opponent would likely have the remaining two-thirds of the power, and in that case, Li Lin would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage in the contest of Power of Manipulation.

What's the next step?

After stepping on the person struggling desperately in front of her, sending them to their death, Angela asked.

"Prepare for the attack."

Li Lin turned around and opened a portal to the Ringwraith City.

"Our next target is Kudel. Although our forces are somewhat fewer than before, they are still sufficient."

"Master, I do have an idea."

Upon hearing this, Angela skipped and hopped after them, offering her own opinion as well.

"There's no need to use an army of the undead; we can exploit the weaknesses in human nature to make them surrender willingly."

"It's not that I haven't considered this approach."

Li Lin stopped in his tracks. In fact, he had already considered Angela's plan. After all, in order to maintain the illusion that "the Magic Empire will not kill everyone," he needed to send a large number of undead troops to divide and surround the Federation's cities. Moreover, to avoid those with the Power of Manipulation being mistakenly killed, he could no longer indiscriminately slaughter people to replenish the number of undead troops as before. Therefore, if he could control the situation without fighting, that would be the best outcome.

However, that's not possible now.

Previously, the Five-Nation Alliance had interpreted the Magic Empire's situation as "panic and retreat after being defeated by Catherine." Threatening them now would not only be meaningless but could also give the impression that the Magic Empire was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, afraid to take military action and only daring to make empty threats. This could lead the Five-Nation Alliance to conclude that the Magic Empire had actually begun to retreat and might even escalate its resistance. In that case, Li Lin would be forced to kill more people. While killing them wouldn't be a problem in itself, if, by chance, one of them was a successor to the Power of Manipulation, then it would be a net loss. After realizing that the Power of Manipulation had been dispersed and inherited, Li Lin had already begun to regret having Angela kill too many people.

"Kudel is a must-attack, but it has to be timed perfectly..."

Even after returning to Ringwraith City and sitting back in his seat, Li Lin didn't give Angela a clear answer, which made the little girl very frustrated.

However, just as Li Lin was deep in thought, he suddenly noticed a warm and moist sensation coming from below his body.

"... Angela, what are you doing?"

"Because it's been a long time since we've done this, hasn't it, Master?"

Angela peeked her head out from under Li Lin's robe, smiled smugly, and licked her lips.

"I've been very well-behaved lately, I haven't killed anyone or committed any crimes, shouldn't you, Master, give me some reward?"

As she spoke, Angela her skirt, revealing her beautiful, slender legs and the most intimate part between them.

"In my opinion, warm, sweet milk is the best reward for me. What do you think?"

As she spoke, Angela sat on Li Lin's lap, fiddling with his large, hot member.

"The cat has been stealing food all this time, and I get jealous, don't you think, Master?"

"I haven't needed it for a while, I thought you'd gotten tired of it."

Faced with Angela's temptation, Li Lin reached out and easily slipped his hand into the place she had willingly revealed, and began to caress her.

Why do you want it now?

"Perhaps it's because of spring..."

Under Li Lin's caresses, a faint blush appeared on Angela's fair cheeks. She breathed softly as she moved closer to Li Lin and slowly took off her dress.

"Spring is the season when all things mate; all life yearns to mate during this season... even I am no exception, am I?"

This is the first time I've heard of such a theory.

Li Lin answered casually, inserting two fingers, which made Angela tremble slightly and fall into his arms.

"Then... Master..."

Angela embraced Li Lin, Angela breath tickling his ear with a seductive and lewd allure.

"Do you intend to enjoy me as is, or do you wish to reap a more ripe harvest? For now, I am at your disposal."

"In that case..."

However, before Li Lin could even announce his "punishment" for Angela, the door to his study was kicked open with a loud thud.

"Your Excellency! Your Excellency! I have some major news! I have some incredibly important news to tell you!!"

Kalin burst into the study like a gust of wind, waving her hands excitedly, clearly quite thrilled.

However, after seeing the situation clearly, Kalin's expression immediately turned strange.

"Hey little bastard, what are you planning to do, riding on top of me?"

"You knew perfectly well, that's why you deliberately came to bother me... you long-eared fairy..."

Although Angela immediately lowered her long skirt, making Kalin completely unaware of what she was doing riding on Li Lin, she didn't get off Li Lin. Instead, she turned her head and glared fiercely at Kalin. Only then did she realize that Kalin was actually holding onto another pure-blooded elf. Unlike Kalin, who was clearly oblivious, the elf was now blushing and lowering her head, unsure of what to say.

"Hmph, you..."

However, Angela didn't finish her sentence. Suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise, but before she could cry out, Li Lin quickly covered her mouth.

Just as Angela was speaking, Li Lin's massive "siege weapon" broke through Angela's narrow "defense line" and penetrated deep into her territory.

"It's nothing serious, don't worry about it."

Li Lin's expression remained gentle, but Angela could only slump in Li Lin arms. Fortunately, her face was pressed against Li Lin's, so Kalin and the other elf did not see the blush on Angela.

"As for you guys, I remember Kalin, you were supposed to be out on patrol with your troops, so why did you suddenly come back?"

"Ah, right, that's it, that's the problem!"

Upon hearing this, Kalin suddenly slapped her forehead, as if she had just remembered that she had come here to say something.

"I might have found where Miu'erkasi is!!"